The Dark World
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Overview
When the Asteroids crashed into the planet, the impact destroyed nearly all civilizations. Dust rose into the sky and darkened the sun for decades causing an ice age that nearly wiped out what little remained of life on Earth. By the time the Asteroid entities were strong enough to start preserving what was left, most of humanity had already perished. Those who survived the carnage escaped into the extensive tunnel systems built by their predecessors and began their new life below ground in The Dark World.
Survival
At the start, life underground was isolating. However, with time, humans began connecting various tunnel systems around the planet into the giant, interconnected Dark World that exists today. However, due to the constantly shifting landscape, building cities like before became an impossibility. To accommodate for this, civilizations began roaming. They learned to live fast, stick together when it mattered, feel the rock, and listen to the darkness; or, as they call it, the Dark One.
Its voice guides them. It tells them when a tunnel will collapse, where there’s food, if their friends are safe, and, most importantly, if their enemies are nearby. As Citizens have their Asteroid guardians like Celeste and Calypso, the Denizens of the Dark World have the Dark One.
Their reliance on the Dark One is necessary as life underground is treacherous to say the least. The rock walls breathe like a living organism which leads to shifting paths and even sudden sinkholes which plummet unsuspecting cave dwellers hundreds of feet in complete darkness. If you're lucky, you may find blossoms of glowing rock: the only light present in the constant darkness. However, seasoned Denizens will warn you to stay away from these locations as many underlife animals worship these rocks as gifts from their gods and trespassing is often considered a death sentence.
Inhabitants
Denizens rarely trust surface dwellers as they see the Asteroid entities as perpetrators in the genocide of their ancestors a millennia ago. However, whether they like it or not, their worlds are linked through history, trade, and treasure. It is not uncommon for surface dwellers to wander into the Dark World seeking fame and fortune, but it is exceptionally rare for someone to make it out without receiving pity from a Denizen.
Denizens of the Dark World can most commonly be identified by their paler skin, clawed hands, and use of Blindsight to navigate both the world around them and worlds far, far away.
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