The Undercity of Oð
Beneath the bustling streets and crowded buildings of Oð lay the remains of older cities, pancaked one atop the other. With each great calamity to befall the city (e.g., fires, earthquakes, wars) the people have rallied and rebuilt. Since the earliest times of the Cult of Roð it has been forbidden to destroy that which was conceived and blessed by the Crafter god. For this reason, when devastation has befallen the City of Oð, the people have built on top of the ruins, instead of tearing-down the old. The effect of this has been to create a subterranean world of buried cities, each a window into distant centuries. This underworld is known to the residents of Oð as the Lower Streets and it is a hive of unnatural and unlawful elements.
The hooded Dwürden sat quietly in the corner. Pale hands wrung one another at the loose ends of his heavy patchwork sleeves. The Orm offered had disappeared quickly. A moment later, after a long deep breath, he began to speak.
“As horrible as Oð may be my friend, the Lower Streets” he whispered, “are far worse. I am no better than my word so for this amount I give useful words first. Do not wander there. That’s not what you paid for I know, but it is the only good thing I will tell you this evening. The rest that I say to you is better left unsaid, but alas the Yrūn iron.” The Dwürden took another deep worried breath.
“Some background first, for you should always start at the beginning of a tale. I have only walked the first three layers of the Hole. I found plenty of means to go lower, but never dared. I cannot tell you what I do not know. As for stories of the lower layers, let your nightmares be your guide…”
Entrance into the Lower Streets is possible from multiple locations in and around the City of Oð. The most glaring entrance is the Barrens area between the Kreyard and Pryard. While many cellars have doors and staircases that open into the Visháshun, larger entrances have been found that grant access to the lower levels of the subterranean region. These major entrances are called portals. The largest entrance is the Kelspar Portal of the Oðic Sulyard. Others include: Jaris, Naul, Skurg.
Landmarks
- The Bookcellar. A collection of private libraries that were abandoned, stolen, and collected are stowed in a deep recess of the Lower Streets. The athenaeum was small, but contained a number of rare titles and valuable works. The curators charged the exorbitant fee of 200d for a single day’s access to the library. The Bookcellar was a favorite haunt of Imp the Mad. The exact location of the Bookcellar is unknown.
- The Hundred Wells. On the north side of the Lower Streets stood a large underground chamber whose purpose was lost to time. The chamber was filled with almost one hundred well-like recesses of indeterminate depths. The Hall of the Hundred Wells is believed to exist between the First and Second levels of the Lower Streets.
- The Station
- The Sunken River. Also known as the River of the Dead (an homage to ancient worship of Drāūn), the Run Mèrdus rushes through a quick channel in the Lower Streets on its way to the Kre Dùlnar. As it cuts through the first and second layers of the Lower Streets, it carves through an ancient necropolis, emptying graves and mausoleums. The surrounding subterranean avenues have long been flooded and the source of Undying menaces.