THE UNDERSTATES

Far west, breaking off from the main land of Barantine there are a cluster of incredibly hilly, high cliff islands which are incredibly beautiful to behold. The sea is a bright teal, just like the sunny waters by Sanence, and the flora is vibrantly green with grassy meadows and lush dells broken by streams and rivers. Dotted atop the islands are of course the typical architecture of Republic settlements, for these islands are certainly under the Republic’s control. These islands, though bordering the edge of the known world are nestled safely next to the humble fishing coastlines of Vinaban, Justida and Castida. And indeed, these islands are of significant value to the patrician classes of The Republic, offering a perfect place of peace to get away from the drudgery of their work.

And yet despite it’s serene beauty, ideal location and quiet, reserved atmosphere, many wise folk stay clear of this paradise. But how come? People are wary of these islands, and to this day many folk tend to ignore it’s existence. Why is this so? It can be assured that it has nothing to with anyone or anything roaming about the island. It’s what roams beneath them, that give common people guarded from it’s allure. For verily, nestled within every island are at least one colossal hole from which the lights of a million fireflies seem to flicker back from the darkness. These holes give witness to the strange lifestyle that some people have chosen or been forced to have. An urban, sunless, subterranean life that offer refuge for the hopeless or the clandestine. The Understates.

The Understates are officially part of the Republic and lo they have heeded summons from the Sovereign Chancellor and the Senate when called upon – usually. But unofficially, The Understates are a vestige of history that The Republic would rather forget, and in doing so, the Understates have become a dark mirror of how The Republic would evolve should they lose their sense of law, faith and order.

The Understates were not built by The Republic, or by any gnome for that matter – at least, not willingly. During the Yester Age, the duergar (often dubbed as dwarves) – a hard natured race of subterranean dwelling stocky diminutive humanoids – had thrived in humanity’s civilised absence to forge an Under – Empire. They built great cities beneath the earth, that connected them to The Night Lands (the mysterious, abyssal caverns that exist beneath most of Westland and the Polar Sea – so it is said) and the surface world. They had become the dominant rulers of the underground world, as they employed armies of slaves to feed, build and fight for them as their greed made them look upward to the surface world with odious dreams of conquest. That would turn out to be their doom. For when they popped their heads out of the ground they found that humanity had changed since their last visit overland – they had changed into a focused, brutal empire driven by faith and hope. Moreover, the gnomes whom they had relished enslaving and conquering during their rise to subterranean prominence had allied themselves with humanity, and cunningly began to spread sedition and rebellion within the slave ranks.

The Under Empire of the duergar fell with a shattering crash as the united forces of man and gnome plunged into the depths and ransacked their cities, plundering it dry before eventually taking their homes. To rub salt into their wounds, the human Empire gifted these magnificent under cities to the gnomes, but the place would still be governed and guarded by humans. The gnomes, being humble and honourable creatures agreed. The duergar’s redeeming quality was their efficient nature for craftsmanship, and they made sure that their slaves shared the same quality. These cities would manufacture and supply each other with necessary items for survival and conquest; from underground foods to sturdy materials for construction. When the duergar were driven out and defeated, the now freed slaves along with the new governance continued these supply runs, feeding the empire overland as it conquered ever northward.

However, when the Empire reformed into the Republic, and began to boost their economy with trade between itself and with other nations, the Understates necessity (most of it being war related) began to fade into obscurity. Decades onwards the Understates saw a slight migration of their citizens overland for work and safety, and poverty began to fester within. It was not long until crime would become a permanent guest, and the Understes found their people evolving from the once industrious, dutiful and faithful subjects of a grand empire into corrupt rogues; the children of better folk. To keep the Understate’s existence (particular to the need of it’s patrician classes), they promoted cheap living, exaggerated jobs required and opportunity to explore and expand the Understates. But this only increased the problems, for as more folk descended into the Understates and found a life of dismal affairs, the rate of clandestine affairs and criminal activity only skyrocketed. Even now it’s the largest criminal dynasties who hold the power in these under cities, and keep a fragile state of peace and law.

There are four Understates in total: Onker, Baldurigg, Gontrigg and Oricond – all Duergar names that were left by it’s new inhabitants. Each one is governed by their own council of senators and with their own laws, making each Understate different to the other. To go into detail about each Understate would require a lengthy oration, however the most significant differences would be that Gontrigg is the most stable in terms of law and order. The other three are notoriously known by the Republic, if not the civilised world, as melting pots of corruption; hives of villainy that seem to push you deeper into the earth the lower you get. Yet all of the Understates are threatened by what lurks beneath the great stone metropolises that they inhabit. Things that dwell in the Night Lands below. It is what makes the thought of living there a caution to most people. Although with that said, each Understate is as vastly populated as any great city overland.

The gnomes and humans who first colonised these vast under-cities have since grown exponentially and are thus the dominant races that inhabit them. However, other races lurk here also. Sodians, Arctani, Cathani, Troglodytes, and more both familiar and unfamiliar tend to dwell here either in communities or as wanderers. Though the same can be said to be normal in Ryton, where exists the largest and richest city in Barantine, if not the whole of Westland, the Understates – despite or because of their peculiar geography – attract all manner of roguish folk to coexist.

An adventurer from Ryton, making his way within one of many taverns that dot the cityscape of Onker

Because the Understates are so vast and populated, there are levels to it.
Elysium – the surface settlements that exist above the Understates. They tend be be beautiful architectures of Imperial design, dotted about the islands, and are where nobles and rich folk inhabit for either lavish parties or for a respite from company.

Atrium – the entrance into the Understates. The Atriums are vast holes that are usually surrounded by small settlements and military outposts. There are stone carved steps, robust pulley lifts and steel ladders that allow people to travel to and fro the Understates.

Undercity – the colossal city that awaits beneath the earth, held by colossal, ancient, robust pillars. Breaking from the darkness of the holes which can be as deep as five kilometres, the holes widen to reveal a city dotted with firelight and reeking of earth and stone. The sound of the city is of one that never sleeps. The only semblance of light are from the giant duergar hewn holes above that almost seem porous as cheese if one were to look above. Rain, snow and hail can also trickle via these holes. The undercity itself is a never-ending maze of streets upon streets that go over each other as bridges and stone ramps. The streets can widen into great fields of slabs, or be so narrow and squalid that without a source of light one mya think themselves entombed in a coffin. Moreover, the streets can be as equally diverse – from garish markets to glum, moody slums. Even the gargantuan pillars that hold the Understates together have streets and houses within.

Underworld – beneath and hidden around the Undercity level there is a part of the Understate wreathed in misery. A mirror to the Undercity’s duergar architecture, but privy to the dismal side of life. It is where the powerful and bad of the land go to party, and prey on the hopelessly wretched who dwell in the city’s crumbling hovels. Furthermore, the Underworld is known to have obscure paths that lead into The Night Land – the world of utter darkness. It’s fair to say this part of the Understates, so far deep into the earth, so lightless and so forgotten, is a place few can clamber out from.

The Understates is certainly a strange place – and a dangerously fatal one, should one not be wary enough when travelling here. That being said, due to the lucrative businesses that operate here, many wayfaring adventurers may find opportunity to make gold and treasure. If they are prepared to get dirty. If not, they may find themselves sink deeper and deeper from the world above; buried alive – trapped within the silence of The Night Lands…

A Tantigan mercenary in hiding from The Hegemony – the understates serve as a good place to lay low and make gold in the meantime