Darklands

“Essentially, the Darklands are the original home world of the trolls, one that has decayed and died, thanks to Gunmar's corruption. There's nothing in the story that suggests this; however, we did add visual cues throughout to create this impression. The rock structures are a combination of giant stone buildings and bones of the troll giants that created them. Most of these towers and labyrinth tunnels are overwhelmed by volcanic rock that is no doubt the result of the earth's core penetrating the ecosystem of the Darklands, further destabilizing it.”

―Rustam Hasanov, Art Director

The Darklands
Type	Underworld Realm
Status	Crumbled to bits
Level	Deep Underground
Location	Underneath the Earth's Mantle
Inhabitants	Blood Goblins Changeling Familiars (all formerly) Dictatious Galadrigal (formerly) Gumm-Gumms Gunmar (formerly) † Gnome Chompsky (formerly) Goblins Nomura (formerly) NotEnrique (formerly) Nyarlagroths Jim Lake Jr. (briefly) Toby Domzalski (briefly) Claire Nuñez (briefly) Blinky Galadrigal (briefly) AAARRRGGHH!!! (briefly) Draal (briefly) †

The Darklands was a dark realm which was the Trolls' original homeworld before the infamous War for the Surface Lands. This was where Gunmar and his Gumm-Gumm Army had all been exiled and imprisoned for centuries after the Battle of Killahead Bridge by Deya the Deliverer.

The only way to enter/exit the realm is through the Bridge of Killahead. The Fetches also act as portals for small things like small Changelings, Goblins, Gnomes, and babies.

It was destroyed once and for all after the defeats of Morgana and Gunmar.

History

Backstory

Originally, before they discovered the surface lands, the Darklands was the Trolls' homeworld where they thrived peacefully, unaware of humankind above.

However, when the human and troll worlds collide, they've fought for control for the surface lands as their own. As the result of the bloodshed of the conflicted worlds, the first Heartstone (which is likely the Darklands' Heartstone) rotten from within. From it, Gunmar the Black was born.

Gradually, Gunmar took control of the Trolls' homeworld, corrupting it while the Earth's mantle causes the entire realm to wither and decay, thus turning it into the bleak, dark realm it is today.

Description

“When we first conceived the Darklands, we wanted to represent the deepest, darkest cave possible, using labyrinths created by highly reflective rocks such as obsidian, using the natural low [light] emissions of the depths.”

―Alfonso Blaas, Art Director

The Darklands consists of a series of maze-like tunnels and caves and-true to their name, are perpetually dark. Vicious monsters stalk the caverns and attack everything they see. It is an incredibly extensive realm, one can wander inside for weeks if you are not familiar with the environment.

Points of Interest

Known Locations

Changeling Nursery Nursery The Darklands' Nursery is a place where human children Familiars are kept and cared for so it's possible for the Changelings to maintain their human appearances in the real world. Changelings can change for as long as their Familiars are unharmed, so they are looked after and guarded by Goblins. They also don't grow old while they're there, thus becoming immortal. As of "The Eternal Knight: Part 2", NotEnrique and Gnome Chompsky were tasked to travel to the Nursery and save all of the familiars before the Darklands was destroyed from the brewing war. They've managed to successfully save the babies by using a special Cradlestone created by Merlin, and the last of the Changelings in the human world become trapped in their troll forms forever. They are kept in stone cradles, marked by plates with their names and, sometimes, year of their birth. The known children that stay here are: Eloise Stemhower (born 1894; saved by Gnome Chompsky and NotEnrique) Enrique Nuñez (briefly; saved by Jim) Waltolomew Strickler (saved by Gnome Chompsky and NotEnrique) Gunmar's Throne Room “If you look up to the ceiling, you can see the mythology of all the fights that occurred in that room, providing a sense of scale and history.” ―Rodrigo Blaas, Executive Producer This is an area occupied by Gunmar and his Gumm-Gumm Army. Its main space is the throne room, a large space with a throne at the end of a long staircase, where Gunmar is positioned. It has several tunnels and pits that house several beasts and monsters. According to Welcome to the Darklands, the throne is actually carved from a dying Heartstone, which is why he’s always empowered by it, but given its dying status, it’s only temporary and he’ll later be weakened again. Jail The Darklands' jail is where captives of Gunmar are imprisoned. It consists of several rocky cells that keep prisoners trapped with crystal doors, causing shocks to those who touch the crystals. Jim, Nomura, and eventually Toby and Claire, all ended upheld here. Jim's Hideout Jim in his hideout During his two weeks venturing in the Darklands alone, Jim found himself a temporary hideout to keep himself hidden from the Gumm-Gumms and other monsters. There, he created a map of the dark realm's endless labyrinth while tracking for any signs of the Nursery. He's also drawn a portrait of his friends, Claire, Toby, Blinky, and AAARRRGGHH!!! to give himself some "company". To keep himself nourished, he made a fire-pit with a bowl to make a stove and boil his Nyalagroth eggs. However, when Jim was discovered by Dictatious and several Blood Goblins, he abandons this hideout and tries to wipe off his draws, but to no avail. Madness Canyon Nyarlagroth Caves Skarlagk's Rebel Base The Black Lake

Known Inhabitants

• Nyarlagroths
• Blood Goblins
• Changeling Familiars (formerly; all saved by NotEnrique and Gnome Chompsky)
• Gunmar (formerly)
• Dictatious (formerly)
• Goblins
• Gumm-Gumms
• Nomura (formerly)
• Jim Lake Jr. (briefly)
• Toby Domzalski (briefly)
• Claire Nuñez (briefly)
• Blinky (briefly)
• AAARRRGGHH!!! (briefly)
• Draal (briefly)
• Skarlagk
• Rob

Appearances

Appearances in the Trilogy

Trollhunters Part One "Wherefore Art Thou, Trollhunter?" (mentioned) "Gnome Your Enemy" (mentioned) "Adventures in Trollsitting" "Recipe for Disaster" "Claire and Present Danger" (mentioned) "The Battle of Two Bridges" "Return of the Trollhunter" (mentioned) "Something Rotten This Way Comes" Part Two "Escape from the Darklands" "Skullcrusher" "Grand Theft Otto" "KanjigAAARRRGGHH!!!" "Homecoming" Part Three "The Eternal Knight: Part 1" "The Eternal Knight: Part 2" 3Below Part One "D'aja Vu" (mentioned) Wizards Part One "History in the Making" (mentioned) "Killahead, Part One" (mentioned) "Killahead, Part Two" (mentioned) "Our Final Act"

Trivia

• According to The Art of Trollhunters, the Darklands is actually the trolls' original homeworld, but due to Gunmar's corruption, it gradually decayed and died. Its ecosystem was further damaged when magma from the Earth's core breached it. Additionally, it is located deep deep within the Earth.
  • Despite being another dimension, it was shown to be affected by the quakes caused by the manifestation of the Eternal Night.

Gallery

Arcadia Oaks-pedia has a collection of images and media related to Darklands which can be found at Darklands/Gallery.