Lakes
Bloodstone Lake: This lake, located roughly 6 miles deep in the middle regions of the underdark, is a saltwater lake that is relatively free of intelligent denizens. That doesn't mean it is completely safe, though, as several species of large sharks and a strange species of carnivorous oysters make the lake a deadly environment for all who travel its murky depths. These oysters produce a red pearl that is highly sought after and extremely valuable. The lake is fully navigable from end to end, though in some areas the ceiling is only a few feet above the water level. Additionally there are two locations where the only navigable area is a narrow channel. Both of these channels divide the lake into three nearly equal sized sections. If one is willing to dive down deep these channels can be easily avoided. The shallowest part of the lake is the southern section where the average depth is only 30'. Towards the middle of the lake the depth actually reaches down to 700'. The lowest ceiling height, in several locations, is a couple of feet, while in the highest sections the ceiling vaults as high as 500'. The lake gets its name from blood-colored stones that are common on the bottom and beaches of the lake.
Drow are sometimes found on the surface of the southern end of the lake and sometimes drow raiding parties scour the lake to the far end looking to waylay dwarven fishing parties. The drow access point into the area is through a natural oddity, a large bubble of air at one of the deepest spots in the lake. This bubble is believed to be fed by a gate to the elemental plane of air, but no non-drow has been able to verify this. The reason is that the drow maintain a well guarded village within this bubble and meet all intruders with deadly force.
Delthnar Lake: Located about 4 miles beneath the surface this middle underdark freshwater lake is nearly as big as the Vilhon Reach in size and is actually bigger in regards to total volume of water. The deepest parts of this lake are nearly 3 miles deep. The shallowest parts are hundreds of feet deep. The ceiling of the lake is almost entirely a uniform height of 500' and is a maze of stalactites. The stalactites are formed by saltwater seeping through the rocks from the Vilhon Reach up above. In the eastern end of the lake is a large island that was once a thriving dwarven city. It is now controlled by a small community of aboleth who have claimed the eastern end of the lake as their own. Several massive colonies of sahuagin living in the deepest depths and in the western end of the lake ensure that the aboleth don't spread too far. In addition to sahuagin and aboleth the lake is also home to several small colonies of aquatic elves from the surface realms who, through the sheer power of their magic, have managed to survive and thrive.
Svirfneblim, deep gnomes, are somewhat common in the south central region of the lake as they search for one of their favorite delicacies, silverscale fish. These fish live in small pockets of superheated water around thermal vents located throughout the lake. Getting near the vents is extremely difficult as many predators circle around the vents hoping to pick off stray fish and because the temperature around the vents is near boiling.
Lake Pharneth: This small freshwater lake is located roughly 2 miles down in the regions of the upper underdark. It is a relatively shallow lake, roughly 200' deep at the deepest. Navigating the lake is difficult as the ceiling height varies greatly, there are a lot of stalactites, and it is a virtual maze of channels. Throughout the maze are numerous fortresses carved into some of the larger stalactites and/or in areas where the ceiling is low. There are also several very large fortresses located along the southern end of the lake. Most of the fortresses are abandoned and/or in ruins. This lake used to be controlled by dwarves of the Warfinger Clan but they were forced out several hundred years ago by the drow of Xun'LiNeer. The dwarves still maintain a few secret fortresses as advance warning outposts, but for the most part the dwarves have temporarily abandoned any plans of trying to regain control of the lake.
Beneath the lake is a flooded maze. Those who have explored parts of it testify that it is obviously not natural though it has been carved to look natural. There are four known entrances and at the center of this roughly 25 square mile maze is a series of 4 interconnected chambers that look to have been lived in at some point. Rumors persist as to a species of aquatic minotaurs living in the maze, but none have every been seen. These rumors grow every time some group of adventurers enters into the maze and never return.
Sites:
The Maze Pools: This region of the middle underdark is a massive sprawling maze of rivers, caverns, and pools. It is virtually impossible to follow a single path more than several hundred feet before it branches off or is joined by another waterway. It is also impossible to follow any one watercourse more than a mile before one has to go underwater to continue following that course. Maps in this region are good for only a short period of time as there is a fair amount of seismic activity and routes often change. Even with a map travel through this area is excruciatingly slow. To those without a map or a guide they are taking their lives in their own hands. Many an adventuring party has gotten hopelessly lost and died alone in the dark. Several wandering tribes of trolls thrive in this area scavenging off of dead adventurers, several species of fish that inhabit the rivers, and any other denizens, be they intelligent or not. There are also a fair number of minotaurs who have no problem navigating the region and who prey upon those who travel through the area.
The Maze Pools start beneath Delthnar Lake, at a depth of about 4½ miles and drop in elevation about a 1 mile before they reach their terminus above Bloodstone Lake. Somewhere hidden in the maze of twisting tunnels and passageways is Graelnesh, a minitour city of great size. Very few travellers find the city, but those that do are (usually) welcomed warmly and tell tales of the city's magnificence.
The Saltlands: Located in the upper underdark beneath the Inner Sea of Rossak this region is a realm of caves and tunnels carved by rivers long since dried up and by winds that howl through the region. These caves and tunnels are carved through massive veins of salt. The winds that blow through are generated by thermal vents far beneath the region and issue up through vents and cracks, making the area warmer than other regions and creating a salt-laden wind that at the best of times is annoying and at the worst of times can strip the flesh off exposed body parts. Despite being particularly inhospitable, even by underdark standards, the area is home to many species of the underdark, including a species of cloakers who have adapted over the centuries and are no longer black, but a sandy-white color that better blends in with the salt veins.
At the highest point of The Saltlands is the Cavern of Daggers. This large cavern has dozens of tunnels that converge here, as well as thousands of tiny holes that connect with other passages. This cave is filled with high winds that continually howl through it at speeds in excess of 20 miles per hour. Once or twice a day, though, the winds all converge simultaneously within the cave. Combined with the salts propelled by the wind this cave turns into a death trap where a person can be stripped of all flesh in a matter of minutes.
The Sand Realms: This lower underdark region, roughly 9 miles beneath the surface, is an anomaly of the underdark. For starters it is exceptionally cold, averaging about 45-degrees. It is also relatively well lit due to massive veins of a bizarre type of quartz that somehow radiates light of various colors. Some underdark experts suspect that the quartz veins have a common source at a large magma source and that the light from the lava spreads through the quartz and is changed in color by various mineral deposits. No one knows for certain, though. The most bizarre feature of the regions, though, are the sand dunes. The entire region is covered with sand, almost like an underground desert. Some areas are covered with black sand which makes a few people suspect the sand is somehow seeping down from The Black Desert on the surface, but that doesn't explain the rest of the sand, which can be white, red, blue, green, and brown in color. The colors don't seem to mix, either. And despite the lack of any noticeable winds there a many dunes throughout the area, and the dunes slowly migrate in random directions. This area is relatively safe by underdark standards, but some tribes of desert lizardmen from The Black Desert have migrated down here. There are also areas where caverns and tunnels are completely full of sand making travel impossible to those without the ability to burrow or "swim" through sand. And one of the deadliest aspects is the areas of "silk sand." In these areas the sand is exceptionally fine and stepping onto these areas is like stepping into water. Where the silk sand is shallow this is not a problem, but in some areas there are shafts hundreds or even thousands of feet deep. Many shafts contain unnumbered corpses.
Kingdoms:
Deep Duergan: The Deep Duergan is a confederation of small duergar kingdoms. Some of these kingdoms are quite large and some are nothing more than a heavily fortified village. There is a lot of mistrust between many of the kingdoms and war is quite common. This lack of unification is what prevents the duergar from being a major threat in the area. The north (located about 1 mile beneath the islands of Aglarond) and the south (located barely beneath the peaks of the North Rossak Mountains) ends form the top of a roughly u-shaped region, with the deepest area being 2½ miles down. It is possible to traverse completely under the Sea of Fallen Stars through the Deep Duergan, but this is either an extremely dangerous trip, or a very expensive one as many of the kingdoms are not above selling safe passage, even to dwarves.
Within the Deep Duergan, beneath the Sea of Fallen Stars, is an area where wild magic ran rampant for several years. The end result was The Wilds, an area of nearly 100 square miles where gravity is no longer as it should be. One can barely walk a hundred feet without gravity shifting. Unless a traveler is intimately familiar with The Wilds travel through the area is extremely dangerous and often fatal. Of course, a small colony of cloakers who have adapted to the region add to the danger.
The Crack: Located beneath the western expanses of the Regions of Rossak, and spanning the upper and middle regions of the underdark, lies an area known as The Crack. Ranging from 2½ to 6 miles in depth, The Crack in reality a single giant chasm, but in practice it is two. The middle area of the chasm is, in most places, barely inches wide. There are numerous passages between the two main sections, but these are winding, twisting passages with many dead ends. They are also home to many deadly denizens.
North Crack ranges in width from barely half a mile wide to over 10 miles, with the average width being 5 miles. It is home to a very large population of lizardfolk who migrated beneath the surface of the world after their ancient kingdom started to crumble and fall apart. The lizardfolk primarily dwell on the western side of the chasm in series of heavily fortified vertical cities, but there are some cities on the eastern side. Passage between the two sides is sometimes via magical means, but is mostly done via numerous bridges, some are natural arches of stone, some stone and steel bridges that are miracles of engineering, and some are gigantic rope bridges that are an adventure unto themselves.
Very little is known about the South Crack as it is home to several massive colonies of cloakers. At its upper reaches it is very similar in size and shape as the North Crack and there is, at its southern end, a giant natural stone pillar that spans the entire region. Some explorers and/or adventurers have returned from the area with detail reports of specific regions and with every year knowledge of the area grows. The cloakers rarely travel to the surface, but they do often traverse the area between the two areas and raid the outlying lizardfolk communities.
The Dread Realms: Ten miles beneath the north end of the Vilhon Reach lies The Dread Realms, an area controlled by a very old and very ancient colony of beholders. For the most part the beholders keep to themselves as there is more than enough drow, svirfneblin, dwarf, and other underdark slave fodder to serve their needs. However, they maintain a number of perfectly round carved shafts that extend straight to the surface. Most of them are magically hidden, some are magically protected as they open up on the bottom of the sea, but some are left unguarded and unprotected as a lure for adventurers, who make excellent play things for the beholders and their kin.
Somewhere in The Dread Realms lie The Pillars of Fire. This is a large cavern where the beholders have carved tunnels deep to a magma pool beneath their kingdom and using magic they drew lava up through these tunnels and formed them into pillars. There are hundreds of such pillars in this cavern and it has become a home for numerous fire elementals. This once cavern, roughly 2 miles across, acts as furnace to provide all heating needs for the kingdom. It is also popular place for torturing prisoners, who are given temporary immunity to fire except for select locations on their body.
The Goblin Lands: Located ½ to 1½ miles beneath the surface lay The Goblin Lands, a chaotic collection of orc, goblin, hobgoblin, kobold, and ogre communities. There are no distinct regions for each of the five main races and tribes carve out what areas they can control. Nor are the tribes stationary as constant warfare forces tribes to frequently migrate. Periodically some force, usually an outside wizard, will unite some of the tribes into a cohesive force, but these seldom last long. Racial hatreds simply run too deep. But when they do unite they are a serious threat to the surface kingdoms.
The Goblin Lands are traversed by several series of passageways that are collectively known as The Echoes. Within this area sound behaves in a seemingly bizarre and erratic manner. In some places it is possible to yell at someone three feet away from you and they will not hear a single word that you said. Yet at the same location a whisper could be heard 15 miles away, and along that pathway traversed not everyone would hear the sound. Some of these sites are "mapped" and known to some locals, who use them to lure unwary beings into ambushes. There are two locations, located 100 miles apart, that perfect echo sound to the other location without anyone in between hearing anything.
Niliwirik: Nearly 4 miles beneath the surface, in the middle regions of the underdark, is the svirfneblin kingdom of Niliwirik. The gnomes maintain their control through a series of heavily fortified and magically hidden fortresses. The kingdoms incredible wealth from its precious metal and gemstone, coal, and iron mines has attracted large numbers of deep gnomes, as well as sizeable numbers of dwarves. Even though they do not mingle freely the two races work in harmony with each other, with the dwarves handling most of the trade details with other races. Part of the Niliwirik kingdom lies above Delthnar Lake and some of the gnomes of this area have developed an interesting way to go fishing. Small, 1-2' diameter holes have been bored through thousands of feet of rock and the gnomes drop mithral fishing lines to the lake below. Attached to the lines are cage traps that allow live fish to be hauled up out of the lake. This endeavor is not very efficient so numerous foraging parties periodically go down to the lake to collect fish.
In the middle of the Kingdom of Niliwirik lies an area that in common is known as The Iron Wierdings. It is a massive region shot through with gigantic veins of magnetized iron. It is impossible for someone wearing platemail armor to traverse this area, and for anyone wearing even chainmail it is easiest to just avoid this region completely. In some areas it is possible to walk on walls or ceilings if one is wearing metal footwear.
Sfoolazool: 7 miles beneath the surface, beneath the deepest depths of Delthnar Lake, lay the kua-toa kingdom of Sfoolazool. The region is made up of numerous small lakes that are connected by artificial flooded tunnels. The kua-toa primarily keep to themselves but they do travel to other areas of the underdark, especially Delthnar Lake and The Maze Pools. Travel through the realm of Sfoolazool is extremely dangerous as it is virtually impossible to go very far without having to go underwater, and the kua-toa heavily patrol all of their waterways. Rumors persist as to the existence of "wells" that extend up to the floor of the Vilhon Reach, allowing the kua-toa to raid surface communities along the shores. But to date none of these wells have been discovered
In the middle of the kingdom of Sfoolazool lies a geological curiosity known locally as Floonilriil, which roughly translates into common as The Blue Eye. This is a 100' diameter shaft that rises to a height of 6 miles and extends to an unkown depth. Where the shaft bisects the kingdom it has flooded. Reliable sources have descended down this perfectly straight shaft to a depth of 12 miles beneath Sfoolazool, though some sources claim to have descended 5 miles beyond that. The kua-toa believe that the pool leads directly to the realm of their god and their most holy of leaders are buried in the pool by being weighted down and allowed to sink to the unknown depths. This is their most holy of sites and intruders are dealt with harshly.
Silver Shaft: In the upper regions of the underdark, ranging in depth from ½ to 3 miles deep, lay the dwarven realm of Silver Shaft. The kingdom is comprised a single giant city located at its very heart and the dwarves maintain control of the area with large well-armed patrols that are accompanied by hired wizards. These patrols overlap with other patrols every few hours and if a patrol is not where it is supposed to be at a given time magical alarms alert all patrols within the kingdom. The patrols then shift location to allow those nearest the missing group to go in search and the others cover the gaps in the system. At the same time forces within the city that are maintained in a state of readiness are deployed to further reinforce the patrol lines. It is said that the schedule to coordinate all of these patrols takes a team of 100 to maintain order.
One particularly curious locale within the Silver Shaft kingdom is The Eternal Stair. Centuries ago an eccentric and extremely wealthy engineer set off with a small band of followers, and after finding a suitable location started to carve a stairway. This stairway starts about 1 mile beneath the surface in the southern end of the kingdom and extends northwards. They dwarves were never heard from again. They did leave behind, though, a stair case extends in a straight line for a distance of 20 miles and a depth of 15 miles. Every half mile of its 25 mile length there is a small landing. There are no side passages and thorough searches, including magical means, have revealed no hidden or magical doors. Numerous adventuring parties and dwarven patrols have explored The Eternal Stair, but not all of them have returned.
At the southern end of the kingdom there are tunnels that lead down to Bloodstone Lake where adventurous dwarves collect blood pearls and/or harvest Kreek Root, an aquatic plant that not only has healing properties but is also a key ingredient in a popular dwarven distillate.
Warfinger Kingdom: At a depth of 5 miles beneath the surface the Warfinger Kingdom is the deepest dwarf kingdom in the area. It lives in near total isolation from the surface world and the dwarves, through centuries of hard warfare, are more than a little mistrustful of outsiders, including other dwarves. They do not even fully trust their distant Warfinger clan members who dwell on or near the surface of the world. Once they do accept an outsider, though, they accept them fully. The kingdom is entirely self-sufficient, but it does to some trading with outside communities. Nearly all of this trading is handled by distant clan members who have taken years to be fully accepted by their deep kinfolk. The dwarves highly prize fish of all sorts and salted fish is their biggest import.
The Warfinger Kingdom used to control Lake Pharneth as a distant outpost where they harvested fish, but the distance to the lake made control untenable and the lake was subsequently lost to drow forces. The kingdom still maintains a few secret outposts along the shore of the lake and it is through these outposts that some fresh fish still winds up on the plates of the wealthiest members of the kingdom. Travel to and from Lake Pharneth is along The Crystal Way, a series of secret canals that are connected to each other with vertical portages. The location of this series of canals is one of the most closely guarded secrets of the Warfinger Kingdom.
Xun'LiNeer: 8 miles down, in the lower regions of the underdark, is Xun'LiNeer, the largest kingdom in the area. Xun'LiNeer is made up of four separate kingdoms which, for drow, maintain a surprisingly high level of trust and cooperation. This cooperation, though, only extends as far as the overall safety and protection of the kingdom. Beyond that normal drow mistrust and fear runs rampant through the kingdom. The kingdom's depth beneath the surface is the main reason why they are not a truly serious threat to the regions. There are numerous ways to get to the kingdom, but most of those extend far to the south. Within the regions itself the main ways of accessing the kingdom of Xun'LiNeer are via Bloodstone Lake, Lake Pharneth, and the south end of The Maze Pools. For all intents and purposes, and despite being so close to the surface, Lake Pharneth is essentially part of the kingdom of Xun'LiNeer.
The four kingdoms are Yar Riineth, Div'frynAun, Im-e-Vic, and Sor'rhil. Located within the kingdom of Sor'rhil is one of the truly unique wonders of the Realms, an area known as the Vasxae, the Blood Spheres. This area is comprised of hundreds of known perfectly round hollow spheres. Hundreds more may exist. No one knows how these spheres were formed but periodically while a tunnel is being dug the miners break through to one of these spheres. Every sphere discovered has been covered with a dried powder that resembles dried blood but has yet to be properly identified. Some of the spheres are dozens of feet in diameter, but some are very large, with the largest being almost a half-mile in diameter. Located in the heart of the Blood Sphere is the city of StraTyrr, which occupies a grouping of 20 spheres that are closely grouped together. These spheres have never been found anywhere else within the realms. The drow claim that they are formed by the blood of Lloth.
