50 FOMORIAN S The hideous fomorians were once the most handsome of the giants. They lived in the Feywild alongside the elves, and the two societies were allies because of their mutual love for magic. But then the fomorians twisted their love into malice and turned magic into a slave that toiled for them to feed their lust for power. When they tried to conquer the Feywild and enslave the elves, too, the elves united with other fey to drive the fomorians underground. The giants, now grossly misshapen thanks to a curse brought about by their own inner foulness, retreated to the Underdark of the Feywild, where they remain today. Continued exposure to the Feywild, over a century or more, hastens the onset of Remembrance significantly among most elves. Elves who have spent most of their lives in the Fcywild can experience their first other-life memory as early as the age of 200 years. Eladrin aren't affected this way. Because of their link to the primal elves, eladrin tend to be haughty around other elves. They're proud of their heritage and equally proud of their ability to thrive in the Feywild, a land full of threats that would overwhelm and destroy weaker creatures. Some eladrin trade haughtiness for a tender kindness toward their elf cousins, knowing that many elves have never felt the ecstasies of a life amid the fey and of years spent near the ancient shrines and other glories created by the primal elves who first arrived in Faerie. These kinder eladrin take a special pleasure in introducing their realm to others. Eladrin cities represent the pinnacle of elven architecture. Their soaring towers, arching bridges, and gracefully filigreed homes are a perfect blend of construction natural elements, and magic-inspired motifs. Streams ' and waterfalls, gardens and copses, and structures of stone and wood are commingled in ways that are original and yet completely natural-looking. Eladrin culture is older than any other elven civilization, and it's also the most decadent. Most elves are impetuous to some extent, but eladrin are known for their fickleness. Many of them change their minds on the spur of the moment without giving reasons. Their system of justice vacillates between capriciously harsh and whimsically mild, depending on the mood of the eladrin passing judgment, and eladrin are more susceptible to flattery than other elves are. Elves from the Material Plane who have researched eladrin culture blame these traits on the influence of the Feywild. As part of their argument, they point out that eladrin who spend a significant amount of time on the Material Plane- adventurers and scholars, primarilystill demonstrate these attitudes, but to a lesser degree. Although eladrin have the closest connection to CorelIon because of their ancestry, they are alone among elves in feeling little affinity for Arvandor. Eladrin don't long to end their cycle of rebirth and rejoin Corellon, but rather to meld with the Feywild when they are reincarnated. They believe that an eladrin who excels in life throughout a series of incarnations can eventually come back as a member of the Seelie or Unseelie court or, in extreme cases, even as an archfey. CHAPTER 2 I El.VES DROW When the primal elves chose to take the forms of mortals, they were one people split by conflicting loyalty to gods who reviled each other. The schism led to a conflict that ended with Lolth retreating to the Abyss and her adherents exiled to the Underdark. This banishment enabled the victors to once again live in peace on Arvandor but did nothing to heal the rift. The vanquished elves weren't seen or heard from again for centuries. Throughout that age of residing in the darkness, absorbing the unhealthy emanations of the Underdark, subsisting on its tainted water and food, and always beseeching their god for guidance and following her poisonous dictates, Lolth's worshipers gradually transformed into the drow: the cruel, predatory, and wicked offshoot of the elf race. REFLECTIONS OF LOLTH -------- From the time they're old enough to understand, drow are taught that they're superior to all other creatures, for they remain steadfast in their devotion to Lolth despite the hardships of their existence. Any creature that isn't a drow is useful only as a sacrifice to Lolth as a slave or as fodder for the giant spiders that the d~ow train t~ patrol their cities and tunnels. Among these other, lesser forms of life, the elves that live in sunlight are especially despised because they are descended from the primal elves who betrayed Lolth so long ago. First they accepted Lolth's offer of mortality in return for destiny, but then they turned against her in a pathetic effort to win back Corellon's favor. Drow view the elves of the surface world as cowardly children who defy their parents when they're not around but cower in the corner when their parents return, terrified of having their bad behavior found out. Reverence for Lolth touches every aspect of drow life. All dark elves constantly watch for signs of her favor. Any incident or physical feature can be interpreted as such a sign, and priestesses are quick to attach meanings to obscure omens that benefit their own interests. All this effort to please Lolth is a wise precaution. Though she resides in the Abyss, the Spider Queen isn't a distant god. She sometimes tests her most faithful by drawing their spirits to her in the Demonweb to undergo her judgment. Followers never know when or if they are to be tested. One who claims to have undergone the test and passed it is rewarded with respect and elevated status. Even someone who successfully lies about having taken the test can earn the respect of their peers, since perpetrating this falsehood is a way of proving one's worth to Lolth. Lying and conniving can't save those who fail the test, however, because the evidence of such an outcome is immediately obvious- a drow whose spirit has failed its test in the Demonweb Pits becomes transformed into a drider. When Lolth is well served, she rewards her faithful with favors. When she is defied, she visits the Underdark in one of her forms and takes a direct hand in punishing the malefactor in a manner that discourages anyone who might be contemplating a similar kind of disobedience. Perhaps making an example of malcontents in this way is simply an aspect of how Lolth's cruel personality
works. It also might be evidence of a lesson that she learned all too well from the way Corellon reacted to her betrayal of him: the smallest flame of resistance must be snuffed out before it grows into a conflagration. SOCIETY OF BLOOD AND POISON The principal organization in drow culture and society is the house, an extended clan that comprises many related families, plus a number of lesser families who have pledged loyalty to the house. A house's membership also includes some (potentially very large) number of indentured drow servants and slaves of other species. A house usually specializes in a business, a service, or a craft that supports by providing income. Houses are in constant competition with one another. They vie for money, for prestige, and, more than anything else, for power over others- the surest sign of Lolth's approval. No tactic is outside the rules in this ongoing conflict. Raids against another house's outlying property (farming caverns, trade caravans, or hunting parties) are commonplace. Rumors about disloyalty, conspiracies with surface elves, or heresy against Lolth are circulated so frequently that no one knows what to be sure of. Assassinations, both by blade and by the use of special drow poisons, are a constant threat. Bodyguards and food tasters are as necessary to the survival of a high-ranking drow as air and water. Squabbles within a house also occur from time to time as relatives jockey for position. It's a rare occurrence, though far from unknown, for drow to assassinate their own parents or siblings if that's what it takes to create a path for advancement. CITIES WITHOUT SUNLIGHT The drow might have not chosen to live in the Underdark, but just the same they consider it their home, not a prison.Just as the sea elves adapted to their aquatic realm, the drow have long been accustomed to the harsh conditions of life in the Underdark. They've lived away from sunlight for so long that they can't bear the touch of it on their flesh, and thus they prefer to visit the surface only at night. Even though they Live underground, drow are much more than cave-dwellers. Their cities are as magnificent as anything built by surface elves, and their defenses are even more secure. Their most important sites are located inside immense, hollowed-out stalactites and stalagmites, with entrances well guarded. D RI D ERS: LOW EST OF TH E Low Much confusion and misinformation exists about driders among non-drow, but all dark elves know exactly what driders are: failures. They have either fared badly in Lolth's test or displeased her in some other way. Once its transformation has taken hold, a newly created drider is shunned by its house and exiled from the com· munity, with nothing but a few meager supplies and its knowledge of the Underdark to protect it. Drow congregate to throw stones at the still-dazed creature and drive it into the tunnels beyond the city's environs. If it's unlucky, it's attacked by a roper, a carrion crawler, or another drider. If it's lucky, the new drider finds a safe place to hide while its wounds heal. So begins a drider's life in exile. Another widespread misunderstanding about driders is that they serve the drow as pickets, elite troops, or even suicide squads. They do none of those things. They are despised outcasts who live on the fringes of drow territory. Even though drow revile driders, they don't kill them, because a drider's pun· ishment is to live a long life in wretchedness. Killing one would cut short Lolth's judgment and possibly earn the same sentence for the perpetrator. Driders that survive for a long time can become accomplished hunters and navigators in the Underdark. Nothing will reopen the doors of drow society to them, but some· times a drider can find a place in another community. Someone who needs a guide through the Underdark might not find a better one than a centuries-old drider that has faced every hazard those tunnels hold. RULE OF MATRIARCHS Females are the top figures in drow society. At the head of each house is someone who is a shrewd business operator, a skilled tactician, a high priestess of Lolth, and probably also a merciless assassin with blood on her hands. Unlike with many other races, female drow are typically taller and more robust than males. To rise to the top echelons of power, a female must first become a priestess of Lolth. Then, to ascend to the status of high priestess, she must take advantage of powerful connections or craft special alliances. The path to ultimate power in drow society is never direct and is always paved with death. A male drow can advance in standing as a combatant, a consort, or both. Physical beauty and fitness are highly prized in male drow, and those who are especially fa. vored in this regard can earn protection and gifts from their matrons. A few males can attain high status in their society, especially those who serve as mages, but they never overshadow the females of their houses. Even the most intelligent, strong-willed, and devious male will never be more than a second-class citizen in any drow city or house. That situation will never change as long as Lolth reigns as their queen. NOCTURNAL RAIDERS ------- If the drow kept to themselves in their subterranean cities and fortresses, few other creatures would care. The dark elves could indulge their evil practices until their caverns were heaped with corpses and awash in blood. Even the surface elves might be content to overlook their hatred for their kin and leave the drow alone, CHAPTER 2 I ELVES 51
52 as long as they never had to lay eyes on the drow or view the results of their efforts. But drow society is predicated on a foundation ofterror and slavery, and the most desirable slaves live on the world's surface: humans, dwarves, and best of all, other elves. To the dark elves, raiding the surface for captives and treasure isn't just a cultural and military tradition, but also an economic necessity. Some raids are major operations that involve hundreds of warriors, mages, priestesses, and giant spiders, a large enough force to overwhelm a community. The invaders would sweep through the town in the dark of night, shackle the best potential slaves into long trains of chattel, kill everyone who resisted, burn everything to the ground, and set their sights on the next town in line. Most of the dark elves' raids, however, a re small, stealthy, one-night missions. The drow scout their targets in advance, then strike on a night when the moon is new or its light is obscured by thick clouds. They might kill indiscriminately to spread terror, while at other times they slip into a village, knock out their targets with poison, and spirit their captives away without even waking the neighborhood dogs. Sometimes a raid uses both tactics; one squad sets fires or sets off alarms to focus the defenders' attention on one area, as another team strikes at the real target on the other side of town. Loot is a secondary goal on almost all raids; taking prisoners is the primary objective. Some of the dark elves' victims become slaves, some end up as food for giant spiders or other monsters that the drow have trained CH1\ PTER 2 I ELVES to serve them, and some are laid out across bloodstained altars and sacrificed to Lolth. The drow know how vulnerable they are during daylight, so they typically plan raids that can be executed within the span of a single night. As a rule, that means their target must be no more than a few hours' marcheight to twelve miles is typical- from an entrance to the Underdark. Ideally, they'll have more than one re turn path mapped out; if an escape route is blocked, they can switch to another and get safely home. Once the raiders get inside their escape tunnel, they're usually safe. Opposing forces seldom pursue the drow below ground for good reason- beyond the light lies unmapped enemy territory where everything they meet is likely to be hostile. In special circ*mstances, such as if one of the raiders' captives is a royal heir or the scion of a wealthy family, adventure rs might be hired to mount a rescue mission. Otherwise, it's rare for any rescuers to follow the kidnappers' trail deep into the deadly darkness without becoming victims themselves. SLAVES AND STATUS The drow are known and feared throughout the world for their practice of slavery, but those who have visited their cities report that slaves aren't as prevalent as the dark elves' reputation would suggest. In general, only powerful houses hold significant numbers of slaves, and the slaves of a house are never more numerous than its population of drow. Slaves are often kept as signs of status as much as for their intrinsic worth as laborers. When they are put to work, they a re also put on display, doing jobs that enable
everyone on the street or in an audience chamber to see that their drow master owns and s ubjugates powerful enemies. As s uch, the creatures are commonly used as litter bearers, banner carriers, servers, and footstools. Slaves without appreciable value as status symbols are used for strenuous or dangerous jobs such as tending farms, hauling cargo, or hollowing out giant stalagmites and stalactites to make new dwelling spaces. When they become too weak or dispirited to work, they might be staked out as bait during a hunt, fed to the s piders, or sacrificed to Lolth (and then fed to the spide rs). Although all slaves are at the bottom of the dark elves' social hierarchy, the lowest-ranking drow are considered little better than slaves themselves. A weak house that doesn't ally itself with a protector will be preyed on and victimized into extinction. If it does swear allegiance to a more powerful house, it avoids being persecuted by other houses but becomes effectively a clan of indentured servants. Only the most exceptional females in such a clan have any chance of rising above their low station, and those who do advance end up hurting rather than helping their families because they are adopted into the more prestigious house, leaving their original house even weaker than before. THE D ARK SELDARINE Lolth demands the lion's share of worship from the drow, according to her wishes and by the command of her priestesses. The Spider Queen isn't, however, the only entity venerated by drow. They revere a host of divine entities, which they refer to as the Dark Seldarine in mockery of the surface elves' deities. The Dark Seldarine are mighty, immortal beings, survivors from the original group of primal elves who revolted against Corellon to remain at Lolth's side. The Drow Deities table lists the members of the Dark Seldarine. For each god, the table notes alignment, province (the god's main areas of inte rest and responsibility), suggested domains for clerics who serve the god, and a common symbol of the god. The gods in the table a re described below. LOLTH Unlike Corellon, who asks very little of his followers, Lolth is a demanding mistress. What she demands most of all are sacrifices of treasure and blood. Time and time DROW D EITI ES (THE D ARK SELDARIN E} D ROW T RANCE: E NTERI NG TH E VOID Drow enter trance just as other elves do, but they do not experience memories of a primal soul or of past lives. Often they recall nothing at all, but simply dwell for a time in darkness and silence, a respite from the dangers of their daily lives. When drow do dream, whether in trance or in sleep, they look for signs from Lolth or others of the Dark Seldarine. That drow do not experience trance the way other elves do lends credence to the idea that their souls do not reincarnate. Did Corellon forever bar the souls of dark elves from Arvandor and change them in some fundamental way? Or does Lolth somehow weave new souls for her followers, in the way that Moradin forges new spirits for dwarves? Only those entities know for certain. again, the screams of sacrificial victims echo through Lolth's lightless temples as they fall under the knives of her priestesses. Her altars are piled with skulls picked clean of flesh by the giant spiders that lurk in the webdraped stalactites overhead. In return for victims and adoration, Lolth grants signs of her favor, such as great success during a slave raid on the surface, the matron of a rival house being struck down by an inexplicable illness, or an heiress to the house being born under propitious omens. GHAUNADAUR This entity is most often referred to as That Which Lurks, because uttering its real name risks attracting its attention. Its actual form, if it even has one, is unknown; it's most often represented as an ooze-like creature with many tentacles or a purple pupil surrounded by black instead of white. The liquid nature of Ghaunadaur is symbolic of its unpredictable nature, which is what makes attracting its attention so risky. It occasionally rewards its followe rs with supernatural powers or wealth, but it's equally likely to curse its faithful with hideous torments and afflictions. A subterranean hunter who whis pers Ghaunadaur's name might stumble into a forgotten treasure trove, while a devoted priestess who offers long prayers and valuable sacrifices is consumed by a gelatinous cube. The entity's random behavior can be an attraction to drow who lack status and are despe rate to achieve it. A small sacrifice and a prayer to That Which Lurks might simply go unnoticed by Ghaunadaur, or it might punish the petitioner, but there is also a chance of receiving a great reward. Deity Alignment Province Suggested Domains Common Symbol Eilistraee CG Freedom, moonlight, song Ghaunadaur CE Oozes, slimes, outcasts Keptolo CE Beauty, hedonism, fertility Kiaransalee CE Necromancy Malyk CE Chaos, rebellion, wild magic Loi th CE Primary god of drow, spiders Selvetarm CE Warriors, slaughter Vhaeraun CE Arrogance, thieves Zinzerena CN Assassination, illusion, lies ~'Appears in Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide Life, Light, Nature War Nature, Trickery Arcana,* Death Tempest, Trickery Trickery, War War Trickery, War Trickery Sword-wielding, dancing female drow silhouetted against the full moon Purple eye with black sclera Mushroom Drow hand wearing many silver rings A flame in a tear or a multihued vortex Spider Spider over crossed sword and mace Black mask with blue glass lenses inset over eyes Shortsword draped with cloth CHAPTER 2 I EL\'ES
Worship of That Which Lurks is widespread in the Underdark. Not just drow pay respect to it. Even creatures that are considered to be mindless, such as ooz.es and jellies, sometimes behave in ways that seem consistent with reverence for That Which Lurks. Those who are faithful to Lolth often oppose Ghaunadaur's cultists, driving them into hiding or forcing them into open conflict. Some priestesses and scholars believe that this enmity exists because Ghaunadaur betrayed Lolth shortly after she betrayed Corellon. In these legends, Ghaunadaur tried to curry favor with Corellon and recapture his earlier formless nature by turning on Lolth. Ghaunadaur's double act of betrayal brought retribution from both gods, and he was cast down into the world as a skinless, boneless mass. Other stories portray Ghaunadaur as an incredibly ancient and ineffable deity, one of the so-called Great Old Ones. Both claims might have merit, because the truth about the time of the birth of gods can never be known for certain. KEPTOLO KEPTOLO SHOWS THE WAY. FEED THE VANITY OF YOUR mistress, and all her treasures shall be yours. Be careful whomyou offend, and keep an expendable companion nearby to hold culpable for your crimes. Gossip can be as dead(y as the venom on an assassin's blade. Use the poison of words to destroy your rivals, that you may claim for yourself all they once presumed was theirs. -Tezzeryn, Head Consort of House Bhaerynden, instructing his son The ideal of what a male drow can become, Keptolo is handsome, stylish, witty, hedonistic, an outrageous flatterer, and sought after as a lover. He is also dangerous in his aspects as a subtle assassin and a whisperer of rumors. For those attributes, he is worshiped by ambitious males who hope to emulate him. Some succeed admirably and achieve great things beyond the reach of most males, but many more succumb to excesses of the flesh, dissipation, and disease, or they are ruined or murdered by a rival- who is also a true disciple of Keptolo. In most myths, Keptolo resides in the Demonweb Pits alongside Lolth, whom he serves as consort, more than a plaything but much less than an equal. Keptolo is a bitter enemy of Zinzerena, who deceives and uses him as a tool in many of the stories about the Dark Seldarine. KIARANSALEE The drow god of vengeance and undeath, called the Revenancer, is portrayed in some legends as a fierce female clad in silver and translucent veils, and in others as a banshee. In either version, her hands bear many glittering silver rings, and this image is recognized as her symbol. Drow see Kiaransalee as the patron of vengeance because she is said to have died and returned from death to get her revenge, bringing an army of the dead back with her. Various communities of her worshipers have differing ideas about who killed her and why, but typically the murderer is portrayed as having the features CHAPT.ER 2 I El.YES of some kind of creature the drow have great hatred for. Followers of Kiaransalee don't trouble themselves greatly over these details, because all the stories could be true: the Revenancer is believed to have returned from death over and over again. Vengeance is the aspect of Kiaransalee that appeals to most drow, because it becomes a necessity in every ambitious drow's life-usually more than once. The state of undeath is of less concern to them, but those who practice necromancy turn to Kiaransalee for guidance and for protection from undead. Some of her most fervent followers seek out the secret of attaining undeath for themselves. Kiaransalee favors them by bringing them back as undead, but unlike other gods of similar sort, Kiaransalee doesn't offer the undeath of lichdom but a lowly existence as a banshee, a revenant, or a wight. Drow believe that Kiaransalee was driven mad by returning from death as a god so many times, but her followers aren't discouraged by this assessment. Despite her madness, her actions are guided by a deep and devious cunning- a trait that drow attach more importance to than they do to sanity. MALYK Malyk embodies rebellion and chaos. Drow know of his influence from the appearance of wild mages among their number. Such an individual, possessed of sorcerous powers seemingly bestowed at random, is often seen as a threat to the established order. Many drow, especially males and even females of low station, try to attract Malyk's attention by secretly making sacrifices to him. Meanwhile, house matrons and others steeped in the faith of Lolth attempt to purge Malyk's worship from drow society- at the same time that some of them pray to him for power. Malyk is associated with rebellion because when a wild mage's true nature is revealed, the individual often has no recourse but to openly attack others and create chaos. Most other drow vie to receive Lolth's blessing by being the one to bring such a blasphemer to justice. In order to survive, a wild mage must defeat or elude all attackers and forge an alliance with those who can be threatened or bribed to provide a safe haven. Most wild mages who are discovered are put to death, some survive as outcasts, and a rare few rise to positions of status, declaring their allegiance to Lolth- or at least pretending to. SELVETARM Drow regard Selvetarm as the Champion of Loi th and the patron of drow warriors. He is portrayed as an eightarmed drow that represents the epitome of fighting prowess. But Lolth rarely looses her champion to do her bidding, keeping him snared by unbreakable webs that she removes only in times of direst need.
The dark elves believe that Selvetarm walked in solitude for many centuries, spurning both Lolth and Corellon, for he was not wholly given over to evil but neither was he fully aligned with the forces of light. Eventually his path crossed that of Eilistraee, and he began to appreciate the goodness of the Dark Maiden, as exhibited in her teachings and deeds. By aiding in Selvetarm's redemption, Eilistraee hoped to begin to heal the breach between drow and the Setdarine. That hope was dashed, however, by the insidious plotting ofLolth. The Queen of Spide rs had long resented the existence of Zanassu, a minor demon lord that competed with her for divine authority over spiders. She hated almost as much the possibility of Eilistraee's winning an ally among the drow pantheon. A prime opportunity arose when the spider demon lost much of its power in a conflict on the Material Plane. Lolth convinced Selvetarm to destroy Zanassu in its depleted state and seize the spider demon's burgeoning divine power. She did so by suggesting to Selvetarm that a victory would win him favor in the eyes of Eilistraee, whom he greatly admired. But when Selvetarm prevailed in battle over the spider demon, the wholly evil and chaotic nature of the divine power he absorbed overwhelmed Selvetarm's innate goodness and weakened him enough that the Spider Queen could bound his will tightly to her own. Enraged by Lolth's duplicity, Selvetarm is an engine of destruction, an eight-limbed maestro of slaughter. If allowed to operate unchecked, he could rend his way through an entire cl row city in a berserk rage. Keeping him restrained is one of the few acts of Lolth that can be described as merciful. Because of his status as a captive, Selvetarm draws little attention from drow of high status. Low-caste drow warriors who are themselves slaves or indentured servants, or who have no chance to rise in rank, can beseech Selvctarm for prowess in battle without suffering any shame. Anyone of high standing or who hopes to attain high standing shies away from openly expressing reverence for Selvetarm, though such an individual might still beg his aid privately. VHAERAUN Vhaeraun stands for the dark elves' superiority over other races and for the primacy of individual drow over other drow. He is a god of arrogance, and thus he condones all acts of avarice, fair and foul alike. Those who take what they want from whom they wish, whether through stealth or bullying, pay homage to Vhaeraun. He is patron to thieves and often the object of prayer before drow embark on a raid. Among the male gods of the Dark Seldarine, he is as widely recognized and accepted as Keptolo. But Vhaeraun represents a different aspect of drow masculinity: strong, silent, obedient, swift, and deadly. He is thought of as Lolth's favored son, in contrast to Keptolo's role as her beautiful consort. Due to his high status in the Dark Seldarine (for a male} and because of his arrogance, a few of his worshipers look on him as an advocate of equality between male and female drow. That heresy, when it is expressed openly. is liable to be savagely crushed by the priestesses of Loi th. So most of Vhaeraun's male followers honor him simply by trying to carve out better lives for themselves, and that activity is tolerated. Even so, adherents of Vhaeraun don't appear in public without wearing masks. This practice exists in part because Vhaeraun is CHAPTER 2 I ELVES
H O LES I N LOLT H 'S WEB Lolth is far from omniscient, despite what her priestesses say. There are drow who live without bending to the tyranny of her worship. Communities of renegades who dispute Lolth's primacy often raise another of the Dark Seldarine up as their patron. Although this amounts to exchanging one evil oppressor for another, any escape from Lolth's web can feel like freedom. The Acropolis ofThanatos, erected in the ruins of a drow city wiped out by plague in the Underdark of FaerOn, was home to a drow settlement of a few thousand ruled by necromancer clerics of Kiaransalee. It existed for a few decades before worshipers of Lolth and worshipers of Eilistraee teamed up to eliminate its leaders. never portrayed unmasked, and partly because anonymity is a wise precaution when one challenges the social structure of the drow in even a small way. To quash any challenge to the matriarchy that Vhaeraun might inspire in his followers, some drow communities preach that he wears a mask to hide the terrible scars from the wounds inflicted on him by Lolth as punishment for his arrogance. His silence, too, is part of his punishment, for his tongue was removed for questioning Lolth's orders. Worshipers of Vhaeraun who believe this dogma sometimes ritually scar and silence themselves as signs of their devotion, and then serve as voiceless, masked bodyguards for the matrons of their house. ZINZERENA As the patron of assassination, illusions, and lies, Zinzerena personifies cruelty, stealth, misdirection, and survival by any means necessary. In some ways, Malyk is her reflection, and in many interpretations of the age-old stories, the two gods are siblings or lovers. But Zinzerena is more palatable to female drow than Malyk, and she condones the study of arcane magic. The liturgy of Zinzerena is passed on in the form of folk tales, for her faith has no place among the leadership of drow society. Her tales usually describe her hiding and waiting until her foes are weakened or lax in their attention before she attacks. Those who respect or revere Zinzerena are almost always of modest social status, or worse. Even the most prestigious of noble estates, where a high priestess reigns supreme, might have a number of her followers among the commoners who work as servants and staff. Only the most capricious of nobles would enter her priesthood, though some have done so. Inevitably, when such traitors are discovered, they are cast out from their houses. Ironically, these maverick nobles often become leading figures in Zinzerena's cult, for they are the best educated and most politically experienced of her followers. Her adherents come from a wide range of occupations, including common thieves, laborers, guides, physicians, poets, and nearly any other profession. What they all share is a rebellious spirit and a desire for change. In some stories, Zinzerena is Lolth's daughter, who was spirited away and hidden from her by iJlusions. In other tales, she begins life as a mortal elf who uses glamors to trick her way into the company of the gods. Regardless, Zinzerena always has some element of illusion magic about her, and she uses it and other deCH1\ PTER 2 I ELVES ceptions to get the better of more powerful opponents. Deceit and taking advantage of others' weaknesses are recurring themes in the tales of her exploits. The only figure in the Dark Seldarine immune to Zinzerena's deceptions is Lolth, although even the Queen of Spiders is sometimes tricked when Zinzerena shifts blame for her actions onto others. Not many female drow devote their lives to the study of magic, because it's held to be a low-status avocation more suited to males. Most females who pursue it seriously do so in secret. Even rumors that a drow matron practices arcane magic, if they aren't quashed, can sabotage her standing in society. Yet there's no denying that knowledge of arcane magic could be a great boon to an ambitious female. Zinzerena's worshipers encourage this pursuit and offer tutelage and tools in exchange for a candidate's alliance with Zinzerena's secret cult. EILISTRAEE Most drow know nothing of Eilistraee. Matron mothers of the most powerful houses closely guard the scrolls that chronicle her existence. They retain them for the sake of remaining aware of the enemy they describe: a drow god who would spirit away all of Lolth's worshipers to the surface world. The matron mothers warn those who go to the surface on raids to retreat if they can see the moon- practical advice, it would seem. But an equally important reason is that Eilistraee is known to work her wiles under the light of the moon, so that drow are more susceptible to her lure at such times. The matrons also direct the raiders to flee back underground if any of their number hear music they find appealing, such as a parent's lullaby or the chorus of a rousing song carried on the mind, because Eilistraee's call to drow who would be free of Lolth's web is often delivered within dulcet tunes that aren't of otherworldly origin. Eilistraee is a god of moonlight, song, dance, and, most important, the rejection of the evil ways of Loi th. Drow who feel like outsiders in their society, who react with disgust to the evils perpetrated by their kind, who come to the surface and fa ll in love with the stars- these are the ones who might be pleased to hear Eilistraee's call. If they respond to it by going to the surface and staying there, Eilistraee offers no guarantee of their safety and no promise of acceptance in the world above. But she opens her followers' hearts to the wonder of the nature in the night, and her songs and signs can show a drow how to persevere in that alien environment. The scrolls that the matron mothers guard so closely attest that Eilistraee turned against Lolth but knew better than to seek solace among the Seldarine. Her position among the other drow gods remains uncertain, as is the fate of the souls of those who turn to her worship. Drow who are beloved by Eilistraee sometimes appear to vanish when they die, as the body dissolves into pale light and leaves no clue to where the soul has gone. VULKOOR Drow of the world of Eberron worship a scorpion-god named Vulkoor, which is their world's equivalent of Lolth. Vulkoor is often portrayed or envisioned as a giant scorpion or as a hybrid creature with the head,
arms, and upper torso of a strong male drow and the lower body of a scorpion. The dark elves of Eberron revere scorpions, seeing spiders and other arachnids to be lesser servitors of Vulkoor. Many drow believe that Vulkoor and the Mockery (one of the group of evil deities known as the Dark Six) are one and the same. Drow from the jungle continent of Xen'drik ritually tattoo themselves using scorpion venom, leaving white scars etched into their skin. Drow of other worlds rarely know ofVulkoor. Those who are familiar with his name consider him one of the weakest of the Dark Seldarine, a subordinate of Lolth who is disregarded by the other gods. Both visions of Vulkoor might be accurate, since Lolth seems to have little influence in Khyber but the drow there bear many similarities to the Lolth-worshiping drow of other realms throughout the multiverse. THE D EMONWEB CONNECTION Lolth's personal realm is a layer of the Abyss known colloquially as the Demonweb Pits. Far from being intimidated by their deity's connection to the Abyss, the drow revel in it- sometimes literally. Drow have respect for the power of demons, but they don't fear them the way most other mortal creatures do. A drow who calls up a demon from the Abyss into the Underdark wants something from it, typically a means of improving one's status or gaining leverage against enemies. A demon that answers the call wants something in return: an opportunity to spread carnage, to curry Lolth's favor, or to accomplish something more devious. As long as both sides get what they want, these arrangements conclude without further incident. Every so often, a demon summoning goes badly. Perhaps the drow intended to trap the demon into servitude but took inadequate precautions, or the demon was wilier than usual, or the call was answered by a being more powerful than the summoner could handle. Calling forth a demon and failing to rein it in is a capital crime in most drow communities- an uncontrolled demon often spells disaster not only for the drow who pulled it from the Abyss but for the summoner's entire house. A demon is the highest form of slave a drow house can own. There's no better display of a house's power than a demon kept shackled as it serves its master, and few more potent ways of striking fear in an enemy's heart. Demons are also sometimes sought after as house guests. The occasion of a major sacrifice, the dedication of a newborn daughter to Lolth, or even a lavish banquet takes on greater significance and imparts more status when one or more demons are in attendance. In addition, any "peaceful" gathering of drow and demons has the potential to descend into a riot of hedonism, even more raw and debased than the orgies drow engage in on their own. Stories of such encounters have spread all the way to the surface world, where listeners dismiss them as exaggerations- but they're not. Draegloths, the offspring of drow and glabrezu, serve as proof enough that when demons and drow consort with one another, the result can be truly horrific. YOCHLOLS The shape-changing demons known as yochlols are the personal servants of Lolth. They seem to be numberless in the Demonweb Pits, but where they arise from is unknown. Are they spawned from drow souls that became trapped in Lolth's web? Or do they spring directly from the queen herself? Regardless of their origin, yochlols respond to the will of Lolth alone. No other demon or demon lord can command them. Because yochlols can assume the form of a female drow or a giant spider, and because they serve Lolth without hesitation, all drow assume that some number of their friends and neighbors are actually yochlols in disguise, spying for Lolth. The higher a drow's standing, the more worrisome this prospect becomes. After all, Lolth has little reason to care about those at the bottom of society, but those who lead her people and direct her worship must be closely watched to be sure they remain devout, unquestioning, and afraid. D ROW RENEGADES Drow society is, paradoxically, extremely open-ended and extremely oppressive. All drow have a chance, at least theoretically, to improve their station in life, and movement does occur throughout the hierarchy all the time. But, naturally, those in power are determined to put down any threat against them- and the penalty for insubordination is death. As things work out in practice, indentured drow at the bottom of the ladder spend their lives laboring for another house's gain, and powerful drow at the top of society spend their time trying not to be assassinated or framed for heresy, while clinging to the power and prestige they've wrested from other houses. A dark elf who challenges another for superiority and fails, or who fails to respect the hierarchy in some other way, has just three options: agonizing death on an altar, virtual enslavement, or fleeing for their lives. Some of those who choose to run succeed in escaping into the Underdark, despite the odds against them. Survival for a solitary drow underground is nearly impossible. The main routes through the Underdark are dotted with drow guard posts, and the back ways are prowled by ropers, mind flayers, duergar, and other killers. To make matters worse, the renegade's former house offers a bounty that entices drow assassins to take up the chase. Of those who run, only a small fraction get to the surface. And even that achievement is no guarantee of safety, because a lone drow above ground is likely to be attacked on sight by surface dwellers. CH APTER 2 I ELVES 57
Those who find a way to survive in the painful world of sunlight either live as recluses or find a community where their heritage and upbringing give them an advantage, such as an assassins' guild or a company of adventurers. Even in such cases, these traitorous drow spend the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders, hoping to spy the black hood and flashing blade of a bounty-hunting drow assassin before it's too late. THE RAVEN QUEEN AND THE SHADAR-KAI THE RAVEN QUEEN IS TRAPPED BY HER FASCINATION with the past. She sits in her fortress, amidst all the memories of the world, looking at the ones that please her most as though they were glittering jewels. Many great wizards have attempted to understand her motives, but like a raven she has always remained oyptic, keeping her cache of secrets just out of their reach. -High Lady Alustriel Silverhand The Raven Queen is a being of dark mystery. Accomplished wizards talk about her in hushed tones, and with no small amount of fear, for even they can't say what power she wields in her realms, too subtle for mortal minds to sense. Rumors abound as to her current form, most coming from claims made by lunatics who have described an array of disturbing images: a terrible shadow that clawed at their innermost thoughts, a pale and regal elf who exploded into an untold number of ravens, a shambling tangle of slick roots and sticks that overwhelmed them with dread, or an unknown presence that pulled them screaming blindly into the gloom. Despite all attempts to demystify her, the Raven Queen has remained enigmatic and aloof, immersed in a sea of questions. She rules from her Raven Throne within the Fortress of Memories, a mazelike castle deep within the bleakness of the Shadowfell. From there she sends out her ravens to find interesting souls she can pluck from various planes of existence. Once they are in the Shadowfell, she watches as these souls attempt to unravel the mystery of their being-and ultimately go mad in the process. ORIGIN OF THE RAVEN _ Q,,UEEN For those who seek to unravel the enigma of the Raven Queen, the story of her origin comes from the ancient history of the elves. It is said that she was once an elf queen, whose people loved her more than they loved the gods. Her true name has been lost to time. But from the fragments that have been found of her history, it was she who, when Corellon and Lolth were locked in conflict, tried to use the souls and magic of her people to elevate herself to godly status, thus salvaging the fractured pantheon of the elves. Afterward, the legends suggest, she would attempt to implore Corellon and Lolth to come to their senses. But the information in these fragments was woefully incomplete, and the queen's true motives were never fully understood. CHAPTER 2 I ELVES DESCENT INTO SHADOW As the queen rose in power, many elves became inspired by her, freely offering their souls and their magical abilities to help her achieve her goal. This group of devoted followers called themselves the shadar-kai, and they gathered others like themselves around their queen in hopes that, once she achieved divinity, she would unify all the elves. The queen's plan was to use the souls of the shadar-kai to forge a pathway through the Feywild to Arvandor, all the while increasing her influence. As the numbers of shadar-kai grew, a consortium of evil wizards among her followers saw an opportunity to siphon off the energy of the shadar-kai for themselves by performing their own self-serving ritual, which would impart to them magical powers beyond those of the greatest elven wizards of legend. But as the queen approached the entrance to Arvandor, she realized what the wizards were doing and brought all her wrath down upon them as the ritual was under way. Because she was by now a quasi-divine entity, her supernatural rage corrupted the ritual into a phenomenon that took on a terrible strength of its own. By the time the queen realized her error, she could feel the now-twisted magical energy grabbing hold of her, and she was powerless to stop it. In a panic, she reached out to the souls of the shadar-kai for more power, hoping to save herself, but the gravity of the spell had become irresistible. It pulled the queen, and all who were under her sway, into the Shadowfell, where she was instantly killed. From her ruined mind and body, the Raven Queen was born. THE CREATION OF THE NAGPAS When their ritual failed with catastrophic results, the wizards in the consortium were pulled into the Shadowfell along with the queen and the shadar-kai, but their misfortune didn't end there. Their former queen arose from the center of a maze of ash and let loose a scream of ebon smoke that penetrated the flesh and minds of the wizards, turning their bones black and lacerating their souls. Their cries of agony merged with her own, and when her scream faded, the wizards had been mutated and warped into the scabrous, vulturish creatures known as nagpas. Now they wander the planes as wretched monsters, marked forever by the Raven Queen's curse and banished from her presence. AFTER THE FALL After the nagpas were created and then banished by the Raven Queen, the shadar-kai watched as she fell deeper and deeper into a divine madness. Her pain and turmoil over the betrayal of her wizards, the destruction of her kingdom, and her failure at attaining godhood all con-
tributed to her descent into an unquenchable sorrow. At the same time, the energy of the corrupted ritual was still transforming her, breaking down her form from a physical one into an entity composed of symbols, images, and perceptions. To keep herself from dissipating entirely into nothingness, the queen used the last vestiges of her personal power to pull dead memories from the Shadowfell about her, creating a cloak of identities that sustained her. Over centuries, those dark memories accumulated and coalesced to give shape to the entity now known as the Raven Queen. THE FORTRESS OF MEMORIES Since achieving divinity, the Raven Queen has filled her realm with shadows and memories, obsessively collecting such essences from remnants of dead gods and mortals that were strewn throughout the Shadowfell. From these metaphysical fragments she formed her new home, a twisted castle that the shadar-kai call the Fortress of Memories. The fortress is a mournful place, filled with incessant echoes of the past. Flocks of ravens that act as her eyes and ears darken the skies around it when they emerge from within, bearing her cryptic messages and omens far and wide across the multiverse. Bizarre Menagerie. Within the Fortress of Memories are trinkets and items that the Raven Queen finds irresistible, memories plucked from people's pasts that have been invested with deep feelings of pain, sorrow, longing, guilt, or remorse. These items are brought to her as gifts from the shadar-kai. These trinkets can include furniture, clocks, mirrors, jewels, and toys. Also appearing in the fortress are ghostly visions of people, places, and pets. Any of these things can spontaneously appear about her lair, every object and apparition being a metaphoric representation of some story- great or small- that was saturated with raw emotion. ENCOUNTERING THE R AVEN QUEEN Mortals that enter the Raven Queen's realm are almost instantly confronted with a glimpse into their own internal landscape. Because she is fascinated with emotions, the Raven Queen worms into the unconscious minds and memories of her visitors, bringing forth visions from the deepest reaches of their psyches. Some of these visitors are the unwitting souls of departed people who have been pulled into the Raven Queen's clutches, others are astral travelers who are caught and trapped within the Shadowfell by her magic- but a rare few come of their own volition, seeking knowledge or freedom from a dark past. A Q UEST TO T HE FO RTRESS OF M EMORIES Because the Raven Queen has godlike power, she can put an adventuring party inside a demiplane that is created from the psyche of one of the characters. On entering the Fortress of Memories, or encountering the Raven Queen, a character can find themselves transported to a strange fairy tale world pulled from their experiences, filled with metaphors, parables and allegories, all of which challenge that character's frailties, fears, and desires. Much can be learned from adventuring within the fortress and under· going the Raven Queen's test, but much can also be lost. Many adventurers never return from the fortress, forever trapped within a world created from their own experience. CHAPTE R 2 I ELVES
60 Many of these daring individuals are adventurers who know of the Raven Queen's terrifying power yet nevertheless travel to the Shadowfell to undergo her trial, letting the secrets of their souls be unfolded and revealed. The reasons why folk would subject themselves to this dangerous experience are numerous, including: • To free themselves from a dark and terrible past. It is said that the Raven Queen can make you confront your fears; some find a way to move beyond them, but others can be driven mad. • To discover a secret of someone who is dead. Adventurers might need to go to the Shadowfell to find a soul that has been claimed by the Raven Queen, hoping to unlock its memories. • To seek answers that only the Raven Queen might know. The Raven Queen's realm contains innumerable memories from all over the multiverse. Desperate adventurers might seek her out as a last resort or be led to her realm by a series of tempting clues. Method or Madness ? Some wizards and other scholars have speculated that the Raven Queen is simply insane, that there is no method to her madness other than a nervous pecking apart of a psyche with no more motive than a curious child pulling the legs off an ant. Others have speculated that the Raven Queen needs the gravity of emotions to hold her eternally decaying identity together. But a few sages have postulated that the Raven Queen's purpose is of greater importance, that she serves as a fi lter of sorts, cleansing souls that cling to fear and pain, forcing them to confront their unfinished business so that they are freed of their mortal baggage and can rise to explore higher planes of existence. THE RAVEN QUEEN'S INFLUENCE The Raven Queen's desire to interfere with the affairs of the gods and her subsequent failure was taken as nothing less than treason by both Corellon and Lolth. As a result, the physical reality of her kingdom was shifted to the Shadowfell, and the memory of her existence was wiped from the minds of elves. Initially, no mortals knew of her, but over the centuries, those who have journeyed to the Shadowfell and those who have encounVECNA1 S OBSESSION One evil mind is fixated on wresting away the Raven Queen's power: the archlich Vecna. Vecna has long coveted her ability over knowledge and souls; to steal souls would give him the ability to amass an army of the dead large enough to conquer the Shadowfell and turn it into his own kingdom of death. There he would rule from the Fortress of Memories, and through the Raven Queen's power have access to all the lost knowledge stored within the souls s he has trapped over the millennia. But to this day, all his attempts to gain a foothold there have been thwarted. Because of his obsession with usurping the Raven Queen, and claiming the Fortress of Memories, Vecna has embroiled himself in a terrible conflict, leading his armies into relentless battles against the Raven Queen and her shadar-kai fanatics and against the vampire lord Kas, Vecna's former lieutenant, whom Vecna wants to see destroyed over all other enemies. Some say this war is just another of the Raven Queen's beloved tragedies playing out for her amusem*nt. CHAPTER 2 ELVES tered shadar-kai in the world have seen, or heard tales of, a dark fortress, a mysterious figure surrounded by gaunt servants, and scores of seemingly sentient ravens. Most folk who have heard of the Raven Queen view her through a lens of superstitious fear, attributing to her all kinds of strange occurrences, mishaps, and coincidences. But those who seriously study the arcane- warlocks, wizards, sorcerers, and the like- know that her effect on the world is farther-reaching than that. Audience after Death. Some adventurers claim to have been visited by the Raven Queen after their deaths- before their stalwart friends paid to have them resurrected. While they were in the afterlife, the Raven Queen enlisted them for a quest to complete a task, acquire a particular item, or perhaps to travel to a location and simply wait. Most of those who have talked about these visitations say they felt compelled to do her bidding, because the visions imparted by the Raven Queen made it apparent that the quest was in some way part of their greater purpose. The Raven Queen's reason for communing in this way is a matter of some dispute. Some sages posit that she is using people as pawns in an inscrutable game, the rules of which are known only to her and the Lady of Pain. Others suggest that she is balancing the multiverse by having mortals complete various tasks, and some say that it is in these moments of obeisance to her that the Raven Queen recalls a fragment of her former self. SERVANTS OF THE QUEEN The shadar-kai are bound to the Raven Queen, cursed to forever serve her in the Shadowfell. They dwell in places outside the Fortress of Memories, usually too terrified of the place to enter it willingly. In their communities they reenact their old rituals and ceremonies, in a pale imitation of the days when they dwelled in the life and light of their now-lost kingdom. When shadar-kai are in the Shadowfell, their bodies and faces are old and withered, displaying the full effects of the terrible magic that stripped them of their former elven beauty. To hide their visages, they often wear masks made of metal or wood, but even these coverings are melancholic in appearance. When shadar-kai are sent away from the Shadowfell to do the Raven Queen's bidding, they take on youthful features similar to those of other elves, although their skin remains deathly pale. Immortal S ervants. The shadar-kai know that when they die, the Raven Queen captures their souls and returns them to the Shadowfell, where they are resurrected to serve her yet again. Thus, they consider death to be a temporary condition, and many shadar-kai care little for the physical shell they currently inhabit. Shadar-kai know that those who come willingly to the Raven Queen's tower are there to beseech her for something, and thus they try to prepare such visitors for what they will face. The queen's servants talk to any inquiring adventurer about the gravity of emotion, how sorrow weighs on the soul as it travels through the Shadowfell, and how best to persevere in the Raven Queen's test. Follow the Ravens. When the Raven Queen sees a soul or a piece of information she wants, she sends her ravens to alert the shadar-kai. Her minions then put
their trust in these cryptic, cawing guides to lead them to where the barriers are weakest so they can then slip across planes to their destination. Once at their destination, the shadar-kai watch and wait, looking for the tragedies their queen wishes them to collect. Sometimes they are small: a spurned lover, a lost item, a betrayal. But some tragedies are much graver: a murder, a war, a diabolical bargain. To bring back a trinket for their queen, the shadar-kai use their shadow magic. If a target is living, they magically infiltrate the person's mind and excise the desired bits of emotion, or if the target is close to death, the shadar-kai capture the whole soul to bring back to the Raven Queen. Sediment of Memory. Shadar-kai are very interested in the magical silt at the bottom of the River Styx that holds the memories and identities of lost souls. Any adventurers who travel to the Nine Hells to procure a vial of this powder will likely draw the attention of the shadar-kai, who will attempt to steal or barter for it. Adventurers might also bring a bit of the sediment as a gift to the Raven Queen. What she would give in return is never known ahead of time, but her boons come in many wondrous forms: the restoration of a lost soul, the rediscovery of a missing memory, or a glimpse into the forgotten knowledge of the ancients. ELF SUBRACES At the DM's discretion, you have access to more subraces for elf characters, in addition to the subraces in the Player's Handbook. When you choose the subrace of your elf, you can choose one of the following options: eladrin, sea elf, or shadar-kai. R ANDOM HEI G H T A ND WEI G HT Base Base Height Weight Su brace Height Weight Modifier Modifier Eladrin 4'6" 90 lb. +2d12 x (1d4) lb. Sea elf 4'6" 90 lb. +2d8 x (1d4) lb. Shadar-kai 4'8" 90 lb. +2d8 x (1d4) lb. Height "" Base Height+ Height Modifier (in inches) Weight - Base Weight+ Height Modifier (in pounds) x Weight Modifier ELADRIN Eladrin are elves native to the Feywild, a realm of beauty, unpredictable emotion, and boundless magic. An eladrin is associated witb one of the four seasons and has coloration reminiscent of that season, which can also affect the eladrin's mood: Autumn is the season of peace and goodwill, when summer's harvest is shared with all. Winter is the season of contemplation and dolor, when the vibrant energy of the world slumbers. Spring is the season of cheerfulness and celebration, marked by merriment as winter's sorrow passes. Summer is the season of boldness and aggression. a time of unfettered energy. Some eladrin remain associated with a particular season for their entire lives, whereas other eladrin transform, adopting characteristics of a new season. When finishing a long rest, any eladrin can change their season. An eladrin might choose the season that is present in the world or perhaps the season that most closely matches the eladrin's current emotional state. For example, an eladrin might shift to autumn if filled with contentment, another eladrin could change to winter if plunged into sorrow, still another might be bursting with joy and become an eladrin of spring, and fury might cause an eladrin to change to summer. The following tables offer personality suggestions for eladrin of each season. You can roll on the tables or use them as inspiration for characteristics of your own. A UT U M N d4 Autumn Personality Trait 1 If someone is in need, you never withhold aid. 2 You share what you have, with little regard for your own needs. 3 There are no simple meals, only lavish feasts. 4 You stock up on fine food and drink. You hate going without such comforts. d4 Autumn Flaw You trust others without a second thought. 2 You give to others, to the point that you leave yourself without necessary supplies. 3 4 Everyone is your friend, or a potential friend. You spend excessively on creature comforts. ELi'ORIN OF l\UTUMN CHAPTER 2 F.1.VES • 61
WINTER d4 Winter Pe rsonality Trait l The worst case is the most likely to occur. 2 You preserve what you have. Better to be hungry to· day and have food fo r tomorrow. 3 Life is full of dangers, but you are ready for them. 4 A penny s pent is a penny lost forever. d4 Winter Flaw Everything dies eventually. Why bother building any· thing that is supposedly meant to last? 2 Nothing matters to you, and you allow others to guide your actions. 3 Your needs come first. In winter, all must watch out for themselves. 4 You speak only to point out the flaws in others' plans. SPRING d4 Spring Pe rsonality Trait l Every day is the greatest day of your life. 2 You approach everything with enthusiasm, even the most mundane chores. 3 You love music and song. You supply a tune yourself if no one else can. 4 You can't stay still. d4 Spring Flaw You overdrink. 2 Toil is for drudges. Yours should be a life of leisure. 3 A pretty face infatuates you in an instant, but your fancy passes with equal speed. 4 Anything worth doing is worth doing again and again. SUMMER d4 Summer Pe rsonality Trait You believe that direct confrontation is the best way to solve problems. 2 Overwhelming force can accomplish almost anything. The tougher the problem, the more force you apply. 3 You stand tall and strong so that others can lean on you. 4 You maintain an intimidating front. It's better to prevent fights with a show of force than to harm others. d4 Summer Flaw You are stubborn. Let others change. 2 The best o ption is one that is swift, unexpected, and overwhelming. 3 Punch first. Talk later. 4 Your fu ry can carry you through anything. ELADRIN TRAITS Eladrin have the following traits in common, in addition to the traits they share with other elves. Choose your eladrin's season: autumn, winter, spring, or summer. Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1. CHAPTER 2 I ELVES Fey S tep . As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. When you reach 3rd level, your Fey Step gains an additional effect based on your season; if the effect requires a saving throw, the DC equals 8 +your profi· ciency bonus+ your Charisma modifier: Autumn. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, up to two creatures of your choice that you can see within 10 feet of you must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by you for 1 minute, or until you or your companions deal any damage to it. Winter. When you use your Fey Step, one creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you before you teleport must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or be frightened of you until the end of your next turn. Spring. When you use your Fey Step, you can touch one willing creature within 5 feet of you. That creature then teleports instead of you, appearing in an unoccupied space of your choice that you can see within 30 feet of you. Summer. Immediately after you use your Fey Step, each creature of your choice that you can see within 5 feet of you takes fire damage equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of 1 damage). SEA ELF Sea elves fell in love with the wild beauty of the ocean in the earliest days of the multiverse. While other elves traveled from realm to realm, the sea elves navigated the deepest currents and explored the waters across a hundred worlds. Today, they live in small, hidden communities in the ocean shallows and on the Elemental Plane of Water. SEA ELF TRAITS Sea elves have the following traits in common, in addition to the traits they share with other elves. Ability S core Increase. Your Constitution score in· creases by 1. Sea Elf Training. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net. Child of th e Sea. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet, and you can breathe air and water. Friend of the Sea. Using gestures and sounds, you can communicate simple ideas with any beast that has an innate swimming speed. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Aquan. S H ADAR- K A I Sworn to the Raven Queen's service, the mysterious shadar-kai venture into the Material Plane from the Shadowfell to advance her will. Once they were fey like the rest of their elven kin, and now they exist in a strange state between life and death. Eladrin and sha· dar-kai are like reflections of each other: one bursting with emotion, the other nearly devoid of it.
SA HUAGIN: DANGER FROM T HE DEPT H S The sea elves face as many perils in their watery world as other elves face on dry land, but none are as deadly as the sahuagin. The animosity between these two races stems from the sahuagin's ferocious territoriality. They simply won't abide any other intelligent society, and they consider the entire sea to be their domain. Adding to the tension, the sahuagin worship Sekolah, the shark god, while Deep Sashelas, the sea deity of the elves, is a sworn enemy of all sharks. But even if the sea elves inexplicably began worshiping Sekolah, the sahuagin still wouldn't be able to get along with them-in the grip of a blood frenzy, sahuagin will tear apart even others of their own kind! SHADAR- KAI TRAITS Shadar-kai have the following traits in common, in addition to the traits they share with other elves. Ability Score Increase. Your Constitution score increases by 1. Necrotic Resistance. You have resistance to necrotic damage. Blessing of the Raven Queen. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and translucent. ELF TABLES This section provides tables for players and DMs who want to choose or randomly generate details about elves. ELV EN TR I N KETS d8 Trinket A small notebook that causes anything written in it to disappear after l hour 2 A crystal lens made of ivory and gold that causes anything observed through it to appear to be surrounded by motes of multicolored light 3 A small golden pyramid inscribed with elven symbols and about the size of a walnut 4 A cloak pin made from enamel in the shape of a butterfly; when you take the pin off, it turns into a real butterfly, and returns when you are ready to put your cloak back on again S A golden compass that points toward the nearest portal to the Feywild within 10 miles 6 A small silver spinning top that, when spun, endlessly spins until interrupted 7 A small songbird made of enamel, gold wire, and precious stone; uttering the songbird's name in Elvish causes the trinket to emit that bird's birdsong 8 A small enamel flower that, when put in one's hair, animates, tying back the wearer's hair with a living vine with flowers; plucking a single flower from this vine returns it to its inanimate form CHAPTER 2 I ELVES
ELF (NON· DROW) ADV ENTURER STORY H O O KS d8 Hook You believe the key to reuniting the elves with CorelIon lies somewhere in the wider world, not within elven society, and you're determined to find it. 2 Your sibling was killed by a rampaging monster. You won't rest until you track it down and slay it. 3 A raven brought you a cryptic message from an old friend who needs your help, but the message was vague about the friend's location. You're trying to follow a years-old trail and save your friend. 4 A beautiful elf won your heart, then broke it. If you earn enough gold and glory by adventuring, perhaps you can win back your love. 5 Your father thought you too weak to survive as an ad6 7 8 venturer, but he's wrong, and you'll prove it. Only those who perform great deeds are remembered long after their death. Bards will honor your exploits for generations to come. You're secretly in love with one of the other members of your adventuring group, and you can't bear the thought of any harm befalling that person. When you were born, your grandmother prophesied you would one day rule a human kingdom. You've gone in search of that destiny. CHAPTER 2 I ELVES DROW ADVENTURER STORY HOOKS d8 Hook You overheard members of your own house plotting to poison you, so you fled from the Underdark to save yourself. You won't return until you've amassed enough fortune to surround yourself with loyal mercenary bodyguards. 2 You were enslaved as punishment for trying to poison an influential rival, but you escaped and fled to the surface. If you return to the Underdark and are captured, you'll be re-enslaved. 3 You were the lover of a high-ranking priestess of Lolth as a means of enhancing your status. When she tired of you, the loss of status was humiliating, so you left. 4 You killed a drow from a more powerful house in a duel over a public insult. The slain drow's house vowed to destroy your house unless you were handed over. Your kin urged you to leave the Underdark. You wonder what became of them. 5 A close friend of yours was revealed to be a worshiper of Eilistraee. Suspicion fell on everyone in her circle. Running was a tacit admission of guilt, even though you knew nothing about it, but you'd have been sacri· ficed to Lolth if you stayed. 6 You were among a group of surface raiders that was ambushed, and you were captured. During years of captivity, you learned that most of what Lolth's priestesses taught about the outer world was lies. Now 7 8 you're experiencing the truth for yourself. All your life, you were alienated and terrified by the cruelty of your kin. The first chance you got, you volunteered to go on a surface raid, then deserted the group and remained behind. Now you're hated and feared wherever you go, but at least you've found a small group of adventurous friends who trust and support each other. You were part of a delegation carrying diplomatic messages to another drow city when duergar attacked the caravan for slaves and treasure. Only you and one other guard escaped. If you'd returned home, you'd have been poisoned or worse for failure. Becoming a mercenary was your best option. DROW HOUSE SPECIALTY dlO Specialty Adamantine weapons 2 Assassinations 3 Giant spiders subject to magical control 4 Hallucinogenic substances 5 High-status slaves and sacrificial victims 6 Items taken from surface world in raids 7 Low-cost, humanoid slaves 8 Maps of the Underdark 9 Poisons 10 Reptilian beasts of burden
CHAPTER 3: DWARV ES AND DUERGAR 0 IMPARTIAL OBSERVERS, THE TALE OF THE ancient war between dwarves and duergar is at its heart a tragedy, the story of a people turned against each other by bitterness and resentment. Once the dwarves were unified in their worship of Moradin, the deity who crafted the first dwarves from metal and fire. Today, the race is splintered into those who still embrace him as their father and creator- and those who have sworn to topple him from his divine throne. While the dwarves loyal to Morad in take joy in the art of crafting and form strong family bonds, the duergar are joyless, hateful creatures who create their works out of an urge to build and acquire. They come closest to feeling true joy when they raid dwarven strongholds to satisfy their lust for blood and treasure. THE D EEP ROOTS OF WAR TAKE THIS MESSAGE TO YOUR DODDERING FOOL OF A god. His tum is coming, Laduguer willing. -Duergar assassin Vozala Spikefist, before slaying the dwarf king Um brag Hamrnerthorn The conflict began in ages past, when the world was new. Almost all the dwarves were more than content to make their homes inside the mountains and hills that were filled with ore and other valuables, not digging too far beneath the surface. The dwarves of clan Duergar, however, became obsessed with delving deep into the Underdark. The clan's miners continually insisted that a great trove of gold and iron lay just beyond where the clan had explored. The next strike of a pick, they said, could reveal wealth beyond imagining. This obsession took root and spread throughout the clan. Soon, all other activity in the community ceased; the forges grew cold, and the temples to Moradin stood empty. Every dwarf old enough to hold a pick or shovel worked the mines. The dwarves relentlessly dug, hacked, and tunneled. The weakest among them fell dead from exhaustion, the rest pausing only long enough to push the corpses aside so they could continue the digging. Only the hardiest and most iron-willed individuals of the clan survived this brutal campaign. When their delving finally broke through into a cavern, the dwarves found the cause of their obsession. A great elder brain and its mind flayers waited there, ready to take the next step in the subjugation of clan Duergar. The monsters had sent out a psychic lure that played on the dwarves' greed, and the never-ending work schedule that was the product of their obsession weeded out all but the best specimens for their slave pens. The illithids had no trouble overwhelming the remaining dwarves with their psionic power and soon put them to work. CHAPTER 3 J DWARVES ANO OUF.RCAR 65
The dwarves proved to be able slaves, but the elder brain saw within them another kind of usefulness. The dwarves' innate ability to resist the effects of harmful s ubstances such as poison made them suitable subjects for a variety of grisly experiments. Generations of psychic s urgery and physical alterations mutated the captives into creatures that had special powers of their own. In time, a leader arose among the enslaved dwarves. Named Ladugue r, he struck a deal with Asmodeus, pledging the assistance of clan Duergar against Lolth's ambitions in the Underdark. With the help of the Lord of the Nine, the dwarves overthrew their illithid masters in a great uprising. At last, Laduguer could bring his clan upward to rejoin the world they had left behind. TRIUMPH TuRNED SOUR When Laduguer and his people returned to the dwarves of the upper world, they were s hocked by the hostility they faced. As Ladugue r quickly learned, the priests of Moradin had long ago labeled the lost clan as heretics, spoken of now only as an object lesson conce rning the fate of dwarves who stray from Moradin's teachings. When Laduguer protested this treatment, the priests insisted that Moradin had sent omens and warnings to the lost dwarves, but they went unheeded. Envoys from the other clans had found clan Duergar's stronghold abandoned, with no evidence of invasion, plague, or other calamity. Even worse, the temples of Moradin had been left untended. Only laziness, greed, and contempt for the All-Father could account for the clan's fate. CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERCAR Laduguer, in response, tried to explain that his people had been lured into a trap by the mind flaye rs, but his assertions fell on deaf ears. Thus, with no other apparent choice, the lost clan fled back to the Underdark. Laduguer focused his fury on Moradin. The dwarves' s upposed father had turned a blind eye as they fell into the mind flayers' trap, then sat idle as the clan suffered unspeakable abuses. Laduguer and his followers swore that they wouldn't rest until the father of the dwarves lay dead and Laduguer sat upon his throne. Of course, by declaring his intent to destroy Moradin, Laduguer created a state of war between the duergar and the other dwarves in the world. Since that time, the duergar have not eased up on their hostility, and the dwarves have not relaxed their vigilance. CONFLICT WITHOUT END Few others aside from the dwarves and the duergar understand or appreciate the true scope and intensity of the battles between these two races. Viewed on a grand scale, the conflict is a great war of attrition- the combatants don't often gain or lose territory as the result of battle. But on a personal scale, combat is brutal, with no quarter given or expected. The duergar fight a persistent guerrilla war of sudden raids and brutal attacks against isolated groups of dwarves. Duergar often begin an attack by burrowing into a dwarf settlement from below, then bursting out in a vicious assault that leaves few survivors. If robbery rathe r than murder is the goal, a duergar war party
might surreptitiously dig for weeks to penetrate a dwarf treasure vault, hoping to seize a clan's riches from beneath its noses. For their part, the dwarves keep safety and defense uppermost in their priorities, realizing that there is little to be gained from trying to mount a large-scale assault against the duergar. They actively protect their strongholds, keeping careful watch for signs of tunneling, and- dwarven pride being what it is- send bands of warriors out from time to time to deal reprisals to duergar camps and fortresses. In addition to these rare offensive thrusts, dwarves sometimes send small squads of explorers or scouts into the Underdark to learn about duergar activity or to recover stolen treasures if they can do so without attracting too much attention. This eternal enmity between duergar and dwarves doesn't consume either side; both have other concerns and needs that take much of their time and attention, At the same time, the never-ending state of war is never out of mind- every dwarf knows that a chance encounter with a duergar could be fatal, and every duergar would like nothing better than to have such an opportunity. D WARVES The dwarf god Moradin forged the first dwarves in his great workshop, causing them to spring to life from inert metal when he cooled the heated castings with his breath. Since then. the dwarves have revered Moradin and sought to follow in his footsteps. Through constant, steady work, they strive to emulate the perfect example set by the originator of the arts and skills the dwarves pursue. To the dwarves, Moradin is the Creator. With his impeccable skills, he crafted the first dwarves and imbued them with a sense of relentless purpose, driven to apply their own crafting skills to the raw materials around them and thereby unlock the beauty that hides within. Moradin is also worshiped as the All-Father, in acknowledgment of his role as the progenitor of the dwarven race. In this aspect as well, he is credited not only for the birth of the dwarves but for fostering in them a deep appreciation for clan and family. He demonstrates how dwarf parents should raise their children, instilling in them the urge to further not only themselves but to contribute to the success of the larger group.Just as Moradin looks out for all dwarves, all dwarves in a clan look out for one another. THE PATH TO PERFECTION EVERY FALL OF THE HAMMER ON THE ANVIL, EVERY FIRE stoked in the forge. is a step on a journey set before me by Moradin himself. It isn"t work. It is a challenge to achieve greatness. - Balifra Evcrsharp Dwarves have a strong sense of their progress, and each day that goes by must bring them closer to the standard set by Morad in. Acutely aware of their mortality, they see the many centuries afforded to them as too short a time to risk wasting even a single day in indolence. Moradin crafted the dwarves' sturdy bodies, giving them the strength to work for long periods of time. Rather than imparting his skills to them, he fueled their spirits with a burning desire to follow his example. His gifts of durability and purpose gave the dwarves all they needed to devote their lives to steady work, refining their skills and improving their inner selves while they transform rock and ore into wondrous creations. LIFETIMES OF GLORIOUS LABOR Dwarf artisans regard the fruits of their labors with the same love that members of other races reserve for their children. A dwarf's works are built to last for centuries, to carry a legacy into the world long after the dwarf is gone. Each item a dwarf crafts is a milepost on the path to perfection, a step taken toward mastering a technique. All of one's works taken together are the physical representation of a dwarf's accomplishments. A dwarf who has lived a good, fruitful life leaves behind a rich legacy of wondrous goods- gleaming metal goblets, gem-encrusted stone sculptures, tapestries made of ores and minerals, finely honed weapons, or the end result of any other endeavor that enriches the crafter while it pays homage to the Creator. Dwarves guard their personal creations with the vigilance and ferocity of a dragon protecting a treasure hoard. Such protectiveness isn't often called for in the company of friends and family- but just as a parent doesn't leave a child unattended, a dwarf doesn't craft an item and then knowingly leave it vulnerable to being stolen (or worse). A dwarf who loses an item to thievery pursues the item's recovery or seeks vengeance against the thieves with the same fury that parents direct against those who kidnapped their child. At the other extreme, a dwarf's gift of a personal item to someone else is a deep expression of commitment, Jove, and trust. The beneficiary of the gift is expected to provide the item with the same careful stewardship exhibited by its creator-never letting it fall into an enemy's hands and sparing no effort to recover it if is stolen. MINDS AS RIGID AS STONE Although the dwarves' obsessive pursuit of perfection in the arts of crafting leads them to produce great works, it comes at a price. Dwarves value stability, repetition, and tradition above all else. Chaos and change cause distractions from the task at hand. Dwarves crave predictability, routine, and safety. A mind not fully focused can't give a task its proper attention. This rigidity in outlook, though a fundamental part of the dwarven psyche, can sometimes be a disadvantage. Dwarves don't change their minds easily, and once set on a course rarely alter their strategy. Their commitment to following a plan serves them well when they build a stone bridge designed to last for centuries, but the same inflexibility can bring problems when applied to the unpredictable dangers of the world. A clan might CHAPTER 3 DWARVES Al>:D DUERCAR
68 continue to depend on the same plan for defending its stronghold that has been used for centuries, without considering the possibility that its enemies have discovered how to overcome those defenses. The dwarves' way of thinking leads to difficulties in their relationships with humans and elves. From their long-lived perspective, dwarves can't understand the s peed with which human communities and civilizations rise and fall. If a trade delegation from a dwarven stronghold were to visit a human town once every twenty or thirty years- not a long time to a dwarf- the community's leaders would likely be different every time, and for the dwarves the experience would be akin to making first contact all over again. Establishing trade with this "new" human outpost would require forming new relationships, a process that could take weeks or months. The elves' chaotic nature and love of the wilderness baffle the dwarves, who think of them as somewhat mad. Dwarves typically find elves too flighty to ever fully trust them, believing that creatures that thrive on change and chaos can't possibly be reliable allies. In particular situations, of course, the benefits of cooperating with humans or elves can override the dwarves' concern about the shortcomings of those races. When dwarves, humans, and elves have a common enemy, they all find a way to work together for the common good. ALL F OR O NE: TuE CLAN SO THE BARMAN ISN'T A RELATIVE, AND YOU DON'T EVEN know the names of any of the folk here? How can you possibly sleep peacefully in this inn, surrounded by strangers? We'll be lucky to see the morning. - Tordek The clan is the basic unit of dwarven society, an extended family that dwells together. Everything a dwarf does in life is devoted to improving or helping the clan, bringing security and stability to its members and greater glory to the group. The most important clan members to any dwarf are the members of one's immediate family, because the instinctive connection between parent and child is stronger than the attachment between unrelated clan members. Nevertheless, the distinction is so slim as to be unnoticeable to outsiders- dwarves will endure hardship or lay down their lives for any of their clan mates, whether related to them by blood or by the devotion that holds the clan together. TuE GREATEST LEGACY The life of a dwarf is all about doing good work and leaving behind a fitting legacy that continues to bolster the clan even after its creator has passed on-a legacy counted not only in objects, but also in dwarven souls. Dwarves who become parents rightfully think of their children as the greatest legacy they can leave the clan, and they raise them with the same care and attention to detail that they give to the items they create. A dwarf's CllAPTER 3 DWARVES AND DUERGAR direct descendants- beloved sons, daughters, and grandchildren-are often the ones who inherit the inanimate works their ancestor leaves behind. Marriage is a sacred rite among the dwarves, taken very seriously because it requires two children to move away from their homes to start a new family in the clan. The affected families feel a sense of loss that is healed only when a new dwarf child enters the world- an event that calls for great celebration. Few dwarves develop romantic feelings for their spouses, at least not in the way that other races do. They view their spouses as collaborators and co-creators, their elders as respected experts to be obeyed, and their children as their most treasured creations. The emotion that underlies all those feelings might not be love, as others would term it, but it is just as intense. ROLES IN THE CLAN Every clan calls upon its members to fill three principal roles, each of which contributes to the group's welfare. First, many dwarves support the clan by working at an occupation that sustains the community-brewing ale, tending crops, and preparing food, for instance. Not everyone can be a master artisan or a vigilant warrior; the clan needs a wide range of labor and talents to meet all the needs of the group. Filling the second role are an equally large number of dwarves whose occupations involve the crafting of items and other forms of creation- smelting, smithing, gem-cutting, sculpture, and similar tasks. These artisans are responsible for making the items that help the clan protect its stronghold. The third function is performed by those who navigate the space between the clan and the chaotic creatures of the outside world. These dwarves are merchants, warriors, and envoys, tasked with representing the dwarves in dealings with other races and with providing a buffer between the clan and the potential threats of creatures and communities in the vicinity of the stronghold. A dwarf assigned to a role takes years to master it. A weaponsmith starts work in the forge, providing manual labor to haul ore from the mines and learning how to repair tools. The dwarf might then work in the mines, pushing carts and learning to pick out the best ore samples from a lode. Slowly but surely, a dwarf masters every aspect of a task or an occupation from start to finish. LEADERSHIP AND GOVERNMENT A clan is led by a king or a queen who sits at the head of a noble family. Dwarf nobles are members of families that claim direct ancestry to the first dwarves crafted by Moradin. To the dwarves, leadership is a craft like any other activity, calling for careful practice and constant
attention to detail in order to yield the best, most satisfying results. Young nobles apprentice for a time with masters of every profession in the clan. This period of work and education has two important results. First, the apprenticeships expose a young noble to each part of the clan's operation and create personal ties between the apprentice and every group in the clan's society. By the time a noble takes on a leadership role, the noble has a clear overview of all the clan's interrelationships and has formed friendships with people from every spot on the spectrum of roles within the clan. More important, a young noble's conduct while pursuing a variety of tasks gives the elder nobles a chance to assess the youth's character. Ideally, a noble who ascends to the leadership of a clan demonstrates an even temperament and an affinity for the clan's key functions. A noble who particularly enjoys fighting might become a minister of war or a general, while one who loves smithing might become an overseer of the crafters' work. ONE FOR ALL: THE STRONGHOLD l LIVE H ERE AMONG MY FOLK, AND I SWEAR THAT IF NEED be I will die here atop a mountain of my enemies' corpses. - King Ulaar Strongheart Every dwarf clan maintains a stronghold, typically a series of chambers dug out beneath a mountain or inside a hill. The stronghold is a haven from the chaos of the outside world , allowing the dwarves to toil in peace. The first concern of any stronghold is defense, but older and prosperous strongholds can grow to become wondrous underground cities filled with generations of exquisite dwarven artisanship. Regardless of a clan's size and status, its stronghold is a stony personification of the clan itself- what's good for the clan is good for the stronghold, and vice versa. lf a stronghold fails from within, or falls victim to outside forces, such an event is often the clan's death knell. A LIVING MONUMENT The masons and stone carvers in a clan consider the stronghold to be their greatest work. In a typical stronghold, stone bridges arc over chasms, their surfaces embellished with fine carvings and intricate patterns. The great stone doors leading outside can withstand a battering ram when secured, but glide open at the touch of a child when they are unlocked. While some other races erect statues or build special structures to honor their heroes or commemorate momentous events, the dwarves live and work with in their greatest memorial. A clan's stronghold holds the record of its history and accomplishments. A work that an outsider regards as "merely" intricate stone carving might actually be a carefully composed recounting of deeds, events, and important persons. Dwarves combine their runes into patterns, present pictorial histories in seemingly unconnected murals and images, and otherwise leave their clan's legacy of accomplishments hiding in plain sight. The story of the clan is meant to be appreciated by clan members and fellow dwarves, not the few outsiders who might be allowed inside the stronghold. CllAl'TER 3 I DWARVES AND DUl':RCAR
70 ISLAND OF STABILITY A well-built stronghold is an easily managed, tranquil environment where dwarves focus on rearing their families and pursuing their craft. Since the beginnings of their existence, dwarves have carved out their strongholds underground for a variety of reasons. Their unmatched prowess in mining and stonework makes them ideal candidates to use the subterranean realm for living quarters- and considering their outlook on the rest of the world, the dwarves wouldn't have it any other way. The stronghold's remoteness isolates the dwarves from the vagaries of politics and other forms of turmoil in the surface world. Underground, they don't have to contend with the changing of the seasons, or even daily variations in the weather, so that one day inside a stronghold is much like any other day. The activities of the clan are governed by a firm schedule that provides every member with daily time for work, family, and personal enrichment. The forges are never allowed to go cold, and the mines around the stronghold are worked every hour of every day. B EAUTIFUL ON THE INSIDE Dwarves are acutely aware that their reputation as skilled miners and crafters of beautiful works of art makes any stronghold a prime target for thieves and raiders. For that reason, the entrance to a stronghold doesn't broadcast its presence by being a stellar example of dwarven stonework. The outer precincts of a clan's home are plain and functional, decorated minimally or not at all, to give visitors and those passing CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DU ERGAR • nearby no reason to suspect what lies in the deeper chambers. From what they see, a dwarven stronghold is well built but austere. The greatest treasures crafted by a clan are sequestered in the innermost chambers of the stronghold, behind secret doors in areas that are open to clan members but forbidden to all outsiders. Even dwarves from other clans are granted access to such a place only after earning the trust of their hosts. These inner precincts hold the stuff of a thief's wildest dreams. In one chamber, gold foil lines the ceiling of an immense hall, carefully worked with diamonds that mimic the stars at night. In another, jewels are used to form wondrous murals that tell of the clan's greatest deeds. A clan's feasting hall might be stocked with utensils and place settings made of silver and gold. D EFENSE COMES FIRST Every dwarf knows instinctively that clan and stronghold are inextricably tied together- if one comes undone, the other fails as well. As such, defending the stronghold is a concern that the dwarves address even in the earliest stages of construction. They plan and then build with the goals of safety and security uppermost in mind. And the only way that a home can be truly safe and secure is if it is protected against intruders. Dwarves use a variety of approaches and devices in setting their defenses. The strongholds of many clans are honeycombed with secret passages designed to enable the dwarves to ambush and flank enemies. Dwarves also make liberal use of secret doors fashioned
by dwarf artisans, slabs of stone that fit so precisely in their openings that no one but a dwarf knows how to locate and open one. Unlike some other races that guard their territory by creating features that actively deter invaders, dwarves rarely use arrow traps, pit traps, and other such measures that could cause harm to clan members. They see little sense in risking injury if a trap of that sort malfunctioned or was accidentally triggered by a dwarf. A defensive measure isn't doing its job if it ends up hurting those it was meant to protect. D WARVES OF THE MULTIVERSE Like any race, dwarves display a wide array of skin tones, hair colors, and other physical traits. Adding to this diversity, they have a variety of cultural identities from world to world across the multiverse. DWARVES OF GREYHAWK The hill dwarves and mountain dwarves of war-wracked Ocrth have endured many centuries of turbulence. Their outlook on the world is shaped largely by how they perceive outsiders and how much of a threat those outsiders might pose. Hill Dwarves. Most of the dwarves on Oerth are hill dwarves. Compared to the mountain dwarves, they have a relaxed and open attitude toward the outside world. Because they dwell in regions that lack the towering peaks that their mountain kin favor, they build stone fortresses that start above ground and end in chambers that tunnel deep beneath the surface. A typical clan's settlement features stout walls and a sturdy gate, inside which are living quarters, community areas, and a well-protected treasure vault. Hill dwarves are more perceptive and empathic than their kin. They rely on their intuition and insight to guide them in relationships with other races. To offset the disadvantage of not being protected by mountains, they frequently form defensive pacts with humans, gnomes, and elves that live nearby. Although the best artisans are revered for their skills, just as in any dwarf clan, hill dwarves put special emphasis on diplomacy and trade as key elements in the clan's survival. They appreciate the value of creating high-quality goods to trade with others, both to enrich the clan and to form bonds with neighbors. Mountain Dwarves. As tough and strong as the natural stoneworks they dwell among, mountain dwarves see themselves as the true progenitors of their race and the exemplars of their gods' traditions and teachings. Mountain dwarves maintain a strong martial tradition. They know that the great wealth they accumulate in their vaults makes them prime targets for raiders. As a result, all the adults in a typical mountain dwarf clan are trained in the use of armor and weapons. Miners are among the most revered members of a clan, since the tunnels and shafts they dig in search of ore are considered works of art in themselves-as much a part of a clan's legacy as any treasure chamber heaped with gold and gems. The mountain dwarves' militancy and the need to protect their mines leads them into frequent clashes with Underdark monsters. Creatures or raiding parties that enter the mines from below invite retributive raids by dwarf war parties. The dwarves will mount an ambitious assault to reclaim even a single miner captured by attackers. Even the cruel drow are reluctant to raid mountain dwarf settlements, since they know a single attack will ignite the flames of war. Hill dwarves view their mountain cousins as overly grim shut-ins who refuse to believe that life is anything but a constant battle for survival. Mountain dwarves view their hill-dwelling relatives as painfully naive optimists who risk losing their precious works because of their overexposure to the outside world. DWARVES OF THE FORGOTTEN REALMS In an age long since passed into myth, the dwarves of Toril were one people dwelling in the mountains where three contincnts- FaerOn, Kara-Tur, and Zakhara- met. A gradual diaspora over millennia spread them across the world, giving rise to diverse types of dwarves. In FaerOn, the two most numerous subraces are gold dwarves and shield dwarves. The dwarves of FaerOn traveled north from the southern mountains and founded an extensive subterranean empire called Bhaerynden, which lay beneath a hot savannah now known as the Shaar. A rift in the leadership of the dwarves caused a schism among their people. One group left Bhaerynden and built new kingdoms in the North and the Heartlands, becoming the shield dwarves. Those who remained became the gold dwarves. Gold dwarf scholars point to Abbathor as the cause of this division, claiming that the deity's influence weakened Bhaerynden and left it vulnerable to the dark elves that threatened its borders. That claim might well be true, but shield dwarf scholars point out that those who abandoned Bhaerynden did so two millennia before the drow conquered the place. They put the blame for its fall on the complacency that drove their ancestors to leave. "Gold dwarves endure. Shield dwarves adapt." That is a truism that both subraces of dwarves repeat with pride and derision, each extolling the qualities of their own kind. Gold Dwarves. The conquest of Bhaerynden by the drow spurred its survivors to create many separate outposts in southern lands. During the same period, the dark elves fell victim to infighting, which culminated in the collapse of the great cavern. Emboldened by this development, armies of gold dwarves returned to drive the drow from the region. At the site that would come to be known as the Great Rift, they shaped the underground canyons and passages to their needs, and from there they tunneled under the Shaar for miles around, carving a new empire from stone. Gold dwarves consider themselves the true keepers of dwarf culture. More so than shield dwarves, they prefer to dwell underground. Many gold dwarves live their lives without seeing the sun. Surrounded by the artistry and wealth that earlier generations have drawn from the earth, they are accustomed to Haunting their fortune, dressing in bejeweled and glittering garments. Gold dwarves who interact with other races (including shield CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERCAR 71
dwarves) tend to be suspicious, taciturn, and secretive, and especially distrustful of anyone who doesn't show outward signs of wealth. Shield Dwarves. The ambition to seek new horizons that led the first dwarves to leave Bhaerynden still runs strong in shield dwarves today. Over thousands of years, many kingdoms of shield dwarves have risen, often at the whim of one enterprising individual who decided to found a new clan. So too have many kingdoms of shield dwarves fallen and been forgotten, leaving behind wondrous landmarks and mysterious dungeons. S hield dwarves who occupy a stronghold can be as clannish and insular as gold dwarves, but shield dwarves are far more likely than gold dwarves to dwell in surface communities. forming trade relationships and alliances with neighboring nations. The openness of the shield dwarves as a people manifests on a personal level as well, with individuals being far more likely to travel among and make friends with other races. DWARVES OF DRAGONLANCE Most dwarves on the world of Krynn trace their ancestry to a single great empire known as Kal-Thax. They have long been split into several clans based on traditional roles that were established in Kal-Thax and its successor settlements. Yet, as with much on Krynn, the fate of the dwarves has been shaped by the Cataclysm. Before the Cataclysm, the dwarves that dwelt on the surface, called the Neidar, interacted with other races and provided foodstuffs and goods for their subterranean cousins that couldn't be acquired underground. The great city ofThorbardin was the most prominent of the dwarves' underground settlements, where several clans lived and worked together. But when the anger of the gods struck the world, mountains fell and seas rose. Although many settlements of dwarves were wiped out, Thorbardin survived. When the famine and plagues caused by the Cataclysm swept the world, the Neidar and their human allies sought succor from Thorbardin, which the Neidar knew held stores of food that could last generations. But the king wouldn't let any citizen ofThorbardin suffer to ease the anguish of the supplicants at its gates. The result of that refusal was the Dwarfgate Wars, a series of sieges and battles that ended when a magical explosion and conflagration consumed both armies on the battlefield. Thorbardin's gates remained shut, and the hatred between the Neidar and the other clans has festered for centuries. Although some families among the Neidar eventually founded new communities, many of the surface dwellers drifted apart to take up life with humans or as lone traders and crafters. Meanwhile, within Thorbardin, disagreements over the treatment of the Neidar, the loss of Thorbardin's army in the war, the distribution of supplies, and other disputes drove the clans farther apart. The Hylar are Thorbardin's best engineers and crafters, and that clan continues to rule despite its increasingly autocratic policies. Although the subservient clans continue to perform their traditional roles in the hierarchy, they have largely segregated themselves into separate districts within Thorbardin. The ambitious and vicious Theiwar clan C ll AJYl l::R 3 I OWARV1'.S AND DUERGAR maintains its influence through the use of mysterious magic. The Daergar grudgingly work as Thorbardin's miners when they aren't taking out their aggression on each other or antagonizing other clans. The Daewar long ago submitted to the rule of the Hylar and have the privilege of being Thorbardin's merchants and builders. Driven mad by their love of quicksilver, the wild Klar serve as Thorbardin's scouts and fiercest warriors. Gully Dwarves. The Aghar clan is an anomaly among the dwarves of Krynn, having retained a foothold both in out-the-way locations inside Thorbardin and on the surface. Referred to by others as gully dwarves, the Aghar are derided as stupid, s melly, and dirty. Most dwarves consider them a form of vermin, unsuitable even as servants. The Aghar in Thorbardin have carved out living space for themselves from the massive piles of tailings left over from the excavations of the Daergar. They have no role in sustaining the city. DWARVEN RELIGION OUR FOREl)EARS INSTILL WITHIN US THE POTENTIAL FOR everything that made them great. It is our responsibility to refine that gift into something wonderful. -Vistra Frostbeard The religion of the dwarves is at the root of the societal roles that dwarves follow. Where most other creatures view their deities as ultrapowerful beings who stand forever apart from their worshipers, the dwarves see their gods as exemplars who blaze a path for their lives to follow. Dwarven deities exist in a wide variety, with a few common across many worlds. They are collectively known as the Mordinsamman. Morad in is foremost among the dwarven pantheon, the epitome of everything dwarves strive to be. The rest of the group consists of those first dwarves who performed their labors so well that they could almost duplicate Moradin's level of skill. The Dwarf Deities table lists the members of the Mordinsamman. For each god, the table notes alignment, province (the god's main areas of interest and responsibility), suggested domains for clerics who serve the god, and a common symbol of the god. Several of the gods in the table are described below. MO RADIN The father of the dwarves crafted his children from metal and gems and imbued them with souls as he cooled them with his breath. Morad in is the master of every craft practiced by the dwarves and the patron of artisans. He expects his children to follow in his footsteps, studying his techniques and aspiring to one day match his expertise. Priests of Morad in are responsible for judging and assessing the work of a stronghold's artisans. They keep great volumes that describe various crafting techniques in detail, and use the guidelines in them to judge the quality of individual works. The priests also evaluate young dwarves to determine the youths' vocations. The decisions of the priests are accepted without question.
ABBA THOR The Great Master of Greed exerts an influence, no matter how subtle, over every dwarven heart. Abbathor teaches that greed isn't only desirable, but necessary to keep the dwarves in a strong and safe position. Abbathor has no skill in crafting. Instead, he relies on his ability as a thief to take ownership of what he wants. Why work so hard to manufacture something when a much easier path to riches lies open? Abbathor is the only advocate for change within the dwarven pantheon. He can inspire dwarves to seek shortcuts, normally frowned upon, but sometimes those methods turn out to be efficient techniques that improve a clan's capabilities. BERRONAR T'RUESILVER The Matron of Home and Hearth is the patron of family, honor, and law. She lays out the rules for managing a dwarf clan. Berronar's code establishes the laws of the dwarves, including contracts, trade agreements, and every other kind of bond forged through words and deeds. As MoraD WA RF DEITIES (THE MORD INSAMMAN) Deity Alignment Province Abbathor NE Greed Berronar Truesilver LG Hearth, home, truth Clangeddin Silverbeard LG War, strategy Dugmaren Brightmantle CG Discovery Dumathoin N Buried secrets Gorm Gulthyn LG Vigilance Haela Brightaxe CG Combat prowess, luck in battle Hanseath CN Festivity, brewing, song Marthammor Duin NG Explorers, wanderers, the lost Moradin LG Primary deity of dwarves Muamman Duathal NG Storms, travel Mya NG Clan, family, wisdom Roknar NE Lies, intrigue Sharindlar CG Healing, love Thard Harr CG Wilderness, hunting TharmekhOI N Fire, forges, molten rock Thautam N Mysteries, darkness, lost treasures Ula a LG Mining, quarrying Valkauna LN Oaths, birth, aging, death Vergadain N Luck, wealth *Appears in Xanathar's Guide to Everything din provides the example that dwarves strive to match, Berronar provides the bonds that create dwarven society and culture. Berronar's priests arrange marriages, using a process that finds the best matches and is designed to ensure that each generation of a clan is stronger and more talented than the last. Their dictates in this respect are sacrosanct, and a dwarf designated for an arranged marriage must obey the priests or risk exile. CLANGEDDIN SILVERBEARD Known as the Father of Battle, Clangeddin Silverbeard is the patron of dwarf warriors. Impetuous and brave yet a cunning strategist, Clangeddin embodies the warrior's spirit that makes dwarven armies s uch formidable foes. Clanged din encourages dwarf warriors to venture out of the stronghold in search of foes to defeat. He particularly hates goblinoids, giants, and dragons. He compels his followers to seek out and dispatch such enemies before they can become a threat to the stronghold. Clangeddin's faithful are mainly full-time warriors assigned to weapon training from an early age and expected to take the fight to the enemy. The two axes he wields embody his attitude, since he forsakes the added protection of a shield for the chance to deal more damage to his enemies. Clangeddin's priests are warriors who lead from the front. When defending a stronghold, they guard the walls and lead sorties against enemy positions. When an external threat is near, the priests plan guerrilla raids to disrupt invaders before they can besiege the stronghold. Suggested Domains Common Symbol Trickery jeweled dagger, point down Life, Light Intertwined silver rings War Crossed silver battleaxes Knowledge Open book Grave,* Knowledge Gemstone in a mountain War Bronze half-mask War Upright sword with blade sheathed in flame Trickery, War Beer stein Nature, Trickery Upright mace in front of a tall boot Forge,'~ Knowledge Hammer and anvil Tempest Mace held in gauntlets Knowledge, Life A faceless mother figure Trickery Hands filled with coins Life Burning needle Nature Two clawed gauntlets Forge,* Light Fiery axe Knowledge, Trickery Blindfold Forge* A miner's pick Grave,* Life A silver ewer Trickery Gold coin bearing a dwarf's face CHAPT£R 3 I DWARVES AND DUERGAR
OTHER D EITIES The dwarvcn pantheon is quite large. The four deities discussed above are acknowledged by occupants of almost every stronghold, while the following gods are worshiped by some clans and ignored by others. These deities include Dugmaren Brightmantle, the Gleam in the Eye; Dumathoin, the Keeper of Secrets under the Mountain; Corm Gulthyn, the Golden Guardian; Haela Brightaxe, the Lady of the Fray; Marthammor Duin, Watcher over Wanderers; Sharindlar, Lady of Mercy; and Vergadain, the Merchant King. THE DUAL ROLE OF ABBATHOR A LllTLE ACT OF SELFISHNESS NOW AND THEN IS TO BE expected even from the wisest of folk. -Tenelar, Outcast of Five Peaks Dwarves have rigid principles and lofty ambitions. They devote their lives to the pursuit of perfection, and the best come close to realizing that goal. But for all their dedication, dwarves are mortal, which means they are fallible. And that's where Abbathor comes in. The dwarves' attachment to their creations has a dark side: many of them fall victim to feelings of selfishness and greed. The culprit is Abbathor, the black sheep of the dwarven pantheon. Abbathor is an advocate of change, not stability- an attitude normally regarded with suspicion by dwarves. But in this case, the god delivers his message inside the embrace of avarice. Greed is at the heart of change. Greedy individuals aren't content with their own accomplishments and seek CHA.l'TER 3 I UWARVES ANO DUF.RCAR to undermine the works that others have made, sometimes going so far as to take credit for their creation, or actually steal them. Greed distorts the joy that dwarves normally take from their work. It focuses on the value of the end result, rather than the importance of the process of creation. A dwarf tempted by Abbathor might sabotage a rival's work or uncover a wondrous treasure and pass it off as something they c reated. Abbathor does, however, play a positive role in helping the dwarves discover new methods and techniques. Although he espouses greed and treachery, he is also the standard bearer for revision and innovation. His guidance is especially critical when a clan faces an unanticipated situation that requires quick, decisive action. In that vein, dwarf emissaries and merchants are expected to use Abbathor's tricks when they deal with humans, elves, and other races. When a dwarf offers a piece of merchandise for sale to an outsider, that merchant is expected to drive a hard bargain, even if the item is in truth an inferior example of its kind. Fortunately for the other party in the arrangement, the dwarves' idea of "inferior" means that a product they consider substandard is still far superior to any such item that outsiders might create. The dwarves might laugh among themselves at a human farmer who bought a shovel from them that will last only a few decades. To the dwarves, that's a shoddy tool; to the farmer, it's a purchase that lasts a lifetime. ENEMIES ALL AROUND If the dwarves weren't so good at accumulating treasure, it's likely that they wouldn't have as many enemies. As things stand, however, almost every variety of
marauding humanoid or greedy monster lusts after the riches that dwarves keep in their strongholds. The biggest threats to their security are dragons and giants, but other humanoids such as ores and the hated duergar are their most numerous foes. DRAGONS Chromatic dragons, by their nature, are often attracted to the treasures that dwarves gather in their fortresses. Although such a place might be too stout for a dragon to assault and take over, an evil dragon that makes its lair near a dwarven stronghold can be a threat to the occupants in many ways. Black Dragons. Since black dragons prefer to dwell in swampland, one rarely makes a lair close to a stronghold. When a black dragon does cross paths with dwarves, it might attempt to isolate a settlement by making the roads leading to it impassable. The terrain around the dragon's lair is transformed into a riot of vegetation and patches of mud, slowing travelers and making caravans vulnerable to attack by the dragon's followers. When a stronghold becomes cut off, the dragon might start to test its outer defenses in advance of mounting a larger assault. This strategy can take years to come to fruition, but from the dragon's perspective it is time well spent. Blue Dragons. Blue dragons are the least likely of their kind to tangle with dwarves, since their lairs are always far from where dwarves typically settle, and a blue dragon almost neve r gives away the location of its lair. One might appear before a band of dwarves traveling through the area and demand a toll for safe passage through its territory, expecting payment in the form of gems- and particularly sapphires. Green Dragons. Dwarves and green dragons don't often interact, and when they do, the dragon doesn't usually threaten them directly. A typical green dragon has no burning desire to possess the material goods in a stronghold's hoard, and would much rather snatch up living treasure. Using its powers of deception, a green dragon might try to entice dwarves it encounters to ally with it in return for the promise of great wealth. Dwarves who have been touched by Abbathor might succumb to this temptation- only to find themselves imD WARV ES AND A LE Dwarves have a reputation for being able to consume great quantities of ale. Although drinking plays a significant role in their culture, it is a mistake to assume that intoxication has the same effect on them as it does on humans. Humans drink to forget, while dwarves drink to remember. A dwarf deep in his cups is overcome by powerful, vivid memories of his past, especially events tied to lost kin, great deeds, or monumental failures. When dwarves drink in a group, this effect spreads among them. The clan might joyfully sing of triumph as they reminisce over the defeat of a dragon, or weep as they recall the death of a beloved elder. In contrast to clan gatherings, dwarves who drink alone invariably become morose and sullen-when separated from their clan mates, they can't avoid dwelling on unpleasant memories. It's the wise traveler who leaves alone the sole, drunken dwarf in the corner. prisoned in the dragon's lair, sentenced to a lifetime of crafting new items for the dragon's treasure collection. Red Dragons. Even though dwarves and red dragons compete for the same terrain, they don't come into conflict as often as they once did. Nowadays, red dragon lairs and dwarven strongholds are far enough apart that the dwarves don't have to worry constantly about being attacked. But occasionally, a young red dragon sets out to establish its own legacy- and what better place for a lair than one that comes with its own treasure hoard? To begin its campaign, the dragon sends out followers and minions to lay siege to the stronghold. If this effort succeeds and the defenders withdraw deeper inside. the dragon comes forth to lead the assault into the tunnels. Jn those cramped quarters, only a few dwarves at a time can be brought to bear against the dragon's teeth, claws, and fiery breath. But the dwarves know that if they allow the dragon access to the fortress's innermost chambers, the fight is all but over. White Dragons. Dwarves who live in cold climates don't usually have to cope with as many predators and marauders as do their kin in more hospitable terrain. But a white dragon patrols its territory relentlessly, neither subtle nor shrewd in its methods, often using natural camouflage to ambush its prey. A dragon that lairs nearby might be willing to leave a dwarven settlement unmolested if its appetite is sated by creatures it can catch in the open, including the travelers that enter and exit the place. On occasion, this state of (relatively) peaceful coexistence is shattered when a devious rival dragon with designs on a white dragon's territory enters the picture. Taking advantage of the dragon's limited mental faculties, the rival secretly sends its minions out to harass the dragon. Convinced that the dwarves must be to blame, the dragon engages them in a wider conflict, and the dwarves respond in kind. Even if neither side destroys the other, both will be severely weakened, after which the rival moves in to finish the job. GIANTS Giants have no special enmity toward dwarves, but they do consider them ideal slaves. Even when captured and put to work against their will, dwarves are innately driven to bring their full effort to a task at hand. Even simple toil brings dwarves some relief from captivity. Fire giants are more likely than other giants to enslave dwarves expressly for their talents. Many tribes of hill giants have discovered the value of dwarves as workers and now seek to capture them rather than devour them. CHAPTER 3 I DWA RVES AND DUEROA.R 75
Giants don't launch direct attacks on dwarven strongholds except under extraordinary circ*mstances. Their size is a great disadvantage in the underground passages of a fortress, potentially turning any such assault into a suicide mission. 0RCS Every ore tribe dreams of overrunning a dwarven stronghold and returning to the caves with a war wagon laden with gold, gems, stout armor, and sharp weapons. Given the ores' propensity to rely on brute force rather than cunning, they can overcome only severely weakened dwarven strongholds. Unfortunately for the dwarves, ores seem to receive omens from Gruumsh bidding them to invade a stronghold just when it is wracked with plague, riven by infighting, or otherwise at its weakest. The all-seeing eye of Gruumsh is ever vigilant for signs that Moradin's children have faltered. DUERGAR The evil dwarves of the Underdark are responsible for the constant undercurrent of peril in the life of any clan. Although the duergar don't come near the surface in sufficient numbers to invade and occupy a stronghold, they send out raiding parties to set upon any dwarves they find on the loose and to pull off occasional acts of sabotage or guerrilla activity. Though no dwarven fortresses are currently at risk of succumbing to a duergar onslaught, none of them are immune to the treachery that a small group of gray dwarves can commit. WHEN CLANS COLLAPSE WE HAVE BUT ONE DESIRE-REVENGE AGAINST TI-IOSE who drove us out of our home. - Queen Helgret Deephammer, of the Deephammer clan in exile For all the attention dwarves pay to their defenses and the security of their homes, no clan is immortal and no stronghold unassailable. Threats to a clan can come from the outside or the inside, and it's often the latter variety that proves more difficult to defeat. Every clan is aware that there are plenty of unprincipled creatures in the world that would love to steal its cherished works or even obliterate the dwarves and take over their home. Formidable though they may be, these are enemies that can be prepared for. More insidious are the forces that can tear apart a clan from within. FESTERING RIVALRIES It's not unusual for individuals in a clan to fall prey to occasional bickering and infighting. Abbathor's influence affects some dwarves more than others, and even those with the strongest resolve can be tempted to compromise their principles from time to time. Minor turmoil of this sort rarely leads to civil war or a rapid decline of the clan's strength. But in the worst cases, a clan's collective lack of dedication to its goals strains the bonds between elements that must work together for the clan to prosper. Feuds between artisans drive wedges between families. Dwarf traders strike C H APTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERCAR FRIENDLY FROM A DISTANCE Even though dwarves have a natural affinity for one another, different clans keep a comfortable distance between their strongholds. Anyone not of the clan, even another dwarf, is considered an outsider. Relations between neighboring clans are cordial, if not warm. They might exchange messengers to share lore and news that can prove useful against the vagaries of the outside world, but that is likely to be the extent of their contact. Under normal circ*mstances, dwarves prefer to be left alone. Interacting with neighbors brings unpredictability and change, things dwarves prefer to avoid. Circ*mstances cease to be normal when a clan faces an external threat. When word gets out that one of their own is in danger, dwarves of other clans rally against the threat without question. The standoffish diplomacy that marks their normal relations gives way to an unshakable alliance. An attack on one dwarf clan is an attack against them all. deals that fail to benefit the clan, and stone carvers start using short cuts that compromise their constructions. If such a decline continues for too long and becomes too severe, the result could be a schism within the clan. The quarreling factions might segregate themselves in different parts of the stronghold; in an extreme case, some clan members might leave to found a new community. In either event, a divided clan is weaker than it was before the unrest occurred, and thus it's an easier target for outside enemies. If selfishness and greed were not enough to bring the clan to utter destruction, the horde of ores waiting to attack will be happy to finish the job. A LIFE IN EXILE If the worst comes to pass and the loss of a clan's stronghold to invaders is inevitable, most of the dwarves would be willing to die while making a last stand for their home. But the clan must survive, even if only as a shell of its former self, and so every clan has a contingency plan to secure a safe escape for the stronghold's children and enough adults to care for them. If the survivors are able to get away, they tend to seek shelter in a human city or kingdom. Their skill as artisans ensures that almost any community would welcome their contribution to the workforce, and they can eke out a comfortable existence for themselves. A group of refugee dwarves seeking residence in a community will do whatever they can to live together, keeping the clan intact. They recreate what they can of their former lifestyle, living underground when possible and remaining isolated from their neighbors. DWARF ADVENTURERS ~~~~~~~~~~- THE MOUNTAJNS WERE HOME ONCE, BUT NEVER AGAJN. -Tenelar, Outcast of Five Peaks A dwarf who leaves the stronghold to pursue a life of adventuring does so for one of two reasons. Some dwarves set out with the blessing of the clan to undertake an important mission. Others depart, willingly or otherwise, because they simply don't fit in. When a situation calls for such drastic action, the nobles or priests select one or more clan members to venture forth. These dwarves are charged with a specific quest, such as recovering a stolen artifact or discovering
the fate of an allied stronghold that has fallen silent. They are held in high esteem by their clan mates, since they have dared to forsake the safe ty of home for the uncertainty of the upper world. When their mission is over, they return to the stronghold and are hailed as heroes. Other dwa rves turn to a life on the outside because they are misfits who found the stronghold stultifying or outcasts who were forced to leave the clan because of criminal behavior. Not all dwarves are born with the same strong sense of community, and the strictures of society can prove difficult for some to accept. Such an individual might protest an arranged marriage or insist that the priests of Moradin have erred in deciding their vocation. The rest of the clan views these malcontents with mistrust, and those who remain disruptive can find themselves exiled. H AZARD OUS D UTY Some dwarves leave the stronghold to serve the clan in nontraditional ways as envoys, explorers, crafters, and merchants. Although a human wouldn't think of all these folk as adventurers, in the dwarves' view they are undertaking a dangerous mission. Even when dwarves volunteer for a life in the outside world, whethe r to take up true adventuring or to pursue a mundane occupation, they remain members of the clan, and their duties almost always include some responsibility to the clan. A blacksmith working in a human village, for instance, might report news of the outside world back to the clan. Dwarves who reside in surface communities prefer to keep to themselves when not plying their trades, but over time they might develop close relationships with neighbors of other races- much in the same way that dwarves who join an adventuring party learn to trust their companions. CASTOFFS AND CRIMINALS Of course, not every dwarf is destined for a long life in service to the clan. A few are born with a tendency to think and behave in ways that undermine the clan rather than s upporting it, and those who don't change their ways are cast out. Some of these independent dwarves, especially those who espouse the moral and ethical standards of their kin, end up becoming adventurers. Their companions and allies satisfy eve ry dwarf's innate need to belong to a clan, and those folk become the beneficiaries of the dwarf's industriousness and loyalty. For dwarves of evil temperament, the place of one's clan is liable to be taken by a group such as an assassins' guild or an outlaw gang. Those who understand their role in the organization and abide by its hie rarchy are some of the most loyal followers a would-be conqueror could acquire. MAGIC: Goos' GIFT TO D WARVES Dwarves are of two minds on the topic of magic. They view divine magic as a gift from their gods, a direct helping hand meant to aid them in their effort to follow their gods' examples. Indeed, many forms of divine magic are essential for the smooth operation of any stronghold and the continued survival of the clan. For that reason, clerics are more common among the dwarves than in other races. Dwarves who are especially devoted to the clan are believed to have a special connection to the deities, and often learn how to use that conduit to bring forth divine magic. Arcane magic in all its forms is a different matter. Dwarves have no innate fear or hatred of such things, but arcane magic has no true patron among the dwarven deities. As such, the dwarves ignore it in their daily lives, and clan members who take up the practice are exceedingly ra re. Using arcane magic to assist in the creation of one's works is anathema to almost all dwarves, because the act amounts to nothing more than cheating. The few dwarves who embrace arcane magic tend to venerate Abbathor, if only in secret. Evil dwa rves with no respect for authority or community are few and far between. Shunned by the rest of their race, they take perverse delight in raiding villages, enslaving or killing innocents, and otherwise venting their rage against the world. DUERGAR Duergar see themselves as the true manifestation of dwarven ideals, clever enough not to be taken in by the treacherous deceptions of Morad in and his false promises. Their period of enslavement and the revolt against the mind flayers led by their god, Laduguer, purged the influence of the other dwa rven gods from their souls and thus made them into the superior race. Duergar have no appreciation for beauty, that ability having been erased from their minds by the mind flayers long ago and any thought of recapturing it obliterated by Moradin's betrayal. The duergar lead bleak, grim lives devoid of happiness or satisfaction, but they see that as their defining strength-the root of duergar pride, as it were- rather than a drawback to be corrected. A D ARK R EFLECTION WORK OR DIE. IN THE FIRST CASE, YOU ARE USEFUL. IN the second, you are entertaining. -Vozala Spikefist Duergar society is a dark mirror of the dwa rven clan. Where dwarves toil for love of industry, duergar do so out of a drive to create and own as much goods and treasure as possible. Their priests assign vocations and arrange marriages, but only to ensure that a clan continues to exist, not out of any sense of creating a legacy. In many ways, the culture of the duergar is fundamentally hollow. For all their wars, and all the treasures they have accumulated, duergar feel no happiness or satisfaction. They simply continue to exist, ever-turning cogs in an engine of destruction that is the antithesis of the dwarves' joyful cycle of creation. CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERCAR
Our three rules come from the actions of Laduguer himself, as he quested through the Nine Hells on his mission to bring glory to the duergar. First, the devils sought to turn his greed against him. They offered as much treasure as he could carry, thinking that he would take too much and collapse in exhaustion. Instead, Laduguer used his cunning magic to twist his pockets into bottomless pits, so that there was no limit to the treasure he could carry. Then, in their frustration at his stratagem, the devils fell upon him with claw and blade. They didn't understand that with each treasure he claimed, Laduguer's will to win grew stronger and stronger. With so much to fight for, he lashed out and broke the backs of Hell's legions. Finally, Asmodeus confronted Laduguer. The Lord of the Nine laughed, joked, and cajoled with all his guile, but Laduguer remained grim and stoic, refusing to be affected even when the mightiest celestials might have admitted some grudging amusem*nt at the devil's antics. Laduguer was resolute because he wanted one final treasure: the allegiance of Hell in the coming war against the mind flayers. Asmodeus offered a world's worth of other temptations, but Laduguer's countena nce never changed. Even when Asmodeus relented at last, Laduguer accepted the arrangement as nothing less than his d ue and refused to display any reaction. Thus did Laduguer deliver the three rules that govern our people. These principles liberated our people from the illithids, and to this day they keep us strong. - Felstak Goldgrief, Tyrant of Goethelskar CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERGAR THREE RULES OF CONDUCT Duergar psychology, culture, and society are predicated on three principles set down by their god Laduguer. Adherence to these precepts is now enforced by Laduguer's chief lieutenant, Deep Duerra. OUR POCKETS ARE NEVER FULL The duergar are fueled in all their actions by two pervasive feelings: ambition that never flags and greed that can never be satisfied. Though they might scheme and plot at great lengths to gain treasure or prestige, success is never a cause for celebration. Each acquisition, once in hand, is like a meal that quickly loses its appeal, leaving the duergar hungry for more. No matter how much wealth or power they gain, it's never enough. OUR FIGHT ls NEVER DONE As duergar acquire treasure and prestige, they need to become ever mightier to hold on to what they have. When the duergar wage war on other races, they demonstrate that the weak aren't fit to possess that which is meant for the strong. And to the duergar, no creatures a re more unworthy of holding wealth than dwarves. When duergar have an opportunity to strike at dwarves. especially in their strongholds, they fight with utmost viciousness and cunning, matching the value of the spoils to be gained with the intensity of their onslaught. OUR RESOLVE ls NEVER SHAKEN Any show of weakness is a mortal sin among the duerga r, and that stricture extends to personal conduct as well as to the workings of a duergar clan. Displays •
of happiness, contentedness, and trust are forbidden. The duergar are bound together in a rigid society, but it is a marriage of necessity rather than choice. In the Underdark, they must cooperate to survive. Within their society, each individual fills a role assigned to them and must perform it to the best of their abilities. Duergar warriors epitomize the race's abandonment of emotion and individuality. In battle, they wear heavy armor and hateful, scowling masks that hide their identities. When assembled in ranks, the duergar move forward like army ants. They are an implacable, relentless foe, marching over the corpses of their fallen comrades to press the attack. D uERGAR DEIT I ES OUR GODS SPRANG FROM AMONG US. THEY ENDURED our hardships and carved a path to our salvation. What hasyourgod doneforyot1? -Morkai Ash lord Two mythic figu res who were long ago responsible for the duergar's liberation have achieved divinity in the eyes of their supplicants. The Duergar Deities table provides basic information about each one: alignment, province (the god's main areas of interest and responsibility), suggested domains for clerics who serve the god, and a common symbol of the god. DEEP DUERRA According to legend, Deep Duerra stole the power of psionics from the mind flayers and gifted it to her people. Her command of it was so great that she dominated a mind flayer colony and turned the illithids into her slaves. Deep Duerra's followers stand at the forefront of the duergar's attacks on their most hated enemies. Inspired by her mythic deeds, her priests are especially eager to find and annihilate dwarf communities and mind flayer colonies. The priests of Deep Duerra maintain a training ground and armory inside each duergar stronghold. All duergar are required to learn the basic skills of combat, and the nobles are obliged to contribute weapons, armor, and followers to the stronghold's defensive force. The priests honor their deity by planning, equipping, and launching holy crusades against their enemies. LADUGUER Also known as the Grim One, Laduguer was a mighty duergar warrior who liberated his people from the illithids. Laduguer entered into a pact with Asmodeus, pledging the duergar to an alliance against Lolth and 0UERGAR D EITI ES Deity Alignment Deep Duerra LE Laduguer LE *Appears in Xanathar's Guide to Everything Province Conquest, psionics Labor, slavery the demons of the Abyss in exchange for which Laduguer received a spark of divinity from Abbathor himself. Laduguer's teachings stand in direct opposition to everything Moradin represents. He is the dwarf god's dark opposite, a shadow that seeks to rise up and consume its original creator. Duergar don't worship Laduguer in any traditional way; their communities include no temples or formal services. They honor their deity by acquiring more power and wealth through any means possible. Priests of Laduguer maintain the internal functions of duergar society but have no role that is expressly religious. INSIDE A STRONGHOLD Duergar strongholds are best defined in terms of how they compare to the underground fortresses of the dwarves. Both places constantly bustle with activity, forges and picks and hammers always at work, but that's where the similarity ends. In a dwarven stronghold, the atmosphere is one of optimistic industry. Dwarves enjoy what they do, and their dedication to furthering the clan and leaving a proper legacy shows through in every aspect of a clan's operation. In contrast, the duergar care nothing for the dwarven ideal of achieving utmost mastery of a craft. For this reason, they pay no mind to their environment or the aesthetics of their creations. In a duergar stronghold, the atmosphere is one of unrelenting drudgery. Quantity, not quality, is at the heart of their efforts, as the duergar strive to craft as many items as possible in the shortest period of time. Duergar goods aren't flawed or substandard, but are plain to the point of austerity. To the duergar, a manufactured object is useful only for the function it performs. In a typical stronghold, the workshops occupy the central chamber. The smoke that belches from them fills the air and drifts into surrounding passages. Suggested Domains Knowledge, War Death, Forge* Common Symbol Mind flayer skull Broken arrow CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERGJ\R 79
80 The outer edges of the stronghold are honeycombed with mining operations. The duergar wrest rock from the cavern walls and process the chunks in search of useful ore, pulverizing them with powerful mechanical devices and sorting out the metals, minerals, and gems. Between the mines and the workshops stands a ring of fortresses, each ruled by a noble and occupied by the noble's followers. The stronghold's king commands the largest edifice, five times the size of the next biggest. The priests of Deep Duerra reside in the second largest fortress, which houses the duergar army. The priests organize patrols and guard duty and oversee the settlement's armory. Steeders, spiders that are used as mounts and war beasts by the duergar, are housed in stables that stand between the workshops and the fortresses. Each enclosure is virtually an individual prison, since the violent creatures must be kept apart lest they tear into each other or wreak havoc in some other way. Only careful supervision and brutal discipline keep them in line when they are out of their cages. Each noble is responsible for maintaining a set of steeder pens, and a squad of duergar are assigned to train and supervise the beasts. POWER OF THE MIND THE MIND IS BUT ANOTHER MATERIAL, SET BEFORE US TO shape into a weapon. -Gargosa Ironmind During their period of slavery under the mind flayers, the duergar were the subjects of a variety of bizarre experiments that endowed them with psionic abilities. CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES ANO DUERGAR Every duergar is born with some amount of psionic talent. The typical warrior can turn invisible or increase in size, and some duergar take up a more formal study of psionics to enhance or augment their capabilities. These individuals push their abilities beyond the normal limits, using what they learn to create new talents that they can then teach to others. Despite these efforts, duergar still have a limited understanding of the true extent of their psionic capabilities. From the perspective of most other creatures, such abilities are seen as merely another flavor of magic. After all, they reason, what does it matter if a duergar turns invisible by using magic or a psionic ability? The outcome is the same either way. Those duergar who delve into psionic research describe the process as accessing a dimensional space in which they can tap into the energy exerted by living minds. Using this power source, a small number of duergar can alter their bodies and those of other creatures, tap into thoughts and bend them as they see fit, and impart a spark of locomotion and even basic intelligence into objects. Duergar of truly exceptional skill can move DUERCAR AND ALE Unlike their dwarven kin, duergar drink alcohol only in moderation and avoid overindulgence. The duergar have learned from bitter experience that those who drink too much risk awakening deep racial memories of their ancestors' cruel treatment at the hands of the mind flayers. The psychic agony that these memories evoke manifests in a severe flight-or-fight response. An intoxicated duergar might flee in panic and search for a safe place to hide until the effect wears off. A different one might respond by brawling with anyone in the vicinity, venting the rage the duergar harbor against their former masters.
. • objects without touching them, view creatures from a great distance, and push their bodies to achieve incredible feats, such as lifting a boulder or transforming into liquid to flow through a crack in a wall. BUILDING BETTER SLAVES For generations, duergar relied on humanoid captives to perform unskilled labor in their workshops. Only the lowest, most miserable duergar would consent to do grunt work that requires no artifice or skill. In recent decades, however, the duergar have begun to move away from the practice of slavery. Some of them have discovered that mechanical servitors powered by psionic energy are more durable and more efficient than slaves. Thus, various kinds of automatons have been developed, each designed to fill a role within a duergar stronghold. Some clans have created models to make raiding parties more formidable. Other forms include digging and tunneling machines, golem-like monstrosities that tear through rock and extract ore from it. DUERGAR CHARACTERS Those duergar who become adventurers are almost invariably exiles from their society. The duergar have no patience for those who fail to conduct themselves with an appropriate amount of ambition and cruelty. Any gray dwarves who leave the Underdark and take up adventuring, after having been raised among their own kind, are paranoid about possible treachery from within the party. One might insist on sleeping separately from the rest of the group, never displaying or sharing treasure, and trying to hoard treasures that can help A PSIO NI C A WAKENIN G I performed the ritual just as the book described. As the magic turned the aboleth's brain to dust, I inhaled deeply of the leavings, and a nearly infinite roll of years began to unspool before my eyes. I saw a red sun hanging in the sky over a desolate land, where the ruins of a castle slowly sank into a sea of dust. I saw an alien empire in a formless, silver realm vanish in the wink of an eye, its slaves left to fend for themselves. I felt the pull of a force more ancient than the gods, one that remained beneath the surface of my consciousness but was ready to receive a new disciple. . Since the day of my awakening I have felt a presence in the back of my mind, something that pushes to be set free as I struggle to stifle it. It grows, even as my abili~ to .keep it inside falters. Will there come a day when my mind is no longer my own? Final journal entry of Garral Longseer, once of Candlekeep, whereabouts now unknown survival, such as potions and items or spells that can allow the user to teleport to safety. At the DM's discretion, you can play a duergar character. When you choose the subrace of your dwarf, you can choose duergar, using the following rules to create your character . DUERGAR TRAITS ~~~~~~~~~- Duer gar have the dwarf traits in the Player's Handbook, plus the traits below. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1. Superior Darkvision. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet. Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write Undercommon. Duergar Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against illusions and against being charmed or paralyzed. Duergar Magic. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the enlarge/reduce spell on yourself once with this trait, using only the spell's enlarge option. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the invisibility spell on yourself once with this trait. You don't need material components for either spell, and you can't cast them while you're in direct sunlight, although sunlight has no effect on them once cast. You regain the ability to cast these spells with this trait when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. S unligh t Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight. DWARF TABLES This section provides a number of tables useful for players and DMs who want to choose or randomly generate details about dwarf characters or settlements. In the tables, a name in bold refers to a stat block in the Monster Manual. DWARVES ON THE MOVE ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When dwarves journey away from their strongholds, they prefer to move in substantial, heavily defended groups. Use the following tables to generate a band of dwarf travelers and some additional details of their situation. Roll once on each line of the Group Composition table and once on each table that follows it. CROUP COMPOSITION Members Dwarf guards Dwarf scouts Dwarf veterans CROUP LEA D ER d6 Leader Dwarf priest 2-4 Dwarf noble 5-6 Dwarf knight Number Present 2d4 + 10 ld8 + 2 ld6 + 1 CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES A'N'D DUERGAR
811LTHRl\N lREHEllRT SPECIAL ALLIES d8 Ally 1-4 ld4 dwarf acolytes 5 ld3 earth elementals 6 ld4 trained griffons 7 ld4 azers 8 1 dwarf mage PURPOSE OF TRAVEL d6 Purpose Merchant caravan 2 Seeking a specific enemy 3 Patrolling to keep roads safe 4 Delivering ransom for captive clan member 5 Fleeing attack on stronghold 6 Diplomatic mission SPECIAL CIRc*msTANCES d4 Circ*mstance 1 Suspicious of all outsiders 2 Carrying secret message 3 Pursued by foe 4 Returning home laden with treasure Cll \M'ER 3 I DWARVES AND DUERCt\R DWARVES IN THE CLAN =:..:.:..;___~~~~~ The following tables can be used to create basic information about a clan of dwarves: the group's current status, a trait or a fact that sets that clan apart from others, and the vocation of a given clan member. CLAN'S STATUS d6 Status Prosperous. Clan occupies original stronghold, currently flourishing 2 Growing. Stronghold expanding; glory days lie ahead 3 Declining. Clan population stagnant or decreasing 4 Beleaguered. Victimized by goblinoid and dragon at· tacks, intact but severely weakened 5 Scattered. Stronghold recently lost, many folk slain, survivors scattered 6 Refugees. Stronghold lost, survivors occupy a neighborhood or ward in human city C LAN'S NOTABLE TRAIT dlO Trait 1 Founder was one of the greatest artisans in history 2 Clan owns a powerful artifact, such as an Axe of the Dwarvish Lords 3 Clan noted for expertise in a specific craft, such as brewing or armorsmithing 4 Clan has a sinister reputation, history plagued by scandal and mark of Abbathor 5 Militaristic clan, known for excellent fighting skills 6 7 8 Unusual stronghold, such as an undersea castle, a former cloud giant fortress, or an aboveground city Prophecies indicate clan is destined to play a pivotal role in history Heretical clan has rejected dwarf teachings in favor of human deities 9 Unique marker or curse, such as all clan members are hairless 10 Clan is known for its evil ways or a particularly sinis· ter, notable member CLAN VOCATIONS d20 Vocation d20 Vocation 1 Armorer 11 Merchant 2 Blacksmith 12 Messenger 3 Brewer 13 Miner 4 Carpenter 14 Potter 5 Cook 15 Scout 6 Envoy 16 Sculptor 7 Farmer 17 Shepherd 8 Hunter 18 Warrior 9 jeweler 19 Weaponsmith 10 Mason 20 Weaver
DWARVES IN THE WORLD The tables below are designed to add depth to a dwarf character by offering possible reasons why the character left the clan for the life of an adventurer and a set of personality quirks tailored for dwarven sensibilities. DWARF ADVENTURER STORY HOOKS d6 Hook You were accused of stealing a fellow artisan's item and claiming it as your work. Innocent or guilty, you were made an outcast. 2 Your wanderlust prompted you to shirk your duties as a crafter in favor of wandering the world. Your clan isn't pleased with this choice. 3 You became separated from your clan due to an earthquake, a drow slave raid, o r similar event and hope to return home. 4 You were assigned to become a merchant by the priests of Morad in and have yet to forgive them for their mistake. You should be working a forge, not wandering the outside world! S You are a spy, traveling incognito to gather information for the clan elders. 6 You struggle to resist the lure of Abbathor, but can't hold it at bay. Better to walk the world and sate your greed on non-dwarves. DWARF QUIRKS d8 Quirk Water from the sky! It always surprises you. 2 You have a fascination with the ocean and its chaos. 3 Any creature larger than a human makes you nervous. 4 You prefer to travel with a parasol or similar item that puts a comforting shelter over your head. S You prefer to sleep during the day. 6 You speak Common or any other non-dwarf language only if you must. 7 For you, relaxation is putting in a day at the forge . 8 You avoid contact with other dwarves, since you mistrust those who would leave their strongholds. DUERGAR TABLES Most of the tables in this section are duergar-themed versions of the information for dwarves that's presented above and in the Player's Handbook. In the tables, a name in bold refers to a stat block in the Monster Manual. DUERGAR RAIDING PARTIES When duergar emerge from the Underdark, they generally do so in the form of small but vicious raiding parties. Use the following tables to generate a band of duergar raiders and some additional details of their situation. Roll once on each line of the Group Composition table and once on each table that follows it. GROUP COMPOSITION Members Duergar Duergar stone guards Duergar kavalrachni Steeders, male GROUP LEADER d6 Leader Number Present 2d6 + s ld4 + 1 ld4 ld4 Duergar stone guard 2-4 Duergar warlord 5-6 Duergar despot SPECIAL ALLIES d20 Ally 1-3 ld4 steeders, fema le 4-6 ld3 duergar hammerers 7 1 duergar mind master 8 ld3 duergar screamers 9-10 ld3 duergar soulblades 11 ld6 duergar xarrorn 12 ld6 bearded devils bound to service 13 2d4 allied evil azers 14 3d20 enslaved goblins 1 S ld4 summoned earth elementals 16 ld6 + 2 gargoyles 17 ld8 hell hounds 18 l trained rust monster 19 1 shield guardian bound to group leader 20 ld4 enslaved trolls CHAPTER 3 I DWARVES ANO DUERGAR
PURPOSE OF RAID d6 Purpose 1-3 Collecting slaves 4 Pursuing a specific enemy s Patrolling for expansion opportunities 6 On a rampage for loot SPECIAL CIRc*msTANCES d4 Circ*mstance Special hatred for dwarves, will attack them first 2 Exiles, willing to bargain 3 Laden with loot from raid, tries to flee 4 Seeks to take hostages for ransom DUERGAR IN THE CLAN The following tables can be used to create basic information about a clan of duergar somewhere in the world: the group's current status, and a trait or a fact that sets that clan apart from others. DUERGAR C LAN NAMES d12 Name d12 Name 1 Ash lord 7 Mindeater 2 Battlegore 8 Necksnapper 3 Doomfist 9 Orehammer 4 Earthlord 10 Runehammer 5 Firetamer 11 Thundermaster 6 Knifemind 12 Underearth CLAN 'S STATUS d6 Status Mighty. Conquered several dwarven strongholds, dominates Underdark region 2 Crowing. Stronghold expanding; glory days lie ahead 3 Declining. Clan growing stale, population falling 4 Beleaguered. Surrounded by drow and illithid foes 5 Scattered. Torn apart by slave rebellion or civil war 6 Refugees. Defeated by enemies, few survivors C LAN'S NOTABLE TRAIT d12 Trait 1 Stole a mighty dwarven artifact 2 Has bound many devils to service 3 Experts in building mechanical devices 4 Conducts trade with the City of Brass 5 Notable for defeating many dwarves 6 Conquered and occupied a drow enclave 7 Is secretly controlled by mind flayers 8 Has enslaved a colony of troglodytes 9 Have interbred with devils 10 Known for its extensive spy network on surface 11 Masters of psionics 12 Dominated by a coven of warlocks CIIAl'TER 3 I DWARVES AND DU'ERGAR DUERGAR IN THE WORLD The tables below are designed to add depth to a duergar character by offering possible reasons why the character left the clan for the life of an adventurer and a choice of personality quirks that are tailored for duergar. DUERGAR ADVENTURER STORY H OOKS d6 Hook You are a heretic, drawn to worship of Morad in. 2 Caught stealing, you escaped imprisonment but not before torture left you with a scar or lasting injury. 3 You were enslaved by drow or mind flayers but escaped to the surface. 4 You seek only to test yourself in battle with monsters. 5 Profit is all that matters to you. 6 The best way to defeat the folk of the surface is to study them firsthand. 0UERGAR QU I RKS d6 Quirk A separate personality in your mind provides advice and guidance to you. 2 Your gear must be perfectly arranged, otherwise someone must bleed. 3 4 5 When there isn't a roof over your head, you keep your eyes on the ground. You don't talk unless you absolutely must. The outside world is a giant cave, and nothing will convince you otherwise. 6 Humans fascinate you, and you collect odd trinkets of their culture.
CHAPTER 4: GITH AND THEIR ENDLESS WAR HE STORY OF THE GITH IS ROOTED IN A CRUEL twist of cosmic fate. Inspired by the great leader for whom the race is named, the gith rose up to overthrow the mind flayers that held them in servitude. But after they won their freedom, two factions among the gith disagreed on what kind of civilization they would forge. That disagreement quickly flared into open hostility, and the two groups distanced themselves from one another to pursue their separate agendas. They remain bitter enemies today, each side willing to fight to the death whenever they cross paths. The githyanki were motivated by revenge and convinced that they deserved to take whatever they wanted from the worlds they traveled. Ranging out from the titanic city ofTu'narath on the Astral Plane, they send raiders out to plunder the Material Plane and othe r worlds, bringing treasures and slaves back to their ageless realm. At the same time, they hunt down and kill mind flayers whenever possible, as recompense for what the illithids did to them. The githzerai believed that the path to an enlightened civilization lay in seclusion, not conflict. Their dedication to the principles of order is so strong that they can manipulate the stuff of chaos and use it to their benefit; thus, they have carved out a stronghold for themselves on the plane of Limbo that is virtually impervious. Though the githzerai are pacifists by nature, they share the githyanki's racial hatred for mind fl.ayers, and from time to time they send out squads to destroy illithid outposts. If the two races were ever to team up against the illithids, a combined force of gith could conceivably tip the balance in their favor. But as long as the githyanki and githzerai stay at each other's throats, their goal of ultimate victory over their original common enemy will likely remain unachieved. GITHYANKI S ince winning their freedom from the mind flayers, the githyanki have become corrupt raiders and destroyers under the rulership of their dread lich-queen, Vlaakith. They dwell on the Astral Plane in the city of Tu'narath, a metropolis built on and in the corpse of a deity. Vlaakith commands the loyalty of the githyanki from her personal stronghold, Susurrus, also called the Palace of Whispers, which is located deep inside the floating city. She sits on her Throne of Bones, a mighty artifact fueled by the intellects of mind flaye rs and elder brains that were defeated by her minions. It is crafted from mind flayer skulls and extremities, and the cushion she sits on is made of leather produced from the cured remains of an elder brain. A grand statue of Gith, an obsidian monument over 100 feet tall, stands beside the palace. CHAPTl:.R 4 J CITH AND THEIR ENDLJ::SS WAR
86 T H E R EVERED QUEEN To SLAY IN HER NAME IS OUR GREATEST SERVlCE. To DIE in her name is our last act of reverence. -Meldavh, githyanki knight Vlaakith sits at the center of everything concerning the githyanki. She is their ruler in every sphere of activity and, as such, demands and receives utter obedience. During the war with the illithids, Vlaakith urged Gith to seek out allies from among the planes and in particular advised her to seek counsel with Tiamat. Gith agreed to venture into the Nine Hells to forge an alliance with the Queen of Dragons. She didn't return. Instead, the great red dragon Ephelomon brought news to the gith: Tiamat had pledged many of her red dragon servants to the gith cause. They would refrain from attacking gith and would provide support against the illithids and protection for the gith's outposts on the Material Plane. In return, a few select young dragons would serve alongside the gith for a time, for purposes known only to Tiamat. Ephelomon also proclaimed that Vlaakith was to rule in Gith's place until she returned. After the gith overthrew the mind flayers and Zerthimon's followers began to emerge as a threat to Gith's preeminence, Vlaakith played a critical role in ensuring that the githyanki under her rule were protected from an immediate, direct assault by their kin. Using her mastery of arcane magic, she helped the githyanki establish a permanent stronghold on the Astral Plane. From there, she began making plans to strike back at both the hated mind flayers and the traitorous githzerai. THE GRAND PROCLAMATION Vlaakith cemented her position as the supreme ruler of the githyanki with a grand proclamation that defined the githyanki's all-encompassing mission. They had been bred and trained for war by their one-time masters and had never known anything other than a martial existence. They needed a clear purpose and a forceful commander to spur them on, and Vlaakith provided both. Vlaakith decreed that, having defeated the mind flayers, the githyanki would take the place of the illithids as sovereigns of the Material Plane. The many worlds of the Material Plane would be the githyanki's gardens, prime for harvesting as they saw fit. The Astral Plane would be their home domain, because in that timeless realm they could ignore the need for food, water, and other mundane concerns that plague lesser races. Vlaakith also proclaimed that githyanki who proved themselves skilled in battle would ascend to an even greater paradise. A long lifetime of service would earn any githyanki a journey to the boundless delights of her innermost court- the wondrous realm that Gith discovered in her journeys, and where she awaits those who have proven themselves worthy. THE B ITTER TRUTH In the time since Vlaakith made this promise to her people, she has called many of the most formidable githyanki warriors to their reward. At the culmination of a grand ceremony that supposedly readies them for CHAPTER 4 I C ITH ,\ND THEIR ENDLESS WAR their journey to where Gith awaits, the supplicants enter her inner sanctum and are never seen again. In truth, instead of sending them to paradise, Vlaakith drains their souls and absorbs their strength, gaining more power with every "ascension." Her knowledge of arcane magic equals that of a conclave of archmages, while her combat skill matches the combined talents of hundreds of sword masters. Perhaps the Heh-queen's promise isn't a complete fabrication, but no others can say for sure. IfVlaakith knows anything more, she has taken drastic measures to keep it secret. A few sages and spellcasters have sought to learn the truth about Gith's fate using arcane magic, only to fall victim to a bizarre curse that transforms them into the formless creatures known as allips. All attempts to learn about Gith through divine magic return utter silence. Those who try experience a strange sensation, as if their minds were teetering on the edge of a great abyss, one that spans time, space, and memory. BORN TO SERVE UNDER THE ILLITHIDS, WE AND THE CITHYANKI FOUGHT and died across a thousand worlds for implacable masters. Under Vlaakith, our kin fight and die across a thousand words for an implacable master. And they call that liberation? - Adaka Fell Hand, githzerai monk From birth, githyanki are conditioned to fight and die for their queen. Children endure a brutal upbringing that constantly preaches devotion to Vlaakith. Each of the fortified settlements where young githyanki are raised and trained is a combination of military academy and cult headquarters.
ONLY THE BEST SURVIVE The githyanki raise their young in hidden creches that they construct in far-Rung places on the Material Plane. Such measures are necessary because birth and growth are impossible on the Astral Plane, whose occupants don't age. The adult overseers in these places train young githyanki to harness their psychic and physical abilities. Githyanki hatch from eggs. Each newborn enters the world alongside other eggs deliberately laid so that all hatch at the same time. Since githyanki adults must return to the Astral Plane to keep from aging significantly, the roster of instructors continually changes, with no adult staying longer than a few months and none ever returning for a second stint. The instruction that young githyanki undergo is unrelenting and unforgiving. As a crop of youngsters grows older, more and more is demanded from each student, and the penalties for failing to keep up become more and more severe. In the early stages, combat practice lasts only until a wound is scored. Later, near the end of training, a drill of the same sort might be a fight to the death- the ultimate way of weeding out all those who don't meet Vlaakith's standards. To the githyanki, it's better for a weakling to die in training than to undertake a mission and imperil a war band. FINAL TEST OF LOYALTY By the time a group of githyanki come of age, they have heard years of stories ofVlaakith and her immortal warriors dwelling in the silvery void. The young are told they are on the verge of entering the queen's realm, each one of them destined to take a special place in the society. Their skills have proven them worthy, and now only their loyalty to the Revered Queen remains to be determined. As their last test, a group of githyanki entering adulthood must slay a mind Rayer as a sacred rite of passage before they are permitted to join their people on the Astral Plane. When the victors enter Tu'narath for the first time, they carry the bounty of their hunt directly to Vlaakith. She accepts the gift and intones a ritual chant that marks the youngsters' induction into githyanki society. VLAAKITH'S DILEMMA Long gone are the days when the gith race was fully embroiled in conflict. When the githyanki settled Tu'narath and took up residence in the Astral Plane, they no longer had to fight constantly for survival, and in that respect the lives of all githyanki became easier. The mission laid out by Vlaakith in her grand proclamation remains of utmost importance. Her rule remains absolute, in part because she suffers no competition or divergent viewpoints. And her regime is in no danger, yet to an outsider in Tu'narath it might seem as though the place is in decline. Indeed, in a way the githyanki are victims of their own success. After centuries of staging lucrative raids throughout the multiverse, the folk ofTu'narath have become spoiled and decadent. Vlaakith can still summon her people to action, and when she does so they C llAPTER •l I GITll AND T ll ErR ENDLESS WAR
obey her willingly. But when they aren't otherwise occupied, many of the citizens of the city spend their time in self-indulgent activities. For all her seeming invincibility, Vlaakith finds herself in an awkward situation that- in her paranoid mindhas no easy resolution. If she keeps her people busy more often by ordering an increase in raids, she risks her best warriors and marauders becoming experienced and powerful enough to challenge her rule. Also, if she sends out too many raiding parties at one time, the security of Tu'na rath might be compromised. So she addresses the problem by not dealing with it directly, but by trying to encourage her indolent followers to find purpose in meaningful activities that don't involve plundering and killing. S he isn't always successful in that effort. MERCILESS MARAUDERS When Vlaakith decrees that another githyanki raid is in the offing, Tu'narath comes alive with anticipation. The knights a nd other soldiers selected for the mission consider it a high privilege. All the raiders do their best to honor Vlaakith by savaging their target- killing creatures indiscriminately, taking whatever treasures catch their fancy, and leaving destruction in their wake. When one of the githyanki's astral vessels returns home after a raid, it is laden with the spoils of the incursion. Vlaakith makes no specific demands but allows each individual raider freedom of choice in what they bring back. Some might seek exotic spices and herbs, while others pillage to find scrolls or tomes of knowledge. As a result, Tu'narath is cluttered (if not crowded) by a nearly infinite variety of objects that the githyanki have pirated from other planes, ranging in size from enormous buildings down to the smallest pieces of exquisite jewelry. INDOLENT DILETTANTES As a race bred and shaped by the mind flayers for a life of fighting, the githyanki never knew anything else while they were enslaved. Now that they aren't constantly at war, keeping her people occupied is perhaps the greatest challenge Vlaakith faces. When githyanki aren't on raids or other missions for Vlaakith, they enjoy a languid existence in Tu'narath. Since time doesn't pass on the Astral Plane, the githyanki have no need to labor for food or water. To keep their minds sharp, Vlaakith orders them to pursue a variety of arts and studies. She regularly arranges contests, scavenger hunts, and other trials to keep her servants involved in purposeful activity, but the attraction of such diversions wears off after a brief time. Most of the citizens ofTu'narath, when they haven't been called for duty on a raid or for some other mission, indulge themselves in any way they see fit. Githyanki, with an infinite amount of time on their hands, crave novelty. They expect every returning raid to provide new forms of entertainment. This preoccupation with newness stands at the hollow center of githyanki culture. They dabble in creating art, but never master it. They stand among treasures taken from countless worlds but are never truly appreciative of them. The githyanki flit from topic to topic, craft to craft, never settling on one endeavor for long. Tu'narath is littered with 88 CJJ APTER 4 I CJTH AND TIIEJ R ENDLESS WAR half-built scu lptures, partially completed frescoes, and other unfinished works of all sorts. The githyanki simply abandon personal projects that bore them, and every such endeavor they undertake ends in this manner. A BLADE KEPT SHARP Despite the decadent lifestyle the githyanki indulge in, they remain in fighting shape. All are required to attend weapon and combat drills, which serve as a brief respite from their boredom. Vlaakith, of course, stands atop the githyanki military hierarchy. Under her serve the supreme commanders, each of whom oversees a regiment of one thousand githyanki warriors. Te n kith'rak, each responsible for a company of one hundred, answer to a commander. Each kith'rak in turn commands ten sarths, each of whom leads a party of ten warriors. A githyanki war leader retains that status in times of peace, looking after her underlings and maintaining their discipline and combat training. KNIGHTS: A BREED APART I AM HER WILL MADE MANIFEST. I am her unsheathed sword. I am a master of dragons. I am thefate of all worlds. I am a knight of Vlaakith. Ever may she reign. - Battle hymn of the githyanki knights Githyanki knights are warriors, spellcasters, and scouts of exceptional ability devoted to the unflagging service of Vlaakith. Knights report directly to the queen and aren't part of the military hierarchy. The personnel for any important mission includes at least one knight, and every githyanki fortress or outpost across the multiverse is administered by at least one knight in residence. Knights are selected for their roles based on their martial and psionic potential, and young githyanki who pass muster are inducted into service soon after they enter Tu'narath for the first time. Knights are always involved in important decisions, and it is forbidden to keep secrets from them. They act as commissars and enforcers ofVlaakith's will. They are the rough equivalent of religious figures in githyanki THE S POI LS OF WAR An individual githyanki's weapons and armor are ornate and decorated with trophies taken on raids. With each new victory, a warrior brings home a token to serve as a ~emento. Anything might strike a githyanki's fancy, from a Jewel taken from the pommel of a fallen opponent's sword to colorful banners taken from a plundered castle that, preserved by the timeless nature of the Astral Plane, keep their original vibrant hue for centuries. The more baroque and ostentatious a raid token is, the more likely it is to be admired by one's fellow warriors.
culture, although the githyanki have no priests or clerics of normal sort. Two aspects of their nature set knights apart from other githyanki. Each knight wields a cherished silver greatsword that imparts special powers to its owner, and the knights are among the few githyanki who can not only travel psionically between planes, but can also take allies along with them. Knights often emerge from planar travel astride the backs of red dragons, which have been serving the githyanki as allies ever since their time of enslavement under the mind flayers. SILVER SWORDS The first silver swords were created eons ago, when the gith were still a single race, by those who would become the first githyanki knights. A silver sword, which functions as a +3 greatsword, is a conduit through which its wielder can assail a foe both physically and psychically. The weapon is particularly effective on the Astral Plane against any travelers who are connected to their physical bodies by a silver cord- a strike against such an enemy has a chance of severing the silver cord, causing instant death. Knights and their silver swords arc inseparable, and a knight will fight to the death to prevent the loss of its weapon. If a silver sword falls into the possession of someone other than a githyanki, Vlaakith sends a squad of knights out from Tu'narath to destroy the malefactor and recover the weapon. DRAGON STEEDS The relationship between githyanki and red dragons has remained basically unchanged since ancient times. Under the terms of the alliance with Tia mat, a small cadre of dragons serve as cohorts and mounts for knights . and other high-ranking githyanki. The dragons remain above githyanki politics. They obey the orders of their M AC IC ITEM: GREATER SILVER SWORD Weapon (greatsword), legendary (requires attunement by a creature that has psionic ability) This magic weapon grants a +3 bonus to attack and damage rolls made with it. While you hold the sword, you have advantage on Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma saving throws, you are immune to being charmed, and you have resistance to psychic damage. In addition, if you score a critical hit with it against a creature's astral body, you can cut the silvery cord that tethers the target to its material body, instead of dealing damage. riders and fulfill their terms of service without offering opinions or advice. Red dragons typically serve the githyanki during their younger years. Once a dragon reaches adulthood, it is dismissed and replaced with a younger dragon, taking with it the loot it has accumulated on raids. Since dragons don't age while on the Astral Plane, they don't grow in size or capability. In order to become both stronger and richer, they prefer to spend as much time as possible engaged in raids on the Material Plane or other realms. The best duty of all for a dragon is being tasked to guard a githyanki creche on the Material Plane, a posting that could last for years. Not only does it receive treasure as compensation, the dragon ages normally while completing its service, so that it reaches adulthood sooner than the dragon cohorts that are stationed in Tu'narath. The dragons that are bound to serve githyanki consider their assignment an irritant but aren't hostile. They resent their masters, but the promise of loot makes them eager to participate in raids. As part of the compact with Tiamat, the githyanki are forbidden from using psionics or magic to compel their dragon allies' actions or read their minds. A dragon remains a loyal ally as long as its riders and handlers treat it with respect and it gets plenty of opportunities to pillage. TERROR FROM THE SKY WE PRAISED PELOR WHEN WE REALIZED THE SHAPES above us were not dragons. We cursed him when we saw they were the airships of the githyanki. - Lord Kedrek Thoroden. Marshal of the Eastern Reach During the great war between the mind flayers and the gith, one of the githyanki's greatest achievements was their discovery of the magic that mind flayers used to produce and propel the flying vessels that the illithids used to travel between worlds. Now, the githyanki scour the worlds of the Materia~ Plane in their versions of those craft. Their astral ships are ideal for carrying troops and the spoils of their raids. Their wizards' divination magic seeks out great treasures. Under the guidance ofVlaakith, the supreme leaders organize raiding parties and dispatch them to return with the spoils of war. The githyanki sky ships attack from a_bove in the de_ad of night, gaining an instant advantage since commun1- HAPTER ~ I CITH A:-.DTHEIR ENDLESS WAR 89
ties on the surface rarely offer strong defenses against attacks from the air. Red dragons ridden by knights accompany the vessels, serving as outriders and shock trips lo pave the way for the githyanki warriors to descend en masse. In battle, the githyanki use mobile tactics combining psionics and magic to devastate their foes. They hit hard, setting buildings aflame and killing all in their path, to foster a panic among their victims that cripples any hope of an organized defense. Because the githyanki strike to plunder rather than conquer, raiders linger over their target for no more than a few hours. By daybreak the attackers are gone, purposely leaving behind enough s urvivors to rebuild the ruined community- so that the githyanki might visit the place years or decades late r and lay it low all over again. THE HELM To enable them to traverse the skies and travel between planes, each githyanki ship is powered by a helm, a magical device in the form of a throne-like chair that converts psychic energy into motive force. THE G ITH ALPHABET The gith use a written language composed of alphabetic symbols arranged in circular clusters called tir'su. Each "spoke" on the wheel corresponds to a letter of the alphabet. Each cluster of characters represents a single word, and multiple tir'su connect to form phrases and sentences. Githyanki and githzerai both speak Gith, but each race has a distinct dialect and accent. Similarly, the two races of gith differentiate their language by how they write it. Githyanki write a tir'su clockwise, starting at the top. Githzerai use the same letter symbols but write their tir'su counterclockwise, starting from the bottom. CHAPTER 4 I CJTIJ AND THEIR ENDLESS WAR A gish, a githyanki who excels as both a warrior and a spellcaster, most commonly occupies the helm. A gish uses its combination of abilities to pilot the ship and also take part in the inevitable battle that awaits the vessel at the end of its voyage. The rest of a ship's crew is made up of warriors who manage the craft's weapons and serve as lookouts. ASTRAL SKIFF An astral skiff is operated by a crew of three and carries up to a dozen passengers. The githyanki employ this small vessel, 30 feet long and 10 feet wide, for patrols in the Astral Plane and for quick raids in pursuit of specific objects on the Material P lane. A skiff has a top speed of 15 miles per hour. It lacks weapons aside from those carried by its passengers and has a limited amount of storage space. ASTRAL B RIG The astral brig is the standard githyanki military vessel. It requires a crew of five and can transport up to sixty passengers. A brig is 90 feet long and 30 feet wide, with two levels below decks for quarters and storage space. It is equipped with two ballistae, each one operated by a pair of crew members, and has a top speed of 12 miles per hour. P LANAR RAIDER The largest of the githyanki ships, the planar raider serves as a mobile headquarters during a major attack on the githyanki's enemies. It needs a crew of ten and can carry more than a hundred passengers. A planar raider can travel up to 12 miles per hour. It is 40 feet wide and 120 feet long, with two levels below decks, and is equipped with three ballistae and a catapult.
Tu'NARATH THEY CALL IT THE CITY OF DEATH. l WOULD MOCK SUCH a tired excuse for a name, but if it.fits, who am I to argue? -Gimble, gnome bard When the githyanki fled from the illithids, Vlaakith led them to safety on the Astral Plane inside the floating corpse of a six-armed deity. This being's body long ago calcified into a great slab of rock, its lower half smashed by some ancient disaster. A trail of debris, some of the stones larger than a castle, extends from the corpse's lower end. The city ofTu'narath is built on and in the corpse's upper body, with a central district in the area corresponding to its chest and ancillary districts radiating outward along its six outstretched a rms and toward its head. Despite the body's partial destruction, the occasional tremor that echoes through its rocky mass suggests that some spark of life might still linger deep within. Anyone who visits the city does so either at the behest of the githyanki or in stealth. Fortunately for those who try to enter clandestinely, the place is immense enough that a small group can sneak in with relative ease. If uninvited visitors a rrive openly, they can expect a sharp reception from githyanki patrol vessels. If that's not enough to bring them to heel, the call goes out for a squad of dragon-mounted knights. THE STREETS OF Tu'NARATH Tu'narath is a jumble of crooked streets that run between buildings and other structures that are ripped Tu' NARATH IN BRIEF Here are some key details ofTu'narath. Population. Roughly one hundred thousand folk dwell in Tu'narath. The vast majority are githyanki, but visitors from other planes aren't uncommon. Individuals who come to deal with the githyanki reside here. Residents also include captives that the githyanki have taken on raids. Law and Order. Warriors patrol above the streets in astral skiffs to keep the peace. Githyanki who cause un· warranted conflict are disciplined, but such punishment is rarely lethal. Any visitor who causes a ruckus, however, is likely to be slain on the spot, unless Vlaakith has specifically forbidden such action. Inns. Tu'narath has no taverns or inns in the traditional sense. The githyanki expect visitors to carve out their own accommodations; they can choose from among any number of abandoned structures. As an alternative, a small troupe of renegade modrons maintains a crumbling cita· del called the Iron House that has rooms for rent. Visitors can pay with interesting trinkets from across the planes. Markets. There are no organized markets in Tu'narath. The githyanki don't offer goods for sale to visitors, .and they don't purchase items offered to them-they simply take what they want. from the worlds of other planes. Many githyanki raiders have a particular obsession for architecture, which they satisfy by seizing buildings from the Material Plane and other locales and relocating them in Tu'narath. Often, these prizes don't remain intact for long. When residents become bored or find themselves in the mood for debauchery, the githyanki's natural propensity for violence manifests in the form of a great brawl or wild celebration that causes serious damage to their surroundings. When a structure has served its purpose and is no longer useful (or even recognizable), the githyanki tear the debris from its resting place and throw it into a refuse pile or cast it adrift into the astral sea, to be eventually replaced by a new specimen. Nonetheless, the city does have a great number of permanent structures, and a system of districts in which particular functions or activities are concentrated. Queen's District. S usurrus, the queen's stronghold, is protected by thick, obsidian walls. Only one gate leads into it, located on a path that passes beneath the statue of Gith. Beyond the statue, the path becomes a labyrinthine maze designed to prevent attackers or visitors from gaining access to the queen. Vlaakith's throne room, a gargantuan hall supported by obsidian pillars, sits at the center of the labyrinth. Guarded by two red dragons, Vlaakith sits upon her Throne of Bones and holds court over her supplicants. Glathk District. A muddy field that extends as far as the eye can see is the githyanki equivalent of a labor camp. The glathk district, named after the Gith word for "farmer"-a term of derision- is where githyanki are taken when they violate society's rules. Punishments are nonlethal, and often don't involve physical harm. Instead, offenders are forced to submit to the mind-numbing sameness of performing one task interminably- a fate that, for some, might feel worse than death. For instance, a warrior might be sequestered here after slacking off during weapons practice, sentenced to a prison term and charged with moving piles of mud from one end of the field to the other. Elsewhere, a squad of warriors stands at attention for an indeterminate time, after their failure to maintain proper formations during drills. Those incarcerated here are rarely supervised closely, but knights patrol the area regularly. District of Discards. The githyanki dispose of loot that they have no use for in a space on the outer surface of Tu'narath set aside for the purpose. Such items can range from trophies and treasure to prisoners of other races that have been set free and left to fend for themselves. The few githyanki who dwell here maintain a semblance of order amid the wreckage by categorizing the castaway items, making it easier for other githyanki to locate objects related to their pe rsonal interests. Creatures seeking to infiltrate Tu'narath have had s uccess in using this place as a base, since the warriors and knights seldom patrol it, and several groups of freed captives- humans, elves, hobgoblins, and other sortsmake their homes here. Military Districts. Soldiers and officers occupy several areas around the city, most of which contain defensive works and armories. The githyanki also maintain barracks that serve as mustering points in advance of CHAPTER 4 CITH AND THEIR ENDLESS \\'AR 91
92 raids. All githyanki are required to report to one of these districts regularly for weapon practice. Non-githyanki that venture into these areas are attacked on sight unless accompanied by a knight who can vouch for them. Mlar District. This area passes for an artisan's district. Githyanki engaged in distractions that involve artistry or creation gather here, both to share their skills and to show off their goods. Outsiders can pass through the district if appropriately disguised; the githyanki bring captured artisans here to provide insight and tutelage, but rarely keep a close watch on them. After all, they have little chance of escaping the city. Shipyards. The githyanki store and maintain their vessels at docks and outcrops that adjoin the military districts. Those who are assigned to ship maintenance enjoy a high status and are allowed to consider their work as part of their military service. Githyanki warriors provide labor as needed. Dragon Caves. The shattered lower body of the dead god contains an abundance of natural caves and fissures. Each of the red dragons that serve the githyanki has a lair deep within this region, jealously guarding its hoard until it is called for service. No one has ever successfully mapped out the strange passages and tunnels, and a variety of scavengers, astral predators, and other creatures lair here, some of them likely dating from the time before the githyanki came along. The residents of Tu'narath don't typically spend time in the caves, except as necessary to tend to the dragons. On occasion, a githyanki craving a new experience might venture into this area for a respite from boredom. Those who don't return, it can be assumed, found what they were after. CHAPTER 4 I GITH AND THEIR l::NDLESS WAR Rumors persist of an enormous dungeon that lies beyond the caves, a hidden fortress occupied by a mighty demigod who claimed The One in the Void as its home before the githyanki occupied it. Coteries of Red Wizards from the land of Thay on Faeriin, accompanied by githyanki knights, have ventured into this area in recent years. Supposedly, the Thayans once emerged with a huge adamantine container that rumbled and shook, as if to the beat of a monstrous heart. SURVIVOR COMMUNITIES As befits a society of conquerors, the githyanki have no regard for the victims of their raids. They take lives to assert their dominance, not out of anger or because they feel threatened. From time to time, instead of killing every· one they encounter on a raid, they bring captives back to Tu'narath for various reasons. The githyanki treat prisoners with the same detachment and disdain they show for those they slay. When captives are no longer useful, their masters might end their lives, or they might simply stop caring about their possessions and leave the creatures to fend for themselves. The hardiest and most elusive of these folk make their way to the District of Discards, where they can take refuge from the threats that face them in other parts of the city and live in relative obscurity. The githyanki care nothing for what goes on in these survivor communities, unless a disruption becomes serious enough to attract their attention. A group of would-be infiltrators might be able to get a foothold in Tu'narath by stealthily entering the district and blending in with a community of survivors.
GIT HZERAI The githzerai were born as a race at the end of the git h's bloody, genocidal uprising against the mind flayers. A gith named Zerthimon, who had gained a significant following during the conflict, challenged Gith's plans and her leadership. Gith was evil, the newcomer proclaimed, and she would lead the people into darkness and tyranny not unlike the one imposed by the illithids. Thus, no sooner had the gith defeated their sworn enemies than they were plunged into a bitter civil war. In the ensuing conflict, Zerthimon was killed and his followers, naming themselves githzerai, relocated their civilization to the plane of Limbo. Today, under the leadership of the Great Githzerai, Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith, the githzerai continue to stand fast against the githyanki, as well as taking their revenge on the mind flayers. Through forays into the Material Plane and other realms, they provide stiff opposition to their enemies' plans for world domination. ORDER I N A SEA OF CHAOS WE GITHZERAI CRAVE A CHALLENGE, SO THAT WHEN Zerthimon returns he shall.find us ready. Thus we traueled to howling Limbo to make our new home. - The Teachings of Menyar-Ag Strong-minded philosophers and austere ascetics, the githzerai pursue lives of rigid order. Their society focuses on enhancing the potential of the mind through meditation, education, and physical tests. The most accomplished among them stand as exemplars of the githzerai's monastic principles, but even those who perform mundane duties in a community have a significant measure of the same mental fortitude. Living in the ever-turbulent churn of Limbo requires all githzerai to harness the power of thought to counteract and hold at bay the chaos-stuff of the plane. If they were not relentless in this effort, the tides of Limbo would overwhelm and destroy them. The githzerai have a unity of purpose that comes from their reverence for their great heroes and their desire to emulate the virtues of those figu res in their everyday lives. MENYAR-AG, THE GREAT GITHZERAI Menyar-Ag led the githzerai into Limbo at the culmination of the conflict between Gith and Zerthimon. Thanks to unimaginable arcane and psionic power, he has survived far beyond the life span of an ordinary githzerai. Time has nevertheless taken its toll, and Menyar-Ag today is a decrepit, corpse-like entity- capable of tremendous feats of magic and psionics but barely able to move a finger or lift his own eyelids. A host of servants constantly attend to Menyar-Ag and see to his every need. Although Menyar-Ag is no longer capable of physical actions of any consequence, his mind is as active and sharp as ever. He never sleeps, using a rotating staff of attendants to spread his commands and counsel to all githzerai. If needed, he can call upon his own psychic energy to contact his people, even across the planes. ANARCHS A githzerai community works constantly to maintain a stable base of operations protected from the wilds of Limbo. The mental energy of the collective that keeps the plane's forces of chaos at bay is funneled through the exceptional githzerai known as anarchs. One or more anarchs maintain each community by serving as both the receptacle for the psychic power of other githzerai and the means by which that power is employed. Anarchs have a special gift for stabilizing and controlling the chaos-stuff of Limbo. In their communities on Limbo, they can create matter and energy out of nothingness with a thought. They can control the direction of gravity. The environment around them can be whatever they want it to be. Anarchs are exceedingly rare among githzerai. When a githzerai in an existing community demonstrates the ability to become an anarch, that individual might leave the community to found a new colony or might remain where it is and ascend to a leadership position. ZERTHS Zerthimon's mortal form died in battle, but his sacrifice freed the githzerai from Gith's dark designs. They believe that Zerthimon, in his new godly form, will return someday and usher them into new age of freedom. Until that happens, the githzerai known as zerths fill the symbolic role of Zerthimon in society, as accomplished wielders of psionic power who can move themselves and others between planes. The githzerai believe that when Zerthimon returns, he will first gather all the zerths and take them to their new paradise to prepare it for those who follow. Zerths are similar to what other races would call priests, although githzerai don't have a religion as such, beyond their admiration for Zerthimon and Menyar-Ag. F ORTRESS CITIES The monasteries of the githzerai are massive outposts of stability that sail through the chaos of Limbo. Githzerai anarchs keep the fortresses stable and control their interior design, opening portals to the outside only as needed. Most fortresses drift through Limbo at random, but none of them are ever isolated. When Menyar-Ag sends out a call to them, the anarchs of the other communities can instantly communicate with him. Aside from its inhabitants, the most well-defended element of a githzerai fortress is its food supply. Because Limbo provides no sustenance, the githzerai rely on crops and livestock they appropriate from elsewhere. Plants are grown in hydroponic chambers, and livestock are raised in pens where light, temperature, and other conditions are tailored to their needs. A community's activity is overseen by monks who assign duties to each occupant. Everyone participates in mock combats and ongoing academic instruction, and each fortress allocates personnel and resources as needed. Every fortress is designed to be self-sufficient, even though no two of them are ever out of psychic contact. CHAPTER'~ C ITH A:-:D THEI R t:NDl.ESS \\AR 93
94 SHRA'KT'LOR Shra'kt'lor is a fortress city that houses the largest concentration of githzerai. It serves as both the capital of the civilization and the headquarters of the githzerai military forces. The greatest generals, spellcasters, and zerths of the race meet here to plan or refine their strategy for battling the githyanki and the mind flayers. Shra'kt'lor is the most well defended of the githzerai outposts- no force in Limbo could readily threaten the city or its inhabitants. Teleportation circles are barred except on the fringes of the place, at always-guarded locations beyond the city's outermost defenses. Those who use plane-shifting magic to arrive at these sites or who approach through the chaos of Limbo aren't admitted to the city without the approval of an anarch. Beyond the entrance to the city wait six layers of nested defenses. Each one is dominated by a fortress maintained by a powerful anarch chosen by Zaerith Menyar-Ag-Gith, who dwells at the heart of it all. GITHZERAI IN THE WORLD ZERTHIMON DOES NOT EXPECT US TO WAIT IN PATIENCE for his return. instead, we must pave the way for his efforts, so that we can hasten the coming of our golden age. - The Teachings of Menyar-Ag It's natural for githzerai to prefer to remain in Limbo. They have carved out a well-ordered civilization in an environment that they can freely manipulate with their minds. When they visit other realms, particularly C llAP'T'ER 4 I G ITT! AND TH.£rR END LESS WAR the Material Plane, githzerai feel sluggish and aren't comfortable functioning in a landscape that they see as being locked in immutability. Despite their disinclination toward travel, the githzerai send groups away from Limbo on a regular basis to keep from giving ground in their battles against the githyanki and the mind flayers. ADAMANTINE CITADELS When githzerai travel, they sometimes bring a sliver of Limbo along. Before they set out, a cadre of powerful anarchs craft a citadel of adamantine out of the chaos-stuff around them. Inside the structure is more of Limbo's essence, left in raw form until it's needed. Then, in an eruption of psionic and arcane power that only Menyar-Ag can produce, the citadel and its accompanying githzerai are transported to another plane. After the transfer is complete, at least one anarch must always attend the citadel to maintain its form and shape as well as to utilize the chaos-stuff within. When a citadel is ensconced on another plane, the githzerai create a teleportation circle inside it to facilitate travel between that plane and Limbo. The appearance of an adamantine citadel on another plane creates a blot on the natural world. Life, the one thing that can't be spontaneously created from the stuff of Limbo, is driven away from the location in a wave of dread. Depending on the size of the citadel, the affected area can have a radius of between several hundred feet and several miles. Birds avoid flying over or near it, other animals flee the area, and plants in the vicinity wither and die. Intelligent creatures can act normally, but being in the affected area is unnerving to them, and
if they investigate, they soon identify the citadel as the cause. The githyanki, however, find it in their best interest to keep their citadels safe from discovery. Menyar-Ag prefers to plant them in desolate and rarely frequented places such as barren deserts or remote locations in the Underdark. The primary purpose of an adamantine citadel is to watch over the activity of some foe of the githzerai, such as an illithid colony, and to provide a base of operations for a possible attack. Citadels are also used to collect foodstuffs and other material goods for transport to Limbo. When the githzerai are finished with a citadel, they vacate it and return to Limbo. Immediately after the last anarch teleports away, the citadel vanishes, leaving only a scarred landscape to indicate where it once stood. SPREADING THE WORD The githzerai see their cause as not just a provincial concern, but one that they strive to impress upon others. As such, they have taken the initiative in preaching the philosophy of Zerthimon and sharing their knowledge of how to fight illithids and githyanki. To this end, zerths sometimes venture to other planes with the intent of founding a new monastery or joining an existing one. These ''missionaries" are always looking for those with psionic potential who can bring those powers to bear against the githzerai's foes. Most often, they operate in secret or behind the scenes as they pursue their agenda and try to swell the ranks of their allies. Who can say how many monasteries are in truth secret recruiting stations for the githzerai? GOING ON THE ATTACK The githzerai know full well that they can't make progress in the war against their enemies by staying inside their fortresses on Limbo. To check the advances of the illithids and the githyanki and keep their foes' numbers down, squads of githzerai often travel to other planes with the express intent of destroying the objects of their hatred. Githyanki. Githzerai rarely confront githyanki on their home turf in the Astral Plane, but on other planes they maintain steady surveillance, always on the lookout for githyanki plots to foil and creches to exterminate. During a mission of this sort, the githzerai don't intentionally endanger the natural denizens of the plane, but they never compromise a planned attack on the githyanki just to protect innocent bystanders. In battling githyanki, the end justifies the means. Githzerai sometimes employ mercenaries on the Material Plane to aid them in battling the githyanki, primarily to keep their enemies off-balance or to provide reinforcements. For those who need such enticement, they offer the promise of sharing the bounty of great treasures held by the githyanki. Mind Flayers. Though they devote most of their military efforts to the constant campaign against the githyanki, the githzerai's enmity for the illithids is even older. On one thing the githyanki and the githzerai can agree: the mind flayers must pay for what they did to the gith eons ago.
As their means of vengeance against the mind flayers, the githzerai send bands of warriors called rrakkmasillithid hunting parties- to other planes to do battle with any mind flayers they come across. It is in these circ*mstances that the natives of the plane most often encounter githzerai away from their monastery. With their attention focused only on their mission, the githzerai pay little heed to those around as long as they don't interfere with the hunt. GITH CHARACTERS At the DM's option, you can create a gith character, using the following traits. G ITH TRA ITS Your character shares the following traits with other gith. Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1. Age. Gith reach adulthood in their late teens and live for about a century. Size. Gith are taller and leaner than humans, with most a slender 6 feet in height. Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet. Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Gith. Subrace. There are two kinds of gith, githyanki and githzerai. Choose one of these subraces. GITHYANKI The brutal githyanki are trained from birth as warriors. Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 2. Alignment. Githyanki tend toward lawful evil. They are aggressive and arrogant, and they remain the faithCHAPTER 4 I GlTH AND THEIR ENDLESS WAR ful servants of their lich-queen, Vlaakith. Renegade githyanki tend toward chaos. Decadent Mastery. You learn one language of your choice, and you are proficient with one skill or tool of your choice. In the timeless city ofTu'narath, githyanki have bountiful time to master odd bits of knowledge. Martial Prodigy. You are proficient with light and medium armor and with shortswords, longswords, and greatswords. Githyanki Psionics. You know the mage hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the jump spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you fi nish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the misty step spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells. When you cast them with this trait, they don't require components. GITHZERAI In their fortresses within Limbo, the githzerai hone their minds to a razor's edge. Ability S core Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Alignment. Githzerai tend toward lawful neutral. Their rigorous training in psychic abilities requires an implacable mental discipline. Mental Discipline. You have advantage on saving throws against the charmed and frightened conditions. Under the tutelage of monastic masters, githzerai learn to govern their own minds. Githzerai Psionics. You know the mage hand cantrip, and the hand is invisible when you cast the cantrip with this trait. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the shield spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast the detect thoughts spell once with this trait, and you regain the ability to do so when you finish a long rest. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells. When you cast them with this trait, they don't require components. RANDOM HEIGHT AND WEIGHT Base Base Height Weight Race Height Weight Modifier Modifier Githyanki S'O" 100 lb. +2d12 x (2d4) lb. Githzerai 4'11 " 90 lb. +2d12 x (1d4) lb. Height = Base Height + Height Modifier (in inches) Weight = Base Weight + Height Modifier (in pounds) x Weight Modifier
THE SHA1 SAL KHOU The Sha'sal Khou is an organization of githyanki and githzerai radicals working toward the reunification of their peoples. They want to bring about the end of the warfare between the githyanki and githzerai and the creation of a new unified nation of all gith. Members of the Sha'sal Khou work secretly within their respective societies, subtly discouraging attacks on the other gith race while looking for signs of like-minded individuals who might be recruited. The group maintains hidden redoubts on the Material Plane as well. The goal of the organization is to raise a proper army and establish a fortified enclave where children will grow up calling themselves simply "gith." The group's most high-ranking advocate in the githyanki hierarchy is a pow· erful warlord named Zetch'r'r. He secretly supports the reunification of the githyanki and the githzerai, and works behind the scenes to turn others toward the cause. GITH TABLES This section provides tables for players and DMs who want to create githzerai and githyanki characters. GITHYAN KI NAMES, MALE dl O Name dlO Name Elirdain 6 Qui th 2 Ga a th 7 Ris'a'an 3 Ja'adoc 8 Tropos 4 Kar'i'nas 9 Vi ran 5 Lykus 10 Xamodas GITHYANKI NAMES, FEMALE dlO Name dlO Name 1 Aaryl 6 Quorstyl 2 B'noor 7 Sirruth 3 Fenelzi'ir 8 Vaira 4 jen'lig 9 Yessune 5 Pah'zel 10 Zar'ryth GITHYANK I PERSONALITY TRAITS d4 Trait When I'm bored I make my own excitement, and I'm always bored. 2 I treat others as if they were animals that simply don't know any better. 3 Violence is a spice that makes life worth living. 4 Old age is a concept that I find fascinating. Maybe someday I too will be aged. GITHYANKI IDEALS d4 Trait Fidelity. Warriors are only as good as the vows they keep. 2 Power. The weak rule the strong. 3 Duty. It is by Vlaakith's will alone that I act. 4 Freedom. No strong soul should be enslaved. Better to die first than live as another's puppet. GITHYANKI BONDS d4 Bond There is no greater duty than to serve the Revered Queen. 2 Humanity thrives only because we conquered the illithids. Therefore, what is theirs is ours. 3 Without battle, life has no purpose. 4 Life is but a spark in the dark. We all go dark, but those who dare can burn bright. GITHYANKI FLAWS d4 Flaw 1 Hunger and thirst are unbearable pains to me. 2 I can't see a non-githyanki as a real threat. 3 I follow orders, regardless of their implications. 4 I start projects but never finish them. GITHZERA I NAMES, MALE dlO Name dlO Name Dak 6 Ka lla 2 Duurth 7 Muurg 3 Ferzth 8 Nu rm 4 Greth 9 Shrakk 5 Hurm 10 Xorm GITHZERAI NAM ES, FEMALE dlO Name dlO Name Adaka 6 lzera 2 Adey a 7 janara 3 Ella 8 Loraya 4 Ezhelya 9 Uweya 5 lmmilzin 10 Vithka GITHZERAI PERSONALITY TRAITS d4 Flaw All energy must be expended to a useful end. Frivolity is the first step to defeat. 2 Patience in all things. The first step in any venture is the most treacherous. 3 Emotions are a trap, meant to weaken the intellect and disturb the nerves. Pay them no heed. 4 Begin only those tasks you will fin ish. Strike only that which you will kill. GITHZERAI IDEALS d4 Ideal Faith. Zerthimon shall return, and I will be worthy to walk beside him. 2 Courage. The mind can master anything ifit is unfet· tered by fear. 3 Duty. My people survive only because those like me place their needs above our own. 4 Freedom. No strong soul should be enslaved. Better to die first than live as another's puppet. CHAPTER 4 I CJTH AND THEIR ENDLESS WAR 97
GITHZERAI BONDS d4 Bond Zerthimon provides an example of conduct that I strive to duplicate. 2 Menyar-Ag hand-picked me for my duties, and I will never betray the trust he showed in me. 3 Vlaakith and her toadies will be defeated, if not by me then by those who follow in my footsteps. 4 I will not rest until the last elder brain is destroyed. GITHZERAI FLAWS d4 Flaw l 2 I see githyanki machinations behind every threat. I believe in the supremacy of the gith and that githzerai and githyanki will align to rule the multiverse. 3 I respond to even minor threats with overwhelming displays of force. 4 The next time I laugh will be the first. The sound of merriment takes me to the edge of violence. GIT H YANKI RAIDING PARTIES Use the following tables to generate a band of githyanki raiders and some additional details of their situation. Roll once on each line of the Group Composition table and once on each table that follows it. In the tables, a name in bold refers to a stat block in the Monster Manual. RAIDING PARTY COMPOSITION Members Githyanki warriors Githyanki knights Young red d ragons Number Present 2d6 ld4 Roll a d6. On a result of 6, the group includes ld3 dragons. RAIDING PARTY LEADER d6 Leader Githyanki supreme commander 2- 3 Githyanki knight 4- 5 Githyanki kith'rak 6 Githyanki gish SPECIAL ALLIES d l O Ally 1-3 None 4- 5 ld4 githyanki knights 6- 7 ld4 githyanki knights, l githyanki gish 8- 9 ld4 githyanki gish, l d4 githyanki knights 10 ld4 githyanki gish, ld4 githyanki knights, l githyanki kith'rak CTIAPTER 4 I GITH AND THEIR .ENDLESS WAR RAIDING PARTY TRANSPORT d6 Transport (with crew) 1- 2 One astral skiff carrying entire group 3-4 Two astral skiffs, each carrying half of group 5 Astral brig carrying entire group plus an additional 30 githyanki warriors 6 Planar raider carrying entire group plus an additional 60 githyanki warriors PURPOSE OF RAID d6 Purpose 1- 2 Wanton destruction; the githyanki want to fight and loot to relieve their boredom 3 Revenge; the githyanki seek a stolen silver sword 4-5 Mind flayer hunt; the githyanki are seeking mind flayers and their thralls 6 Vlaakith's orders; the githyanki have been dispatched to seize a specific item or person G ITHZERAI GROUPS Use the following tables to generate a band of githzerai and determine their reason for being away from Limbo. Roll once on each line of the Group Composition table and once on each table that follows it. In the tables, a name in bold refers to a stat block in the Monster Manual. GROUP COMPOSITION Members Githzerai monks Githzerai zerths GROUP LEADER d6 Leader 1 Githzerai anarch Number Present 2d8 ld4 2- 3 Githzerai enlightened 4- 6 Githzerai zerth SPECIAL ALLIES d8 Ally 1-3 None 4-5 ld4 githzerai zerths 6 ld4 githzerai enlightened 7 ld4 githzerai zerths, ld4 githzerai enlightened 8 1 githzerai anarch, l d4 githzerai enlightened PURPOSE OF MISSION d4 Purpose Hunting a specific mind flayer colony 2 Seeking news on mind flayer activity; 20% chance they suspect the characters are hiding something 3 On a training mission, seeking to hone their skills and learn of the world 4 Seek to ally with party on a raid against mind flayers; group has something characters want
CHAPTER 5: HALFLINGS AND GNOMES REATURES OF MANY RACES AND CULTURES a re embroiled in struggles that flare up across the multiverse. Other folk survive in the face of all this turmoil by keeping a low profile and avoiding the wars and other depredations that keep the outside world in a state of flux. Halflings and gnomes are two groups that have survived by remaining largely unnoticed by the aggressive powers of the cosmos. Both races a re exceptions in a multiverse wracked by conflict- peaceful folk who have found niches for themselves away from the battles and rivalries that fill the lives of the larger folk. HALFLINGS I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH FINGERS AND TOES TO COUNT THE times I saw our little rogue cheat death, but I remember them all. Let's see ... there was the enraged roper, the flaming lava stream, the catapulted gelatinous cubes, the Ten Tilting Corridors of Death, the exploding toad trap, the Hall of the Spinning Scimitars ... -Magnificus, wizard extraordinaire Anyone who has spent time around halftings, and particula rly halfling adventurers, has likely witnessed the • storied "luck of the halflings" in action. When a halfling is in mortal danger, it seems as though an unseen force intervenes. If a halfling falls off a cliff. her britches will snag on a root or a sharp outcrop of rock. If a halfling is forced by pirates to walk the plank, he will catch a piece of flotsam and use it to stay afloat until he is rescued. Halftings believe in the power of luck, and they abide by a great number of superstitions that they believe bring good or ill fortune. They attribute their unusual gift to the favor ofYondalla, believing that, now and then, the divine will of the goddess tips the balance of fate in their favor (or gives it a hearty shove when the occasion warrants). NATURALLY INNOCENT Scholars, wizards, druids, and bards of other races have different ideas about how halftings escape peril, suggesting that by virtue of something in their nature, they occupy a special place in the multiverse. One such hypothesis cites a legend that speaks of a document containing ancient elven writings-a series of essays spanning centuries. Among the many arcane and mundane topics addressed in this tome, the elves set down thoughts regarding the power of innocence. They recounted how they had long observed the halfling race, watching as the chaos of the world swept around them and left their villages untouched. While ores, dwarves, and humans struggled, fought, and spilled CHAPTER 5 I llA LF'LTNCS AND CNOM.ES 99
