The
Underdark is an expansive underground environment in
Azimuth that spans beneath much of the surface world. It is largely a dark and dangerous place, with many monsters, geologic and natural threats, and even entire societies living beneath the ground.
As the Underdark is so vast, much of it is unknown to those of the surface world. Indeed, the connections between the various known accesses into the Underdark's systems of caverns and tunnels are not well known. There are theories that the Underdark is actually several different subterranean networks, though this is unproven. The true extent of this place may only ever be known to the creatures that live in this dark place.
Geography
The Underdark is vast and expansive. The terrain is composed primarily of earth, stone, water, and magma. Many natural cavern formations, including stalagmites and stalactites, are common features seen in the many passages, tunnels, and caverns of various sizes and scales.
As it covers such a large area, it contains a wide array of terrain, geologic features, and natural wonders. In addition to these, several societies have influenced sections of the Underdark by creating cities, monuments, and other features.
Sunlight does not exist in this realm and much of it is in constant darkness. Illumination comes from other sources, such as from bioluminescence and magma. Without photosynthesizing plants, fungal growths and mushrooms are more common here and serve as a foundation for the food chain of Underdark creatures.
Additionally, while there is not weather or seasons here in the same way as there are on the surface, changes in the surface environment can affect things like humidity levels and ambient temperatures of sections of the Underdark. This may result in creatures and monsters of these regions relying on natural heat and water sources to a greater degree, or it may influence migratory patterns of such beings.
Locations
Gimora
Perhaps the most well-known segments of the Underdark are those that intersect with the sprawling dwarven mines and tunnels of the Undercity of
Endor, the First Mountain. As the dwarven city's industry reaches far, several mining shafts intersect with nearby sections of the Underdark.
Haradren Gaer Arnad
After the
Padequia Mountains of central
Haradren Gaer Arnad were raised, several previously unlinked tunnels of the Underdark became exposed due to the shifting rock and magical energies. These new accesses have made some previously safe lands in the area now forced to deal with Underdark threats.
Tarteria
Several of the great
Orichalcum mines of the late Third Age were expansive as the orcs hunted for this valuable metal. Some connected to Underdark cavern systems.
Much of the Underdark in northwestern Tarteria was thrown into chaos at the start of the
Great War as a result of
Esturk, The World's End, emergence. Many tunnels and caverns were collapsed or submerged, and new, sprawling systems were carved from the explosion of energy.
Societies
Drow
Several prominent Drow cities exist in the Underdark, and most of their surface colonies and cities connect to this realm in some way. Due to their unique physiology among elven-kind, they are able to thrive in this dark environment.
Myconids
The mushroom-like humanoids, myconids, exist in several places of the Underdark. In some places they are expansive peoples, with many "circles" of them living in unison. In other places, they are few in number and their "circles" are small or fragmentary. They tend to underground nurseries where they kind propogate.
History
The Third Age: The Age of Zenethia
At the start of the
Great War, around 3A 1992 when
Esturk, The World's End, emerged, a great collapse of northwestern
Tarteria occured. This created many new expanding tunnels spreading in long lines from the
Western Valley, while at the same time collapsing or submerging many existant tunnels and caverns.
Over the course of the Great War, many records of the ages prior were lost and most civilizations would spend a long time in recovery. As a result, the knowledge of, and interactions with, most Underdark races was lost.
