The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

ability, the ruling class will dictate he be instructed in that
area thenceforth, whether the area is question is combat,
cooking, tanning or weaving.
The children of the ruling class receive a much more
thorough education. The Kanahraun are commonly
perceived as pure savages, little more than animals. This is
not without an element of truth when applied to the lower
class, but the ruling class, dangerous and degenerate as they
may be, is another story entirely. From the early days of
the Kanahraun, when Azzanoth still lived among the feral
drow, the ruling class has eagerly gathered knowledge of
all kinds, with a special interest in magical lore.
The ruling class in larger tribes of Kanahraun typically
have access to all manner of knowledge in the form of
books, whether captured in a raid or penned by one of the
ruling Kanahraun. Books written by the Kanahraun are as
frightening as one would expect them to be: pages of skin,
bound in bone and written in blood.
Though the ruling Kanahraun are far more educated than
most outsiders would ever guess, the education available in
even the largest tribe of feral drow is not equal to what can
be had in most other drow cultures. The ruling Kanahraun
are aware of this, and have in the last century or so begun
ordering the lower class warriors to seek out and capture as
many educated members of other races as possible, that the
Kanahraun might gain their knowledge.
The education of a young member of the Kanahraun ruling
class focuses primarily on combat, necromancy (or another
magic if the child shows a particular aptitude) and worship
of Azzanoth the Glutton.
Engineering
The Kanahraun have few permanent settlements as they
tend to follow their prey throughout the Underdeep.
Continuously moving also has the advantage of making the
Kanahraun harder to find during the times one Underdeep
race or another decides to strike against them.
The dearth of permanent settlements means the feral drow
lag far behind their fellow drow in engineering expertise.
The have little understanding of stonework or building, and
their settlements conform to the dimensions of whatever
space they are currently inhabiting. When the Kanahraun
move into a new hunting ground, it is rarely with the
intent to remain. They will erect some fortifications, often
boneforged walls constructed by the ruling class, which are
kept under constant guard. Other than that, the Kanahraun
build very little, making use of whatever natural features
the area offers.
There are two tribes of Kanahraun who have turned from
the nomadic lifestyle of the rest of the feral drow and have
created permanent cities in the Underdeep. The greater of
these is at Gauth Sheol, the site of the first settlement of the
Kanahraun and the place to which Azzanoth brought them
upon releasing the Kanahraun from their imprisonment
in that collapsed cavern in the days after the Sundering.
Gauth Sheol is home to more than 10,000 Kanahraun, an
enormous population that requires both constant raiding
and extensive maintenance of captive races to sustain. It is
also a city of striking juxtaposition. Built through a series
of three caverns of glimmering crystal and clear streams
of great beauty, the buildings are the stuff of other races’
nightmares. Towers, temples and sprawling galleries of
boneforged walls spread throughout the caverns, constantly
added to and augmented as the meals of the Kanahraun
provide ever more building material.
Entertainment
Many of the entertainments popular among the Kanahraun
echo those of other drow. They too tend to prefer vital,
active pleasures and entertainments.
There is, of course, the gladiatorial contest, which is a
particular favourite among the Kanahraun. Captives and
Kanahraun hunters are faced off against one another for
the amusement of the crowd. On occasions of particular
significance, these gladiatorial matches take the form of
a ritual sacrifice, with several captives fighting until slain
and then fed to the crowd.
Unlike most of their cousins, the Kanahraun have a
tremendous interest in music and song. Primarily focused
on worship of Azzanoth, the subject matter of their songs
would be chilling to an outsider, but those few who have
heard the Kanahraun sing and lived to tell about it cannot
deny the abilities and talent of the feral drow.
Family
The Kanahraun have no concept of family in the traditional
sense. There is loyalty to the class, to the tribe and to
Azzanoth, but nothing else. Children of the Kanahraun are
raised and cared for by their mothers until such time as they
can be put to work in the tribe.
Food
The eating habits of the Kanahraun are what have made the
feral drow so infamous in the Underdeep. The First Price
of Azzanoth has never faded, and the Kanahraun still pay
it every day. The staple food in their society is the flesh of
other sentient races, with elven flesh prized above all.
105