various headcanons about kala namak and the surrounding area
the salt flatlands ( also called the salt plains, the saltlands, and the land of silence ) make up a large portion of beast - yeast, sitting dead center in the continent and containing the largest salt pan on earthbread. if one wants to travel by land, they act as something of a barrier, separating the domains of sugar and spice from that of milk and flour, as well as the faerie kingdom.
in spite of their size, the plains are mostly uninhabited ( and in present day, largely considered to be deadlands ) ;; kala namak is the only notable settlement. with blistering hot and humid summers, freezing cold winters, high wind speeds, frequent temperature swings, and earthbread so densely saturated with salt, it is nigh impossible for anything to survive on it's own.
kala namak lake is one of the only bodies of water on the surface of the saltlands, and a deeply important site to the knights. it sits near the border of the spicelands, making the trip long and arduous -- and as such, it's become something of a pilgrimage for squires that have passed the trials. one last test, before they are granted their lord commander's power. the body of water itself is a deep, hypersaline lake with a brine pool at it's very bottom.
the city of kala namak is one of the largest single settlements on beast - yeast, protected by high walls and home to the knights of kala namak and the salt of solidarity himself. on the surface, it doesn't seem nearly as large or as densely packed as it should be -- but because of the extreme weather conditions that plague the saltlands most of the year, a vast majority of the city was built underground. there are three " levels " to kala namak: the surface, primarily used for keeping animals and trade ;; the main city, located in the vast cookie - made caverns below the surface, where most people live ;; and the catacombs, where the dead are laid to rest, the knights recieve their orders or participate in the trials, and where the salt of solidarity's personal quarters are located.
the catacombs are not a stagnant tunnel system. they shift and move and rearrange at the will of the salt of solidarity, with identical halls and few landmarks to make navigation as difficult as possible. the only ones that can get around with any ease are those connected to the light of solidarity. they are restricted from public access for this reason.
there are several grand places of worship in both the surface and the main city, dedicated to the witches and the other virtues alike.
the salt of solidarity didn't choose the saltlands as his base of operations at first ( prior to the creation of the city and the knights, he was completely nomadic. ) why would he? it's a dangerous landscape with few natural resources, damn near incapable of sustaining life, and frankly a pain to travel through. not an ideal location, to be certain, but. that's where people were struggling the most. for one reason or another, people chose to call the flatlands their home, and they were struggling -- so he chose to settle down there with them.
in present day, what's left of kala namak's surface is in ruins, due to age, lack of upkeep, and exposure to the elements. a large chunk of the city has collapsed into the otherwise untouched caverns below.