Worm Realm

There is no sky here, no horizon. The world is hollow and claustrophobic, and all paths lead downward, though none end in escape. Time, direction, and gravity bend in nonsensical spirals, reflecting the divine nature of the god-beast that gnaws endlessly beneath the surface.   The Worm Realm is composed of immense burrows carved by both natural forces and divine hunger. These tunnels vary from cramped crawlspaces to cathedral-sized caverns. Earthen walls bleed ore-rich sludge and sulfurous ichor, and entire sections collapse without warning. Gravity fluctuates near mineral veins, pulling travelers sideways or inverting corridors entirely.   Landslides, sudden cave-ins, and toxic gas vents are frequent dangers. In many places, glowing fungal growths offer faint illumination, but many of these emit mind-affecting spores that subtly erode memory and reasoning.  

Notable Location

The Maw Eternal

A massive sinkhole said to be the lair of Urdlen itself, ever grinding deeper into the Abyss. No expedition that descended into the Maw has ever returned.  

The Shardgut Vaults

A network of collapsed ore mines and hoarded relics from long-forgotten surface civilizations. The vaults are littered with cursed treasures and semi-sentient gemstones that whisper commands to those who touch them.  

The Fungemire

A bloated, moist cavern infested with sickly, bioluminescent fungi. Many planar scholars believe this area was corrupted by a clash between Urdlen and Zuggtmoy, with the lingering spores a reminder of that divine feud. All attempts to destroy the fungi result in them regenerating within hours, often larger and more grotesque.  

The Inverted Labyrinth

A strange, geometrically impossible network of tunnels where gravity seems to twist toward the center of the walls. This location is believed to contain one of the portals that connect the Worm Realm to lower Abyssal layers.  

Inhabitants

The majority of inhabitants here are petitioner-gnomes, souls who in life succumbed to envy, sabotage, or greed. In death, they take on monstrous, blind forms, endlessly tunneling through collapsing stone in search of treasures they can never use. These petitioners, bound by divine punishment, occasionally plead for aid—only to betray their would-be saviors moments later, driven by compulsive avarice.   Many such creatures are afflicted by progressive internal decay, manifesting as parasitic growths and cancerous tumors. The disease, said to be a divine curse or the lingering rot of a planar conflict with the Lady of Spores, renders both visitors and denizens grotesque over time.

Entry and Departure

Entry into the Worm Realm often occurs unintentionally, through mining accidents, collapsing ruins, or failed planar travel involving earth magic. The realm rejects casual intrusion; only those bearing symbols of destructive greed or earth-corrupted relics can navigate its deeper regions.
  Departure is rarely achieved. Most tunnels loop back upon themselves or collapse, and even teleportation magic may misfire due to Urdlen’s divine interference. Only portals bound by ore-etched sigils or ancient gnomish hexes remain reliable.