AD&D - Forgotten Realms - The Drow of the Underdark.pdf - Forgotten Realms - Misiaczki2

CONTENTS

Introduction: Drow In The Realms . . 3

The Nature of Dark Elves . . . . . . . . 5

Dark Elven Society . . . . . . . . . 13

Drow Religion . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Eilistraee . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Ghaunadaur (The Elder Elemental

God). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Lolth . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

Vhaeraun . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

The High History of the Drow . . . . 46

Drow Spells . . . . . . . . . . . .49

Drow Magical Items . . . . . . . . .69

Drow Craftwork . . . . . . . . . . .87

Drow Language . . . . . . . , .

A Selected Glossary of Deep Drow 100

Dark Elven Runes . . . . . . . . . 103

The Spider And The Axe: War In The

Depths . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

The Underdark . . . . . . . . . . . 111

Monsters of the Underdark . . . . . 112

Bat, Deep . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Dragon, Deep . . . . . . . . . . 115

Myrlochar . . . . . . . . . . . . 117

Pedipalp . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

Rothe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Solifugid . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122

Spider, Subterranean . . . . . . 123

Spitting Crawler . . . . . . .

Credits

Design: Ed Greenwood

Typesetting: Ries Graphics

Cover Art: Jeff Easley

Keylining: Sarah Feggestad

Interior Art: Tim Bradstreet, Rick Harris

TSR, Inc.

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TSR Ltd.

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Cambridge CB1 3LB

United Kingdom

. 125

Yochlol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126

.95

Drow Nomenclature . . . . . . . . .96

Editing: Newton Ewe11

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This work is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any repro-

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ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, and FORGOTTEN REALMS are registered

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9326

ISBN 1-56076-132-6

Dedication

To Gary Gygax, for our first dark look at the drow.

To Roger Moore, for glimpses of drow, dwarves, and a campaign of warfare between them.

To Eric Oppen, for the dark elven point of view.

To C.E. Misso, for a look at the unfortunate driders.

To Ann Dupuis and to Erol Otus, for a little magic.

To James Jacobs, for two names and more fun.

To Jim Lowder, for finding drow in the Realms.

To Karen Boomgarden: Eilistraee is for you, with love and respect.

Most of all, to Bob Salvatore, for bringing the drow to life in the Realms and spinning tales of

the Realms to warm many a fireside, down the passing years!

Greater indeed are pleasures that are shared.

Drizzt DoUrden, Exile

2 •

Drow. The Dark Elves. Those Who Have

Turned to Evil. In elven tongues, they are

referred to by several names: tirl

aukhbhet-ess, tuer lothnil, and duiss

aszbhar. All of these translate to The

Accursed. The elegant, dark and deadly

drow are a hated and feared race.

In the dangerous caverns of the Un-

derdark dwell many horrible monsters,

including the drow. Obsidian-skinned

kin to elves, this fell race has won mastery

of magicand a cruel reputation. Small

children of Faerun hear whispered tales

even before they are officially warned of

Those Below.

As everyone knows, drow come by

night, sporadically raiding the surface

realms with their twisted magic and their

near-invulnerability to the magic art of

most wizards. They are masters of subtle

treachery, and cannot be trusted even by

their fellows.

Were they not divided into warring

factions, theyd no doubt have overcome a

realm or two before thisand mayhap

(quietly, now; theyve spies everywhere)

even have already, on the sly, here on

the very sunlit surface of Faerun! Eh

smile not! Have ye not heard of strange

magic and doings, and this an that going

short, that never ran out before? Well

tis going below, mark yeto them.

So much I heard from a dozen hire-

swords and caravan-guards in the tav-

ems of Waterdeep when I asked about

drow (a subject best avoided, they gave

me to know). Armed with the ever-accu-

rate lore of the average sword in the

street, I used a secret gate I knew, and in

a single step was flung from the City of

Splendors. Half a world away I flew, to the

old green trees of Shadowdale; between

two old and gnarled forest giants, actu-

ally, just across the high road from the

unheralded flagstone path that leads to

Elminsters Tower.

What did The Old Sage, among the

greatest (and almost certainly the most

widely-experienced) living mages of Fae-

run, know of drow? I quickened my steps

as I framed the question half a dozen

ways, thinking on how best to approach

His Crustiness.

Hearing a familiar chuckle from off to

the left, I took the side-path that led down

to Elminsters Pool. Perhaps he was doing

dishes or laundry (or rather, sitting and

talking, smoking his infernal pipe, while

Lhaeo did the actual work), or maybe he

was I stopped dead.

Elminster was sitting, yes, smoking,

definitelybut he was also chuckling at

the low, murmured words of a visitor.

Words that ceased abruptly at my arrival,

changing to silent hand-movements,

head-shifts, arched brows, and a complex

shifting of expressions.

Elminster laid a level gaze upon me,

nodded in a wait-and-bide-quiet man-

ner, and turned his attention to his

guest. His hands, shoulders, and what

could be seen of his face above the beard

also moved, in a silent, high-speed ges-

ture-talk that seemed concerned with the

safety of my presence, and what I might

reveal. I forgot to wait and bide quiet in

the approved inscrutable manner; I was

too busy staring.

Before me, shoulder-deep in the pool,

was a very beautiful elven woman. Her

head and shoulders were framed by a

cascade of fine, snow-white hair, which

pooled in the water around her in an

impressive nimbus. Ruby-red eyes, set in

a delicately-featured obsidian face, darted

from Elminster to me like licking flames

in the gathering twilight.

The drow ladyI could only call her a

Introduction • 3

lady held a swirled-crystal wineglass

clear of the water. Green, spiced drow

wine sparkled within its depths. A simi-

lar draught occupied a matching glass on

a rock beside The Old Mage.

Elminster smiled, and turned to me.

Well met, he said. May I present no

closer, please; shes rather apprehensive,

and for reasons of modesty wont come

out of the water just nowmy onetime

apprentice, Susprina Arkhenneld.

He held my eyes almost challengingly. I

remembered that one knelt on one knee

to ladies of esteem (even when theyre

bathing in a pond), and did so. Elminster

smiled. Aye, shes drow. Mystra minded

not. Have ye become so expert in the ways

of Faerun that ye must stand as

dumbfounded as a local? Ye came to ask

me something?

I took a deep breath, and tried a smile

on the angry-looking Susprina. This

wasnt going to be easy. . . .

It definitely wasnt easy, but you now

hold the end result: a sourcebook explor-

ing the fascinating, often deadly culture

of the drow in (or rather, under) Faerun.

Elminster helped, as did Susprina, but

they both warn that much here is incom-

plete: adventurers may well learn more at

their peril. Moreover, in the other worlds

where they are found, drow may vary in

customs and details from the informa-

tion given herein. As The Old Mage says

(all too often, it seems): Ye Have Been

Warned.

4 • Introduction

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