# The Dwellers — The World Below character guide > The Dwellers in The World Below by S. Fowler Wright. **Role:** supporting **First appearance:** 0000-book-i-the-amphibians ## Snapshot The vast, unknowable power of the interior, whose will is spoken of as fate and whose tunnels the narrator is advised to enter only behind them. ## Who they are They are the unseen authority against which every other faction — Amphibians, Killers, even the narrator's own plans — must be measured. Their forbearance is as terrifying as their power, and their purposes are described as beyond understanding even by those who live beneath them. The narrator chooses the perilous tunnels of the Dwellers over surrender to their judgment, and that choice shapes the middle of the book. ## Relationships ### [The Amphibians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/the_amphibians) _rivalry_ The Amphibians and Dwellers are opposing factions or species in the underground ecosystem, often in conflict. ### [The Killers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/the_killers) _rivalry_ The Dwellers and Killers are hostile groups that clash over territory or ideology in the underworld. ### [The Antipodeans](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/the_antipodeans) _rivalry_ The Antipodeans are a separate faction that opposes the Dwellers, possibly from the opposite side of the world. ### [Templeton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/templeton) _rivalry_ Templeton is in opposition to the Dwellers, likely due to their hostile nature toward surface explorers. ### [The Killers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/the_killers) _rivalry_ The Dwellers and Killers are hostile groups that clash over territory or ideology in the underworld. ## In the story ### [Book I: The Amphibians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/book-i-the-amphibians) Another group mentioned in the context of a treaty with the amphibians. ### [II: The Empty Dawn](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/ii-the-empty-dawn) Not directly present, but the smooth cliff and paving suggest possible intelligent design. ### [VIII: The Birds](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/viii-the-birds) Implied as the intelligent beings who may have cultivated the strange plants and built the invisible bridge, though not directly present. ### [X: The Amphibians](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/x-the-amphibians) Referenced as the dominant race holding the land, to whom the narrator might be given up. ### [XI: The Problem](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xi-the-problem) The Dwellers control the island continent underground, enforce the treaty, and are unaware of the amphibian expeditions. ### [XII: The March](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xii-the-march) The Dwellers are mentioned as likely having taken the body from the tunnel, and are described as a powerful, dreaded enemy with knowledge of past civilizations and a goal to prevent self-destruction. ### [XV: The Plan of Attack](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xv-the-plan-of-attack) The Dwellers are mentioned as a potential threat if they become aware of the expedition; the narrator is warned that violence might bring trouble with them. ### [XVII: The Ethics of Violence](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xvii-the-ethics-of-violence) A giant Dweller is seen on the ridge; the amphibian companion notes their terrible power and incomprehensibility. ### [XIX: The Duel in the Night](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xix-the-duel-in-the-night) Mentioned as having given victims to the Killers, including winged creatures that offended them. ### [XXI: The Bat-Wings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxi-the-bat-wings) Observed the Bat-Wings colony, judged them, and removed nine for punishment; they can be merciful. ### [Night in the Arsenal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxii-night-in-the-arsenal) The companion, a member of the Dwellers, listens with horror, pity, and curiosity as the narrator describes his world, and contrasts their own united way of life with his chaotic civilization. ### [XXIII: The Escape](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxiii-the-escape) Mentioned as a potential source of trouble if the narrator continues shooting. ### [XXIV: The Fight in the Arsenal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxiv-the-fight-in-the-arsenal) Mentioned as potential threat in the tunnels; the companion's Leader gave instructions regarding them. ### [XXV: The Forbidden Thing](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxv-the-forbidden-thing) Referenced as the authority that forbids fire; their imminent arrival is anticipated after the fire is lit. ### [XXVI: The Trial](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxvi-the-trial) The Dwellers are referenced as the rightful judges of the Bat-wings; the amphibian argues they must respect Dweller will. ### [XXVII: The Verdict](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxvii-the-verdict) Their condemnation of the amphibians is upheld by the narrator's verdict. ### [XXVIII: The Fate of the Killers](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xxviii-the-fate-of-the-killers) Arrive on the plateau, crush the yellow lizards, capture and drain the Killers' blood, and allow the Amphibians to pass. ### [Book II: The World Below](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/book-ii-the-world-below) The dwellers are referenced as part of the treaty discovery and the complex social dynamics below. ### [I: Counsel](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/i-counsel) The Dwellers are the subterranean beings whose domain the narrator and his companion plan to penetrate; their nature and environment are debated. ### [II: The Unknown Way](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/ii-the-unknown-way) The Dwellers are mentioned as having taken action to drain the tank and char the bodies, and they may return early to investigate the events. ### [III: The Peril of the Lake](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/iii-the-peril-of-the-lake) Mentioned as the beings who patrol the heights and prohibit fire; the narrator and companion seek to avoid their observation. ### [IV: The Silence in the Wood](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/iv-the-silence-in-the-wood) The Dwellers are inferred to be the source of the psychic pressure in the wood, and their wills are believed to protect the forest. ### [V: The Temple](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/v-the-temple) A Dweller woman is seen in despair, her telepathic prayer revealing a race-threatening calamity and personal grief. The companion receives her thoughts, but the narrator does not. ### [VI: The Downward Path](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/vi-the-downward-path) The Dwellers are mentioned as having dealt with those the narrator seeks, and as being in possible hostility with the amphibians; the companion fears their anger. ### [VII: The Living Book](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/vii-the-living-book) A female Dweller is the custodian and compiler of a living book; she paints a mural of a frozen landscape. ### [VIII: The Treaty](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/viii-the-treaty) The Dwellers are party to the treaty; the narrator fears their brutality, while his companion defends their justice. ### [IX: The Flame of Life](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/ix-the-flame-of-life) Their society is revealed through the book's records, showing a declining population and a conflict over reproduction. ### [X: Visions](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/x-visions) Implied to have created the technology that projects past visions on the corridor walls. ### [XI: War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xi-war) The Dwellers are under attack by the Antipodeans; they use the Blue Fire weapon and suffer casualties. ### [XII: The Fate of Templeton](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xii-the-fate-of-templeton) The Dwellers conduct coldly scientific vivisections, judging Templeton's body defective and using it for animal feed, reflecting their utilitarian and detached ethics. ### [XIII: Separation](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xiii-separation) A wounded Dweller discovers the pair in the Sacred Places; the companion engages him in mental combat and secures terms. ### [XIV: Love and War](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xiv-love-and-war) The narrator fears detection by the Dwellers during his furtive journey through the spiral. ### [Release](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/chapters/xv-release) The Dwellers examine and transform the narrator, then release him at the Amphibians' request. ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters/the_dwellers - Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se - All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_world_below_se/characters