Darklands

**The Darklands** are a massive subterranean layered set of distinct areas. There are 7 known layers of the Darklands which were mostly explored initially and post discovery by the Hellknights. The Darklands span across all of Cyril, but only have few entrances found around the surface. Each layer of the Darklands possesses a unique ecosystem. Many have challenged the mysterious Darklands, pursuing countless hidden treasures and relics of immense value or just shear desire to know the unknown.

The Darklands still contains many sections that have never been seen, and carries many dangers. Hazardous habitats that defy common sense and otherworldly creatures adapted to the unique environment are major obstacles to explorers. It is also theorized that there may be as many as 13 total layers of the Darklands.

## The Strains of Ascension

Though the Darklands are riddled with countless dangers and hazards, one of the greatest challenges facing non-native inhabitants and even some natives is, in fact, the ascent from it. The ascent presents a series of symptoms that manifest upon ascending while inside the Darklands, with its more scientific name being the **"**Strains of Ascension.**"** The effects of the ascent manifest after ascending around 10 meters within the Darklands, the Hellknights have found the only common solution for it which is teleportation, it completely counteracts any effects of ascension. The strain affects all living things; however, many of the creatures that inhabit the Darklands have developed ways to sense its flow and avoid it.

The deeper one delves, the more severe the symptoms are, starting at mild dizziness and nausea and gradually rising to intense pain throughout the body, loss of senses and even death. Even if you avoid ascent as best as you can being so far down commonly produces symptoms for sentient life, insanity being the most common--this is why the Hellknights train their conscripts first to be headstrong.

Rare cases have been found where the Strains of Ascension do not exist, though they are very hard to find as it is not easy to find someone who is willing to risk their health for something that is not all that useful, a very in depth study of certain species can point out these locations where it is safe to ascend in.

## The Blessing of the Abyss

An exceedingly rare and phenomenon occasionally takes place within the Darklands under very specific circumstances. It is not entirely known how it happens but what is known is that one must be born under or within the layers of the Darklands. Some theorize Rakta may have something to do with these chance births but if that is true then she keeps it as one of her many secrets. The appearance of the blessed changes, they become mutated as a Fleshwarp of sorts. One of the reasons people theorize a connecton to Rakta is due to the specific mutations having very abyssal and/or abberant qualities--many of the natural creatures around these depths however are abberant and abyssal so it may just be the extramundane influence of this beings that cause the "blessing". The layer you are on seems to dictate the appearance of a blessed individual, mongrelmen are commonly found within the first 3 layers for example and on the 6th layer come the individuals with oily skin, tentacles, and other very aberrant features.

## Darklander's Faith

Residents of the Darklands do not have an easy access to information of the surface, the Hellknights practice piety of Rakta and Boodskapper but they do not hold much influence on those they usually are aggressive towards, instead many natural inhabitants that practice religion follow their own specific deities which are just reimagined versions of the pantheon.

Umshwabathi

**I have bigger plans for these, started working on them then realized I'll get to them later.**

None of the Exarchs are worshipped by darklander's but Boodskapper is known.

## Layout

### **1st Layer: The Crypt**

* **Depth:** 350–1,350 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Light dizziness and nausea.

* **Description:** The 1st layer is the most shallow section of the Darklands. This is where you may find many of the sentient and more "normal" residents of the Darklands such as the drow, duegar, mongrelmen, and derro. It is one step down from the surface but resembles much of it just adpated for the dark, many however still die here and thus it is named The Crypt. Some undead also inhabit this place but it is more likely that the undead are resurrected from inhabitants as defense rather then any dormant negative energy occasionally activating.

### **2nd Layer: Iruti**

* **Depth:** 1,350–2,600 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Intense nausea, headaches, and numbness of limbs.

* **Description:** Most parts of this layer consist of petrified wood and fossils, either consumed, surrounded, or on very rare occasions untouched by the fungi which inhabit this layer in great abundance, the fauna are typically herbivores considering the abundance of food but dangerous nonetheless and even if they were peaceful creatures, high abundance of prey creates opportunity for predators which of the ones in this area are very dangerous. This layer also inhabits some sentient species such as the Vegepygmy, who the name comes from, other humanoid plant life, and many species of intelligent bug species.

### **3rd Layer: The Vault of Heaven**

* **Depth:** 2,600–7,000 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** In addition to aforementioned effects, Vertigo combined with visual and auditory hallucinations.

* **Description:** The Vault of Heaven is granted this name due to it's vast amount of airspace, when at the bottom of the layer you can look upwards at nearly any point of the layer and you will not be able to see a ceiling, few pillars exist in this layer and it is probably the least diverse ecosystem yet the most bizarre due to it's great reliance of the air.

### **4th Layer: The Goblets of Giants**

* **Depth:** 7,000–10,000 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Intense pain throughout the body and bleeding from every orifice.

* **Description:** A grand layer vast with lost civilizations and cyclopean structures. It is theorized due to the design and size of the structures in this layer that the same entities that built here are the ones that built the dwarf undercities and roads. Most adventurer's come to this layer to find riches and artifacts of power but usually fall prey to the deadly inhabitants, mostly giantkin that have evolved into savage creatures.

### **5th Layer: The Labyrinth of the Dead**

* **Depth:** 10,000–13,000 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Complete sensory deprivation, confusion and self-harming behavior.

* **Description:** Many cultures of the world bury their dead to return them to the soil, this is founded on truth in part but what many do not know is that the negative energy emitted from the dead come here and stop. Despite the negative energies this layer is not overrun by undead but instead put into turmoil by them. This layer as well is a complete labyrinth across the entirety of Cyril, it may have been built by an ancient people to ward off anyone attempting to make their way through the darklands, this however did not stop the Hellknights who made their way through it, many died and it took nearly a century but afterwards they made it through and were able to access the 6th layer. The current inhabitants of the Labyrinth are of course the undead but also many extremely unique creatures who have created an equally unique society within the Labyrinth, many are hermits however or close to it. The entirety of this layer is not a maze in the traditional sense but rather a constructed and sometimes natural area of the Darklands in which it is very easy to become lost and fail to get further down. This layer also is the most difficult to find out about as not only was it built by a highly advanced and very ancient species but for all the reasons stated above as well.

### **6th Layer: Layer of the Eternal**

* **Depth:** 13,000–15,500 meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Loss of humanity or death, or under specific conditions, the Blessing.

* **Description:** Found on the 6th layer are utterly alien beings of great power and greater knowledge. Aberrant hold nearly complete dominion of this layer, so much so that it is bar far the most restrictive layer requiring an individual to be superb in mental fortitude. For the most part the geography of this area is a large span of tight cave systems and aquatic expanses. A city, which is not an aggressive residence towards Hellknights or the rare few explorer's has been found and within it is the god known as Umshwabathi which holds a small amount of worship in the upper layers.

### **7th Layer**

* **Depth:** 15,500–????? meters.

* **Strains of Ascent:** Certain death.

* **Description:** When the Hellknights first got around to the 15,500 meter mark they became suddenly very ill taking on symptoms and feeling they could not describe, all of them recovered but still cannot come to a real definitive diagnostic of what actually happened or even come close to one. They assume this is the beginning of the 7th layer.