The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

The battle was as brief as it was sudden, as Tathria and
several hundred of her followers were forced to flee from
Drak’kamuth into the Underdeep and out of the lands
claimed by the two Houses. They would surely not have
survived, were it not for the magical preparations put in
place by Tathria, who had foreseen the likely result of such
a struggle.
Tathria had discovered a hidden corner of the Underdeep,
impenetrable to magical scrying or teleportation. Though
she had considered using it as her personal lair, she
chose instead to bring those who had followed her from
Drak’kamuth to this secret place. Though the search for
Tathria and her followers has never been abandoned by
the priestesses of the Dark Mother, they never found this
hidden fastness where Tathria brought her people to hide.
Tathria declared herself Magus of House Gaundroth,
its sole ruler and high priestess. At her command, her
followers began construction of a new city of the drow in
their hidden cavern, a city they named Ser Unthoul. For
many years, they and their descendants remained
isolated in their new city, mastering the magical
arts and delving into the deepest mysteries of the
arcane.
The drow of House Gaundroth were skilled in
all manner of wizardry, but that aspect at which
they truly excelled was summoning. Much of
the city of Ser Unthoul, in fact, was constructed
by summoned and dominated creatures from
other planes, a fact that makes sense of some of
the stranger and more alien areas of architecture
in that settlement.
Eventually, the House Gaundroth drow chose
to venture forth once again from their secret
fastness. Though they knew the enmity with the
priestesses of the Dark Mother would be eternal,
they had hopes to re-establish contact with
the other Houses of the drow, for when House
Gaundroth broke away from House Narrishtah
,most of the scattered tribes had already made
themselves known to each other once again.
They discovered the other Houses of drow
were more than eager to deal with them and so
House Gaundroth built a second city, both to
accommodate its burgeoning population and to
create a place for open trade with other drow that
would not betray the location of Ser Unthoul.
This new city they named simply na’Tathria, in
honour of their recently departed matriarch.
In the centuries since, the drow of House Gaundroth have
fought a number of wars against the forces of the Dark
Mother, against the deep trolls and, most recently, against
the shangu. Though less numerous than their foes, the
magical prowess of House Gaundroth has allowed it to
survive each such encounter.
Culture
The defining aspect of House Gaundroth is magic. Magic
suffuses their culture and is the ultimate aim for many
drow who claim membership in this House. It is also
their primary source of commerce, as no other House or
society of the drow produces the quantity and quality of
magical items that come from the laboratories of House
Gaundroth.
Although the House boasts specialists of every sort, the
most common are the conjurers, whose influence can be
seen in every aspect of House Gaundroth life. Much of
the work done in the cities and homes of House Gaundroth
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