The Underworld

The Underworld of Asalay has been called a underground city by some; a dungeon by others. But those who know it well name it truly as an Underworld, endless in size, dangers, and riches. It appears contained and mundane enough at first. But once you get past the first layer, it quickly becomes more and more fantastical. Each layer down has a theme that defines the environment and hazards, and each layer down has better loot and more challenging monsters.
Speaking of that: the monsters. So, the Underworld is a unique magical ecosystem created by The Chimera that can generate just about any kind of magical life form. Many of these are hostile or dangerous in some way- a whole host of unique monsters dwell in the depths. Some are just strange - such as the Flowyrms, which now grow on the surface as well.
The Underworld is not just endlessly deep, but endlessly wide- it defies all laws of space.
Going layer by layer:
Layer 1: The Mines of Asalay: The first layer is extremely mundane and poses as an abandoned mine. This can be a thin layer at places - at the Golden Gate (the largest and most famous entrance in the city above), the mine layer is only about 6 feet of barely-noticeable earth with two doors on either side. As the main entrances barely enter the mines and they are the least profitable, the Mines are not very well mapped. This makes it a haven for smugglers, criminals, and illegal dungeoneers (who can often be more threatening than the monsters). There are many entrances to the first layer that people have found in the sewers or underneath their homes or fields, which are often kept hidden from the state and used for illegal tax-free and corporation-free dungeoneering.
The mines are the most forgotten and underappreciated part of the Underworld- often neglected as a site for actual mining, for example, despite being quite rich in minerals.
Layer 2: The Dungeon Depths: The Dungeon Depths are the most famous and commonly-adventured-in part of the Underworld. Fashioned like a grimy castle dungeon but endlessly large and booby-trapped, the Dungeon Depths are rich in plunder and alive with danger. The great exception to this is the Golden Road, a well-furnished and guarded trading path controlled by the Temple of Ishkibal the Dragon that leads to the third layer. The Golden Road has fashioned the old cleared rooms into inns and shrines, has turned the traps into machines of convenience, and is basically an extension of the city of Asalay connecting to the main entrance of known as the Golden Gate. Golden Road also produces food against all odds: earth elementals have been given a neighboring section known as the Walking Gardens, have been encouraged to multiply, and have been fashioned into mobile farms that specialists are then sent to harvest.
While the Golden Road and certain mapped and over-harvested neighboring sectors may give the illusion that the Dungeon Depths are controlled territory, it is really only a small sliver of known territory. Some corners of the Depths are said to still harbor deep monsters from the fourth and fifth layers that crawled up many centuries ago, so when you wander off the map- keep on your guard.
Layer 3: The Hidden World: The Hidden World is a massive temperate forest of enormous trees, rivers, and meadows and inhabited by massive predators. Its ceiling is made of glowing crystal that cycles through day-night cycles as if it was on the surface. The Depths spit adventurers out into the canopy, from which they must descend into the dangerous wilderness of the forest floor. This is where the Golden Road ends: the Temple has a tree secured (known as the Autumn Root and said to be born of the wood of the first Ishkibite dryad) and a town at the base named Tagana or Autumn-town. Tagana is somewhere between a fortress and a farming town and is the furthest extent of the Temple's direct power. Despite the shade of the canopy that should choke out crops, the raw abundance of the place seems to make plants grow astonishingly well.
There is another corner of the Third Layer that is actually quite safe: the Great Saltwater lake and falls, perched on a cliff near the ceiling. The water that fills the saltwater lake is actually seawater that flows through layers 1 and 2, allowing Aqautic races into the dungeon. A reef outpost of transplanted coral grows in the Saltwater lake in phase 3 and a small village of Octopeople has taken up residence here. Aquatic adventurers who make it to phase 3 can stop here, enjoy a rest, and then take the Constructed Lifts down the falls to the saltwater river below- which is horribly dangerous, monster-infested, and trapped.
Scattered across the Hidden World are villages of Under-folk: descendants of the original attempts to settle the Underworld that collapsed in 1250 and now exist outside of any government or corporation. Some are allied with the state, some prefer private adventuring groups, others hate adventurers. All are excellent survivalists and warriors, accustomed to life in a monster-filled wonderland.
Layer 4: The Temple of Ruin: The furthest publicly-known layer of the Underworld is a subterranean temple of massive, monumental rooms and alien architecture that features absurd magical traps and even puzzles for some reason. The Temple of Ruin seems to be accessible only via large temple entrances in Layer 3 that descend into huge subterranean vaults- normal holes in the Hidden World just turn up stone and dirt.
Not much is known of Layer 4 - it is a place of rumors, tall tales, and church secrets. There are said to be layers even below that, but they are entirely guesswork.

Founding Date

-100 DE

Alternative Names

The Undercity of Asalay, the Chimeran Underworld

Type

Dungeon

Parent Location

Asalay

Owning Organization

Kingdom of Asalay

Related Plots

• Dungeons and Dreamers