The Sunken Lands

The Sunken Lands are what remains of the Old World, before the Great Sundering. Much of the land is barren rock and sand due to the limited sunlight that is able to filter down through the Sea of Clouds. Many of the residents of the Sunken Lands are insane cultists, dangerous monsters, or horrific leftovers from the Old World that somehow managed to survive the Great Sundering. Even those who have managed to built some kind of society down in the Sunken Lands tend to develop a "survival of the fittest" type ideology, as resources are scarce and few have extra to share with others. This is compounded by the residual energies of the sundering, which warp the minds of creatures making them more aggressive and bloodthirsty, while also adapting their bodies to survive in the environment of the Sunken Lands. These energies are stronger the deeper one travels into the Sunken Lands, and any expedition needs to be careful not to fall to the corruption.
The Sunken Lands are divided into three layers. The highest layer is the Graycliffs. The Graycliffs are the only area of the Sunken Lands that get enough sunlight for a regular day and night cycle, although it only ever gets as bright as a stormy day. The Graycliffs are also the largest and most populated area of the Sunken Lands, containing a variety of different races. The next layer down is the Deeptrench, a massive scar in the land that reaches deep into the depths of the world. The Deeptrench contains many sheer cliffs with smaller caverns dotting the walls, some of which connect down to the third and deepest region of the Sunken Lands, the Dark Unknown. The Dark Unknown is the least explored region of the Sunken Lands, and is incredibly hostile. The corrupting energies are at their strongest in this region, and the resident life reflects that. The creatures of the Dark Unknown attack anything that comes from above, and fight without regards to their own safety, solely focused on slaughter.
Food is always scarce in the Sunken Lands. Those who travel it need to quickly learn to identify potential sources. Hunting is a very common practice as a number of types of wildlife thrive solely on the energies that radiate from the lower regions. Traditional agriculture does not work in the Sunken Lands. Those groups that do use agriculture generally cultivate different species of moss and mushrooms. Similarly large insects, or other creatures that can thrive on foods otherwise inedible to humanoids, replace most kinds of farm animals.
The last remnants of the oceans of the Old World can also be found in the Sunken Lands in what is known as the Sea of Shadows. The Sea of Shadows is perpetually covered by a heavy mist from the bottom most layer of the Sea of Clouds. The lack of light and the heavy mist make navigating the Sea of Shadows very difficult. The Sea of Shadows varies in depth and connects to all three regions of the Sunken Lands.
Despite the dangers, there are many reasons why people from the surface do venture into the depths of the Sunken Lands. Lost knowledge and powerful magical artifacts can be found in the ruins that dot the landscape. The deep cracks in the ground frequently reveal sources of ore and valuable gems. Many organizations from the surface organize expeditions, hire teams of explorers, or trade with the less violent residents of the Sunken Lands in order to get access to the various resources.
Though interaction between the surface and the Sunken Lands is not uncommon, attempts at mapping them have proved difficult. This is largely due to the high amounts of seismic activity that take place in the Sunken Lands, which have a dramatic affect on the topography. A map might be accurate for a few years, but the landscape of the Sunken Lands is always changing as mountains sink, new caves open up, and forests seem to move miles overnight. This is also a contributing factor to why most trade through the Sunken Lands is done via sea routes, as land routes appear and disappear regularly, and it is entirely possible that a caravan could suddenly find themselves trapped after an earthquake traps them in what was formerly a safe passageway.

Type

Underground / Subterranean

Included Locations

• The Dark Unknown
• The Deeptrenches
• The Graycliffs
• The Sea of Shadows