In the veiled depths of Bûrn lies the Delver’s Dominion: an immense, interwoven labyrinth of caverns, ruins, fungal forests, and ancient secrets. These caverns are more than just stone and shadow—they are the stage upon which entire civilizations have risen, clashed, and endured. Here, the Delver Dwarfs carved their legacy from bedrock, while the Lithari roam like ghosts, and the ever-watchful eyes of the drow still linger in the dark.

Origins of the Depths

Long before any intelligent life claimed them, the caves of Bûrn pulsed with the slow breath of the earth itself. Millions of years shaped their tunnels, stalactites, and abyssal rivers. In these lightless hollows, monstrous creatures evolved in isolation—creatures of stone, fungus, venom, and shadow. This was a land untouched by sun or sky, a primordial cradle of danger and beauty.

When mortal races came, they did not conquer these depths—they adapted, survived, and in time, became something else entirely.

The Delver Dwarfs – Builders of Stone and Sovereignty

The Delver Dwarfs trace their lineage back to a desperate escape from bondage. Long before the human rebellion that ended widespread elven slavery, a single clan of dwarves managed a daring flight from their elven masters. Pursued and hunted, they disappeared into the uncharted underground, seeking refuge in the deepest corners of Bûrn. There, far from the surface and the reach of their slavers, they began anew.

In the darkness of the deep, they endured. They shed the trappings of their old lives and slowly became something else—no longer the mountain dwarves of legend, but the first Delver Dwarfs. What began as a desperate hiding place became a proving ground for their resilience and ingenuity.

These Delver Dwarfs underwent profound changes over countless generations, shaped by their subterranean environment. Most famously, they developed the extraordinary ability to digest stone. With a unique enzyme system adapted to the mineral-rich environment, they can consume and derive sustenance from certain types of rock—granting them an edge in a land where traditional food is scarce.

Their skin ranges from deep earthen browns to pale, ashen gray, blending seamlessly into their cavern surroundings. Their eyes are highly adapted to dim light, and their bodies are compact and robust, built to endure tight spaces and collapse-prone tunnels. Many wear thick, braided hair as both tradition and protection.

What began as a scattered band of survivors eventually transformed into a civilization. As they descended deeper than any dwarf had dared before, they discovered natural caverns of colossal scale. With their unmatched mastery of stonecraft, the dwarves forged these wild hollows into the foundation of a new kingdom. The First Hearth, Durin’s Cradle, became the beating heart of the Dominion.—bridging fissures, raising bastions, and mining the Dominion’s heart. Their cities stretch like veins through the rock, ablaze with forge-light and echoing with the clangor of hammers. Dwarven culture in the Dominion is rooted in patience, permanence, and purpose. To them, the Dominion is not just a home—it is their ultimate creation.

The Lithari – Wandering Flame in the Dark

The Lithari are nomadic elves descended from those who once shared a common ancestry with the drow. Refusing the dark pact of Lolth, the Lithari chose to wander the depths rather than bow to tyranny. Their society is built upon freedom, balance, and reverence for the Old Gods—nature spirits that still whisper through stone and fungus.

They travel in shifting clans, leaving little trace but always watching. Their bond with bioluminescent creatures like the Luminaraptor and their affinity for the underworld’s rhythms make them masters of stealth and survival. In contrast to the Delver Dwarfs’ enduring bastions, the Lithari live with the land, moving like smoke between the shadows.

The Drow – Lolth’s Chains

Hidden deep within the Dominion lie the forsaken cities of the drow—descendants of elves who pledged themselves to Lolth. In towering spire-cities carved into cavern walls, matriarchs rule with cruelty and divine authority. The Striders, half-spider abominations, enforce their will and hunt all who defy them.

Most drow settlements maintain a relic known as The Eye of Lolth—a magical construct said to allow the Spider Queen to watch her followers. Even in decay or ruin, these artifacts remain dangerous, pulsing with malevolent awareness.

The drow seek domination, and see defectors—like the Lithari—as heretics to be purged. Their pursuit of control extends like a web across the Dominion, hidden but ever-present.

The Layers of the Dominion

The Delver’s Dominion is often spoken of as a single entity, but in truth, it exists in two distinct layers:

The Upper Layer is the domain of the Delver Dwarfs. These are the regions that have been shaped, mapped, and fortified by dwarven hands. They are home to sprawling stone cities, glowing forge-halls, subterranean farmland, and deep mines. Here, law and craftsmanship prevail, and the presence of civilization is unmistakable.

The Lower Layers, while not strictly beneath the dwarven halls, refer to all parts of the Dominion that remain untamed and largely unmapped. These dark and perilous depths stretch endlessly, an ever-changing warren of forgotten ruins, shifting tunnels, and bioluminescent forests. The Lower Layers are ruled by no single power—but within them dwell the drow, the Lithari, and countless monstrous things. It is a realm of ancient secrets, exile, and war. Few dwarves tread there willingly.

Life and Conflict in the Dominion

The Dominion is not one realm, but many—interconnected ecosystems, rival territories, and ancient battlegrounds. Delver Dwarfs farm fungi and mine rare metals. Lithari hunt shadow-creatures and perform rites in crystal groves. Drow manipulate from their citadels, plotting conquest or vengeance.

The land itself is alive with memory. Creatures born of void and mineral stalk the tunnels. Ancient ruins, long collapsed, still hum with arcane secrets waiting to be disturbed. And deeper still, beyond the reach of torchlight, stranger things move.

Conflict is inevitable. The dwarves and Lithari clash over resources and ideology. The drow hunt the Lithari. Monstrous threats from below drive entire clans to the surface. Yet in the Dominion, survival means adaptation. It is a world where alliances shift like stone under pressure, and every footstep echoes in eternity.

The Pulse of the Underground

In the Dominion, there is no day or night—only motion and memory. The beat of hammers, the chants of shamans, the distant chittering of unseen watchers. Every stone carries the legacy of those who carved, crossed, or died upon it.

Here, beneath Bûrn, life does not merely endure—it is transformed.

A world beneath worlds. A place of ancient wonder and lurking dread. A realm where civilization claws itself forward through darkness—and where even the gods watch in silence.