Undertethys

The ever-mysterious lands of Undertethys is a world-spanning "landmass" under the surface. It is filled with tunnels, corridors caves, and the like. Some even as big as cities, others even bigger to the point of allowing a small kingdom to fit in. There are underground oceans and seas similar to those on the surface, even if they are many kilometers apart. Measured in layers, the lowest known layer is over ten kilometers below the surface. It takes nearly two weeks of travel down to reach it as it never is a case of going straight down. You need to find the correct tunnels as some might be dead ends, making you retrace your steps. Many races live in these conditions and quite admirably they are able to survive for many generations. Most of them chose to live here as to escape prosecution, the wrath of the gods, or to plot and scheme. Nobody knows how these tunnels and caves began, even those that live here, there is always a different legend about it. One speaks of a time during the First Age, The Titan War, when the Sunlord's powers were sapped away by Atlas and in his last moment he cursed the land and everything that lived on it. The mega continent of the Titans is gone, many say that it is the continents creatures inhabit now, what if after the Titan War, the gods built their own world on top of the Titan one? Another theory tells a story about the magic of the Undertethys, how it changes a race when it stays there for generations. They connect the death of the Titans after the First Age, that their blood spilled into the ground, deep and the earth cracked, creating tunnels and caves. Now, these places hide the puny races from the gods themselves, allowing them to live in peace. There are many other speculative theories like that the Undertethys is or is connected to a secret garden of the Titans, hidden from the gods. Whatever they believe, the magic grants them access to many things and there are enough resources to build your own home here. Over the millennia, many nations (mainly city-states) were build and destroyed, most notable event was the War of the Underworld united under one cause and invaded the surface world in the Third Age, Kingdoms. In most places, they were driven back (some due to luck, others due to natural disasters that happened later). The races returned to their cities and hovels, plotting maybe another invasion but over the centuries they didn't make a move. When the Fourth Age, The Calamity dawned, Underdark was the safest place of all, so many people would escape here and form their own coteries. Even after Vecna Foiled event, they kept to themselves and they were spared the harsh realities of the surface as they were already living in them. The Undertethys was filled with strife and conflict but more importantly self-preservation and survival.

Type

Underground / Subterranean