The Underdark

The World beneath The World

Overview

The Underdark is not so much a single territory or location, but a vast, sprawling network of caves and caverns that exist below the surface of Ankhur. While the uppermost of these may be relatively benign, as one travels deeper into the network of caves, they may find themselves in a land without light, or good. A land of Drow, Goblins, Ettercaps, and much, much worse.

The Upperdark

The first stretch of Underdark runs to roughly 3 miles below the surface of the world. This is home to all kinds of unpleasant creatures who wish to be away from the light. Whether this be necromancers or criminals, hidden away from prying eyes, or camps of bugbears or orcs, keeping their base of operations concealed and defended while the conduct their raids on the surface. Not a nice place but often posing only a little more threat than areas of the surface.

The Middledark

The Middledark is where the civilizations of the Underdark reside; it runs between 3 and 10 miles below the surface. It may contain sprawling Drow metropolises, Ghoul infested ruins, or dark parodies of the cities of the world above, ruled by Beholders or Dragons lording over an enslaved population, never again to see the light or free themselves from their toils.

The Dark

Anywhere below the deepest sections of the Middledark is considered The Dark. What lurks down here is mostly unknown; few who have ever ventured into The Dark have ever returned to the surface. Those who do are often driven mad, or horribly malformed by their ordeal.
It is said that deep in The Dark the foul god Torog resides, biding his time until he can return to the surface and enslave all of mortalkind.