After the Siltfall, informal rescue routes developed into a loose compact among outcast Oreads, Drow defectors, and refugees with nowhere else to turn. Early members earned trust by keeping shelters stocked and escorting small caravans through unstable passages. The first major setback followed a false route mark that led a group into a collapse zone; the Compact adopted its two-exit rule and began using changing marks that only trained scouts could interpret. As K-12 expanded, the Compact turned to ledger theft and equipment sabotage to free laborers and disrupt press-gangs. This won gratitude from unaligned workers but sharpened the Claimholders’ pursuit. The Tectonic Cults’ rise created a second front: some route-keepers joined the Cults, while others rejected their tribute and indoctrination. The Compact’s defining evacuation during the raid on the vent-cut refuge established its present doctrine of protecting people before territory. It now operates through a scattered web rather than a fixed domain, its influence measured by how many people can find air and shelter when the stone shifts.

Rot-Grotto Sanctuary is named for a rot-choked fungal gallery that its first keepers drained and cleared for use. It is a mobile council base assembled from linked shelters, pack frames, and collapsible screens, moving through the Under-Roots when its current location becomes unsafe. Its inner chambers smell of wet stone, bitter herbs, and lamp oil. Pale moss gives enough light to read trail records, while hanging air bladders knock softly together whenever the base shifts. Rot-Grotto has no single permanent entrance; guides approach by separate paths and confirm identity using a sequence of taps against stone.