Nether's City

Surrounded by an endless expanse of flowing darkness, it shimmered with countless silver lights, resembling a piece of a Starlit sky lost in the boundless depths of the cosmos. Cut from indomitable stone, the city was graceful and soaring, standing as a testament to the brief existence of the Stone Saints. Though it had no name, as Nether had never bothered to give it one, it was considered a marvel of the Dream Realm, despite few humans having witnessed its beauty.^[1]

The city was located within a colossal cavern filled with enormous stalagmites and stalactites, each the size of a mountain. Rather than being built from stone, it was carved directly from the cavern itself. The black stone formations had been shaped into magnificent buildings, serpentine roads, and exquisite monuments, making the city largely vertical. Stalagmites and stalactites were connected by arching aerial bridges and aqueducts, forming a mesmerizing stone web. Below the city, white mist concealed the turbulent currents of one of the three great rivers of the Underworld, while above it, impenetrable darkness covered the cavern's distant ceiling.^[1]

The city's illumination came from countless lanterns containing divine flame, which continued to burn thousands of years after the gods perished. Suspended between nothingness and darkness, the city appeared as a radiant jewel within the vast subterranean realm. Beyond its visible beauty, however, the city functioned as an enormous machine or vast sorcerous array. Its energy systems drew power from the great river below through enormous water wheels hidden by mist, which drove a complex system of spinning gears. Soul essence flowed through specially carved stone channels, powering countless runic enchantments throughout the city, while true darkness was also harnessed and guided through stone channels to provide additional power.^[1]

Nether sustained the city through the combined forces of the great river of the Underworld, soul essence, and true darkness. Even thousands of years after the Demon of Destiny's fall, the city remained active, shining within the darkness of the Underworld.^[1]

At the edge of the city stood Nether's citadel, positioned above the great waterfall that plunged into the abyss. The palace of the Demon of Destiny hovered between the largest stalagmite and stalactite of the cavern, serving as the center of the sorceries that sustained the city. Surrounded by slowly revolving rings of metal and black stone, the citadel was a complex of structures rather than a single building, containing mysterious spires, towering crucibles, transparent crystal domes, and intricately adorned black edifices supported by tall pillars. Although built primarily for function rather than aesthetics, the stronghold remained graceful and imposing, with one facade facing the city and the other overlooking the boundless abyss below. It also served as the confluence point for the torrents of soul essence and true darkness that powered Nether's city.^[1]