Showcasing Imp

Imp's been mostly off on his own series of adventures, Despite that he's checked in a few times and left tidbits here and there, including screenshots of his work.

As I haven't done much of anything lately, and it seems everyone in general has wound-down a bit so to speak.. I'm going to shamelessly put up imp's assorted explanations, Screenshots, and images o showoff what he's done in the vague hope that the pretty pictures will distract you and You'll forget ever having read this.









This proposed map shows the borders of the Underworld's six regions, and access tunnels that connect them, and two access shafts.



To clarify:

Underworld Region: A section of the Underworld where the underground areas are relatively easy to traverse in, though not quite to the degree of freedom found on the surface. Inside the region's borders, areas tend to conform to a certain style, due to the region's environment and conditions. Most space found outside the regions shown is solid rock, or, due to the ocean, open water. Besides that are isolated caves, and the access tunnels. I shall explain the different regions shortly.



Access Tunnel: A relatively straight and easy path from one region to another. An access tunnel could be an artificial tunnel, such as a mine tunnel, burrowed tunnel, (by, say, a giganto-mole), a bridge across a large gorge, or an underground structure found between the two regions, like an Orcish Stronghold, or an abandoned dungeon. A natural example of such would be like a simple cave, underground river, or whatever.



Access Shaft: An access point connecting the surface and the Underworld. I marked two proposed ones on the map, found in region three in the swamp, and region four on the volcano. One being a swampy cave that descends into a fetid pit of fungus and gigantic insects, the other a volcanic shaft leading to a fiery pit of molten rock and lakes of fire, (unless the only way to get to the volcano is through the Underworld.. then I guess it'd be a shaft leading -from- a fiery pit of molten rock and lakes of fire.) Other examples of an access shaft would be like an abandoned mine, with a mine shaft leading deep underground, a river that waterfalls into a large hole leading underground, a dwarven citadel, (which tends to expand downward, rather than outward), or a cave system.



Yes, it seems complex, but its a system, a way things work.. and most importantly, a look at how its going to happen, and work.



Now, to explain the regions themselves, which I have not named.



1.) Abyssal/Bone Region: A cold region that lies beneath the northern snows. This region is unique for its large amount of abysses, (basically, an abyss is a bottomless pit), a remnant of the shifting movements that created the northern mountain ranges. It's also a region famous for the sheer amount of skeletal remains of creatures in its dark caverns. And it's not an uncommon sight to see shallow pits filled to the brim with the skeletons of less fortunate adventurers, and lesser creatures. Its for these reasons that the region is a favored home to flying and climbing creatures that use the area's lack of flooring to their advantage in survival. The region also attracts necromancers fond of animating skeletons, due to the abundance of skeletal dead.



2.)Frozen Region: This region is a world of frozen caverns and deathly cold water, found beneath the northeastern snows and the nearby islands. This region is known for its beautiful caves of frozen water that flows from the above ocean. This region is populated by hardy creatures that are able to ignore the area's piercing cold.



3.)Fungal Region: This region lays beneath the western woodlands and swamps, and is home to a multitude of fungi, insects and disease. The region's caverns are often likened to the swamps that exsist above, as there are no other caves as stench-ridden, muddy, and insect-infested as those that exsist here. Fortunately, the cave's conditions improve, (relatively) as travelers move away from the surface swamps, as the region transforms into sprawling underground forests of mushrooms. This region is also home to giant insect hives.



4.)Volcanic Region: This region lays beneath the central island volcano, and could be considered part of the volcano itself, featuring rivers of flame, lakes of fire, and massive lava flows. The region is home to creatures that can take the massive heat and unpredictable movements of the volcanic region, though some intelligent creatures have moved in, in an attempt to harness the area's heat, seeking to create massive weapon forges.



5.)Cavern Region: This region lays beneath the eastern forest and the edge of the central desert. Though this region lacks the unique hazardous conditions of the others, the region is dangerous due to reasons of its own. This region is a region of caves rich with precious metals and minerals, and, because of how resource-rich it is, the most artificially altered, with scattered mines, refineries, and underground quarries, created by all kinds of races, though many are now abandoned, having been originally constructed and stripped clean years ago. The region's natural inhabitants, consisting of many creatures, often pale in comparison to the greedy sentient races willing to protect their stakeout with their life. This region also contains an underground river, (which I forgot to place on the map), which leads from the frozen region, to the flooded region.



6.)Flooded Region: This region lays mostly beneath the southern oceans. This area is often compared to the frozen region, because it also has water that seeps down into the caves beneath. However, it lacks the cold that would freeze this water, resulting in vast flooded caverns, quick-flowing underground rivers, fully submerged cave systems, and large subterranean lakes. This area is populated by water-dwelling creatures, and by creatures that prey on the fish of the underground water system from the shores.


With all that explained, its a lot more thought out than the normal generic "Oh well there is monster X here because they live here." which is sadly, something of the norm in world design with NWN.



Made some Underworld concept shots; detailed screenies showing regions of the Underworld as they might appear.









Abyssal Region (1): A pit filled with bones and ice. While not an uncommon sight for this region, this one is notably different for its apparant use as a sacrificial pit, with carved ledges on the sides of the pit, an altar inside the pit, and a recent victim, not yet picked clean by predators, who was left to die of cold and hunger.







Abyssal Region (1): An old bridge travels through the rocky cliffs of the Abyssal Region. The cliffs are littered with the common skeletal remains and ice, but also offer a hint of another time: remains of sea life from warmer regions, dead trees, and the ruins of what could almost be seen as an old park.







Volcanic Region (4): A passage deep in the Volcanic Region. A shrine to some unknown being of fire, dragon, or perhaps to the raw power of the inferno itself? It appears to still be in use, if the offerings of gold on the carved altars in the passage are anything to go by. Perhaps they are friendly but, let's be honest, how often do you meet someone in a volcano that ever is?







Cavern Region (5): A salvager camp in an abandoned mine. There is money to be made in salvaging the equipment and supplies left behind in the scattered abandoned mines in the Cavern Region. Adventurers beware, though, not all salvagers welcome company. This camp seems to be enjoying sucess, with plenty of findings boxed and ready to be carted out of the mine and into the markets. They are wary, however, because the mine isn't completely empty, and they have built a barrier out of broken furniture and brought a ballista to cover the entrance.







Fungal Region (3): A forest of mushrooms and underground plant life, the fungal region is a place of twisting plants and disease. This forest thrives on the water that seeps through the muddy cave walls from the swamps above, creating a strange underworld garden.







Flooded Region (6): A waterside shrine nestled in the Flooded Region, the Underworld Region beneath the ocean. Though the residents are peaceful, they are still able to defend themselves. They are living underground, after all. They allow travelers to use the dock in the background, if they behave themselves.







Frozen Region (2): A monument buried in the snow and ice of the Frozen Region, overlooking a cold canyon. Flakes of snow blow through the caves from the surface, carried by chill wind that flows through the frozen region's tunnels, slowly burying the monument, and countless other secrets.
I'll probably reorder all of this, and or turn the source bit into an addition to the main Blackbook site as the first real piece on setting specific stuff, but That will take a while.

It will also mandate larger images which IMO is ideal. To fit them into this little frame, way too much detail was sacrificed.