The Underdark

The Underdark is not a plane per se, but it is mystically divided from the rest of the mundane world. The Underdark was created by a powerful elven wizard during the early years of The Agona of Nos. She promised many elves, dwarves, and gnomes that she would be able to safeguard them from the devastation that was only beginning to take place. Taking many followers with her, she used their energies to create an entire demiplane “underneath” Custudio, shaping it to resemble a utopia. But after a few decades, the force needed to sustain this perfect world was too much for a mortal, and slowly, the utopia faded, became dark and dangerous, and came to be the Underdark. The Elf wizard took on the name of Lolth, and forced the elves to worship her, telling them that this would be their only means to survive in this dark world, which was created (she told them) by their disobedience. The leader of the dwarves, a mighty warrior named Laduguer, followed in her footsteps, becoming a god of the deep dwarves. Callarduran, an extremely talented gnome stonemason, was initially tempted by the power of becoming a god, but eventually turned away from this attempt at divinity, and led the gnomes away from the elves and dwarves, attempting to return to the surface. However, it was only after Lolth opened portals from the Underdark into the deep caverns of Custudio, after the Agona of Nos had ended, that all the races that followed her realised that they had been changed. Their skin had darkened to an unnatural pitch (for the elves) or to a deep blue (for the dwarves and gnomes). Realising that they were permanently marked by their life in the Underdark, the gnomes decided to stay; close to the surface, but still within the Underdark. Laduguer, meanwhile, was infuriated. He was convinced that Lolth had betrayed his people, seeking to trap and enslave them. This began the ongoing war between the dark elves (the drow) and the deep dwarves (the duergar).

Geography

Ever since the idyllic illusion fell away, the Underdark has been revealed as being more inhospitable than almost anywhere on the surface of Da'zhaar. Depending upon the proximity to nearby magma veins, the winding tunnels of the Underdark may vary from sweltering to freezing, almost entirely unpredictably. The natural tunnels wind a meandering path through the rock, with only artificial structures created by the sapient inhabitants possessing any distinct pattern. The occasional underground lakes are a godsend, as they are the only source of water in this plane. The water is usually very brackish and foul-tasting, however. An unprepared traveler from the surface who downs this water may retch it all up.

Fauna & Flora

Due to the lack of light, there are no plants in the Underdark. The detritus from the inhabitants' offal and their dead bodies instead allow for the growth of huge fungal forests. These "trees" can be harvested by the inhabitants and used to make furniture more comfortable than stone carvings. The cuttings are left to dry by letting all their fluids seep out, leaving behind a spongy husk. The fluids can be treated with various other substances to create an adhesive. This adhesive can be poured onto the husk (which would have previously been shaped into the desired piece of furniture), solidifying the parts it seeps into, while leaving the dry parts soft and comfortable. Animals inhabiting the Underdark are scarce and almost always dangerous. They are usually equipped with powerful darkvision, a means of detection not based on sight, or a combination of the above. Due to the extreme scarcity of resources, most creatures use K reproduction, to minimise energy lost producing offspring.

Natural Resources

Aside from the fungal furniture, there is very little natural wealth to be found in the Underdark, and the pursuit of food is an ever-constant driving force for all the residents of this dark land. Mineral resources, however, are abundant. Precious minerals are very easy to find in countless veins extending in all directions from the many tunnels of the Underdark.

Type

Dimensional plane