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Val Nyes and the Val Nyes:

The country of Val Nyes is known by many names, such as the Emerald Hills, the Peaceful Nation, Land of the Little Folk and others. It is situated north of Briandyna in the crisp, rainy and green foothills that lie between the Icy Mountains and the Ancient Lands. While only four cities can be seen in the Conutry's territory, they have extensive networks of caverns and tunnels stretching under the earth that are a mix of architecture and magic.
The entrances to these tunnels are protected with enchantments so that to the outside observer, they merely look like part of the grassy hilltops. There are also methods of travel underground between the subterrainean portions of the four Standing Cities: Nay, Pita, Rehd and Lima. These are little understood stones that pulse with heartbeats of their own and can 'teleport' individuals from one location to another stone elsewhere.

While the majority of the cavern cities are bathed in phosphorescence from the fungi and toadstools that grow on the cavern walls, or the luminescent insects or quarry stones that line the walls, they often use torches, oil lamps and a primitive form of natural gas to light their homes. While the Val Nyes people can see well in the dark, they are not nocturnal, and do grow gloomy and depressive if they do not take in some form of light. Their crops they plant high in the ceilings of their caverns, letting the root vegetables and grains grow up into the light and sky above their cities. when they are ripened, the pull these hearty foods down into the earth and prepare them. They also eat moles, rabbits and other animals that burrow into the earth, as well as grubs and large insects, like the Paper Spiders and the milipedes that climb the walls. The stucture of the houses in such villages look much akin to toadstools, with sloping mushroom-cap roofs of clay, and cylindrical walls of stone or shale and mortar. The windows of these wals are not for vision, but for air flow, and to hang lanterns for light both withing and without the house.

In the bigger cities the Caverns reach so high that they break through the earth to the sky above. Natural sunlight and rain fall in through these openeings, but they are visually protected with enchantments similar to those that guard the gate entrances. In these places, the buildings have spires on them, like those of a russian palace, to discourage birds from alighting on their rooftops. In these places the use of brass, copper and other metals is far more prominant and some ingenious works of technology can be seen in children's toys, town clocks and the gates to official buildings.

The capitol is called Kyar Xion, and follows this later pattern. It is suffused with light, and hosts many undergronud springs which have been fed through aquaducts and fountains to cultivate the entire city into a greenhouse with a jungle-like scape. Vines and ivy, shrubs and trees grow in the streets, and the moist humid air often takes some accustomization by outsiders. The city smells of damp cedars and of fresh earth, and soil, and to the Val Nyes this is the scent of life itself, of potential and of health. The Capitol is home to the Governor of Val Nyes, who is elected by the people. Unlike our own politicians, Val Nyes folk do not campaign and do not run for office. By their works, personality and deeds, they are nominated by their fellow countrymen and elected to office. Gender for this position is irrelevant, and there have been as many Male Governors as female Governors.