Arelith: A History of the Underdark
Author: Adelyn Belle'rose
Rozen Chalice Publishing, a division of East Arelith Trading
Original Publication: 175 AR
Revised & Updated Edition: Hammer, 187 AR
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"The Arelith Antiquarian Society is instituted to examine, preserve, and publish all antiquities connected with the art, language, literature, and history of the Arelith Archipelago. Articles bearing this notation have been selected for conservation regardless of race, faith, alignment, or affiliation. While all efforts have been made to ensure the information within is accurate regarding the subject matter covered, we assume no responsibility for errors, inaccuracies, omissions, or any other inconsistencies herein, whether such errors or omissions are the result of negligence, accident, or any other cause. If errors, inaccuracies, or omissions are discovered, please contact the author who will address the issue."
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INTRODUCTION
The Underdark of Arelith remains one of the archipelago's most enigmatic and expansive regions, its labyrinthine depths rivaling the histories of even the most renowned surface kingdoms. Because of this, despite decades of study, I have found it nearly impossible to document every occurrence within this sunless domain. Consequently, this volume endeavors to detail the significant events that have defined this subterranean realm, offering insight into its present landscape and the factors behind its evolution.
I. PRE-CATACLYSM UNDERDARK
ca. 500 BR to 61 AR
CITY OF SPLENDORS
The Shadow Dragon Mllikiek'zztts was recorded to have ruled over a city of splendors in the Lowerdark as described below from Ilmeth's Report:
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"In ancient times, before Udos and Grond, a city of splendor gleamed in the night like a jeweled heart. It was a dark place, a brooding place. However it was beautiful in its darkness. The shades of shadow were like various curtains of non-light in the city. It was ruled by a shadow dragon named Mallikiek'zztts and her disciples were part shadow and part corporal."
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The city would eventually grow decadent as the dragon's political enemies gained strength, gradually infiltrating key positions of power. As a result, Mallikiek'zztts would ultimately be betrayed from within. The ensuing internal strife tore the city apart, culminating in the dragon's banishment and forcing her remaining loyalists to seek refuge in the Plane of Shadow. Whatever remained of the once magnificent settlement would eventually be lost, claimed by the passage of time and subsequent catastrophes of the Underdark.
IZLUDE'S TORMENT
Deep within the Lowerdark, the illithids of the Mind's Eye colony held dominion over a vast subterranean region, ruling from within their underground citadel. Their secluded domain, accessible only through a treacherous cavern network known as The Vault, was widely regarded as the most formidable threat in the Underdark. Controlled by a triad of elder brains, the Mind's Eye was originally constructed as a remote prison for their far-reaching illithid empire but was later repurposed into a strategic outpost. It is widely speculated that the majority of the Underdark's first native races originated from this colony, either as escaped prisoners or slaves.
Known to many as Izlude's Torment, the colony bears the name of the tragic sorcerer Izlude. In a desperate bid for self-gratification, he struck a pact with the mind flayers, seeking mastery over their powers of mental domination to force the love of a woman through dark enchantments. But when he betrayed them, stealing the secrets of the Thought Sphere, the illithids exacted cruel retribution by imprisoning the sorcerer within a cursed mirror of his own creation, sealing it deep within their stronghold for all eternity.
TOLLIDOR
Roughly 440 years before the founding of Urblexis Grond in 20 AR, the town of Tollidor suffered a devastating assault by the mind flayers of Izlude's Torment. Using slaves and Umber Hulks to tunnel through the earth beneath the settlement, the illithid caused the town to collapse into the Middledark, burying its inhabitants in a sudden and violent descent. While most perished in the catastrophe, those who survived were swiftly captured and enslaved. Whether by calculated design or reckless error, the collapse dropped Tollidor directly over the only known regional point of ingress to a major Lowerdark passageway complex known as The Vault.
Though the event is now largely forgotten, the remnants of Tollidor still linger near the present-day outpost of Saltspar. These ruins lie across the Great Scar from Andunor, near the Crinti-occupied remains of Elg'Nizrul. Travelers who venture to the site may still uncover traces of the island's buried past, including the sealed gateway leading into the deep and ancient Vault below.
THE BURNING SHORE
Centuries before the drow claimed dominion over the Underdark, the ancient red Greatwyrm Orias gathered to his side a host of dragonkin drawn from across Arelith. Upon the scorched banks of a subterranean sea, known as the Burning Shore, he forged the foundations of a new kingdom. Under his reign, this fledgling nation grew into a small but formidable empire, sustained by the tireless devotion of his kobold followers, the Sevateem. To them, Orias was not merely a ruler but a divine progenitor. One for whom they labored tirelessly with singular purpose, driven by the promise he would one day rise in fire and ash to conquer the surface world.
That destiny, however, would never be fulfilled.
Orias' reign came to a violent end with the arrival of Abazuur, an ancient red dragon who descended from his volcanic island fortress on the surface through a portal into the Middledark. The two dragons clashed in a battle that shook the depths, a cataclysm of roars and fire. When the smoke cleared and the last embers settled, Orias lay defeated. Wounded and broken, Orias fled into seclusion atop the Underdark's tallest peak, allowing his followers to believe him slain. Abazuur, having claimed his victory, withdrew just as swiftly, sealing the portal behind him. In the chaos that followed, the Sevateem, grief-stricken and leaderless, found themselves under sudden siege. The drow of Udos Dro'Xun launched a precisely timed invasion, razing the kobold empire in what could only be described as a calculated purge. No quarter was given. No slaves taken. It was not conquest, but extermination. Few survived, mostly eggs and hatchlings spirited away by Sancreev the Old, who fled to the surface with his charges. There, among the goblin-infested sunlands, he vowed to bury their past. Only in forgetting, he believed, might they escape the vengeance of the Spider Queen's faithful.
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Excerpt from the Tome of the Sevateem:
"She (he) is slain and no help can come for us now. Who was this foul wyrm that took her (his) life? Was it coincidence or did the warm-bloods offer tribute for the deed to be done? Her (His) killer will not receive us and has closed the link. Orias! Return to us! Cheat death and give us all that what was promised!"
"I am the last and if I step without they will surely kill me. Even now they tear down what was centuries in the making. They slay the living and break the eggs of those yet to hatch. The Sevateem will be forgotten, to die eternal like our great mistress (master). The drow do not even take slaves, this is no longer a battle but a purge and there is now no doubt that the fledgling city of Udos Dro'Xun will grow to be the one true power of this region. They are too strong, too cruel, surrender means nothing to the followers of the Spider Queen and we are now lost."
"Not content to forge the future they rewrite history, they cut away all we ever were."
"I see their matrons order that not one treasure, not one relic is to taken from this place. All is cast into the boiling sea or destroyed. A few escape, hatchlings for the most part, Sancreev the Old has taken them to the surface, he tells that what future they have is there now, existing like the savages among a sun-land swarming with goblins. There is no glory, no great dream to light their way. Sancreev says he will see they forget their past, their home, his wisdom speaks that in order to survive they must cut all ties to what was, so as the drow will never again continue their war againist our brood."
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With the kobold threat extinguished, the matrons of Udos Dro'Xun sealed the approaches to the Burning Shore and forbade any mention of the Sevateem. Their history, their dragon, their very name scrubbed from all records. Left to decay, their ruins faded into myth. Years passed. Then, by accident or fate, two drow mages of Sorcere, Davor and Darlantir, stumbled upon the lost land. Amidst broken stones and charred obelisks, they unearthed evidence of a once-advanced civilization, long buried and deliberately forgotten. Their search led them to a smoldering subterranean peak, where a long-dormant portal awaited beneath the ash. Darlantir, drawing upon his arcane arts, reopened it. On the other side, they found Abazuur. To their astonishment, the red dragon received them not with fury, but favor. To Darlantir, he whispered secret revelations of lineage and ancient bloodlines. A hidden power slumbering dormant within his veins, waiting to be awakened.
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"Something wonderful has happened this cycle, far atop the fiery peaks a route to the world above where a dragon rules an isolated isle. It received me well and promises much power. It spoke of a lineage that I knew nothing of, a secret of my blood that will make me far more than I have yet been. It is an opportunity I shall not ignore." -Darlantir
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The truth was revealed at last. The founders of Udos Dro'Xun, fearing a rising kobold empire, had struck a clandestine pact with Abazuur. In exchange for eliminating Orias, they offered him uncontested dominion over the Burning Shore. Knowing that the memory of the Sevateem might one day inspire rebellion among the lesser races, they purged the past. Even the archives of Sorcere, famed for their accuracy, had been cleansed of all mention of the Sevateem. Fearing Davor might return to Udos Dro'Xun and reveal what they found, Darlantir murdered him before pledging himself wholly to Abazuur, securing his place as the dragon's disciple. For decades after, he studied the ruins, reconstructing what remained of Sevateem lore, striving to awaken the dormant legacy hidden within his blood. After years of preparation Darlantir, now branded heretic and apostate of Lolth, finally awakened the full strength of his lineage within the Sevateem's hidden sanctum. In 26 AR, when sea routes to the Burning Shore reopened, drawing adventurers to its long-sealed shores, he appealed to his master. Fearing reprisal for his abandonment of Lolth's faith, the drow sought a way to preserve his life. Abazuur relented, bestowing a lich-like immortality upon his servant. Empowered and transformed, he continued his studies of the region until opening a portal to the Plane of Fire under Abazuur's direction in 72 AR, marking the beginning of secret incursions into the realm. In 100 AR, Abazuur offered sanctuary to the exiled Princess Abulán and her retainers from the fiery plane, granting them holdings in the Burning Shore in exchange for an alliance. At the dragon's command, Darlantir sealed the portal, awaiting the day both dragon and princess would return to the Plane of Fire at the head of an army to reclaim the exile's throne.
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"On Abazuur's instruction the breach to the Plane of Fire has been closed. The arrival of the Princess Abulan and her household demands that we remove any remaining link to the city, lest we attract the ire of those she has angered. When she is ready, and when my lord commands it, we shall once again cross over, but this time with an army at our back." -Darlantir
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UDOS DRO'XUN
Prior to the island's colonization circa 20 BR, the Underdark beneath Arelith remained largely unexplored and perilous. This changed with the arrival of drow refugees, survivors of a brutal Lolthite sect, who had been driven from their former city across a subterranean sea. These displaced houses established themselves in isolated, fortified compounds scattered throughout the Upperdark, relatively close to the surface. Though known to one another, the rival families remained divided until roughly 10 BR, when Matron Svairdin Elg'Cain and her sisters, Lithana and Delinia, led a unification campaign that ultimately brought them together. This effort culminated in the establishment of Udos Dro'Xun, a newly founded settlement in the Upperdark, located a short distance from the surface city of Cordor and connected to it through a network of underpasses and sewers. This proximity resulted in frequent skirmishes between the drow and the Cordor-based thieves' guild known as The Silent Hand, as both groups reaped profits through extortion and slavery. These years of conflict, along with the threat posed by Surface forces, ultimately forced the drow to begin an excavation process deeper into the Underdark. While it would take several decades the city was painstakingly relocated into the deeper layers of the Lowerdark, restricting access between the settlement and the surface. This refounding would find the city constructed atop a sprawl of towering stone pillars straddling a huge subterranean abyss. Interconnected by suspension bridges and adorned with awe-inspiring architecture, the city became the heart of regional drow culture under the rule of a strict, dogmatic Lolthite orthodoxy. While the settlement boasted many landmarks of renown, the Magical Clock, Temple of Lolth, Tower of Sorcere, Slave Market, and City Gates upon which the Laws of Lolth were inscribed were the most notable.
As the drow of Udos Dro'Xun began expanding into the surrounding region, they constructed a series of portals modeled after those created by the Thayans on the surface. Two of these were established deep within the Lowerdark and designed with significantly greater power to counteract the destabilizing effects of the Faerzress. The first, known as the Vault Portal, was destroyed during The Deluge of 96 AR, while the location of the second was lost amidst the turmoil that followed. It would be rediscovered years later, though its magic had diminished, allowing only one-way passage.
House Elg'Carin would hold dominance as the First House of Udos Dro'Xun for decades after the city's original founding before being absorbed into House Dria'fiend after the defeat of their then-ruling Matron Vilia Elg'Carin. This marked the beginning of a decades-long succession of noble houses that rose to claim the title of First House in the ever-shifting hierarchy of drow political power. Among the most prominent of these were Houses Baenre, Vraevir, Z'Ress, Dy'nin, Drak'aa, Xymox, Melana, Z'kath, Hlathrae, Al'Truissa, Mae'arn, Xeth're'dane, Auvryviir, and Zar'Rocc.
THE VAULT
Whether by deliberate design or geological accident, access to Arelith's Lowerdark was confined to a single entry point within an immense subterranean cavern complex known as The Vault. Reaching this site required a descent of several hundred meters through a passage located within the ruins of the fallen city of Tollidor or, later, via a portal created by the drow. Recognizing the location's strategic importance, the drow of Udos Dro'Xun fortified The Vault by constructing a metal dome over the Lowerdark's entrance and installing double gates spanning the twin bridges leading to its threshold, each sealed with heavily reinforced locks.
To safeguard the gate keys, drow mages of the Tower of Sorcere used potent arcane magic to dominate and enslave two powerful dragons, assigning one to guard each key. These dragons were imprisoned in key chambers that branched off from opposite sides of the central Vault. Despite these formidable precautions, the lure of the Lowerdark's riches proved irresistible, and many adventurers risked their lives in attempts to slay the dragons and obtain the keys.
Following the exile of House Freth and House Claddath, declared renegades by Udos Dro'Xun for their defiance of the Temple of Lolth's orthodoxy sometime after the city's founding around 10 BR, a new defensive measure was implemented. As a condition of their banishment, the two houses were relocated to opposing fortresses constructed within the former key chambers following the release of the dragon guardians. Each was entrusted with a single key, their house securing only one of the two gate locks. Due to the intense rivalry between the Exile Houses and their mutual conflict with the rest of the Underdark, it was considered unlikely that both keys would ever be used in unison. In this way, the horrors of the Lowerdark, such as the mind flayers of Izlude's Torment and beholders lurking below, would remain sealed away behind gates that could never be fully opened.
JHARED'S TRADING POST
Before the Great Banishment of 20 AR, a duergar merchant named Jhared arrived in the region and brokered a rare accord with the drow of Udos Dro'Xun. Together, they established a neutral outpost, an unprecedented trade hub linking the Underdark to the surface realms of Arelith. It became the only subterranean location where merchants from across the lands could conduct business in relative safety. Within its boundaries, conflict was strictly forbidden. Beyond them, however, travelers remained at the mercy of wandering drow patrols.
Surrounding the central structure, a variety of vendors catered to travelers. Kashard specialized in traps, snares, and lockpicks. Khazz Jhirakk was known for his overpriced, often dubious goods. Griggle catered to the eccentric buyer with a selection of furniture and domestic trappings. The Caravan Master, a son of Hrglin, managed overland trade routes via pack rothe, charging a one-time fee of 2,500 coins. For the adventurous, a devilish transporter offered one-way passage to the infamous Cloven Hoof tavern in the infernal city of Dis for the price of one ten-thousandth of your soul. At the heart of the outpost stood the trade hall and tavern, operated personally by Jhared. Under his strict oversight, the facility provided secure banking, gem appraisal, crafting stations, well-stocked shops, and a public message board for news and announcements. Nearby, a strict no-magic arena offered a space to resolve disputes or prove one's skill in combat under equal terms.
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"This is the drow's home. Only by their permission could I set up this here Trading Post. Further 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
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The trade post thrived until The Deluge of 96 AR, when Jhared played a pivotal role in locating the site for a new Underdark city using the Eye of Andunor, recovered from the slain aboleth responsible for the great flood. Together with House Freth and Claddath, the duergar and his engineers would construct the city of Andunor. Leaving the trade post to linger in a diminished state for some time before its renovation into what is now known as Saltspar in 168 AR.
Upon the city's founding, Jhared, widely regarded as the most influential figure in the Underdark, gathered his vast fortune and set out for one of the great duergar strongholds beyond Arelith. Unfortunately for the duergar, his departure did not go unnoticed. The Red Dragon Orias, ever watchful and covetous, descended upon the merchant en route. Jhared was slain, and his wealth claimed by the greatwyrm as spoils. His bones now rest atop the Lost Peak of Arelith's Underdark, just another forgotten trophy buried within a dragon's hoard.
URBLEXIS GROND
Urblexis Grond was founded by refugees in the wake of the Great Banishment of 20 AR, a pivotal event that forced many of the surface's monstrous races into the depths of the Underdark. Before this upheaval, it was common for goblins, kobolds, duergar, and deep gnomes to live openly on the surface.
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"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." -Vignar Kepesk
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While details about the city's construction and architecture remain scarce, its legacy is well documented. Notable among these records are the rise of Skeflock, a svirfneblin who became the first to be elected Tyrant in 29 AR, and the establishment of the Oogooboogoo goblin clan.
BONEFIELDS & OBSIDIAN ASYLUM
Long before its eventual discovery by Urblexis Grond forces in 30 AR, the Bonefields served as the battleground of two ancient liches, Jhaerem and Mohrk. For nearly five centuries the pair entertained themselves with a grim contest known as Blue Orbs. A game in which two enchanted spheres were placed at opposite ends of a vast subterranean cavern, each compelling legions of undead to fight endlessly in their defense. Driven by the necromantic power bound within the orbs, the conflict raged endlessly, sculpting the cavern into a perpetual battlefield.
In time, the game lost its appeal. The liches withdrew to the deep reaches of the Lowerdark beneath a region known as The Vault. Before their departure, however, they erected the Obsidian Asylum near their old arena, a trial-filled edifice discovered in 33 AR. Designed as a monument and pilgrimage site in homage to the god Jergal, the Asylum continues to draw seekers of arcane lore and divine mystery, lured by whispers of forbidden knowledge.
As of this writing, both Jhaerem and Mohrk are believed to have either departed the island or met their end in the aftermath of the Deluge of 96 AR.
II. PRE-CATACLYSM EVENTS
-LIBRARY AFLAME-
05 AR
During a raid by drow agents of House Claddath, the Cordor Library was set ablaze. In response, Aristotlus Bibliophilius led a counteroffensive through the city's sewers that advanced as far as the gates of Udos Dro'Xun before being driven back.
-DISGRACE OF HOUSE DRIA'FIEND-
ca. 12 AR
The biggest embarrassment to Matron Shairin Dria'fiend during her reign was not her half-drow son but rather the betrayal of her second daughter, Layra, who left Udos Dro'Xun to wed a surfacer: Ryan Valtheran, the ruthless Banite Dreadmaster of Stonehold. Their carnal union, consummated in blood and ambition circa 12 AR, marked her ascent as Dreadmistress of Stonehold, where she cast aside her birthright and took the new name Lana Valtheran.
-FALL OF HOUSE ELG'CARIN-
16 AR
Shairin Dria'fiend, Matron Mother of House Dria'fiend, orchestrates the downfall of her rival, First House Elg'Carin, aided by the betrayal of the males Kirraz and Veynor. With House Elg'Carin dismantled and absorbed into her own ranks, Matron Shairin ascends to the position of First Matron, ruling over Udos Dro'Xun for the next decade until her sudden and secretive departure from the region.
-THE DARK BAZAAR-
33 AR
The Urblexis Grond Trade Guild hosts the Underdark's first recorded trade fair in Udos Dro'Xun in collaboration with House Dy'nin, with the goal of improving relations between the two settlements.
-GRONDIAN & WHARFTOWN WAR-
35 AR
Skeflock, Tyrant of Urblexis Grond, leads an army to siege the surface settlement of Wharftown. In retaliation, Captain Biad Scheppen of Bendir organized a counteroffensive that forced the svirfneblin forces to retreat into the Underdark.
-BATTLE OF GAMBLER'S BLUFF-
35 AR
A large Underdark army, led by Skeflock the svirfneblin Tyrant of Urblexis Grond, seized the small palisade fort on Gambler's Bluff for nearly a week in an attempt to create a surface outpost. The Underdark force eventually withdrew after repeated counterattacks from a Cordorian coalition army.
-INSURRECTION OF HOUSE Z'KATH-
ca. 38 AR
House Z'kath was established by the priestess Ami'anthrade in the aftermath of House Dy'nin's collapse circa 38 AR. Seizing the opportunity presented by the resulting power vacuum, the house swiftly rose to become the Second House of Udos Dro'Xun, consolidating influence over the Melee Magthere with support from Nathrae and Eowadra Xilodel'yn. Despite its early prosperity, House Z'kath ultimately met its downfall after launching an abrupt rebellion against First House Drak'aa and the city itself, claiming divine visions from the Goddess Lolth commanded the destruction of Udos Dro'Xun. The uprising failed, leading to the nobles' exile and the scattering of their followers, who either left the island or were absorbed into other houses.
-MILLIKIEK'ZZTTS REVENGE-
39 AR
The Shadow Dragon Mllikiek'zztts, disguised as the gnome Zedeln, conspired with a traitorous drow male to create a golem army and overthrow the Lolth controlled city of Udos Dro'Xun in order to install a Magocracy. The plot was exposed by Urblexis Grond Tyrant Skeflock, who joined forces with First Ilharess Ulath'Taller of Udos Dro'Xun to eliminate the threat.
-SECOND GRONDIAN WAR-
42 AR
In the decade of 42 AR, the city of Udos Dro'Xun was ruled by noble Houses in hierarchical order: First House Drak'aa, Second House Z'kath, and Third House Xymox. During this period, House Drak'aa enforced a strict doctrine of drow racial purity, marginalizing other Underdark races. Tensions escalated when Pharyx, a drow male renowned for his bardic talents and passion for languages, was publicly flogged by Archpriestess Aun'Quav for trading True Strike potions with the non-drow inhabitants of Urblexis Grond just beyond their city's gates. Disgraced and humiliated, Pharyx crawled to the new ruler of Urblexis Grond, Tyrant Murag who had replaced the Tyrant Skeflock, and begged for retribution. Moved by Pharyx's past goodwill, especially his friendships with the deep gnome Satho Cradfoot and goblin Merago Sappo, Murag agreed. His agents assassinated Archpriestess Aun'Quav, and Pharyx fled to House Xymox, where he was granted sanctuary. By offering refuge to Pharyx and aligning with Urblexis Grond, House Xymox rose in prominence. Enraged by this alliance, First Matron Oblodra Dra'Kaa declared war on Urblexis Grond. As the war dragged on without resolution, Tyrant Murag abdicated, passing leadership to the kobold Orn Gixi. Under Gixi's rule, the conflict swiftly concluded with Urblexis Grond surrendering and becoming a vassal to Udos Dro'Xun.
-GRONDIAN REBELLION-
42 AR
A rebellion against drow rule in Urblexis Grond, led by the newly elected svirfneblin Tyrant Satho Cradfoot, reignited long-standing hostilities. In retaliation, a large drow force from Udos Dro'Xun launched an assault on the city, breaking through its gates after a brutal battle with the rebels. The settlement was ransacked, and the uprising was violently suppressed. Despite this military victory, political unrest in Udos Dro'Xun and growing war-weariness among its populace pushed the First Matron Oblodra Dra'Kaa to broker a truce with the insurgents. However, the peace did little to ease Urblexis Grond's subjugation. The only concession was the removal of House Dra'Kaa as the ruling First House, replaced by the more conciliatory House Xymox. Following the next election, Satho Cradfoot and his closest allies were exiled from the city for their role in the uprising.
The rise of House Xymox was brief. Disillusioned with its ruling Matron, the drow male Pharyx defected to House Dra'Kaa alongside Tow'cinq Noqar. With Pharyx's oath of loyalty eliminating the threat of retaliation from Urblexis Grond, Matron Oblodra Dra'Kaa launched a swift and savage attack, annihilating House Xymox. Their estate was sacked, and every member slaughtered in a single act of carnage. With House Xymox wiped out and no support remaining from Urblexis Grond, Oblodra Dra'Kaa reclaimed her title as First Matron of Udos Dro'Xun, appointing Pharyx as Ambassador of Udos Dro'Xun.
-RISE & FALL OF HOUSE MELANA-
43 AR
Founded by two sisters, Vastra and Imithra, House Melana would ascend to noble status following the fall of House Xymox in 43 AR. Striking a deal with First Matron Oblodra Dra'Kaa and leveraging their political prowess, the sisters secured the vacant position of Third House. Shortly after obtaining power, Vastra claimed to have received visions from Lolth and left the city on a spiritual journey. Imithra later died under mysterious circumstances, leaving her daughter, Silithra, to lead. As Matron, Silithra guided House Melana through the ensuing conflict between First House Dra'Kaa and Second House Z'kath. By the war's end and Z'kath's downfall, she successfully positioned her house to rise as the new Second House.
Unfortunately, Matron Silithra became complacent and paranoid of losing her hard won position. Choosing to remain sequestered within her compound, rarely leaving, and delegating house administration to her second Umrae'fryn. Little by little, support for House Melana dwindled until they were undone by internal treachery and rival houses seeking their position.
-BAATOR'S AWAKENING-
39 to 53 AR
In 39 AR, the Nine Hells succeeded in corrupting several portals on the island of Arelith, transforming them into gateways to Baator. This act was part of a broader scheme to create a new front in the Blood War, extending the conflict through the Material Plane into the Abyss itself. A coalition of surface forces ultimately repelled the devilish incursion, managing to close one of the nine gates. However, this victory came at great cost with the collapse, destruction, or irreversible degradation of many Thayan-constructed portals across the island.
Years later in 53 AR, the First Matron of Udos Dro'Xun, Oblodra of House Drak'aa, mobilized a unified force from the Underdark to strike at the remaining eight portals. Her goal was to infiltrate Baator and seal the gateways permanently. However, her plans were undermined from within by the kobolds Vippin and Orn Gixi, who conspired to keep the portals open for their own purposes. Although the Matron's mission ultimately failed due to their sabotage, her forces succeeded in securing a tenuous foothold in Minauros' Valley of Skulls, following a fierce battle between drow and Baatorian legions.
-RISE OF HOUSE ZAR'ROCC-
56 AR
Archpriestess Nives Zar'Rocc casts down her mother, First Matron Oblodra Drak'aa, denouncing her as a traitor to the faith. With ruthless conviction, she seized the mantle of First Matron of Udos Dro'Xun. In honor of her ascension, House Drak'aa is rechristened House Zar'Rocc. Under Nives's rule, the Second House Xeth're'dane was driven from the city through a relentless campaign of attrition. One by one, its noble members were hunted down, forced to flee, or killed until none remained.
Overthrown but not destroyed, the heretic Oblodra Drak'aa, long a secret servant of Ghaunadaur, would eventually retreat into the maddening depths of Pandemonium after formally aligning herself with the cult. Over the ensuing decades, she constructed a vast prison to contain and harvest planar beings. At her side, the Oozemaster Rei'zorc aided in binding the Demon Lord Zan-Yfranoth, enslaving the abyssal entity to her will. With its power, Oblodra gathers a demonic legion and immerses herself in mastering the arcane art of planar travel. Even now, she waits with her gaze fixed upon Andunor, plotting vengeance against the bloodlines of Udos Dro'Xun and the reclamation of her stolen throne.
III. THE CATACLYSM
61 AR
In a calculated preemptive strike and prelude to future invasions, the elder brains of Izlude's Torment unleashed a devastating psionic assault on the settlements of Urblexis Grond and Udos Dro'Xun in 61 AR. The resulting psychic shockwaves reverberated through the Underdark, collapsing or reshaping vast networks of tunnels and caverns while inflicting widespread damage on both cities. Amid the upheaval, the containment gates within The Vault were compromised, weakening the long-standing defenses that had held the illithids in check and granting them access to the wider Underdark.
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"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 tavern The Restful Mind at the delta of the river." -Fraya Stensamler
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IV. POST-CATACLYSM UNDERDARK
61 AR to 96 AR
PIT TOWN
Following the collapse of the Underdark's two principal settlements, survivors converged on the Pit of a Thousand Sorrows, drawn by a latent anti-psionic anomaly discovered in the region. Seizing upon this natural phenomenon, the drow mage K'Shilna Drak'aa from the tower of Sorcere established a potent psionic shield that further protected the area. Unexpectedly, the ward also rendered acts of violence within the settlement impossible.
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"Now illithid slaver patrols roam the area, snatching any whom they come across. But not in Pit Town. His (K'Shilna Drak'aa) 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 from 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." -Unknown Citizen
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As word spread, refugees flocked to the burgeoning community. In 62 AR, Vippin the Nineth Tyrant of Urblexis Grond was elected Regent, becoming its first official leader.
RUINS OF UDOS DRO'XUN
Many drow returned to the ruins of their once-great city, determined to rebuild their fallen empire. Though it never regained its former splendor, their efforts achieved modest success, enabling the faith of Lolth to flourish and fueling continued ambitions for regional dominance. Among the few surviving institutions was the tower of Sorcere, which, though nearly destroyed in the devastating psionic assault by the elder brains of Izlude's Torment, remained active within the city alongside several enduring noble houses.
RUINS OF URBLEXIS GROND
The goblin clan Oogooboogoo returns to the former settlement in an attempt to build a new kingdom among the ruins. Their efforts, however, met with far less success than those of the drow.
BLINGSTONHOLD
In the aftermath of The Cataclysm, the deep gnome Permistone guided the surviving svirfneblin of Urblexis Grond to a newly exposed cavern entrance, revealed by the shifting tunnels of the Underdark. There, in 62 AR, they founded the settlement of Blingstonhold. In the years that followed, this haven came to be known as The Great Grotto. However, following the unrest and political upheaval surrounding The Almost War in 79 AR, the Grotto withdrew from wider Underdark affairs. Years later, in secret, its leaders extended a hand to the dwarven stronghold of Brogendenstein, seeking formal entry into the Earthkin Alliance and with it, the shield of its protection.
V. POST-CATACLYSM EVENTS
-RISE & FALL OF HOUSE AUVRYVIIR-
73 AR
After awakening and escaping from mind flayer captivity, Matron Lanii'dae founded House Auvryviir alongside Aph Astros and Olyth Victus in 73 AR. The house would go on to play a pivotal, though often contentious, role in Udos Dro'Xun politics until their abrupt disappearance in 77 AR.
-FALL OF HOUSE ZAR'ROCC-
76 AR
House Zar'Rocc held dominion over Udos Dro'Xun from 56 AR to 76 AR. During this time, Matron Nives Zar'Rocc vanished under mysterious circumstances, leaving leadership to her daughters, Xunmice and Fade. Eventually, the disgraced Matron Natelie Al'Truissa maneuvered her way into power, becoming Matron of House Zar'Rocc. Within a year of seizing control, she orchestrated a war against Pit Town in 76 AR and engineered the downfall of her adoptive house. An act of calculated revenge for the earlier fall of House Al'Truissa years before.
Following the fall of Zar'Rocc, House Hlathrae under Matron Vay'olin rose to power and claimed the title of First House. Though their dominance was short-lived, persistent rumors suggest they may have secretly influenced Zar'Rocc's downfall.
-UDOS & PIT TOWN WAR-
76 AR
Tensions between Pit Town and Udos Dro'Xun, widely attributed to the machinations of the ruling First House of Zar'Rocc under Matron Natelie, ultimately escalated into open warfare. The conflict would come to a conclusion with the collapse of House Zar'Rocc later that same year.
-UDOS & BLINGSTONHOLD WAR-
78 AR
Seeking dominance over the Underdark, Udos Dro'Xun launches a campaign to subjugate all regional settlements. This expansionist policy was ultimately brought to an end through the diplomatic maneuvers of Fraya Stensamler, Regent of Blingstonhold, who negotiated an armistice to halt the fighting.
-THE ALMOST WAR-
79 AR
In 79 AR, the First Matron of Udos Dro'Xun issues an ultimatum to Blingstonhold: surrender or face destruction. Regent Fraya Stensamler once again defused the crisis through diplomacy, narrowly averting yet another war. However, this latest drow provocation spurs her into enacting a plan to permanently secure Blingstonhold by destroying its only cave entrance, which allowed unrestricted access to the settlement, using explosives gathered from Pit Town. While the operation secured Blingstonhold for svirfneblins, rendering the settlement accessible only via a magical portal, the political backlash led to Fraya's resignation. In the years that followed, she would author numerous books before dedicating her life to the Library of Andunor following the city's founding in 96 AR.
VI. THE DELUGE
96 AR
In 96 AR, a migrating brood of aboleths, led by a powerful overseer of demigod-like power, arrived in the Underdark of Arelith with the intent of flooding the realm to establish a dominion of their own. Confronted with such a threat, the denizens of the three major settlements mounted a desperate war against the invaders. The conflict reached its end when the goblins of the Oogooboogoo tribe launched a surprise assault, slaying the aboleth overseer and claiming its massive eye, later known as the Eye of Andunor, as a trophy. Despite this victory, the aboleth fulfilled its purpose in its final death throes, unleashing a cataclysmic flood that engulfed the Lowerdark and much of the Middledark. Settlements such as Udos Dro'Xun, Urblexis Grond, and Pit Town were completely submerged and lost. In response, Underdark denizens fled upward to the relative safety of the Upperdark, taking refuge in Skreet's hidden plantation, one of the few locations untouched by water. Noble Houses Freth and Claddath set aside their personal vendetta to abandon The Vault, sealing its Tollidor entrance behind them. Over time, the floodwaters gradually receded, but not before permanently reshaping the Underdark's landscape. Even now, remnants of the catastrophe remain visible in waterlogged tunnels and vast subterranean aqueducts, some connecting directly to the surface oceans, allowing passage for seafaring vessels.
VII. CONTEMPORARY UNDERDARK
96 AR to 184 AR
ANDUNOR
In the aftermath of The Deluge, the duergar merchant Jhared utilized the recovered eye of the aboleth overseer, then in the possession of Queen Spetz of the goblin tribe Oogooboogoo, to identify a suitable location for a new Underdark settlement. Together with survivors from Houses Freth and Claddath, they established the settlement of Andunor in the Upperdark, near the site of Jhared's Trading Post. Conceived as a city of trade, it was open to all, serving as a neutral ground where relations with the surface might be tempered through trade. At the heart of this new settlement lies its commerce epicenter. An autonomous trade hub overseen not by noble drow houses or traditional power structures but by the enigmatic Hubmaster and his loyal enforcers, the Peacekeepers. This formidable independent security force is composed of the Jaggaroth: fiendish half-blood slaves bred in Gracklstugh, gelded in their youth, and bound by lifelong contracts. Inherently loyal and devoid of ambition, the Jaggaroth serve as incorruptible guardians of Andunor's trade, commanded by the grim and unyielding Malhanar-Vakrith Galat.
Under the Hub Master's direct domain is the East Wheel, which wraps around the Hub like the rim of an irregular circle. This section houses the city's Assassins Guild, Peacekeeper Guard House, House of the Oozemaster, bridge to the Sharp's District, and entrance to the Boreal Keep Lobby. Opposite it is the West Wheel, which houses the city's Slave Pits, Forge Hall, Spider's Web Tavern, Land Brokerage, and bridge to the Devil's Table District. Lastly is the Deep Gate, the fortified primary entrance into the city of Andnuor, guarded and garrisoned by the Jaggaroth, above which is mounted the famed Eye of Andunor. Additionally, Peacekeeper forces secure a small city gate near the floodplains, safeguarding the vital farmland on the city's outskirts known as the Rothe Fields, which provide essential sustenance to the citizenry.
Since its founding, Andunor's population has steadily grown, expanding beyond its original bounds. What began as a settlement under the stewardship of the Hubmaster, House Freth, and House Claddath has grown into a sprawling urban expanse, now comprising a diverse array of districts that reflect the city's evolving identity and its role as a haven for outcasts and surface-world refugees.
= DEVIL'S TABLE =
The infernalists of House Freth seized upon the founding of the new city to establish themselves as the de facto rulers of the Devil's Table District. While they allow citizens to elect their own leaders, all governance remains under the watchful eye of House Freth. The district soon became home to three prominent institutions: the City Colosseum, the Great Temple, and the City Library.
= THE SHARPS =
In contrast to the Devil's Table, the flesh crafters of House Claddath asserted their control over the Sharps District, permitting local elections under their strict oversight. Built from the salvaged ruins of Urblexis Grond, the bricks from Grondhouse were painstakingly relocated stone by stone by the industrious Oogooboogoo goblin clan with help from the engineers of Jhared's Trading Post to form the new District House. The district would come to house several other key institutions: Bank of Andunor, Ogre Caves, City Theater, House of the Troglodytes, Communal Caves, a minor Temple, and the Secondary Gates into the city.
= BORAL KEEP =
Following the destruction of the original Sorcere of Udos Dro'Xun in the Deluge of 96 AR, survivors re-established a modest facility within the newly built Library of the Devil's Table District. Over the next three decades, this New Sorcere would be refounded multiple times under various leaders. A major transformation began in 135 AR with the conception and construction of a new guildhall suspended within a wintry demi-plane, complete with an adjoining sub-dimensional Maze complex. Completed in 138 AR and anchored to the Hub of Andunor, Boreal Keep became the Underdark's new center for arcane scholarship. New Sorcere was formally renamed the Erudite Arcanum and its founder, Sol'vyr, was succeeded by Helen Lustar by direct appointment. Sol'vyr would go on to oversee the indefinite maintenance of the Boreal Keep and its demi-plane. The Erudite Arcanum soon grew to rival the surface's Arcane Tower in both breadth of knowledge and freedom of magical study.
= TREADSTONE LOCKS =
Formerly known as the Upperdark Shipyard, Treadstone Locks underwent extensive redevelopment in 141 AR, gaining Shops, a Tenement Building, a Ship Berth, Private Residences, and a Magical Portal. While not as refined as other districts, it remains free from centralized control, offering its inhabitants the rare freedom from displacement or eviction by elected officials.
= SALTSPAR =
Once a modest outpost in the Middledark, the area underwent massive reconstruction in 168 AR thanks to generous monetary donations from Underdark citizens. Upon completion, the area evolved into a major holding of Andunor and was officially renamed Saltspar. Its improved amenities include the Oculus Station, the Restful Mind Tavern, and Andunor City Prison.
= ZURKHWOOD GROVE =
Hidden within the Middledark, the grove stands as a sanctuary of nature amid the surrounding chaos. Tended by druids of the deep, it holds no allegiance and claims no political ties, as its sole purpose is to preserve the balance of the subterranean natural world.
= GREYPORT =
The construction of Greyport was completed in 137 AR with the establishment of an Embassy of Gracklstugh, marking the first instance of a permanent foreign interest in Andunor's affairs. In 152 AR, Greyport was formally designated as a distinct city district and held its inaugural elections. Significant renovations took place in 172 AR, most notably the construction of the imposing Red Tower. Several years later, the district saw the completion of the Boneyard, providing Andunor with its first dedicated cemetery.
= TRADE POST =
Around 141 AR, the Ogre Fist Trading Company established a new Trade Post in Upperdark. Though small in scale, it provided residents with improved access to the surface and a measure of autonomy from Andunor's influence.
LOWERDARK
Over the years, receding floodwaters eroded the landscape and uncovered multiple new passageways into the Lowerdark, bypassing the collapsed tunnel complex known as The Vault. These fresh breaches have created new migration routes for monstrous creatures, leading to a surge in Lowerdark inhabitants and rendering the region even more inhospitable. Fortunately, most of these competing races remain focused on battling one another over scarce territory, showing little interest in pushing upward into the more populated reaches of the Underdark. Compounding the threat, a dramatic rise in Faerzress activity has further destabilized the region.
Additionally, a Cult of Baphomet, primarily composed of escaped Minotaur slaves from Udos Dro'Xun, settled within a vast underground mountain near the ruins of their former city. Eventually, the cult opened a rift to the Endless Maze, becoming corrupted by its influence. Before doing so, however, they managed to summon the avatar Milfanito, who now lies sealed atop the mountain, imprisoned behind a portal protected by two mystical orbs.
FALLEN UDOS DRO'XUN
As the floodwater slowly receded in the years following The Deluge, the lost ruins of Udos Dro'Xun emerged again in 126 AR during the First Illithid War. Near the conflict's end, the city's ruins were liberated from mind flayer occupation by the sudden arrival of a Githyanki warband, which currently holds the city as of this writing. Their reasons for remaining in the ruined settlement remain uncertain, but given what is known of their race, it is likely connected to the nearby Mind's Eye colony and the illithid activity in the region.
IZLUDE'S TORMENT
The illithid of Izlude's Torment were not spared the devastation brought by The Deluge in 96 AR. The catastrophic floodwaters submerged their colony and killed the ruling triad of elder brains. In the aftermath, the surviving mind flayers sealed themselves off from the outside world, leading most to believe the colony had been destroyed. In secret, they called upon the resources of the greater illithid empire, patiently rebuilding as a new elder brain matured. Their return came in 126 AR, heralding the onset of the First Illithid War. Though the illithid have re-established themselves as a formidable threat in Arelith, they no longer dominate the Underdark as they once did. Their continued ambitions of conquest are now tempered by the emergence of powerful rivals, including the Wyrm Orias, Noisesome God, Alhoon, Titans of the Depths, Beholders, and the city of Andunor itself. Nevertheless, the Mind's Eye colony has not relinquished its goal of subjugating the Underdark and destroying Andunor to reclaim the livestock that escaped them so long ago.
SLAVER'S TOWER
Once few in number, the deviant illithid who rejected their species' life cycle in favor of undeath have since grown in both presence and influence on Arelith. After the event known as The Deluge, a small enclave of these Alhoon recovered the corpses of all three elder brains from the Izlude's Torment colony and transported them to the summit of their tower near Saltspar in the Middledark. There, the Alhoon conducted experiments on the remains, eventually succeeding in resurrecting one of the elder brains in undeath to attempt communion with it. However, the method used to reanimate the brain drove it irreparably insane, rendering its vast repository of ancient knowledge inaccessible. Despite this failure, the Alhoon inadvertently gained a powerful defense as the presence of the undead elder brain has deterred their living illithid kin from attacking, as destroying it would permanently sever access to secrets vital for their kind. As a result, both factions remain paralyzed in a tense stalemate until a way is found to commune with the undead elder brain.
VIII. CONTEMPORARY EVENTS
-MINMIR & ANDUNOR WAR-
98 AR
Dread Lord Vistigor Torkill of the Minmir Church of Bane attempts to seize control over the Sharps District through voter manipulation of a forthcoming election. Matron Va'sarra of House Xun'viir exposed and contested his scheme, sparking a brutal conflict between the two factions. The dispute culminated in the Hub, where the drow emerged victorious from a pitched battle, forcing the banites to abandon their political ambitions within the Underdark settlement.
-FIRST ILLITHID WAR-
126 AR
Echoing the conflicts of the past, Houses Freth and Claddath became embroiled in an escalating arms race, marked by growing tensions and scattered skirmishes. Peacekeeper presence in the Hub doubled as the specter of civil war loomed. The tension shifted when scouts from the Iron Order of Elven Death reported that receding floodwaters had revealed the ruins of Udos Dro'Xun. Arakh, Son of Mog and leader of the Sharps District, led an expedition to investigate. At the site, they found Freth and Claddath forces already battling for control of the ruins, only to be ambushed by illithids from Izlude's Torment, a colony believed destroyed. With the mind flayers now possessing Udos Dro'Xun, the expedition was forced to retreat to Andunor bearing grim news. The illithid menace from the Lowerdark had returned.
Throughout the unfolding crisis, it was discovered that the Mind's Eye colony had survived under the guidance of a young elder brain, its predecessors presumed lost during the Deluge that submerged the Lowerdark in 96 AR. After confronting a psionic projection of this fledgling elder brain, Princess May'riina Xun'viir retrieved a crystalline splinter which she later forged into a device called the Mind Shard. With the illithid threat now undeniable, Houses Freth and Claddath ceased hostilities to unite in defense of Andunor. Control of Udos Dro'Xun was eventually wrested from the mind flayers by the arrival of a Githyanki warband, which established a forward operating base among the ruins. No further contact with the Mind's Eye colony occurred until the onset of the Second Illithid War.
-THE SPIRE-
127 AR
Nestled within the oppressive mire of Minauros stands a grim obsidian spire, once the sanctified stronghold of the orthodox Lolthite drow of Udos Dro'Xun. Erected during the era known as Baator's Awakening, it served as a bulwark against the encroaching infernal forces threatening to pierce the veil between the Nine Hells and the material realm of Arelith. More than a mere outpost, it was a forward bastion in the planar war for sovereignty. Its entrance was once bound by protective wards that only opened to a scared Lolthite invocation "Lolth Tlu Malla," a praise to the Spider Queen. While its core purpose lay in the study of infernal entities and the defense of the Underdark from their corruption, it also housed a powerful interplanar scrying nexus. Uniquely, the tower's enchantments could be utilized by even those lacking access to the Weave, a gift of divine provenance rather than arcane design. Yet, such favor proved fleeting. Roughly a decade after its consecration, the spire fell from Lolth's grace. In divine wrath, the statue of the Spider Queen that once stood as guardian in the foyer animated and descended upon her faithful, razing the magical infrastructure before collapsing into ruin. With its powerful magics broken and enchantments lost, the tower was soon abandoned.
Decades later, in 127 AR, forces of House Freth arrived under the command of Solfryn Freth, comprising mostly lesser races and bound devils. Having secured a pact with the third circle's ruling archdevil, they acquired stewardship over the tower and its surrounding territory. Though its previous occupants were long gone, the tower's arcane defenses remained active. The siege that followed left the spire heavily damaged.
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"Those backward savages tasked with purging the Tower's old defenses ended up ruining most of it in the process; it pains me to note that even the statues of the Goddess seem to have been defaced during the assault. A mistake I would see those fools pay dearly for once they have outlived their potential usefulness and we've moved onto the next phase."
"As unfortunate as this collateral damage was however, I cannot bring myself to feel regret. For no sacrifice can be too great in pursuit of the Liberation. This outpost will prove singular in securing the interests of Vaunted Freth upon the time of Advent." -Unknown Freth
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Though the spire's original enchantments were lost, House Freth reclaimed the site to serve a more enigmatic and far-reaching purpose.
-THE THANE'S WAR-
142 AR
In the twilight of Thane Ghestaldt's reign, Brogendenstein waged war against Vance Gravelle, a Cyricist tyrant ruling Andunor's Sharps District. Though suffering a setback at the Battle of Minmir Bridge, the dwarves ultimately triumphed, halting Gravelle's surface campaigns. A subsequent assault on Andunor by the dwarven army would seal Brogendenstein's victory.
-RISE OF THE SHADOWCLAW-
156 AR
In 156 AR, a pale, black-scaled kobold mage named Krukt, formerly an independent operator within Andunor, chose to invest his accumulated wealth into founding a new tribe. This tribe was distinct from both the Dustwrought, who followed Asgorath, and the Rosemaw, who pledged themselves to Tiamat. A devout follower of Shar, Krukt envisioned a kobold society that would channel their industrious spirit into building lasting wealth and reputation. The tribe grew gradually, and its direction changed when Krukt departed to wander the Shadow Plane. Leadership passed to Valks, who assumed the mantle of All-Watcher. Under Valks, the tribe shifted its religious devotion from Shar to Kurtulmak and the Ancient Ones. Since then, the Shadowclaw tribe has established a powerful and far-reaching presence in every district of Andunor, ensuring no kobold is ever taken as a slave.
The Shadowclaw tribe maintains a quiet yet potent influence within the city's complex power structure.
-BATTLE OF MINMIR FALLS-
159 AR
A formidable Underdark warband, commanded by the infamous "Witch of Lies," Sydney Harrow, engaged surface forces led by Coronal Anaria Liamytholen of Myon in a brutal battle atop the high ground near the Nexus Falls portal. The Underdark emerged victorious, withdrawing to Treadstone Locks with numerous prisoners, including the Coronal and Lord Zathlan Fen'ar. Although numerous captives, the Coronal among them, were subjected to harsh torment, several were eventually released or ransomed. For Anaria, the defeat, compounded by her own torture, inflicted a grievous and lasting wound upon her spirit, one from which she would never fully recover.
-SECOND ILLITHID WAR-
160 AR
A duergar flotilla brings the Seventh Legion of Gracklstugh to Greyport with the intent to strike against the colony of Izlude's Torment. Before the campaign could begin, Andunor was struck by a massive Psionic Resonance, seizing or destroying the minds of many inhabitants. Chaos followed as an army of mentally dominated creatures besieged the city's Flood Plain Gate. The assault was repelled, and Keeper May'riina of the Erudite Arcanum deployed resonance-dampening devices across the city. The mind flayers, psychically guided by an illithid brain suspended in containment known as a Think Tank, extended their attacks to Greyport and the Devil's Table. Following these battles, no further sightings of the illithid were reported, and the war quietly ended. Former Tyrant of the Sharps Vance Gravelle resurfaces to return the Mind Shard, stolen years earlier, to Keeper May'riina where it was secured within Boral Keep's notorious Maze.
-SKULL CRAG SCHISM-
167 AR
In his twilight years, Elder Ikarus, an ogre shaman of the Underdark city of Andunor, rekindled an old vendetta upon witnessing the continued aggression of Guldorand's militia against the ogre tribes of his homeland in the Skull Crags. Declaring open war, he assembled a fearsome warband of Underdark dwellers, pirates, and surface exiles. His campaign was calculated and fierce, striking at outposts and patrols, though he failed to win the support of neutral powers like the Heartwood Grove. A pivotal moment came with a daring assault on Guldorand's coal mines, which ended in his capture. The Matron of House Z'ress swiftly retaliated, launching a violent raid on the village of Westcliff that ultimately forced Ikarus' release. The victory, however, proved bittersweet. Not long after, Ikarus was summoned by the elders of the Skull Crag ogre clans, who denounced him and his efforts. Recognizing that his war had lost its cause, he called for a Moot of Peace, leading to a five-year truce between Guldorand and the mountain tribes. Yet the peace brought him no solace.
In 169 AR, feeling the weight of his years, Ikarus arranged a final ritual combat in the arena of Andunor. There, wounded and facing his chosen end, he fell in honorable battle to Arak. His final act a warrior's death, as he had always intended.
-ANDUNOR CIVIL WAR-
169 AR
The Andunor Civil War of 169 AR erupted following a scandal involving the Sharran High Priestess "Herald" Merwyn of the Church of All-Shadow, often referred to as the Void Cult. Once a respected figure within the Sharps District, Merwyn was covertly manipulated by agents of Myon's Black Archers into betraying the drow of Andunor, orchestrating ambushes under the guise of routine excursions. The death of Awcvaza Xel'vraxa proved a decisive moment, exposing Merwyn's treachery and provoking widespread outrage. The revelation deepened mistrust between the Church and the drow noble houses, especially House Xel'vraxa, who viewed the affair as both a betrayal and evidence of collusion with foreign interests.
Tensions intensified when it emerged that Zith Xel'vraxa had secretly served as an agent of the Void Cult. Her exposure came at the hands of Imri, First Daughter of House Xel'vraxa, who confronted Zith over her divided loyalties. The confrontation escalated into a violent clash with cult operatives, further destabilizing the city. In retaliation, Matron Mother Chenizra Xel'vraxa formally expelled the Church of All-Shadow from the Devil's Table, condemning their repeated subversions and holding the Sharps District accountable for harboring the sect. This expulsion marked a pivotal fracture in Andunor's political unity.
In the wake of the conflict, the Church of All-Shadow withdrew from civic and military affairs, including the War Council, a unified command structure spanning all districts. Though framed as a gesture to prevent further unrest, the withdrawal was widely interpreted as a concession of waning power. In the months that followed, the Sharps District underwent leadership reform, and popular support for the Void Cult steadily declined. Andunor, ever fractious, returned to its habitual discord, though notably without the shadow cast by Sharran influence.
-LORD EMBERS BALL-
176 AR
The Dragon Lord Aldahoon Embers sails into Andunor to host a lavish ball within Greyport's great Red Tower, assisted by Stink Spellworped, Adelyn Belle'rose, Kasima Shadowclaw, and Zunkurat. Following the event, Lord Embers' seneschal Elin'teerm uncovers a plot to ambush and kill his sire within a nearby local resource mine using explosives. The would-be attackers are slain, yet the betrayal struck deep. Enraged by the treachery, Lord Embers rescinded his ambitions to establish Greyport as a regional trade hub. As his ship departed, it turned broadside and loosed a brutal volley of cannon fire upon Greyport. While Andunor reeled and raced to quell the flames, rumors swirled, blaming everything from Myon sabotage to schemes of a criminal organization known as The Syndicate.
-SECOND DARK BAZAAR-
176 AR
A second great festival is held in Andunor under the guidance of Darruz Scumhand and Iyelle Ixit'shii. The event featured merchant stalls, performances, games, arena battles, trading scrolls, books, and songs.
-GREAT OAK AFLAME-
183 AR
In the year 183 AR, a formidable coalition from Andunor launched a coordinated and devastating assault against the surface settlements of Myon and Brogendenstein. This twin offensive was commanded by Princess Vasyrin Aurvryndar of the Devil's Table and Myryn Blightscar of the Sharps, bolstered by the war hosts of House Freth and the legions of Gracklstugh. Striking in tandem, the Underdark forces sought to overwhelm their surface counterparts. Brogendenstein's dwarven defenders successfully held their fortress, repelling the invaders with no significant losses. Myon, however, fared far worse. The elven defenders were driven back and forced to retreat into the heights of their treetop city, suspended high above the Arelith Forest in the boughs of an ancient Great Oak. Among the invaders was the Abyssal Wyrm Rendannath, a once-noble silver dragon and proud son of Darnoth, protector of Brogendenstein. Twisted by corruption and enslaved to the Abyss, his soul was bartered away to darker forces while his body was raised in undeath as a dracolich. In a terrible display of power, the undead wyrm descended upon Myon, unleashing his fury and consuming the sacred Great Oak of the Twilight Grove in Abyssal flame.
Though the defenders eventually rallied, bolstered by reinforcements from other surface settlements, and succeeded in driving back the drow offensive, the victory was hollow. The drow had accomplished their true aim. Rendannath's fire had placed a powerful curse upon the Great Oak, dooming it to decay from within. Without intervention the tree and, with it, the city of Myon would one day fall crashing to ruin upon the forest floor. Only through an alliance with the sylvan Summer Court was the curse halted and held at bay. But the bond is fragile. Should the trust between the surface elves and the forest fey ever falter, the curse will awaken once more, and the great city of Myon will fall, delivering the long-sought triumph into drow hands at last.
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"A torment has been invoked at this soil, an evil without equal. The tall oak, the bastion of the Twilight Grove, despoiled by the unholy fire of Rendannath the Dead-Wyrm in its servitude to a host of reaving darklings from below earth. I stand here in vigil against the rot, the curse that festers within the oak. It cannot be cured, it cannot be dispelled by will or magic, but for as long as the alliance of Corellon's blood and the deep sylvan folk remain steadfast, so shall bark and trunk and root remain forever untouched by the evil within its core." -Faireloch the Treant-Priest
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-ANDUNOR CIVIL WAR-
184 AR
In early 184 AR, Matron Wanre Z'ress assumed control of the Devil's Table district under House Freth's oversight, becoming its de facto ruler after an uncontested and coercively secured election. She initiated a series of sweeping reforms that sought to consolidate religious and political authority through a merger of temple and state. This involved elevating the Temple of Lolth's power, instituting economic incentives for temple-aligned merchants, and establishing dual councils of Matrons to ostensibly share governance. However, true control remained firmly with House Z'ress. Her most ambitious and lasting initiative was the centralization of power within the temple, designed to bolster House Z'ress' dominance across both civil and spiritual spheres.
The fragile balance maintained by these reforms collapsed within a year, as Z'ress's alliance with the Sharran House Loslansiran, long distrusted by the Sharps and Greyport districts, fueled inter-district tensions. Civil war broke out after a series of provocations, including the assassination of Greyport's elected leader, undisciplined battlefield conduct by Loslansiran allies, and the accidental killing of two Sharps soldiers during a botched attack in the city's Hub. The war, marked by retaliatory strikes, shifting allegiances, and blurred lines between internal and external actors, quickly engulfed all of Andunor. Though a brief truce was brokered by General Ja'kk in mid-184 AR, it collapsed when the Sharps' District elected leader Tharchion Myryn returned after an extended absence and rejected its terms, reigniting the conflict with fresh demands and ultimatums.
As violence spilled into the Hub, threatening its neutrality and trade, the Hubmaster's Peacekeepers were forced to intervene. They imposed a temporary peace by banning combatants from using the portal and enforcing strict penalties for further bloodshed. Yet fighting persisted in the districts, and despite temporary lulls, no lasting peace could be achieved while the root causes of personal vendettas, ideological divides, and political ambition remained unresolved. The eventual departure of House Z'ress from Andunor marked a dramatic, if incomplete, resolution to a war that had reshaped the city's power dynamics and left lasting scars on its governance.
CONCLUSION
Thus, this chronicle comes to its end. It bears repeating that this work does not, and could not, capture the full breadth of all that has transpired over the ages. Much has been lost to time: unrecorded, forgotten, or deliberately erased. What is preserved here are those events of regional significance which, in my view, have shaped the political, social, and physical landscape of the Underdark. To the myriad untold stories lost to time, I can only ask the readers' understanding. Their absence is a wound to history, one which I have felt keenly in the course of this work.
FIN
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BIBLIOGRAPHY:
* Book(s) & Written Record(s):
[1] Adelyn Belle'rose, "Arelith: A History of Wharftown"
[2] Adelyn Belle'rose, "Arelith: Fourth Sharran War"
[3] Adelyn Belle'rose, "Arelith: Night of Embers"
[4] Adelyn Belle'rose, "Arelith: Skull Crag Schism"
[5] Adelyn Belle'rose, "Arelith: The Second Dominion"
[6] Allie Lightfoot, "The Battle of Broken Dreams"
[7] Azaria, "Assault on Grond"
[8] Bel'qualyn, "Research Notes on Mllikiek'zztts"
[9] Crinukh Shadow-Quartz, "The Divine Treason: Declassified"
[10] Devil's Table Library, "Histories of the Drow Houses"
[11] Elidyr Hithlain, "The Battle of Minmir Falls, and Capture of Coronal Anaria Liamytholen & The Lord Zathlan Fen'ar"
[12] First House Xymox, "Edict from the First Matron"
[13] Freya Stensamler, "Blingstonhold - Udo Dro'Xun Crisis"
[14] Freya Stensamler, "Pit Town - the Drow Rithralia Ma'for"
[15] Freya Stensamler, "The Burning Shores"
[16] Freya Stensamler, "The Mind Flayers in and beyond the Vault"
[17] Gote'ewka Shax'thar'rska, "On the Great Houses and Political System of Andunor"
[18] Ilmeth, "Report on Mllikiek'zztts"
[19] May'riina Shri'isstra, "First Illithid War with Andunor"
[20] May'riina Shri'isstra, "History of House Xun'viir Part 1: Founding"
[21] May'riina Shri'isstra, "Second Illithid War with Andunor"
[22] May'riina Shri'isstra, "The Story of Izlude's Torment"
[23] Nives Zar'Rocc, "Nives: The chaotic Family Tree"
[24] Skeflock, "The Dark Bazaar"
[25] Sydney Harrow, "The Underdark: Eras of Upheaval"
[26] Unknown, "Baator's Awakening"
[27] Unknown, "History of Blingstonhold"
[28] Unknown, "Pit Town, According to Drow Mage K'Shilna Drak'aa"
[29] Unknown, "The Cataclysm"
[30] Unknown, "The Cataclysm of the Underdark"
[31] Unknown, "The Duergar Trade Station: Jhared's"
[32] Unknown, "The Fall of Tollidor"
[33] Unknown, "The Siege of Gambler's Bluff"
[34] Unknown, "The Siege of the Bandit Lair"
[35] Unknown, "The Thayvian Influence, Vol. I-III"
[36] Unknown, "Urblexis-Udos War"
[37] Unknown, "Urblexis Grond, according the kobold Vignar Kepesk"
* Interview(s):
[1] Alirios Freth
[2] Ghost
[3] Gote'ewka Shax'thar'rska
[4] Ilphaeryl Xun'viir
[5] Malhanar-Vakrith Galat, Peacekeeper
[6] Orias, Greatwyrm
[7] Prisoner Zero, Illithid
[8] Rasz'mina
[9] Sydney Harrow
[10] Spetz, Goblin Queen
[11] Spirit of Udos Dro'Xun
[12] The Sentient Jelly
* On-Site Investigation:
[1] Adelyn Belle'rose
[2] Eclavdra
[3] Grador
[4] Thulthee
[5] Stryder
[6] Tabby Glowpocket
[7] Arkhan D. Crestflame
[8] Jhi Kir-Khala Belle'rose
[9] Mabel
-----------------------------------
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The modest portrait of a young vermilion-haired woman with pallid flesh is positioned next to the paragraph below. Her emerald gaze looks intently at the reader, betraying the aspect's alluring facade with callous indifference. A subtle smirk, hinting at a predatory nature, appears hidden within the corners of full upturned lips.
"For decades, the vampire Adelyn Belle'rose has captivated readers with her historical explorations of the island of Arelith. Once curator of the Cordor Museum, she brought history to life through engaging exhibits and storytelling. Years later, as a member of Andunor's Erudite Arcanum, she played a central role in uncovering the mysteries of Shadow Wharftown's Third Iteration. Her later collaboration with the Merchant League of Sibayad unearthed a long-forgotten past, while her work in the Library of Sibayad helped return that heritage to its rightful stewards. Through organizations such as the Arelith Antiquarian Society and the East Arelith Trading Company, Belle'rose continues to champion the preservation and celebration of history across the archipelago."