Underdark
The Underdark is among the most unforgiving, unwelcoming, and dangerous places within the realms of Hollow. Upon entry to this dark place you'll inevitably be greeted with threatening looks, bizarre creatures, and numerous attempts at your life. Travelers should be wary of anyone they meet and ready to continually defend themselves if they wish to explore this land which houses a bevy of nefarious individuals ranging from supremely intelligent Mind Flayers to feral beasts with unspeakably dangerous powers.
Geography
Existing beneath a large portion of the surface lands, the Underdark stretches as far west as Craughmoyle and as far east as Vailkrin, though further exploration would likely reveal it's even larger than this. Entrances to this underground land exist in Kelay, Craughmoyle, and Vailkrin. The entirety of the Underdark is comprised of maze-like tunnels which twist through the stone, descending vast depths into the earth. Light is scarce in the Underdark, and as such, most creatures have adapted to have either extremely low light vision, see through the use of infravision, or live without a sense of sight completely. The tunnels vary from tiny crevices though which one can barely crawl, to massive capacious expanses which have been hewn to house giant underground cities such as Trist'oth. Very few plants grow at this depth due to the utter lack of sunlight, though mold and mushrooms are rather common and their constant musty aroma will follow any who venture through the rocky tunnels. Of the actual plants that grow here, most live directly off of an energy unique to the Underdark known as Faerzress which emanates from earth nodes containing the quasi-magical force. When in the Underdark you will be surrounded by stone at all times as it is practically the only building material besides metal that is utilized.
Climate
Being underground, the Underdark maintains a nearly constant temperature near 60° F. The air is always damp, usually at or near the 80% relative humidity level. Daytime and nighttime are indistinguishable, and some creatures do not operate based on a 24 Hour clock, instead staying awake for days at a time, while others sleep every few hours.
History
The Underdark while it has existed for millennia, was not discovered by surface dwellers until shortly after the founding of Vailkrin, at which time the first entrance to this underground kingdom was found. The various creatures here have historically waged war upon each other for control over rich mines, areas of particularly strong Faerzress, and suitable caverns for city construction. Nearly all of the creatures dwelling here are evil, intelligent, and magical, making the history rather wrought with devious plans and ruthless power struggles.
Inhabitants
Among the various intelligent creatures living within the Underdark are Shadow Gnomes, Duergar Dwarves, Drow Elves, Mind Flayers and Deep Dragons. Beside those cultures, there are many beastly creatures such as giant spiders, basilisk, cockatrice, and various other manner of fearsome monsters. Many of these creatures residing in the Dead Caves, (also known as the Wildlands) a particularly dangerous region to the southwest of Trist'oth where many predators lurk in the darkness to consume or enslave unsuspecting prey.
Hitchhiker's Tips
A hitchhiker traveling here must not only watch their back, but their front as well. The Drow, Duergar, and Shadow Gnomes will all readily use one for their own purpose, leading you to your death, or stab you in the back to suit their own needs. The Dead Caves are particularly dangerous, it is unwise to venture there, even with your towel (The Guide can not be held responsible if you ignore this advice). If you are attacked, stand your ground; if you're lucky you'll find they were only testing you, otherwise you'll know that you at least went down with a fight.
Possibly the best way to avoid getting attacked is by blending in with the surrounding cultures by covering yourself entirely with their native garb, this will lessen the chance that they kill you merely for being a foreigner. Using bright lights in the Underdark, while giving you a short period to escape, will also call any creature you previously had no problem with to immediately kill you.
And, as always, DON'T PANIC and always know where your towel is.
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