The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

drow became true survivors, rebuilding their strength in
the dark and hidden places of the deeps in preparation for
the day that they would come forth once more to reclaim
their place in the world and to take vengeance upon the
surface elves that had betrayed them. The largest of the
scattered communities during this terrible time were those
that primarily worshipped the Dark Mother, and it was
upon this foundation that the present strength of that deity’s
faith was built, buttressed by the zealous preaching of the
priestesses and the dark gifts of the goddess herself.
It was a long time before the drow grew strong enough to
venture forth from the cramped, muddy caverns in which
they had skulked, the scattered tribes seeking each other
out and trying to reunite themselves. For most, however, it
quickly became apparent that a true reunion was impossible.
Even for elves it had been too many years of separation
and the disparate groups of drow had established their own
cultures. Amongst some, gods other than the Dark Mother
had achieved primacy and the zealous priestesses of the
Dark Mother demanded all drow return to worship of their
goddess, by the sword if necessary. Only the intervention
of cooler heads staved off a civil war that would almost
certainly have ended with their society crippled beyond any
hope of recuperation.
Slowly, once the initial conflicts and troubles of the first
meetings with their brethren had passed, most of the
different tribes of drow re-established contact and tentative
relations with one another, always cautious for fear of
more treachery or of bringing the hunger of the shangu
down upon them again. As the years passed, the lines of
connection between them grew stronger as trade routes
among the drow settlements sprang up, those settlements
grew into fortified cities and alliances were formed against
the constant aggression of other denizens of the Underdeep.
Still, all attempts to unify the drow have met with abysmal
failure.
The closest the different civilisations of drow have come
to unification is through the Noble Houses. Most of these
Houses are the descendants of those who led the disparate
groups of drow through the long years after the Sundering.
Each with its own interests, ambitions, religious affiliations
and strengths, the noble Houses commonly span across
several drow cities, controlling everything from trade routes
to government. A dozen of these Houses are described in
detail in the Noble Houses chapter.
Not all drow were reunited after the Sundering. Many
were spread too far, cut off from the rest by distance or
geographical obstacles, or were in groups too small to
survive the rigours of the Underdeep. These are known
now as the Lost Tribes of the drow, clans and tribes who
have had to find their own ways through the perils of the
Underdeep. It is from these Lost Tribes that all but one of
the drow sub-races have arisen, as the needs of survival
in the Underdeep, or sometimes the beings that lurk there,
forced them to change in some substantial way from their
drow roots. Contact with most of these Lost Tribes is either
non-existent or rare, with a few major exceptions. More
information on the Lost Tribes is found in the following
chapters of The Tome of Drow Lore.
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