The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

forge and wield. Robbed of all other options by fate and
geography, however, the Lorgreln had no choice. One by
one, they began to follow Hruth na’Ythreen’s example.
Touching and handling the cold-forged items raised
blisters and welts on the drows’ skin, inducing nausea,
chills, tremors and dizziness that would not end, but Hruth
na’Ythreen and the other warriors urged the Lorgreln on.
They knew they would one day be discovered by the nearby
shangu, and on that day the Lorgreln must be ready. As the
iron was cold-forged into weapons and armour, so too were
the Lorgreln forged into a rigid, martial society, preparing
to meet the eventual threat of the shangu.
The shangu found them before the warriors judged the
Lorgreln ready to meet the challenge. Behind a vanguard of
horrors of the Underdeep, the shangu came for battle. The
carnage was spectacular and costly but the Lorgreln were
ultimately triumphant, crushing the servants of the shangu
and chasing the remaining abominations back to their
colony which the Lorgreln sacked and destroyed, spilling
the gestation tanks of the shangu young and collapsing the
alien buildings on top of them.
Flushed with their victory, many of the Lorgreln wished
to move out of the cavern that had been there home these
many years, but cooler heads prevailed, knowing the shangu
would certainly come to investigate what had become
of their colony, and this time the Lorgreln must truly be
ready. Many more battles were fought against the shangu
over the years and each time the Lorgreln were the victors,
shrugging off the terrible powers of the shangu with greater
ease each time. Finally, the shangu withdrew, grudgingly
ceding this area of the Underdeep to the Lorgreln.
The Lorgreln now expanded their holdings to include the
deserted and destroyed shangu colony, but found they
still could not operate a furnace without poisoning the
air. As the years had drawn on, however, and succeeding
generations were born, the Lorgreln found the sting of the
cold-forged iron was lessening. But with that came other
changes. The essence of the cold-wrought iron, a bane to
all things fey, was slowly becoming a part of them. Slowly,
the Lorgreln found the innate spell abilities enjoyed by the
drow were being lost to them, until they vanished entirely.
Indeed, magic of any kind is difficult for the Lorgreln to
wield, a loss which was balanced by an increase in the
Lorgreln’s resistance to magic, an unexpected boon which
had contributed directly to their victory over the shangu.
Now, the thing they had feared so greatly when Hruth
na’Ythreen hammered out his first crude knife had become
a part of their culture, of their people. Even more, it was
a point of pride. As the Lorgreln expanded their holdings
even further, they eventually gained territory where air was
not the scarce commodity it was in their first home, where
they could forge weapons and tools in a blazing furnace.
The cold-wrought items were now a symbol of who they
had become, however, and they viewed abandoning their
use as abandoning their past.
Overview of the Lorgreln
The constant exposure to cold-wrought iron has changed
the Lorgreln physically and mentally. They are more
dimorphic than other drow, with the males of the iron drow
significantly larger and stronger than the females, at least
by comparison to other drow races.
As a race, the Lorgreln are larger and stronger than any
of their drow cousins, almost as tall as a human and more
broadly built than an elf. The skin of the Lorgreln is still jet
black like that of other drow, but the iron that is now such a
part of them has passed its cold grey colour on to the eyes
of the drow.
The males of the Lorgreln tend to shave their heads bald,
while the females let their hair grow long. The males are
also unique among elvenkind in that some of them can
grow facial hair.
Millennia of exposure to cold-wrought iron has had a
profound effect on the innate spell abilities most drow
enjoy. The Lorgreln are simply not capable of them
any longer, though they do retain other benefits, such as
darkvision. Additionally, it seems the magic-bane qualities
of cold iron have made the iron drow even more resistant to
magic than their brethren.
Life and Death with the Lorgreln
The birthing process is more difficult for women of the
Lorgreln than for other drow, though still easy by comparison
to many other races. Death in childbirth is quite rare, even
for the poorest of the Lorgreln. For the wealthier and more
influential families, who can afford access to healing spells
and apothecary services, it is all but unknown. This is due
at least in some part to the increased stamina and vitality of
Lorgreln women.
The Lorgreln spend their early childhood with the extended
family, learning what they can of the work the family does.
Each family of Lorgreln belongs to one of the Hosts, be it
warrior, priest, smith, trade or any of a dozen others common
and powerful in iron drow society. Before the child enters
puberty, he is sent to the Host Hall of the nearest city, where
he will spend two decades mastering the knowledge of the
Host to which his family belongs. Once the Host training
is done, females are returned to their families, while males
move on to train for a decade with the Warrior Host.
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