In Short
The Compass of Celestial Directions, Vol. IV: The Underworld sets out to provide plenty of background material on one of the most interesting parts of the Exalted setting. Filled with clever and interesting ideas, this setting guide does an excellent job of describing the Underworld while also inspiring the reader with many, many plot hooks just waiting to be unleashed in your Exalted game.The Good: Good writing, neat ideas, and a lot of support material results in an excellent supplement.
The Bad: I would like to have seen more maps and artwork depicting places of the Underworld instead of the current art focus on various NPC soldiers. Regional maps would greatly have assisted with understanding exactly where many of the locations discussed are found.
The Physical Thing
This 160 page black and white softcover showcases average production values for its $24.99 price tag. The editing is good, with only occasion errors appearing in the text. The artwork is very flavorful and does an excellent job of manifesting the setting when it is used to depict the setting rather than random soldiers. While there is a map of the underworld, a larger map of each area would have been a fine addition.Under the Cover
Split into eight chapters covering each direction, the history of the Underworld, antagonists, and Stygia, Underworld manages to be comprehensive while still providing plenty of detail on each region. On the whole, I find the book to be inspiring and I once again felt the urge to run an Abyssals game after having read it. Let's take a closer look at the content.Underworld kicks off with a discussion of the history of the dreary realm. The first ghosts found their way to the Underworld during the Primordial War, as an enormous number of entities were dying every day. In this time the Underworld was chaotic, filled with storms and upheaval that made existence there difficult. Several early heroes braved these manifestations of the Neverborn's death dreams to reach the Well of Oblivion and bind these dreams with powerful magic, causing the Underworld to stabilize into a timeless reflection of Creation.
With the first Shadowlands having been scoured into Creation in the Primordial War, the paths were laid between the worlds of the living and the dead. Various Exalted visited the Underworld over the years in an attempt to learn its secrets and aid its residents in reincarnation. All was going well until the Usurpation, the great betrayal wherein the Dragon Bloods rose up and slew the mad Solars. The Underworld was thrown into chaos as many, many more ghosts suddenly found themselves stranded in the dreary realm.
While great events occurred in Creation, even greater events occurred below. The Dual Monarchs, strange and unknowable rulers of Stygia (the reflection of the Blessed Isle), built a great machine that converted the prayers of the dead into energy to move the sun of the Underworld thereby adding time and change to the realm of the dead. Governments were formed, ghosts tinkered with the living to gain reverence and mention in order to secure power, and the ambitions of the Underworld mirrored those of Creation above.
After the Usurpation the Deathlords were born from those Solars who swore themselves to the Neverborn, and their existence would forever change the Underworld. Slowly, carefully, they extended their influence outward until they eventually took control of Stygia itself and forced the Dual Monarchs to bow to their authority. While these masters of death continue to wield great power in the Underworld, they are not the only authority. Just as with any political system, no single person can supervise all of a vast territory.
Today the Underworld is largely stable. The Dual Monarchs rule over Stygia, at the behest of the Deathlords, while various smaller states dot the map. There is no doubt that the might of a Deathlord vastly exceeds that of any other power in the Underworld, but most Deathlords are too busy working on a way to destroy Creation to bother with the rule of many existing governments.
The most notable of the existing governments, and the one that no Deathlord can ignore, is Stygia. Situated as the dark reflection of the Blessed Isle, Stygia is the greatest necropolis in all the Underworld. Built upon centuries of erosion, for the Underworld is constantly sinking, the main city is a complex mess of ancient ruins, new construction, mazes of tunnels, and mixed architecture. Denizens tend to be confined to specific areas based on status, and travel within the city is surprisingly difficult. Given its size and strange construction, the only fast mode of transit is by flying (a service available to the wealthy) or making use of the Labyrinth (an option far too dangerous for most).
Despite the many problems that plague Stygia, the city is very much the jewel of the Underworld. The dead from all over flock there for protection and new opportunities, and though the Dual Monarchs are largely the puppets of the Deathlords they still provide for the people living there. Huge essence reserves are sold by the city to crafters of artifacts and spells, trade of all sorts moves through the city, and the Calendar – the great machine that moves the sun – can be witnessed in all its splendor here.
Underworld does a great job of detailing the many districts of the city. This results in plenty of information to make Stygia come alive at the game table. More importantly, these districts are really neat and I could happily run several sessions based on little more than wandering the districts and learning a little more about them. One of my favorite things in Underworld is also included in the district discussion, that being a garden made entirely of cloth and paper. The real flowers and grass of Creation could not grow here, so city servants worked tirelessly to create an illusionary garden using fine craft skills. It's the perfect place to encounter ghosts brooding over what they have lost, and it's exactly the sort of place where I would like to set a scene involving a midnight rendezvous with an intelligence operative.
While Stygia is the center of economic and political power within the Underworld, there are just as many interesting lands and peoples here as in Creation. Each major direction receives a full chapter of detail, and each location introduced is as interesting as it is fun. To the East the Forest People dwell, the many dead of the river folk and the diverse peoples of Creation's East. Of greater note than these scattered tribes, however, is the great city of Sijan. Strongly reflecting Creation's Sijan and eclipsed only by Stygia in grandeur, the Sijan of the Underworld is an economic hub governed by the powerful Mortician's Guild. Sijan also sports one hell of a military, including the only dedicated cavalry units found in the Underworld.
To the South lie empires of sand, just as in Creation, but also Merciless – the fortress of the First and Forsaken Lion. Exiled to his fortress where he dwells with his slave, Princess Magnificent, the Deathlord's expansive presence throughout the South can not be missed. While many other Deathlords have more subtle domains, the First and Forsaken Lion engages in large scale mining and other activities that can't be missed. Beyond the domain of the Lion, Chiaroscuro is the major city of the South. Filled with dead that predate the Contagion, Chiaroscuro is a heavily bureaucratic city dotted with hundreds of tiny Shadowlands that enable ghosts and the living to often interact in ways unavailable to other parts of the Underworld.
The West offers a large variety of locations, many bordering on the incredibly still, black ocean waters. Jungles, port cities, and archipelagos are all represented here and there's enough detail to easily spur a game set in the waters of the Underworld forward. Of particular note is the sunken city of Saigoth, which sank under the waters of Creation before even the usurpation and now barely survives within a magical dome at the bottom of the Shadowed Sea. Filled with people so isolated they have had no contact with the world since the Solar Deliberative ruled, this remote treasure could easily be the focus of an entire Chronicle as the characters work to bring the city under the control of a Deathlord and plunder it for its many secrets and artifacts.
To the North lie many frozen, isolated city-states. As harsh as any other part of the Underworld, cannibalism and barbarism rule certain areas of the North and the area is best thought of as very dangerous. The major exception, and my favorite part of the book, revolves around the island of Lakshadi. This island once hosted a Dragon King society specialized in education and medicine. Because the Dragon Kings are born as savages and only become enlightened through very special educational techniques, the Elders became concerned that there would not be enough Elders to continue educating the young into the future. When the Great Contagion came these Elders allowed themselves to die so that they could teach their descendents from the underworld, thereby guaranteeing the continued enlightenment of their species. Unfortunately, no Shadowland exists near their island so the former residents of Lakshadi have been cut off from their people ever since the Contagion. This is a fantastic story hook, and one that I would love to explore at the gaming table.
Unlike coverage of the distinct geographic regions, the Labyrinth is everywhere in the Underworld. Housing the dead Primordials, the Labyrinth may well be larger than Creation and the Underworld combined. A guide to navigating the Labyrinth mechanically is included, though I'm not thrilled with a success not being enough to actually succeed at a navigation goal. The areas included in the Labyrinth are strange but very interesting, and definitely worth including in a game. This is another idea where I wish there was at least a vague map to play with, maybe showing off bizarre landmarks, but while the Labyrinth receives only brief attention the support included is certainly better than nothing.
Underworld wraps up with a short section dedicated to antagonists. The Deathlord Bodhisattva Anointed by Dark Water is fully stated, and a large variety of antagonists are also included. I'm actually very pleased with the creatures here as many of them have the weird darkness one would expect of the creatures of the Underworld. Much of the rest of the product has mass combat stats for forces associated with the various governments, so it's nice to have at least some stats for creatures that dwell within the Underworld.
