Underdark

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The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. It is described as a vast subterranean network of interconnected caverns and tunnels, stretching beneath entire continents and forming a literal underworld for whichever surface setting it is added to.

The Underdark is a strange, alien setting, set entirely underground. Bizarre creatures and ancient races populate it, nearly all of whom are of hostile nature. The Underdark is featured prominently in the World of Greyhawk (where it was first introduced at the end of the "Giant" series of modules (G-1-2-3) and with the "Drow" modules (D1-2 and D3)) and the Forgotten Realms^{[citation needed]}.

It is also a part of D&D's newest setting Eberron, in which it is called Khyber and is home to a host of evil beings driven deep into the caverns at the end of the age of demons.

However, the setting has received more attention in gaming material (in the form of sourcebooks and accessories) in publications for the Forgotten Realms setting^{[citation needed]}. The novels of R.A. Salvatore about fictional character Drizzt Do'Urden originated much of this development of this deep underworld setting. Some other sources of information about the Underdark are more generic; these may not specifically refer to the Forgotten Realms at all.

The Underdark is also the setting for the expansion pack to the computer game Neverwinter Nights called Hordes of the Underdark, which features the port city of Lith My'athar, and the mysterious Seer.

The fictional Underdark's physical characteristics are based heavily upon conditions in real-world caverns deep underground, but there are differences, owing to its existence in a fantasy setting. One notable variance from hard realism is the sheer size of the Underdark in a typical setting. This can be explained easily within the fiction, however, by the existences of such rock-eating, burrowing monsters as the denzelian, horgar, and thoqqua.

[edit] Statistics

• Capital: None
• Population: Unknown (aboleth, cloaker, drow, duergar, illithid, kuo-toa, quaggoth, svirfneblin, troglodytes, many others)
• Government: City-states, each with different government (autocracy, magocracy, matriarchy, monarchy, theocracy, and so on)
• Religions: Varies, usually racial pantheon
• Imports: Armor, food, slaves, timber, weapons
• Exports: Armor, exotic goods, magic, weapons
• Alignment: N, LE, CE

[edit] Inhabitants

The Underdark is extremely dangerous, especially to characters or other fictional creatures that are not native to it. There are the usual dangers associated with caverns: claustrophobia, occasional poor air circulation, and getting lost. Cave floor and ceiling collapses are also a danger.

There is no light except for occasional patches of phosphorescent fungus; most Underdark inhabitants either have highly developed senses other than sight or have developed Darkvision (infravision before the 3rd edition of the game rules). Food can be extremely difficult to find, and much of the natural vegetation is poisonous. In addition, drinkable water is seldom easy to locate in this setting.

In the Forgotten Realms setting, the Underdark is permeated with a magical energy the Drow call faerzress, which is used as a source of energy by the native plant life but which interferes with scrying and teleportation spells.

In addition to those dangers, the Underdark is also home to many predators and a wide array of races and fantasy monsters. As noted above, most of these are hostile to others. These races include, but are not limited to:

• Aboleths
• Beholders
• Derro
• Drow (dark elves)
• Duergar (gray dwarves)
• Dwarves
• Illithids (Mind Flayers)
• Kuo-toa
• Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes)

[edit] Menzoberranzan

Main article: Menzoberranzan

R.A. Salvatore created the fictional city Menzoberranzan in the Underdark for The Dark Elf Trilogy. This city is controlled by a fictional race of dark elves (drow).

[edit] Official material

[edit] Underdark

An Underdark sourcebook was released in 2003 published by Wizards of the Coast.^[1] The sourcebook covers gaming material such as new character classes, Drow Judicator ^[2] as well as covering the geography of this fictional setting. The editor from PRGNEWS.com stated the book did not deliver on the the price it costs and it was incomplete. A lot of the information was assumed making it difficult for casual readers to understand references without knowledge of the novels. However he states fans of the novels might enjoy it. ^[3]

[edit] Sources

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• City of the Spider Queen
• More of the Underdark and the Vast!
• The Steaming Demon
• Tlincallis
• Ice Spire Mountains
• Organizations of the Underdark
• The Underdark Below the North
• Underdark Campaigns
• Underdark Dungeons
• Descent into the Depths of the Earth
• Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark, Eric L. Boyd, TSR, 1999.
• Drow of the Underdark, Ed Greenwood, TSR, 1991, ISBN 1-56076-132-6.
• Menzoberranzan, Ed Greenwood, Douglas Niles, and R. A. Salvatore, TSR, 1992, ISBN 1-56076-460-0.
• Queen of the Demonweb Pits
• Underdark, Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick, Wizards of the Coast, 2003, ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
• Vault of the Drow

[edit] Portals

• The Winding Serpent A yuan-ti network of portals
• The Dark Maiden's Portal
• The Ched Nasad Portal
• The Portal of the Demonweb Pits
• The Portal of the Dead Goddess
• The Shadow Path: A Portal Network
• Garbage disposal portal and its ecology
• The Illithid Gate

[edit] Personalities

• Akordia Pharn, Mother of Eclavdra Pharn.
• Alak Abaeir, Drow Assassin.
• Amalriv, male drow, chief tax collector of Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Belgos, vampire.
• Eclavdra of House Eilserv, drow priestess of Lolth (formerly of the Elder Elemental God, as well as Graz'zt).
• Edralve of House Eilserv, drow priestess of Lolth and former Slave Lord.
• Gorlist.
• Jalvan, male drow agitator in Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Juz'la, Tainted One.
• Liriel Baenre.
• Ool Eurts, drow sorcerer and artist.
• Pruuma the She-Bear, powerful female bugbear of Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Teliene Coloara, the Illithid Slayer.
• Thordek Stonebreaker, Duergar Cleric of Moradin.
• Valas Hune.

[edit] Other Media

Main article: Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

An expansion pack based on the Underdark setting was released as part of Neverwinter Nights game series.

[edit] See Also

• Menzoberranzan

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Descent into Darkness, a site is dedicated to online gaming project in the Underdark of the Forgotten Realms