Glimpses of the Underdark
The majority of the writings by Fraya Stensamler.
The Duergar Trade Station: Jhared's
OUTSIDE: Merchants: Kashard (traps, snares and lockpicks), Khazz Jhirakk (overpriced), Griggle sells furniture. Caravan Master: One of Hrglin's sons: "This is the only place in the Underdark where you can find goods traded by both the surfacers and folk like us. It's neutral ground, Jhared doesn't like you scare off the customers". ARENA: No magic allowed!
JHARED: Runs the Tavern and Trade Post. Affiliated with Banks. Gem Scales. Crafting Stations. Shops. Message board. "This is the drow's home. Only by their permission I could set up this here Trading Post. Farther south, you're fair game to them. Treasures in the Vault, cavern with a locked dome in the center, leading to the deepest Underdark. Sealed by the two Drow Houses".
JHARED tells what he heard from other traders mention about the Surface. "The humans cut each other apart in the human capital of Arelith, Cordor. Minmir is the region most northward on the isle, Bendir is south of that, and Cordor is south of that still. A settlement on the west shore called Wharftown, too. A few of the traders around here travel there, they say it's a kind town for a merchant."
Merchant League: Travel by pack rothe. Charter, Twenty-five hundred gold, one time fee. DEVIL TRANSPORTER: will buy one ten thousandth of your soul against a trip to the Cloven Hoof. "Famed tavern of relative safety and wondrous delights, in the heart of the mighty city of Dis, second only to Sigil among the Planes". "Unless you sell a majority stake, then you are damned"
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
Urblexis Grond - The Ruin.
There are two gates. One at the Caravan Stand. Headsman. In the harbour, Ecrivendi (gnoll): Boatwoman, Scavenger and Survivor travels those places others cannot reach. The waters of the Underdark are not like those of the surface. She'lI can take you to The Burning Shores. Powerful forces walk there. She'll approach the shore for fifteen thousand gold pieces.
GRONDHOUSE: Entrance, the orog Toberman the "Greeter": Grond is the seat of the Tyrant of Grond! The Tavern of Grond! The Dungeon of Grond! A place, warded against all magics, home to the Slavers Guild. Weaved into the stone itself by Duergar craftsmen, no magics, no matter their origins will function in this place. Slaves are the backbone of the Grondian Economy.
GRONDHOUSE DUNGEONS. Jasper tells about the former svirfneblin dancer, Myrtle. He says it's the name of some cow in Bendir on the surface. Some of the svirfneblin in these parts lived there for a time before the exile, she was one of them. In Grond being alive is being happy. You have to adapt to survive and that's just what she's doing. As jobs go here hers is a pretty good one.
Metzger is the Slave Master of Grond. He runs the slaving guild here. Sells them, makes them fight, some even eat them. For thousand coins, you can buy a membership.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
Pit Town, According to Drow Mage K'Shilna Drak'aa
K'Shilna Drak'aa is formerly a Faern of Sorcere. He calls himself the one thing standing between this refuge and oblivion at the hands of the illithid. His machine charges the protections on Pit Town. The illithid have a stronghold nearby. Once there were two cities nearby, Udos Dro'Xun and Urblexis Grond. The illithid rose in force and smashed both of them, taking many as slaves.
Now illithid slaver patrols roam the area, snatching any whom they come across. But not in Pit Town. His work places a great shield about the town. The illithid cannot enter, for they are psions, and the field the machine emits causes them great pain and prevents them blasting the minds of others.
Pit Town can't attack with it. It's stuck in place. Even if it were small enough to be moved, it relies heavily on the precise positions of local concentrations of faerzress. Recalibrating it would take days, if we could even find enough sources close to the battlefield.
Faerzress is Ambient magic that pervades the Underdark. It's said to be a remnant of the forces that shaped the Underdark terrain. Basically, it's power, and the machine uses it.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
Screaming wall, Temple of Ghaunador
According to the drow, Oblodra, from the Screaming Wall there is a tunnel to the Peninsula. And to the temple of That Which Lurks, Ghaunadour. Savage tribes guard it, and Aboleths. Psionic abilities like the illithids, just stronger. '
A portal leads there, to the Dismal Caverns, probably on another plan. Maybe home of some gods. The Screaming Wall, destroy two crystal orbs, then break down the gates.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
The Burning Shores
This cycle, Spora took us to the Burning Shore to show some Obelisks. The first one: "We know no doubt, only purpose. We have no rivals in this isolated region, Faerun may forget us, sleeping far from their shore, but when we wake we shall bring a storm of fire and ash to the world, and with it a new dominion. An Empire lies within our grasp and future history beckons.
In this place the chosen few may commune with the Great Wyrm Orias above. None may pass into the sanctum without displaying the purity we lack, let the key be the essence of her enemies." The second one: "Behold the fallen foes her enemies! Though many seek to claim the throne none are able, in humility and respect we kneel before it."
The Third One: "Orias waits and watches, we nestle beneath her wing waiting for the new Draconic age. When she rises we too will rise. The Queen's Hand, the Sevateem. All that we do is in preparation for that blessed day. We will be patient."
The Fourth One: "She is one of their greatest, one who remembers when all was young and new to this world. To seek her secrets is hubris, but to serve beneath her feet divine. Should we keep her in mind so shall it be for her, servants favoured and not forgotten." And the Fifth One in the sea just says: Orias Wer Jenna.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Long Route
Enter Orc Caves. Go to the locked door, open it with the key, and turn right immediately. Follow the tunnels, search for hidden holes, and a locked door. Use your key to open it.
You'll now enter the Stinger Caves, the Resonance Chamber. Beware of the Stinger Lord Thrall, and the illithide infected cessirids, umber hulks, darkmantles and stingers. Search for the exit. Once found, cross the bridge across a pond, and turn LEFT.
Follow tunnels (alexandrite), and enter the narrow tunnel system. Keep LEFT first time, and keep following the narrow tunnels. Then follow the RIGHT tunnels, and you should end up i the Grotto. Climb the hills, and keep at the top of them.
You'll now enter the Forest of Spores. Search for the river, and turn RIGHT. Cross the river bridge and then turn RIGHT. Follow the river, and you'll soon be there.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Stinger Caves and Darkfalls, According to the Sentient Jelly
Stingers are odd creatures, so industrious, and for what? They inhabit a riddled cave that has an entrance here in the Forest of Spores. Their resonance device will do you no good, for you do not have the tremor-sense that they do. The device measures and transmits the minutest of tremors in the rock, so that the stingers will know where to dig next, or if their lair is in danger.
Deep within the maze of tunnels in the stinger lair is their resonance chamber. Large crystals channel the vibrations and frequencies of the rock-tremors into this chamber, and the stingers are drawn to this like a moth to the flame. It is their reason for existance.
Darkfalls: Never seen such magnificent fungi before. The faerzress still lingers there, I can feel it. Such powerful forces at work, to create such beauty. Faerzress is the magic that helped to shape the Underdark. It's a powerful radiation that distorts and affects magic, especially divination magic. It's too weak now to have an effect, but I remember when the faerzress was stronger.?
?It's been known to "touch" creatures sometimes. You may notice them in your travels, these "touched" creatures. They're infused with some of the faerzress themselves and act.. differently. You could probably expect them to be more resistant to magic, and definitely more aggressive and hostile. Watch out for those that are touched by faerzress.?
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
The Underdark Urdlenite Caves
The urdlenite caves stretch from the Badlands along the river, to a breech to the Abyss. All inhabitated by spriggans and an ankheg. From the riverside, you?ll enter a larger cave, with a statue of an urdlenite priest, crushing the symbol of Deep brother Callarduran Smoothhands: A ruby. He seems to like it.
From there, you enter 4 smaller caves, all connected through a labyrinthic system of tunnels. Al of them with clear signs of the White Mole: Destruction and blood. It even got an odalisk with an inscription similar to the one in the Surface temple:
"The urge is greatest, in the face of the beauty. The slash, to deface, to bespoil, an ultimately to destroy. Crave beauty, life and wealth. Tear them asunder. There is no greater truth, no greater evil, than depravity." But with the addition: "Dance with me".
The fourth cave got an altar, used by the urdlenite priest to sacrifice. They keep their treasure chest here. Behind the room, is the breech they dug to the Abyss. The bebliths guard it. They are too busy to be concerned about visitors in the breech. Everywhere are holes, probably dug by the ankhegs. And most possible leading to the surface temple. Although that has to be proven yet.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
Lizard and Kuo Toan Coral Temple. Dark Falls.
The temple entrance in the Dark Falls leads to a submerged cavern (about 2 feet water) . It is inhabitated by troglodytes, lizard and kuo toan warriors, chiefs, priests, clerics, monitors and axe or dart throwers, huge subterranean lizards and bullets. All lead by the beautiful Sea Mother.
A door constructed of elaborated coral and locked by a key leads to a Secret Grotto. The door got designs of fish-headed creatures engraved upon it. inside, you'll find crops like harnak, wolfsbane, sweetberry and hardwood, bathed in light from above. Also butterflies.
A door leads to a ziggurate, surrounded by about 3 feet water and rich on topaz and phenalope. On top of the ziggurate is the entrance to the temple itself. The first part with spawning pools, many fountains. A crystal statue depicts the semi-crustaceous deity Blipdoolpoolp. It quite resembles the mix between a woman and a lobster. All around the statue are offerings of shells and jewelry.
The inner temple got priests? quarters, meditation rooms, libraries and more. Fine coral tables. An odd room, I have no guess what function it has. Here resides the Sea Mother. Many treasure chests. All signs of the civilization living there.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Sentient Jelly - and the Tribal Caverns
The Sentient Jelly is located in a watery small cave very close to Blingstonhold. The Sentient Jelly got much lore to tell about ancent times. The cave used to be only available from the riverside, but the drow dug a tunnel to it from Udos Dro'xun to escape from the illithids. And now they claim the cave as their property. Inside the cave is a magical mushroom with exceptional healing abilities.
It claims to see all, knows all: Did you think your presence was too stealthy for me? Or do you just feel so worthless as to expect to not be noticed? I hear the dark river's voice. It whispers secrets like the dying gurgles of a drowning man. I know why you have come. You are a sack of flesh that will decompose in but a flash of my lifetime, but I shall indulge you in my story.
I suppose I'm not so much as a me, as I am a we, that is composed of two creatures. A rather symbiotic relationship, but, you must adapt or die. Illithid and Gelatinous Cube. I consumed myself, but lived on to become aware! Yes! Over the millennia I have devoured many great minds, absorbed them into my own. But fear not, you're not worth consumption. At least not yet...
Tribal Caverns is occupied by the basest of idol-worshipers. They'd sooner bash your head in with a rock than have intelligent discourse, but you can expect that everywhere in the Underdark. Mostly quaggoths and orogs, but occassionally ogres and ettins try and form some basic organization. It never works. The caves are near the Pit of a Thousand Sorrows, you can hear the drumbeat.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Urblexis Grond, according the kobold Vignar Kepesk
The first ones who came here, kobolds and goblins are already grow old. There was once a time when many lived above and few below. Goblins, kobolds, duergar, and deep gnomes, living on the surface in fear of what lay beneath. These lands were named drow and all that were not slave to them was enemy. And so it was, for a long long time. Till a duergar came, Jhared, the merchant.
He went to the drow with a deal. A trade post, open to all and a neutral ground. He sought sanction to build it, rule it, to serve the drow but as no slave. All was arranged and all plans set. Surfacers would come too, but less safe for them than for us. One step beyond Jahred's Post and the drow would take them. Well where one duergar comes so do others. Kobolds, goblins, some gnomes.
Jhared and the drow prospered. But Surfacers soon grew wary of those that walked in both worlds, duergar and deep gnomes in their cites and towns were called allies of the drow, conspirators and spies. The lord of their city passed a decree of exile. Named monster they would become such to their eyes evermore. A night of blood and fear. Each one scurrying for the nearest cave.
An army of refugees descended below. Jhared did not welcome them. The drow granted them, a cavern and no promised made. Urblexis was built. Duergar giving up life in their citadel, svirfneblin from the village that ever wars with the drow, goblins from the shallows and kobolds from the depths. The orogs came later, settling Urblexis to keep them safe from the drow..
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
The Six Tomes of the Obsidian Asylum
JOURNEYING. Life and Death are journeys, spiritually and physically. In Life souls walk the pathways of this realm, and in Death they travel to the Realm of our Master. ELEMENTS. In their pure form, the Elements are capable of stripping a soul from this realm, setting it on its journey to our Lord's realm. Master the Elements, and you will gain a powerful weapon in our Lord's service.
RUIN. Ruin of the flesh is the essence of Death. There is beauty in Ruin, the microcosmic reduction of Order to Decay in the body balanced by the soul facing Order in Judgement. We bring ruin to the mortal world for our master.
GREATNESS. True Greatness is to be found in service. Independence limits one to the powers of the self; in service one's strength is augmented by the strength of others. Thus, we serve together, and none stand against us.
ART. There is beauty in Ruin, and grace in Execution. To truly appreciate such things one must devote oneself to service, and leave weak emotion behind. Then, the world is opened to you. LIFE.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
The Mind Flayers in and beyond the Vault
According to the book "The Underdark, Vol. II", the Vault was constructed by the drow to protect them from the powerful illithids and beholders that dwell beneath. The drow devised two keys, guarded by Arelith's two most powerful dragons (red and white) at that time, to the Vault. The dragons were brought under control and imprisonned in the key chambers by the entire Sorcere
So much for the book. Where these chambers are, and where the dragons went, we don't know. Fact is, that the two keys are now guarded by two drow houses, Claddath and Freth. Until the Cataclysm, the illithids has been kept under guard. Since then, they have managed to escape to the caverns above and to Udos, Grond and other places.
There is a weak illithid right outside the Vault portal. Likewise, thralls are seen in many places: Duargar thrall between the beholder and the illithids caverns, orog thrall in the Tribal Caverns and more. Drow thrall are frequently seen within Udos itself. An undead alhoon for some reason runs the cavern The Restful Mind at the delta of the river A gir in the Badlands.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Illithid Pods and Husk Pit: Oogle and Yazqualyn
Most inhabitants in the Underdark seem to have escaped from illithids' pods. Most of them, including myself, arrived to Pit Town through the Rothe Caves, from the Husk Pits. All we seem to remember is that we escaped from illithid pods and through some garbage tunnels. The goblin Oogle made a rope down from one of the pod rooms, which leads to the Husk Pits.
The Husk Pits, according to the drow Yazqualyn, is located under the lair of the mindflayers, the Illithids. Long neglected undertunnels that are used as garbage chutes to dispose of the husks of the dreamers, those that are still under the mindflayer's dream. There are a few husks left over from Qq'lzaxk's experiments that mindlessly wander about.
Yazqualyn explains: "After the cataclysm, the mindflayers subjugated most of the populace, entrapping them in a complex mind control that we've called, The Dream. We were but a food supply to them. They fed upon the brains of us all until the resistance formed. The pods above belonged to Qq'lzaxk, a particularly twisted and powerful illithid with a penchant for necromancy."
"Sometimes after he's done feeding off the brains of his victims, he performs necromatic rites and twists them into half-living creatures of torment. Pit Town is where the rest of the resistance is gathered, where all of the resistance has fled to. It takes awhile to remember exactly who one are-or should I say were, before the mindflayer dream. Some people never escape the damage."
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Anonymous
Blingstonhold Workshop
In Blingstonhold Workshop are five survivors from Urblexis Grond. Elder Permistone was their matriarchal leader in Urblexis Grond. With it's fall she led the survivors among her people to the nearby village of Blingstonhold. Pebble the Quartermistress, a tough cookie and natural survivor, followed. So did the two merchants, Vargo Pebblus and Bloopie the Seamstress.
Vargo dealt in healing potions and basic gears. From casual appearance he seems to take somewhat of an interest in helping, but his true motivation is commonly known to be personal greed. Vargo just wants to crawl under a rock with some fermented squig juice.
Bloopie maintains a slight cheer to her disposition. She sells clothings and accesories that she's scavenged from various sites, mostly from the bodies of the fallen. Bloopie tells, she was pushed out of Cordor, and set up a shop in Urblexis Grond and tried and sell the occassional gloves or belt. When Grond fell she fled with the others. She started all over in Blingstonhold.
Myrtle was the tyrant's dancer. She's of athletic build and moving with considerable grace, somewhat haggard appearance. Her face is traced with the lines of fatigue, and her muscles stretched and ridged. Far from what most would name beautiful, she is something of an enigma, one does not take their eyes from because her looks are pleasing, but rather because they are not.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Bonefields and Obsidian Asylum according to the Sentient Jelly
The Bonefields used to be an amusing place. It was a playground for half a millennium for a pair of sadistic liches that liked to pit entire armies against each other for their pleasure. Don't worry about them, they left the area hundreds of years before the riff-raff of Urblexis Grond rediscovered those caves. They went below the Vault suddenly one day, and have never been heard from again.
The stone swallows history, until it is broken. Jhaerem and Mohrk. They achieved lichedom only to spend their eternities developing interesting and sadistic games to pass the time. For awhile, their favorite game to play was called "Blue Orbs". They played it in the Bonefields all the time. They had two blue orbs at opposite ends of a giant cavern, and had armies fight each other for these orbs.
Somehow the orbs had a powerful effect on the two sides, and they'd fight each other till the last man. But Jhaerem and Mohrk tired of this eventually, moving down beneath the Vault for some reason or another. Now it's just a barren field of bones, the Blue Orbs dimming over time to be nearly harmless... nearly.
They built the Obsidian Asylum shortly before they left for the Vault. It seems it's some kind of puzzle, a mystery left behind by the two. They were quite fond of sadistic games.
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Pit Town - the Drow Rithralia Ma'for
Amongst the Pit Town traders is the drow Rithralia Ma'for. She'll only reveal her past to drow, but listening from the shadows, you'll hear her tell, that she 'was a trader of the Underseas. My ship, The Venomthorn, and I travelled many dark leagues together before the illithid blasted her to pieces in the recent war.'
She considers Pit Town "A waste-hole if I ever did see one. But after the last flayer war it's the only safe place left, and only thanks to the mages up there on the hill. Our city of Udos Dro'Xun and the cesspit that was Urblexis Grond both fell, now all the survivors are here together in beautiful disharmony... "
She stays because "there are some lucrative opportunities to be had here. All of these squabblers and rabble in one place, they pay a decent price for good and rare equipment. The goblins are especially resourceful at gathering gold, you'd be surprised. And the magefield has considerable advantages for a trader. You know nobody's going to mug you for your coin."
And she is aware of surfacers: "You can see there's plenty of trade going on down here. Even a few kivvil make their way down here. Sunlanders, Stubborn fools, for the most part, but they break delightfully under torture. Still, they can be smarter than they look, so don't be fooled by the dull appearance."
Day 8, Month 11 (Uktar), 139 AR
Fraya Stensamler
Wiki Editor's Note: Due to an in-game bug, some of the older player written notes had their dates reset to 139 AR. As a result, the exact dates for the records above are not known. However, we can determine these writings were compiled in the Decade of 70 AR thanks to the authors name and her known active time frame.