Underdark Deep Ones

Deep below the earth and away from the light of civilisation lie communities of twisted individuals. Made up of a number of sentient species, these creatures are pathetic remnants of Star God Cults driven out of their parent settlements and forced underground. Known as Deep Ones they are warped by the magics they have dabbled in, and the effects of alchemical mixtures found naturally occurring in the Underdark. A few may be twisted further by the effects of the god they still worship. Pitiful, misshapen creatures who are greyish in colour and stripped of much of what they were before, they form communities where they eventually settle & start anew. Some of these communities have been in existence for generations, and these are dependant on a slow but steady intake of new blood. This in part is due to the Deep Ones breeding to the point where the offspring are that devolved they end up as abominations in every sense of the word. In the larger settlements the abominations gathered & separated into their own slums. There those who still have the strength of mind & will to lead some type of "normal" life will use abominations as slave labour & shock troops when they raid other Underdark settlements for supplies & slaves.

Basic Information

Behaviour

Nearly all Deep Ones have an aversion to other species. A mix of hatred and fear to all other sentient life is the common feature of this aversion, though they generally try to avoid all others. Most will steal from other sentient Underdark species, especially from Goblins & Kobolds. A few of the largest settlements will raid smaller settlements of any species, but rarely done so out of fear of retribution. Despite being able to defend themselves, they are pitiful creatures who prefer to shy away from others and avoid contact where possible.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Usually a Deep One society will be ruled over by a small collection of leaders who assume command as and when needed. A priest is sometimes present and will act as a leader to the society or as an advisor to the leaders. The rest of the society are generally of equal rank, except to those referred to abominations. In the latter case, when there is more abominations than standard Deep Ones, the settlement disbands due to the mental instability of the abominations.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

A few species try to exploit the Deep Ones, such as Goblins, Kobolds, and Black Elves. It has to be said it is easier said than done, as the first chance the Deep Ones get, they will disappear deeper into the Underdark.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Found throughout the Underdark, in small clusters normally, there are larger city sized populations out there. Nobody truly knows how extensive the Deep One civilisation is.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Nearly all Deep Ones have at least one heightened sense of eyesight, hearing or smell.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Those that aren't too far gone form makeshift guilds and other groups like farmers, hunters, gatherers, smiths, builders, and leaders. Priests are rare but highly respected leading many settlements, or second only to the actual leaders.

Average Technological Level

The Deep Ones are quite advanced in their level of technology. Nearly all have at least some idea of how everyday technology works or handled. A few specialists are able to produce goods that can be used by others

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Most speak with variants of Undercommon to some degree or another. Most have a dialects from their original mother tongues, whether from other Underdark languages or from the surface.

Common Dress Code

Most dress in clothing generally took from the cast offs of others, and produce a number of plain clothing for themselves. Even if these are garishly coloured initially over a span of a few weeks they turn a grey colour of one kind or another.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Each tribe or settlement will have some type of structure or area in the middle of their settlement for worship of a Star God. Regular possessions by Star Spawn or the summoning of such creatures are common, and in rare cases, a Star God appears in person. Very few outsiders live to report this and those that do, are usually left insane from the experience. Most rituals take place every 28 days, and have at least one week a year for a major religious event to take place.

Common Taboos

One major taboo noted by others is the propensity of the tribe to never invite outsiders in. In many cases they are driven off, or even killed if need be. Some disappear rumoured to be sacrificed during religious ceremonies.

History

The Deep Ones are a breed apart. Not belonging to a specific species, makes their history hard to piece together. What is known is that early records are found in many ancient sources telling of them, and more added over the millennia. When intelligent species started to show on Earth, the Star Spawn managed to corrupt a few leading to them appearing deformed and pushed out of general society. This led them to leaving areas that were shown to them in dreams of a safe haven, usually deep beneath the Earth in the Underdark where they could be closer to their 'Gods'. Thus, more and more over time were forced to follow these dreams and the first settlements were formed deep beneath the feet of the surface dwellers.
As eons passed, the amount that found their way to these safe havens grew steadily, sometimes with whole villages & small towns making the trek. It seemed that initially the Star Gods had implanted or mutated the DNA of certain lines of species or regions, so some where more prone than others. Either way, the numbers are slowly increasing over time but not to the extent that it makes any real dent in population numbers of the host species. Exactly how many have fled to these hideouts over the millennia is unknown, and even how many individuals are marked as Deep Ones is relatively unknown.
Certain regions are of the Underdark are whispered by other Underdark settlements to be massive, while quite a few seem to be abandoned too. Most abandoned settlements appear ancient indeed, and avoided my most Underdark species where possible. Humanoid creatures are rumoured to haunt them feeding on the flesh of the living, and any creature they can find. Stories tell of them being blind with withered almost useless eyes and having heightened senses, mainly of smell, hearing, and whatnot. These are believed by scholars who venture down this far to be the descendants of the first Deep Ones who have mutated into horrific ghoulish monsters, though physically stable compared to others of their kind, and breeds true. Most of this information is conjecture of course but the history of such creatures can be hard to study. A few details do remain the same, and at times consistent.

• Nearly all worshipped the Star Gods, if not still do. Motifs, and strange writings adorn the settlements and scraps of writing found on the bodies of Deep Ones.
• Most lose the ability to see over time and become more hostile or afraid towards strangers during this period.
• Their lives are extended and some alterations take effect on their bodies, slowly but gradually. They also can breed with their parent species, and with each other, fathering / birthing monsters for want of a better word.
• Everything loses its colour and / or sheen around them after an extended period (months to years). Nobody has ever been able to work out why).
• They all believe that some time in the future a great cataclysm will befall the world and they alone will survive.
• Most are able to withstand being around and act on friendly terms with abberants linked with the Far Realms without any ill-effects.
• Nearly all have an excellent ability to climb and swim great distances without any ill-effects, and most seem to enjoy doing so.
• Records dating from millennia ago up to the present day seems to indicate that they prefer meat to eat, the fresher the better. Also, they have no qualms about cannibalism too.
• Most are shown to grow & ingest specific fungi & moulds with highly toxic & hallucinogenic properties with no real damage to themselves.

Common Myths and Legends

The main story of all cults is that there is a group of gods that came to Earth, or ripped from the Far Realms at the birth of the Universe and that are now partially trapped in the Material Plane. Many made their homes on Earth and that they speak to the younger species, watching them grow and will eventually take over absorbing the Deep Ones spiritually at some unforeseen time. The Deep Ones believe that they are touched and will all be that remains of sentient life when then comes.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Deep Ones are suspicious and paranoid around other species. They have a fear of persecution, rejection, and violence being meted out to them by others. They usually avoid others and rarely deal with them. A few smaller bands of them will act as mercenaries & scouts, predominately in the Underdark realms and in night time raids on the surface, and usually by doing so with their own agendas & vendettas in mind.

"I saw a couple once. 30 odd years ago deep down near the outside of our stronghold walls. Ugly buggers the both of them. Twisted parodies of I don't know what. Elves? Humans? They were trying to sneak past and go down deeper than we would go. A fissure was nearby and they seemed to be aiming for it keeping low and in the darkness. Excellent climbers both and without any aid too. Almost silent.
The head weaponsmith pulled me aside. Reminded me that the fissure was forbidden to us, far too dangerous even in a group. Only good for getting rid of rubbish he said. Mentioned that a few of his elders had disappeared there a couple of centuries ago, though had died down now since then. Blamed those creatures, the Deep Ones he called them. Said that they dabbled in ancient blasphemous magic & earth gods that are banned by many cultures. Said that you can hear them screeching at times in strange tongues echoing up from deep in the rock below. Deep enough that even more ancient evils lurk, long buried but obviously still having followers.
Whoever goes down there is a fool. Even the Svart Alves avoid there. Had a party come to trade once, and the odd attempted raid. Avoided that place every time. Would rather have been overpowered & died than went near it. So that's my final warning to ye laddies & lasses."
Childeric the weaponsmith spinning tales of his Dwarven Stronghold days to a packed Eschbach tavern.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Most Deep Ones are grey in colour, with little hair (normally white) if any. Dark eyes adapted to the darkness is common, with some having been born with vestigial eyes, and a rare few with none.