The World Below

The shifting whole of the depths holds as many different features as the surface world above. An imperfect mirror, the starless world consists mostly of twisting tunnels, sheer cliffs over bottomless chasms, and caves in all sizes. Here there are only two directions that matter, up and down.

The deeper one delves, the stranger the landscapes, and the older the darkness. Denizens of the World Below can identify and feel the subtle shifts that come about with traversing the near invisible strata boundaries. The Starless World accounts for many such layers, all intermingling as the whole undulates.  

New Strata

These areas are newly claimed by the World Below. They consist of the more mundane tunnels of bedrock and caves. Here one might hope to find a natural path out of the depths, and return to the surface. It is also the most changing as seismic shifts close off paths and open new ones. Caves found in the area are generally smaller, cramped, and wet. They teem with life, both docile and hostile. Underground streams and groundwater sources can be found here as well. Travelers and denizens of the World Below use these layers to traverse the whole, often able to cover greater distances with its many tunnels.

Aging Strata

As the New Strata forms, older ones sink ever deeper below the surface, becoming warped by the plane itself. Among these lands, the ruins of dead civilizations can be found in massive caves, or at the bottom of steep chasms. The lost riches here draw many a delver to the costly mistake of disturbing the graves of these civilizations. The Starless World's very presence is evident here, with its own host of monstrosities that call the caves, tunnels, and ruins home.  

Ancient Strata

The true depths, the deepest darkness, the strangest creatures lie here. Truly alien landscapes can be found if one is brave enough, or unlucky enough to find themselves here. Caves of the blackest ice,fathomless oceans, the agonizing howl of the world can be found here. It is a land of maddening darkness. No light or sight has touched the things found here for millennia. Legends are born from those that have ventured to this depth and returned...many more tales are told of those that have not.