The Skyless Realms

The Skyless Realms is a vast underdark of Solaria. It is sprawling with illuminating fungi and mosses, stalactites and stalagmites jet towards each other and make homes for most of the denizens of this plane. Getting into the Skyless Realms is a task within itself and getting out alive can be even harder. The Mistwalkers control this land and all cower to the Mist Queen, this has been more prominent with the lost of an ancient dragon that lived in the Furthest Tides, with rumor of the Mist Queen vanquishing it herself.

Travel

Unless on the few main roads of The Skyless Realms the terrain is difficult and much harder to navigate. The ground is uneven and filled with spider webs. The Small Cap Forest has dangerous mushrooms that when stepped on could be potentially fatal. The Blood Forest has its own dangers between spirts and blood creatures, but the bramble seems to come alive to make travel even worse.

Skyless Realms Travel Pace

Pace	Miles Per Day	Effect
Fast	16	-5 penalty to passive Wisdom (Perception) scores; no foraging
Normal	12	-
Slow	8	Improved foraging, or able to use Stealth

A fast pace makes it harder to spot ambushes or items of interest and prevents the characters from foraging, while a slow pace allows the characters to travel stealthily enough to surprise or sneak past creatures they encounter, and improves their chances of successful foraging for food and water. The Skyless Realms Travel Times table shows the time to travel between the locations. These times assume that the party moves at a normal pace without stopping (other than for time spent resting or becoming lost). For a fast pace, reduce the travel times by one third; for a slow pace, increase them by one third.

Skyless Realms Travel Times

Location	Ealonda	Arnathrya	Sylathiri	Cyfonoris	A'fa Thalora	Afaqua	Blood Forest	Lolthazel	Ken Serin
Ealonda	-	6	15	12	24	27	21	42	57
Arnathrya	6	-	12	18	27	24	18	39	54
Sylathiri	15	12	-	27	15	12	6	30	45
Cyfonoris	12	18	27	-	12	27	30	42	57
A'fa Thalora	24	27	15	12	-	15	18	30	45
Afaqua	27	24	12	27	15	-	6	15	30
Blood Forest	21	18	6	30	18	6	-	21	36
Lolthazel	42	39	30	42	30	15	21	-	15
Ken Serin	57	54	45	57	45	30	36	15	-

Random Encounter Tables

A random encounter will happen on a 9-12 on a d12 as The Skyless Realms is a dangerous place. A 9 and 10 with get an "easy" encounter were a 11-12 will get a "hard" encounter.

D6 + D8	Terrain Encounter	Creature Encounter
2	Gas Leak	Escaped Slaves
3	Boneyard	Aberrations
4	Lava Swells	Mad Creature
5	Ruins	Oozes or slimes
6	Shelter	Giant Fire Beetles
7	Gorge	Ambushers
8	Webs	Spiders
9	Muck Pits	Scouts
10	Steam Vent	Fungi
11	Slime or Mold	Spore Servants
12	Sinkhole	Mad Creature
13	Horrid Sounds	Illithid Servants
14	Crystal Clusters	Illithids

Terrain Encounters

Boneyard
The characters come upon an eerie cavern littered with countless bones of various creatures. Whether the site is a natural graveyard for some Underdark species or the former lair of a fearsome predator, the characters can potentially gather useful material for crafting among the bones.
When the party enters a boneyard, roll a d20 and consult the table to determine what creatures, if any, are present. The undead rise up out of the bones and attack when the first characters are halfway across the cavern.

D20	Encounter
1-14	No Encounter
15-18	3d4 Skeletons
19-20	1d4 - 1 Minotaur Skeletons

Crystal Clusters
The adventurers pass through a faerzress-suffused area containing fist-sized chunks of quartz that shed dim light in a 10-foot radius. A sharp blow to one of the crystals, including throwing it so it impacts a hard surface, causes it to burst in a 10-foot-radius flash of blinding light. Any creature within the radius must succeed on a DC 10 Constitution saving throw or be blinded for 1 minute. A creature blinded by this effect repeats the Constitution saving throw at the end of each of its turns. On a successful save, it is no longer blinded. The characters can harvest up to twelve of the crystals in total

Gas Leak
The adventurers come upon a cavern with a dangerous natural gas leak. Any member of the party with a passive Wisdom (Perception) score of 14 or higher detects signs of the gas. The characters’ travel pace for the day is slowed by half as they circumvent the area, but there are no ill effects. If the gas goes undetected, each character in the area must make a DC 12 Constitution saving throw, taking 5 (1d10) poison damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. Any open flames brought into the area cause the gas to explode. Each creature in the explosion must make a DC 15 Dexterity saving throw, taking 10 (3d6) fire damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one.

Gorge
The characters must make a difficult climb down a gorge 2d4 × 100 feet deep and up the other side, or find a way around it. Their travel pace for the day is slowed by half unless they come up with a plan to cross the gorge quickly.

Horrid Sounds
For hours, the party’s travel is plagued by terrible shrieks, moans, and incoherent gibbering echoing through nearby passages, without any apparent origin. Each character must make a successful DC 11 Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the character’s madness level increases by 1.

Lava Swells
As the party traverses a long and winding corridor, a tremor opens up a lava-filled fissure behind them. Each character must make a DC 10 Dexterity saving throw to avoid the lava swell, taking 21 (6d6) fire damage on a failed save.

Muck Pits
The adventurers must wade through a broad, 3-foot-deep pit of slimy muck. The muck is difficult terrain and characters have disadvantage on Dexterity saving throws while within it, but their travel pace for the day is slowed by half if they go around it.

Ruins
The adventurers come across a small ruin hidden in the Underdark. This might be the creation of a subterranean race or a surface ruin that collapsed and sank long ago. If the characters search the ruins, there is a 50 percent chance of them finding 1d4 trinkets

Shelter
The party stumbles upon a cave that is sheltered and easily defended. If the characters camp here, they can finish a long rest without any chance of an encounter while they are resting.

Sinkhole
One random party member steps on and collapses a sinkhole, and must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw to avoid falling into a 20-foot-deep pit and taking 7 (2d6) bludgeoning damage. Climbing out of the pit requires a successful DC 15 Strength (Athletics) check.

Slime or Mold
As the adventurers pass through a small cavern, they encounter a patch of slime or mold. Roll a d6 and consult the table to determine what type of slime or mold is present

D6	Encounter
1-3	Patch of green slime
4-5	Patch of yellow mold
6	Patch of brown mold

Steam Vents
A hot steam vent erupts beneath a random party member, who must succeed on a DC 12 Dexterity saving throw or take 7 (2d6) fire damage.

Webs
Sticky webs fills a passage (see “Dungeon Hazards” in chapter 5 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide). The webs extend for hundreds of feet. Unless the characters come up with a plan for clearing the webs quickly, the party’s travel pace for the day is halved as the characters are forced to cut their way through or find an alternate route. Check for an encounter when the party enters the webs. On a roll of 1–2 on a d6, the characters encounter 1d4 giant spiders lurking among the webs.

Creature Encounters

Aberrations
Blue Slaad, Chuul, drow with intelect devour in them, grell, Red Slaad. Astral Devourer ToB2 pg 30, 

Ambushers
One or more creatures attempt to ambush the party as it makes its way through The Skyless Realms. Roll a d20 and consult the table to determine what the characters encounter.

D20	Encounter
1-2	1 chuul lurking in a pool of water
3	1d6 giant spiders clinging to the walls or ceiling
4-5	1 grell floating near the high ceiling
6-9	1d4 gricks hiding in a crevice or fissure
10-15	1d4 orogs perching on ledges
16-17	1d6 piercers masquerading as stalactites
18-20	1 umber hulk bursting out of a nearby wall

If the ambush occurs in the monster’s lair, there is a chance that characters searching the area find something of interest or value. Roll a d20 and consult the table below to see what, if anything, they find.

D20	Discovery
1-10	None
11-12	A humanoid skeleton or corpse clutching a salvageable nonmagical weapon
13-14	A humanoid skeleton or corpse wearing a salvageable suit of nonmagical armor
15-17	1d6 50 gp gems
18-19	A humanoid skeleton or corpse carrying a random magic item (roll once on Magic Item Table B)
20	A monster hoard containing 2d6 50 gp gems and one or more random magic items (roll 1d4 times on Magic Item Table C)

Escaped Slaves
These slaves have been wandering The Skyless Realms since their escape from Lolthazel or Ken Serin . They are scrounging for food and water. Roll a d4 and consult the table to determine what the characters encounter. shifter, triton, and human slaves are friendly; if given food and water they’ll join the party. Other slaves are hostile and likely to attack.

D4	Slave Encounters
1	1d2 shifter commoners
2	1d3 triton commoners
3	1d4 human commoners
4	1d6 yuan-ti pureblood commoners

Fungi
Roll a d6 and consult the table to determine what kinds of fungi the characters encounter.

D6	Fungi Encounter
1-2	1d4 gas spores
3-4	1d4 shriekers
5-6	1d4 violet fungi

There's a 25 percent chance that a gas spore carries a memory fragment from a dead beholder or Illithid in its spores. This meomry can be of anything you wish, or you can roll a d4 and consult the Memories table

D4	Memory
1	A tense negotiation with drow, ending with the them agreeing to allow the drow safe passage through "the Vast Oblivium" in exchange for help ridding its lair of Slimes
2	chasing drow thieves through the tunnels of its domain to recover stolen gemstones
3	A fierce battle against a wizened drow archmage, ending with them suffering of grievous injury
4	Spying on a shifter ranger with two gleaming scimitars and a black, quadrupedal animal companion

Illithids

Illithids Servants

Giant Fire Beetles
The characters encounter 3d6 giant fire beetles scouring tunnels and caves for food. Characters in need of light sources can harvest the glowing glands of slain beetles.

Mad Creature
The party encounters a creature driven insane by the influence of the demon lords. Roll a d4 and consult the table to determine what appears. Then roll on the Indefinite Madness table in chapter 8 of the Dungeon Master’s Guide to determine the nature of the creature’s madness. If cured of its madness, the creature behaves in accordance with its alignment.

D4	Mad Creature
1	A Shifter
2	A Drow
3	A Human
4	An Illithid

There is a chance that the mad creature has something of interest or value in its possession. Roll a d20 and consult the table below to see what, if anything, it has. The creature doesn’t part with the item willingly.

D20	Possession
1-10	None
11-13	A 10 GP gem
14-15	A gold ring worth 25 GP
16-17	An obsidian statuette of Melan worth 100 gp
18-19	A random magic item (rolling once on Magic Item Table A)
20	A random magic item (rolling once on Magic Item Table B)

Oozes or Slimes

Raiders
This group of raiders from the surface ventured into The Skyless Realms looking for riches and got lost. Roll a d6 and consult the table to determine what appears. The raiders are initially hostile toward the party, though clever characters might try bribing them for safe passage or information.

D6	Raider Encounters
1-2	1d6 yuan-ti bandits and 1 yuan-ti bandit captian
3-4	2d4 orcs and 1 orc boss
5-6	1d6 black earth cultists and Mudd

There is a chance that the leader of the group has something of interest or value. Roll a d20 and consult the table below to see what, if anything, the leader of the raiders has in its possession.

D20	Possession
1-5	None
6-10	2d6 10 go gemstones in a pouch
11-14	2d6 50 gp gemstones in a pouch
15-17	1d4 torchstalks
18-19	1d4 waterorbs
20	A random magic item (roll on Magic Item table B)

Scouts
Each of these groups is in The Skyless Realms on a secret mission. Roll a d6 and consult the table to determine what appears.

D6	Encounter
1-2	2 Drow
3-4	1d4 Myconid adults
5-6	1d8 Yuan-ti scouts

The drow scouts are searching for escaped slaves. If they spot the party, they'll attempt to avoid notice and take away information regarding the group’s location (see “Drow Pursuit”). The myconid scouts are indifferent toward the party and unwilling to discuss their mission or their travels with the adventurers.
Yuan-ti scouts are friendly if the party includes one or more Nestguard members. They are willing to give the party a day or two’s worth of food and water rations.
Spiders

Spore Servants
One or more creatures killed and reanimated by a drow's spores observe the characters as they pass by. The spore servants don’t communicate and don’t attack except in self-defense. Roll a d10 and consult the table to determine what the characters encounter.

D10	Encounter
1-3	1d4 drow spore servants
4-6	1d6 spider spore servants
7-8	1d4 chuul spore servants
9-10	1d8 Nestguard spore servants

Fauna & Flora

The Skyless Realms is home to a tremendous variety of fungi with a variety of different uses. Characters can encounter different examples of The Skyless Realms flora in their travels. Identifying a species of fungi and its potential uses requires a successful DC 15 Intelligence (Nature) check, but Skyless Realm inhabitants are familiar with many of these species automatically.

Edible Fungi

These provide food and water for the characters
Barrelstalk A barrelstalk is a large, cask-shaped fungus that can be tapped and drained of the fresh water stored within it. A single barrelstalk contains 1d4 + 4 gallons of water and yields 1d6 + 4 pounds of food.
Bluecap Dubbed the “grain of the Underdark,” a bluecap is inedible, but its spores can be ground to make a nutritious, bland flour. Bread made from bluecap flour is known as sporebread or bluebread. One loaf is equivalent to 1 pound of food.
Fire Lichen Pale orange-white in color, fire lichen thrives on warmth, so it grows in regions of geothermal heat. Fire lichen can be ground and fermented into a hot, spicy paste, which is spread on sporebread or added to soups or stews to flavor them. Duergar also ferment fire lichen into a fiercely hot liquor.
Ripplebark Ripplebark is a shelf-like fungus that resembles a mass of rotting flesh. It is surprisingly edible. Though it can be eaten raw, it tastes better roasted. A single sheet of ripplebark yields 1d4 + 6 pounds of food.
Trillimac A trillimac is a mushroom that grows to a height of four to five feet, and has a broad gray-green cap and a light gray stalk. The cap’s leathery surface can be cut and cleaned for use in making maps, hats, and scrolls (its surface takes on dyes and inks well). The stalk can be cleaned, soaked in water for an hour, then dried to make a palatable food akin to bread. Each trillimac stalk provides 1d6 + 4 pounds of food.
Waterorb A waterorb is a bulbous fungus that grows in shallow water. A mature waterorb can be squeezed like a sponge, yielding a gallon of drinkable water and a pound of edible (if chewy and somewhat tasteless) food.
Zurkhwood Zurkhwood is a massive mushroom that can reach a height of thirty to forty feet. Its large grain-like spores are edible and nutritionally equivalent to 1d4 + 4 pounds of food, but zurkhwood is more important for its hard and woody stalks. Zurkhwood is one of the few sources of timber in the Underdark, used to make furniture, containers, bridges, and rafts, among other things. Skilled crafters can use stains, sanding, and polishing to bring out different patterns in zurkhwood.

Exotic Fungi

The fungi species described in this section have strange properties but no nutritional value.
Nightlight A nightlight is a tall and tube-shaped bioluminescent mushroom that grows to a height of 1d6 + 4 feet and emits bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet. A nightlight that is uprooted or destroyed goes dark after 1 round. If a living nightlight is touched, either by a creature or an object, its light goes out until it is touched again.
Nilhogg’s Nose A Nilhogg’s nose is a small mushroom that grants any creature that eats it advantage on Wisdom (Perception) checks based on smell for 1d4 hours. However, the creature suffers disadvantage on saving throws against effects based on smell for the same amount of time.
Ormu A bioluminescent green moss that grows in warm and damp areas, ormu is particularly common near steam tunnels and vents. It sheds dim light in a 5-foot radius, and can be harvested, dried, and made into a phosphorescent powder or pigment.
Timmask Also known as “the devil’s mushroom,” a timmask is a two-foot-tall toadstool with orange and red stripes across its beige cap. Uprooting or destroying a timmask causes it to expel a 15-foot-radius cloud of poisonous spores. Creatures in the area must succeed at a DC 14 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned. While poisoned in this way, the creature is under the effect of a confusion spell with a duration of 1 minute. When the spell effect ends, the poisoned condition also ends.
Tongue of Madness Tongue of madness is an edible fungus that looks somewhat like a large human tongue. A creature that eats a tongue of madness must succeed on a DC 12 Constitution saving throw or compulsively speak aloud its every thought for the next hour. The effect can be ended with a lesser restoration spell or similar magic.
Torchstalk A one- to two-foot-tall mushroom with a combustible cap, a single torchstalk burns for 24 hours once lit. There is a 1-in-6 chance that a torchstalk explodes when lit, bursting into a cloud of fiery spores. Creatures within 10 feet of an exploding torchstalk take 3 (1d6) fire damage.

Random NPC Generator. Name Personality Wants Looks High/Low Stats

Maps

• 

  The Skyless Realms

Random Npc Generator

Type

Multiverse

Location under

Solaria

Included Locations

• A'fa Thalora
• Afaqua
• Arnathrya
• Blood Forest
• Cyfonoris
• Ealonda
• Ken Serin
• Lolthazel
• Sylathiri
• The Farthest Tides
• The Flowing Shadow Mountains
• The Small Cap Forest

Owner/Ruler

The Mist Queen

Ruling/Owning Rank

The Mist Queen

Owning Organization

Mistwalkers

Related Reports (Secondary)

• 3/14/22

Related Plots

• Chapter 10: The Road to Lolthazel
• Chapter 11, Assault on Volcano Manor
• Chapter: 9, The Vast Empty Sky

Related Historical Events

• 2250
  The founding of the Skyless Realms