Anvil Vale Deepingdark

The stratum beneath the underwild, the deepingdark is sequestered off from the surface by the expanses of the underwild, connected only occasionally by passages through it. Moreover, unlike the underwild, the deepingdark isnt' contiguously connected – it exists in (admittedly large) expanses of contained caverns. While most of these are certainly large enough to contain multiple settlements, lairs, and lengths of wilderness, many such areas exist in pockets that necessitate passage into the underwild in order to move to other deepingdark depths.

There are three notable deepingdark locations known to the dwarves of the Vale. Most of its Black Shields know how to reach them, though the passages are treacherous indeed.

The Redsteel Vent

To the northwest of Caer Stormhold lies the Ironplate Vent, a great volcanic rift. The underwild-level of this rift is a surprise to many rangers unfamiliar with it, for it is clearly a mining settlement of dwarven make, centuries old (though its actual age is hard to ascertain, thanks to the volcanic gasses and occasional magma upsurges), called Redsteel. This mining town was once prosperous, with a fine, quality iron ore that made the best steel in dwarven memory. Unfortunately, something happened, and the volcanic vent beneath it connected to the mines, quickly consuming them and then the town above.

The Myconid Kingdom

A great subterranean mushroom kingdom, the exact name and identity of the mushroom folk that live here are largely unknown. Though the dwarves have a tradition of treating the myconids here as neutral acquaintances, they have no formal treaties or anything of the sort. The myconids have helped the dwarves before, most recently at the end of the Clansrule era, when a terrible spore-based infection was killing off the rothé herds. The myconids provided a quick and simple cure for it, without expectation of or interest in any kind of reward. Black Shield rangers out in the underwilds have a tradition of repaying this by aiding any myconids they encounter that are in danger.

The Uaigh

Though the dwarves of the citadels now inter their dead in local sites, once the dwarves of the citadels maintained a great necropolis for that purpose. The upper reaches of these halls were lost in shadow, and the dead interred in biers set within the walls themselves, with individual clans having great chambers for all of their departed. Something happened around the time of the Guildrule being established, although neither the Guilds nor the Great Clans will say exactly what. All that is known is that the Uaigh is no longer used, and its great iron gates are sealed forevermore.