The Dimlands are a system of caves situated beneath the Varanat Mountains, in the northeast corner of Altandor. Its native ecosystem is largely barren, consisting only up a handful of barely-glowing fungus, cave fish, and a small variety of blind insects. The winding tunnels cut off sunlight from the few entrances somewhat quickly, plunging intrepid explorers into darkness with all due haste. Cool mist sometimes permeates the cavern, further impacting visibility. The labyrinthine nature of the caves makes it frighteningly easy to get lost, and tragically difficult to find an exit.
The Dimlands were first discovered by a group of Shaninth humans who fled underground during the Age of Ashes. Seeking to escape the choking clouds of ash and the famines they brought, a handful of clans turned to the guidance of their druids, who petitioned the primordials of the caves for safe passage to a new home. They brought everything they owned with them, save for their beloved horses, who they reluctantly released eastward in hopes they would find grass growing there. Their time underground was meant to be short, only until the ash was gone, but their struggle to survive led them ever deeper into the caves, until some long forgotten passageway led them to a cavern deep until the Varanat Mountains. There they remained for many years, before the events of the Shadow War brought them into the sun for the first time in centuries. After the war, the Varan (as they were now known) slowly left the Dimlands over time, until only a handful of stubborn elders and their caretakers remained.