The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

the morgoshe back to their submerged city with the help of
the mages of the Pelshothe, the drow finally crushed their
enemy.
This victory and the discovery of two hidden passages
opening out of the sides of the deep lake left the Pelshothe
free to expand their holdings, which they did gladly.
However, any hopes this new territory would yield them a
rich harvest of iron ore were soon dashed. Rather, the drow
found more morgoshe.
For the next five centuries, battle seemed the natural state of
the drow, alternated only occasionally with a swiftly-broken
truce. After a gruelling war of attrition, the Pelshothe
finally defeated the morgoshe tribes arrayed against them
and enslaved the survivors.
With the pathways into the Underdeep open to them at
last, the Pelshothe eagerly set out in search of other drow.
Finding them took a long time however and, in the interim,
the dark elves met many other species such as the deep
dwarves and the bugbears and learned they had a knack
for trade. Though it was certainly impossible to think of
such hideous creatures as equals, the Pelshothe were weary
of war and pleased to deal with another race in any way
other than with the tip of a sword. By the time they reestablished
contact with other drow, the Pelshothe already
enjoyed an extensive trade network with other races of the
Underdeep.
Culture
Despite their long isolation, with no contact with other
races save the frequent and bloody wars with the morgoshe,
the Pelshothe are not an insular House. Rather, they are
among the most gregarious of the dark elves. Their trading
caravans have established routes from their home city of
Roszhan to more than a dozen drow cities as well as many
settlements of other races and the Pelshothe are a common
sight in the streets of those cities.
Indeed, the Pelshothe are quite possibly the least warlike
of the drow, having known little but war for so long. With
the exception of the morgoshe, whom they actively loathe,
the drow of House Pelshothe would rather engage in trade
than war. However, they also do not shrink from combat
when it is upon them. The centuries of battle with the
morgoshian fish-men and the Pelshothe reliance on their
ceramic weapons have taught them to be skilled warriors
unconcerned with anything but victory.
The long years of war with the morgoshe and the toll those
years exacted in dead drow had a deep and likely permanent
impact on House Pelshothe. The concept of family was not
completely abandoned, but the need for frequent procreation
became paramount in their society. Female members of
childbearing age in House Pelshothe were expected to
bear a child once every decade. Failure to do so resulted
in intervention of the Noble House of the Pelshothe, who
would first ensure the female and her mate (if she had one)
were doing everything possible to conceive. If that failed,
the female would be required to attempt procreation with
other available males. Likewise, any male not otherwise
attached was expected to make himself available to any
female who demanded his help. This rather draconian
approach to procreation has relaxed somewhat now that
the Pelshothe are no longer at war but the Pelshothe are
still extremely concerned with reproduction and tend to be
promiscuous and have large families.
The measures taken by the Pelshothe can make determining
the paternity of a child difficult to ascertain, so lineage is
determined by the mother. This practice has made House
Pelshothe into a matriarchal society, with females of the
House assuming the top leadership roles. Males are not
especially discriminated against however, unlike societies
dominated by the priestesses of the Dark Mother.
Additionally, the constant intermarrying and interbreeding
of the drow during the long years of war effectively brought
the entire population into House Pelshothe. Unlike most
other drow cities, the dark elves who live in places like
Roszhan are – every man, woman and child – members of
the House.
The vast trade network controlled by House Pelshothe gives
those drow easy access to something that was for so long
denied them - metal. However, after centuries of making
and using ceramic arms, armour and sundry other items, it
has become an essential part of House Pelshothe society.
The sole exception is gold, which some of the drow use
as adornment or jewellery. Using any other metal, with
the exception of metal currency in trade, is considered an
insult to the House and its history. One infraction might
earn a stern warning, but a second will surely result in the
individual’s expulsion from the House itself and forfeiture
of all his possessions.
Soon after mastering the craft of making weapons and
armour from ceramic, the drow of House Pelshothe learned
to create dyes and glazes for those items. Soon, each major
family within the House as a whole had chosen its own
colour. From deepest black to brilliant red to pale blue,
the colours of the equipment provide an easy way for any
member of House Pelshothe to determine what family any
other member of the House belongs to.
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