The Unders
The deep dark is a more vertical place than surface folk are adapted to. Up and Down are as cardinal directions as East and West are. At one time such places were explored and exploited by the people of Sanctuary. Delving too deep into the Unders released untold horrors that nearly consumed the city, until they were locked away with the installation and sealing of the Undersgate .
Miles of tunnels spiral downward spreading into caves, magical formations, and even ancient construction. The Unders are believed to be a single cave system, branching outward and plunging into deep fathomless places. The Undersgate is the only way in, or out. It is closed with a set of five near uncrackable locks. Safety assured for the last 200 years.
Quiet has marked that time, the Unders seemingly dormant. Perhaps the threat has passed and it can be opened up again for the riches the deep might hold. Riches it does hold, or so it is reported to. Veins of gemstone and precious metals drew earlier Sanctuarians down below. It made Sanctuary a strong trading partner with the other humanoid races of the world below.
Legend has it that the Unders are a spiral, twisting downward from Sanctuary all the way to a deep forbidden sea. An ocean that lies impossibly deep, miles into the crust of Cygnaria. Things even more ancient than the mining operations of a few hundreds years past lie below. Temples to dark gods, civilizations lost with only their ruins remaining, even tell of a great chamber, so large it seems it has a sky of its very own. What ancient magics, untamed wilds, and material wealth lay as of yet untapped in those caves.
Geography
The Unders is a large megastructure beneath the ground, it goes on and on reaching fantastical depths. Though it begins in what would be considered the Near Reaches, it extends rather endlessly down. It is not known how far it reaches, only that it seems to largely be an entire biome of its own.
Once the Undersgate has been unlocked, it opens up first into The Atrium.
Ecosystem
These caves, caverns, and dungeon halls are known for their darkness and biodiversity. Although mankind has delved into them, much of the Unders remains entirely unexplored and unknown to the people who were once of the surface.
Commonly there are lichens, fungi, and slime molds throughout. Life clings to any resources they can find, and will thrive if left unmolested. Once those slower growing and primitive forms of life take root, it makes it easier for other creatures to live as well. Insects, crustaceans, and echinoderms. The rise of invertebrates rests on the back of the molds and fungi. But a world with little creepy crawlies is just begging for vertebrate life to come in and consume.
Everything here is maintained in a fragile balance. While it can and will adjust, it takes time. The period of adjustment is also one of upheaval. Creatures and dangers that would have otherwise remained benign forced to change and migrate. Putting the ecosystem into a fragile and unbalanced state. This is when nature and man come into conflict most, the borders of what is natural and what is tamed become blurry and the wildlife of the Unders redraws those lines with impunity.
Localized Phenomena
Earthquakes are not at all uncommon in the Unders. Some tell legend that there are giants of obsidian who hold up the world. When then lax their shoulders, that is when the ground trembles. But everyone talks about the big one, some day it will happen. when the obsidian giants are forced to take a knee, or drop the world. Everything will come crashing apart.
Gravity is known to be, more variable in places with this kind of density underground. It is not just the weight of the world pressing down, but the compression of magics and energies that causes the gravity to something shift. There are places with less gravity, where leaping is easy, walls seem made for climbing, and arrows sail through the air unerringly. Then those with more, slamming you into the ground with every step, pulling you downwards as fast as you can try to outrun it.
Natural Resources
The Unders have been mined thoroughly, at least nearest to Sanctuary. But within these caves there are resources to be discovered. Copper, Tin, Iron, rumors of Silver and even Mithral in the walls. Gemstones never before seen on the surface. And the mushrooms here have flourished, spreading through the cracks and in some places creating rich fungalite stores.
Not to mention the naturally occurring magic here. Infused into the stone there are different kinds of enchanted marble if you know where you quarry it.
Few go into the mines without being prepared with the right tool. There is only one tool that really matters though, the Underminer’s Pick. Balanced just for this task anyone can pick one up and exhaust themselves mining. But only those with proficiency in Mason’s Tools can use it to its fullest extent.
*Gain one level of Exhaustion from mining. It is backbreaking work. But these checks can be made without requiring proficiency.
Surface veins are places where the mineral of interest is visible in the stone, the glint and glimmer of the ore or mineral can be seen by the naked eye. Surface veins can be spotted with a DC 16 Perception check.
Deep veins are places where the mineral is not visible, the vein does not actually touch the surface of the rock. But to a trained eye there are signs. Particular ways the geology reveals its secrets and lets you know that a deep vein, previously undiscovered, is between 5 and 30 feet into the stone. These can only be detected by magical means or a Mason’s Tools check with Intelligence, DC 18.
The Unders
Underminer’s Pick
Artisan Tool
Common
This tool can be added to a set of Mason’s Tools or used independently.
This pick is weighted just right to help you swing it again and again. The steel has been forged with Monstrous Chitin, required to make it hard enough to dig through stone without losing it’s edge. This tool will allow anyone to attempt to mine, but those with Mason’s Tools proficiency may add their proficiency bonus to these checks.
| Attempt | DC |
|---|---|
| Mine through 5ft of rock (2 hours)* | 14 (Str) |
| Mine from a Surface Vein (2 hours)* | 15 (Str) |
| Mine from a Deep Vein (2 hours)* | 17 (Str) |
| Determine Vein Quality (1 minute) | 13 (Int) |
| Discover a Gemstone Pocket | 23 (Wis) |
| Discover an Infused Magic Pocket | 27 (Cha) |
*Gain one level of Exhaustion from mining. It is backbreaking work. But these checks can be made without requiring proficiency.
Surface veins are places where the mineral of interest is visible in the stone, the glint and glimmer of the ore or mineral can be seen by the naked eye. Surface veins can be spotted with a DC 16 Perception check.
Deep veins are places where the mineral is not visible, the vein does not actually touch the surface of the rock. But to a trained eye there are signs. Particular ways the geology reveals its secrets and lets you know that a deep vein, previously undiscovered, is between 5 and 30 feet into the stone. These can only be detected by magical means or a Mason’s Tools check with Intelligence, DC 18.
Cost: 25 gp
Weight: 10 lbs
History
While it was once plundered for ores, gems, and the carapaces of exceptional creatures the Undersgate has been locked since things got out of hand and the Unders rose. There are five keys to unlock the Undersgate which have been given out to figures throughout the city. Some may have been forgotten, others treasured as a responsibility. But it was from before most living memory. The dangers the Unders hold faded into history as a memory, the tales of its treasures magnified by fantasy and story. Perhaps the time has come to reopen the way.
Discovery of The Unders
Locking the Unders
Type
Megastructure
Location under
Included Locations
Included Organizations
Characters in Location
