Drow Magic. Sorcery Of Endless Night.pdf - RoseRed

The Drow
Dark Weaver
The dark weaver is second only to the priest in
the Dark Mother of Spiders' favour. He is the
spell in the darkness, the creeping death that
waits in the shadows and the sword arm of the drow
matriarchs. The dark weavers crouch like spiders at
the heart of drow civilisation, and their intrigues are
silken threads which bind the drow families to one
common cause.
Adventures: Dark weavers adventure both to
accumulate personal power and to advance the interests
of the drow and the Dark Mother of Spiders. They
frequently quest to the most dangerous areas of the
Dark Beneath, the better to gather rare and precious
materials for their black ceremonies and to test the
limits of their abilities. Their passion for their dark
goddess also leads them to commit lightning strikes
against surface elves, travelling by the dark of night,
pale blades in hand, to bring death and terror to those
they despise most.
Characteristics: The dark weaver’s greatest strength is
his devotion to the Dark Mother and to the propagation
of the drow race as a whole. While he is not so fanatical
as his clerical brethren, his magic is no less potent.
The arcane energies which the dark weaver wields
are a potent mix of the prepared and the innate, and
are focused primarily around darkness, the control of
spiders, the assumption of their characteristics, mental
control and, most importantly, the performance of black
ceremonies, wild and debauched orgies of violence and
lust which reaffirm the drow’s commitment to their
dark goddess.
While magic is their primary tool, dark weavers are
competent in melee combat at well, a necessity, since
they so often prowl the deepest, most twisting and
hostile depths of the under earth. Bolstered by their
magic, they are formidable assassins and deep strike
hunters, scuttling in the shadows like the spiders they
command.
Alignment: Dark weavers are never good. Though
some are motivated by noble intentions, the protection
of the drow families from outsiders, the expansion of
the drow race, the promotion of personal strength and
the like, they simply cannot fathom the concept of
altruism or respect for life. Bound as they are to their
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THE DROW DARK WEAVER
heavily ordered society they are unlikely to simply do
evil for evil’s sake.
Religion: All dark weavers are expected to worship the
Dark Mother of Spiders to the exclusion of all other
gods. While a dark weaver can forsake the worship of
that loathsome goddess, they must pay a heavy price
– the loss of all access to the spells and special abilities
gained from their favoured paths, until they take up the
mantle of their goddess again. Receiving forgiveness
from a high priestess of her church is, as might be
expected, no easy task.
Background: An apprentice dark weaver learns his
craft at the feet of a more accomplished member of his
calling, often an older family member. At the beginning
of their apprenticeship, dark weavers trail behind their
teachers like shadows, performing menial errands and
submitting themselves to all manner of humiliating
experiences, the better to hone their innate rage to a
razor’s edge. Near the end of his apprenticeship, the
dark weaver is expected to unleash his full wrath against
his teacher, or otherwise prove that he is capable of
transcending both his training and any sense of filial
obligation he may possess.
Races: Only drow can become dark weavers. The
members of other races simply do not have access to
the training necessary to become dark weavers, nor do
they enjoy the favour of the Dark Mother of Spiders.
Other Classes: The dark weaver holds himself aloof
of warriors and other arcane spellcasters, viewing the
former as crude and the latter as unworthy of the Dark
Mother’s attentions. Despite this, they will work with
members of those professions, though they view them
more as simple, useful tools than as allies or partners.
Dark weavers tolerate clerics, as they recognise clerics
have access to powerful spell effects that they cannot
replicate. That said, most are secretly contemptuous of
those who worship gods other than the Dark Mother,
and guarded and cautious with those who do worship
her blasphemous majesty, since they are competitors
for primacy in drow society.
Role: In an adventuring party, the dark weaver will seek
the leadership position by any means necessary. With
useful skills both in and out of combat and his speed
of mind, he makes an effective commander. While he
lacks the breadth of spells the wizard possesses and the
raw power of the sorcerer, he is still powerful enough
to serve as the primary arcane caster. Finally, the dark
weaver’s combat and stealth skills make him a good