Fungi of the Underworld

Fungi are the basic producers of food in the Underworld. All organic life that does not get food from the surface will get its food directly or indirectly from fungi. 

There are hundreds of types of fungi, each with its own role in the ecology of the underground. Similar to surface plants, fungi can occupy a range of environments, but generally speaking they flourish when they have both water and soil or fertilizer. Unlike surface plants, the fungi do not need sunlight. Some sages speculate that whereas surface plants draw energy to grow from sunlight, these fungi draw energy from the darkness - the darker it is, the better the fungi grow. 

Goldencap is a large, tough fungus that is inedible to humans but eaten by herbivores of the Underworld. When disturbed, it releases a cloud of spores like dust or flour which is irritating but not dangerous. 
Cavern Puffballs are often taller than a human. They are inedible to most creatures. but their ball on top of their ridged stalks will glow with a soft yellow light. This will interfere with infravision, but allows humans to see as if in candlelight or moonlight. Some races cultivate it as a form of communal lighting. Also there is a solid core in the heart of the stalk that, when dried and prepared, is similar in strength and weight to a wooden stick. This is very useful in making hafted weapons and tools and even furniture. 
Greenshrub looks superficially similar to surface plants and it can grow using sunlight as well as darkness. The caps are edible to humans and the whole fungus is edible to both Underworld and surface herbivores - mules and horses can be fed indefinitely on Greenshrub. 

Goblincorn grows easily and is eaten by goblins when meat is not available. Humans and demihumans find it bitter but just about edible. It also has a very useful property in that it absorbs bad gasses and releases fresh air. Other fungi may do this on a lesser basis, but it is quite noticeable with Goblincorn. 
Wormwort grows from ceilings and walls in a tentacle-like fashion. It is edible and tasty for humans and many other creatures but gathering it can be a challenge. Dwarves know how to use Wormwort in brewing their own ale when surface barley and hops are not available. 
Cave Clover is common fodder for herbivores. Its cap is split into three or four sections by deep clefts. It is quite hardy and can survive in drier caverns with less nutrients than other fungal species. It is often on the outskirts of fungal forests or in patches on its own. 
Magentastalk is inedible but when dried its tough fibrous stalk can be used to make a rough, hemp-like rope. It also glows with a pinkish light about the same intensity as candlelight or moonlight. 

Snakemen of the Underworld: Rattlers

Rattler Snakemen

No. Enc.	1d6 (patrol) or 4d10 (lair)
Alignment:	Chaotic
Movement:	120' (Swim 60')
Armor Class:	7
Hit Dice (hp):	3 (13 hp)
Attack:	1 weapon + 1 bite
THAC0:	17
Damage:	1d8 (weapon)/1d6 (bite) + poison
Save As:	F3
Hoard Class:	XX1 in lair
Size:	Medium
Type:	Humanoid
Intelligence:	10-11 (Average)
XP Value:	110 xp

The Rattler is one of the most common classes of snakeman found on Kaelaross. They are often the rank and file of snakeman armies after the non-serpentine spear-fodder.
Rattlers have a venomous bite - anyone hit by a rattler's bite must save vs poison or lose 1d6hp per round over 2d4 rounds. This may be removed by Neutralise Poison or delayed by a Slow Poison spell.
The rattler has a bony rattle on the end of it's tail, and when frightened or angry the rattler will emit a fearsome rattle that chills the bones of its opponents. Anyone hearing this must make a save vs paralyzation.  Those who fail and have 2HD/2 levels or less are paralyzed with fear for 1d6 rounds. Those with more than 2 HD or levels and fail suffer -2 to hit and saves for 1d6 rounds. A target can only be affected by any rattler's tail once per day. Anything immune to mind-affecting spells is also immune to the rattle. 
Rattlers, like other snakemen, are usually found in the Underworld. Very rarely are they found anywhere in actual sunlight, though some find their ways into smaller caves and dungeons. Their coloration varies between different snakeman tribes and cities. but is often mottled grey, golden brown and black, blending in with the stone. They all have 60' infravision and excellent sense of smell (via their forked tongues, which taste the air) and are capable trackers, especially in an underground environment. Rattlers on average are about  5' high and 14' long. 

Kaelaross and the Monster Manual

Although my intentions earlier in the blog were to keep Kaelaross clearly B/X D&D, separate and distinct from AD&D, I have decided to relax a bit. If I were to allow monsters from 1st Edition Monster Manual into Kaelaross, which ones would I use? Note that I don't expect those who read this blog to necessarily have the book, and I won't make them central to any adventures on this blog without giving them B/X D&D stats. If you do want B/X D&D stats for these, you could try Labyrinth Lord Advanced Edition Companion.

Boar, Giant - Although not as common as their lesser cousins, giant boar are known to inhabit the warmer areas of Toutus, including the Howling Forest (near the Godsblood Straits).

Brownie - These fey creatures related to sprites and pixies have been touched by the powers of Law. Although very shy and wary of bigger folk, brownies are nonetheless useful allies against Chaos. They have been known to ally with powerful lawful mages as familiars, and also found in both the Shorgan Forest and the Talloak forest.

Couatl - These agents of Law, when not on the Planes of Law, are found in warmer, tropical climates and rarely in Toutus.

Demons, all - All these demons could be found in the Planes of Chaos, and could travel to the Material Plane either through a Chaos Portal or individual summoning

Dragon, Silver - Silver dragons are as rare as gold dragons and, like them, can disguise themselves to blend in with lesser races. Silver dragons are known to be friendly with lawful clerics and deities but, unlike lammasu and shedu, are not in servitude or owe any great loyalty. Tales of silver-bearded dwarves transforming into silver dragons have occasionally been heard both in the Grulven Mountains and the Ten Peaks.

Ghast - These stinking undead are primarily found in Narvellis, in the Varreshiss Islands, but apparently some clerics of Storshin have discovered a ritual to transform normal ghouls into ghasts and are travelling from one region to another looking for ghouls to transform.

Ghoul, Lacedon  - These undead are found in the waters around the Varreshiss Islands, particularly the cursed and haunted Narvellis Island with its undead masters.

Golem, Flesh, Stone & Iron - These constructs are among the most powerful that a magic user can create.  The students of Gerontium in Maquosmouth would be most impressed if they found out how to create these.

Irish Elk - These huge majestic herbivores are found in northern climates, including the hills and plains of the Walrus Freehold, and on some of the Varreshiss Islands.

Ki-Rin - These heavenly creatures are very rarely seen except on the Planes of Law. When they do appear on the Material Plane, it is to oversee the fight against some terrible evil foe. Ignore the psionics and give them 1 clerical spell from each level from 1st to 7th

Koalinth (aquatic hobgoblin) - These creatures are believed to have come through the Chaos Portal created in the sunken city of Urdus, and now have set up bases around the Godsblood Straits. They often clash with their main rivals, the Sahuagin.

Lamia - These chaotic deceivers are found in ruined, desolate areas including the Twisted Hills and the Godsblood Hills. They are also found on the Planes of Chaos, and most of the lamias on the Material Plane came through the Chaos Portals.

Lammasu - These noble creatures of Law will sometimes be sent by Lawful deities to assist or advise their mortal followers. They are also found on the Planes of Law.

Leucrotta - These strange predators are definitely chaotic in nature, and are found near some chaos portals, including Maquosmouth and Aerisport in the Godsblood Straits.

Lurker Above - These strange ambushers dwell underground. They have evolved in the Underworld, but have adapted and thrived in deliberately created dungeons.

Morkoth - These strange underwater predators are not common, but can be found in deep waters, including off the western coast of Toutus such as around the Vareshiss Isles and Godsblood Straits. Sages believe, based on survivors accounts, that these are not natural creatures but evil monsters of Chaos.

Ogre Mage - Rather than being a separate species, on Kaelaross, Ogre mages are ogre leaders who have made a dark pact with a powerful chaos god (usually Bhael) and been transformed. They may either be on their own or else among a band of normal ogres either as leader or as lieutenant to an ogre chief.

Peryton - Bizarre stag-headed predators. They could only be a creation of Chaos, and their vicious behaviour confirms this. A few have been sighted around the Chaos Portal in Aerisport, while others are seen in the Twisted Hills south of the Walrus Freehold

Quasit - These demonic imps are often found in areas where other demons are found. Also they may ally themselves to a particularly chaotic and unpleasant magic user.

Rakshasa - Originating in Pelepton's home plane of Aegothis, these tiger-faced shapeshifters have slipped through chaos portals and have now infiltrated surviving cities around Kaelaross such as Ironmarket and Trislem.

Remorhaz - These giant polar worms are found on the icecap north of the Walrus Freehold. They are not natural creatures but are thought to have come through a portal from Noreesis Vale (change alignment from neutral to chaotic).

Roper - Sages believe that although these creatures may have started off as natural creatures in the Underworld, they have been touched by Chaos and are found in some planes of Chaos as well as dungeons and the underworld.

Sahuagin - These violent sea raiders are the bane of both other sea creatures and shore-dwelling land folk. They are thought to have originated in the Planes of Chaos, but several outposts have been established around the chaos portal in Urdus where they clash with both the Koalinths and the mermen in the area.

Satyr - these wild and unpredictable fey are notorious for their appetites for wine, music, dancing and women. They are found in small groups in the largest forests, including the Shorgan Forest, the Talloak Forest and even the Twilight Forest.

Shedu - Along with Ki-Rin, Couatls and Lammasus, these are the messengers and agents of the Lawful gods sent to assist and advise their mortal followers in their battle against the forces of Chaos. Ignore the psionics and give them spellcasting as if 7th level magic users.

Slithering Tracker - These amorphous predators may be related to less intelligent slimes and oozes. They are found in both dark dungeons and also the sprawling caverns of the Underworld.

Toad, Ice - These creatures are found in the far north, on the ice floes and icecap north of the Walrus Channel. They only come onto human lands during the bitterest winter, though there are records of a band of ice toads causing trouble among trappers and hunters north of Walrus City a few years back.

Umber Hulk - These huge monsters are creatures of chaos, placed in the Underworld by dark powers (such as Havok) to cause as much disruption and death to miners and explorers as possible.

Water Weird - These malevolent creatures are found in the Elemental Plane of Water, but have been tainted by Chaos, giving them an evil urge to kill. They rarely occur in bodies of water such as seas, rivers, lakes, underground pools or even village wells.

Winter Wolf - These chaotic predators originated from the Chaos Plane known as Noreesis Vale, but have slipped through a chaos portal and now roam the northernmost reaches of Kaelaross, including the Icemud Tundra and Twilight Forest as well as the island of Cortacus in the Walrus Freehold.

Xorn - These creatures from the Elemental Plane of Earth don't often occur on the Material Plane, but when they do it is either at the beckoning of a powerful spellcaster or else deep in the Underworld.

Others, which I have not had time to comment on, include:
Aerial Servant
Ankheg
Axebeak
Barracuda
Beetle, Giant Rhinoceros
Catoblepas
Eagle, Giant
Frog, Giant
Frog, Killer
Gar, Giant
Gargoyle, Kopoacinth
Groaning Spirit
Hippocampus
Hippopotamus
Ixitxachitl
Jackalwere
Larva
Leech, Giant
Leprechaun
Lich
Lizard, Giant Fire
Lizard, Giant Minotaur
Locathah
Mimic
Mindflayer
Naga, Spirit & Guardian
Night Hag
Nightmare
Nymph
Otyugh
Owl, Giant
Pike, Giant
Porcupine, Giant
Sea Hag
Shambling Mound
Slug, Giant
Sphinx, Andro
Sphinx, Hieraco
Triton
Will-o-Wisp
Wind Walker
Wolverine, Giant
Yeti

Adventure Seeds on Klantorr Island

Klantorr Island is, on the surface, not very interesting - too stable, rigid and peaceful for adventurers to fit in - and many clerics of the theocracy would readily agree. Nonetheless, things do happen that the Theocracy is not prepared for and adventurers are better-suited to dealing with.

1) The PCs are accused of sorcery and chaos-worship by a cleric and several townsfolk. The PCs can either try to run from overzealous soldiers, junior clerics and townsfolk, or try to prove their innocence to a higher-ranking cleric, preferably a sane one. The problem is caused by a mischievous mage who has found a spell that tampers with dreams, allowing him to make people dream whatever he wants them to. Among faithful folk like those of Klantorr, this can easily be misinterpreted as divine guidance. The PCs have a slight advantage in that they are not the first to be framed, and there are several suspects in the town jail who have been set up by fraudulent dreams.

2) A senior cleric in Berranport is actually a chaos-worshipping cultist with an amulet of non-detection. He seeks to create a Chaos Portal underneath Berranport in its sewers, and he believes the ritual to do this requires a number of human sacrifices. Although a proper Chaos Portal is well beyond his means, he has been contacted by creatures from the Planes of Chaos and has summoned some of them into his lair in the sewers. These have been used to kidnap certain townsfolk in Berranport and take them down into the lair ready for sacrifice. The chief cleric of Berranport is eager to stop these monstrous kidnappings, while his newly-appointed deacon (the chaotic cultist) will happily give advice that will steer the party into all manner of dead ends and wild goose chases.

3) The miners in the Valhorrian Heights have dug into a network of caverns connected to the Underworld, and troglodytes and grey goblins are causing havoc in the mines. This has put a dent in the local economy, and merchants are looking for mercenaries and adventurers willing to go in and make the mines safe. A band of five miners were captured by goblins in the initial battle, and they have been taken into slavery. Any captured goblin can tell the PCs that slaves are usually held for a while at an outpost near the surface before being taken down into the bowels of the Underworld - perhaps the PCs could rescue the miners?

4) A caravan of merchants and pilgrims travelling from Guntharn to Charventown have a doppelganger in their midst. As the caravan progresses the PCs and others notice that people have gone missing or turn up dead. In some cases this seems impossible as someone else was talking to the murdered person at the same time as others discover their corpse. It is a race against time to find out who the doppelganger is impersonating now, and to stop it before more people are killed.

Physical Geography of the Underworld

The Underworld is a network of caves, caverns and tunnels that stretch across huge distances underneath the surface of Kaelaross. The exact size is unknown, but there are connections to the Underworld all over Toutus, from the village of Pordril in the far north to the Kaynor Islands in the west to the Steelpick Clan of the Dwarves of the Ten Peaks.
These are the known connections to the surface - there may be hundreds as yet undiscovered.
The Underworld is mostly natural caves, particularly limestone with its distinctive stalactites, stalagmites and columns. Lava formations are also found in the network. Creation or modification of new spaces either by intelligent creatures such as goblins or mindless burrowing things such as purple worms also contribute to a significant proportion - perhaps 10-15% in some densely populated areas of the Underworld will be carved by creatures rather than natural processes.
The underworld is not just a flat area - it is a three-dimensional environment, both on a small scale and on a grand scale. Sloping tunnels, chasms, sinkholes and the like mean that depth is as important as horizontal distance, particularly in relation to the surface. Mappers need to take this into account when exploring - gently sloping tunnels crisscrossing over each other can fool even the most careful cartographer. Nobody knows how deep the Underworld really goes, but some isolated clans of dwarves, who could only talk to explorers from the surface by means of magical spells, have reported that they have visited caverns 3 miles below their own homes, and their homes are at least 2 miles from the surface. Of course, accurate measurement is difficult without magical divination, but these dwarves have an uncanny perception of where they are underground.

There are certain habitats within the Underworld that will attract different creatures.

Underworld seas - These large bodies of water may be fresh or salty, and may be of any size though most folk agree that an underworld lake becomes an underworld sea when it stretches more than a mile in width and length. Such underworld seas can contain many different creatures - some may be variations of creatures from the surface oceans (albino octopi and blind fish), while others are completely alien and bizarre. On the shores of some of these underworld seas there are seaweedlike fungi that support other life forms. There are even stories from the deep dwarves of islands in the middle of underworld seas with their own creatures and cultures.

Fungal Forests are often found in large caverns with adequate moisture, possibly a stream or a river flowing through. Here the fungi are not restricted by cavern height, and can grow to the size of surface trees. These fungal forests can support a rich variety of living creatures that feed off the fungi. These in turn provide food for many predators, many of which are dangerous to human explorers. Intelligent living creatures often live near to Fungal Forests as they too need food.

Volcanic tunnels and chambers technically need not be active, but most folk think of golden-hot magma in pools and streams, of sulphuric vents and rocks too hot to walk on in boots let alone touch. These volcanic areas are generally inhospitable to organic life. Creatures from other planes, and those with a magical connection to fire will enjoy such places. Human and dwarf explorers with magical protection against fire have encountered fire salamanders, clans of fire giants, red dragons and even an outpost of efreet in an obsidian citadel on an island in the middle of a lava lake.

Crystal Gardens are weird and so far inexplicable. They are areas where crystals have grown to unusually large sizes and strange shapes. Nearly all the time the crystals are of relatively common minerals - star bursts of quartz the size of barrels, gypsum "flowers" bigger than cabbages, columns of malachite towering for several yards upwards. It is, of course, the adventurer's dream to hit the jackpot and find a massive precious gem though if anyone has done so they have not lived to tell the tale. The inhabitants of these crystal gardens are peculiar - sometimes organic (fungi sometimes grow inbetween the crystals), sometimes elemental and rarely a strange fusion of the two types.


Chaos-Tainted regions are considerably worse than other areas. Such regions are populated by chaotic monsters, and there may be a chaos portal in the vicinity, linking the location from the Underworld to one of the Planes of Chaos. Some chaos-tainted regions are inhospitable to normal life - not even fungi will grow. In these dead areas undead of various types can be found. In other chaos-tainted regions, strange magical effects warp the very surrounding rock and turn underworld creatures into monstrous mockeries of their former selves.

Subterranean Cities are areas created by (relatively) intelligent beings, the four most common races being goblins, dwarves, snakemen and troglodytes. They may be conventional buildings constructed within a large enough cavern, or they may be a network of rooms, tunnels and chambers dug straight into the rock. Sometimes these subterranean cities are still inhabited by those who built them but often they have either been abandoned or changed hands. Current subterranean cities will have basic supplies available - food and water are the most important. Abandoned cities are usually not entirely devoid of creatures, but there may also be treasure left behind by the previous inhabitants.

The Villages of Pordril and Balkint

These two villages sit outside Walrus City in the Walrus Freehold, and rely on the city for trade, communication with the outside world and military support when there is trouble.

The Village of Pordril is a mining village of 800 people located east of Balkint and southwest of Walrus City. It sits around a pond that is used for keeping ducks and geese by the villagers, and it has a series of large sinkholes right next to it, leading to a network of caverns. These caverns hold the mineral wealth that the miners are after. Unfortunately, the caverns also connect to the Underworld, and so monsters will occasionally wander into the mining caverns and cause havoc among the miners.
Above two of the sink holes, the villagers have constructed winching mechanisms with large crossbars, effectively acting like the winch for the bucket of other villages wells, except that instead of bringing up water, it brings up miners and ore, and sends down equipment.
The caverns hold a number of different minerals including copper ore, malachite (some of which is quite pretty), tin ore and various sorts of quartz, including blue quartz and crystal clear quartz. These are all exported to Walrus City and though the 
Although there is some herding (sheep and goats) and hunting, Pordril imports a lot of food especially flour and dairy products, so keeping the road to Walrus City is important.
The village is not heavily defended - there is a wooden palisade and a single gate. The village militia is usually 20 strong at any one time, but it can be raised to 120 in times of real emergency.

Balkint is a fishing village on the shore of the Walrus Channel, southwest of Walrus City. It is an uninteresting village, with a population of 650. There is some barley grown on the long strip fields just outside the village, and inside the palisade on the south side there are a number of enclosures for farm animals including cattle, sheep and horses so they can be protected from predators.
One feature of interest is the large rectangular building on the north side of the village next to the beach - this is the Library of Khazep. During the wars between the Empires, a number of priests and clerics of Khazep realised that their precious books were vulnerable in the event of enemies sacking the cities around Toutus where their books were held. They therefore decided to take a number of key books from the main cities and move them to this small, isolated village which was unlikely to be attacked, while still keeping them relatively accessible to those who wish to read them.
The library of Khazep includes great works of art and literature, as well as theological and arcane tomes that could be used for personal power. As such, the library could become the target of theft or even outright looting should people realise just what sort of books the Library of Khazep holds.

Creatures of the Underworld

The realms under the surface of Kaelaross are the disputed territories of two great factions - the cold-bloods and the grey goblins.

The Coldbloods include lizardmen, troglodytes and the enigmatic snakemen of whom there are several subraces. including Rattlers.
They have many reptilian animals used as beast of burden, attack beasts and mounts, such as different lizards and some dinosaurs where the size of cavern permits. 

The Grey Goblins are vicious and evil but also surprisingly well organised subrace related to the normal goblins found closer to the surface. They are noted for powerful shamans and warriors who can lead legions of goblin soldiers.
The Grey Goblin shamans are adept at using powerful chaotic magic to shape life forms into new hideous species. 

There are both unintelligent animals and also intelligent creatures that are either solitary or form small bands.
Minotaurs, trolls and ogres are found underneath, and although all three races can be hired as mercenaries by both main factions, they tend to be used more by the grey goblins.
Dwarves and gnomes can both be found in the Underworld but do not parley with either faction - they have ample reasons to hate both the grey goblins and the cold-bloods. They have intermittent contact with civilization on the surface, but some gnome colonies remain isolated for decades.

The Underworld has its own ecosystem, at the base of which there are the fungi. There are many types of fungi, most of which are harmless but difficult for humanoids to digest. Some of them are poisonous if eaten, while a rare few are dangerous to even approach. The most well-known to adventurers is the shrieker, which makes a terrible noise when it senses approaching creatures, and the dreaded yellow mold, which emits deadly spores when disturbed. Fungi can be found throughout the Underworld, and in some large damp caverns they can form their own fungal forests.

The herbivores are not normally mammals - the creatures that feed on the fungi include cave locusts, giant fire beetles and subterranean iguanas.
The predators that feed on the herbivores are wide-ranging and usually dangerous to adventurers. They include the humanoids mentioned above, as well as many types of monsters and giant arthropods.

The Dwarves of the Ten Peaks

Dwarves have inhabited the Ten Peaks for at least a thousand years - they were there when the Toutus Empire was first formed, and they have stayed around long enough to see it fall apart. Now they are the largest civilized force in the Godsblood Straits.

In the early days there were three Thegndoms which often fought against each other. These internecine wars among the dwarves were known as the Thegn Wars. These wars weakened the dwarves considerably, so when several external threats appeared in rapid succession, something had to be done. First a wave of orcs attacked the Ten Peaks, causing great damage and grief. Then human barbarians in the Talloak Forest began raiding the northern settlements, Finally the predominantly human Toutus Empire growing in the east launched an invasion and succeeded in BY 850.

The Toutus Empire split the Thegndoms into the ten clans that exist today and forbade the creation of any Thegn or King of the dwarves - the humans believed that this would stop the dwarves from unifying into a threat. This caused some upheaval but in BY 899 the dwarves secretly formed the Confederacy with a central council of clan chiefs rather than a single leader.

During the dwarves battle with the Duke of Urdus in BY 1050 the dwarves were led by Kazzor Bluegem, leader of the Bluegem clan - the first time and so far only time that the dwarves were united under a single dwarven leader.

After they had sworn allegience to the Emperor and separated from the Duchy of Urdus, Kazzor was infuriated when the other nine clan chiefs reverted back to the Confederacy Council and he only grudgingly attended the council meetings.

The council meetings of the leaders of the Ten Clans is fraught with bargaining, underhand diplomacy and personality clashes. It is rare when the Council of the Confederacy all agree on something and this is a sign of a serious situation where normal bickering and horse-trading has to be put aside. 

The architecture of the Ten Clans is extensive, both on the surface of each of the peaks and within each mountain. After over a thousand years the industrious dwarves have created towns on the surface while underneath there are miles and miles of mines, passages, chambers, catacombs, prisons and barracks. Many of these are centuries old and have been abandoned for a long time - thus clearing out these dwarven dungeons is a continuous task.

Complicating this is the discovery of connections to the Underworld, a vast network of underground caves and tunnels that span across Kaelaross. Creatures from the Underworld, such as gray worms (caecilians), minotaurs, displacer beasts and white apes sometimes emerge to cause havoc in the lower levels of the dwarven strongholds.

Dotted around the hills and valleys in between the ten peaks there are farmstead of humans and halflings, growing barley, wheat and vegetables, and raising sheep, goats and sturdy ponies who are used by dwarves instead of larger horses.

Other areas of the hills are wild, and in these less civilized areas there are goats, stags, wild boar, pumas (also known as mountain lions), wolves and brown bears, as well as the occasional ogre, wyvern or griffon.

Clan Name       Population

Copperring      2,210      
Capable wilderness explorers.Often clash with inhabitants of Talloak Forest when cutting timber

Ogrebane        2,530      
Reputation for being tough warriors, but arrogant and proud

Fireforge       1,910      
Renowned craftsmen, notorious for being greedy and thrifty

Weatherwatcher  1,800      
Diplomatic, often dealing with Ironmarket and halflings

Bluegem         1,990      
Old, noble, previously leaders of the Confederacy

Griffinclaw     2,390      
Noted for architects and engineers. Not noted for friendliness or diplomacy

Flagon raisers  2,040      
Considered drunken partygoers - partly true, but also capable of putting on an act and being sneaky

Diamondshield   1,730      
Religious with lots of dwarven clerics. Also old-fashioned and traditional

Steelpick       2,580      
Industrious miners who are also the most experienced in dealing with the Underworld and its monsters

Cyclopsslayers  2,150      
Renowned fighters and woodcutters. Occasionally eccentric and possibly insane.

Ideas about an Underdark for Kaelaross

What lies beneath the surface of Kaelaross? Right now I'm not too sure. I certainly like the idea of vast subterranean realms of lightless caverns, passages and fissures. However, I am wary about one important thing - AD&D underdark races.

In my opinion they are all rather over-used. I don't think this is the fault of any designers who first came up with them (at the time they were all very cool), but I think subsequent designers have been increasingly lazy in not bothering to look beyond them. If I did create an Underdark realm for Kaelaross, I would want it to be as original as I could make it.
Races that I would avoid include:
Drow
Mindflayers
Kuo-Toa
Duergar
Aboleths
Derro

I guess one of the things I've wanted to do with Kaelaross is keep it Basic/Expert D&D, not Advanced D&D. Not everyone will agree with me on this, and I'm sure lots of people have had great adventures going through the underground realms of Greyhawk (the D1-3 series) and the Forgotten Realms (Menzoberranzan), and many who still do enjoy these staples of AD&D. I do not want to detract from their enjoyment, and I don't intend to put down any of those creations.

Nontheless, I do want to make a fresh start - If a DM or a game designer who knew and played Basic & Expert D&D but had not encountered AD&D (especially existing material on the Underdark) was asked to think about a kingdom-spanning network of caves, caverns, passageways, sinkholes and underground lakes, what would he do?

Right now I'm not sure, but I hope it's going to be good. The one thing I am concerned about is getting over-ambitious and finding I've bitten off more than I can chew. I imagine the underdark to be an extention to Kaelaross rather than an entire setting in itself, but it is potentially so vast I could get lost in it. And if you haven't seen an idea for a campaign setting that turned out too big for yours truly to handle, I point to my previous attempt at a blog which I have given up on.