The Underkingdom

The Underkingdom was created by Algrim Underking. It is a vast network of colossal caverns and lengthy, winding tunnels, spanning much of the continent. It was created in order to serve as a habitable underground, and thus has a wide variety of flora and fauna that can only survive underground. There is something almost magical about the place, with mosses, mushrooms, and other plants seeming to be able to grow from nothing, even without sunlight.

## Geography

### Tunnels

The bulk of the Underkingdom is a vast network of tunnels. There are "main tunnels" which generally have a mostly flat floor, are usually straight, and are wide enough for cart traffic. These connect all the major caves together. Then there "side tunnels" which sprout from the sides of the main tunnels. These are smaller, rougher, and less organized, appearing to be much more natural in comparison. Outsiders often describe them as mazes or labyrinths, due to the way they split off and reconverge, or how some lead to dead ends while others lead to caverns, yet dwarves usually have little difficulty keeping their bearings down here.

### Caves

The main caves of the Underkingdom are truly massive, with some capable of containing large towns or small cities, and still having enough space left over to be used for other purposes. Many of these caves contain underwater lakes, rivers, and reservoirs, or Deeproot Forests, or vast fields of mushrooms, or rich and open ore deposits, or some combination of these things. The largest of these caves have tall stone pillars propping up the ceiling. The walls and ceilings themselves are exceptionally thick, sturdy, and stable by the standards of most caves; almost as good as artificially constructed stone.

## Flora

### Mushrooms

Mushrooms are vital to the Underkingdom's survival. Almost everything that lives there incorporates mushrooms into its diet or way of life in some way. Unsurprisingly, there are a wide and diverse variety of mushrooms in the Underkingdom, some of which have effects one might consider to be supernatural. Here are but a few of the most noteworthy varieties:

* **Glowshrooms:** One of the most common fungi in the Underkingdom. They have large round caps that emit a white glow, illuminating the caves and tunnels. They can be of varying sizes; anything from the height of a tree to a small plant. They can grow on almost any surface, including walls and ceilings. They are not edible; they have a bitter acidic taste, and will almost immediately induce vomit.
* **Wardshrooms:** One of the more peculiar varieties of mushroom within the Underking's realm. They emit a faint golden glow, although it is not sufficient enough to serve as a useful light source. They are found almost exclusively in the Underkingdom's tunnels. Their effect is purely magical: for some unknown reason, clouds of noxious gases will refuse to pass sufficiently-sized clusters of these things. They can be carried around, but the effect will usually fade an hour after they are picked. When consumed, they also grant the consumer temporary immunity to poison gases, but this never lasts more than a minute - and the consumer will still need breathable air.
* **Dreamshrooms:** Another common variety of fungi in the Underkingdom. These take on a dark brown colour, and are no larger than a human fist. When the stem is squeezed, the cap will burst, and the mushroom will release a gas which renders all creatures not native to the Underkingdom unconscious within seconds. Creatures that are native to the Underkingdom will not fall asleep, but will instead feel a mild sense of calmness and relaxation. Wild dreamshrooms are almost impossible to find, and are exclusively grown in dwarven mushroom farms to be manufactured into weapons or light sedatives.

There are dozens of other types of mushrooms as well, though most of these serve as edibles, and a few are medicinal or poisonous. Beyond that they have no remarkable or supernatural effects.

### Mosses

Mosses are equally as important as mushrooms, if not more. The mosses of the Underkingdom are unique in that they can grow without the sun. Similarly with the mushrooms, they have a wide variety of functions: sustenance, medicine, and poison. The most common one is the unimaginatively named "Green-Moss" which covers the floor of most of the Underkingdom; it is edible and surprisingly nutritious as far as moss goes, and grows back with supernatural speed. However, there are a few noteworthy types:

* **Sponge-Moss:** A yellowish moss which grows on the ceilings of dry caverns. This moss is soft, and extremely absorbent. It is often used as bedding, bandages, towels, and cloth.
* **Blood-Moss**: A reddish moss which grows in the dark corners of caverns. When consumed, it boosts the consumer's adrenaline. Excessive consumption may eventually lead to a heart-attack.
* **Purity-Moss:** A bluish moss which grows near water sources. It is almost as absorbent as sponge moss. It is edible, but that is not its primary function. Instead, its most useful quality is the fact that if you were to fill it with as much water as you can, and then ring it out, the water which comes out will be free of most impurities.

### The Deeproot Tree

There is only one tree that grows in the Underkingdom; the Deeproot Tree. It only grows in caverns that are illuminated by glowshrooms. The bark is a dark brown, and the wood is of relatively poor quality compared to what one might find on the surface, but it serviceable enough to be used as firewood or in tool-making. If this wood is used as kindling, it will not produce any smoke.

The leaves of this tree are a dark blue, and it also produces nuts. These nuts, known simply as "Deepnuts", have a hard black shell and are almost oval shaped. The actual nut within the shell is almost white. They are high in protein but have a bitter taste.