seen from China
seen from Russia
seen from Brunei
seen from United States
seen from Canada
seen from China
seen from Türkiye
seen from China
seen from South Africa
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Germany
seen from Indonesia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Australia
seen from France
seen from China
seen from Vietnam
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
Fel's Notes- TOBY STOP ADDING ALL THESE NEW NPCS
PLEASE
I HAVE TO MAKE REALISTIC MONSTER SPECIES FOR ALL OF THEM
Fel's Notes: More lore! This time talking about food in the Underground.
The types of food available in the Underground is very limited compared to the surface, considering how difficult it is to grow many edible plants with low/no sunlight. Different regions have different flora and fauna available, though trade between places allows for most of the local cuisine to be consistent. The farms in Waterfall grow various mushrooms and root vegetables in large amounts, using magical lanterns to provide the crops enough light. Plenty of monsters just eat their meat and plants raw, but some others cook their meals via the use of magical fire (a select few monsters even have the ever-luxurious sparkstove, an invention by the former Royal Scientist that uses copper wire coils activated by a spark of magic to heat food without having to constantly stoke a fire). Some common dishes include
Water (duh)
Dandelion Root Coffee/Tea (roasted dandelion roots crushed into powder and brewed)
Pine Tea (crushed pine needles brewed into tea)
Golden Flower Tea (golden flower leaves brewed into tea)
Dandelion Roots (eaten like carrots)
Carrots (eaten like... carrots)
Potatoes (often cut into chunks and either roasted or boiled)
Salad (dandelion greens, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms)
Various roasted meat dishes (bat, mouse/rat, vole, snake, lizard, and salamander are common, most other meats are rare to find; meats considered a luxury are groundhog, weasel, badger, bird, squirrel, rabbit, deer, and human)
Eggs (a luxury; very rare to find and hard to actually get, but very delicious)
Crayfish (boiled)
Cave shrimp (boiled)
Various fish dishes (often roasted in large amounts but sometimes eaten raw)
Snail (requires a lot of preparation and patience but some monsters find them worth it, though of course some monsters also just eat them raw)
Roasted centipedes (only centipedes, millipedes are toxic unless they’ve specifically evolved to resist it)
Soooo many soups (like seriously, they can and will make soup out of anything)
The only additives they really have for meals is onions and salt, though technically monster dust can be added to any recipe to spice things up. Probably wouldn’t taste super great to humans, though.
All monsters are lactose-intolerant, since they don’t exactly have access to milk and wouldn’t evolve the enzymes necessary to digest it. They also don’t have sugar, honey, or easy access to edible fruit, so most human food would seem ridiculously sweet to them (the only sweet food they really have is dandelion blossoms lol). Would they like our food? Ehh I dunno, depends on individual preference I guess, but it would certainly be an acquired taste for most of them. Human food falls into the Underground through Waterfall occasionally, but it usually gets ruined by the moisture and/or spoiled before anyone finds it.
_New Logbook Begun _User: Marshall R. Ebott _Logbook Name: Theory on Raw Magic Dispersion _Logbook Type: Written _First Updated: 9/22/2125 _Last Updated: 9/22/2125 _Displaying Entry
I have spent almost three years down here now. Sounds insane, thinking back on it. The only reason I have any inkling of the passage of time is via the calendar on this logbook recorder. I’ll forever be grateful that I’m using an older model, one that doesn’t require charging in order to work. Well, I would be able to charge it now, but that would mean almost two and a half years worth of research would be left in the dust. How I have electricity and incredibly weak internet down here now is a very different and very long story, and I’m getting off topic enough as it is.
Having spent so long down here, I’ve become quite familiar with the ins and outs of this unique ecosystem, and today I had an epiphany that finally pulls together a wider theory I’ve been constructing on one of the natural processes of this place; the circulation of raw magic.
Raw magic, in of itself, is a compound that I’ve been unable to fully understand, but it’s the backbone of almost everything down here. I’m not a chemist, so I cannot break down what exactly raw magic is or what exact chemical reactions are occurring regarding it, but it is essential for many of the biological processes that the USOs perform. In the present day, raw magic is most easily found condensed in pools of the stuff scattered all throughout these underground caverns. The vast majority of them are located in Waterfall and Hotland; the deepest regions you would be able to find here. Still, if this were the only source of such an essential compound, magical life would only be able to sustain itself within the vicinity of those pools, and as this is clearly not the case there must be some other form of residual raw magic present in the other areas. I have spent a bit of time trying to narrow down where it is settling in these other areas, and can only conclude that it is, in fact, everywhere. Traces of it can be found in the soil, in the water, in the plants that grow here, even in the very air. But, how? How can it travel so far, especially with the pressure within this barrier-sealed mountain forcing it to condense into liquid?
It was today, a few weeks after posting the first Poltergeist entry and rereading it with fresh eyes, that I had my realization. Poltergeists have always been quite the enigma to me. A creature that does not eat and cannot be eaten, which has no body to decompose when it perishes, and has no method of reproduction; what niche could such a creature possibly fill? What purpose could they possibly serve to the greater environment of this strange and resource-hungry world? Well, Poltergeist’s are the only creature to frequent the raw magic pools, returning to them day after day to replenish their misty, incorporeal bodies. It is these very incorporeal bodies that allow raw magic to spread throughout the underground, with the Poltergeists leaving traces of it behind in their wanderings. The raw magic then floats about in the air, settles on the ground or in the water after some time, then seeps through the earth to eventually find its way back to the pools, or perhaps form a new one should the concentration become high enough. USOs recycle this raw magic in their own way too; via respiration, digestion, and the small amount of magic they do not reabsorb after casting their refined “spells”. It is in this way that Poltergeists, once considered pointless wisps with no ecological niche, are revealed to be one of the most critical species for the health and development of Mt. Ebott’s environment.
…There is something else I have theorized, however. Something perhaps a bit more… concerning. You see, I’m quite sure that raw magic does not exist anywhere else in the world. However, there is no indication that this mountain specifically is what cultivated the primordial creation of raw magic, considering also that many magical species have evolutionary remnants of adaptations meant for life in the forests, oceans, deserts, and mountains of the surface world. Taking into consideration the magical barrier that surrounds this place, which almost certainly was not always present here, the question becomes thus: how did all of the world’s magic (and magic-based creatures) end up under this specific mountain in the eastern United States? And was it always distributed in the way that was described above?
My hypothesis is no, it was not. Over time, the pressure buildup would have been what caused the current state of raw magic distribution, but I believe that in the past (perhaps when this strange barrier was first formed), all of the world’s magic was sealed away in this very place, which would have been an absolute nightmare. Raw magic swirling about every corner in its gaseous form, blanketing every nook and cranny in a white mist ready to explode at even the slightest disturbance. Any form of casting would obviously be too dangerous to even attempt, and the air would be thick and much more saturated than it is currently, making it much harder for USOs to breathe. This would be a more extreme environment for the many USO species that would have existed at the time, perhaps driving some of them to extinction? And as for water-based life, like plants, animals, and humans, it would be… inhospitable, to put it lightly. I have spent my fair share of time around raw magic pools, and I can say from experience that too much exposure to the substance is not very good for one’s health. I’ve certainly learned my lesson about getting too close, though perhaps not soon enough. The effects of prolonged exposure are still uncertain, though I can say some of the long-term effects have included a weakened respiratory system and some sort of adverse effect on the circulatory system. I am not a doctor, so I cannot exactly diagnose myself with anything or figure out what exactly it has been doing to me, but needless to say I am not exactly the picture of health right now. Not to worry, though! I’m sure I’ll be fine. I just… have to get out of here sooner rather than later.
Though, what will happen if the barrier is miraculously broken? Will things down here remain as they are, with little effect on the surface world? Or… would it release a devastating wave of this dangerous substance the likes of which this earth has never seen?
I have just gotten done going through the entirety of the content you have on this blog!
It is all very nice. Love what you're doing here and I have become invested in the UnderDen lore.
I also believe that I have managed to create a key to your scrambled language and I have translated everything! It's readable and understandable so I think I got it right. Then again, I was doing this in the middle of the night, so there might be some errors I missed. It was very fun to try to solve. (Not sure how you'll feel about said information being shared, so I'll keep it secret for now unless you clearly state that you're fine with it being out there. I also don't really want to take the fun away from others who want to solve it themselves, but at the same time I also know that others may not want to put forth the effort of solving it themselves. Idk)
I hope you have a wonderful day or night wherever you are. And keep creating wonderful things! ((o(^∇^)o)) You’re amazing and your doing great!
(Also not really sure if this was good to ask on this blog or if it would have been better to send it to you on your main. Sorry if you would have preferred for me to send this to your main, and sorry of this is too long.)
Fel's Notes: Heya! Glad you've gotten so invested! I didn’t expect anyone to actually translate those entries lol. Good work!
Unfortunately... I do have plans to actually change the scrambled language because I'm slowly finding a more pronouncable way to decode it. So, as not to put all your hard work to waste, once the entries change I'll post the new key myself to help with translation (unless you want to do it all again? idk if that'd be fun for you lol). The content/message in the entries themselves won't change at all, just the look of the language. As for whether the translation should be shared, go right ahead! I don't think anyone else is going to go through quite as much effort for it lol.
(And you can send asks on this blog, yeah! Though the content is split between interacting with Marshall-- the character behind this blog in canon-- and me, the one actually running this blog, so next time all you have to do is specify whether you want me (Fel) or Marshall to answer.)
_ New Logbook Begun _ User: Marshall R. Ebott _ Logbook Name: U.S.O-01 (Flowey) _ Logbook Type: Written _ First Updated: 4/25/2123 _ Last Updated: 4/25/2123 _ Displaying Entry Though USO-01 looks very similar to USP-01, the two species do not appear to be related. Additionally, all data on USO-01 comes from a single individual, so findings may be inaccurate.
Species Name: Faux Flora (Mendax flosa) Habitat: The Ruined Catacombs Average Height: 10 in/0.2 m Average Weight: Not measured Diet: Autotrophic (photosynthesis) Temp. Regulation: Ectothermic Abilities: Capacity for speech, chlorokinesis, projectile conjuration Disposition: Conniving Threat Level: 5
A small plant-like organism that was first encountered at the very entrance of the Ruined Catacombs. It closely resembles USP-01 besides a white, smiling face where the yellow disk florets would be on the normal flower. It is currently unknown what purpose this mimicry serves. Very intelligent, but clearly malicious. Avoid it if possible.
Effective study of this USO-01 proves difficult, as besides my initial encounter with the creature I have not been able to observe it outside of a passing glance. It has the surprising ability to communicate in English (vocal mimicry can be ruled out as the creature would actively respond to me), but does not seem especially open to interrogation, as it was only ever friendly to me for the purposes of murderous deception.
Fel's Notes: More lore! Yippee! (don't expect me to run out of this soon lol) This time, on the nature of monster souls.
Monster souls are made out of raw magic, and serve many important functions in a monster’s body; it pumps magic through a monster’s body like a heart pumps blood, acts as a secondary emotion center in tandem with the brain, contains a lot of genetic information, and also acts as a reservoir to pull magic from. This makes it arguably the most important organ in a monster’s body. Were a monster’s soul to be removed, they would die instantly, and when a monster dies their soul is destroyed along with them, making it nearly impossible to obtain one intact. As a monster grows older, their soul becomes less efficient at absorbing and distributing magic throughout the body, causing the effects of aging and eventual death. When a monster is hurt, the magic pours out of their injury in a pinkish-white mist, so any sufficiently deep wound can empty out all of a monster’s magic if not resealed. There is a non-zero chance that the sudden release of raw magic when a monster is killed will cause their body to explode.
Some monsters can be born with two souls. This genetic mutation is rare in most species but common in others, such as Chimaera, Dragons and Kitsune. This second soul is connected to the first soul but not connected to the rest of the body. Thus, it will not instantly disappear upon its host’s death, but is still unstable and will explode after a few seconds. Monsters born with two souls are called Boss Monsters. Having two souls dramatically extends a monster’s lifespan and grants them incredible magical power, but can lead to quite a few complications, including but not limited to:
Increased risk of magi-circulatory irregularities or failure (similar to heart conditions/heart attacks)
Increased risk of developing magi-circulatory processing disorders (conditions that make it unsafe or physically impossible to use magic)
Increased risk of developing mood disorders (depression, bipolar, and disruptive-mood-dysregulation disorder)
Physical deformities
Plurality (in rare cases)
This also changes the way they reproduce; when a monster with this condition has a child, their magic is directly linked with said child, consistently draining from their second soul until the child reaches maturity and absorbs all magic from that soul entirely. This causes the parents to begin aging normally. If the child dies before reaching maturity, the parent’s second soul will slowly regenerate the lost magic until both are functional again. If both parents were Boss Monsters, the child will absorb magic from both of them, granting them a second soul as well.
_ New Logbook Begun _ User: Marshall R. Ebott _ Logbook Name: U.S.O-07A/B (Vegetoid/Parsnik) _ Logbook Type: Written _ First Updated: 4/25/2123 _ Last Updated: 12/19/2124 _ Displaying Entry
Species Name: Salad Demon (Radix verma and Radix serpens) Habitat: The Ruined Catacombs Average Height: A- ~1 ft/0.30 m, B- ~2 ft/0.61 m (fully extended) Average Weight: Not measured Diet: Insects, arachnids, gastropods, small mammals, carrion Temp. Regulation: Ectothermic Abilities: Capacity for speech (limited), chlorokinesis, burrowing Disposition: Confrontational Threat Level: 1
USO-07A: An organism resembling a carrot or similar root vegetable. They have slanted black eyes with no pupils and a V-shaped mouth at the center of their bodies. Their coloration is usually various shades of orange or brown, with green leaf-like appendages sprouting from their heads that they can extend to crawl around. Not a danger so long as they are not consumed.
USO-07A is a parasitic organism that mimics a common food source of the Underground in order to be purposefully eaten. It reproduces asexually, with split-off chunks of it developing into individual larvae within an organism’s stomach or digestive tract and feeding off of the nutrients said organism consumes. Once USO-07A larvae grow to a large enough size, they will begin to eat through the digestive system’s protective lining until the creature either regurgitates them or dies via a number of unpleasant ways. They become ambush hunters upon maturity, their food-like disguise pulling double-duty as a lure for unsuspecting prey. I will admit that I fell for this ruse upon first discovering them, though luckily I did not get to consume it. The specimen I encountered seemed to decide that I was food and attacked me, which is odd considering that I am almost 5x bigger than its usual prey. Safe to say it did not succeed in its hunt.
USO-07B: An organism that resembles USO-07A very strongly, with the leaf-like appendages replaced by snake-like pseudopods instead. Each pseudopod has markings that resemble eyes and a gaping mouth with four needle-thin fangs. Still not much of a threat, but avoid it if possible.
USO-07B is behaviorally similar to USO-07A, with the difference of USO-07B being unable to move from the spot it has planted itself in. Instead of chasing after prey that escapes its initial ambush, it instead relies on its pseudopods to strike and ensnare them before they can get away. I had one attach itself to my leg this way once; bashing a rock on its face was the only way I could get it to release its grip. Those tiny fangs may not seem like much, but they certainly sting.
_ New Logbook Begun _ User: Marshall R. Ebott _ Logbook Name: U.S.O-02 (Boss Monster) _ Logbook Type: Written _ First Updated: 4/25/2123 _ Last Updated: 10/7/2124 _ Displaying Entry
Species Name: Mountain Chimaera (Chimaera monsincola) Habitat: The Ruined Catacombs, City of Stone Average Height: ~5 ft/1.53 m (at the shoulder), ~9 ft/2.75 m (standing upright) Average Weight: 700-800 lbs/318-363 kg Diet: Roots, root vegetables, fungi, nuts, insects, gastropods, salamanders, reptiles, small mammals Temp. Regulation: Endothermic Abilities: Heightened senses, unusual strength, fire breath, pyrokinesis, prehensile forelimbs Disposition: Protective Threat Level: 8
A large chimeric organism that resembles a cross between a long-eared goat, a lion, and a polar bear. They sport a dense coat of white fur, curved horns, oversized upper canines, and cat-like eyes that can be either brown or deep red. The males have a golden mane and much larger horns than the females, presumably for the purpose of attracting mates. They appear primarily quadrupedal but can stand and move on their hind legs for an extended period of time, using their front paws as “hands” to grab things or even use tools. Intelligent and strong. Regard with caution.
Only two members of USO-02 have ever been observed; an older female in the Ruined Catacombs and an older male in the City of Stone. While I am unable to gather more data on the female due to the Ruined Catacombs now being inaccessible, the male is at least able to be actively observed. I do have to be extremely careful with this specimen, however, as it appears to hold the highest hierarchical position among all other species in this ecosystem and any perceived danger to it would certainly lead to a target on my back. My drake attempts to hide me whenever it is near, suggesting that perhaps even the sight of me would create a dangerous situation?
It thankfully does not seem to recognize my disguise as human, at least from afar. …Perhaps finding a way to cover my scent would allow for closer observation?
[UPDATE- 10/7/24] I have a theory that this species may not have developed within this underground ecosystem, but rather evolved to live on the mountains surrounding it. On multiple occasions I’ve witnessed both specimens being unable to easily access certain areas due to their horns and/or overall size, and despite having several evolutionary traits consistent with living in a cold climate both live nowhere near Snowdin Forest. It makes no sense for a species that big to reasonably move around in a space like this, much less find enough food to sustain itself on its own. If they really did evolve to survive outside of these caverns, however, that begs the questions as to why this species was never discovered by humanity before now, how they ended up trapped down here, and why the subsequent generations of this species never truly adapted to their new environment. Maybe there were no subsequent generations? …No, that’s impossible. All of these other species show evolutionary patterns consistent with several centuries of natural selection, and they can’t have lived for that long, right? Regardless, given their current numbers and having no recorded sightings of these creatures anywhere else on Earth, it’s safe to say that this relic of another time should now be considered functionally extinct. How lucky am I, then, to witness the last Chimaera?
