Intelligent hominids have built entire villages, cities, and even civilizations far beneath the surface of Adnati. While dwarves and gnomes who are comfortable in daylight tend to build their homes closer to the surface in the Upperdark, other creatures less tolerant of sunlight – like the Duergar, the Drow, and Kobolds – create their homes miles beneath the surface in the Middledark.
Less intelligent hominids like kobolds might make their homes in a network of natural caves and caverns, with private homes consisting of little more than alcoves off of common areas. More intelligent creatures like the Drow have vast cities where families have elaborate private apartments carved out along tunnels that connect to common areas: marketplaces, libraries, temples, and other places that villages on the surface might have.
Some of the residents of the deepest areas of the Underdark, like the fearsome mind flayers, or illithids, have been driven there upon the collapse of their empires, where they plot their return to the surface world.
Although hominids native to the Underdark have developed darkvision to survive in the perpetually sunless realm, visitors will be surprised to find many of the public areas lighted with phosphorescent mushrooms and Luminescent Crystals. Darkvision, after all, is limited to monochromatic shades of gray, and many would prefer to see the full spectrum of colors when available.
Surface-dwellers fear those who dwell in the dark, retelling legends about their fearsome evilness. While some of the less intelligent creatures may be prone to acts of barbarism, more intelligent creatures like the Drow are like any other hominid: subject to the whims of their leaders, but individually spanning the spectrum of generosity and greed, self-centeredness and civic-mindedness.
