The Deeps

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The Deeps is the name given by the Clans of Magnus to an enormous and lawless territory of caves and tunnels, some natural but most artificial, that extend throughout most of Wisteria. They are not part of Dwarvish territory, and in some cases are even home to the territories of other nations.

The Deeps have three major territories in the reckoning of the dwarves themselves:

• The Roots of the Mountains, which are the areas more or less immediately beneath the Atlas Mountains and their foothills, which are considered relatively civilized and are both well-trafficked and regularly settled. Rootways connect all of the Clanholds (including Khaz Urdim) and are often faster, more convenient, and oftentimes seen as safer than the equivalent overland journey, provided you know what you’re doing and are appropriately equipped.

• The Deeping, which is an intermediary area below the Roots and considered much broader in its expanse. Expert dwarven navigators of the Deeping claim to be able to navigate to any city on the continent (or “near enough”) via the tracks the deeping provide. The Deeping ranges from reasonably safe (in the bring-a-guide sense) to areas traversable only under arms, and contains plenty of natural hazards besides the wildlife.

• The Dark, which are areas beneath the deeping that are completely wild and openly hostile to most life, including the Dwarves themselves. The line between Deeping and Dark is often blurred, with one Dwarven rule of thumb for determining it being “if it’s a monster it’s the Deeping, if it’s aberrant it’s the Dark.” Myth and legend speak of tunnels in the Dark that emerge in other worlds entirely, like the lands of the dead or the upper shores of Hell.