[Ebberon] Heart of Darkness [Drow]

[Cyincal Lurker]

Xen'Drik. Continent of Mysteries.

That is what the Outlanders say. Those who come to steal what is ours, to learn what knowledge we have earned, to awaken that which we know to leave be. Gladly, we would let them do such things, for soon enough they will pay the price, in those distant lands where they feel so safe.

And yet the portents are black, and hint at ruin that will fall on the outlands, on the ocean and on us as well.

How much longer can we ignore them, these outlanders? How much longer before they repeat history and undo all we have worked for?

-- Id'halak Al'shatan, Drow Shaman


This is, of course, an idea for an all Drow Ebberon game, starting in Xen'Drik before moving farther a field.


I'm looking for 4-6 players, and I'd love to be able to run at 1/day posting, but I'll take what I can get. Mechancial details to follow, but I'm more interested in concepts rather than stat-blocks - I'll accept a neat character idea over a neat bunch of numbers, so keep that in mind.

I'm aiming at a run all the way to level 20 or so, FYI.

Characters will, of course, be members of the same family group (though not nessicaraly related), and will almost certainly have a history. Plus, at the starting level, they will be fairly noteworthy characters in there own rights.

I'm basicly winging this ATM, so feel free to take some liberties with backgrounds and the history of the family group (within the bounds of reason, such that it exists in D&D). And ask questions if you got them.


The Drow will be slightly modified to drop the LA, possessing the following traits:
-2 Con, +2 Dex, +2 Wis
Sleep Immunity
+2 to Will saves vs spells
Low-Light Vission
+2 to Search, Spot & Listen (no auto-check for secret doors)

Starting level with be 4th.

Attributes will be standard 4d6 drop lowest, however, you can re-roll your lowest total one time (ie, roll up 7 attributes and drop the low one).

Check with me on any non-core classes/feats/etc. I own alot of books, so most stuff should be fine, but let me know in advance so I can double check.

I'll be using the following variant rules (mostly from AU) (with some minor tweaks):
Wounds/Vitality
Armor as DR
Weapon Proficency Groups

I'm likely also going to use a non-standard skill system ripped off from the Saga Edition star wars rules (I don't have the book, but I like what I've heard about it, I just need to figure how to make it work in this setting).


That should about cover it, I think.

 

[Cyincal Lurker]

Before the begining of days, when above the heavens did not yet exist nor the earth below, Apsu the freshwater ocean was there, the first, the begetter, and Tiamat, the saltwater sea, she who bore them all.

They were mixing their waters, and no land had yet been formed, nor even a reed marsh. From these waters the first generations of gods were born, and they bowed and served Apsu and Tiamat, their parents and masters.

In turn, the Elder Gods birthed the Younger, and they in turn multiplied, but were in each generation less obediant and increasingly obstenent, giving no homage to there own parents, and none to Apsu and Tiamat.

Apsu grew, in time, vexed by the gods, and in secret conspired to put and end to them, taking them back into himself from whence they half came, but the youngest of the gods was the most clever, and learned of this, and the gods came and slew Apsu, and made death the freshwater.

The Elder Gods were fearfull, and spoke of this to Tiamat, who was wroth, and with her eldest child she concived an army of monsters with which to have retribution, but the youngest god was clever still, and slew Tiamat, and cut her open.

With the upper of her body, he made the heavens, beyond which he scattered the remains of the elder gods, so they would have no power and not avenge themselves, and be scattered forever.

With her lower half, he made the earth, and under it burried Apsu, and with the waters of both many things were born to serve the gods, as they had once served Apsu and Tiamat.

The organs of Tiamat were cast far, beyond the heavens, so her power was scattered into nine spheres that would never meet, Apsu's organs remained, being to toxic for the gods to move, but were burried below the earth, where they would cause no trouble.

The spirit of Apsu was not gone from his flesh, such was it's hate, and that hate mixed with the death-water, and thigns were born from Apsu and not Tiamat, and the circle of life was twisted, and darkeness was apon the face of the deep.

Even as the gods had turned from Apsu and Tiamat, in time they turned from those who they made to serve them, and they became distant and dwelled not on the earth, nor in the heavens.

The children of the gods languished, and became backwards and simple, and no wisdom was known to them, and they forgot the names of the gods, and of Tiamat and Apsu, and all history was undone for them, for each day was without a past to them.

Darkness flowed up from the earth, and covered it up, as the hate of Apsu boiled over, and all the gods made was turned into darkness and made to suffer, for the gods were gone, and no power was in the darkness to reach to the heavens, and not to reach beyond, and it fed only on itself, and grew in malice but not in power.

The serpent-folk came, born of Tiamat, who had hidden in distant places where the gods had not cut them down, and they saw the darkness and found it unseeming that the things made of the gods, but from Tiamat, should be made to suffer for that which they did not, and knew not of.

The serpent-folk made war on the dark, and the dark made war on the sperpent-folk, the last children of Tiamat battled the spawn of Apsu, both full of hate, and of power, yet not one of them could die, for they were born to battle gods, and to not fall in any battle.

So the sperent-folk found the doors to the under-earth, and shut them, and placed guard apon them, that the hate of Aspu would be bound, and not find any passage to the earth, and never stand under the heavens, and not trouble the living things apon the world, who were not the enemies of Apsu, nor of Tiamat.

The elder serpent-folk took up the watch over the doors in the deep, and the younger wathced the earth, and the heavens, to know if the darkness moved, and to hold vigil if the gods returned, for they were still enemies of the gods, and hated them as the dark did, but would not make suffering on those who were not the gods.

That is the start of all things, and why we keep watch on the under-earth, and why the serpent-folk are not to be trusted, even though they hold back the darkness, they wait to make war on the gods again, and would loose that darkness as a weapon.

-- Drow creation myth

 

[ethandrew]

I'm surprised there hasn't been any interest in this so far. If not for my complete unfamiliarity with the drow, I'd probably take a stab at this.

 

[Cyincal Lurker]

Well, that may be for the best; my Age of Worms game idea may actualy run, and I won't be able to run two games at once ATM, so odds are this one won't run anyway.

But it kidna figures I finaly get enough interest in my other idea as soon as I give up and start on something else.

 

[doghead]

ooc - Heart of Darkness

Wow. I'm on dial-up up the moment, So I have to watch the minutes. I usually write off line and log back in to post. I figured this one would be full before I had a chance to log back in. Used to be a time when you couldn't run a game without someone trying to play a Drow.

Never played one myself. But Hiitar Vain, my Teifling Swashbuckler, would have been an easy changeover. I would have like to run Hiitar again. Maybe as a psychic warrior. I really like the idea of all the precog combat powers.

But I understand where you are coming from. I'm running 1 game and playing in 2, and its taking pretty much as much time as I can afford. Which really means I shouldn't be joining any more games, should I?

doghead
aka thotd

 

[Mellubb]

I am interested as well. I am not to familiar with what Ebberon has done with the drow but I would like to play thew first boy of the house. I am thinking a silver tongued bard. Who would most likely be heavy on charismatic skills.
I am not sure how drow society works here. Do they still wworship Lolth or not? If not do they still of eight hoses that make up the city hyarchy or what?

 

[Zoycitenega]

I'm rather interested, though I do not have Arcana Unearthed(is it necessary to have read it, or can you explain it?). I'd easily be able to do a 1 post/day rate.

You were saying to check with you for non-core classes. What are your feelings on Warlocks or Beguilers?

 

[WarlockLord]

I'd be interested...do you mind a swordsage?

 

[Cyincal Lurker]

Hrm. Sometimes you just can't kill an idea, can you?

Oh well.

Ebberon Drow:
Note, a good bit of this is my take on the general info I have, rather than stuff explicetly from source books.

Ebberon drow are, socieity wise, far removed from classic drow. There is no Loth, though the majority of them do worship a scorpion god (name escaps me atm), while some of the more outright evil gropus worpship the Shadow or the Dragon Below. While virtualy all drow venerate all three deities, those who focus on the Shadow or the Dragon Below tend to be dangerous even by drow standards.

While the largest drow settelemtns are underground, something more than half the population (as I see it) lives in the jungles and giant ruins of the surface. When the giant civiliztion collapsed, the drow ancestors fleed to the underground to withstand the cataclysm, but have slowly but steadly moving back to the surface over the long ages since then.

Clanish and insular, most drow live in only the smallest groups, just enough to sustain there own population. However, when a secure location with sufficent resources can be found, smaller groups can merge to form something more like a city, though the family divisions remain very strong, and such settlments are not often long lasting due to these internal stresses.

The drow consider family to be of great importance, and most live in small, clan-like famly groups that move thorugh the wilds. Asking the family name of a drow is a very good way to have a drow try and kill you.

The drow view themsleves as the rightfull heirs to Xen'Drik and all the mysteries it contains. Outsiders are, at best, unwelcome, but far more often theives and defilers who plunder that which the drow have earned by surviving the harsh lands.

Drow are largly matriarcal, but this is not a set-in-stone rule, as the drow can't afford to hold too great a bias - survival is most important, and a capable leader is what ensures a family endures. However, all other things being equal, a female will generaly be favored over a male.


That should kinda-sorta cover it

One way to think of it is more like wild-elves than classic drow.

As far as internal politics go, a large ebberon-drow settlement will see something like the classic-drow social and political fighting, though not often to the same degree. The unsettled nomadic groups are typcialy based around a single family, so don't have (and can't really survive) that kind of in-fighting.

So, if I were to set this in a settled group with several families, some families will be more prominate than other (ussualy the ones that forced the others to submit.), buit they are more focused on survival rather than political power.


Warlocks, Beguilers and Swordsages are all fine classes.

 

[WarlockLord]

Alright! Cool flavor of drow swordsage...wis bonus...dex bonus...count me in for a diamond mind/shadow hand focusing swordsage!