The Underdark

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BGTSCC | The Underdark

Tavern tales across Faerûn’s sunlit lands whisper of the Underdark, a lightless, subterranean realm that is home to fabled races and ancient, unspeakable evil. It is a domain of primeval mysteries and unending war, a hidden world of cruel masters and hopeless slaves, filled with monstrous races that were old before humans were born. It is a dank, dismal place of fungus, rot, and slime. It is a land where a few lucky merchants have found a lucrative trade, but where many more have been slain (or worse) for their effrontery. So dire is the reputation of the Underdark and its denizens that mothers caution their children to behave, lest the dark elves steal them away.

The Environment

The Underdark is far more than just stone; it is a linked network of titanic cave systems that defy simple definition. While much of it consists of natural rock openings, it also encompasses deep-water coral caves, hollowed-out ice, and surreal environments formed from fungus, bone, or pure magical force. This terrain is inherently dynamic; a map drawn only a few decades ago may already be obsolete, as tunnels collapse and lakes vanish. Changes can occur over millennia or in the sudden violence of an earthquake.

The environment is defined by a heavy, pitch-black darkness and a tomblike silence that can unnerve even the most experienced cavestalker. While total darkness is the norm, travelers may occasionally find reprieve in locales illuminated by natural phenomena such as luminescent growths, molten rock, radiant crystals, or the flickering glow of "wizard fire."

Beyond the lack of light, the very air can be a silent killer. Sealed chambers and isolated caverns hold only finite supplies of breathable oxygen. While non-breathing creatures remain unaffected, other travelers must be wary of airtight spaces where the air can quickly become stale or depleted. In some regions, the air is actively toxic, a result of geothermal activity near volcanoes, which causes poisonous gases to settle in low-lying pockets.

Despite these dangers, the climate remains remarkably consistent. While the temperature varies based on depth and geothermal heat, the majority of the Underdark maintains a moderate, albeit clammy and chilly, temperature year-round. For most, standard adventuring garb is sufficient to ward off the damp cold and keep the body dry.

Layers of the Underdark

The Underdark is categorized into three distinct horizontal layers, each defined by its depth and the temperament of its inhabitants.

• The Upperdark
• The Middledark
• The Lowerdark

The Upperdark:
The Upperdark extends from the surface down to a depth of approximately three miles. This region is a crossroads of civilizations, inhabited by creatures such as chitines, drow, dwarves, giants, goblinoids, orcs, svirfneblin, and wererats. Additionally, scouts from the deeper, more dangerous realms frequently venture into these tunnels to hunt or trade.

The economy relies heavily on the surface world. Slavers from evil cities venture topside to capture victims for labor and food, while simultaneously trading for textiles, grains, fruit, and weapons. In exchange, the Upperdark exports raw ore, refined metals, gems, and rare subterranean flora.

Navigating the Upperdark is relatively straightforward compared to the lower depths. Over millennia, a vast network of routes has been carved by volcanic activity, burrowing beasts, and mining civilizations. Near the surface, tunnels often consist of packed dirt rather than solid rock, allowing creatures lacking stone-cutting skills to excavate their own paths.

While less abundant than on the surface, necessities such as light, air, food, and water are generally accessible.

• Light: Luminescent flora and faerzress provide dim illumination, though travelers lacking darkvision will still require independent light sources.
• Air & Water: Surface vents ensure fresh air circulation, and enormous underground lakes—some spanning hundreds of miles—provide hydration. While some water sources are guarded or contaminated, many remain pure.
• Food: Edible fungi grow wild, and small game (such as rats, lizards, and giant vermin) is plentiful. Deep rothé are commonly raised as livestock near major settlements.

Most Upperdark inhabitants maintain contact with the surface, either through trade or raiding. Relationships between underground communities are transactional and tense; true friendship is virtually nonexistent, though settlements often maintain cautious truces to ensure mutual survival. Common encounters in this region include quaggoths, minotaurs, troglodytes, and stone giants.

The Middledark:
The Middledark descends from 3 to 10 miles beneath the surface. It is the heart of subterranean civilization, serving as the primary domain for the great cities of the drow and duergar. Beyond these urban centers, the gloom is inhabited by solitary aboleths, cloakers, derro, grimlocks, and kuo-toa, with isolated mind flayer outposts scattered throughout the layer.

Travel in the Middledark is notoriously difficult. Unlike the Upperdark, natural passages often terminate in dead ends or impassable geological barriers. To circumvent these physical limitations, the resident races have become prolific tunnelers and master portal builders, relying on magic and engineering to maintain connections between their distant strongholds.

At its most hospitable, the Middledark is more punishing than the harshest surface deserts. The difficulty of any Survival check made here increases by 5, a penalty that applies even to subterranean natives. Wild resources are exceedingly rare, and any that do exist are almost certainly claimed and guarded by local factions.

• Light: Naturally occurring glowing fungi and lichens are far less common than in the upper reaches. While these are cultivated within cities, travelers in the wild will find little natural light.
• Air and Water: Air quality is often poor; while generally breathable, it is frequently stale or tainted by pockets of poisonous volcanic fumes. Water is the region's scarcest resource. Many denizens are forced to bypass traditional water sources entirely, instead extracting necessary hydration from the fluids of the creatures they consume.
• Food: While food is more available than water, it becomes increasingly scarce as one approaches the lower boundaries of this region.

While communities may engage in wary trading partnerships, it is generally common that the moment one party gains a significant advantage, the terms of the agreement tend to be violently renegotiated. Even in "open" cities such as Sshamath, newcomers are often greeted with immediate hostility.

The Lowerdark:
The Lowerdark represents the deepest reaches of the subterranean world, extending from 10 miles beneath the surface to the very foundations of the earth. At present, this region is unrepresented in BGTSCC.

This entry serves as a placeholder should a path to these abyssal depths be discovered. Historically, the Lowerdark is an alien environment where the familiar laws of nature and society begin to break down. Its residents are often bizarre, hostile, and utterly indifferent, if not outright antagonistic, to any cultures from the world above.

Underdark Domains

The Underdark is not a singular, unified cavern system. It is a fragmented world where geographic proximity does not always equate to accessibility. An Underdark domain is a collection of locales linked by tunnels, caves, and passages that make travel between them reasonably feasible. A domain functions much like a large island or continent on the surface; while it may contain diverse terrains and competing cultures, one can traverse its entirety without "setting sail" into the impassable rock that separates it from other regions.

Because travel between domains is difficult, and often impossible, the domain structure dictates the geopolitics of the deep.

• Geopolitics: Cities within the same domain are far more likely to engage in trade, diplomacy, or warfare.
• Overlapping Cultures: Like surface continents, domains force disparate races to interact, creating unique regional identities and localized conflicts.
• Exploration: While trailblazing a new route between two separate domains is theoretically possible, it often requires extraordinary effort, magic, or the discovery of ancient, long-lost portals.

Faerûn’s Underdark consists of eight major domains, a dozen or so minor ones, and hundreds of otherwise isolated locales that don’t appear to connect (at least not easily) to any other Underdark networks.

Major Domains:
(No BGTSCC Representation)

• The Buried Realms
• The Darklands
• The Deep Wastes
• The Earthroot
• The Glimmersea
• Great Bhaerynden
• The Northdark
• Old Shanatar

Minor Domains

While the major domains encompass vast territories, the Underdark is also peppered with roughly a dozen minor domains. These are smaller, self-contained networks that often serve as isolated hubs of civilization or specialized ecosystems.

Gauth Grottoes:
(BGTSCC Partial Representation)

Deep below the western section of the former dwarven kingdom of Oghrann lies a network of caverns known to the drow of Sshamath as the Gauth Grottoes, and is the minor domain which BGTSCC’s Underdark is centered around. It is the immediate territory surrounding the drow city of Sshamath, situated approximately 30 miles south of the surface fortress of Darkhold and 7 miles below the surface.

A small hive of gauth dwell in the played-out delvings of the Stout Folk. The Darkweave Hive consists of less than two hundred beholder-kin led by a gauth version of an elder orb, Xamag the Glamourvore (NE elder orb gauth). Members of the Darkweave Hive prey on merchants traveling to and from Sshamath, feasting on dweomered items and warm-blooded prey.

Despite centuries of repeated assaults by Sshamathan patrols, the gauth have never been dislodged. The gauth give way when the Sshamathan patrols come hunting, and they return when patrols leave. As a result, a great deal of eastern traffic to and from the City of Dark Weavings is forced to pass north beneath the Stonelands or south beneath the headwaters of the River Chionthar. Some believe the hive extended their hunting territories in response; their attacks continue unchecked.

The Netherese Caverns:
(BGTSCC Partial Representation)

West of the Gauth Grottoes lies another minor domain, The Netherese Caverns. When Netheril fell in -339 DR, refugees streamed east, south, and west in a wave of humanity. They established smaller successor realms known as the Netherese survivor states, the most famous of which were Anauria, Asram, and Hlondath. At least one realm was established in the middle Underdark, beneath the plains east of the Wood of Sharp Teeth.

The name and fate of this forgotten realm is unrecorded, but architectural remnants survive throughout the region known as the Netherese Caverns. The human inhabitants carved cliffside homes into great chasms, fashioning a peaceful tribal culture reminiscent of the Azuposi in the lands to the north of Maztica.
While the Netherese Caverns have been looted, rich, hidden tombs still exist. However, something evil haunts these ruins that has grown increasingly powerful in the centuries since its release. It preys upon all who dare to plunder the grottoes of the dead.

Notable Sites

Oghrann:
(BGTSCC Partial Representation)

Oghrann was the first dwarven realm established in the North by shield dwarf emigrants expanding from Deep Shanatar. At its height, the core caverns of the kingdom encompassed the Tun Plain and the "Great Shield,” the encircling Sunset Mountains and Stormhorns of Cormyr. Though the realm's surface holdings were primarily reserved for livestock, the bulk of the kingdom lay deep in the Underdark. Today, the Sign of the Realm, a curved hunting horn with a six-pointed star above and beneath it, can still be found etched into deep caverns throughout the region.

The realm is not entirely abandoned by its founders. Of the kingdom established by the first king, Thordbard Firebeard, all that remains in dwarven hands are the five "wells." In its westernmost marches, beneath the Far Hills, these mighty vaults harbor large populations of bats and dire bats, which the local shield dwarves use as mounts to patrol their ancient halls.

However, the heart of the old empire has fallen into darker hands. Directly beneath the Marsh of Tun lies the oft-flooded ruins of Araulurrin, the central capital of Oghrann. While bards tell legends of a "city of glass" within the bog, the cavern is actually the domain of a venerable female black dragon named Skurge. Along with her offspring, Tyra and Despayr, she is a direct descendant of the legendary Thauglorimorgorus "the Black Doom."

Skurge’s influence extends from the surface marshes deep into the upper Underdark, where she is served by a large tribe of varkha. She ruthlessly protects her domain and the stolen treasures of Oghrann, which she safeguards by dividing the hoard into numerous smaller caches scattered throughout the ruins of Araulurrin.

Giant’s Chalice:
(No BGTSCC Representation)

In the lower Underdark, miles beneath the Trader’s Road, lies a great subterranean oxbow lake. This brackish water stretches from the southernmost tip of the Lake of Dragons near Pros to Asbravn and then back to the Bridge of Fallen Men. The infrequent appearance of sea elves in these waters leads many to suspect that a flooded passage connects the aquatic kingdom of Naramyr with the upper reaches of the Giant’s Chalice. The Alu’Quessir are believed to have reestablished trade relations with the blue ring octopi who dwell within these waters; a handful of radiant coral carvings have been offered for sale in Myth Nantar by visiting elven merchants from Naramyr.

The sentient mollusks of Suswynfa (the blue ring octopi name for their aquatic realm) have long suffered from a large colony of vampire squids introduced into these waters by the illithids of Oryndoll seeking to extend their writ. Although the blue ring octopi have been greatly reduced in number, the introduction of elven magic has begun to tip the balance of power in their favor.

The reasoning behind the lake’s more common name has long been forgotten, but a few sages suspect that it is a Shanataran term referring to the giants that once dwelt above.

Miscellaneous Sites
(No BGTSCC Representation. However, these official sites do exist within the server's surface boundaries and are listed here primarily for reference.)

Philock:
The ruins of this ancient Netherese city lie in the Upperdark, in a region known as the Netherese Caverns. Like Anauria and Hlondath, Philock was a successor state of Netheril, founded in the years after the great empire’s fall. The city is built in a large rift in the heart of the cavern system. Its buildings stretch through the floor of the canyon and also scale its lower reaches.

Old cave-ins or landslides have buried most of Philock under tons of rock. Intrepid adventurers have tried to excavate parts of the ruins, but with little success. Only a recent drow expedition well-equipped with slave labor has met with any success, but after uncovering an intact stairwell, the slaves doing the excavation fell ill from a deadly inhalation poison (lungrot). This fact has cooled the drow’s ardor for continuing the process.

Reeshov:
About 12 miles under the Serpent Hills, the grimlock fortress of Reeshov doubles as a town. These grimlocks do not intend to be taken captive by anyone or anything, and they have the illithid heads on pikes to prove it. A culture of paranoia and viciousness toward outsiders characterizes this community.

Throrgar:
Beneath the vale of the Chionthar River, between the Northdark and the northern marches of Old Shanatar, lies a tremendous abyss known as Throrgar. This yawning chasm is about 50 miles across, although mighty buttresses rise up out of its fathomless darkness at odd intervals to meet its ceiling. Several foolhardy individuals have descended into Throrgar, and those who have returned report that the small portion of its bottom they explored lies about 15 miles below its ceiling.

Xothaerin:
The northern reaches of this kingdom, which lie beneath the Cloud Peaks of Amn, are home to scattered tribes of fomorians and other monsters. The southern tunnels and caverns, which are located beneath the Small Teeth Mountains in Amn, have been overrun by an aggressive nest of stingers from Maztica.

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BGTSCC | The Underdark | Playable Races

Deep Imaskari

Secret and few, the deep Imaskari are heirs to the lost empire of Imaskar. One of the earliest human empires, Imaskar rose in what is now the Dust Desert and Plains of Purple Dust. Wizard-kings of heady power, the Imaskari were destroyed by the slaves they had abducted from other worlds (who eventually became the folk of Mulhorand and Unther) and the machinations of unusual creatures of their own creation (the phaerimms).

The Imaskari faded away into history as their empire crumbled, leaving behind nothing but mysterious ruins. A secret few, however, charged with epic wizardry, managed to preserve themselves and their kin. Fleeing deep into the bowels of the earth, they sealed themselves away from both the knowledge and the recriminations of the surface world.

The deepest fissures of the earth have long hidden an ancient secret: The descendants of the Imaskari still live. Thousands of years of isolation combined with purposeful magical modifications have transformed these deep Imaskari into a human subrace adapted to life underground. The deep Imaskari have long managed to conceal the existence of their hidden kingdom even from other Underdark races by enforcing complete separation.

Now, however, deep Imaskari isolation is coming to an end. The magical seal that so long protected the kingdom of Deep Imaskar has been breached, and a few deep Imaskari have begun to wander the deep ways of the world that their ancestors fled long ago.

Personality & Outlook:
Deep Imaskari are guarded and detached, keeping an unconscious watchfulness in all their interactions. Their one passion is magical experimentation—their enforced isolation did not change their basic fascination with magic and research in arcane lore, though they have lost much of the knowledge their race once possessed. They see all outcomes of magical research as mere data points, so they rarely get upset when a particular experiment turns out badly.

One sure way to gain a deep Imaskari’s friendship is to gift her with a spell she doesn’t know or some other secret of arcane lore. Deep Imaskari are fascinated with magic—how could they not be? Their very bodies were altered by an epic spell cast long ago to conceal their ancestors from their former slaves.

Physical Description:
A deep Imaskari appears mostly human. Her skin looks pale and stonelike, as if expertly sculpted from the finest veined marble, though it is as soft as human skin to the touch. (This stonelike appearance is a remnant of the magical alteration that all the Imaskari underwent to survive in Deep Imaskar.)

Otherwise, a deep Imaskari is tall and slender—a typical male stands between 5-3/4 and 6 feet high and weighs around 160 pounds, and a female is about half a foot shorter and 40 pounds lighter. Deep Imaskari typically wear elaborate greatcoats, under which they sport elegant black shirts, trousers, and boots. They delight in dark rings, especially magic ones.

Relations:
The deep Imaskari have taken pains to keep their existence secret from every other race of Faerûn, so they have little real experience with humans, dwarves, and other races. Deep Imaskari encountered outside Deep Imaskar are curious and excited to meet members of other races, though they tend to view humans from Unther or Mulhorand in a suspicious light.

Alignment:
While the Imaskari of ancient times are generally regarded as evil, abomination-creating, devil-dealing people (which was probably true), the folk descended from the survivors in Deep Imaskar are mostly neutral. The Great Seal that kept Deep Imaskar separate from the rest of the Underdark was opened recently to begin the process of reengaging in commerce and communication with the world outside, not to enable any sort of deep Imaskari conquests.

Religion:
In ancient times, the Imaskari wizard-kings deemed no gods worthy of their worship. Although the deep Imaskari have come to venerate the oldest and most fundamental of Faerûn’s deities (including Chauntea, Grumbar, Kossuth, Mystra, and Shar), they still have few clerics and little religious tradition.

Language:
Deep Imaskari speak an ancient language known as Roushoum, which uses the Imaskari script. Virtually no one outside Deep Imaskar comprehends this language anymore, so the modern deep Imaskari also study Common so that they can better observe and interact with the world around them. Since they don’t often speak this language and have little opportunity to hear native speakers, their Common tends to be stilted and thickly accented. Those deep Imaskari who venture out of their hidden kingdom usually pick up two or three other Underdark languages, including Elven (the drow dialect), Terran, and Undercommon.

Adventurers:
The Deep Imaskari are finished with isolation and hiding. Having decided that they know far too little about the world from which their ancestors took refuge, they shattered the Great Seal that kept Deep Imaskar isolated for so long, and a bold few ventured forth into the deepest layers of the Underdark.

But those who choose the path of exploration do so at a cost: They must turn their backs forever on their homes behind the Great Seal. The location of Deep Imaskar is magically excised from the brain of any deep Imaskari who chooses to leave, so that even should she run afoul of mind-reading creatures (as many have), the race’s final redoubt will remain safe.

Drow (Dark Elves)

Feared and reviled throughout the Lands Above, the drow (or dark elves) are perhaps the most numerous, powerful, and widespread of the Underdark’s native peoples. The majority of the dark elves live in city-states ruled by various noble Houses. Each House commands its own small army of fearless drow soldiers, cunning wizards, and zealous priestesses, as well as large contingents of slave soldiers, such as bugbears, ogres, and minotaurs. In fact, half to two-thirds of any drow city’s population consists of humanoid slaves and rabble, all of whom are subject to the cruelty and whims of any passing dark elf.

Dark elf city-states lie below dozens of surface realms, often unbeknownst to the upperworlders who live above them. The rulers of some drow cities prefer to leave the surface races alone and turn their attention toward gaining power through the endless scheming and feuding of the noble Houses. Others, however, view the surface lands as theirs to pillage and plunder whenever they choose.

Personality & Outlook:
Most drow are cruel, arrogant, and hedonistic. Their eternal game of advancement at the expense of others, which is encouraged by the spider goddess herself, has transformed the dark elves into a race of scheming backstabbers eager to increase their own stations by pulling down those ahead of them and crushing their inferiors underfoot. Drow trust no one and nothing, and most are incapable of compassion, kindness, or love. Many dark elves are actively murderous and delight in the giving of pain.

While dark elves neither honor their promises nor maintain personal loyalties once it becomes inconvenient to do so, their pride lends them a certain sense of style and an appreciation of subtlety. Drow can be courteous and urbane, even to deadly rivals. They enjoy surrounding themselves with things of beauty, giving hardly a thought to the cost. Any drow city features breathtaking architecture and elegant revels marked by dark and delicious entertainments, but only a fool would lower his guard in such an environment.

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. A fair number of drow have come to value their position in the Underdark and now think of themselves as true natives of their dark realm. They have little desire to return to the surface and would rather rule in the depths than struggle to regain a realm they no longer hold any interest in ruling.

Even more rare are those few drow who have atoned for their evil ways and think of their fellows as monsters that need to be stopped. These drow are either surface dwellers who are struggling to become accepted into new societies, or fugitives dwelling in out-of-the-way caverns deep underground. With the new expansion into the surface, more drow than ever before are being exposed to the truth on the surface, and many are realizing that life on the surface is much nicer than they were led to believe by the agents of Lolth and her kin. It is possible, with proper acceptance and encouragement, that the numbers of neutral or even good drow on the surface of Faerûn could skyrocket in the coming years. The priesthood of Eilistraee is in the forefront of this movement, desperately trying to divert the drow war on the surface into a mass conversion from the dark elves’ dreadful ways.

Physical Description:
The skin of a drow can be any shade from dark gray to polished obsidian. His hair can be pale yellow, silver, or white, and his eyes can be almost any color, including blood red. Drow are short and slender compared to other Faerûnian elves, but they are strong for their size. Most dark elves—especially nobles—are strikingly handsome individuals; Lolth does not favor meek, plain, or unassuming worshipers.
Relations

Drow regard all other races as inferior. Some they view as potential slaves, others as deadly vermin to be exterminated. None, however, are considered truly equal to the dark elves. Drow maintain a grudging respect for duergar and mind flayers, since the gray dwarves and illithids also build powerful cities and have demonstrated the strength to stand up to repeated assaults from the dark elves.

Though they despise humans and all other surface folk as weak creatures, the drow save their true venom for surface elves, particularly sun and moon elves. The dark elves hate their kinfolk with a blind passion and seize any chance to strike at their ancient enemies.

Religion:
The primary goddess of the drow is Lolth the Spider Queen, goddess of spiders, evil, darkness, chaos, and assassins. Other powerful deities include Ghaunadaur the Elder Eye, the god of oozes, slimes, jellies, outcasts, ropers, rebels, and all things subterranean, and Vhaeraun the Masked Lord, the god of thievery, drow males, territory, and evil activity on the surface world.

Lesser powers include Kiaransalee the Revenancer, goddess of the undead and vengeance, and Selvetarm the Champion of Lolth, god of drow warriors. Finally, although she is rarely venerated in the Underdark, Eilistraee the Dark Maiden is the good-aligned goddess of song, beauty, swordwork, hunting, and moonlight who seeks to redeem the drow and lead them back to the Land of Light.

Alignment:
The great majority of drow are evil through and through, and most tend toward the chaotic end of the lawful-chaotic spectrum. In general, drow believe in doing what they want to do, when they want to do it. Dark elves who turn to good are few and far between, but such can become powerful champions against tyranny and cruelty.

Language:
Drow speak Undercommon and a unique dialect of Elven that features many words and constructions borrowed from the languages of their Underdark neighbors. They also utilize a unique sign language (Drow Sign) that permits silent communication at a range of up to 120 feet. Drow Sign is not an automatic language for drow; a dark elf character must learn it either by designating it as one of their bonus languages or by acquiring it normally via the Speak Language skill.

Adventurers:
The vicissitudes of House fortunes make adventuring an attractive profession for many drow. Some drow adventurers forswear their race’s cruel ways and seek to do good in the world. Others remain evil, using adventuring as a means of accumulating the power and magic necessary to avenge themselves upon the rivals who brought them low.

Duergar (Gray Dwarves)

Grim and determined, the duergar lead lives of neverending toil in the great foundry-cities they have built in the Underdark. The gray dwarves are nearly as widespread and numerous as the drow, and the typical duergar realm is every bit as strong, cruel, and wealthy as a great city of the dark elves. But while most drow cities exist to exalt the high nobility of the dark elves, duergar cities exist only for the manufacture of wealth through unending labor.

Duergar are sullen, insular, and industrious, but they tend to be better neighbors than drow and are less likely to raid surface lands or seek out victims to torment. They are the preeminent artisans and merchants of the Underdark, and duergar caravans cross every corner of Faerûn miles beneath the surface. The gray dwarves are all too willing to enslave any likely creatures that fall into their hands, but they don’t waste slaves in the sort of cruel spectacles that the drow enjoy. Instead, the duergar simply work their captives to death.

Personality & Outlook:
Gray dwarves view the world with bitterness, convinced family, clan, other dwarves, and the rest of the world have cheated them of their birthright and their due. They see life as nothing more than endless backbreaking labor, a torment from birth through death.

Though gray dwarves do display the redeeming virtues of courage and determination, they are also avaricious, short-tempered, sullen, violent, and ungrateful. Duergar nurse grudges until they die and never stop counting the slights (real or imagined) that they’ve received. They are inclined to believe that might makes right, so most have no pity for those who are too weak to defend their property or themselves against a stronger foe. Duergar are not above launching fearsome raids to garner the gold they love so well from their weaker neighbors.

On the positive side, duergar believe in minding their own business (so long as others don’t have anything they want) and working hard to excel at their chosen crafts. No obstacle daunts a gray dwarf who has settled on a goal. Duergar may not display much loyalty to anyone other than themselves, but they never leave a job half done.

Physical Description:
The typical gray dwarf stands about 4 to 4-1/2 feet tall, but their physique is lean and hard compared with those of their shield dwarf kin. They appear to be emaciated, nasting looking dwarves with skin of a dull, lifeless gray color and eyes that are black and cold. A male duergar doesn’t have a wisp of hair above his ears, but he may boast a short, wiry beard of iron-gray or black hair. The typical female duergar is likewise bald, but a few have short-cropped hair of dull black.

Relations:
Duergar are churlish, suspicious, and universally disliked by nearly all beings, including each other. They generally avoid other races unless there is a clear profit to be gained, viewing outsiders as either potential threats or trading partners to be exploited. They reserve their deepest loathing for their shield dwarf cousins, fueled by a bitter ancient grudge regarding the shield dwarves' failure to rescue Clan Duergar from illithid thralldom during the Mindstalker Wars; while they also view gold dwarves as arrogant rivals, they consider trade with them a necessary possibility.

In the Underdark, duergar absolutely despise mind flayers as former masters and the drow for their perceived condescension and mockery. Despite this hatred, they frequently trade with both groups, often pitting them against one another to maintain their own advantage. They find the svirfneblin and orogs the least irritating of their neighbors due to a shared respect for hard work and outstanding craftsmanship. While they view all surface-dwelling races with deep suspicion, the duergar are willing to trade with any foolhardy "upperworlder" who ventures into the depths, though they are just as likely to enslave those too weak to defend themselves.

Alignment:
Most gray dwarves are evil, placing little value on the lives and property of others. They are consumed by envy of anyone better off than themselves, and they display not a trace of pity for those who are not as fortunate. A fair number of duergar, wanting nothing more than to be left alone, lean toward hardhearted neutrality, but few ever become truly good.

Religion:
Duergar spend little time or effort on formal religious observances, believing that the best way to venerate their grim gods is through unceasing labor. Although they nominally acknowledge the Morndinsamman (the dwarven pantheon), they in truth only venerate Laduguer, the harsh taskmaster of the duergar, and his daughter, Deep Duerra, the dwarven deity of the Invisible Art (psionics). Unlike their shield dwarven brethren, the duergar never evolved their religious practices to embrace the pantheon as a whole.

Language:
Like all dwarves, gray dwarves speak Dwarven and employ the Dethek rune alphabet. Gray dwarves also speak Undercommon, the trade tongue of the Realms Below. The primary gray dwarven dialect, Duergan, is an offshoot of the shield dwarven dialect, heavily influenced by drow and illithid words and language constructs found in Undercommon. Common secondary languages reflect those spoken by traditional foes, including Draconic, Elven (the drow dialect), Giant, Goblin, and Orc.

Those who have extensive dealings with creatures of elemental earth often learn Terran, while those who trade with inhabitants of the Realms Above often learn the trade tongue Common. All gray dwarf characters are literate except for barbarians.

Adventurers:
Few gray dwarves have time for such nonsense as adventuring. However, occasionally an individual with no stomach for a life of unceasing toil appears in duergar society. These rare gray dwarves often find it expedient to seek out less hostile surroundings before their fellows decide that they’re not pulling their weight. A few gray dwarf adventurers are exiles or fugitives who were driven out of their home cities by vicious feuds between rival clans.

Svirfneblin (Deep Gnomes)

Silent and wary, the svirfneblin dwell in mines and caverns far beneath the surface of the world. While the rock gnomes of the Lands Above are known for their boundless optimism and cheerful mischief, the deep gnomes are suspicious and serious creatures. Their holdings are hidden from the predatory races that share the Underdark with them because only caution, stealth, and cooperation with others of their kind stand between the svirfneblin and a terrible end.

Svirfneblin are master artisans, miners, and gemcutters. Their handiwork is prized throughout the Realms Below, and the boldest deep gnomes are welcomed as neutral merchants among many Underdark races. They make superior guides, scouts, and foragers because they often know passages and portals long lost to other races, and few can match the stealth or cunning of svirfneblin rangers watching over their own territory.

Deep gnome clans are more closely allied and less structured than their dwarven equivalents. Like the Stout Folk, svirfneblin are traditionally ruled by hereditary monarchies, although deep gnomes have not been forced to abandon this form of governance as quickly as the Stout Folk. Svirfneblin kings rule primarily through consensus, with the advice of a council of elders. Svirfneblin communities are largely self-governing, for deep gnomes feel strong loyalty to their kinfolk and a keen sense of duty to their community. In the wilds, respected and powerful burrow wardens work to ensure the safe return of deep gnome mining and trading parties who brave the dangers of the Underdark to acquire prized gems and jewels.

Personality & Outlook:
Dour and cynical, deep gnomes are largely resigned to their harsh lot in life, spending their days scratching out a living in the eternal darkness of the Underdark. Most outsiders perceive them as irredeemably sullen and pessimistic, but these traits are essential survival techniques. Because sound travels strangely in the subterranean depths and often attracts predators, svirfneblin are habitually silent and deeply suspicious of strangers. In their experience, outsiders rarely have good intentions, and even a friendly traveler is met with cold wariness. However, those who take the considerable trouble to win a deep gnome’s trust will find a loyal, unflinching comrade with a pragmatic outlook balanced by a wry, self-deprecating wit.

Svirfneblin society is defined by diligent, tireless industry. They believe that anything worth doing is worth doing well, regardless of the time or difficulty involved. Most males spend their entire lives in the mines, driven by an overwhelming passion for gemstones, particularly rubies, that seems almost at odds with their dour personalities. While males focus on the earth, females typically manage the villages, gathering food and sustaining the community. To remain hidden from the many predatory races of the Underdark, they often live without the use of fire for warmth or light, relying entirely on their darkvision and experiencing their world in shades of black and white.

While most are content to live out their lives quietly, some deep gnomes succumb to an innate gnomish curiosity. This is particularly common among prospectors searching for new gem veins or illusionists who leave their insular villages in search of advanced magical instruction.

Physical Description:
A deep gnome stands between 3 and 3-1/2 feet tall and weighs between 40 and 45 pounds. He is wiry and lean, with a body as hard as a slab of stone. His skin may be either mottled gray or dun-colored (a good match for the rock around his home), and his eyes are either dark gray or black. A female svirfneblin has hair the same color as her eyes, but a male is entirely bald and beardless.

Relations:
Insular and deeply suspicious, svirfneblin view nearly every stranger as a potential enemy, believing that the safest way to deal with other races is to avoid them entirely. While they harbor a general aversion toward most surface folk, they feel a distant kinship with forest and rock gnomes. Beyond their own kind, they are most tolerant of gloamings and slyths, who rarely pose a threat, and they may occasionally maintain civil relations with shield dwarves, gold dwarves, or the rare elf.

In the Underdark, deep gnomes harbor a profound and abiding hatred for drow, duergar, and kuo-toas. These predatory races have been a constant thorn in the side of the svirfneblin, who desire only to be left alone. Furthermore, the wicked reputation of these neighbors often leads surface-dwellers to mistakenly brand all Underdark denizens as evil, a prejudice that causes the deep gnomes significant grief during rare encounters with ignorant outsiders.

When forced to interact with others, svirfneblin are exceptionally cautious. They deal warily with grimlocks and orogs, knowing these races are quick to plunder the weak, and even their most seasoned traders insist on meeting in neutral caverns with multiple escape routes in case a deal goes sour.
Alignment

Svirfneblin believe that their survival depends on avoiding entanglements with other races, so they strongly favor Neutral alignments. While they rarely wish others ill, neither are they especially willing to take risks on behalf of others.

Religion:
While the deep gnomes of Toril may not be particularly devout as a group, they do have a full pantheon of deities they share with the other gnomes. Svirfneblin clerics often move among both miners and mothers, keeping up community spirits; when they think the time is ripe, they declare a holiday festival in honor of whichever god they feel is appropriate.

Callarduran Smoothhands, the Master of Stone, is the most popular god among deep gnomes, many of whom spend their entire adult lives working in their town’s mines. Callarduran taught the svirfneblin to summon and befriend earth elementals. Many deep gnome craftsmen work Callarduran’s star insignia into their jewelry and other handiwork, though they are careful not to use this theme with a golden ring, reserving that privilege for the god himself.

Although he is the patriarch of the gnome pantheon, few deep gnomes are drawn to the faith of Garl Glittergold. Garl’s bright and sunny nature simply does not seem relevant to most svirfneblin, and some even feel that Garl has abandoned them in favor of their more cheery kin. Instead, deep gnomes feel closer to Segojan Earthcaller, who is beloved by those who keep pets or work with domesticated animals, tasks usually handled by the females. The rare deep gnome ranger usually finds this god’s way with nature to his taste as well.

No gnomes really care for Urdlen, but he particularly frightens the svirfneblin. Tales of Urdlen’s habit of attacking especially greedy deep gnomes just as they are about to grasp the most valuable gem ever seen are commonly told to young svirfneblin to keep them in line. Such parables illustrate the number of quick and senseless deaths that await them throughout the Underdark; only constant vigilance does any good and, for encouraging them to always be alert, Urdlen has earned the deep gnomes’ respect.

Alignment:
Svirfneblin believe that their survival depends on avoiding entanglements with other races, so they strongly favor neutral alignments. While they rarely wish others ill, neither are they especially willing to take risks on behalf of others.

Language:
Svirfneblin speak Gnome and Undercommon, as well as the regional surface languages used in their specific area. Those who frequently deal with outsiders often pick up Common to facilitate trade. Given the dangerous nature of their neighbors and the specific environments of the Realms Below, it is not uncommon for deep gnome linguists to also learn Aquan, Draconic, Dwarven, Elven, Illuskan, Kuo-Toan, and Terran.

Adventurers:
While most have little use for adventuring, they are the best guides, scouts, and pathfinders in the Underdark. Quick, clever, and stealthy, they have an uncanny knack for finding their way through the bleak maze of the Underdark and avoiding dangerous encounters. A few find their way into the adventuring life by serving as guides for parties composed of other races.

Tanarukk

Planetouched creatures bred from orcs and demons, tanarukks are strong, hardy, and fierce in battle. Of all the planetouched, tanarukks are the only ones with a large and thriving society, for not even the fey’ri have numbers comparable to the tribes of fiend-touched orcs. Of course, tanarukk society is a mixture of orc and demon society, which means that they act like orcs infused with supernatural evil power.

However, unlike typical orc society, the strong influence of the mariliths involved in the breeding program has moderated the patriarchal tendencies, resulting in a culture where females are treated much better than slaves. Tanarukk females who give birth to many strong young can earn a measure of respect for themselves and carry some influence over their mates. Like orcs, tanarukks perform ritual scarring on themselves and each other, particularly as part of adulthood rites. Because they are resistant to fire, many scarring rituals use acid or jagged weapons. Others have iron jewelry or weapons (such as tanarukk battle gauntlets) hammered into place around their limbs while still hot, fusing the item in place when it cools, which prevents theft without killing the tanarukk first.

Personality & Outlook:
Tanarukks have the worst traits of orcs or half-orcs mixed with the temper and power of demons. Generally sullen and prone to rages, tanarukks would rather fight than ponder and would rather kill than argue. Their orc heritage impressed them with a respect for power, which was only reinforced by their tanar’ri mentors. They live recklessly and without moderation, feasting, drinking, and fighting if the opportunity presents itself.

They are contemptuous of those weaker than themselves, and consider themselves a superior breed of orc. They are impressed by strength, and only a very powerful leader can convince them to settle down long enough to follow orders against a common enemy. Among the typical rough-minded tanarukks are a few who are smarter or more moderate in their temperament, possibly because one of their demonic ancestors was a marilith or some other sort of demon prone to thinking before acting. It is these tanarukks who become leaders or, dissatisfied with the life available to them among their own kind, seek out other challenges in new places. These tanarukks can be the most dangerous but also have the greatest chance of being befriended by something other than an orc or tanarukk.

Physical Description:
Unlike most planetouched, tanarukks have a fairly uniform appearance, resembling short, stocky orcs with stooped postures. Their hair is coarse, whether on their heads or the odd patches that grow on other parts of their bodies. They have sharp teeth and prominent lower tusks, with their lower jaw protruding farther than their small snouts. Their eyes are red and glow when angry. Their foreheads are low and ridged with horn or scales; their skin varies from gray-green to dun brown.

Relations:
Even more so than common orcs, tanarukks consider other races weaker than themselves. Only demons (and, to a lesser extent, powerful fiend-touched creatures such as half-fiends) gain any respect from the tanarukks, and only because they usually have power to back up their commands.

Tanarukks are prone to torture and then eat any intelligent humanoid that crosses their path. After centuries of service to the tanar’ri, they are quite conversant with painful methods of torture and not above eating parts of their victim while it is still alive. Tanarukks are particularly hateful toward elves, given that the weakest tanarukk is more than a match for a half dozen common elves.

Tanarukks see orcs and half-orcs as valuable allies but of lesser status than the tanarukks themselves. Any such allies usually end up coerced into mixing with the tanarukk tribe to create an even more numerous next generation of demonic progeny.

Religion:
Like their pureblooded orc ancestors, tanarukks worship the orc pantheon. Despite the influence of their fiendish mentors, tanarukk tribes do not worship demons. Tanarukks who are content to use their physical prowess in the service of an orc leader (without thinking too much) lean to the worship of Bahgtru. More than any other tanarukks, the worshipers of Bahgtru rarely wear armor, considering it a weakness. They tend to be the strongest and most aggressive members of the tribe.

Gruumsh, He Who Never Sleeps, is revered by all tanarukks and is especially close to the hearts of the tribal and clan chieftains. They see their demonic blood as a reward from Gruumsh for their long service, and mercilessly kill the weakest young of the tribe or those who manifest no true tanarukk abilities. Allowing one who has spurned the gifts of the One-Eyed God to live is an affront to his worship.

Tanarukks consider Ilneval, the god of orc crossbreeds and martial skill, to be their special patron, and Ilneval is worshiped almost as an equal to Gruumsh. If this new race continues to expand, he is likely to supplant Gruumsh in the eyes of the tanarukks. Ilneval is a favorite of the wiser tanarukks as well as officers in orc armies. His worshipers are more likely to become fighters or rangers than barbarians.

Alignment:
With evil parentage on both sides of the family, tanarukks are almost always evil, without a drop of human blood in them to influence their disposition.

Language:
Tanarukks speak Orc and Abyssal, using the former for most conversations but inserting words from the latter when more sophisticated concepts need to be communicated. Smart tanarukks usually learn Common so they can more easily interrogate prisoners.

Adventurers:
Tanarukks often strike out on their own, hoping to carve out a place for themselves through their fighting skills and ruthlessness. They favor settling in orog and orc settlements, where their heritage is an advantage rather than a drawback. Still, tanarukks can also be found as elite bodyguards to drow nobles, mind flayer merchants, and demon warlords.

[DM Smile]

The Dark Seldarine

The drow venerate a wide range of dark powers, the most prominent of which are presented hereafter. The deities of the drow are a pantheon in name only, united only by the common heritage of their worshipers, long ignored familial ties among four of them, and occasional, short-lived alliances forged only as a matter of convenience.

Drow culture is a unique blend of monotheism and polytheism. Most cities, like Menzoberranzan and Ched Nasad, are strict theocracies ruled by the clergy of Lolth, where even mentioning other gods is a crime. Similarly, cities like Llurth Dreier or V'elddrinnsshar enforce the exclusive worship of other specific drow powers. In contrast, the city of Sshamath remains a rare secular exception, governed by magi rather than priests.

While cities that openly permit multiple faiths, such as Eryndlyn, are usually riven by civil war, most enclaves still harbor secret dissidents who use forbidden worship as a tool for political gain. Aside from the genuinely pious followers of Eilistraee, most drow venerate their deities not out of devotion, but out of fear and a pragmatic desire for power.

Eilistraee
(eil-iss-tray-yee)
Faiths & Pantheons | Major Deities of Faerûn

The Dark Maiden, Lady of the Dance
Lesser Deity

Symbol: Nude long-haired female drow dancing with a silver bastard sword in front of a full moon

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic Good

Portfolio: Song, beauty, dance, swordwork, hunting, moonlight

Worshipers: Good-aligned drow, hunters, surface-dwelling elves

Cleric Alignments: CG, CN, NG

Domains: Chaos, Good

Favored Weapon: Bastard Sword

The patron of good-aligned drow and those of that race who wish to live in the Realms Above in peace, Eilistraee is a melancholy, moody deity. She is greatly angered by the evil of most drow but glad that some have worked their way free of the Spider Queen’s web. Eilistraee is a lover of beauty and peace but is not averse to striking back against those who would harm her followers. She appears as an unclad, glossy-skinned drow woman of great height with ankle-length, seeping hair of glowing silver.

History & Relationships

The daughter of Corellon Larethian a Araushnee (who later became Lolth), and the sister of Vhaeraun, Eilistraee was banished along with the other drow deities for her (inadvertent) role in the war against the Seldarine. Despite being absolved of any crime, Eilistraee insisted upon this punisiiment from her reluctant father, because she foresaw that the dark elves would need a beacon of good within their reach. Her allies are the Seldarine, Mystra, Selûné, and the good deities of the Underdark races;, her enemies are the evil deities of the Underdark, especially the rest of the drow pantheon

Dogma

Be always kind, except in battle with evil. Encourage happiness everywhere. Learn and teach new songs, dances, and the flowing dance of skilled swordwork. Promote harmony between the races. Befriend strangers, shelter ae without homes, and feed the hungry. Repay rudeness with kindness. Repay violence with swift violence so that those who cause it are quickly dealt with. Aid drow in distress and give them the Lady’s message: “A rightful place awaits you in the Realms Above, in the Land of the Great Light. Come in peace and live beneath the sun again where trees and flowers grow.”

Clergy & Temples

Whenever and wherever possible, faithful of Eilistraee encourage drow to return to the surface world. They work to promote harmony between drow and surface dwelling races, to establish drow as rightful, non-evil inhabitants of Faerûn. They nurture beauty, music, the craft of making musical instruments, and song wherever they find it; assist hunters and hunting; and help others in acts of kindness whenever they see ways to do so. Clerics are expected to be skilled in hunting and in playing at least one of the Dark Maiden’s favored instruments (horn, flute, or harp). They must be adequate singers as well as fit, graceful dancers. They gather songs and musical knowledge constantly, and acquire training in the use of the sword when they can.

Temple of the Dark Maiden are typically established in the mouths of dark caverns and in dim forests on the surface world from which her clerics can venture forth at night,to brave the moonlight. It is rare for clergy of Eilistraee to found a temple below the surface, The Dark Maiden’s clergy seek out pristine, natural sites that need little modification. These places of worship are developed much like those dedicated to the Seldarine. Temple complexes typically include a glade in which to dance, offering an unobstructed view of the moon, and a sheltered place away from the light of day (often an access tunnel to the Underdark). Other common features are a thick tree canopy, a lively freshwater stream, a forge and smithy, and a vein of iron or some other metal suitable for the crafting of swords. However, the simplest shrine of the Dark Maiden requires naught but a moonlit glade and a song (audible or imagined) that draws one into a dance

The church of Eilistraee has little in the way of formal hierarchy. Its congregants tend to gather in small, independent bands in deep forests across Faerûn. One individual is acknowledged as the high cleric of the faith, however: Qilué Veladorn, Chosen of Eilistraee, Chosen of Mystra, and one of the Seven Sisters. Qilué’s authority is a subtle one, her words taken by most members of the faith as advice from a wise elder sister.

The church of Eilistraee is little known: and poorly understood by inhabitants of the surface world. Few among the surface-dwelling’ races give any credence to rumors of good-aligned drow emerging from the Underdark. The possibility of a deity who supports such folk is simply beyond the ken of non-elves, who generally dismiss such talk as idle rumor or a plot by evil drow raiders. Most elves willfully ignore such talk, uncomfortable for what it might mean to the central tenets of their culture: Dogma teaches that the Crown Wars were primarily caused by the unbridled evil of the ancestral drow. Only among like-minded groups active in the same regions as the church of Eilistraee has the faith begun to be recognized for the hope that it holds out. In particular, the Harpers have begun secretly supporting the church of the Dark Maiden and work toward the day when it is fully accepted throughout Faerûn.

Clerics of the Dark Maiden pray for spells at night, after moonrise, singing them whenever possible. Their rituals revolve around a hunt followed by a feast, dancing (wearing as little clothing as possible), and a Circle of Song. This last is held preferably in a wooded glade on a moonlit night, in which the worshipers sit and-dance by turns in a circle, each one leading a song. Worshipers of Eilistraee try to let out all the gathered emotions of the day with an evensong. This is a personal thing, often wordless, and done in private. Clerics of the Dark Maiden who have the coin to do so are expected to hire any strange minstrel or bard they meet for a song or two; lay worshipers are encouraged but not required to do so.

Eilistraee’s church observes a number of festivals. The Sword Dance is a ritual of shedding a small amount of blood and invoking Eilistraee's favor to prevent a blade from breaking or rusting for the next three months. The High Hunt, celebrated at least once each season, is a nocturnal pursuit of a dangerous beast or monster, led by clerics of Eilistraee. By tradition, the hunters may use any bladed weapons and wear anything—except the’ clerics, who go naked, each carrying only a single sword. If the quarry is slain, the celebrants ch chant prayers and perform a circle dance to the deity. At least once a year, clerics of Eilistraee undertake a Run. Those who are not drow blacken their bodies with natural dyes and oils, and all, drow or not, boil certain leaves and berries to make their hair silvery. They then go wandering on the surface world, trusting to their music, kind ways, and sword skills to keep from being slain on sight. They go where they are strangers, making an effort to seek out elven communities, and bring them game, succor, and helping hands. They try to learn new songs, music, and sword ways, and do not come to preach their faith or make a mark for themselves.

In the end, all clerics of the Dark Maiden who do not die in battle hold their greatest ritual, the Last Dance. In their old age, they hear Eilistraee singing to them by night, calling them to her. When the song feels right, they go out unclad under the moonlit sky and dance, never to be seen again. Those who have observed such dances say that the deity appears and sings overhead, and the aged cleric begins to dance more effortlessly, looking younger and younger. Her hair begins to glow with the same radiance as the Dark Maiden’s, and then she becomes slowly translucent, fading away as the dance goes on. In the end, only a silvery radiance is seen, with two voices — the deity and her cleric — raised together in melancholy, tender song.

Clerics of Eilistraee wear their hair long and dress practically for whatever they are currently doing. For rituals, they wear as little as possible. Otherwise, they tend to wear soft leathers for hunting, aprons while cooking, and rarely, armor when battle is expected. When relaxing, they favor silvery, diaphanous gowns. Most clerics prefer holy symbols of silver, typically worn as pins or hung around the neck on slender silver or mithral chains.

Lolth
(loalth)
Faiths & Pantheons | Major Deities of Faerûn

Queen of Spiders, Queen of the Demonweb Pits
Intermediate Deity

Symbol: Black spider with female drow head hanging from a spider web

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic Evil

Portfolio: Assassins, chaos, darkness, drow, evil, spiders

Worshipers: Drow and depraved elves, sentient spiders

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE

Domains: Chaos, Darkness, Destruction, Evil, Trickery, Spider, Drow

Favored Weapon: Dagger

Cruel and capricious, Lolth embodies the absolute evil of the drow. She is malicious in her dealings with others and coldly vicious in a fight, coveting the power of deities worshiped by the surface races. Some believe her to be insane, because the Queen of Spiders pits her own worshipers against one another in an endless struggle for “station.” She can be kind and aids those she fancies, but she thrives on death, destruction, and torture, including those of her own worshipers who have displeased her. Although she can appear in’ the form of a giant black widow spider with crimson eyes, Lolth’s true form is that of a human-sized, exquisitely beautiful female drow.

The Queen of Spiders is the subject of terrifying legend among most surface dwellers and seen as virtually synonymous with the greatly feared drow. Few elves are even willing to discuss their deep dwelling kin, let alone the dark deity who is blamed in large part for their depravity. Only the drow clerics of Eilistraee are even willing to speak of Lolth, and their fury at her enslavement of their kin exceeds even that of the other elven subraces. In the Underdark, her church is a well-known evil, hated by dwarves, svirfneblin, and other races for the cruelty of her clerics. Dark elves who venerate other evil deities, as well as all male drow whe pay her homage, revile the church of the Spider Queen for its power, though they would seize such power for themselves if they could.

Lolth allows herself to be contacted directly (such as with a commune spell) only when it pleases her to do so. Otherwise, the call reaches her servant yochlols (amorphous demons able to take the form of an elf or spider). When Lolth is displeased, she sends a yochlol or a myrlochar (a spider demon of lesser rank) to attack the cleric. Lolth’s clerics sometimes multiclass as fighters or sorcerers.

History & Relationships

Lolth was once Araushnee, the consort of Corellon Larethian, patron of artisans, the deity of elven destiny, and later, by Corellon’s decree, the keeper of those elves who shared her darkly beautiful features. The Weaver of Destiny bore her lover two children, Eilistraee and Vhaeraun, before she betrayed him and tried to invade Arvandor, along with Ghaunadaur, Malar, and many other fell deities. For her crimes, Araushnee was banished to the Abyss in the form of a spider demon, where she took the name Lolth. As the original patron of the dark elves, the Queen of Spiders established herself as the unchallenged ruler of the drow pantheon. Lolth finds it convenient to ally herself on occasion with Loviatar and Malar, and, since the Time of Troubles, to masquerade as Moander, an ancient deity of rot, corruption, and decay. Lolth’s foes include the Seldarine (the elven pantheon), Ghaunadaur, Eilistraee, non-drow Underdark deities, and Gruumsh.

Dogma

Fear is as strong as steel, while love and respect are soft and useless. Convert or destroy non-believer drow. Weed out the weak and the rebellious, Destroy impugners of the faith. Sacrifice males, slaves, and those of other races who ignore the commands of Lolth or her clerics. Raise children to praise and fear Lolth; each family should produce at least one cleric to serve her. Questioning Lolth’s motives or wisdom is a sin, as is aiding non-drow against the drow, or ignoring Lolth’s commands for the sake of-a lover. Revere arachnids of all kinds; those who kill or mistreat a spider must die.

Clergy & Temples

Clerics of Lolth pray for spells after waking from trance or before retiring to trance. They are always female. Lolth requires regular homage from her clerics: submission in prayer, plus offerings. Lolth’s aid requires sacrifices, traditionally the blood of drow faithful or captured foes, spilled with a spider-shaped knife whose eight descending legs are blades, Ceremonies sacrificing surface elves are performed monthly during nights of the full moon as deliberate affronts to Sehanine, Lolth’s hated rival. Rituals customarily take place among women only, in a sacred room or area, but those requiring extraordinary power or a public display may be celebrated in the open and in mixed company. The most powerful ceremonies defy description and are seldom seen by non-drow.

Clerics of Lolth are the rulers, police forces, judges, juries, and executioners of drow society. They wield power in keeping with the cruel and capricious nature of Lolth herself, and manipulate (often by brute force) their fellow drow to behave as their deity. The ultimate aim of every cleric is to achieve and keep the favor of Lolth. They believe that the spirits of those who die in her favor go to the Demonweb Pits, where they become yochlol and other servant creatures, while those in Lolth’s disfavor pass into torment on another plane somewhere. (Accursed souls may someday return to Faerûn as snakes or spiders; drow beliefs on such matters often change with time and location.) Although she often rewards treachery and cruelty, Lolth does not look kindly on those who let personal grudges and vengeance bring defeat or shame to their House, clan, city, or band.

Drow noble Houses have their own private temples, and every drow city ruled by the church of Lolth has at least one large, open public gathering area for large rituals, calls to war, and the like. Most cities also have a grand temple to the Spider Queen, used for training clerics. In every temple, despite large differences in size, opulence, and importance, certain constants apply. Inner chambers are for the worship and business of Lolth, including most spellcasting. These chambers are always shrouded in darkness, except for the radiance involved in spellcasting and rituals. Antechambers are set aside for war councils and most business wherein clerics meet with drow males and outsiders. Most temples have guardian creatures, often hidden and occasionally magical in nature, which usually include spiders of all sorts. Statuettes of the Spider Queen, usually worked of black stone, are present in all temple chambers. Marble. and obsidian are favored materials for statuary and temple furniture. There are always large braziers, ornately carved with spider shapes, and at least one altar of black stone.

Rituals to Lolth involve the burning of precious oils and incense, live offerings, and riches of all sorts, particularly gemś. These are customarily placed in a bowl-shaped depression in a black altar or a burning brazier, from which black-and-red flames leap to consume the offerings. If the deity is angered, or impostors are present, the flames may also arc to consume other valuables, such as magic items, jewelry, and clothing. Large, important rituals customarily use eight braziers, to provide additional flame and to represent Lolth’s eight legs.

When participating in rituals, clerics of Lolth work unclad or wear black robes trimmed with dark red and purple (lesser or novitiate clerics instead wear dark purple or red trimmed with black). In some cities, they wear ornate helms carved to resemble writhing spiders, while in others heads are always left uncovered. Jewelry consists of spider medallions and similar pieces, all made of platinum.

Chaotic in the extreme, the church of Lolth has little formal hierarchy outside that imposed by its most powerful members and shaped by the will of Lolth. In drow cities ruled by clerics of the Spider Queen, such as fabled Menzoberranzan, the senior most clergy also lead the most powerful drow noble Houses and rule through a noble council led by a single Matron Mother. In other cities, there may not be a single ruling council or a single ruling cleric. In most cases, the hierarchy of the church is inextricably linked with the theocracy of the associated city.

Ghaunadaur
(gone-ah-dowr)
Faiths & Pantheons | Other Deities of Faerûn

That Which Lurks, the Elder Eye
Lesser Drow Deity

Symbol: Purplish eye on purple, violet, and black circles

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Portfolio: Oozes, slimes, jellies, outcasts, ropers, rebels

Worshipers: Aboleths, drow, fighters, oozes, outcasts, ropers

Cleric Alignments; CE, CN, NE

Domains: Chaos, Evil

Favored Weapon: Warhammer

Ghaunadaur is unpredictable by human standards. It may aid worshipers who merely pay lip service to its rituals, even expending great power to grant permanent magical boons, but may also devour or maim them without warning. Ghaunadaur enjoys watching the hunting and devouring activities of large horrible monsters, and the suffering they cause. Ghaunadaur. is silent and terrible when outside the Inner Planes, but old records tell of gibbering, bestial language spoken in the deity’s great court of mingled mud and gelatin pools. Ghaunadaur only communicates telepathically with blunt and simple communications.

History & Relationships

Ghaunadaur is an ancient deity, said to have emerged from the primordial ooze. Venerated by the largest slimes, oozes, slugs, and other crawling things, some of which are said to possess intelligence, albeit alien, Ghaunadaur struck most of them mad in a fit of fury for some transgression and stole their intellects, As a result, many of its worshipers, and most of its power, ceased to exist. Only in recent millennia have evil beings seeking an alternative to established deities begun to worship That Which Lurks, and it is only the veneration of drow disaffected with Lolth that places him within the drow pantheon. Ghaunadaur has no allies. He is opposed to nearly every deity with a presence in the Underdark as well as Malar and the various members of the Seldarine.

Dogma

All creatures have their place, and all are fit to wield power. Those who hunt weed out the weak and strengthen the stock of all. Those who rebel or who walk apart find new ways and try new things and do most to advance their races. Creatures of power best house the energy of life, which Ghaunadaur reveres and represents. Make sacrifices to the Eye, persuade others to sacrifice themselves to Ghaunadaur or in service of the Eye, further knowledge and fear of Ghaunadaur, and in the end give yourself to Ghaunadaur in unresisting self-sacrifice. Convert all beings to the worship of Ghaunadaur. Slay all clergy of other faiths, plundering their temples and holdings for wealth to better your own lot and to further the worship of Ghaunadaur.

Clergy & Temples

Outside a few drow and aboleth cities, the church of Ghaunadaur consists of a handful of scattered cults each wholly dominated by a single individual. Clerics of Ghaunadaur are to do whatever pleases Ghaunadaur best and serve the Elder Eye absolutely. Clerics of Ghaunadaur have simple duties: they are to ensure, by force or threat, that a ready supply of sacrifices reaches Ghaunadaur’s altars. The god rewards them with spells and magic items for their success in this. Most of all, Ghaunadaur delights in creatures that offer themselves to him without resistance (regardless of whether these sacrifices have been charmed or otherwise. coerced by its clergy). Clerics who can bring such offerings to the Elder Eye’s altars often are highly valued and favored by the deity.

Clerics of Ghaunadaur pray for their spells once per day at a time of imagined significance to the local cult. Ghaunadaur expects such prayers of adulation and praise to be accompanied by a sacrifice. If live sacrifices cannot be procured that often, the Elder Eye accepts offerings of bones and food, burned in oil, as braziers of perfumed incense are also burned. If the worshiper is unable to procure such offerings, he must pray while holding one hand in an open flame (without magical protection). In any place of worship to Ghaunadaur, all cloth furnishings and garments worn by the faithful are to be of hues pleasing to Ghaunadaur’s eye, such as shades of purple, red, black, and metallic colors. Many clerics multiclass as enchanters or fighters.

The vestments of all priests of Ghaunadaur must be of hues pleasing to the Elder Eye. Typical raiment includes a full-length robe with voluminous sleeves, a dark tabard emblazoned with the symbol of the Elder Eye, and a gleaming, silver skull cap. All priests wear their hair long and unbound, but beards and mustaches are not permitted. The holy symbol of the faith is a sphere of black obsidian at least 3 inches in diameter, which is sometimes worn on a chain around the neck. Such spheres are often enveloped in a nimbus of mauve-hued continual faerie fire.

Kiaransalee
(kee-uh-ran-sa-lee)
Faiths & Pantheons | Other Deities of Faerûn

Lady of the Dead, the Revenancer, the Vengeful Banshee
Drow Demigod

Symbol: Female drow hand wearing silver rings

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Portfolio: Undead, vengeance

Worshipers: Drow, necromancers, undead

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE

Domains: Chaos, Evil, Undeath

Favored Weapon: Dagger

Kiaransalee is cruel, twisted, and consumed by thoughts of vengeance. The Lady of the Dead descended into madness long ago, but she retains her twisted cunning and clear recollection of every slight or insult done to her—real or imagined. The Revenancer is powerful and swift to anger, and she schemes dark revenges against all who have wronged her. Kiaransalee prefers the mindless company of the undead (whom she can manipulate at will) to sentient beings capable of independent thought. She prefers to solve problems herself rather than trust someone else to do justice to her vision.

History & Relationships

Kiaransalee was once mortal, a powerful dark elven necromancer-queen from another plane: She has long been an unwilling vassal of Lolth, capable of only small acts of rebellion. In recent years, Kiaransalee seized the realm of Orcus, a demon lord of the undead, and is now consumed with efforts to eliminate every last trace of Orcus in any form. Kiaransalee is loosely allied with many deities in hopes of loosening Lolth’s web, including Hoar, Velsharoon, Malar, and Vhaeraun. Her foes include Deep Duerra, Dumathoin, Eilistraee, Kelemvor, Laduguer, and Jergal.

Dogma

Death comes to all and cruel vengeance will be exacted on those waste their lives on the petty concerns of this existence. True power comes only from the unquestioning servitude of the once-dead. Hunt, slay, and animate those who scorn the Revenancer’s power, and answer any slight a thousandfold, so that all may know the coming power of Kiaransalee.

Clergy & Temples

The church of Kiaransalee is organized into tightly regimented cells, but with little overall organization of the faith. Kiaransalee’s clerics are secretive and usually found in small drow communities or special enclaves. They are agents of vengeance, plotting revenge on those who have slain, harmed, or insulted the clergy in any way. They also undertake regular slaying missions to acquire corpses for animation, and take a prominent role in persecuting slaves.

Clerics of Kiaransalee pray for their spells at midnight, when the spirits are most réstless in their graves. While each cleric performs a handful of minor devotions to Kiaransalee every month, they venerate her on a single annual holy day, the Graverending, celebrated each Midwinter Eve. The Graverending is celebrated individually with each cleric animating as many undead creatures as she can. ll such undead, known as the Vengeance Hunters, are consumed with thoughts of revenge against their killers and unerringly seek them out over the next 24 hours. If destroyed, a Vengeance Hunter does not rise again. Vengeance Hunters return to their graves, if possible, once 24 hours have passed since their animation, or once they have exacted their revenge. Many clerics multiclass as necromancers (and a few have joined the Cult of the Dragon and become wearers of purple), and most eventually transform themselves into undead.

The church of Kiaransalee favors loose black robes with hooded cowls stitched with bone and ivory. The clergy wear gray skullcaps on their shaven heads and thin silver rings on every finger save the thumb. They spread a grayish paste made of the ashes of incinerated corpses over all uncovered skin, such as the face, hands, and feet. The holy symbol of the faith is the silver rings worn.

Selvetarm
(sell-veh-tarm)
Faiths & Pantheons | Other Deities of Faerûn

Champion of Lolth, the Spider That Waits
Drow Demigod

Symbol: Spider on a crossed sword and mace

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Portfolio: Drow warriors

Worshipers: Barbarians, drow, fighters, those who like to kill, warriors

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE

Domains: Chaos, Evil, War

Favored Weapon: Morningstar

Selvetarm, cruel and malicious by nature, cares only for battle and destruction. The Champion of Lolth harbors a deep hatred for all living things, including his dominating mistress, and the only beauty he can appreciate is a well-honed and deadly fighting style. Selvetarm can exhibit a great deal of patience while waiting for prey to fall into an ambush he has set, but he prefers the wild abandon of battle frenzy to a careful and deliberate attack.

History & Relationships

Selvètarm is the offspring of an ill-fated tryst between Vhaeraun and Zandilar (now an aspect of Sharess). He walked a solitary way for many centuries and was nearly turned to good by Eilistraee when Lolth convinced him to battle Zanassu, a demon lord with a fondness for spiders. When Selvetarm defeated and absorbed the demon, he was overwhelmed by Zanassu’s evil and fell into Lolth’s mental traps. He now serves her utterly. He is allied only with Lolth and Garagos and opposes almost every other deity.

Dogma

War is the ultimate expression of individual power, and only through battle and death can you realizè the respect of your comrades. Hone your fighting skills constantly and teach those who will follow into the fray. Never give or receive quarter, and hope to die amid the bloodlust of battle against overwhelming odds.

Clergy & Temples

The church of Selvetarm barely exists as such, largely serving as the military arm of the church of Lolth. Selvetarm’s faithful spend most of their days guarding fortifications and honing their fighting skills. Many spend much of their time training other warriors in the art of war. While the Selvetargtlin are rightly known for their skill in battle, the teachings of the faith place little emphasis on tactics or strategy, and thus few members of Selvetarm’s clergy achieve a high military rank.

Clerics of Selvetarm pray for their spells immediately after the first battle of the day, or after military practice if there is no actual battle. Selvetarm’s faithful are expected to observe the rituals of Lolth, as directed by her clerics. Selvetarm does expect all who take up arms in his name to cry out his name in the bloodlust of battle as they deliver the killing blow to a foe. Since there is always the chance that any attack will be a fatal one, the Selvetargtlin tend to constantly scream out their deity’s name during a battle. Many clerics multiclass as fighters or barbarians.

Priests of Selvetarm wear long, rich, scarlet robes lined in chain mail. They wear their long hair in thick braids, the tips of which are soaked in blood and allowed to harden into rock-hard clumps. Steel gauntlets are worn on the hands, each of which sports a sharp blade, equivalent to a dagger, on the back of the hand, emerging from the knuckles at the base of the fingers. The holy symbol of the faith is a platinum disk at least 3 inches in diameter with an embossed depiction on both its obverse and reverse in jet black enamel of a crossed sword and mace overlaid with the image of a spider.

Vhaeraun
(vay-rawn)
Faiths & Pantheons | Other Deities of Faerûn

The Masked Lord, the Masked God of Night
Lesser Drow Deity

Symbol: A pair of black glass lenses that form a mask

Home Plane: Demonweb Pits

Alignment: Chaotic evil

Portfolio: Thievery, drow males, evil activity on the surface

Worshipers: Assassins, male drow and half-drow, poisoners, shadowdancers, rogues, thieves

Cleric Alignments: CE, CN, NE

Domains: Chaos, Evil, Travel, Trickery

Favored Weapon: Short Sword

Vhaeraun is vain, proud, and sometimes haughty. He bears grudges of legendary length and never forgets slights or deceptions. Any underhanded means and treachery are acceptable to him if they further his aims or are done in his service—but if others so treat him or his people, it is a deep sin that cannot go unpunished. He. actively involves himself in drow affairs and can be easily convinced to send a minion to assist the work of his clerics if the proper rituals are performed and the need is genuine.

History & Relationships

Vhaeraun is the son of Corellon and Araushnee (who became Lolth), brother to Eilistraee. Cast out when he and his mother’s treachery was discovered, he longs for the surface world he was once free to travel. Allied with Mask, Shar, and Talona, he opposes the other Underdark gods, including his sister. His feud with Lolth is subtle, as he lacks the power to oppose her directly.

Dogma

The shadows of the Masked Lord must cast off the tyranny of the Spider Queen and forcibly reclaim their birthright and rightful place in the Night Above. The existing drow matriarchies must be smashed, and the warring practices of twisted Lolth done away with, so that the drow are welded into a united people, not a squabbling gaggle of rival Houses, clans, and aims. Vhaeraun will lead his followers into a society where the drow once again reign supreme over the other, lesser races, and there is equality between males and females.

Clergy & Temples

The church of Vhaeraun is loosely organized, its adherents bound to largely autonomous cells. Vhaeraun’s clergy is nearly exclusively male and practices passive opposition to Lolth’s clerics. They are also active in the surface world, and some preach a heresy of the unity of elven races and their need to work together for dominion. They specialize in intrigue, trickery, and treachery and foment disobedience and rebellion among males. In drow communities, Vhaeraun’s clerics often disguise their allegiance, for obvious reasons. Contact and marriage with other elven races is encouraged. Half-drow usually favor their drow parent, and Vhaeraun sees this inexorably raising drow numbers in surface lands. Every cleric works to establish some sort of permanent drow settlement on the surface, and either support that settlement’s needs personally, or (preferably) make it self-supporting. Poison use, manufacture, and experimentation is also common. Especially effective spells, poisons, and tactics devised by a cleric are to be shared with the Masked Lord and through him all clergy.

Clerics of Vhaeraun pray for thęir spells at dusk, before skulking into the shadows. The most important attacks, negotiations, and other activities of the clergy must occur at night. Clerics of Vhaeraun utter prayers to the Masked God of Night whenever they accomplish something to further his aims. Offerings of the wealth and weapons of those they vanquish (enemies of the drow, or regalia of female drow clerics) are to be melted in black, bowl-shaped altars. Offerings of magic and wealth are made regularly. The more value, the more Vhaeraun is pleased, though he favors daily diligence more than rare, huge hauls. Midwinter Night, known to Vhaeraun’s followers as the Masked Lord’s Embrace, is the most sacred time of the year to the followers of the Masked Lord. This annual holy day is celebrated by the Masked Lord’s followers with daylong introspective rituals of total sensory deprivation. Each worshiper is expected to cloak themselves in a region of magical darkness and sit or stand at the middle of the effect for a full 24 hours while contemplating Vhaeraun’s teachings and dreaming up schemes to advance the Masked Lord’s goals in the coming year. All followers of Vhaeraun who wish to perform this ritual are granted the ability to employ their darkness spell-like ability with the necessary extended duration.

In the Night Above, nights of the new moon are considered sacred to his followers. Such occasions are observed with midnight stag hunts that range over miles of shadowy woodlands. Packs of Vhaeraun worshipers, mounted on riding lizards brought up from the Underdark, run down a stag and then sacrifice its rack of antlers and still-beating heart to the Masked Lord in dark rites that pervert the ancient ways of the surface elves. Many clerics multiclass as assassins, divine seekers, shadowdancers, or rogues.

Vhaeraun's clergy garb themselves in half-masks, loose silk shirts, form-fitting pants, and leather boots, all of which are jet black. They are never without at least one black-edged bladed weapon on their persons, and most are bedecked with half a dozen or more such weapons. The god's holy symbol is a black half-mask that can, of course, be worn and used like any mask. Priests of Vhaeraun need only be within a mile of their holy symbol to use it in working spells given to them by the Masked Lord. It need not ever be on their persons (except when they first wear it to become attuned or linked to it) or brandished in spellcasting or dealing with undead