Geography: The portion of the Darksea shown on the map
represents only a small fraction of the total AREA occupied by this
huge body of water. The exact extent of the Darksea is unknown,
but it is safe to assume that its waters reach a hundred miles or
more to the S && E of the area displayed.

The waters of the Darksea are mildly salty, but not as salty as
seawater on the surface. In many places the ceiling of the chamber
rises far above the water level, occasionally by as much as
1,000 feet. In other places the ceiling drops to the water level or
below, blocking off huge sections of the sea to all but underwater
travelers.

Small portions of the sea’s shoreline include stretches of
smooth rock that gradually slopes into the water. Here boats can
be pulled onto shore and creatures can clamber ashore. Most of
the shore is lined with vertical stone cliffs that plummet from the
ceiling deep into the sea, however, and the only way out of the
water in these places is a vertical climb.

The water varies in depth, but can only be considered shallow
near the infrequent shorelines mentioned above. In other places,
the sea bottom falls hundreds of feet from the surface. At its
deepest, the bottom of the Darksea is 2,000 feet below the
water’s surface.

Denizens: The dominant denizens of the Darksea are the aboleth.
A dozen or more of their massive, buoyant cities drift slowly
around in the black waters, and parties of aboleth commonly travel
about the sea. They are always eager to gain more slaves for
their cities and more prey for their sinister rituals.
In addition, the many creatures listed in Area 30 as travelers
between that region and the Darksea are encountered here.
Some creatures are unique to the Darksea, however. These
include giant squid, water nagas, verme, and the hideously evil
morkoth.

Other types of aquatic denizens include subterranean varieties
of many ocean predators, such as sharks, barracudas, rays, and
even dragon turtles and sea snakes.

Small groups of kuo-toa are occasionally encountered here as
well, but the men-fish are engaged in a losing war with the aboleth
for total control of the Darksea. It seems evident that, within a
few centuries, the kuo-toan presence in the Darksea will be a
thing of the past.

Resources: The Darksea holds the rich variety of resources
typical of many seas and oceans on the surface. Although kelp
and plankton cannot grow without sunlight, many varieties of
aquatic fungi have developed here. Some of these float upon the
water, looking much like mushrooms, while smaller varieties
resemble clouds of molds floating at all depths in the water.
Many fish (including some of the monsters listed above) thrive
on these fungi. The Darksea also hosts subterranean varieties of
many common surface fish such as perch, trout, and salmon.
These fish fall prey to the thriving varieties of carnivores that
swarm in the waters of the Darksea.

Unique Features: The cities of the aboleth float through the
Darksea much like their city floats in the Great Lake of Deepearth
(Area 17). One of the cities in the Darksea is the center of aboleth
culture, however, and is about three times the size of the others.
The capital city is encircled by 36 towers, instead of the usual six,
and is in all ways more grandiose than the other aboleth cities.