TEXT | Deep Roads Bestiary

[AN_DR]

DEEP ROADS BESTIARY​

Distributed scarcely throughout the libraries of Enarion and Zhul, the incredibly thick tome before you read simply as an incomplete guide to various beasts and beings from the realms of the Deep Roads. While relatively unassuming save for its large size, this heavy travelogue consisted of varying pre-Calamity accounts and reports transcribed by Odilia-az-Mythforge, valuable knowledge not to be overlooked by those that wished to explore the abyssal depths that laid beyond the depths deep beneath the earth in places yet to be even seen.​

- MASTER INDEX POST -

INTRODUCTION
​

What was but another collection of writings taken from Delegost, I present the following pages of information as those collected from our dwarven forefathers, tomes heavy with history and knowledge recovered from our past. That's right, it's me again! Odilia-az-Mythforge, the one and only (or so I'm led to believe)! Having pieced together a collection of writings that concern all kinds of wacky beasts from the Underdeep this time around, though not an end-all-be-all to bestial travelogues concerning the Deep Roads, I write this now to spread knowledge of terrifying creatures that one may encounter when delving into the earth. Hoping this to save the lives of scholarly folk and adventurers who have yet to witness the horrors of the deepest realms, I can only pray that this tome's information proves useful.​

In loving memory of Hethina Stokyr and Benjamin Buckley, Regost surely open for them.

Spoiler: CREDITS

@Cardiovascular and @Ttsim for their writings.
@Sukitoru for RKT post formatting.
Job Menting for the post art of Moria, found following: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/b5ZlWn

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE ELDERKOPPER

​

One of the many Elder species, the elderkoppers are large, eight-legged creatures that stalk the more narrow tunnels of the depths.​

Mother elderkoppers can be as large as two meters, carrying her spawn within her sac. Their chelicerae present a series of sharp and serrated fangs capable of tearing through flesh in a single bite. Each of its eight limbs carry forth a set of pincers that can be used to grab hold or pierce through its prey. The mother elderkoppers are incredibly defensive of their children, who may measure up to half an inch long.​

When a mother elderkopper is slain, and its sac is slit, its children, usually numbering in the thousands, will scatter from its cooling mother's embrace. They will often seek shelter in the warmest environment, typically being within the bodies of the unfortunate. They will find any opening in the body, tearing a hole, and either crawl its way into the heart or brain. Despite their affinity to warm environments, elderkoppers are particularly fearful of flames, and will even crush their brethren to death in a stampede to escape a raging fire.​

​

A common sight in the shallow caverns of the earth’s surface, elderkoppers were beasts that proliferated easily within the closest layers of the Fyrk Nith realm—so much so that even the Adventurer’s Guild had once issued a quest to exterminate an infestation of elderkoppers that took refuge within the hold of Dalirwen, scattered remnants of the same beasts confronted during Becky Buckley’s expedition into its depths.​

A horrid foe for those unprepared, especially with their littler spawn, the elderkopper was best faced with implements of fire. Wildfires and magic, torchlight and flaming scarlet—any and all forms of flame would prove to be your best friend when facing an elderkopper. Enough to deter a mother elderkopper’s children, fire was a force that could even repel hordes of elderkoppers in vast quantities. Particularly effective when used against mother elderkoppers, in slaying both the mother and burning their sac of children all at once, fire was, truly, the best method of dealing with this spidery species. Perhaps something tragic had happened to this species of creature with fire in its past?​

That is, to seemingly instill such a primal fear of flame into its species as a whole at the least.​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE ELDERKOPPER
- STRANGE ENCOUNTER III -

​

There was once a story about a dewi by the name of Jorvin Coppermound. He was quite the boastful fellow who gained his fame for his quick-witted humor and skill that backed up his boastful claims. He was, by all accounts, one of the few who maintained an invigorating atmosphere within a realm of brutal death and chaos. On one expedition, he and a group of eight dwarven explorers were to go through an uncharted portion of the caves within the Athjar Nith realm, tasked with the tribulations of charting out routes and such in order to try and help with the transportation of goods and infrastructure. This was expected to be an easy and simple prospect, up until Jorvin was found only by his ear-shattering screams.​

Of the group that had been sent to explore the region, only two had escaped, their minds shattered from the experience. According to their horrific accounts, octet-legged creatures tore their companions to shreds as their children burrowed within their bodies—feasting upon their organs.​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE ELDERKORMER

​

​

One of the many Elder species, the elderkormer is a threat not to be taken lightly.​

​

Though they lack any sight, they are capable of sensing their prey from upwards of fifteen hundred meters away. That said, one should take note that the elderkormers often do not pursue their prey. Instead, they prefer to establish colonies in dark, humid caverns. There, they wait for their prey to come to them, where they feast upon the flesh of the unfortunate. They make no distinction between prey, and it has been noted that they have resorted to cannibalism in desperate times. The elderkormer are divided into two distinct figures: the queen and her workers.​

​

The worker elderkormers tend to be no bigger than two meters, resembling a large rope with no limbs. A series of sharp, acidulated teeth are bared upon their mouths—occupying the entirety of their heads. By themselves, they may only be victorious if a trap is sprung. However, a group of elderkormer should not be underestimated. They tend to attach themselves to the limbs of their prey as one of them swallows the head. Once five worker elderkormers have attached themselves to their prey, there is nothing more that can be done for them.​

​

Notably, the ichor that flows through their bodies are powerful enough to dissolve steel.​

​

Yet, the queen elderkormer is a force to be reckoned with. While accounts vary, they average anywhere from thirty to fifty meters long and up to ten meters wide. Their skin is as tough as the stones they crawl through. Though the queen lives separate from the workers, she is never far off. Accounts have indicated that the cavern walls and tunnels would tremble when she approaches. The elderkormers are native to the deep and occupy the majority of the Nith realms. It is advised to mask the scent of your body when you descend past the Athjar Nith realm.​

​

​

​

An equally common sight when compared to the elderkopper, elderkormers have proven to be a horrid foe to face within the depths, their presence most prominently noted within the undercity of Aellen, where they—alongside a queen—had attacked an elven expeditionary force led by Nardual.​

​

With acidic blood that deteriorated equipment fashioned from iron and steel, seemingly including mithril, flaming weapons and those made of metals incapable of being corroded were best used to slay these beasts. Having witnessed myself a flaming Surakaz of my make instantly cauterizing a wound made on an elderkormer, preventing the spill of acid and protecting the Surakaz from being corroded itself, orichalcum was another alternative to facing off against them, a metal all but immune to the effects of acid, a reliable material to be used for facing foes of the deep as a result.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE RUST BUG
- AN ENCOUNTER WITH THE RUST BUG -

​

Presumably an Elder species like the elderkopper and the elderkormer, best described as some horrid crossbreed between the two, the rust bug seemed to adopt the appearance of the elderkopper whilst bearing properties of acidic blood from the elderkormer. With acidic blood being another defensive trait that many creatures of the Deep Roads appeared to possess, similar in nature to that of the elderkormer’s—in that this blood could melt down most materials made with iron, such as mithril—it was best advised to carry weapons of orichalcum, again, when faced with a swarm of rust bugs.​

While it’s unknown if rust bugs carried a crippling fear of fire as the elderkoppers did, I myself had the opportunity to once face a swarm of rust bugs within the ruins of the mines that led to the deephold of Kaz-az-Kibildun. Hatching from eggs that burst open when jostled or disturbed—immediately the size of one’s head at birth, different when compared to elderkoppers that carried their children within sacs—rust bugs, though large, were surprisingly nimble at younger ages. Capable of darting about and biting foes with fangs laced with acid, it was recommended to smash as many rust bug eggs as possible before they all bursted free within concentrated nests, though doing so would ruin the durability of your weaponry lest they were forged from orichalcum, enough to warp and practically melt armaments made even from mithril in my own experience.​

As an unrelated side note, I have to somewhat admonish Doctor Elise’s "ancestral dagger" given orichalcum wasn’t particularly known for being able to hold an edge very well, something far more suited for blunt weapons like hammers as a result of its innate properties.​

Spoiler: LINK

In case it was missed, a link to the Rust Bug book can be found in the secondary header, or in the underlined "rust bug" above.

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE STONESPISER

​

​

The stonespisers are generally harmless creatures, though one should be wary of the ceiling when marching through their colonies.​

Measuring up to eight inches long, the stonespisers will fill their mouths with the stones of a cavern. Within its belly, the stone is refined, then, and any precious gems therein are polished before being excreted. A colony may account for over a hundred stonespisers. At times, they will occupy entire caverns, from the floor to the ceiling. Their bodies are fairly durable and are as dense as steel. They lack the ability to communicate, but seem eager to trade their excrement for the most feculent (dirty) of stones. Despite their friendliness, it is advised that one does not harm or attempt to take a stonespiser against its will. They appear to share a collective mind and will not hesitate to expel the bones of a mortal from their bellies if needed.​

​

The stonespisers do not differentiate between those that they meet, be it the barghast, troglodytes, sammako or the dwarves.​

They merely live for a single purpose: to eat (and to excrete).​

​

Never having encountered a stonespiser myself, the information provided within these short few passages on their nature seemed indispensable. From a different account on the Avvar Nith realms found within Delegost, it was likely that stonespisers could grow to become far larger than the eight inches recorded here, becoming deadly then when they excreted gems and boulders large enough to crush dwarves from the high ceilings of the Underdeep’s larger caverns—hence the warning on being wary of ceilings when marching through their colonies.​

If there was anything to take away from this, it was perhaps best to simply leave any stonespisers you might come across in your travels in the Deep Roads be, and to exercise caution when passing through their colonies. Though seemingly friendly, a lack of being able to freely communicate may bring about misunderstandings between an adventurer and a colony of stonespisers, leading to one potentially being swarmed by them.​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE STONESPISER
- STRANGE ENCOUNTER IV -

​

​

Originally, there was a rumor within the Avvar Nith realms of which gems would rain from the sky—a tale of a young beardling, no older than the age of twelve, who came stumbling over towards his father with a diamond larger than his father's beard in his hands, claiming of such.​

​

When the dewi expeditionary crew went on to check out this supposed raining site of gems, they were pleasantly surprised to find out that a good portion of the area indeed was littered in these many different gems, all surrounding the various areas. It was certainly a time to celebrate for sure, if only the small beardling's father didn't have his head caved in by a falling brick of stone moments after said discovery.​

​

 

[AN_DR]

DEEP ROADS INSECTS
- STRANGE ENCOUNTER I -​

​

​

As the First Descent commenced, there was often discussion about a strange form of chittering within the underlying rocks. Thoughts and conspiracies propped up that the mountain was quite hollow, because often there would be sightings of these hollow pockets within the stone where reported sightings of twisting around stone could be seen, however there was never truly any proof of such.​

​

This was up until there came times when expeditioning dewi would be found mauled and strewn apart in a mutilated fashion akin to string cheese.​

​

It became a running nightmare about that of these different dwarves to not go into mining expeditions within these pockets, for those who ventured within would find themselves mutilated in such a grotesque manner that it seemed as though some abstract monster had twisted and contorted their flesh into one of an unrecognizable fashion. It wasn't until dozens or so of casualties that a league of elite warriors were sent to investigate the source.​

​

Only then did it become clear the different pockets of the Nith realms were infested with these strange, ravenous monsters; insectoid beasts who claimed their place amongst the lingering stones, waiting for their next prey.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE SAMMAKO

​

Not to be mistaken for their aboveground cousins, the sammako are amphibious creatures that dwell in the deep, watery caverns of the Deep Roads. ​

​

From the records of those who have met these creatures, their skin is quite slimy to the touch, something which the dwarves quickly discovered when offering a handshake to them. The sammako are mostly three to four feet tall, and are often scantily clad, owing to the scarcity of plants and other natural threadlike materials. Their clothing is usually made from the underwater mosses and other greens which can be spun to make clothing.​

​

Due to their lack of natural defense and inability to traverse far from their ponds, the sammako are often conquered by the barghast for their riches.​

​

However, around the time that the First Descent was announced, they found themselves encountering the dwarf Urngor Goldhand—who promised freedom from their barghast overlords in exchange for an alliance and trade. They have supplied their minerals and oods, harvested from in and around their ponds, in exchange for protection. It is solely through these interactions that we are able to know as much about the sammako as we do now.​

​

​

​

Given the sheer presumable length of time that has passed since the Age of Stone, it’s hard to say if the sammako of the deep could still prove friendly to those of the surface today. With those of the Barakzigil known for dominating and assimilating other races and cultures into their own, the sammako of the deep may have all but indoctrinated since, perhaps now hostile to the dwarves they once called allies.​

​

A post-Calamity encounter—first impressions—could prove to be an important event for future relations with the sammako. ​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE HAKKURI

​

The hakkuri are generally benevolent creatures, though their origins are unknown. They are rather short—less than half the size of a dwarf—mostly standing at roughly one foot tall. They are strange creatures, having an exoskeleton that resembles the rocky caverns which they reside in. Atop their heads spouts a filament—an illicium which at the very end possesses a small esca—which appears to glow in the dark. Strangely enough, it is not necessary to their survival, as they possess rather large eyes protruding from both sides of their rocky bodies, as if able to see slightly in the dark.​

In order to maintain their survival, the hakkuri will often burrow into the sides of caverns, using their arms likened to pickaxes which are made up of rather sharp stones. Their arms allow them to both defend themselves and create ample homes should they see fit.​

It is rather difficult to identify the hakkuri at first glance. Given that they spend most of their time in their burrows, their exoskeletons have become camouflage—they are often easily mistaken for sizeable patches of rocks off the side of a cave. However, in history, they have served as a rather kind guide for the dwarves, leading them through unfamiliar and uncharted caverns that twist and wind about. Their esca—like a little lamp—enables the dwarves to follow these little creatures about. That is, if said dwarf does not threaten them.​

​

In a similar vein to the sammako, I have nothing to add to the topic given my own lack of experience with the hakkuri, though I believe that first impressions in re-establishing contact with them would prove vital for future expeditions into the Deep Roads.​

From their descriptions alone, if nothing else, the hakkuri certainly sound rather cute!​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE AGNORUM

​

The tunnels speak.​

​

While there is no record of these creatures to be definitive, there is an idea of its existence. Lurking within the shadows, with a gaping mouth—it hides in plain sight, yet away from the eyes of the beholder. The size of an agnorum is unknown, nor will it likely ever be discovered. Though, what is known of it is that its mouth is the size of a tunnel. Its teeth and gums are rocky and grimy—sharp to the touch. The inside of its mouth resembles the cavern walls of which it hides within, shrouding its presence from even the most attentive of explorers.​

​

Its uvula is composed of valuables, ranging from pure gold, mithril ores, or even polished gems. What's more, its tongue holds a scattered litter of the fallen equipment of its previous prey—perhaps a warning, or perhaps it is unable to digest the steel of dwarven warriors.​

​

Nonetheless, this comes as a warning to all the dwarves who venture. Be not prideful nor full of greed when it comes to the unknown spaces of the deeper realms. There is yet much to understand, and still much to learn.​

​

​

Another warning against greed within the depths, the agnorum sounds to be a living cavern—a mimic, of sorts—made to bait adventurers into its waiting jaws with precious metals and the equipment of fallen adventurers before them. Frankly, if the information on stonespisers is to be trusted, the information presented here with the agnorum’s uvula potentially containing polished gems seems as sure a sign as any to avoid refined gems discovered in the Underdeep, proof of tampering from creatures that would otherwise use such as bait, dwarves in particular having a penchant for earthly gifts.​

​

Perhaps growing to adopt such an anatomy and feature with the sole intent of baiting in the dwarves of ancient times, it was frightening to think of what other creatures lurked waiting deep beneath our feet with features as finely tuned as the agnorum’s.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

MINER'S EYE
- STRANGE ENCOUNTER V -

​

When you find yourself in the jagged and rough tunnels of the Underdeep, nothing more is apparent than just how absolutely pitch black everything can truly be. Thousands of feet below ground, the world is obscured in some of the deepest dark one could possibly imagine, making such almost stygian.​

​

Even with the many torches, bonfires and other lanterns which are strewn about that of the many dewi keeps, the shadows which lay blanketed about that of the different stones seem to almost leave one's perception warped in a way. For those who dare delve in the further portions of the caverns, there was often a phenomenon by the name of Miner's Eye. It was almost a disease of the mind, in which specific dewi would find themselves spun around and lost due to seeking to believe the caves about them were in some type of carousel. Shadows would pierce into the pupils of a dewi's eye, leaving them entirely lost for balance and accidentally running into deeper portions of the caves in the hopes of retreating back into known territory.​

​

It wasn't until a plethora of miners were found crushed and ripped through, was it, that people began to truly realize that it wasn't their minds, but the walls themselves moving.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE MALMMUTE

​

A lumbering giant buried beneath the abyss. No words can describe the horror upon encountering it.​

As of the Third Descent, only thirty-six of them have been defeated.​

Their size may vary, but accounts suggest them to be anywhere from ten to thirty meters tall. Their bodies are covered in thick stone, capable of replenishing itself over time. Though lacking any eyes, the malmmute has an exceptional sense of hearing that it exploits to hunt for its prey. Perhaps the most terrifying aspect of the malmmute is its intelligence. They appear to thrive off of the pain and suffering of their prey.​

Even when full, the malmmute continues to hunt for its prey—not for subsistence, but for its own entertainment. At times, it will allow for its prey to escape if it deems it no longer entertaining. Despite its savage nature and superior physical manifestation, the malmmute also possesses, perhaps, one of the greatest single flaws. Its weight is comparable to the Hail Hammers within the Mirultar. As such, it seems to lack the ability to swim.​

It is advised to flee towards a body of water if one were to encounter a malmmute.​

​

Having personally fought a malmmute myself within the expedition at Delegost, the dwarven outpost of Krondheim, no words truly could describe the horror of a beast as dreadful as the malmmute. Powerful enough to have easily slain a queen elderkormer in its ascent to the surface, a giant of giants wrought from stone and flesh, its intelligence was made obvious the moment it began to speak in a tongue still unknown to me now as it breached the final chamber of Delegost’s entrance to the Deep Roads, emerging in a glorious battle as it killed the giant elderkormer before our very eyes.​

Given its dependence on sound, malmmutes being blind as most true predators of the Underdeep were, magical spells capable of stealing one’s sense of hearing proved to be effective in disorienting it for a time—something to certainly keep in mind for other delvers of the deep, alongside their weakness to bodies of water with their weight.​

In my own strikes made against the malmmute, the blade I had used at the time in a state that could cut through steel like paper, I found great difficulty in hacking through the armor-like flesh of shifting stone that made up its body. Perhaps magically enhanced in one way or another, I noted that its shifting armor of stone was something that could only be focused on one portion of its body at a time. When my allies attacked the upper body of the malmmute, its stone skin appeared to shift upwards in reaction, allowing for my blows made at its ankles to then strike true as its armor was directed elsewhere. A curious happenstance, such information may prove useful in future bouts, inevitably, if we wished to reclaim the depths.​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE MALMMUTE
- STRANGE ENCOUNTER II -

​

As the expeditions into the Nith realms continued like blood flowing through the veins of a body, the ventures brought about a sense of unbridled awe to those who had gathered. For some, it was an opportunity to restore the honor of the dwarves. For others, it was a chance to stake their claim of fame to try and come across the largest spanning natural caverns within, and come back alive to talk about your findings.​

​

As the expedition continued, some dwarves stumbled across an expansive cavern. There, at its center, existed a gigantic pillar of sharpened rock and stone which seemed to protrude straight from the ground and go up almost hundreds of feet towards the ceiling. When it was first sighted, people jested that one would be able to mine into such and make their own hold within. Though, the Underdeep is quite concerning, and when the explorers ventured closer to that of this monolithic pile of stone, they found themselves pleasantly surprised when it almost seemed to shift spontaneously.​

​

Given its massive girth and magnitude, it was originally believed to have been some kind of rock slide when those about lingered their gaze upon such.​

​

It wasn't until the abomination crushed the curious explorers like grapes between its fingers did those who were gathered begin to think of fleeing.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE GHÛLURSUL

​

​

If there was any beast that could truly embody the oddities of the Underdeep, to truly highlight its otherworldly nature that gave birth to all manners of warped things, the ghûlursul was perhaps the most fitting of all the Fyrk Nith creatures that inhabited its realm.​

​

Known primarily for their common epithet as watchers of the deep, ghûlursuls were fearsome beasts that stood as tall as two dwarves, monolithic and pallid creatures with long tusks, sparse fur, six eyes, and elongated limbs beset with hideous claws.​

​

According to the reports of dwarves who had been so lucky as to slay a ghûlursul, let alone spot one in the darkened caverns of Enarion's deep, their most prominent feature could be attributed to their hoods—what actually proved to be the nose or nasal cavity of the ghûlursul. Emitting a beam of light from these nasal hoods that ghûlursuls then used for spotting and luring in prey, it would prove wise to avoid these beams of light when seen, as such would usually indicate the presence of a prowling ghûlursul lurking nearby.​

​

For what it was worth though, the slaying of a ghûlursul could prove bountiful to artisans that sought the leather of their hoods; retaining the glowing properties of the ghûlursul's nasal cavity from when they lived, ghûlursul leather glowed with a light akin to torchlight, proving useful as a hands-off light source one could adorn in the deep.​

​

​

According to a post-Calamity report on a ghûlursul hunted down by Keno Rusteye, it was "dangerous, but [could] be easily tricked into traps and killed. It [seemed] like noise [attracted] it most and its main attack strategy [was] to blindly charge at its perceived enemy and claw at it." With "minimal intelligence," the creature was described with fur "sparse and ragged," of which "[felt] similar to boar fur," its two tusks further noted to be similar to the tusks of a boar—something that I myself could attest to, after having worked with the tusks of a ghûlursul in the creation of Keno's Dûmhelm.​

​

Regardless, it seemed best to treat an encounter with a ghûlursul with caution, to be careful and quiet when preparing to attack one—in either setting up a trap for it or repositioning one's self if nearby—and to avoid its nasal spotlight whenever possible.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE OMRALAK

​

From the novel stillness of the world after the fragmenting rose the omralak, the first of the Barakzigil—whose coming chilled the warm deep and brought with it a new terror.​

​

While the Wanderer oversees the birthing of time, the living and dying to which all dwarves are subject, the cold chill of the omralak was known to the dwarves first. Their coming was heralded by the darkening of the deep, the silence of the divine tongue and the estrangement of kin—and with them they brought a fourth grief. Fear.​

​

To the first dwarves they were the cold, destructive act of death itself—primal beings who represented not only the death of the body, but collapse and loss of many kinds. There are innumerable tales of the omralaks' terrifying passage through the deep, of how they feast not on flesh but fire, bringing an inescapable chill as they move like water along cavern walls at unnatural angles.​

​

Those who saw the shaggy beasts of cold in the dim warrens of the farthest reaches claim that the souls the omralak have slain can be seen clinging (or perhaps frozen) to the beast’s fur, their faces forever petrified in looks of utter horror or—more disquieting—placid, emotionless stares.​

​

Some of these tales must surely be apocryphal, inventions to entertain or frighten young beardlings, yet we’ve no way of knowing—the omralak do not venture from the far deep that Haldor delivered us from so long ago. Or, they did not until the very city Haldor founded fell, and his descendant Haldorath quailed at the sight of a pallid omralak who laid low the dwarves in fluid motion. Few survived the Fall of Azardim, and none who saw the beast closely. Yet if it still lingers within the cavern of Sulungar, or has wandered but close, the hosts that now descend to retake the holy city must have the tales of the placid and aghast souls trapped in the beast’s fur on the mind.​

​

​

Though no definitive description of an omralak exists, they are described as pallid beasts with lumbering yet graceful strides, beset with long limbs and shaggy hides.​

​

The very same manner of beast that had killed King Haldir in the battle at Tur Kalor, the omralak was not to be underestimated, its mere sight enough to drive the dwarves from the holy city of Azardim during its siege by the Barakzigil. Primal beings of cold death that yet lingered within the deepest realms of the Underdeep, it was only through the might of Arcimanus—combined with arms and armor fashioned by Drakkender, and poisons concocted by Buralfi—that one such omralak was slain within the spiraling caverns of Edengar. Or, allegedly so, with Arcimanus’ survival.​

​

From Buralfi’s writings, it seemed that a ballista—alongside bolts fashioned by the Greatsmith, Drakkender—were capable of piercing the omralak's hide. In conjunction with her created poisons, such even caused it to wallow, perhaps proof that poison could prove effective today if a need to slay another omralak ever arose. Though, if only for a moment, as the subdued omralak then thusly broke free to cut down swathes of dwarves that could be considered the First Descent’s mightiest and most experienced warriors.​

​

​

 

[AN_DR]

THE DEEP GOBLIN

Feral when compared to the goblin tribes scattered around Enarion’s north, goblins from the Deep Roads were sly and ferocious creatures with an anatomy specialized for living in the dark. Described to appear with purple skin in the caverns of the Underdeep, the color of the deep goblin’s natural pigment was, in reality, a dark shade of green, the result of lacking any exposure to sunlight within the depths of the earth.​

When set side by side with your average surface-dwelling goblin, the goblins of the deep had evolved to bear greatly enhanced hearing, though suffered from having incredibly sensitive eyesight in turn. That said, despite their more feral tendencies, it seemed as if the goblins of the deep were not entirely without a conscience. Smart enough at the least to have the concept of wielding tools—as seen in Turin’s expedition, where they wore pants, adorned rusted scrap armors, and wielded fragments of metal as if daggers—it’s ultimately unknown whether or not these goblins had fashioned their tools themselves, or had taken them from the myriad of adventurers that perished in the deep.​

According to the theories of one Doctor Caron, it seemed clear that these goblins had “a fundamental idea of strategy, disorientation, and weakening of the enemy,” so if nothing else, they were not to be underestimated. Though an individual deep goblin appeared to be a trifling foe, hordes of these creatures could prove deadly to even the most experienced of adventurers, their overwhelming numbers a thing to be dreaded.​

Spoiler: LINK

Links to two different books on deep goblins can be found in the underlined texts above.

​