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Chapter 7 - M: UNDERWORLD MAP

 THE UNDERWORLD - DEEP EARTH MAP

 The Forgotten Below

 

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DEPTH BELOW SEA LEVEL - GOING DEEPER

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ENTRY POINTS FROM SURFACE

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[o] Ironhold Spiral - SEALED

 Ancient stairway, 10,000 steps

[o] Boleto Deep Shaft - GUARDED

 Dwarf-controlled elevator

[o] Crystal Cave Network - DANGEROUS

 Natural passages, easy to get lost

[o] The Singing Wells - MYSTERIOUS

 Enter at midnight only

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UPPER TUNNELS (-9,000m to -10,000m)

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THE MINING LEVEL

- Ancient ore veins

- Abandoned equipment

- Dwarf outposts (occasional)

- Air: Barely breathable

- Temperature: 40 degrees

[o] Lost Mine Alpha - Ghost town

[o] Ferrosporale Veins - Living metal

[o] Echo Chamber 1 - Sound tests

CREATURES HERE:

- Cave salamanders (harmless)

- Blind fish in underground rivers

- Phosphorescent fungi

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THE MAZE OF ECHOES (-10,000m to -11,000m)

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THE SOUND LABYRINTH

- Your voice becomes solid walls

- Whispers create passages

- Screams cause cave-ins

- Silence is the only map

[+] The Quiet Shrine - Safe zone

[*] Hall of Forgotten Names

[@] Echo Guard Post - Abandoned

NAVIGATION RULES:

- Never speak above whisper

- Follow the stone markers

- Trust the fungi light

- Count your heartbeats

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THE TRANSITION ZONE (-11,000m to -12,000m)

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WHERE EARTH CHANGES

- Gravity increases (1.1x)

- Air becomes thick

- Stone flows like water

- Time moves strangely

[o] The Breathing Caves

 Inhale/exhale cycle

[o] Gravity Wells

 Avoid at all costs

[+] Neutral Ground

 Peace treaties signed here

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THE KYTINN EMPIRE (-12,000m to -13,000m)

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THE CALCULATION CHAMBERS

[#] PRIME HIVE - 5 million Kytinn

 Central consciousness node

[#] Secondary Hives (12 total)

 Each with 500,000 Kytinn

[@] Border Checkpoints

 They count everything

KYTINN SOCIETY:

- Insect-like beings

- Obsessed with counting

- Perfect memory

- Communicate through clicks

- Trade in calculations

WHAT THEY COUNT:

- Every grain of sand

- Every drop of water

- Every heartbeat above

- Everything except themselves

TEMPERATURE: 200 degrees

PRESSURE: 1.2x surface

AIR: Sulfur-rich

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THE DEEP FACTORIES (-13,000m)

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KYTINN PRODUCTION CENTERS

[o] Crystal Growth Farms

[o] Metal Synthesis Chambers

[o] The Number Mines

 Where math becomes real

TRADE GOODS:

- Living crystals

- Calculated futures

- Compressed time

- Solid mathematics

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THE CORE APPROACHES (-14,000m)

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THE HEAT RISES

- Temperature: 400 degrees

- Gravity: 1.3x surface

- Reality becomes flexible

- Physics optional

[*] The Melting Halls

[*] Liquid Stone Rivers

[+] The Last Temple

[@] Final Guard Station

SURVIVAL REQUIREMENTS:

- Heat-resistant armor

- Gravity compensation

- Mental shields

- Permission from below

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THE FIRST GATE (-15,000m)

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THE DEEPEST KNOWN POINT

[X] THE FIRST GATE

 "Beyond Lies the Before"

WHAT'S KNOWN:

- Older than the world

- Guards something important

- No expedition returned

- Kytinn won't go near it

RUMORS:

- Portal to other worlds

- Prison for old gods

- The world's true heart

- Source of all magic

THE GATE'S INSCRIPTION:

"Count the cost before entering

 Name the price before paying

 Know yourself before changing

 Some doors close forever"

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UNDERWORLD ECONOMY

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EXPORTS TO SURFACE:

- Rare metals and gems

- Calculated prophecies

- Heat crystals

- Compressed materials

IMPORTS FROM ABOVE:

- Fresh air (bottled)

- Surface water

- Sunlight (crystallized)

- News and stories

CURRENCY:

- Calculations

- Compressed time

- Memory crystals

- Heat units

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SURVIVAL GUIDe

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ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT:

- Heat suit (below -11,000m)

- Pressure compensator

- Air supply (8 hours minimum)

- Light source (3 backups)

- Kytinn translator device

DANGERS:

- Heat stroke

- Pressure sickness

- Sound maze confusion

- Kytinn territory violation

- Gate proximity madness

NEVER DO THIS:

- Lie to a Kytinn (they know)

- Steal counted items

- Approach the First Gate

- Swim in liquid stone

- Forget your way back

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POPULATION ESTIMATES:

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Upper Tunnels: 10,000 (miners/explorers)

Maze Level: Unknown (lost souls?)

Kytinn Empire: 8-10 million

Core Approaches: 0 (uninhabitable)

First Gate: Something watches

TOTAL: ~10 million sentient beings

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