"Shadow Valley"
Unknown to the world at large, “Shadow Valley” is a fifty square mile subterranean cavern system in the Pennsylvania region, whose rock is laced with extensive veins of rock crystal and phantom quartz deposits. These allow a filtered sunlight into the valley enabling the basis of a ‘shadow ecosystem’ to form. This was left to develop over thousands of years until an automated Qwardian exploration drone discovered the valley when it crashed. It was held in the cavern for centuries.
During that time, microbes and other samples from the drone escaped containment, altering the shadow ecosystem, causing it to adapt and change. Leaving the valley and its few animal and plant inhabitants a cross between pre-historic Earth flora and fauna, alternate copper-based animals and plants, and Quardian-based flora and fauna.
This mixture is what was found when Dr. Teleios, also known as Jakob Stroessen, stumbled across the area. Not losing any time, he set up a small research station and gathered financial support from various backers. The two largest being Infinity Incorporated and Advanced Idea Mechanics.
When he discovered the wreckage of the Quardian probe, he worked until he unlocked its scanning data. This lead him to the discovery of another “Shadow Ecosystem”, this one hidden beneath the icy wastes of Antarctica, that was far larger than the one under Pennsylvania. Teleios relocated his main research station and most of the Qwardian technology to Antarctica, while maintaining the hidden research outpost as a remote office location, where he could meet his backers.
The only know entrance to Shadow Valley is through the bottom of a decommissioned US missile silo that is twenty miles west of Metropolis. The silo and the surrounding three acres were sold to a private development company called Greener Pastures, Ltd.
Type
Cave System
Location under
Inhabiting Species
Related Plots
Very cool!
Thank you!