Underoerth

The Underoerth (also seen as UnderOerth or Under--Oerth) is a literal underworld to the surface of the Oerth. It is a vast subterranean network of interconnected caverns and tunnels stretching beneath entire continents. In some other realms, it is known as the underdark.

The Underoerth is a strange alien landscape populated by bizarre creatures and ancient races, nearly all of whom are hostile to surface-dwelling life. The Underoerth is featured prominently in the World of Greyhawk (where it was first introduced).

Statistics

• Capital: None
• Population: Unknown (aboleth, cloaker, drow, duergar, illithid, quaggoth, svirfneblin)
• 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: CE, N, NE, LE

Ecology

There is no light except for occasional patches of fluorescent fungus; most Underoerth inhabitants either have highly developed senses other than sight or have developed infravision (before the 3rd edition of the game rules).

Food can be extremely difficult to find, and much of the natural vegetation is poisonous.

The Underoerth is permeated by a magical energy or radiation which is used as a source of energy by the native plant life but which interferes with scrying and teleportation spells. It is known to be caused by the decay of Tumkeoite into Lacofcite.
In the Forgotten Realms setting (the "underdark") the Drow call this radiation faerzress.

Inhabitants

The Underoerth is extremely dangerous, especially to those not native to it. There are the usual dangers associated with caverns: claustrophobia, occasional poor air circulation, and getting lost.

In addition to those dangers, the Underoerth is also home to many predators and a wide array of races, most of which are hostile to other races. These races include:

• Aboleths
• Beholders
• Cloakers
• Derro
• Drow (dark elves)
• Duergar (gray dwarves)
• Dwarves
• Illithids (Mind Flayers)
• Kuo-toa
• Jermlaine
• Lerara (Suel humans)
• Pech
• Svirfneblin (deep gnomes)
• True ghouls

Personalities

• 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).
• Edralve of House Eilserv, drow priestess of Lolth and former Slave Lord.
• Edylyn, an emissary from Erelhei-Cinlu currently on the plane of Acheron.
• Jalvan, male drow agitator in Erelhei-Cinlu.
• Llemual, half-drow artist and mage, possibly now the lich-lord ruler of an Underdark kingdom.
• Ool Eurts, drow sorcerer and artist.
• Pruuma the She-Bear, powerful female bugbear of Erelhei-Cinlu.

Features and settlements

Hellfurnaces

• Bhal-Hamatugn
• Dra-Mur-Shou
• Erelhei-Cinlu
• Lost Tunnel of Slerotin
• The Sunless Sea
• The White Kingdom
• Yvoth-Lened

Central Flanaess

• The Honeycombed Halls of the Diirinken
• J'bhulgolboth
• Lake of Ebon
• The Mines of Father Eye

Old Aerdy

• The Calling Mines
• The Cauldron of Night

Empire of Iuz

• Darkpool
• Rift Canyon (probable connections)

Western Oerik

• The River of Angry Souls
• Celestian's Gift
• Kalan-G'eld

Densac Gulf

• Golismorga

Specific prestige classes

• Prime Underdark Guide (image)
• Drow Judicator

Bibliography

• Baur, Wolfgang. "The Dragon's Bestiary: Monsters of the Underdark." Dragon #227. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
• -----. "Kingdom of the Ghouls." Dungeon #70. Renton, WA: TSR, 1998.

• Bulmahn, Jason, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.

• Broadhurst, Creighton, and Paul Looby. "Mysterious Places: Mines of Father Eye." Wizards of the Coast, 2005. Available online: [1]

• Cordell, Bruce R., Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick. Underdark. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.

• Gygax, Gary. Descent into the Depths of the Earth. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1978.
• -----. Vault of the Drow. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1978.
• -----. World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1983.

• Gygax, Gary, David C. Sutherland III, David Cook, and Jeff Grubb. Queen of the Spiders. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.

• Holian, Gary, Erik Mona, Sean K. Reynolds, and Frederick Weining. Living Greyhawk Gazetteer. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2000.

• Holian, Gary, and Denis Tetreault. "Irongate: City of Stairs." Dragon #351. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, January 2007.

• Jacobs, James. "Lord of the Scarlet Tide." Dungeon #85. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.

• Kestral, Gwendolyn F.M. Fane of the Drow. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2005.

• Marmell, Ari, Anthony Pryor, Robert J. Schwalb, Greg A. Vaughan. Drow of the Underdark. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.

• Mobley, Blake, and Timothy B. Brown. Greyhawk Ruins. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1990.

• Moore, Roger E.. "Legacies of the Suel Imperium." Dragon #241. Renton, WA: TSR, 1997.

• Niles, Douglas. Dungeoneer's Survival Guide. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1986.

• Niles, Douglas, and Carl Sargent. The City of Greyhawk. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1989.

• Noonan, David. "Zenith Trajectory." Dungeon #102. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2003.

• Perry, Chris. "Fungi of the Underdark." Dragon #211. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1994.

• Pramas, Chris. "Underground Scenarios." Dragon #294. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2002.

• Pryor, Anthony. Rary the Traitor. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.

• Sargent, Carl. From the Ashes. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
• -----. Ivid the Undying. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, unpublished. Available online: [2]
• -----. Iuz the Evil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1993.
• -----. Monster Mythology. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1992.
• -----. Night Below: An Underdark Campaign. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995.

• Scheider, F. Wesley and James Lafond Sutter. "The Lightless Depths." Dungeon #144. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, March 2007.

• Weining, Frederick. "The Vault of the Drow." Dragon #298. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2002.

• Williams, Skip. Deep Horizon. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2001.

External links

• Underoerth project on Canonfire! [3]