The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

Each day, the priestesses pierce the sacrifice’s body with
long, sharpened canulas. The absorbent spider silk slowly
draws the blood from the wounds, staining the silk a vivid
scarlet. When all the white in a sacrificial cocoon has been
turned red, the victim is ready for the ultimate sacrifice.
A paralytic, degenerative poison is injected into the target
and, as its body turns to a soft, gooey mass of disrupted
flesh and rubbery bone, the priests and acolytes of the
Dark Mother consume the victim. The bones, while still
malleable from the poison, are then shaped and formed into
objects pleasing to the Dark Mother and used to adorn the
temple.
Temples
The temples of the Dark Mother are always placed as close
as possible to the drow Noble Houses associated with the
goddess. These temples are filled with spiders of all shapes
and sizes and are constructed from black marble, if in a
place where it can be found. The walls are inlaid with
holy symbols of the Dark Mother using silver
or, far more rarely, mithral. The shape of the
temple is always octagonal, with rooms
radiating from the central chapel along
eight main hallways.
Clergy
Priestesses of the Dark Mother almost never
emerge from their temples, save when they are
issuing new laws or proclamations in the cities
they control. On rare occasions, one of these
dark-hearted drow females might be dispatched
on special mission for the goddess, which is when
they are normally encountered by adventurers.
Tasked with retrieving magical items or dispatching
enemies of the drow, these priestesses are dangerous and
driven foes to be avoided at all costs. Because they have
the authority of their goddess, the priestesses are often
accompanied by the most elite of the temple’s wizards and
warriors, giving them a powerful bodyguard should they be
threatened or need to threaten others.
Worshippers
The worshippers of the Dark Mother are drawn from
throughout drow society, some willingly and some
unwillingly. The cult of the Dark Mother rarely exists as
just another one of the religions in a given city. They are
usually either all-pervasive, having driven out all other
religions and insinuated themselves into control of the local
Noble Houses, or they are entirely absent after having been
destroyed due to attrition from the constant conflicts they
provoked or from the concerted effort of other factions.
The Dark Mother and her priestesses chafe at the idea of
drow worshipping another god.
Alsythuth (The Bloodied Coin)
Symbol: A black coin with bloody edges. The face of
the coin typically depicts a stern-looking drow male in
profile.
Alignment: Chaotic evil
Governs: Commerce, raiding, trade
Domains: Chaos, Luck, Travel
Favoured Weapons: Quarterstaff, sling
Requirements for Priesthood: None
Background
Alsythuth is a god of pure avarice, of greed unleavened by
ethics or morality.
Alsythuth is usually depicted as an obese drow male, clad
in fine but well-worn garments and dripping with gold and
gems. He is the quintessential rapacious merchant lord,
glad to do whatever must be done to amass wealth. To
the church of Alsythuth the Bloodied Coin, the
raiding of caravans, settlements and cities of
other races is as much a part of commerce as
are the guildhalls and trade routes.
In his role as god of commerce, Alsythuth
considers the economic welfare of the drow
his sole purview and the one thing most
important to ensuring the survival of the race.
He believes that without his influence, the
drow would be little more than scavengers
of the Underdeep, not the empire-building
race they have become.
Alsythuth does not care how a worshipper amasses
wealth and power, only that he does. He cares no more
or less for a drow who has come by his fortune through
blackmail and cheating than the rare drow who come
to wealth through honest dealing. The end result, the
accumulation of prestige and wealth, is what is important.
Priests and priestesses of Alsythuth are generally, but not
always, recruited from wealthy merchant families. A drow
from the lower classes who displays a truly remarkable gift
for trade and commerce will likely be able to find a place
in his church.
Religious Observances
Like all gods of the drow, Alsythuth demands sacrifices.
These may take the form of gold or jewels donated to the
temple, which is widely embraced and encouraged by the
clergy but is not Alsythuth’s preferred form of sacrifice.
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