#underden loreposting

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. 

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.

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 time, enchanting!

MCPD = Magi-Circulatory Processing Disorder

There are three types of MCPD, each varying in presentation and severity.

Type 1: MCPD-1 is when a monster’s soul develops incompletely, causing it to become malformed in some way. This often (but not always) changes the shape of the affected soul and decreases the amount of magic the affected monster can safely release before reaching a critical state. The affected monster can still refine their magic in the same way a normal monster would, but certain effects may apply to their magic, such as;

Dramatically reduced effect (pitiful damage, smaller size/radius, minimally effective healing, etc.)

Delayed casting (takes longer to cast, effect may not be immediate)

Physical side effects during or after casting (such as tremors, lightheadedness, fatigue, headache, nausea, shortness of breath, muscle weakness, temporary blurred vision)

Poor reabsorption (takes longer to passively absorb magic via sleep and respiration, only reabsorbs 60-75% of magic after casting recall instead of 90%)

(oh yeah, and "casting recall" is just what happens when a spell dissipates, most of the magic used to create the spell is reabsorbed back into the monster's soul)

MCPD-1 is often comorbid with other physical disorders such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, asthma, POTS, magi-circulatory irregularities, physical deformities and other birth defects. In rare cases, the soul malformation can be severe enough to cause neonatal death.

Type 2: MCPD-2 is when the link between a monster’s soul and their magi-circulatory system is unstable or inconsistent. This makes it incredibly dangerous for the affected monster to cast magic, as while technically possible most of the time there is a severe risk of the following occurring rather than the intended cast:

Dramatically reduced effect (pitiful damage, smaller size/radius, minimally effective healing, etc.)

Delayed casting (takes longer to cast, effect may not be immediate)

Failure to recall (magic cannot be reabsorbed)

Magi-circulatory failure

Raw magic explosion (external)

Raw magic explosion (internal)

As well as causing other unpleasant side effects that affect quality of life, such as:

Physical side effects during/after/instead of casting (such as tremors, lightheadedness, fatigue, migraine, fainting, nausea, trouble breathing, muscle pain and/or weakness, and in extreme cases straight-up organ failure)

Poor reabsorption (takes longer to passively absorb magic via sleep and respiration, does not absorb any magic after casting recall)

This type only occurs in otherwise unimpaired souls, as for those with MCPD-1 or other soul malformations having any instability between this magi-circulatory link will progress it to MCPD-3. It is currently unknown why MCPD-2 occurs, but can be both inherited and acquired. When present at birth, MCPD-2 is often comorbid with other physical disorders such as chronic pain, chronic fatigue, insomnia, asthma, POTS, and other magi-circulatory irregularities.

Monster bodies are made of magic, and is likened to the way water makes up most of the human body– we’ve known that for a while. However, that means magic must be a physical substance, an element or compound that interacts with the world entirely separately from the monster’s use of it, and that’s something that isn’t explored too often.

In Underden, raw magic is extremely reactive and can be found in any state of matter quite easily, like water, but unlike water it becomes a gas at much lower temperatures. Raw magic is unpredictable and often volatile, with a tendency for it to react to any sudden introduction of new elements by exploding violently as it superheats into a gas. In order for monsters to wield magic safely, they must first refine it through their body into a specific form or purpose before using it. How exactly this is done, no one is quite sure; it probably has something to do with a monster’s soul, but the specifics are hazy since most monsters describe the process as being something they do instinctively. Different species have a tendency to shape their magic in specific ways and struggle to use it outside of those ways, though ultimately the specific shape of a monster’s magic is defined more by the individual.

Some random loreposting to stall for time while I work on the next species entry, starting with some location-based things

In Underden, Mt. Ebott is an inactive volcano that's the centerpiece for Ebott National Park (located somewhere in the eastern US). Its a popular tourist spot for nature lovers and a good place for environmental science research, though visitors are encouraged not to get too close the mountain itself due to the many, many cases of people going missing around that area. The official explanation for this is that these people just got lost or fell down a hole or something, but the presence of a large metal fence surrounding the area close to the mountain with a bajillion warning signs does tend to raise a few questions. Many of the locals claim that the mountain itself is disappearing them, with one cooky old man even claiming that Mt. Ebott is a portal to the Underworld; that the demon king of the faeries is down there snatching anyone that gets too close and sacrificing them to pay a tithe to Hell. ...Yeah, most people just kinda ignore him lol. The Underground itself is just a giant network of caves and tunnels that stretches underneath the mountain, with multiple access points from the surface. The barrier disguises all of these entrances from the outside, so they look like normal ground/cliffs on the surface (very dangerous!)

The Snowdin area is the closest to the top of the mountain and has the most entrances, though none of them are particularly safe as you'd fall at least 30 feet straight down at the lowest one. As a result of all these little entrances, Snowdin Forest is the only area that gets enough light to support some coniferous trees, and also the only area that experiences seasons (a "snow" season and a "melt" season).

The Ruins (called the Ruined Catacombs by Marshall) is most easily accessible through the famous cave entrance that Chara/Frisk fall into, and has a moderate amount of light; enough to support some forms of plant life like vines, moss, lichen, and ferns. The pink-ish tint of the rock there is due to the unusual amount of iron in them.

The giant cavern where New Home is located (called the City of Stone by Marshall) only has one entrance on a cliff near the bottom of the mountain, but it's HUGE-- it lets a lot of sunlight into the cavern, but unfortunately doesn't help much in the form of plants due to the ground there being literally just rock. This is where most of the Underground's population can be found, and is the closest anyone can get to the barrier-- close enough to touch it, even.

Waterfall is technically the biggest region of the Underground, with tunnels stretching out for nearly a mile deep beneath the ground. The only notable entry point is the area where Ebott Park's river seems to just disappear, turning into a huge waterfall that continues flowing through Waterfall itself before dumping into Hotland and turning into steam. This river also has another starting point in Snowdin due to a small lake residing on the surface up there as well.

Hotland is the smallest area but also the deepest, extending down near Mt. Ebott's magma reservoir. It obviously doesn't have any plant life whatsoever and conditions there are extremely harsh, but somehow a not-insignificant portion of all monster species call it their home. It probably helps that a branch of the river was manually redirected into a cooler area of Hotland to at least grant some reliable access to water.