Passion and Pain: "Ssinssrigg lueth Jiv'undus"

[Krayz]

~"Treachery. Deceit. Death. This is the Drow way"~

In the drow city of Euolde'lloth ("Gem of Lloth"), there is a perpetual state of war between the noble Houses, drow die at the hands of their kin every day, assuming that they are not simply sacrificed to dark gods upon the moment of their birth.

In other words, all is as it should be.

Fourteen thousand drow and three times their number in lesser races enslaved by the dark elves live under the rule of the Matron Mothers of the seven greatest Houses in a cheap imitation of order; underneath this, all seventy-three Houses scheme for the death of those above them and watch the Houses below for fear of similar threat. Aside from the several hundred noble drow that control the wealth and power of Euolde'lloth, many thousands of lesser dark elves serve the noble Houses in their guerilla campaigns against each other, their loyalties switching between victors. Thousands more live in the lower city and practice any number of trades or skills, dealing in a cornucopea of good from magic weapons to slaves.

Among the drow, priestesses come first and nobles come second. Even among the commoners, no male stands above a female. Only the daughters of the noble Houses may become High Priestesses of Lloth, and eventually Matron Mothers, and the greatest post that a male drow could ever aspire for would be to the patron of a Matron Mother and sire her children, or to be the Archmage of the city. The Matron Mothers rule each of their Houses, and through them Euolde'lloth, with an iron fist that would make the most tyrannical human despot blanch. Drow men live and die by the whims of the priesthood of Lloth.

All of the Matron Mothers aspire to become members of the ruling council of Euolde'lloth, and each of these ruling priestesses crave the power that the First House bears. However, there is only one way in which a House may rise in power; a House above them must fall. Thus, each House searches those above them for a sign of weakness, an opportunity to strike them down so that they may rise higher. However, if a House is caught in such an assault, then the combined might of the city will descend upon them and obliterate them from the face of the earth.

Drow justice strikes down those who fail, not those who are guilty.

I've always been fascinated by the drow as written by R.A. Salvatore. What I'm hoping to set up here is a roleplay that can simulate all the wonderful traits of the drow, and then throw a helluva lot of hot sex into the mix -which actually fits quite well with the drow; they celebrate the graduation from the schools for warriors, wizards and priestesses with an orgy, starting with a priestess having sex with a demon- for a generally-entertaining experience.

There's a lot of literature behind this setting, and drow society is quite complex. I plan on setting up a number of noble Houses for players to play from, with a variety of roles to fill, with the option of playing as a commoner also being there. I'm going to go more into the details on that stuff, however, once I know if there are people interested. What I would recommend, however, is that most of the roles like Matron Mother and priestess and such go to people more familiar with the setting (if they're here). A final note is that males that want to be in charge are going to have to work VERY hard for it....

[Delta Echo]

Count me as intrigued! I can play either a male or female drow - I'd prefer the latter, actually (one young and low in the ranks), but if other players wouldn't be comfortable with it, then that's fine. :)

[elfguy]

I love the Drow. My very own character would be willing to play. She's devious, selfish, powerful, strong, and thinks of herself and her pleasures first and foremost. Perfect for a Drow society.

[Travaius]

I'd be willing to give this a go. Some of my friends play drows in a game I have with them, and I am always making fun of them (character differences ) so it'd be cool to actually know something about it.

[Krayz]

I was beginning to worry that this was going to slide into obscurity; great to see that things are going otherwise

So, specifically, have any of you read the books by Salvatore? If not, that's cool; I just need to know how much I'm going to have to explain about the setting is all, as people that have read the same books will know a lot of what I'll be mentioning already :)

[elfguy]

I read some books, and played some AD&D, many years ago, so I know the basics, I don't know much specifics tho.

[Travaius]

No for me on the Salvatore for me...

[Krayz]

Okiday :)

[Delta Echo]

I haven't actually read but one or two of the books, but I'm rather familiar with the setting. :)
(As an aside, if you look through the archives for "The Hunt for Damien Nightstrider", you'll see an example of my playing a rather...liberated...half-drowess, who scared even me and the DM. )

[Krayz]

Most definitely, elf. We actually could use more women :)

[Krayz]

A Few More Details:

The Houses of Euolde'lloth

There are seven Houses that make up the greatest nobility of Euolde'lloth, each ruled by a powerful High Priestess of Lloth known as a Matron Mother. Under the Matron Mother are her direct kin and the greatest of the House's retainers, making up the nobility of the House. The Matron Mother has any number of daughters, all of which are priestesses that have graduated the from the first school of the drow Academy, Arach-Tinilith. These daughters are all high priestesses or are on the way to becoming one. As well, the Matron Mother will have the service up to two sons. No drow family will have more than two sons, as thirdborn sons are sacrificed to Lloth at birth. These sons will serve their Houses as great warriors or powerful wizards trained in the schools of Melee-Magthere or Sorcere respectively, the second and third schools of the Academy. Each Matron Mother also has a patron, a male drow chosen to be her official consort, though this is by no means a promise of monogamy from the Matron. And to lead the warriors of the common soldiery, all Houses have a weapons master, a prodigious warrior that also trains the nobles in the art of combat in their youth. Few of these roles are exclusive, with patrons possibly being weapons masters or even the sons of the Matron, with drow restrictions on such things nonexistent, or a warrior son of the Matron being the weapons master

House Orbcress is the First House of Euolde'lloth. It is known for having the most high priestesses, the most drow soldiers, and the largest number of slaves at its disposal. All in all, they have the greatest overall forces at their disposal. Their Matron Mother is also more powerful than two of the lesser Matrons, well-known as the most favoured of Lloth in Euolde'lloth. Through this the dominance of the First House is maintained, with all below stepping around House Orbcress while plotting to replace them at the same time.

Underneath House Orbcress lies House Fetear. House Fetear, of all the drow noble Houses in Euolde'lloth, has the greatest arcane traditions, with a high propensity for arcane talent appearing in the noble family; as a result, it's common for the priestesses, and even the Matron Mothers, of House Fetear to dabble in the arcane and follow the path of the theurge (casters of both arcane and divine magic). In addition, it's a rare day when the Archmage of the City is not from House Fetear. The arcane might of House Fetear has held them in their position of power almost as long as the First House, but they've never had the strength to decisively overthrow House Orbcress either.

House Talya is the third House of Euolde'lloth, famed for the skill of their assassins; indeed, even the priestesses of House Talya learned some skill in stealth and backstabbing. House Talya has been considered one of the stabilizing forces of the upper ranks of the city's nobility; their ruthlessness and silent skill has allowed them to eliminate any threat below them, unintentionally protecting the two higher Houses in doing so. However, it has also allowed the Third House to consolidate its own base as it prepares for its own rise...

The Fourth House, Ssouk, is respected for their vicious tactics and ferocity. Their warriors are among the most bloodthirsty of the drow in Euolde'lloth, and they are known for casting spells of madness upon their larger slave stock to make them more deadly in battle. They have been on the rise for some time, and their Matron Mother is well-known for her associations with the First House. Both sides seek an advantage from each other, of course; the question is who will win in the end.

House Kyorli is one of the most mysterious of Euolde'lloth, with their plans unknown to all others for an incredibly simple reason; there has not been a single attack committed by House Kyorli since its creation. While technically a House publicly known for committing an attack would be struck down by the might of the city, it's common for all to know who committed an attack by rumour and instinct. However, neither of these have ever pointed the finger at House Kyorli once. There are two conclusions that can be drawn; House Kyorli has either been completely content to ride on the success of those above it, or their actions against other Houses have been so subtle that no one recognizes them as the culprit.

House Dragazhar takes their name from a bat that lives in the Underdark, and they have developed a combat tactic dependent on the riding of giant bats into combat, giving them the ability to strike from the air in large numbers with relative ease. This tactic has served them well in many battles, both under the banner of Euolde'lloth and their own ambition.

House Karandras is the rising star among the greatest Houses of Euolde'lloth, excelling at everything that they devote their attentions to in terms of combat style and technique. They have only recently joined the ranks of the ruling council, but their Matron Mother is well know for her efforts to continue the ambitions of her House, playing many dangerous games in the process. The question that those who recognize this are asking is whether Karandras will live in glory, or die in darkness.

To begin with, I'm only going to have two Houses open for play: House Fetear, and House Karandras. Each will need a Matron Mother and a Weapons Master, along with any number of younger (high) priestesses and can have up to two sons and a male patron (note that either of the sons could be the patron or the weapons master, or both even, or the patron could be the weapons master, etc). House Fetear is going to have one of its sons filled by me, and he'll also be the Archmage of the City, leaving room for a second son. People who play in Fetear will likely have at least some arcane magic in their characters, even the fighters. House Karandras is meant to be an all-around House, with no particular specialties for the players to have to worry about.

If these Houses are filled, or a player really wants to play another one of the top seven Houses, they can request that House to be opened for PCs; that will likely be done only if a Matron Mother can be found for the House, however. Alternatively, a player can ask to form their own House outside of the leading seven, and add their own personal traits to it. That option should only be exercised by players with a great deal of familiarity with the drow, however, and again only if a player for the Matron Mother can be found.

Code Select Expand


[b]Name:[/b] Your character's first and last name. Nobles will have the name of their House as their last name (Including patrons and weapons masters born as commoners but adopted into the House).
[b]House:[/b] The noble House your character was either born into, or works among the soldiery for.
[b]Gender:[/b] Male or female
[b]Age:[/b] Drow live a long time; for example, priestesses begin training at Arach-Tinilith at age 16, and study for 50 years, while warriors enter Melee-Magthere in their early twenties and study for ten years (I'm not sure on how long mages study, but for story purposes we'll say it's a variable tutelage).
[b]Appearance:[/b] What your character looks like; a picture or a paragraph. A picture can also just go on top instead.
[b]Sexuality:[/b] Heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or any other -sexual you can think of, lol.
[b]Profession (Role):[/b] In basic, a priestess, warrior, or mage; more detail can be added, of course, if you know the setting. Role refers to the slots you filled in the above section.
[b]Equipment:[/b] Your standard drow noble wields enchanted adamantine weapons and mithral chainmail armour (if any), while prietesses wield a tentacle rod that can be used to strike, and high priestesses carry scourges made out of poisonous snakes under the priestess' control. Aside from this, there's a lot of room to experiment.
[b]Ons:[/b] What gets your character off.
[b]Offs:[/b] What turns your character off.


I'll have my sheet filled in soon as an example for other players less used to the drow as a guideline. A personality and a bio can be added, optionally. People who're choosing to play as priestesses or mages would do well to familiarize themselves with the spells used by those classes in D&D, and anyone looking for more information can do so online, with http://forgottenrealms.wikia.com/wiki/Drow being one good source. As well, please PM me with any questions

[Krayz]

House Fetear

Matron Mother:
Firstboy: Akai'zhar Fetear [Krayz]
Secondboy/Weapons Master: Ari'yee Fetear [Travaius]
Patron*:

Priestess**:

Commoner**:

*This title can be applied to one of the other male titles
**More than one of these can be played, and space will be added upon request

House Karandras

Matron Mother:
Weapons Master*:
Firstboy:
Secondboy:
Patron*:

Priestess**:

Commoner**:

*This title can be applied to one of the other male titles
**More than one of these can be played, and space will be added upon request

~~~~


Name: Akai’zhar Fetear

House: Fetear

Gender: Male

Age: 287

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Profession (Role): Necromancer (Firstboy of Fetear and Archmage of Euolde’lloth)

Equipment: The Sceptre of Akai’zhar is a potent magical item that magnifies the necromancer’s control over the undead. The black orb on top is also capable of being used as a receptacle for souls, useful for a number of magical spells, and the sceptre itself is a magical weapon capable of striking incorporeal beings. Akai’zhar also has a hoard of random magical items at his disposal, as well as the resources of Sorcere.   

Ons: Domination, power, causing pain, manipulation, humiliating and degrading women, etc.

Offs: Submission, love, tenderness, etc.

Bio:The Firstboy of House Fetear was born almost three hundred years ago, and even in his early days his skills with the arcane were a marvel among the magical Fetear House. However, he was also known for his impudence and his fascination with death and the dead, an area that male drow are expected to leave in the hands of the priesthood. Despite this, Akai’zhar, some even say because of this, delved deeply into the arts of necromancy, and became one of the most feared mages in all of Euolde’lloth. And finally, a little over two decades ago, the Archmage of the City died, To this day, none actually know how it happened, but whenever it is mentioned, a knowing smirk appears on the current Archmage’s lips. Akai’zhar’s full powers are understood by none, not even his family, with rumours whispered that he is not even truly among the living any more…

Personality: Akai’zhar is known for his open viciousness and contempt for all those around him, restrained only in the presence of the mightiest priestesses. He is arrogant to the point of madness, with where the border between confidence and arrogance being a continuing debate between him and his fellow male drow. It is well-known that Akai’zhar’s mannerisms are only tolerated by his family because of the incredible power that they gain through him, while Akai’zhar understands that without that support, he would be overwhelmed by the rest of the city’s mighty priesthood. He plays a dangerous game every day, struggling to rise above the social confines of drow society while not moving too openly and arousing the malice of the Matrons to the point where they would join together and crush him.

[elfguy]

For my girl I'm thinking she could be in a medium power house, not one of the top ones, but she would be the youngest daughter, but having killed all her older sisters, she would be at the head of her house at an impressively young age, with no one else in line to try and kill her, so at a very comfortable position.

[Krayz]

I only have two Houses open, mate, and they're both top ones. We just don't have enough players to have everyone scattering into different Houses. And being a Matron Mother is more than just killing your sisters; you'd have to kill your own mother (the former Matron). That being said, it's possible, but a very bad idea.

Most of the power of a drow House is based on the number of priestesses that one has. Killing your priestesses means killing your power; translation, a House below you is going to gut you at the first opportunity that it gets. What you could do, however, is have all of your sisters cowed by your power, knowing you could beat any of them if they challenged you. It's not as safe in terms of in-House politics, but it's not suicide in inter-House politics. Your normal Matron Mother is around five centuries old at least, so anything below that could be an impressive young age.

[Travaius]

My attempt...Tell me if I did something wrong.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Name: Ari'yee Fetear

House: Fetear

Gender: Male

Age: 197

Sexuality: Bi-Sexual

Profession (Role): Soldier (Weapons Master of Fetear)

Equipment: The only blade that constantly adorns Ari'yee is the Blade of Midnight. This is a long blade that can disappear from sight, noone being able to see and henceforth making it very hard to defend against. It also has the ability to change length, going from a dagger to the size of a broadsword. Ari'yee has a personal arsenal that grows constantly, his penchant for having new weapons forged making other grow weary.

Ons: Power, Blood, Violence, Dominating others.

Offs: Honesty, Mercy, Stupdity, and Cowardice

Bio:The Weapons Master of House Fetear was always fascinated with blades, his hands picking up a sword early on and learning how to use it, his Mother, Matron of the House, recognizing his prowess with the blade. He spent many years barely talking to anyone, his blades being his constant companions, the few times he would speak was to either ask for training or ask for another weapon. He became a soldier early, his Mother having mixed feelings on the subject., but when someone picked up on how capable he was, he quickly became an assassin. He was never called on to use his abilities, and he quickly looked for something else to do. He noticed that the Weapons Master had grown complacent and decided he wanted that. When the previous Weapons Master had an...accident forging one of his weapons, his tripping and his face being pressed into the hot metal, Ari'yee quickly stepped up to takeover.

Personality: Ari'yee's personality is still marked by silence, although he opened up more now. He rarely speaks to those higher ranked then him, worried he might anger them, his answers normally concise as possible. To those below him, he normally attempts to use a gesture rather than words, although he has been known to have random periods where he feels compelled to talk. Anger is normally shown by him reaching for one of the various weapons he keeps on himself, the only way you would know what he was doing is by watching his eyes

[elfguy]

k.. then Pamine would be the oldest Priestess (which is still quite young) and since she kept a heavy focus on physical training and skills, unlike most other daughters who spent most of their times having sex and doing orgies and having fun, the other priestesses now find themselves in the difficult position that they can't realistically challenge me. So basically all I'd have to do is keep the Matron on my site and do whatever I want.

[Krayz]

Are you a commoner that was adopted into the family as the weapons master then, Travaius, or the second son of the Matron Mother? Aside from that, it's good :)

@elfguy: Matron Mothers are very powerful, incredibly cunning, and they're quite firm in their authority; younger priestesses never defy the Matron Mother, because the day they were strong enough to disregard her would be the day they'd take her job. She's not a senile goat that you simply keep appeased and ignore, but an iron-handed dictator capable of unimaginable cruelty. That being said, so long as she approved of you, you'd be free to get your way most of the time.

And the martial prowess is good, but a priestess of Lloth also has divine magic at her disposal, and that as much as anything determines who's strongest. In fact, the Houses that die are almost always ones that have lost Lloth's favour, and thus have no divine magic to defend themselves.

[elfguy]

Ya I'd keep a good girl persona, but basically do whatever I want when she's not looking. And throughout the house there's plenty of strong magic users, my character is just weaker in it, mostly having focused on physical strength.

[Krayz]

What I'm saying is that a physically strong priestess is weaker than a magically-strong one, elfguy. If your best perk was physical, than you wouldn't be the strongest in the House.

[Travaius]

Tried to fix my story...

[Krayz]

That wasn't even a criticism of the story, Travaius. I just needed to know where to put him is all, lol.

[Travaius]

This is why they line the drows up on the OTHER side of the line from me....GROWL!!!

[elfguy]

What I'm saying is that a physically strong priestess is weaker than a magically-strong one, elfguy. If your best perk was physical, than you wouldn't be the strongest in the House.

Uhm fine then, through both dark magic and strong physics, she keeps her sisters at bay.

[Krayz]

Sounds good

[Krayz]

Shown on the map above are each of the major Houses of Euolde'lloth, labeled by name. In addition, there are a few other important locations to mention:

The Academy
The most obvious structures in Euolde'lloth, situated on a large rise next to the river, are the three colleges of Euolde'lloth; The spider-shaped Arach-Tinilith, the school of priestesses, the tall tower of Sorcere, school of magi, and the large pyramid of Melee-Magthere, the fighter school. All drow nobles, along with the wealthier commoners or those sent by the Houses they serve, attend one of these schools. In addition, the Academy provides the patrols that serve as the enforcement of law and order in Euolde'lloth. When a House is caught in the act of attacking another, the Academy will be joined by the other Houses of the city in striking down the guilty. In addition, to serve as a Master of Mistress of any school is a great honour, with much power behind the position.

The Arena
Just north of the Academy is a large, circular structure; the Arena. Here, gladiators engage in battles with each other or fantastic beasts, sometimes to the death. Slave fodder are also often used here as challengers to drow warriors, as well as many times when two nobles have challenged each other to matches as a means of settling a feud without (publicly) involving their Houses in the matter.

Gate Town
Just inside of the only cavern leading into Euolde'lloth lies Gate Town, which serves as the centre of trade and craftsmanship for the drow city. It's also the only place that non-drow are allowed to travel with escort and permission from one of the noble Houses, and many non-drow traders, mostly duergar (grey dwarves), can be found here offering their wares to the wealthy dark elves.

The Main City
Centred around the Arena lie the homes of the majority of the commoners in the drow city, as well as the taverns, brothels, and minor guilds for mercenaries and assassins.

Lake Niarnen
From Lake Niarnen comes the majority of the water of Euolde'lloth, save private wells filled by either underground springs or spellcasters, as well as the river that carved the entrance into the massive cavern of the city.

While the precise architecture of a particular drow House will vary, they all have a number of traits in common. They're formed from large, solid stone stalagmites or stalactites, the greatest surrounded by massive fences of enchanted metals. The elegantly-carved structures are often coated in magnificent displays of light and colour formed from magical faerie fire, making them wondrous sights to behold. However, each will also invariably possess an array of defenses, some magical and some less so. A common one is found in the form of shriekers, large mushrooms that unleash keening wails when approached, providing an alarm system against unwary attackers. However, there are many more forms, including summoned monsters, magical constructs, and any number of other options.