Nar-Voth

From PathfinderWiki
Nar-Voth
A xulgath warrior of Nar-Voth.
(Region)

Titles
Gateway to the Darklands
Nation
Capital
None
Ruler
None
Government
Individual city-states
Languages
Source: Into the Darklands, pg(s). 18–29

Nar-Voth (pronounced nar-VOTH)1 is the uppermost region of the Darklands, loosely defined as descending from the surface of Golarion to a depth of about 2,000 feet. This region consists of countless interconnected cave networks, some of which are linked to one another through lengthy, twisting passages. While the caverns are immense and span great distances, they do not span the length of entire continents. For a cave system to be considered part of Nar-Voth, there must be a passage leading down to Sekamina, where such vast systems can be found.2 When surface-dwelling races talk about the Darklands, they are generally referring to Nar-Voth, as this is the only section most of them have visited, and the region from which most of the Darklands races seen on the surface originate.34

History

Quest for Sky

The massive earthquakes that shook the surface of Golarion after Earthfall also caused tremendous upheaval in Nar-Voth. Massive cave systems collapsed, many of them inhabited by orcs and dwarves, two races that had lived there since time immemorial. The dwarves saw these earthquakes as a sign from their god Torag, and initiated a massive migration towards the surface known as the Quest for Sky. Over the course of the centuries, the stout folk continued their war with the orcs, driving the bestial creatures ahead of them until the great majority no longer dwelled in Nar-Voth.2

Those left behind

Some of the dwarven brethren chose to stay behind in their great underground cities, refusing to give up their ancestral homelands; the descendants of these dwarves became the hryngars5 over the following millennia. After most of the tribes of orcs and dwarves had abandoned their ancient caverns, many of the surface's wilder inhabitants migrated down to fill them; they included the xulgaths, the vegepygmies, and the dark fey. Some humans did the same, fleeing the devastation on the surface. Exposure to strange substances and pacts with dark powers eventually transformed them into entirely distinct races, including the mongrelmen, morlocks, and the dark folk.2

Deros had always existed in Nar-Voth but also took advantage of the power vacuum left by the absence of the dwarves and orcs, seizing much of the former's territories.2

Inhabitants

Valeros falls victim to a hryngar slave caravan in Nar-Voth.

Many creatures that dwell in Nar-Voth are relatively isolated and tribal, and are generally found in small groups. However, a number of 'civilized' races such as the hryngars, mongrelmen, xulgaths, vegepygmies, and deros occupy certain systems in large numbers.3 These races occasionally ascend to the surface to raid, which is why most of Nar-Voth's larger cities are located beneath or near major surface population centers. Two examples include the hryngar city of Fellstrok near the orc capital of Urgir, and the dero enclave of Corgunbier, located beneath the Taldan port of Cassomir.4 There are also a fair amount of species found both in Nar-Voth and on the surface, such as dwarves, orcs, goblins, and trolls.6

Deros

These insane, blue-skinned humanoids usually dwell under major surface cities, and conduct nightly raids into them in search of victims for their bizarre and sadistic experiments.6

Hryngars

A sub-race of dwarves, twisted by millennia of hardship and toil, many hryngars are servants of the evil dwarven deity Droskar. Claiming to have been abandoned by their lesser cousins during the Quest for Sky, they are now among the most ardent slavers in Nar-Voth.7

Xulgaths

These reptilian inhabitants of Nar-Voth are among the Darklands' layer most numerous. Due to their love of infighting and lack of social cohesion, they have never presented a large threat to the other local races, and generally work as mercenaries for them.8

Vegepygmies

Vegepygmies are plant-like humanoids who were created relatively recently by the sporecrafters of the drow House Udrinor. They quickly outgrew their master's control during a short-lived war known as the Stalking Death, and fled Sekamina for the relatively less-dangerous caverns of Nar-Voth.9

Locations

Scattered amongst the great sprawling cave complexes are a number of systems that function as population centers for some of the inhabitants of Nar-Voth. In particular, hryngars occupy a number of abandoned pre-existing dwarven cities.310

Settlements

Places of interest

References

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

  1. Erik Mona, et al. “Appendices” in Campaign Setting, 247. Paizo Inc., 2008
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 20–21. Paizo Inc., 2008
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Erik Mona, et al. “Chapter 5: The World” in Campaign Setting, 204. Paizo Inc., 2008
  4. 4.0 4.1 Thurston Hillman. “Introduction” in Darklands Revisited, 3. Paizo Inc., 2016
  5. Paizo referred to hryngars as duergar until the publication of Highhelm and the Sky King's Tomb Pathfinder Adventure Path.
  6. 6.0 6.1 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 19–20. Paizo Inc., 2008
  7. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 21. Paizo Inc., 2008
  8. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 21–22. Paizo Inc., 2008
  9. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 22–23. Paizo Inc., 2008
  10. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. “Exploring the Darklands” in Into the Darklands, 3. Paizo Inc., 2008
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 James Jacobs, et al. The Inner Sea World Guide, 59. Paizo Inc., 2011
  12. 12.0 12.1 12.2 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 27. Paizo Inc., 2008
  13. James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 28. Paizo Inc., 2008
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 29. Paizo Inc., 2008
  15. Paizo referred to drathnelars (umbral gnomes) as svirfneblin (deep gnomes) until the publication of Mantle of Gold.
  16. Monica Marlowe. “Chapter 2: Winding into Darkness” in Down the Blighted Path, 35. Paizo Inc., 2016
  17. 17.0 17.1 James Jacobs & Greg A. Vaughan. Nar-Voth” in Into the Darklands, 25. Paizo Inc., 2008
  18. James Jacobs, et al. The Inner Sea World Guide, 59–60. Paizo Inc., 2011
  19. Monica Marlowe. “Chapter 2: Winding into Darkness” in Down the Blighted Path, 33–34. Paizo Inc., 2016
  20. Wolfgang Baur, et al. Ghol-Gan” in Lost Kingdoms, 28. Paizo Inc., 2012