UnderWorld

	Underground City
	; View of the interior
About
Founder	lacrosse1991
Contributors	AgentMuu kanne35 Kiatarie Krenath shypixel FreakyClement BrickStack
Category	Towns
Underground?	Yes
Fortified?	No
Public access?	Yes
Public build?	No
Size north to south	100m
Size west to east	100m
Transport
Road link?	No
Nexus link?	No
Rail link?	No
Boat link?	No
Portal?	No
Location
Coordinates	X=-711 ; Y=72 ; Z=750
Dimension	Overworld
	Map Link

	Underworld
	; Underworld
About
Founder	SlowRiot
Contributors	TheMightyCheeze At0m1Ca15 ToneDial Madjock999 bastetfurry runechan (and lots of others)
Category	Cities
Underground?	Yes
Fortified?	No
Public access?	Yes
Public build?	Yes
Size north to south	160m
Size west to east	160m
Transport
Road link?	Yes
Nexus link?	No
Rail link?	Yes
Boat link?	No
Portal?	No
Location
Coordinates	X=-829 ; Y=91 ; Z=654
Dimension	Overworld
	Map Link

Underworld is a predominantly underground region of Freedonia, conceived and built as such, but also containing links to numerous overground buildings and sub-settlements.

Underworld main

History

The city was founded in April 2011, with the original intention of providing a rich communal mining environment.

Despite the size, the cavern was constructed by hand as a team project overseen by SlowRiot, with the simultaneous assistance of over a dozen players.

Design

Underworld is a giant cavern, comprising of one central cavern in the shape of half a sphere with a diameter of 120 blocks and a series of daughter caverns around the perimeter which have a radius of 20 blocks each. The cavern is a half-dome shape, as is each of the smaller daughter caverns, with their centre placed just above bedrock level.

Each of the daughter caverns is divided into two halves, offering a total of 16 sections available for player exploitation. Unlike traditional managed-layout cities where plots are limited externally, in Underworld plots are only limited internally; this means that a player is assigned a section of wall, and a limited angle through which they are permitted to excavate. There is nothing stopping a member of Underworld digging as far out as they see fit.

The below-ground structure is echoed by an overground structure consisting of a central tower, or spindle, surrounded by eight auxiliary towers. Each of these comprises of a light shaft providing daylight (and dispelling the gloom) at the bottom of the world for the central and daughter caverns. A circular road links all eight towers, and sky roads branch out from each of the towers linking them to nearby settlements and further outwards.

Economic impact

Due to its nature as a communal mining hub, the construction of the city promoted a leap in the general wealth of Freedonia as a whole, offering economic revitalisation after a period of general scarcity. As such it became a hub of merchandise and trade. The first tests of server shops, using NPCs, were carried out in the heart of Underworld, and although these tests were largely unsuccessful, they paved the way for the later introduction of server and player shops. Underworld has the oldest running marketplace in Freedonia, and the first automated group warehouses were tested here also.

As new materials, such as Lapis Lazuli were introduced, and the balance of originally rare materials such as clay altered, the underground city fell into disuse. However, it remains as a monument to massive underground building projects, and is the largest single organized mining project in the history of Freedonia to date.

Transport

The spindle of the city presently acts as a sky road hub, within walking distance of Spawn, Drum City and Clubhouse. The spindle was later retrofitted with railway tracks for the Freedonia Railway System, as well as a simple junction, allowing the switching of traffic between Spawn, Dial Republic and Drum City, and the long line to Forbidden Outpost.

Initial stages of the main hall excavation.
External view from ground level, showing several of the light shafts plus the circular peripheral road.
View of the completed main hall.
One of the satellite domes with a simple player house.
View out from one of the satellite domes into the centre.
UnderWorld as seen on 9 May 2012, more than a year after its initial creation.

getplayerhead.sh?ScarClaw72&16.png ScarClaw72 featured the city in his 24th episode of Exploring Freedonia, as part of its second season.

Lacrosse and friends underground town

An unnamed underground town sprung up at around the same time as Underworld, and was later linked by a tunnel, springing from a natural cave system in the south-east of the city. Includes few houses built around the main two-storey atrium lighted by four big lava chandeliers.

The original overground gate to the city
Muu's furnace room