Duat

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The Duat is the name given to the massive network of caverns running under the continent upon which Arindell sits. Because the dimension is flat, heat and pressure do not necessarily increase as they would beneath the surface of a round world.

The Duat consists mainly of many underground tunnels, rivers, caverns, lakes, and even oceans. There is rich plant and animal life, including appex-predators such as the Basilisk and the Galgan.

History

No one knows exactly how far or how deep the Duat extends, or if it is even one massive cave system at all. Stories dating as far back as the Age of Darkness tell of adventurers becoming lost for years in it's dark passages, emerging hundreds of miles from where they entered.

Age of Darkness

There are no confirmed accounts of the Duat during the Age of Darkness, only wild and unconfirmed stories. Tales of horrid monsters and massive deep caverns abound. The only consistent facet of the old legends holds that the Duat is a massive interconnected system, though no formal explorations were ever made. Only the stories of adventurers traveling hundreds of miles underground lend any credence to the tales.

Mage Wars

The earliest confirmed accounts of the Duat come from necromanic scribes writing very early in the Mage Wars. The Necromancers were among the first deep miners of the continent, and often spoke of discoveries of artificial caverns in their writings. They were also the first to use the Duat, as the underground environment was ideal for housing undead.

The Necromancers built colonies and eventually entire cities miles underground, where they found and mined rich deposits of iron, silver, gold, and other metals. By the end of the Golden Age of Necromancy, these underground operations had been completely abandoned, and by the Dynastic Period their locations forgotten. The Necromancers often left behind undead and permanent ritual sites at these locations, where the dry air could preserve the undead almost indefinitely.

Alliance

During the early Golden Age, the Slayer Dragons sponsored many expeditions into the parts of the Duat surrounding Arindell. Reportedly, these early explorers claimed to have found a mix of natural and artificial caverns.

By Uther's own order, many caves were modified for use by the army in defense of the city. Supply caches, workshops, and barracks were all established underground. New tunnels were cut, natural ones expanded, whatever was required.

As the city grew, drainage, sewage, and underground transit systems were established beneath the surface. All of these system were connected to the old tunnels, making them an extension of the Duat.

Throughout the Ages of the Alliance, the tunnel system continued to be explored and expanded, however not much beyond the foothills of Stormreaver Range. One very secretive route was mapped all the way from Arindell to the Sword Coast.