The Underdark is a fictional setting which has appeared in Dungeons & Dragons role-playing campaigns and Dungeons & Dragons-based fiction books, including the Legend of Drizzt series by R. A. Salvatore. Dungeons & Dragons (abbreviated as D&D or DnD) is a Fantasy Role-playing game (RPG originally designed by The Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel to the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20 1959, Leominster, Massachusetts) who writes under the name R It is described as a vast subterranean network of interconnected caverns and tunnels, stretching beneath entire continents and forming a literal underworld for whichever surface setting it is added to. In the study of Mythology and Religion, the underworld (gr κάτω κόσμος) is a generic term approximately equivalent to the lay term Afterlife

The Underdark is a strange, alien setting, set entirely underground. Bizarre creatures and ancient races populate it, nearly all of whom are of hostile nature. The Underdark is featured prominently in the World of Greyhawk (where it was first introduced at the end of the "Giant" series of modules (G-1-2-3) and with the "Drow" modules (D1-2 and D3)) and the Forgotten Realms. Greyhawk, also known as the World The Forgotten Realms is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D Fantasy Role-playing game, created by

It is also a part of D&D's newest setting Eberron, in which it is called Khyber and is home to a host of evil beings driven deep into the caverns at the end of the age of demons. Eberron is a Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, set in a period after a vast destructive war on the continent of In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game, demons are the most widespread race of fiends.

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

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

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

Contents 1 Statistics 2 Inhabitants 3 Menzoberranzan 4 Official material 4.1 Underdark 4.2 Sources 4.3 Portals 4.4 Personalities 5 Other Media 6 See Also 7 References 8 External links

Statistics

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

Inhabitants

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

There is no light except for occasional patches of phosphorescent fungus; most Underdark inhabitants either have highly developed senses other than sight or have developed Darkvision (infravision before the 3rd edition of the game rules). Light, or visible light, is Electromagnetic radiation of a Wavelength that is visible to the Human eye (about 400–700 A fungus (ˈfʌŋgəs is a eukaryotic Organism that is a member of the kingdom Fungi (ˈfʌndʒaɪ Senses are the physiological methods of Perception. The senses and their operation classification and theory are overlapping topics studied by a variety of fields In the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, game mechanics and die rolls determine much of what happens In the 3rd edition Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, game mechanics and die rolls determine much of what happens Food can be extremely difficult to find, and much of the natural vegetation is poisonous. Food is any substance usually composed primarily of Carbohydrates Fats water and/or Proteins that can be eaten or drunk by an Vegetation is a general term for the plant life of a region it refers to the Ground cover provided by plants In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by In addition, drinkable water is seldom easy to locate in this setting.

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

In addition to those dangers, the Underdark is also home to many predators and a wide array of races and fantasy monsters. There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises As noted above, most of these are hostile to others. These races include, but are not limited to:

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

Menzoberranzan

Main article: Menzoberranzan

R.A. Salvatore created the fictional city Menzoberranzan in the Underdark for The Dark Elf Trilogy. There are many elements that show up throughout the fantasy genre in different guises In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game, aboleths are a fictive race of malevolent Eel -like aberrations In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy Role-playing game, the beholder is a fictional monster The derro are a fictional species of monstrous humanoids in the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Role-playing game. This article refers to the fictional elven race from Dungeons & Dragons. Dark elves (Old Norse Dökkálfar, usually called the Svartálfar "black elves" are known as a class of elves living underground in Old In Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy, the duergar, or gray dwarves are a cruel and evil subrace of dwarves. In the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying game, dwarves are a humanoid race, one of the primary races available In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid aberrations In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game illithids (commonly known as mind flayers) are monstrous humanoid aberrations In the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game, the kuo-toa are fish-like monstrous humanoids that dwell in the Underdark In the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, are a sub- race of gnome. In the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, svirfneblin, or deep gnomes, are a sub- race of gnome. Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional City-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons Robert Anthony Salvatore (born January 20 1959, Leominster, Massachusetts) who writes under the name R Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is a fictional City-state in the world of the Forgotten Realms, a Dungeons & Dragons The Dark Elf Trilogy is a prequel to the Icewind Dale Trilogy by R This city is controlled by a fictional race of dark elves (drow).

Official material

Underdark

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

Sources

• City of the Spider Queen
• More of the Underdark and the Vast!
• The Steaming Demon
• Tlincallis
• Ice Spire Mountains
• Organizations of the Underdark
• The Underdark Below the North
• Underdark Campaigns
• Underdark Dungeons
• Descent into the Depths of the Earth
• Drizzt Do'Urden's Guide to the Underdark, Eric L. D1-2 Descent Boyd, TSR, 1999. TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar)
• Drow of the Underdark, Ed Greenwood, TSR, 1991, ISBN 1-56076-132-6. TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar.
• Menzoberranzan, Ed Greenwood, Douglas Niles, and R. A. Salvatore, TSR, 1992, ISBN 1-56076-460-0. TSR Inc was an American game publishing company most famous for publishing the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game. Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar)
• Queen of the Demonweb Pits
• Underdark, Bruce R. Queen of the Demonweb Pits Cordell, Gwendolyn F. M. Kestrel, and Jeff Quick, Wizards of the Coast, 2003, ISBN 0-7869-3053-5. Wizards of the Coast (often referred to as WotC or simply Wizards) is an American publisher of Games primarily based on Fantasy and
• Vault of the Drow

Portals

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

Personalities

• Akordia Pharn, Mother of Eclavdra Pharn. Vault of the Drow is an adventure module for the Dungeons & Dragons Roleplaying game written by Gary Gygax. The yuan-ti are a fictional species of monstrous humanoid snake -people in the role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons and also in
• Alak Abaeir, Drow Assassin.
• Amalriv, male drow, chief tax collector of Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Belgos, vampire.
• Eclavdra of House Eilserv, drow priestess of Lolth (formerly of the Elder Elemental God, as well as Graz'zt). Eclavdra is a fictional character from the World of Greyhawk Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game Lolth is a fictional Goddess in the Dungeons and Dragons fantasy Role-playing game. In the World of Greyhawk Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Fantasy Roleplaying game, Tharizdun Graz'zt is a demon lord in the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, and one of the most powerful fiends in the Abyss.
• Edralve of House Eilserv, drow priestess of Lolth and former Slave Lord. In the World of Greyhawk Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, Edralve is a drow priestess In the World of Greyhawk Campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons Role-playing game, the Slave Lords are an organization
• Gorlist.
• Jalvan, male drow agitator in Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Juz'la, Tainted One.
• Liriel Baenre.
• Ool Eurts, drow sorcerer and artist.
• Pruuma the She-Bear, powerful female bugbear of Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Teliene Coloara, the Illithid Slayer.
• Thordek Stonebreaker, Duergar Cleric of Moradin.
• Valas Hune.

Other Media

Main article: Neverwinter Nights: Hordes of the Underdark

An expansion pack based on the Underdark setting was released as part of Neverwinter Nights game series. Neverwinter Nights Hordes of the Underdark is an expansion pack for Neverwinter Nights produced by BioWare and published by Infogrames

See Also

• Menzoberranzan

References

External links

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

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