Unduellar

> *"The Underpeople kept to themselves for the longest time, until they were affected by the same hunger that affects all those with goods to sell and demands to fill."* (Family Hearth Caravan Master)
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The **Un'duellen** (or **Un'duellar)** are a small civilization in the midlands of Soi south of Sumera. They are a unique people as they live almost exclusively underground in self-sustaining colonies. Until recently, few civilizations outside of the Family Hearth were aware of their existence.

* They are considered to have very advanced architecture.
* These people have a comparatively small population with no real military but are increasingly interested in the events of the outside world.

## Geography

> *"Oh they are here all right... under our feet now. You won't see them until the sun goes down. They are peaceful people and profitable to trade with. That, I think, is all that matters"*
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### **The Mountains**

The Un'duellen peoples live in the mountain ranges in the Midlands of Soi, just southeast of the Ashed Confederacy and southwest of Sumera. The area to the north generally consists of arid steppes with large patches of semi-desert covered in grasses, shrubs, and occasional tree-patches that dot the landscape, whereas the area to the south of the mountains consists of tundra becoming more frigid as one continues closer to the Stargazer Plateau. Summer seasons are short but bring large bursts of wildflowers and varieties of both large and small animals such as sabre cats, cliff leapers, large birds, mountain goats, bison, and mammoth. Extreme climate conditions occur year-round in both summer and winter, as well as during the day and night. As one travels deeper within the mountain range, temperatures routinely drop below freezing with snowfall not uncommon during the day.

The Un'duellen are mostly sheltered within the mountains themselves and as such have little exposure to the extreme environments on the outside. It is not unheard of, however, for both earthquakes and landslides to batter their earthen fortresses. Indeed, significant events in Un'duellen history have been shaped by natural disasters.

## History

Before the widespread hollowing-out of the mountains, few rivers existed within the mountain chain. Early in their history, the Un'duellen peoples stumbled across a substantially sized river flowing into the mountain chain. This river, named the Cradle, and the lands surrounding it, provided a rich and fertile land from which the Un'duellen could build.

The river itself easily sinks to a depth of 100 feet (or more in some areas). Large kelp forests line the bottoms of the deeper areas of the river and make excellent habitats for river-life. Schools of smaller fish take shelter in these forests from larger aquatic predators like the goliath lobster, otters, and seals. Invertebrates such as urchins and freshwater starfish often dot the river floor and feed on the kelp holdfasts.

As many of the tribes settled into the the surrounding lands, a few curious groups followed the river into the mountain to discover just how deep this system flowed. What these groups found surprised them; a series of gargantuan caverns with entire ecosystems supported by geothermal vents lay nestled deep within. Most of the life at these depths is reliant upon the energy and minerals provided by the vents. Mats of bacteria coat the areas surrounding the vents, providing the backbone of this subterranean ecosystem. Tiny snails and crustaceans feed on these bacteria and begin forming a basic food chain, which further consists of progressively larger crustaceans, fish, and octopi. Several species of large tube worm also live in clusters near these vents and frequently provide protection for smaller creatures. Even deeper into these caverns, various forms of bio-luminescent life begin to thrive and include several kinds of small jellyfish, translucent crustaceans, and algae. Certain types of fungus, unseen in the outside world, live in symbiotic relationships with the algae and form lichens on both rock and wall surfaces.

 In more recent times, the Un'duellen peoples have split into two distinct groups: the more numerous but slowly dwindling followers of the old ways and traditions and the growing faction that has adopted a more modern set of morals, values, and lifestyle.

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## Modern Culture

### **Reflective paint and clothing**

As the Un'duellen peoples live in low light conditions, their clothing is often lined with reflective materials that form artistic patterns. The Un'duellen grind gems and other glimmering stones into dust and mix it into spreadable paints which are used to decorate exposed skin in similar often matching patterns of their clothing.

## Economy

The Un'duellen economy for the largest part of its history was a self-contained and centrally-planned economy with the local distribution of resources being handled by a bureaucratic officer of each settlement called an **Overseer**. This Overseer controlled the flow of food, oxygen and water that were considered public utilities to each individual. Each member of the Un'duellen received claim to a small share of mine ores and materials that the Overseer did not need for public works to barter with outsiders or among themselves.

In more recent history, sectors of the Un'duellen node-network have opened their economies to wider trade with outsider groups and nations, leading those areas to a marked increase in quality of life and division of labor complete with specialization. Such trade now takes place outside what can effectively be considered the Un'duellen capital and is seat to among the wealthiest members of society.

### **Imports**

Imports generally consist of refined goods and materials. Items once considered exotic foreign curiosities, such as herbs and spices, industrial materials, and works of art, have become relatively commonplace among those open to trade and have on occasion found their way into the hands of even some of the most reclusive sectors.

### **Exports**

Exports consist of the typical mainstay of raw ores and on occasion crystal or gemstone, although these remain part of a highly regulated industry throughout Un'duellen civilization due to their importance both culturally and economically. Entrepreneurial-types have found ways to further refine various imports and have congregated as members of specialized trade guilds.

* **Ores and Minerals**

* **Fermented Cuisine**

Un'duellen vaults make ideal environments for the fermentation of food and drink. The oldest fermented product on record is a mushroom beer made from locally sourced ingredients which remains a traditional favorite today. With the import of goods from the outside world, some sectors have expanded the alcoholic fermentation process to fruits and grains with varying degrees of success. Mulled wines are relatively new but have been gaining popularity whereas the wealthier guilds have ventured into the creation of liqueur.

Though lesser known, certain cheeses and sometimes meats are fermented. Most are too pungent for outsiders and are generally consumed by the poor and lower-classes.

### **Foreign Relations**

    Given the undeniably positive influence open trade has had, leaders in the Un'duellen capital have begun the sponsoring of Ambassadors to curry favor and relationships with foreign nations, presenting gifts of goodwill such as Heartstone, the *Heart of the Mountain*.

## Architecture

The Un'duellen people live in sprawling underground complexes that are completely self-sufficient settlements known as **Nodes**. These nodes produce all of their food in underground farms, pump water from filtered ground sources, and air from the surface through a series of stone channels leading to their complex. Each node is connected to the others by a series of underground tunnels.

* They do not use torches as they consume oxygen and could potentially ignite cavern gas.
* They often have very little in the way of smelteries due to the amount of oxygen and fuel forges consume.

### **The Labyrinth**

Entrances into the Un'duellen complexes from the outside world are usually small caves well hidden by foliage save for the occasional gate used to conduct business with the Merchants. Inside of each of these entrances, light begins to fade from the outside and eventually leads to complete darkness and countless passageways.

Over the years, the Un'duellen developed an advanced form of architecture using large stone slabs, pressure systems, and some creative engineering. This architecture system was then adapted for the recycling of the original mining tunnels within the mountains and allowed for the moving of walls, floors, and ceilings. As a result, a shifting structural maze exists within each entrance to the Un'duellen complexes which the outside world has taken to calling the Labyrinth.

Most Labyrinths function using certain triggers to make shifts in the surrounding areas, mostly through the use of well camouflaged pressure plates, stone panels, or levers. Each trigger (or combination of triggers) is assigned a predefined function, and only the Un'duellen peoples know the correct combinations to grant safe passage deeper into the mountain and into their underground cities of rock and metal. Those that are lost or fail to activate the appropriate combinations find themselves trapped, left to be slowly starved of air or crushed in a shift of surroundings.

### **Underground Farms**

The Un'duellen people internally produce all of the food necessary to keep themselves alive. Sub-sections of the underground complexes circulate fresh water from underground water sources and use fertilizer made of recycled materials. The plants being farmed are often fungi that do not require the light of the sun to survive.

The animals farmed are typically aquatic life stored in several series of enormous stone tanks. These tanks are observed from the outside through the use of polished quartz panes instead of glass due to the toxic fumes that come from smelting. Crabs and subterranean fish are commonly raised in large groups for consumption.

### **Oxygen and water**

The underground complex, as one would imagine, is very poorly ventilated naturally. The Un'duellen use a system of stone channels and pumps to circulate air from the surface through the compound. These pumps are powered by engines built to harvest the heat of the earth to boil water. Water is pumped in a similar fashion from filtered underground reservoirs.

* For defensive purposes these areas can be sealed and oxygen pumped out of the area.

## Physical characteristics

Despite centuries of living underground, the Un'duellen peoples seem mostly unaffected and do not divert from the primary human strain. The Un'duellen people seem to be very adept at seeing in low light environments but cannot see in bright light.

* Un'duellen that spend decades in the daylight living above ground seem to adapt but have a difficult time returning to their underground homes.