Golden Rifts
While beautiful, the Golden Rifts are a maze of winding tunnels that have left travelers plenty lost among the caverns, left to be ripped at by the Salt Monger living in the lowest points of the rifts.
Geography
The Golden Rifts are winding tunnels not only horizontally but extremely vertically as well. The walls of the tunnels are painted with all hues of sedimentary rock, making the location already a sight to behold, but the namesake light that enters the rifts makes it undeniably so. The high salt density in the walls and veins within the caverns allows in many of the upper segments of the caverns for light to shine within from the tops of the desert sand. In some places above the Golden Rifts, the sand is lightly held upon the shield that supports a lot of the ground in the region. The hue of the semi-translucent rock salt and the generally warm coloring of the stone leads to an almost dreamy light constantly filtering into the tunnels in the day that reminds many of the golden hour on the surface before the sun falls beyond the land. In the evening, night, and early morning, the tunnels darken into, in comparison, a sheer blackness.
It is not known how deep the rifts truly go, but it is generally understood that there is likely nothing very different beyond the diurnally lit segments from Underdark tunnels.
Many entrances to the Golden Rifts can be found in the sands, though they are most commonly located alongside the rockwalls commonplace in Hanging Sands.
It is not known how deep the rifts truly go, but it is generally understood that there is likely nothing very different beyond the diurnally lit segments from Underdark tunnels.
Many entrances to the Golden Rifts can be found in the sands, though they are most commonly located alongside the rockwalls commonplace in Hanging Sands.
Ecosystem
The Golden Rifts are practically barren of any life, aside from the keystone species, Salt Mongers. Among the brine pools swim bacteria and algae. Near the entrances of the tunnels lizards, snakes, bugs, and other desert creatures take refuge, and on the walls on occasion grows lichen. The tunnels are empty yet easy to find things within from the particularly reverberating stone making up the system.
Climate
The Golden rifts are dramatically cooler than the scorching desert that can be found outside the tunnels. It holds a mostly stable temperature as the heat sinks into the stone and slowly leaves it when the cooling begins. Some in the region who find their homes set upon or near to the Golden Rifts use it as a cellar to keep their food cooler.
Natural Resources
As mentioned, the Golden Rifts are rife with rock salt, making it one of Anathril's largest industry in modern times. Other than the rich salt, The Golden Rifts are practically useless, as the rock is too soft to be used for construction, especially as there is better rock to be found south of the caverns.
History
The Athelrucs have, for generations, visited the vast caverns as a place of sacred worship. It was not until the founding of Anathril that the Golden Rifts were extracted, much to the dismay of the natives to the land.
Aside from its use as an industry, the Golden Rifts have continued to be used as a place of exploration, with rope bridges connecting tunnels to wider networks and man-made shafts making the place more open to tourism to the beautiful place.
Aside from its use as an industry, the Golden Rifts have continued to be used as a place of exploration, with rope bridges connecting tunnels to wider networks and man-made shafts making the place more open to tourism to the beautiful place.
Alternative Name(s)
Salt Caverns, Thauncra's Basin
Type
Cave System
Location under
Owner/Ruler
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