The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

Giant, Hill
Twice the height of a drow and vastly stronger, it is the
stupidity of hill giants that makes them so easily trained
once they fall into the hands of drow slavers. Generally,
the hill giant will violently resist for a short time, until his
helplessness at the hands of the drow breaks him into an
obedient servant. They are prized as gladiators or as heavy
infantry in an army, and are often magically augmented by
the drow. The one great drawback of a hill giant slave is
the fact they are often too stupid to learn any language but
Giant.
Giant, Stone
Stone giants are even more prized than hill giants, though
they are much more difficult to train. They are often sought
as gladiators, House guards or as heavy infantry (or even
artillery) in an army. Additionally, their strength and skills
with stone make them an invaluable asset to any construction
project. However, they are much more rare and vastly more
expensive than hill giants, and the cost makes ownership of
them prohibitive for all but the wealthiest drow.
Gnoll
Gnolls are considered little more than animals by the
drow, and are used primarily for gladiatorial battles and as
‘cannon fodder’ in drow armies. Attempts to put them to
work at heavy labour have proven more trouble than it is
worth, as the gnolls constantly turn on one another and any
other slaves in the vicinity.
Gnome, Deep
Few drow cultures keep deep gnomes as slaves. The two
races are longstanding enemies, and the natural abilities of
the deep gnomes make them difficult to control. However,
with proper training and supervision, the abilities of the
deep gnomes also make them extremely useful slaves,
adept at tasks ranging from engineering and mining to
thievery. House na’Khotan in particular enjoys keeping
deep gnomes as slaves.
Goblin
Goblins are weak and fairly stupid, but in large groups they
are easily led and able to accomplish more than their small
size indicates. Primarily, goblins serve as large pools of
labour, working in the mines of the drow. Goblins kept
individually are usually targets for torment and abuse,
relieving the boredom of their masters who have never
forgotten that it was the goblins and their ilk who first drove
them underground. Most goblin slaves are not captured,
but are given to the drow as tribute to stave off an attack.
Half-Drow
The drow keep a number of other races as pleasure slaves,
making the occasional birth of a half-drow inevitable. The
drow feel no kinship with these half-breeds, and they are
used in the basest of ways. Common uses for a half-drow
include gladiatorial combat and service in the filthiest of
brothels. Despite their knowledge of the language and
physical similarities, no full drow would accept such a
creature as his servant.
Half-elf
If anything, half-elves that fall into drow hands are treated
more poorly than half-drow. If the half-elf escapes torment
and sacrifice, he will generally be given the most vile of
duties.
Halfling
Halflings are useless for many of the tasks drow put their
slaves to, but they do have their uses. Their short stature
and nimble hands make them well suited to work as crafters,
labouring beneath an overseer to weave na’orsuin fabrics or
paint fine detail work on pottery, as two examples. When
the poor lighting they work in inevitably robs them of their
sight, they are used as sacrifices. Those halflings with no
skill or proficiency in crafts, or who do not speak Common,
are used for comedic relief in the gladiatorial games. What
this means is that a band of a dozen or so halflings will be
armed with dull knives and sent naked into combat with a
hill giant clad in plate mail and wielding a greatclub.
Hobgoblin
Hobgoblins make excellent soldiers for a drow army, as they
have a natural proclivity towards organisation and a martial
mindset. However, they must be either thoroughly trained
or constantly supervised, or they will turn those qualities
that make them such outstanding soldiers against their
captors. For this reason, the drow prefer hobgoblins given
as tribute (much like goblins) than hobgoblins captured by
slavers. A hobgoblin freely given to the drow by his people
is likely to be a far more willing servant than one captured.
Much as with the hobgoblins’ smaller cousins, however,
the drow have never forgotten the first war with goblinkind,
and many are eager to heap abuse and torment upon any
hobgoblins that fall under their control.
Human
Humans are viewed as nearly perfect slaves by the drow.
Strong and intelligent, able to master complex tasks
quickly, human slaves serve a wide variety of functions in
drow society. Most are disturbed and disoriented by the
environment of the Underdeep, making them relatively
easy to train. The only true failing, in the mind of a drow,
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