Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

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Durvayas
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Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:06 am

This is a definitive guide to how Arelithian drow differ from their Menzoberranzan counterparts(the version of drow everyone thinks of when they think drow, because of the novels and how thoroughly it is documented). I often meet new players of drow while playing, and a lot of them are struck by how different Arelithian drow are from their more official counterparts. They come here to play a drow, and they find... a sort of drow, but not what they're (typically)expecting.

But how are our drow different? This is a compendium of information about everything I've
learned about Arelithian drow, playing them for years and observing them. Its as accurate as I can manage, and a lot of this is stuff
that an immigrant to Andunor would have heard rumors about.

With this knowledge, it is my hope that players, new and old, should be able to play a convincing drow that was born and raised in our delightful little city.

Guide Last Updated: November 2018
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Drow Houses

Drow houses are the structural unit of drow society. Effectively large clans under the rule of individual matriarchs, these bands of drow lay claim to and exert control over the city and its holdings as best they can. There are no laws unless the drow decree and enforce them, and what laws there are are fairly minimal, designed purely to keep society from total anarchy.

There are two flavors of drow house; Noble houses, and Merchant houses.
  • The noble house is focused on gaining general power and control. They have a strong grasp of militant might, and try to rise to the top as quickly as possible. Their line of succession is based on blood.
  • A merchant house is a bit more casual. Its a house that focuses on economic matters and gaining wealth, a large trade network, and influence through wealth. A large military is not as necessary for these, as they project a lot of soft power, being better at diplomacy generally, due to their ability to provide things others want, and withhold them as necessary. These houses may also have a council of merchants(who can be male) and a democratic structure, rather than a single matron.
All houses have house colors and a house sigil. A coat of arms, effectively. This image is embossed on the rank pins they wear on their piwafi cloaks. These pins are usually bronze or copper, for rank and file, and for priestesses silver. Most priestesses will wear a silver brooch(or other religious icon) somewhere, and matrons get the privilege of a gold pin.

There is a practice wherein drow will sometimes wear white to symbolize and advertise that they are available and looking for a house.

-----

Drow Houses: Internal Structure

Houses are female dominated, and additionally, clergy dominated. To have any other than a female rule a drow house would be heresy and against Lolth's will, as well as fly in the face of drow culture. The highest ranks in the house consist of the matron and her immediate family, with all other underlings considered extended family, with the exception of servants and slaves.

Ranks are listed in descending order of importance.
  • Ilharess(Matron): The undisputed leader of a drow house, the matron is always a female drow, usually a priestess of some rank, who keeps her house in line and makes all the major decisions surrounding it. Often the founder of the house, she is referred to as Ilhar, or mother, by her immediate family, and by her full title by others. The role is effectively that of a small queen, who's sole goal is to make their own house more prosperous and powerful to advance her family's place in the underdark. This degree of control and organization usually necessitates delegation to...
  • Dalharil(Daughters): A matron's right hand is her first daughter. The highest rank one can achieve in the house without running it, the first daughter is the most capable of the matron's immediate family, and functions as an assistant to her mother, helping ensure that the house is run smoothly. This could entail overseeing operations, logistics, and even formulating their own plots to advance the house. A matron's 1st daughter is usually a priestess of Lolth. Daughters of noble birth are usually sent to the temple to become priestesses, as this is the most effective way to gain power in drow society. If a matron has a daughter and they choose not to become a priestess, it isn't looked upon favorably. Nevertheless, this rank is not always biological. Smaller houses, or houses wherein the daughters have died, will adopt drow females from the house into the matron's immediate family. For all intents and purposes, they are considered blood relatives from that point on. This is important, because only the first daughter can usurp a matron's title, if the ambition is there. This causes a conundrum, as the matron's right hand is also the greatest threat to her rule from within the house. There can be multiple daughters, but the more there are, the more meaningless the title becomes for the last daughter in line, so they tend to scheme against the other daughters to advance themselves in line towards the top of the chain.
  • Qu'el'Yathrin(House Priestess): The house priestess is the temple liaison to a house. Every house must have one, and if one cannot be produced from their own ranks, one will be assigned by the temple to serve the house. They are responsible for religious services in the house, as well as helping the house maintain that it has the favor of Lolth, or whatever goddess controls the temple at the time. They often double as spies by the temple to keep track of each house's machinations, to ensure that no houses are hiding heresy within their walls. Very often, the daughters of the house are priestesses, in fact, the first daughter born of the matron is expected to become one of these.
  • Qu'el'Fearuk(Qu'el'Faeress if fem)(House Wizard): The house wizard is the highest ranked wizard and magical center of the house. They provide the house with all goods and services they can, and, if the house owns a shop, they may also provide a great deal of the income for a house. They come in many flavors. Diviners and enchanters are considered the most valuable variants of mage for a house to have, for equipment reasons, as well as intelligence. Diviners can scry, and, if female, perhaps become the Seeress for the temple, which is a very prestigious and strategically valuable position.
  • Qu'el'Saruk/(Qu'el'Saress if fem)(House Weapon master:) The strongest warrior of the drow house, they oversee the training of the other warriors beneath them. They lead the house in patrols or raids when the house priestess or daughters are not available, or opt not to. Additionally, the double as the matron's bodyguard, and are often chosen as breeding stock(if male), because... they're the best warrior and usually in peak physical condition. The model for what a male drow should be physically.
  • Qu'el'Velguk/(Qu'el'Veldriss if fem)(House Assassin:) From their name, their purpose is fairly straightforward. They are the house assassin. They maintain the house information network and discreetly dispose of political enemies. They train the shadowy elements of the house and do the work that is best not seen. Theft, murder, and implications of such.
  • Ssin'Dearth(Courtesan/Bard): Should a house be so lucky as to have a home grown bard of their own, or one that has decided to join them permanently, they are ranked here. As important enough as to be difficult to replace, and therefor worth more than sons, which can easily be birthed replacements. More on their role later.
  • Dalharuk(Sons): The sons of the matron, if there are any, and if they have not made something better of themselves by working up to any of the above ranks. They are better than the rank and file of the house underlings, but only because of blood, so while a respectable position, it is not one they wish to languish in.
  • Ilharn(patron): The current lover(really more a long term pet) of the matron, the patron is a male nominally above rank and file enforcers but too expendable and replacable to hold real weight. Their power is directly tied to how much the matron favors them, and they can range from powerless showpieces to importance has high as the house weapons master in terms of influence. If selected from outside of the house, said houseless drow nominally is made to join the house for the duration of the affair. Very often this rank is supplimental to another rank within a house. A weapons master, for example, is fair game to also be the Ilharn, which would boost their standing slightly. An ilharn is a long term affair, and matrons sampling males from other houses have no real ''claim' on them, so it is impossible for a male from another house to officiate this rank.
  • Fearn and Sargtlin(Wizards and Warriors): The rank and file enforcers of the house, they perform the duties you'd expect under the house masters.
  • Wanre(Servants and Retainers):
    Ranked by race, retainers are skilled artisans or laborers that work for the house. They are free sentients, and have certain rights not enjoyed by...

    Rothe(slaves): This category is fairly self explanatory.

-----

House Wars

In general lore, house wars are incredibly brief affairs. A house will darkness an area, and then
the massacre begins. The war ends when one house is exterminated, and all the houses below the
destroyed house get a promotion to the next rank above them. Fairly simple.


In Arelith this system doesn't work for a few practical reasons.
  • 1) You can't darkness an entire area without a wand or a true flame sorcerer(and if you do,
    generally NPCs become hostile.).
  • 2) Death isn't permanent.
How do the drow of Arelith deal with this? In Arelith, a house war is more a show of force than
anything else. Some sporadic PvP, perhaps a mass battle between the two houses if it can be
arranged, but one side will surrender fairly quickly, usually after a crushing, humiliating
martial defeat or high profile assassination. Sometimes players retire their characters, as this
may be a perfect opportunity to end a character arc on a meaningful loss. If a house is
destabilized by the loss of a house war, it might collapse, either through internal infighting
from a power struggle in the ranks to determine a new leader(assuming the matron died or stepped
down), or even if a new leader is found, a house can go into decline if said leader is too weak
or diplomatically ineffective.

-----

House Collapses and how they are dealt with.

Houses sometimes do collapse in FR. They might lose influence by means of cunning, strong
rival houses, or perhaps a militant campaign or raid gone awry. When they collapse, their
members generally fade into obscurity. Some talented individuals become adventurers, but by and
large, their fortune has taken a turn for the worst.


On Arelith it is neither practical, nor fun, to force every character from a falling house to
retire. By and large, these houseless characters, if they are of any degree of skill, get
snapped up by houses around the collapsed one. Failing houses may merge into stronger ones
entirely to save themselves the embarrassment of a public fall from grace.

-----

House Mergers

House merges happen fairly often on Arelith. If there are too many houses and not enough drow to
man all of them, houses generally will merge until there become a more manageable number of
houses of significant power. Houses typically spring up following the wake of a major house
collapsing. The members of a house may balkanize and split off into smaller houses, which
function like small gangs or, more often, new priestesses will appear and start raising a house
to fill the power vacuum left by the collapsed house.

A common practice is an established house will approach a smaller and/or weaker house and offer
the matron(of the house that will be eliminated) a position as one of the daughters in the house
that is about to absorb all these characters. A sum/bribe may be offered as an incentive during
this negotiation, and smaller titles may be negotiated within the house.

In FR texts, house merges are mentioned. They are not exactly common but they are not unheard
of. How exactly they happen is not mentioned in detail(that I can find, not that its relevant to
gameplay).


-----

House Ranks

In regards to how houses are ranked, Arelith plays it fairly close to how it works in the published
FR lore. The strongest house is at the top and calls the shots. The first matron is the
pinnacle of power in drow society, and all other matrons bow to her will.

On Arelith, the other houses are de facto vassals to the first house. If she decides that the
drow are going to war against another city/race/faction, all houses below her are expected to, on
pain of treason, participate.

The only exception to the call to war is if a drow house is allied to the other side of a war.
If, say, the first house is at war with an outside faction, and third house is allied to the
other belligerent, the third house has the rare opportunity to sit out of the war entirely and
let the other two fight it out. Occasionally they will jump into the fight on the side of the
winner, if it benefits them to do so. This is a gamble however, for if they commit treason
against the 1st house like this and lose, the consequences are dire.

In FR lore, a house cannot surpass and advance past another house without the acknowledgment
of the 1st house.


Arelithian drow are more practical. While it still requires the first matron to officiate such a
shift in power, if it becomes glaringly obvious that the fourth house has surpassed the third,
the citizenry will often begin referring to the previously fourth house as the third ahead of the
advancement announcement, which by that point is simply making official what is already known.
In the case of a house falling/imploding and dissolving entirely, no announcement is needed, and
all houses below the fallen house simply rise up a rank and continue, business as usual.

How is a house ranked?

House ranks are generally based on three things:
  • Martial strength.
  • Influence(usually in the form of control over one or more of the academies).
  • Wealth.
All of these tie into each-other, and all of these things equate to the raw power of a house. In
the end, might makes right.

-----
The Academies and Temple

The drow have two secular academies. The Melee-Magthere, and the Sorcere, known as the academy and the sorcery, respectively. Neither is gender restricted, though they tend to be male dominated.

There is far too much information about the academies to actually put here. The information is displayed here: http://arelith.com/underdark and while it is an interesting read... 70% of it is not relevant in any way to playing on Arelith; The fighting styles are interesting to know about, the tactics are good to know and RP about, but the ranks are all wrong. Completely wrong. Arelith doesn't have the population to maintain such a hierarchy in the academies, so it is all simplified. Also worthy of note, these ranks are not always used, so this list, while I've made an effort to be comprehensive to historical usage in game, may not be accurate at all times.

I'll start with...

The Melee-Magthere.

The Melee-Magthere, or the magthere as it will be referred to from now on in this post, is the army of the drow. It is where warriors learn to fight and serve the interests of the city as the army. Its primary duties involve patrolling the areas around the city, scouting targets for raiding, and deploying as a unified force in times of war. The magthere is made up primarily of warriors contributed to it by the various drow houses in power at the time. If is, after all, expected for any given house to contribute to the city's defense in the form of manpower, and not doing so is considered borderline treasonous and a black mark on a house's reputation.

The ranks of the Magthere are strictly ability based. A meritocracy at its core, if one doesn't deserve the rank, they don't deserve the respect it grants. Martial prowess is important, as is discipline and being respectful to those ranked above you.
The academy ranks, in ascending order, as they are achieved that way are:
  • Sargtlin(Warrior): These are the rank and file soldiers. A houseless drow signing up from off the street is one of these, as is even the weapon master of a house upon first joining.
  • Dradaa(lieutenant): A very uncommon rank, usually reserved for one who is of prowess deserving of the title of Sut'rinos, but there not being enough titles to go around. An officer, but not of high enough rank to deserve respect from those outside the magthere. These warriors are respected on the same level as the Killian Yath(which I will get to later).
  • Sut'rinos(Commander): A senior officer of the Magthere, and usually in charge of either logistics or raiding. There are only two at a time.
  • Ul'Saruk(Warlord): The general of the army and the strongest warrior among the ranks. A paragon of martial skill and strength. Who better to oversee the training of the rank and file soldier than the best among them? This drow oversees all that goes on in the academy, and holds THE hotly contested title coveted by the houses vying for power. This particular title is almost always held by a house weapon master, and if it isn't, it will be soon~. This rank is one of prestige, and merits respect equal to that of rank and file priestesses. They are still required to bow to highpriestesses, though some bold warlords will challenge that and, occasionally, get away with it.
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The Sorcere: (Disclaimer, the sorcere has largely been supplanted with the Boreal keep and the arcanum, a multi-racial mage tower built into the east wheel. Therefore, this section is largely just cultural reference.)

The sorcere is the center of magic in any drow city. On Arelith, it is a relatively decentralized, sort of glorified university for those with magic talent. It is comprised of wizards, sorcerers, and warlocks. The sorcere provides magic training for those with the ability, and is expected in time of war to support the Magthere with mage support. Members of the Sorcere are expected to assist the Magthere on patrolling the land around the city, but this is not strictly enforced. Most warriors will be grateful for a handful of wards before heading out. Members of the sorcere are usually fairly unbothered with internal politicking and rank. They are there to practice magic and, more importantly, perform mad science research for its own sake, and on behalf of the city. Mages have a propensity to be very wealthy, not least of which is a result of their skills. Many make scrolls, potions, or wands, as well as the very lucrative business of golemcrafting and enchanting. Their role in the economy and well being of a city is integral, and also likely the reason the academy is left to its own devices for the most part.

The ranks of the Sorcere are strictly ability based. A meritocracy at its core, if one doesn't deserve the rank, they don't deserve the respect it grants. Tests are administered by those above to those below to rise in rank. A mage must demonstrate their ability. Ranks listed in the order that they can be achieved.
  • Zhaunin(apprentice): Not even considered a full member of the Sorcere, an apprentice is seen as an unlit candle. A commoner with the potential to be a bright student, but they need to prove they have the drive. There is almost always an entry examination of some sort. A trial to ascertain a prospective mage's potential and resolve to become a mage.

  • M'elzar(Mage): An ascended version of a zhaunin, these mages are considered full fledged members of the sorcere and are free to learn at their own pace and develop into more powerful wizards. They typically spend a lot of time around the Magthere, where their developing magical talent is useful in patrolling and providing low power magical equipment(for those that go the enchanting route).

  • Faern(Wizard): The rank above the common mage, wizards(irrespective of mechanical class) of the Sorcere are powerful mages. At this point in their career they are applying themselves getting rich selling magical services, writing tomes about magic and magic theory, and performing mad science research.

  • E'spdon(Archmage): The highest rank a mage can achieve in the sorcere, these are masters of magic. Generally left to their own devices if independent, or heavily involved in house politics if not, this drow oversees all that goes on in the academy, and holds THE hotly contested title coveted by the houses vying for power. This particular title is almost always held by a house wizard, and if it isn't, it will be soon~. This rank is one of prestige, and merits respect equal to that of rank and file priestesses. They are still required to bow to highpriestesses, though some bold warlords will challenge that and, occasionally, get away with it.
-----

The Temple

Refer to the Arach Tinilth section of the web site for lore: http://arelith.com/underdark Note: the 3 levels of cleric to become a yathabban element is not enforced.

The heart of drow society, the temple is entirely female(exceptions for Selvetarmite priests, but I've never seen or heard of one.) The temple oversees the academies and enforces the laws of Lolth. That is to say, they are primarily inquisitors. The discovery and hunting of apostates and heretics is their domain, and any drow that does not go along with their desires risks accusations of heresy or apostasy, which opens one up to being murdered and/or removed from any held titles and/or exiled. Its like a violent form of excommunication.

A special note I need to point out.
Repression =/= fun. The trend is that the harsher the repression of the temple on the populace, the fewer people play in the underdark in general, as an overly overbearing temple squashes the fun potential of playing heretics and lesser races. Persecution is fine to a point, but when the temple is PvPing a heretic over and over on a regular basis, it causes them to quit. Remember the be nice rule and play accordingly.
Ranks listed in the order they can be achieved:
  • Yath'abban(Acolyte): A devout drow eager to serve in the temple and become part of the clergy. They are the newly initiated into the divine magic of Lolth or Kiaransalee, and are just starting to receive their powers. Nobody outside the temple needs to bow to them as they've yet to prove themselves.
  • Yathrin(Yathrinshee if Kiaran, sometimes Yathran if La'laskran) (priestess):
    A priestess of the temple and one of the ordained clergy of one of the two drow goddesses, They are the hands of the temple, and enforcers. Less involved in administration than going out and mingling with their flock, they tend to take support and command roles in patrols and raids. In order to become a Priestess, one must be able to demonstrate the ability to raise the dead and do so in a ritual in the temple(or the shrine to Kiaransalee in the bonefields, if appropriate).
  • Faerz'un'arr(Seeress): A promoted wizard from the sorcere, almost always a diviner, they serve the temple by being its eyes in far places and scrying, always seeking information and enemies of the temple, always on the lookout for heresy. They also keep watch over the sorcere and make sure that it does not overshadow the temple in power and strive to maintain that males do not achieve too much power. A highly prestigious position, this is considered the highest honor for a member of the sorcere to achieve, as it brings them closer to their goddess. Often this role is taken by a priestess with divination foci.
  • High priestesses come in three flavors, and only bow to archpriestesses and above.
    • Yath'Tallar of Lolth (High Priestess): A strong priestess of Lolth, the high priestess is the hand of the temple, and typically enforces the will of the archpriestess.. To become a high priestess one has to have the ability to summon a balor in a ritual. A special ritual that sometimes has an unusual element.(See: Tolerance Of Other Races: Sexuality).
    • Yath'Tallar of Kiaransalee (High Priestess): The highest rank of priestess a devout Kiaran can hope for in a Lolth dominated temple(unless somehow they overthrow the Lolthites) The Kiaran high priestess is both a part of temple politics and separate from it. They usually have no stake in the succession of the archpriestess(its very rare of them to try for the rank), and are typically not a target of temple intrigue by their Lolthite colleagues. They tend to enjoy good relations with their La'laskran counterparts. Their duties involve overseeing rituals to Kiaransalee, maintaining her shrine in the bonefields, and being the avatar of vengeance, should their clergy or shrine come under attack. They also defer to the archpriestess in a formal sense and assist with temple run initiatives.
    • Yath'Tallar of La'laskra (High Priestess): The highest rank of priestess a devout La'laskran can hope for in a Lolth dominated temple. They occasionally make a play for the archpriestess position, and are often a target of temple intrigue by their Lolthite colleagues for dogmatic reasons. They do not usually get along very well with selvetarglin, considering the male war god both inferior and unnessesary to their own goddess. They tend to get along well with their Kiaran counterparts. Their duties involve martial training with(and of) the other clergy, and they tend to take the role of temple inquisitors for investigating heresy.
  • Ulath'Tallar(Archpriestess): THE voice of Lolth(or La'laskra or Kiaransalee, depending on which faith is dominant) in the temple. Occasionally an independent drow but more usually a member of a house, she is the strongest of the priestesses in the city. Fully versed in the rituals of the temple, she oversees the academies, the Killian Yath, and enforces the will of Lolth. She, and only she, may declare heretic hunts and order the hand of the city to come down hard on religious enemies with mighty zeal. Houses are always trying to usurp this seat into someone of their own as matrons try to extend their influence of the temple, which is a mighty asset. Archpriestesses bow to matrons, and only to matrons. Matrons cannot hold the title of archpriestess.
Another thing to note. Playing drow priestesses can often be fairly stressful. It is the epitome of plotting, scheming, drow. You will have to be well versed in the lore by the time you hit high priestess, memorize rituals, come up with your own, preach, do inquisitor things, all while scheming to kill off your rivals and anyone on the rung above you. Playing a matron is the same, only more intense, because you have to worry about your house priestess attempting to usurp you, and worry about the houses above and below you, while attempting to exert influence on the factions around you.


Religion

In FR texts, the drow do not tolerate any religion but Lolth and her servant Selvetarm.
Worship of Selvetarm is allowed for males, and is always second to Lolth. Kiaransalee, despite
being a vassal of Lolth, is considered a cult and stamped out wherever possible in most cases.
All other religions are actively repressed. Males by and large do not hold any sort of religious
clergyman sort of role outside the temple guard (A holy order known as the Killian Yath.)


On Arelith, the killian yath can be either male or female, and membership precludes being
involved in a house. To be a killian is to be a servant of the temple, and the temple only.
Involvement in politics is an invitation to be expelled from the order, which is a very shameful
event. Killian are to remain neutral in all things, even inter-clergy conflict, and woe betide a
killian that should ever raise a hand to a priestess. This neutrality actually makes them virtually immune to murderous plots unless they happen to be with the target of one at the time the attempt goes on. The Killian Yath recruit only from the Melee-Magthere, and it is considered an honor to be accepted into their order.


Priestesses of Lolth can only be female, in tune with the drow matriarchal society. Matrons
are ambitious priestesses that decide that they'll have a better shot at prestige and power
striking it out on their own rather than as a priestess serving a house.


For simplicity's sake I'm just going to place a link to a deity's page on the forgotten realms
wiki, and then explain the Arelithian quirks of such.
  • --
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Lolth

    On Arelith, Lolthites are a little odd. Rather than the dagger being the goddess' chosen weapon,
    all priestesses of Lolth favor a whip instead. The symbolism behind it is clear; the temple
    keeps society in line. Additionally, there are a number of player made rituals and rites that
    exist IC that are inspired by published lore. These are passed down from priestess to acolyte IC,
    and I wont be elaborating on them.
    --
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Selvetarm

    Selvetarran drow on Arelith are a rarity. Almost universally male(its a scandal for a female to
    worship a male deity), the followers of selvetarm tend to be members of the killian yath or
    warriors. Priests are rare, but exist, virtually always falling into the Killian Yath role.
    --
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Kiaransalee

    Kiaran drow on Arelith have seen their faith tolerated and outlawed repeatedly. At the time of
    this writing, Kiaransalee is a legal deity that characters can worship openly, something
    generally uncommon in published FR. A vassal of Lolth, it is common belief among the few faithful
    that Kiaransalee was adopted as Lolth's daughter to replace the shameful failure of a daughter
    that is Eilistraee.

    Being that Kiaransalee has a lot of aspects of necrophilia in her lore, on Arelith, it is often
    omitted as though such is not even a part of her worship, due to the PG-13 rating of the server.
    The obsession with undead and necromancy is still there.
    The most tolerant of all the drow deities, Kiaran worshipers care less about who anyone else
    worships(except for entities on her list of enemies), so long as all acknowledge and respect
    Kiaransalee's power and status as a divine being. While they recognize the importance of the spider to their people as a cultural icon, they lack the reverence for it that their Lolthite counterparts have, and have no qualms about slaying them.

    On Arelith the chosen weapon of her clergy is a mace(for maximum vengeance with minimal mess,
    nothing hurts like a shattered bone)
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Zinzerena

    Zinzereen drow are very rare, due to their propensity to be hunted like the enemies of Lolth they
    are. Play with caution, like any other religion openly hostile to the status quo.
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Eilistraee

    Universally reviled among any self respecting drow, followers of Eilistraee are very rare, due to
    their propensity to be hunted like the enemies of Lolth they are(And it is a reward roll as per the
    anti-drizzt policy). Play with caution, like any other religion openly hostile to the status
    quo.
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Vhaeraun

    Universally reviled by any self respecting drow female, followers of Vhaeraun are somewhat rare,
    due to their propensity to be hunted like the enemies of Lolth and the matriarchy that they are.
    Play with caution, like any other religion openly hostile to the status quo.
  • http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Ghaunadaur

    Followers of Ghaunadaur are fairly rare, due to their propensity to be met with hostility by the
    temple. Many drow aren't sure what to make of Ghaunadarites, as they are not inherently hostile
    to drow. A local dungeon is devoted to the slime god, and the drow of Arelith attack it
    frequently. Keep that in mind if being open about this particular faith.
    --
  • On Arelith, there is a player made faith to a LE drow deity named La'Laskra. Given the nature of
    this cult, and how drow migrate, it is entirely reasonable to enter into play as an adherent to
    this religion(IC roleplay has established that La'laskran worship originates in T'lindhet, the center of the faith and one of the oldest drow cities.):


    La'laskra:
    A Lawful Evil Drow deity made by players who wanted to keep the matriarchal, xenophonic, and Social-Darwinist elements of drow society, but wanted to replace the typical anarchy and infighting familiar from the Salvatore series, with harsh order and discipline like in the "Drow War" adventure trilogy of Moongoose Publishing.

    La'laskra: The Dark Queen of Torment, The Forgotten Sister
    Symbol: A sharpened dagger pointing downwards wrapped in a coiling of a barbed whip.
    Alignment: Lawful Evil
    Portfolio: Drow, tyranny, unity, suffering, hedonism
    Worshippers: Drow, Half-Drow, Crinti
    Cleric Alignments: LE, NE, LN
    Favored Weapon: Deliverance (Scimitar)

    History:

    After Araushnee was betrayed by Corellon and cast into the Abyss, her sister La'laskra took over as the guide of the Illythiiri, and led them in the war against the other elven kingdoms.
    At the height of the Illythiir Empire's success in the campaign of the Crown Wars - the elven kingdoms of Thearnytaar, Eillur, and Syorpiir were all destroyed. However, wounded by a poisoned arrow of the treacherous, cowardly Shevarash , La'laskra slipped into an excruciating coma. Araushnee, now having adopted the name of Lloth, managed to break free of her prison to reassert control over her people. (some sects of La'laskran worship hold that La'laskra was always in charge of the drow, and that Lolth poisoned her in her moment of triumph to usurp her, causing their defeat)
    Following aeons spent in half-wakeful, tormented slumber; La'laskra realised that fighting suffering was futile and there was only embracing it. At that moment, she was reborn stronger than ever under the clutches of her own agony. She awakened and returned to her children the drow; to gift them with the lessons in pain she learned from her own suffering, so that they may once again claim victory over all the lesser races.

    Dogma:
    Life is suffering and misery, only those drow who acknowledge this fact and brace themselves with an iron will to endure the inevitable anguish can rise above the lessers; finding pleasure in the pain of others - or even learning to appreciate pain in itself.
    Pain builds discipline, and a drow that can perform well under adverse circumstances will thrive in ideal conditions.
    Torment is the foundry where the chaotic, ultimately disorderly nature of instinct is molten and forged anew into the steel-hard discipline that is needed to unite the drow race into a single, organised force.
    Females are the sheperds of this task, for only they possess the willpower and capability to retrain their emotions and act lucidly; unlike males who cannot hold their self-destructive impulses in check.
    Be cold and patient like the spider who waits silently in her web, but let your prey know the full extent of your wrath.
    -----
Tolerance Of Other Religions:

In the published material, drow actively work to stamp out all other faiths in their territory.

The drow of Arelith(presently in 2018) allow the worship of Lolth, La'laskra, Kiaransalee, and Selvetarm. All other
drow religions are actively repressed. Religions of other races are looked upon with disdain.
Should a drow worship a lesser race's deity, they tend to be hunted for such apostasy and it is
considered a great shame.

-----

Tolerance Of Other Races

In the FR books, drow are incredibly xenophobic and aggressive. They war with, enslave, and
subjugate every race and civilization around them. Generally this is fueled by a manifest
destiny view based on the supremacy of Lolth as a superior goddess and the drow as a superior
race. Alliances with other races are rare, as the drow respect no race unless it is demonstrably
equal or better to themselves. Since the drow respect physical prowess, this list is restricted
to races of significant power.

The examples of races that drow find to be powerful enough to view as equal(or threats to their
supremacy):
  • Dragons
  • Devils
  • Demons
  • Aboleths
  • Mindflayers
  • Beholders


Lessers encompass all other races, and are referred to as such. They are not respected, treaties
with them are a matter of convenience to be broken on a whim and they tend to be second class
citizens at best. The only thing worse than a lesser is a slave. Drow slaves are considered
more valuable than lesser slaves as a matter of course.

The only thing more reviled than a lesser is a surface elf. The drow save a special place in
their hearts for the joy of hunting, capturing, raping, torturing, degrading, and killing(for fun
or sacrifice) their surface cousins. An elf slave is a coveted thing, and it is prestigious to
own one. They have a habit of not lasting especially long though for obvious reasons.


On Arelith, all FR lore about how drow hate and treat elves applies... except, without the rape. This is a
PG-13 server after all. There have, on very, very rare occasion, been elves that are so evil, so heinous, that they are tolerated in the UD, but historically these elves take great pains not to make waves among the drow for obvious reasons.

On Arelith, drow are much, much more tolerant of other races than their published counterparts.
After their city suffered two separate disasters and the drow claimed a Pyrrhic victory over the
mindflayers after the cavern flooded, the drow have come to live in a trade city with the drow in
one district and all the lesser races in the other.

Due to the contribution of the lesser races during the flayer war and the high volume of trade
and military cooperation between the drow and their lesser counterparts, Arelithian drow are more
likely to honor deals and alliances with their lesser neighbors and form working business
relationships with them.

They still look down on them, of course, but they've long come to realize that these lesser
peoples are more valuable as allies than enemies. On occasion the drow will, naturally, try to
vassalize lesser racial groups in the city and sometimes the entire district to bring it under
drow dominion.

While not unheard of to incorporate lessers into a house as retainers, having actual members of a
house be lessers is strictly taboo, and always stokes tensions with the more conservative drow.

Every bit about how drow view equal races holds true, with a few exceptions. Mindflayers, beholders, and
aboleth are considered enemies; There can be no diplomacy with them, ever. Demons are traditionally held in
high regard, while devils are frowned upon. Dragons are regarded as equals, though observed with
a wary respect.


-----

Tolerance Of Other Races: Sexuality
  • Dragons
  • Demons
  • Devils
In FR lore, it is actually prestigious for a drow to couple with(or rape, as the case may be)
and bear offspring from the two races on that list. The subjugation of and sexual conquest of
such a powerful being(and surviving the encounter/process for that matter) is considered a highly
prestigious and praiseworthy accomplishment.

Consorting sexually with lesser races is considered bestiality. While it is commonly known to
occur, often the result of boredom or curiosity, it is not something any drow would admit to. In
short, taboo.

One exception to this exists. Elves.
It is prestigious to own an elf and therefor in the published materials it is also prestigious to rape an elf.
Offspring of such a coupling are either killed at birth or sold into slavery


For Arelith Drow, this is all true, in fact, in the past, drow high priestesses would copulate
with balors in unholy rituals in the temple of Lolth, a practice that has fallen into disuse in
present times.

Once again, this is a PG-13 server so rape RP is not a thing we roleplay or even really reference

-----

Interpersonal Relationships And Sexuality:

In published FR lore, everything about drow society is built upon dominance and submission. This
naturally extends to the bedroom and interpersonal relationships. Friends are a matter of
convenience. Usually they are merely temporary allies to be used and then betrayed on convenience
for personal gain.

Marriage is a nearly a foreign concept, and, while drow can fall in love, they view it as a form
of weakness. Personal attachment of any kind is considered a form of weakness that can be
exploited, and often drow will murder their lovers to prevent them being used against themselves.


Friendships and love happen between drow on Arelith rather frequently, but privately. Non-competing drow, such
as a female in the temple and one in the magthere, for example, will often form friendships borne
of cooperation and social comfort built upon the fact that neither has anything to gain from
plotting against the other. Genuine friendships are a risk, however they are not uncommon.
Usually they will develop most easily between members of the same house, as they spend the most
time together, be it on patrol, guard duty, missions, etc. La'laskrans are notable exceptions to typical drow standoffishness in that they tend to bond very strongly with members of their own house, though they take pains to hide their fondness from outsiders.

Love is a thing that happens on occasion, but is hidden as best as possible. A close bond can
become a true chain if a hostile drow discovers it and uses it to leverage an advantage over a
rival.

In Arelith, it is somewhat common for males to be treated as sexual currency between houses.
Particularly worthy males are sometimes rented, not unlike a stud horse, for breeding purposes
or recreation. Internally, it is considered good protocol for a female to ask her matron's
permission before claiming a male to be her 'mate'; Likewise, claiming a male from another
house's ranks without permission is a grave insult to the leadership of that house. One house's
males are not slaves for another house to use at a whim, to suggest otherwise by claiming a male
invites assassination.

An interesting thing to note. Bisexuality among drow is incredibly common. Drow females view
themselves as being superior to males. Thus, Drow females become the greatest sexual conquests
worth seeking. Drow females may desire each other for a myriad of reasons: for power(favors,
protection), for prestige(especially if the one that bottoms is of higher rank), and for the sake
of mutual enjoyment, if there is a degree of trust there. They might also wish to avoid the
company of lowly males until they are ready to conceive children. There is no cultural taboo
amongst the Drow regarding such relations, so females often indulge whenever they can manage it.
After all, the greatest expression of strength in such a society is when one drow holds power
over others. Females claiming females as mates is not unheard of, though it is often scandalous,
especially if the one being claimed is a priestess. It is one thing to best a priestess in
battle, another entirely to conquer her.

On a rung below, males will occasionally engage in such behavior as well, though it is much, much
more common among the females of the race. Males with the gall to claim a female as a mate will
almost always suffer the wrath of the temple for forgetting their place. The act of claiming
itself is considered borderline heresy at this point. The only exception is when a male owns a
female slave, as she is no longer considered a person, merely property.

In the FR lore, There is a peculiar 'game' played among the drow, called the 'spider's kiss'. A female may occasionally, for her own amusement, murder her partner in the bedroom at the climax of sexual festivities. This could be for the pure thrill of it, or a matter of tying up loose ends. I've only ever heard of it being done in-game once in all my years playing Arelith.

Ssin D'Aerth fill the interpersonal void occasionally. A cross between a bodyguard and a prostitute, a good
Ssin is a relatively safe way for a drow to get some of the much needed pleasures of life in
safety. Be it sex, massage, or a well prepared meal whilst the entertainer plays a song on a
musical instrument.
Image

Speaking of pleasures...

-----

Hedonism:

Drow live short lives of treachery, deceit, and murder. It is a very stressful life, and since
it is not likely to be a long life, the drow are all about enjoying the life they have while they
have it. Drow happily indulge in drugs, alcohol, music, fine food, luxury(if they can afford it)
and safe, pleasurable company(often hiring Ssin, who embody pleasure as best they can).

Pleasure is a thing to be cherished, as it is ever so fleeting, and one should savor what
pleasures they can, while they can. The velvety texture and sweet taste of wine, the thrill of
power whilst torturing a helpless slave, the numbing comfort of various drugs. The finest of
these are things not easily available to low class drow, which brings me to my next note...

Ssin D'Aerth are considered a precious commodity. Ssin are typically expensive to employ, the
laws of supply and demand working in their favor, and any Ssin that is good at what they do will
be desired by a house and paid as a retainer. It is actually prestigious for noble houses on
Arelith to have Ssin retainers. It is a display of wealth, that one is not strapped for cash and
can afford such luxuries as a personal entertainer. Ssin enjoy the protection of their status
most of the time, and most houses would rather capture a retainer and ransom it or secure its
services than kill one.

-----

That is it for now. I suppose its easiest to sum it up as such...

Arelith drow are generally NE in their behavior. The numbers simply aren't there for true CE play without burning enough bridges to make a character unusable unless its done very, very well. NE allows players to make somewhat reliable agreements and its unlikely that drow PCs will be truly as dickish as they are in published lore.

If a drow in FR dies in a dungeon, they leave him. On arelith they'll carry him home and get him a raise. We do this for lesser races too, but usually demand tribute or a favor or some sort of payment.

Its virtually unheard of for, in the middle of an engagement, a character to suddenly implode or murder another character while they're occupied, despite it being immensely common in the published lore. Its an opportune time to attack, why wouldn't you? As players we know this would be a dick move and said character would lose any and all reason to ever party with yours.

Our need to follow the 'Be Nice' rule forces our drow to be nicer people than they would be if we were playing strictly by the lore, and so whilst you might mechanically be CE, accept that the nature of Arelith as a multiplayer game means there will be times you'll need to act outside the boundaries of your character's alignment to ensure that the game stays fun for everyone
Last edited by Durvayas on Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:05 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by dirza » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:29 am

As long as you play within faction is possible to be dick IG and play out CE...and we raise our companions because we usually put lots of money and effort to make them useble so its our investment (is no act of mercy or good will).

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by livingNPC » Thu Nov 19, 2015 1:45 pm

Forgot about the house patron?

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Thu Nov 19, 2015 8:25 pm

livingNPC wrote:Forgot about the house patron?
Good catch. It'd been so long since I saw one I forgot all about it. Fixed.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Full Moon » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:51 pm

A couple things.

In game ArchMage is senior to her/his Melee Counterpart

Being allied with the enemies of the district is not always as easy as you portray and not without long lasting consequences.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Thu Nov 19, 2015 9:58 pm

The key there is "Not always". I never said it was always that easy.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by dirza » Thu Nov 19, 2015 10:37 pm

Durvayas wrote:The key there is "Not always". I never said it was always that easy.
Naturaly such house will become hated, ruling persons will treat them badly and insult on public, many of other drow will not respect them, and if they try to plot on others the surrounding drow will usually report it... :roll:

I really do not know what makes anyone to ally with enemies of district instead of turning district into the most powerfull force in UD. But hey, thats just me, the freak.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Fri Nov 20, 2015 4:24 am

One can(and should) play a drow without being completely exclusionary to all other races(and therefor the players that play them).

We can't all play the hyperxenophobic zealot that refuses to even speak to characters of any other race.
This is a thread for reference so people can make characters knowing what to expect and the culture of the local drow.

If you wish to write a guide about how to make characters that don't contribute to and create RP beyond being higher level NPCs who's only function is a hostile button, be my guest, but keep it off of this thread.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Maladus » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:08 am

Good write up, thanks for putting this together. I hope this encourages more people to come to the Underdark Side of the Force.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Full Moon » Fri Nov 20, 2015 2:51 pm

Durvayas wrote:One can(and should) play a drow without being completely exclusionary to all other races(and therefor the players that play them).

We can't all play the hyperxenophobic zealot that refuses to even speak to characters of any other race.
This is a thread for reference so people can make characters knowing what to expect and the culture of the local drow.

If you wish to write a guide about how to make characters that don't contribute to and create RP beyond being higher level NPCs who's only function is a hostile button, be my guest, but keep it off of this thread.
I think you are getting a bit defensive. I am not aware of any Drow PC that refuses to speak to other races. Are you really going to tell me I do not contribute or create rp ?

I certainly applaud your desire to be inclusive and I doubt anyone has issue with that, but you make it seem as if there is only one way to be inclusive and we must compromise our rp and racial characteristics to do so, and to this I disagree.

As someone who has given a great deal of thought to how to be more inclusive with non Drow races while keeping IC I am positive this can be done without befriending traditional enemies.

You may have noticed House Mor'Tain has a non Drow army. It is commanded by a human and includes humans and Underdark races. It is completely normal for drow to have non Drow troops. The key difference here is that the humans are servants, not equals. We have had goblins working for the Overseer, we now have a Svirf engineer working on our defense projects. We are actually far more inclusive than you give us credit for and look to be on the road to be more so.

This contrasts greatly with being equal allies with traditional Drow enemies and servants of Law. The first keeps Drow tradition, the second throws it out the window.

This is not a personal attack, really I am just hoping to show you the perception difference. It is a credit to you that you summarize such a broad topic and had so few criticisms but when you put out a guide saying "How it is" you have to expect some.

Fine work.

I should also add the disclaimer that while this nicely summarizes the current climate should there ever be a change in the First House things could become different quickly. The current First Matron is more of a "Shadowy Background only deal with the public when she has to type" where as both Sinithra and Shara are far more social. I suspect Um'rea is also more lawful than either of the other two would be. It is a very fluid dynamic that while appearing stable can change completely over night.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:54 pm

Full Moon wrote:
Durvayas wrote:One can(and should) play a drow without being completely exclusionary to all other races(and therefor the players that play them).

We can't all play the hyperxenophobic zealot that refuses to even speak to characters of any other race.
This is a thread for reference so people can make characters knowing what to expect and the culture of the local drow.

If you wish to write a guide about how to make characters that don't contribute to and create RP beyond being higher level NPCs who's only function is a hostile button, be my guest, but keep it off of this thread.
I think you are getting a bit defensive. I am not aware of any Drow PC that refuses to speak to other races. Are you really going to tell me I do not contribute or create rp ?.
What I said was a reply to aaa3, aka dirza's comment, not you. I've no idea how you thought that was directed at you or your faction.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Full Moon » Fri Nov 20, 2015 6:25 pm

Apologies if I misunderstood, it came across like you were saying Drow that are mistrustful of other races were bad for rp.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Ork » Fri Nov 27, 2015 6:07 am

http://arelith.com/underdark has some fantastic resources within it including a mock up of the ranks & interesting features, such as the Melee-Magthere's commands. I wouldn't trust the rank "placement" as those tend to fluctuate due to ingame events, but they're a good framework.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by livingNPC » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:18 am

I'll sum the arelithian drow (All of the Underdark, really) really quick. As you never know when the matron system can be ripped to shreds at any point in time, as it's based off of the Lloth faith, which isn't a prerequisite anymore.

Fear: anyone you can't kill. So stroke their ego by calling them what ever title they desire and then bow.

Relationships and friendships: do not exist. You're only using someone until they're no longer useful. This applies to other gender and races. There is no such thing as love.

Gender in charge: is based off what ever religion is in charge.

Everything else you can learn as you go along. Playing a drow or any UD race does not require a knowledge set beyond that.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by greypawn » Wed Jan 06, 2016 5:27 pm

I'd say you should fear pretty much everybody, not just people you can't kill. You don't want people rising above your position and surpassing you in power/prestige/whatever. For example: A old drowess seeing a young and upcoming drowess should fear that, at least to an extent as she is a threat. Being powerful shouldn't make you exempt from fear in a drow society, just more able to manipulate it.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Twily » Thu Jan 07, 2016 5:13 am

This was a good read! Although I'll admit I did skip over a few parts. 8-)

Also, This came to mind. http://41.media.tumblr.com/b96feca19f23 ... o1_500.jpg

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Durvayas » Wed Nov 07, 2018 8:00 pm

This guide has been updated to the best of my ability. Not much has changed except the sorcere being replaced with the Boreal keep, and I improved the formatting.
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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Dirac » Thu Nov 08, 2018 3:32 pm

Kudos for bumping this. I would have never known it existed otherwise.

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by Dagonlives » Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:46 pm

Honestly, it's not at all much like normal drow due to the mechanical restrictions of the setting. For example, Males generally have far more freedom. I've killed commoner females to little or no prosecution. It really doesn't' count for much in a setting where Lolth is not a real, breathing and oppressive diety.
My Rp kinda like droppin' a betta in an otherwise serene fish-tank.

Current Concepts:
Jhaamdath Wenchslayer, Drow weaponmaster and pirate captain

Eruantien Chil Ryilnn Aelorothi Aleansha, War-mage and Diviner of Evermeet. .

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Re: Arelithian Drow; A Definitive Guide To The Local Variety

Post by CosmicOrderV » Thu Nov 08, 2018 8:22 pm

Dagonlives wrote:
Thu Nov 08, 2018 6:46 pm
...
Totally right, and I daresay that's for the best. Any guides that try to tell you how to play drow should be taken with a grain of salt. As a standard, the climate of the underdark here on arelith is a bit removed from the norm, and even then, the finer details are always in flux depending on who is in power.
Aodh Lazuli wrote:
Wed Apr 10, 2019 6:22 pm
I, too, struggle to know what is written in books without first reading them.

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