The Core Cave

Beneath the desert that makes up most of the Wilderness lies a deep hollow cave known as the core cave, due to its strong connection to the arcane core of Aradeia. Its most obvious entrance is the Spiral in the middle of the Wilderness, though members of the immortal races claim that they've found pathways to the cave through the mines of the Dûngar tribe in the north and the mines around Dânmaer in the south. The main inhabitants of the core cave are core dwellers. They live in the main cave inside the spiral, separated from the outside world with only few exiting the area below when their quests need them to. Core dwellers are used to live by themselves and hide from outsiders, making it incredibly difficult to enter their realm. Only the mines of the immortal races can connect to the core directly, but none of the many narrow pathways reach the central cave in the middle of the continent.
The dwarves and elves of Aradeia are obsessed with the arcane core's powers and strive to harvest as much of the core-infused stone that grows in the caves as they possibly can. The ore is used to power machines and gadgets, prevent magical burnout and heal most curse-induced ailments. Many sorcerers, wizards and talekeepers use core-infused stones, known as Gloom, as magical focuses for their staffs, while artificers produce magical weapons and sentient machines with them.

Demographics

People living in the core cave are core dwellers. This species consists of the mortally wounded and lately deceased members of the immortal and mortal races, making the core cave a realm of controversy. Most core dwellers are adults or the elderly. The few children living in these grounds are rare cases of child murder.
The children are often accompanied by kindhearted dwellers older than them to help them fulfil their contracts and have a somewhat wholesome end to their lives.

Government

There is no government in the core cave - not only because it is part of the Wilderness, but rather because the rules of nature outweigh the rules of society. Death and purpose are the strongest forces keeping this realm together, including its population.

Infrastructure

The core cave is divided into the mine shafts and rocky pathways and the core dwellers' settlements further down, close to the core itself. The core dweller's living quarters are barracks and houses along the edges of the cave that lead to a rather thin barrier between the grounds and the arcane core. Some dwellers set up market stands and tents for newcomers and travellers, filling the gaps between the huts and houses closeby. The buildings are often made from scrap metal, heavy stones and old wood. Windows are mended from Gloom to have some light when they need it, since it is quite dark if not using the arcane core as your light source.

Only few coredwellers are known to be regular guests of the people living on the surface. Characters like Desmond Veringard, the half-gnome coredweller with an artificer background, or Borgus Ponkar, halfling alchemist and former guest scholar of Sithaline's largest university, are the faces of the coredweller society living in the spiral. Many popular individuals like writers, artists, nobles, even politicians and diplomats land in the spiral after they've been betrayed or found at the brink of death. Some seek revenge, others seek peace. One rather illustrious character, well-known to the Omni, is Carla Muriel, a former nightclub singer and starlet of Corcovah Village and beyond. The beautiful brunette is one of the few coredwellers who refuse to accept her fate and tries everything to extend her life as much as possible.

Type

Underground / Vault

Inhabitant Demonym

Core Dwellers

Location under

The Wilderness

Characters in Location

• Borgus Finwick