Underdark Geographic Location in Land of the Ancients | World Anvil

Underdark

Start digging and you'll get there. Just know that getting there is the easy part, getting back is significantly more difficult.

The underdark is often misunderstood by surface dwellers as caves filled with monsters. This is not helped by the many scary stories about the underdark told to keep children away from deep caves.

Geography

The underdark consists of a series of caves and cave-systems of various sizes. These caves can be found at various depths, but usually only more than 100 metres under the surface. Sometimes there are connections to the surface that quickly become contested as they are an important travel hub for sapient creatures to and from the underdark.

Ecosystem Cycles

While the underdark is not influenced by the seasons like on the surface, about every eleven years the caves shift significantly more than usual. This causes a lot of movement by the flora and fauna to avoid becomming trapped.

Localized Phenomena

The caves of the underdark are known to be slowly shifting, sometimes opening new pathways and caves and sometimes it is a constant battle to maintain access.

Interestingly, certain areas do not change shape as they move around. These areas are sometimes referred to as "bubbles of safety", because there is little risk of being crushed while in one.

Fauna & Flora

As the name suggests, the underdark has very little light. Most light is either emitted from fluorescing plants, or from lamps and torches. Because of this most fauna is close to blind and relying on smell and touch.

Flora is mostly based on fungi, with many different species, but there are a few lichen species that can be found in caves with ample light, as can be found in sapient settlements.

Sapient Species

Most sapient species did not spring fourth in the underdark.

Natural Resources

Most parts of the underdark is very mineral rich, but metals are harder to find and often a contested resource.

Sometimes pockets of gas or oil are released which either cause catastrophes or, if they are quickly harvested, a great boon.

Tourism

Due to the dangers present in the underdark barely anyone travels there for fun. The most common reason for going there is either to visit famility or to find adventure.

Type
Cave System
Included Locations
Related Ethnicities
Related Materials

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