Underdark

= Geography =

World Above
“The World Above” or more simply “the surface” is the name those who lived in the Underdark gave the above-ground realms of Caél. Travel from the World Above into the Underdark is notoriously difficult, as most of the Lostlands Underdark (or at least, the populated regions of it) is located beneath the Solesti, far below the seafloor. It follows that entrances and exits from the Underdark to the World Above and vice versa are usually found along the coast.

Upperdark
The first three miles below the seafloor. It is here where the surface dwellers and those in the Underdark most often meet, although not often under amicable circumstances. The Upperdark stretches across almost all of Caél, and connects the Lostlands Underdark to the Oldlands Underdark. The denizens of the Underdark were the only link between the two groups of continents during the centuries that the Dusk Waters were not traversable due to the Tempest.

Middledark
Located three to ten miles below the surface, this layer is where most of the Underdark cities are located. The most populous area of the Middledark is located beneath the northern Solesti, far from any surface entrances and situated squarely between the Heartlands and Selas, ensuring that the enemies of the Underdark peoples (specifically the sun and moon elves, hated foes of the drow) cannot reach their cities and strongholds with invading armies.

Ghostwood
The only true trees that can thrive in the underdark, the gargantuan ghostwood trees live off of mana, not sunlight, which they release back into the environment as ki. Those who breathe in too much of the Ghostwood air quickly overdose and begin to experience strange ill effects. Contributing to the impending sense of doom and gradual onset of madness felt by travelers through the Ghostwood are the calls of the scream owl, twisted creatures who nest in ghostwood trees and whose call sounds like a person’s scream.

Crystal Caverns
A vast and spacious region rich in many ores, obsidian, and of course shadow quartz, which is dark in shade but glows faintly with the rainbow opalescence of an oil slick. Reflecting softly off the shimmering rocks is the warm light of the many lava flows which cut through the region. The duergar of the Solesti Underdark region make their homes.

Spire Hollow
A region filled with stalactites and stalagmites so sharp they can pierce armor. Plateaus are few and far between, and while it is difficult to build settlements around the huge stone spikes and pillars that slice through the caverns, once built such settlements are strategically advantageous, as they are quite easy to keep well-defended. Izzirahc Stronghold is built atop a cluster of such plateaus (connected varyingly by natural stone walkways and rickety wooden bridges) and is surrounded by a natural wall of jagged stone.

Fungal Grotto
A dense and untamed jungle composed of mega mushrooms, giant ferns, and carnivorous flowers. The air here is dense with spores and the area is plagued with slimes and oozes.

Lake Tealwater
A saltwater aquifer with an eternal whirlpool at its center and over which a heavy fog perpetually rolls. Its vastness is such that when viewed from one shore, it appears to continue on forever. Hanging from the rocky ceiling above Lake Tealwater is the “floating” citadel of Kalan-Rae, a small but ancient stronghold from which great dark elven houses once seized much power and land.

The Warren
A twisting and winding web of interconnecting passageways once used by duergar for mining mithral which is now completely abandoned but for the beasts that lurk within. The warren is said to be haunted by the restless souls of long-dead gray dwarves who were hunted and slain by a great and terrible monstrosity that dwells within the warren to this day.

The Yawning Pit
A wide and seemingly bottomless chasm littered with the bones of dark elves, gray dwarves, deep gnomes, and surface-dwelling travelers who fell (or were tossed) to their deaths.

Lowerdark
Ten miles or more below the surface, the Lowerdark is where even those who know the Underdark are loath to go (and also where unfortunate drow ostracized by society are banished to). The Lowerdark is crawling with demons, driders, and assorted monstrosities, and is said to be the easiest place on the Prime Material from which to access the Abyss.