The Fields of Glass
In ancient times, the rivers flowed across the land differently. Lakes pooled in valleys that are today dry. As water flowed into the valley, the bottom smoothed. As the water drained, what was left were fields covered in the silts and salts and minerals deposited by the ancient rivers. These fields are the Fields of Glass, shining white natron fields in the long-drained lakebeds of the Emirate of Dabwa. Named so for its glasslike appearance as well as the use of the natron harvested for making glass, the Fields are not only a site of natural beauty but also an important natural resource for the Emirate of Dabwa. It is also rumoured that the ghosts of water spirits from a time when the fields were a lake still haunt the fields.
Localized Phenomena
The fields are almost always dry and lifeless, but the workers on the fields frequently report seeing strange spirits in the horizon, and hearing eerie wails. In some places, the surface of the field is so smooth and translucent that it appears that people on the field are walking on air.
Fauna & Flora
The fields are devoid of life, as the salts of the field prevent any plant from flourishing. Without plants, no other animal can thrive, and thus the fields are a vast expanse of white. The only living beings on the Fields of Glass are the workers of the natron mining operations, carving away at the field for the export market of the emirate. Even insects struggle to survive on the fields.
Natural Resources
The field is a practically inexhaustible source of natron, and the Emirate of Dabwa exports this substance across the emirates and even further afield. The neighboring emirate of Damaqah is a major customer, its glassmakers using the substance to ply their trade. The natron has other uses as well, including as a pest repellant, an antiseptic, and a soap. Close to the port of Dabwa as well as other towns within the emirate, there are multiple natron-mining operations on the fields, carving away the surface and carting it off on camel-back for river transport.
I love the idea that the ghosts of water spirits haunt the field. I bet it looks beautiful, though, despite its eerieness. :)
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