The Players Guide to

Menzoberranzan

Second Edition
December 2005

Credits
Author Patrick Smith (Kiaransalyn) Editors Thiago Garcia (Faceless One) Tony Troskoski (Rizogue) Scott Thomson (Faendalimas) Hollis Butler (Horuslvx) Art Director Jos Mara Garca-Valdecasas (Kerlfein) Foreword by Tony Troskoski (Rizogue) Author of Original Guide Thiago Garcia (Faceless One) Acknowledgement The editors and authors would like to thank the players of Menzoberranzan who by their discussion and game-play have helped to shape the rules. Thank you.

Foreword
Thank you for taking the time to read the Players Guide for www.Menzoberranzan.net. We have developed this document as a means to provide players with all of the information necessary to understand drow culture in Menzoberranzan, as well as offer valuable information to players that are considering submitting a Character Concept in order to play on our server. There are several reasons why we have implemented this Character Approval process, and it is my intention to help explain some of them here. First, this process gives our players the opportunity to fully develop the nature of the character they plan to play before even stepping into our server. The NPCs (Non-Player Characters) we have designed in Menzoberranzan are much more than just the sum of their statistics. They each have differing histories, quirks, mannerisms, and motivations; and we expect no less from our PCs (Player Characters). This also allows the Review Team the ability to measure the players understanding of drow society, giving us the chance to determine where a player would best fit in within the structure of our city. It takes away from the realism of the place if we have players wandering the city as noble priestesses of Lolth if they dont yet understand the basics of Lolths Clergy. And finally, having these Character Concepts on file allow us, as DMs, the ability to truly immerse our players into their on-line experience, crafting adventures around some of the ideas in the various players histories and help them take steps towards their ultimate goals. It is not uncommon for PCs on our server to unexpectedly cross paths with some of the personalities described in their character concept. We hope you find this Guide informative. It is the result of countless hours of research by our team of experts, and should prove very helpful to both new players, and some of our old veteran players alike. I want to thank you again for taking the time to read it; I look forward to seeing you on the streets of Menzoberranzan. -Rizogue Project Administrator

Contents
Introduction
The Setting

Race and Class

Races of Menzoberranzan The Goddess' Race Drow Trading and Commoner Races Half drow Duergar (Grey Dwarves) Commoner and Slave Races Humans Half orcs Halflings (Lightfoot, Ghostwise and Strongheart) The Hated Races Gnomes (Svirfneblin/Deep and Rock) Dwarves (Shield and Gold) Half elves Elves (Moon, Sun, Star, Wood and Wild) Classes of Menzoberranzan Prevalent Clerics Wizards Fighters Rogues Unusual Barbarians Bards Rangers Rare Druids Monks Sorcerers

Extremely Rare Paladins Prestige Classes of Menzoberranzan Arcane Archers Assassins Blackguards Shadowdancers Social Classes of Menzoberranzan Regal Noble Servant Common Slave Faiths of Menzoberranzan Lolth Vhaeraun Ghaunadaur Eilistraee Kiaransalee Selvetarm Zinzerena Shar Others

The City and its Organizations

The Districts of Menzoberranzan Quellarzorl Narbondellyn West Wall Manyfolk The Bazaar Tier Breche Eastmyr The Braeryn Donigarten The Bauthwaf The Pit Warrens The Ruins of Former Noble Houses

The Houses of Menzoberranzan The Major or Noble Qu'ellaren Qu'ellar Baenre Qu'ellar Barrison DelArmgo Qu'ellar Faen Tlabbar Qu'ellar Xorlarrin Qu'ellar Agrach Dyrr Qu'ellar Myzzrym Qu'ellar Fey-Branche Qu'ellar TuinTarl Qu'ellar Duskryn Qu'ellar Srune'lett Qu'ellar Horlbar Qu'ellar Kenafin Qu'ellar Druu'giir Qu'ellar Hunzrin Qu'ellar Shobalar Qu'ellar Vandree Qu'ellar Symrivvin The Lesser or Non-Noble Qu'ellaren The Academy (Getting an Education) Classes in the Academy Multiclasses in the Academy Academy Admission Academy Graduation Titles used Within Tier Breche Goods and Services (Living from day to day) Starting Equipment Moneylending Regular income The Bazaar Menzoberranzan Shops Massage Houses Drinking Pits Inns Mansions for Rent Guilds

Your Character's Career

Death Death and Dying Methods of Death and Revival In-Character Deaths Player Killers Leveling up in Menzoberranzan Multiclassing Powergaming Skills & Feats Acquiring a Prestige Class Guilds of Menzoberranzan Joining a Guild Betraying a Guild Leaving a Guild Creating a Guild Nobility Sponsorship Adoption Royalty Leaving a House Creating a House Experience Rewards In-Character vs. Out-of-Character DM Interaction Language The Calendar of Menzoberranzan Telling the time

Submitting your Character Concept

Rules for character concepts Advice on character creation How the Submission Review process works

Bibliography Appendix
Things to do in Menzoberranzan when the DM is dead Essays on role-playing drow effectively

The Player's Guide to Menzoberranzan

Second Edition
by Patrick Smith

Introduction
Menzoberranzan is not just another drow city in the Underdark; it's not just a fictional place. It lives, breathes and exists in the minds of many people as a consequence of the imaginations of RA Salvatore. Ed Greenwood, Elaine Cunningham and others. The culture of the city is as complex and difficult to understand as the nature of Lolth, the city's goddess. In the dark, deep places of Faern evil ferments and chaos explodes. It is this world that we, at www.menzoberranzan.net, have tried to create and in this undertaking our vision may well have inevitably moved away from your own cherished ideas. There have been difficulties in translating the primary source, which is the Second Edition (2nd Edn) AD&D Boxed Set meant for pen and paper role-play into a Third Edition (3ed Edn) persistent world server meant for on-line role-playing. There have been gaps from the 2nd Edn source that needed filling; many of which were deliberately left to encourage Dungeon Masters (DMs) to design their own plots. And with the advent of 3rd Edn there have been new character and prestige classes to accommodate and explain. As best we can, we have tried to keep true to the spirit of the drow and Menzoberranzan. We have solved the problems by thinking in a drowic fashion that is searching for the most self-advantageous course. At www.menzoberranzan.net you will find an active community, which enjoys discussion about all aspects of Menzoberranzan and drow nature. You are welcome to join, take part and help us add to the experience of Menzoberranzan. This guide seeks to ensure that you have all the information that you will need to create a player character (PC) and join in the games that are hosted on a weekly basis on our server. It is not complete since the city is intended to be as 'alive' as possible. Therefore, things will change and new organisations and houses may arise that may need documenting. We at www.menzoberranzan.net are very pleased to present you with this the Second Edition of the Player's Guide and hope that you find it enjoyable and rewarding. Welcome to the City of Spiders, foolish wanderer; may your death be an entertaining one.

The Setting
Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders is home to almost twenty thousand members of one of the most feared and hated of all races, the drow. Menzoberranzan was once the most powerful nation in Faern's Northern Underdark reaching their zenith under the rule of Yvonnel Baenre. However, her rule ended in defeat at Mithral Hall and the heavy loss of life there curbed Menzoberranyr militaristic expansion. The year of this defeat was 1358 DR, a year when the gods of Faern had been banished to Toril in the form of their mortal avatars. Lloth, herself was rumoured to have walked in the streets of Menzoberranzan during this year, the Time of Troubles. Rumours came from Eryndlyn of the rampages of a great black spider that curiously bore the head of a drow male and they weren't the only rumours. Yet the power of Menzoberranzan did not solely lie in the stratagems of her generals, the movements of her armies or the dictates of her priestesses. In her long reign, Yvonnel did much to increase the city's reputation as a centre for trade. Indeed, some argue (quietly) that the subsequent increase in the amount of wealth flowing into the Houses' coffers did much to cement her rule. This mercantile policy has been kept, maintained and encouraged by Yvonnel's successor, Triel. The first decade of Triel's reign began cautiously. The Time of Troubles had fundamentally changed the relationship between a deity and their worshippers and for the first time in living, indeed in remembered memory the plans of House Baenre had gone awry. Triel trod a careful path and took care not to display any further weaknesses that a rival might exploit. Slowly, she built up her House and with it the strength of Menzoberranzan grew also. In 1371 DR, a confident Menzoberranyr force sallied forth to sack Blingdenstone and in a carefully calculated move, which won the unanimous backing of the rest of the Ruling Council, Houses Duskryn and Srune'Lett were ordered to maintain the occupying garrison there. (With Zelzpassa Duskryn being placed in overall charge.) This renewed confidence has enabled Menzoberranzan to take a more dominant role in the relationship with its sister city, Ched Nasad. The city's reputation as a centre for commerce and wealth has continued to grow and merchant caravans arrive daily. This healthy trade atmosphere brings its own problems as the number of non-drow residents in the city has slowly increased and the travels of Menzoberranyr merchants have exposed them to new influences, cultures and religions. Wealth and prosperity have always been powerful persuaders that things are going well but there are some who yearn for the older days and mutter darkly about dangerous new influences. The iron hand of the Lolthite clergy does not hold Menzoberranzan as tightly as it did but its grip is still very powerful. The rival faiths, with that of Vhaeraun chief amongst them, are still brutally persecuted and their few adherents conduct their rituals in great secrecy. As ever, Menzoberranzan is a city of dizzying contradictions. Immense beauty, breath-taking artistry and enormous opportunities for learning are to be found here. Yet there is also spiteful cruelty and an air of malevolent violence bubbling underneath this civilised veneer. Menzoberranzan can be likened to an ocean, ever-changing and evermoving yet always the same. Within its depths swim great and terrible creatures, which swallow the careless and the cautious. The year is now 1372 DR and the whole of this year and indeed your lifetime is before you.

Race and Class

This section introduces the range of possible races that a PC may belong to and the various classes they can take. All players are required to submit a character concept, which DMs and Submission Reviewers consider and use to determine if a player's concept is playable in this setting of Menzoberranzan.

Races of Menzoberranzan
The first criterion a Menzoberranyr judges another on is their race. Nearly all races are hated, enslaved or killed on sight with only other drow not being considered lesser beings. Yet even then factors such as house, city, social class and gender will be used to determine whether one drow considers another drow worthy of their attention. The Goddess' Race Drow The drow are, by far, the dominant race in Menzoberranzan and occupy all the positions of power. Estimates put the percentage of free Menzoberranyr that are drow in excess of 95%. They are found in the top four social classes of the city with very few drow being classed as slaves; these enslaved drow are called battle-captives instead and are never Menzoberranyr. Drow are exclusively members of the Regal and Noble classes and are very dominant in the servant and the common. In-Game Information Drow gain the following benefits at first level (benefits in green are derived from their elven heritage): Ability Modifiers: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma Special Abilities: Immunity to Sleep, Hardiness vs Enchantments, Bonus Proficiencies (Longsword, Rapier, Shortbow, Longbow), Skill Affinities (Listen, Search and Spot), Keen Senses, Low-light vision, Darkvision, Light Colour: Purple, Save Bonus +2 Will, Spell Resistance (SR) = 10. (SR increases every five levels.) Spell-like Abilities: Darkness 1 Use/Day, Daze 1 Use/Day, Flare 1 Use/Day DM's Comment: Players are strongly advised to play a drow character since this race affords their character the most opportunity for role-play and character growth.

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Trading and Commoner Races Half-Drow Taller and less frail then their drow relations, most Menzoberranyr view half drow with contempt and mistrust. With their clearly visible human weaknesses half drow can never expect to climb very high in society. In a noble house, their highest achievable position is that of a valued servant. However, like their drow relatives they find that acquiring and keeping power makes others treat them with wary toleration at least. In-Game Information Half-drow gain the following benefits at first level (benefits in green are as a consequence of the half-elf base race): Special Abilities: Darkvision, Immunity to Sleep, Hardiness vs Enchantments, Partial Skill Affinities (Listen, Search and Spot), Low-light vision. Duergar Drow consider duergar the most tolerable of the lesser races but that isn't saying much as many a Menzoberranyr is heard to quip Like roth dung, duergar are always found on the streets of a great trading city. The powerful duergar city of Gracklstugh lies to the south of Menzoberranzan and the two cities regard one another as rival military powers but necessary trading partners. As such, duergar and their caravans are to be found everywhere where trade is permitted in Menzoberranzan. Duergar can be found residing in the inns, grumbling over their ale in the taverns and engaged in the hard business of making honest gold. However, drow do see in the duergar one quality that they do not see in themselves, trustworthiness, as such many drow trade with the duergar but few will admit to doing so. In-Game Information Duergar gain the following benefits at first level (benefits in red are shared with their detested dwarven brothers): Ability Modifiers: +2 Consitution, -4 Charisma, Special Abilities: Stonecunning, Darkvision, Hardiness v Poisons, Hardiness v Spells, Offensive training vs Orcs, Goblinoids and Giants. Skill Affinity (Lore), Partial Skill Affinities (Spot and Listen), +4 Move Silently, Spell-like abilities: Bull's Strength 1 Use/Day, Invisibility 1 Use/Day DM's Comment: A Player can submit a character concept whose race is one of the two above. Since these two races are tolerated more than most, and rarely enslaved, there is reasonable scope for advancement and game-play.

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Commoner and Slave Races Humans With their brutish features, unnecessary height and below average intelligence drow find humans to be displeasing creatures. However, drow have found that humans are skilful, learn quickly and they are more intelligent than the goblinoid races. As slaves go, humans are worth investing in since they also live longer than orcs and the such-like. Drow find it amusing that some humans actually sell their own kind; with some more enlightened drow using this as evidence that humans show promise. Humans are also found in the city as traders and drow find that these visitors are worth receiving on account of their gold and their goods. These human traders are treated like the duergar; Their gold is necessary yet one despairs that they will ever discover anything approaching culture. In-Game Information Humans gain the following benefits at first level: 1 extra feat, 4 extra skill points and 1 additional skill point per level. Half Orcs Drow find half-orcs to be even more ugly and contemptible than humans. Yet half orcs are also useful, they are strong, capable warriors and the rare individual shows a talent that is worth exploiting. Most half-orcs are slaves who are placed in positions of authority over the other slaves, taking up the whip when their drow masters grow bored. A few half-orcs are free and survive either by running with one of Menzoberranzans criminal gangs or by being employed in some capacity by a noble. They are unlikely to rise very high on the social scale but a few clever ones sink deep enough into the lower end of Menzoberranyr society to enjoy the power that can be found there. In-Game Information Half-orcs gain the following benefits at first level: Ability Modifiers: +2 Strength, -2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma Special Abilities: Darkvision Halflings (Lightfoot, Ghostwise and Strongheart) Halflings are tolerated in Menzoberranzan both as visitors and as acceptable slave stock. However, most drow do not own halfling slaves since human slaves are (currently) more fashionable and both easier and cheaper to replace. As such, halflings are mainly encountered in the commercial districts as traders or craftspeople. A few halflings have chosen Menzoberranzan as their home and have adapted well to the city and its culture. In short, drow find halflings fairly inoffensive and as tolerable as a lesser race can get.

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In-Game Information All three types of halflings gain the following at first level: Ability Modifiers: -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity Special Abilities: Small Stature, Skill Affinities (Move Silently and Listen), Lucky, Fearless and Good Aim DM's Comment: The three above races are tolerated and characters from these races can find reasonable game-play. However, players of characters from these races may find that they are excluded from many games. The Hated Races Gnomes (Svirfneblin and Rock) The Menzoberranyr drow dislike gnomes, and especially deep gnomes (also called the svirfneblin) since they fought against the drow at Mithral Hall. It was for this reason that the svirfneblin city of Blingdenstone was invaded and many of the inhabitants put to the sword or the spell. However, large numbers of svirfneblin were also enslaved and these have become a popular fashion item amongst the nobility. There are a handful of svirfneblin that live freely at the lower end of the Menzoberranyr social scale. Holdovers from the days when Blingdenstone was a rival to Menzoberranzan and the drow would actually lower themselves to trading with the svirfneblin; albeit through intermediaries. These few svirfneblin are difficult to spot or contact and it is said that they may well have left the city. In-Game Information Both types of gnomes gain the following benefits at first level: Ability Modifiers: -2 Strength, +2 Constitution Special Abilities: Small Stature, Hardiness v Illusions, Offensive Training v Reptilians, Goblinoids and Giants, Defensive Training v Giants, Skill Affinities (Listen and Concentration), Spell Focus (Illusion), Low-light vision. In addition to these Svirfneblin also gain the following: Ability Modifiers: -2 Constitution, +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -4 Charisma Special Abilities: Darkvision, Save Bonus +2 Reflex, Save Bonus +2 Universal, Skill Affinity (Hide), Spell Resistance = 10 (increases every five levels) Spell-like abilities: Blindness/Deafness 1 Use/Day, Displacement 1 Use/Day, Eagle's Splendor 1 Use/Day Dwarves (Shield and Gold) Drow hate both Shield and Gold dwarves and usually kill them on sight. There are a rare few that manage to fit in or are thought to be suitably entertaining enough to be enslaved. However, the large number of duergar in Menzoberranzan means that any Shield or Gold dwarves that avoid death from the drow usually die at the hands of their sundered brethren. Indeed, sometimes drow will keep the so-called surface dwarves alive merely to allow their duergar trading partners the pleasure of killing them to seal a business contract.
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In-Game Information Both types of dwarves receive the following benefits at first level: Special Abilities: Stonecunning, Darkvision, Hardiness v Poisons, Hardiness v Spells, Offensive training v Orcs, Goblinoids and Giants. Skill Affinity (Lore), Shield Dwarves receive the following at first level: Ability Modifiers: +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma Gold Dwarves receive the following at first level: Ability Modifiers: +1 Strength, -2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution Half Elves Drow hate half elves and usually kill them on sight. Those few they dont kill straightaway are tortured or put into the gladiatorial pits. In any event, half-elves rarely live for long. In-Game Information Half-elves gain the following benefits at first level: Special Abilities: Immunity to Sleep, Hardiness v Enchantments, Partial Skill Affinities (Listen, Search and Spot), Low-light vision. Elves (Sun, Moon, Star, Wood and Wild) All elves are killed on sight. It is considered distasteful by Menzoberranyr drow to keep a surface elf alive for any purpose except imminent degradation and eventual sacrifice. And even in those cases the drow has to have a sufficiently high station in order to do this. Elves gain the following benefits at first level: Special Abilities: Immunity to Sleep, Hardiness v Enchantments, Bonus Proficiencies (Longsword, Rapier, Shortbow, Longbow), Skill Affinities (Listen, Search and Spot), Keen Senses, Low-light vision. Sun Elves gain the following ability modifiers: -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence Moon Elves gain the following ability modifiers: +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution Star Elves gain the following ability modifiers: -2 Constitution, +2 Charisma Wood Elves gain the following ability modifiers: +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma Wild Elves gain the following ability modifiers: +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence DM's Comment: First-time www.menzoberranzan.net players are forbidden to play a character from one of the hated races. Experienced www.menzoberranzan.net players may submit a character concept but the concept will be strongly scrutinised since the game-play will be heavily dependent on a DM.

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Classes of Menzoberranzan
The Prevalent Classes The prevalent classes are so called because most drow belong to them. These classes have long traditions and strong gender associations in the city and with the exception of Rogue are considered suitable occupations for nobles and royals. Clerics All of the many noble houses of Menzoberranzan are matriarchal (to all outward intents). The most powerful figure in a Menzoberranyr noble house is the Matron, who is a cleric of Lolth. Lolth, or Lloth, is the goddess of Menzoberranzan and her clergy is all-powerful. Only females can become Lolthite clerics, only Lolthite clerics can openly rule a noble house and only powerful (or really stupid) Lolthite clerics can found new houses. All royal and noble females are expected to become clerics and serve Lolth; as such they are sent to Arach Tinilith, in Tier Breche, for training. Drow clerics of other deities are detailed in the Faiths of Menzoberranzan section. Clerics of a non-drow race are advised to adopt an outward non-clerical persona. Speaking the name of another deity will usually result in a severe fine and a public beating. Committing this offence a second time will result in death.

DM's Comment: Character concepts for playing a Noble Priestess are reserved for experienced players or for those players who clearly demonstrate that they fully grasp the responsibility of playing a noble priestess in Menzoberranzan. Non-noble priestesses are also reserved to those who can demonstrate that they have convincing knowledge of the drow.

Wizards Many noble and royal sons of Menzoberranzan are sent to Sorcere to train in the Art; and a reasonable number survive to become useful to their Matrons and their Houses. Whilst many a female will outwardly look down their noses at a wizard, nearly all recognise their usefulness. The drow have a natural talent for wizardry and produce the best wizards of all the Underdark races. Wizards of other races are found in Menzoberranzan but these are usually powerful individuals there for trade. Sorcere takes a keen interest in all resident non-drow wizards and investigates all of these individuals in order to monitor their activities and make sure their intentions are acceptable to Sorcere.

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Fighters The third school in Tier Breche is Melee Magthere and it is here that the drow learn how to fight. Although fighters are not held in as high an esteem as clerics or wizards they are seen as valuable. The Underdark and Menzoberranzan itself are dangerous places and the swift, decisive action of a fighter is often welcomed. Several Houses take pride in the martial ability of their fighters and all the houses make sure they have an army. Many members of the servant and commoner classes are fighters, although few of these actually learn their skills at Melee Magthere. Rather the fighters from the servant class learn their skills from a noble fighter who has attended Melee Magthere. Since trade has grown and flourished in Menzoberranzan there are many fighters from all races present in Menzoberranzan at any one time. Trade caravans always need protection and some noble and/or rich drow dabble with the affectation of a non-drow bodyguard. Melee Magthere observes non-drow fighters from a discrete distance curious to see if there is a new technique or fighting style worth learning.

Rogues The unique talents of a rogue are employed in a variety of positions in Menzoberranzan. Scouts benefit from learning how to move silently, wizards and other such lightly armoured classes benefit from learning how to sneak attack an opponent and all drow can see the advantage of picking a lock and disabling a trap. All the social classes, with the possible exception of the slaves, see an advantage in learning a few roguish talents; although the royalty and nobility would never confess openly to such admiration. Rogues are found in many places in Menzoberranyr society although their welcome depends on the circumstances of their discovery. There are many non-drow rogues in the city, with halflings in particular finding employment in the criminal gangs. It is also rumoured that there is an academy sponsored by several gangs where rogues can learn new skills or improve their existing ones. The Ruling Council scoffs at such rumours saying that no organisation exists in Menzoberranzan without their say-so. A statement that does very little to disprove such rumours.

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The Unusual Classes The unusual classes are so-called because they are not encountered as often as the four prevalent classes. This explanation seems rather obvious and the reasons why are predominantly cultural more than anything else. The true power in Menzoberranzan lies in the Lolthite clergy therefore all the noble houses send their daughters to Arach Tinilith to improve their chances of retaining Lolths favour and imploring her aid in the achievement of their Houses ambitions. For the males, their best chance at gaining power and station is attending Sorcere to become a wizard or Melee Magthere to become a fighter. The chief goals in any Menzoberranyrs life are gaining power, station and prestige and these are best achieved by following the traditional routes. There is, after all, a reason why The traditional is best is a popular Menzoberranyr saying. DMs Comment: Although the following three classes are frequently encountered in Menzoberranzan and are a perfectly acceptable class for a player character, players should be aware that these character classes have little real chance of attaining positions of political importance or prestige. Members of these three classes are thought of as interesting and in the cases of the bards, useful. However, no serious Menzoberranyr noble would choose to excel in these classes since power is best obtained by other routes. Barbarians Melee Magthere teaches many fighting styles and preference is given to those styles that favour discipline and self-control. Yet deep within all drow burns a desire for chaos. Some drow embrace this and sacrifice the structured training of a fighter and the many feats that can be learnt in exchange for a berserk rage that sees them gain strength and the ability to take more wounds than a fighter of equivalent experience. Some clerics from Arach Tinilith say that Lolth divinely inspires this rage and some say that it is her servant, Selvetarm who inspires this. At an instinctual level all drow find the barbarians rage appealing; although many would never openly acknowledge this preferring, instead, the disciplined and measured ways of the fighter. At present, Melee Magthere and Arach Tinilith are still learning about these unusual warriors. Arach Tiniliths interest arises not only from the chaotic temperament inherent to this class but also in the fact that barbarians were only recognised after the Time of Troubles. Since barbarians are essentially fighters, Melee Magthere claims the right to teach them. There are a reasonable number of non-drow barbarians found in Menzoberranzan, usually as caravan guards or slave stock destined for the gladiatorial pits. Many Menzoberranyr drow find them interesting and a non-drow barbarian gladiator attracts many bets. Bards Bards are more common in Menzoberranzan than one would expect. However, there are very few bards to be found in the regal and noble classes and no member of these two classes would admit to it. Predominantly, bards are seen as belonging to the servant and commoner classes, either as heralds or entertainers respectively. A herald is valued for their knowledge, their ability to memorise long bodies of text and recite them verbally. They are also appreciated for their ability to gather information. As such, the noble houses employ at
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least one herald and several apprentices since they are useful as official spies. Since these heralds are often about their Houses official business and acting as instruments of their Matrons wills it is seen as a very dangerous thing for one House to kill anothers herald. Heralds also have the ability to cast spells by creating music. This arcane ability and their dedication to learning means that Sorcere has claimed the right to teach them and a small Bardic College exists at Sorcere for this purpose. The School of the Song is presided over by a curious bard known only as the King at Arms or the Sigil Master. The King at Arms has a detailed and extensive knowledge of the heraldry used by all Houses, past and present; and is consulted by the Matrons of newly created houses to make sure that they dont duplicate the heraldry of an extinct house. Officially, extinct Houses never existed but on a practical level it is seen as inviting bad luck to wear such colours and badges. Bards who belong to the commoner classes are entertainers and much more likely to use musical instruments than heralds (who predominantly perform using poetry, oration or story-telling). As such, many can make a reasonable living playing in drinking pits, taverns and other such social places. Many commoner bards are associated with criminal gangs or noble houses and paid to spy on the customers of an establishment. There are many nondrow bards and unusually drow judge them solely on their ability to hold a good tune. This is because bards are viewed as low class and, as such noble and regal drow rarely feel threatened by them. Rangers Over time, Melee Magthere noticed that some fighters who spent a lot of time on patrol developed several unique talents. They became adept at dealing with certain kinds of menaces and were better able to track enemies and predators. However, more worryingly some of these rangers gained with experience the ability to cast divine spells. Clever male rangers kept this ability secret, using it only in the wilds when they could be confident that they were unobserved. Whereas, the few female rangers were also clerics and assumed that these new divine spells came from Lolth. At present, Melee Magthere teaches rangers and since the taught program is over well before rangers gain spells, Melee Magthere does not need to address the issue of the ranger's divine spell-casting. Male rangers learn not to cast divine spells in the presence of Lolthite clerics as death is the inevitable result. Also many male rangers don't gain enough experience to cast divine spells anyway, preferring instead to focus on improving their fighting techniques. (DM's Comment: That is, many rangers multi-class and only have a maximum of four Ranger levels.) Since, rangers spend a great amount of their time in the Underdark either on patrol or as caravan guards the issue of divine magic is usually overlooked. (Although, it is almost certain that Arach Tinilith is aware of it and many priestesses keep a careful eye on the continuing 'religious' education of rangers.) Non-drow rangers are rarely found in Menzoberranzan, since most caravan guards are fighters and rangers have a tendency of being 'loners'. Both drow and non-drow rangers prefer the Underdark to the noise of the city.

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The Rare Classes Characters belonging to one of the three below classes are exceptional in Menzoberranzan and many Menzoberranyr are simply unaware of their existence. Only time will tell if the visibility of these classes will increase and if the established orders find them useful. DM's Comment: To some extent, all player characters are unique and for that reason playing a character that is different to the rest of the Menzoberranyr is acceptable. However, players should think carefully about what they are getting into if they choose to play a character from the rare classes since these characters do not have the same chances to rise in station as members of the prevalent classes.

Druids To many Menzoberranyr their city is simply the place where they live and it is nothing more than a random assortment of habitations. If the City of Spiders has a personality then it is only as a consequence of the Menzoberranyr who live there. The few druids that live in Menzoberranzan think differently. To them, the City of Spiders is alive and the Menzoberranyr are only fragments of their city's personality. Some druids say that it is Menzoberranzan itself that is the true representation of Lolth's Will made manifest not the drow who live within it. To these druids the commercial areas represent the city's heart; Tier Breche, the city's brain, the Noble Houses, its blood and the criminal classes are the city's parasites. Needless to say, they are very careful whom they choose to share this viewpoint with. Druids cast divine magic and they, therefore, take extreme measures to make sure they are not observed by Lolthite clerics since the established clergy strongly enforces its monopoly on divine magic. There are very few non-drow druids in Menzoberranzan since the magnificent wilderness of the Underdark is far more alluring to them. In short, druids of any race are almost never encountered in Menzoberranzan. However, there are theories that suggest Underdark druids could be more like "elementalists." Certainly, there are many Underdark portals to the elemental Planes of Earth and Water respectively, so Earth and Water elemental druids could exist. Similarly, magma (Fire and Earth) paraelemental druids, Ooze (Water + Earth) paraelemental druids, Mineral quasi-elementalists (Positive + Earth), Dust Druids (Negative + Earth), Steam quasi-elementalists (Positive + Water), and Salt quasielementalists (Negative + Water) are speculated as existing. Yet if they do exist they find all that they need in the Underdark and none has ever been recorded as entering (and perhaps more importantly exiting) Menzoberranzan. Monks The wizards of Sorcere have always disliked their inability to wear armour because of the obvious vulnerability this causes. Some of the Masters of Sorcere comment on the way that metals can influence and direct the Weave and of course there are the somatic complications as well. The next best thing to wearing armour is having bodyguards to protect you. However, as a result of the rivalry between the three schools, Melee Magthere is as unlikely to supply the Masters with bodyguards as Sorcere is to declaring such a weakness. Yet it is common knowledge that wizards are vulnerable to melee and ranged
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weapons and the Masters of Sorcere have long strove to find an adequate solution to supplement their arcane solutions. Shortly after the Time of Troubles, Sorcere opened its doors to an unique individual who later gained the epithet, the Silent Master. This title came about as a consequence of him not giving lectures and also for his taciturn demeanour. The students and junior Masters of Sorcere are as unaware of him as they are of the many servants also found in Sorcere. However, some of these servants are monks and the Silent Master is their teacher. The Spellguard of Sorcere is a unique monastic order; existing inside Sorcere they are to some extent protected from the chaotic nature of Menzoberranzan. Their commitment to a lawful code is in some ways echoed by the structured manner in which a wizard learns his spells. They seek to master a force they call ki, which the Silent Master claims is associated with the Weave. The Silent Master designed the following code, which all Spellguard monks must obey: A Spellguard monk must fight with a non-metal weapon, where possible. A Spellguard monk is forbidden to wear armour. A Spellguard monk may not harm a Sorcere Master, or, through inaction, allow a Sorcere Master to come to harm A Spellguard monk must obey the commands of a Master of Sorcere except where such orders would result in harm to another Master. A Spellguard monk must seek perfection of self and mastery of ki. A Spellguard monk can only speak of the Spellguard to another known Spellguard monk or a Sorcere Master.

The laws against using metal weapons or wearing armour not only reduces possible Weave distortions but helps Spellguard monks maintain their servant disguises. Furthermore, a Spellguard monk wearing a hooded robe and carrying a quarterstaff looks much the same as any other Sorcere inhabitant. It should, again, be noted that very few Menzoberranyr associated with Sorcere know about the Spellguard monks and none of the Menzoberranyr outside Sorcere are aware of them. Only the Sorcere Masters know and they rarely speak of the matter among themselves. The Spellguard monks are a secret order and work avidly to stay that way. Non-drow monks are sometimes found in Menzoberranzan but dislike the city's chaotic society, which causes them to eventually leave. Sorcerers Sorcere is a school of wizardry. It functions, as it has always functioned, by teaching the young nobles new spells because that is what the Matrons pay for. They want their sons to know a wide range of spells so that they can be useful to their Matrons and their Houses upon their graduation. However, in the last decade especially, there have been some students who in spite of the number of beatings simply can not learn from any spellbook placed in front of them. Although, such students have been noted to be able to cast the sparse handful of spells that they know more times than a wizard of similar age and experience they just can not learn. These students usually suffer a swift death as a consequence of failing the arcane ambitions of their houses or sponsors. However, not all of these 'deaths' result in bodies. Much like the constant battle between the noble Houses, the three schools of Tier
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Breche are also in competition. Melee Magthere recognised these 'slow students' as a different kind of arcane spellcaster and formed the Dragon Blood Society to teach and profit from them. As a consequence of being a secret school associated with Melee Magthere, sorcerers benefit from improved weapon training. There is still much for Melee Magthere to learn about sorcerers but all that they learn they keep secret. As such, very few Menzoberranyr are aware that drow sorcerers exist. There are very few non-drow sorcerers in Menzoberranzan since the duergar, Menzoberranzan's usual visitors, are not noted for their great charisma. Those few sorcerers that do live in the city are either hunted down by Sorcere for being aberrant arcanists or the Dragon Blood Society hunts them down, since it is keen to make sure that no other sorcerers exist independently of their control. Sorcerers do not learn their spells from books, rather they spontaneously cast spells in a manner similar to that of clerics and healing spells. This has lead the priestesses of Arach Tinilith to postulate that sorcerers must receive them as a consequence of praying to some forbidden deity. Therefore, those sorcerers unfortunate enough to survive the attentions of Sorcere and Melee Magthere die, after prolonged torture, upon the many altars of Arach Tinilith. DM's Comment: One way to play a sorcerer is to multi-class and use the other class as an explanation for the sorcerer spells and abilities. However, this depends on what other class a player takes and their character may still be seen as a slow learner. The Extremely Rare Classes Paladins The principles of Law and Good espoused by the paladin are diametrically opposed to the forces that power Menzoberranzan. There are no drow paladins in Menzoberranzan because there are no organisations that champion the causes of Law and Good within the City of Spiders. Non-drow paladins visiting Menzoberranzan live long enough only to regret their mistake.

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Prestige Classes of Menzoberranzan

DM's Comment: All players must inform a DM well in advance, if they intend for their characters to begin acquiring levels in a prestige class. Subsequently, the character's training and initiation into the organisation that supports the prestige class must be role-played in the server. The following information is intentionally vague so that a character has to discover the information. Arcane Archers Some arcanists seek to improve their combat capabilities, whereas some warriors seek to improve their magical abilities. For some, the arcane archer class satisfies that demand. Currently, the Dragon Blood Society is the main teacher of arcane archers although some of the Noble Houses also teach this ability. Non-drow can not currently learn how to become an arcane archer inside Menzoberranzan. Assassins In a city like Menzoberranzan it shouldn't be surprising that there is a demand for assassins. Several criminal gangs teach the necessary skills to become an assassin, as does the Cult of Zinzerena. Non-drow can also train to become assassins but only by training with one of the criminal gangs. Blackguards Blackguards are exclusive to the secretive and feared Black Legion. Only by joining the Black Legion can a drow learn how to become a blackguard, assuming they survive the initiation. Shadowdancers In a city that is perpetually shrouded in shadows there are some that seek to blend more fully with the darkness. Within Menzoberranzan it is rumoured that one of the criminal gangs can teach the ways of the shadowdancer. There are also rumours that one needs to travel to an abandoned city to the north of Menzoberranzan to learn these ways.

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Social Classes of Menzoberranzan

There are five general social classes found within Menzoberranzan. Of these the top three are found only inside the Noble Houses or Qu'ellaren with the bottom two social classes being the most populous. It is worthwhile at this point to discuss the issue of gender in Menzoberranzan. Although, in drow society, the female is the superior gender not all females are created equal. For example, a drow female slave can not command a drow male noble. The reason why the drow female slave can not do this is because of the insult the slave's command would offer to the Matron of the drow noble male. DM's Comment: A real life example could be a sexist male plumber calling around to the White House and ordering Laura Bush to make him some coffee. The plumber may very well think males are better than females but there will be some females he will not be dominant with on account of the males they are associated with. Therefore, the plumber doesn't order higher-class females around regardless what he may think of their gender. Menzoberranzan can be thought of as a collection of small states called Houses that happen to share the same culture. At the top of each statelet is the Matron who is the absolute ruler of her House. When she orders a House member to jump, they can not even ask 'How high?', since that would be questioning her orders, but must jump in a way that the Matron finds most satisfactory. Consider a Tuin'Tarl noble female and an Armgo noble male. The Tuin'Tarl noble female is accepted to be better than the Armgo noble male. However, she can not command him because of the insult that she would offer to the Matron of House Armgo. By commanding the Armgo noble male she is actually saying that her commands take precedence over that of Matron Barrison Del'Armgo. Now, and this is the tricky part, if she was to command the Armgo noble male, he can not refuse her order, because if he did that he would be committing heresy. His refusal would imply that his, a male's point of view, is better than the female's. This means, that when there is a joint House venture, noble drow females can command noble drow males. By being part of a joint House venture, say a patrol or an army battalion, the Matron has given her permission (and it doesn't need to be written it is implied) for her males to be commanded. For example, Karas Armgo is enjoying a pint of ale and a tasty pie in the Spiders Kiss when Dementia Ousstyl saunters in with her friends. Dementia, a noble priestess of the Fifty First House orders the noble wizard of the Second House to vacate the table that he is sitting at since she wishes to sit there. And he can leave the pie as well. Karas gets up and obeys the command. He can not refuse the command of a female and since he is in a public place there would be witnesses to his refusal if dared to choose to do so. This defiance would also bring shame upon his Matron, implying that she was not strictly enforcing Lolth's Will. Karas subsequently returns home and informs his Matron that House Ousstyl believes that it can order around members of her Household. Note, the offence committed isn't a female ordering a male but a noble female insulting a higher-ranking female by commanding that female's personnel. Furthermore, Karas has witnesses since it happened in a public place and besides how many witnesses are going to be stupid enough to tell
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Matron Armgo she is in error. The key thing, as in all drow interactions, is station. Dementia Ousstyl does not have sufficient station to order around the Household of a female with much higher station. Now, if there was a threat to one of the city's trading routes and a small scouting party was sent out with Dementia Ousstyl in charge and Karas Armgo as her mage he would have to follow her orders without complaint since it would be Matron Armgo who would have commanded him to go. And by Matron Armgo's command she has given Dementia Ousstyl permission to order her wizard about. That said, there would be fifty Matrons who would have a stronger case for suggesting candidates for leadership of such a patrol other than Talindra Ousstyl, Matron of House Ousstyl. Since, of course, these fifty have higher station. This may all seem a bit complex but the main point to bear in mind is that of station. Males must obey females but females must obey station. It all comes back to Lolth. Matron Triel Baenre's House is in the highest position because Lolth has willed it to be so. Therefore, all station is ordained by Lolth. This is why destroyed Houses have never officially existed because to mention them would imply that Loth's Will is fallible.

Regal The number of Qu'ellaren within Menzoberranzan is estimated at somewhere between sixty and seventy. All of these Noble Houses have their own royalties. The royal family is usually composed of the matron mother, her daughters, her patron and her sons (the third born son of any Matron Mother is usually sacrificed to Lloth.) That said, within any Noble House the Matron Mother's command is law, therefore she can include or exclude anyone she wishes as a member of the royal family. The royalties of Menzoberranzan's minor houses are often not afforded much respect by the nobilities of the greater Houses but it is wise to determine an individual house's alliances before disparaging a particular House's royalty. DM's Comment: Players are not allowed to submit characters that start out as members of a House's Royal family. However, there is no reason why a drow PC can't try to become one in-game.

Noble The nobility of a Noble House is usually composed of the Matron Mothers extended family; that is her sisters, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. Again, it is the Matron who decides who is considered nobility or not. The 'Great Game' of Menzoberranzan refers to the constant battling between the noble Houses for increases in their station and rank. The traditional way is to destroy an opposing House yet this must be done within one night and leave no witnesses. For an attack on another House to be successful the aggressor House has to ensure that all of a House's nobility and royalty (the only credible witnesses) are exterminated. This is a relatively easy matter for the many minor houses at the bottom of the ladder since they are young, poor, not very populous and have very small royalties and nobilities. Also with these small Qu'ellaren there is a greater incentive for members of their regal or noble classes to either form their own house, be adopted by a more powerful House or take the more traditional route and arrange a change
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of Matron. This chaotic world of emerging, disappearing and changing Qu'ellaren ossifies at the high end of Menzoberranyr society. Here there is a greater gain in remaining a noble or a minor royal since the increase in personal station is much greater. Also it becomes much more difficult to exterminate all of a great House's royalty and nobility in one night. DM's Comment: Players are welcome to submit characters that start out as members of a House's Noble family.

Servant These are the servitor class within a noble house and form, by far, the largest class of the three social groups that live in the Qu'ellaren. Many of them live within a Noble House's walls and all benefit from the Qu'ellar's protection. In return, they serve the Qu'ellar in various ways. A Noble House's soldiers, merchants, heralds (bards), slavers, assassins, and so on are all members of the servant class. Within each occupation there is the usual competition for increase in station and personal power. Some servants, although unlikely to be ever awarded noble or higher status still command respect as a consequence of the power they wield. Like the nobility and royalty, servants predominantly owe their continued station to the Matron and she has absolute authority over them. Although the number of servants in the great Qu'ellaren can number in the high hundreds or even thousands, servants should still remember the Matron's absolute authority and not think themselves 'invisible' to her gaze. DM's Comment: Although not as glamorous as playing a house Noble there is still good game-play to be had in playing a typical House member/servant. Since it is the Matron of a Qu'ellar that decides who ascends to the nobility and the royalty there is no reason why an outstanding drow member of the servant class can't be promoted to these ranks. In many ways the daily risks that a noble/royal drow faces are the same that a servant drow faces. That is, keeping station, increasing station and staying alive.

Common Those citizens of Menzoberranzan not directly associated with a Noble House are called commoners. The majority of Menzoberranyr drow are commoners. They are free to go wherever they want, since they are houseless, unless it is into territory owned by a Noble House, Tier Breche or other such areas designated off-limits. The majority of the owners of drinking pits, shops, massage houses or bazaar stalls are commoners; although all of them pay at least one of the Noble Houses for protection (officially called buying a trade licence.) The majority of Merchant company/guild members are commoners as are members of the criminal gangs and the mercenary companies. There are lots of non-drow commoners as well. These are either visitors, traders and their attendants from other cities or they have chosen to settle in Menzoberranzan, or they are the descendents of such settlers. Life in Menzoberranzan is difficult enough for a drow at the best of times. Non-drow have it tougher since drow take such a prejudiced view of them.
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Commoners are free from the hierarchy and can fit in virtually anywhere. As a commoner, a character doesn't have the same pressures as a character associated with a house. Some drow say that life as a commoner is more fun since commoners are at the bottom of the ladder and there isn't any fierce competition to take such positions. However, commoners still have to protect their food, gold, lodgings and clothes. And many are associated with organisations that behave exactly like the Noble Houses, such as Merchant guilds, criminal gangs, mercenary companies and shops. DM's Comment: If you don't know much about the politics of the Noble Houses, or you don't want to be affiliated with a house in the beginning, submit characters that are commoners. You can always attach yourself to a House in-game once you find one that wants to sponsor you. It is recommended that inexperienced players who don't know much about Menzoberranzan and the drow submit commoner concepts.

Slave The Slave class is predominantly made up of the goblinoid races, orcs in the armies and goblins in the domestic roles. Their lives are short, brutal and harsh and their deaths are usually very entertaining for the drow who kill them. Non-drow commoners can be readily enslaved if they have no visible means of income or they look poor. It is illegal in Menzoberranzan to enslave a Menzoberranyr drow, although the lives of many drow are actually little better than slave's. Non-Menzoberranyr drow can be enslaved (called battlecaptives) however most are sacrificed to Lolth. DM's Comment: Most slaves don't live long enough to give rewarding role-play, also many are non player races. However, half-orcs and humans are frequently enslaved and a good, well thought-out character concept will be considered.

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Faiths of Menzoberranzan
Lolth The most powerful and for many the only deity of the drow is Lolth, or Lloth, the Spider Queen. "Fear is as strong as steel, while love and respect are soft, useless feelings that none can lean on. All drow who do not worship Lolth must be converted or destroyed. All weak and rebellious drow must be weeded out." And so it goes on. Lolth's demands change and Matron Mothers and the many priestesses are constantly striving to make sure her Will is known and obeyed. Lolth demands change, she is capricious and her Will differs from priestess to priestess; not for nothing is she known as the Weaver of Chaos. No mortal can ever truly know the mind of a deity and no deity can ever truly know the mind of Lolth. On the one hand, Lolth forbids worship of any other deity yet on the other she assumes the aspect of Zinzerena and encourages the Menzoberranyr to take up this cult. For some drow, the beauty of Lolth is that she rewards those drow who cunningly interpretate her Will to their own advantage. Yet doing that is the most dangerous game of all to play in the Underdark. Lolth is the sole goddess of Menzoberranzan and her priestesses are sworn to uphold her Will. Sensible drow do not anger her priestesses and clever drow keep well out of their way. The faith of Lloth is the official faith of Menzoberranzan. No other faith is allowed to exist and all official religious buildings in the city venerate her as the highest power. Only drow females can serve Lolth as clerics. Drow males who aspire to become Lolthite clerics are executed. Non-drow who aspire to become Lolthite clerics are also executed. (Chitines and driders are exceptional in that both have Lolthite clerics. However, drow view both as contemptible and actively persecute them.) DM's Comment: Players of drow characters are very strongly recommended to adopt Lolth as the patron deity for their PC's. Players who do want a different deity for their PC's have to present a convincing case for why their PC has a different faith. Players should also be aware of the consequences of doing so. Such consequences can be summary execution of their PC, torture, imprisonment and loss of all possessions.

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Vhaeraun The shadows of the Masked Lord must cast off the tyranny of the Spider Queen and forcibly reclaim their birthright and rightful place in the Night Above. The existing drow matriarchies must be smashed and the warring practices of twisted Lolth done away with so that the drow are welded into a united people, not a squabbling gaggle of rival Houses, clans and aims. Perhaps the strongest threat to Lolth's dominion over Menzoberranzan (and the many other cities that her clergy rule) is the challenge of Vhaeraun. For that reason any signs of Vhaeraunite activity in Menzoberranzan is swiftly and brutally rooted out and destroyed. Yet with trade increasing all the time and drow males taking a dominant role in guiding, protecting and organising trade caravans, and spending long periods of time away from the city, the faith of Vhaeraun continues to grow. Drow who worship Vhaeraun openly in Menzoberranzan die. Drow who worship Vhaeraun secretly must take great care to remain undiscovered. As a result, a Vhaeraunite may spend a lot of time in the company of another Vhaeraunite yet neither would not know that they shared the same faith. A lot of drow males leave the city to guard the numerous trade caravans, many choose not to return. Both males and females can become clerics of Vhaeraun, although many more males than females do so. It is possible that even half-drow and some surface elves are acceptable as clerics. DM's Comments: A PC that has Vhaeraun as a patron deity must take great care not to be discovered by the Lolthite clergy. If a Vhaeraunite PC is captured it will be killed. The player of a Vhaeraunite PC must make sure that their PC's true faith isn't discovered. Eventually, a devout Vhaeraunite PC will try to find their way to the Night Above, therefore leaving Menzoberranzan. Effectively, the PC is retired and the player is invited to submit a new application for a different PC. Ghaunadaur All creatures have their place and all are fit to wield power. Those who hunt weed out the weak and strengthen the stock of all. Those who rebel or who walk apart find new ways and try new things and do most to advance their races. Ghaunadaur is an unpredictable deity who speaks sparingly. Drow and their predecessors, the Ilythiiri have long been aware of Ghaunadaur and in the past Lolth allied herself with it. Ultimately, that alliance failed and the two deities have nothing but hatred for each other now. Menzoberranyr drow who worship Ghaunadaur openly are executed and those who worship in private must take great care. Ghaunadaur accepts all races and genders as its clerics. Its primary interest is a steady supply of sentient sacrifices and if the sacrifices are willing, then That Which Lurks is especially pleased and rewards the presiding cleric.

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Eilistraee Eilistraee is the only Good member of the drow pantheon. Her faith encourages acts of generosity, compassion and helpfulness. As such her faith is the antithesis of accepted drow behaviour and its adherents are easily identified in Menzoberranzan. Eilistraeen clergy is made up of females (although recent writings do not reveal if this is still the case). Her faith accepts both drow and surface elves. Eilistraeen faith encourages a return to the surface and this also limits the amount of Eilistraeen present in Menzoberranzan. Kiaransalee The faith of Kiaransalee and knowledge of this goddess, who was named drow well before Lolth, is not widely available. She is the drow deity of vengeance, undeath and necromancy. Her clergy is thought to be restricted to drow females both alive and undead (although recent writings do not confirm this) and adherents of her faith are rarely encountered in the open. With knowledge of the Revenancer being hard to find the number of actual Kiaransaleen worshippers in Menzoberranzan must be very small to non-existent. DM's Comment: Players who wish to play Eilistraeen or Kiaransaleen characters have to explain, in their concept submission, how their characters became aware of these faiths. As with all other non-Lolthite faiths, Eilistraeen and Kiaransaleen characters will be executed if they are found out. Selvetarm Selvetarm is viewed in Menzoberranzan as a powerful servant of Lolth; some of his titles, Champion of Lolth and Thane of Lolth even reflect that role. He is not worshipped as a god in his own right. Rather devotees believe that Selvetarm acts at Lolth's behest and his power derives from her. Even low-ranking Menzoberranyr clerics of Selvetarm believe that their spells are actually granted by Lolth as a consequence of Selvetarm's intercession. Only when a Menzoberranyr cleric reaches the level where they can commune with Selvetarm (DM's Comment: That is when they reach 9th level) do they realise that he is a god in his own right. After this revelation, these Menzoberranyr Selvetarmite clerics continue to preach that Selvetarm's power derives from Lolth even though they know the truth. The principle reason for this is the awesome power possessed by the Lolthite faith. The similarity in the relationship that Selvetarm and his faithful share with Lolth and her faithful is not lost on these 'awakened' Selvetarmites either. There are no official structures dedicated solely to Selvetarm in Menzoberranzan; rather there are small chapels devoted to him attached to large Lolthite chapels. There are many Matrons who dislike the 'phoney faith' of Selvetarm but the more powerful Matrons see the advantage in giving the males a figure to identify with. Especially, since the power of Lolth and obedience to her commands permeates nearly every level of Selvetarmite faith.
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These Matrons have also put in place systems that make sure very few Selvetarm clerics reach the level where they realise the truth. Selvetarmite clerics are also much more expendable than Lolthite clerics and tend to see much more front-line action since no Matron likes to see the Lolthite and clerical strength of their House depleted. The Selvetarmite faith is principally concerned with warfare and the improvement of martial skills, which is another reason to put them in the front ranks. The faithful spend their days engaged in military activities, such as guarding buildings, patrolling and training. War is the ultimate expression of individual power, and only through battle and death can one realise the respect of one's comrades. Hone fighting skills constantly and teach those who will follow into the fray. Those Matrons who encourage the cult of Selvetarm appreciate the fact that having their males devote themselves to a dogma actually increases their usefulness. The clergy of Selvetarm can be both genders, although female clerics would be very likely to suffer extreme prejudice and contempt from their Lolthite sisters. The aranea are also accepted as clergy but other non-drow are extremely unlikely to be accepted. DM's Comment: Players should note that only the most powerful Selvetarmites in Menzoberranzan believe in Selvetarm's divinity. Most Menzoberranyr Selvetarmites do not worship him but ask and entreat him to represent their prayers and desires to Lolth. Zinzerena The Cult of Zinzerena is in many regards similar to the 'Cult' of Selvetarm except that Zinzerena is actually an aspect of Lolth. However, for her own reasons the Spider Queen has not made this knowledge available. Rather she has allowed rumours of this 'new' power of chaos and assassins to spread. The Matrons tolerate the cult since they have divine instruction to do so but it is hardly flourishing as a result of this tolerance. No female would sensibly want to become a cleric of Zinzerena since the Cult is tiny and there is no prestige or station associated with it. Since, the cult actually worships another goddess and is officially tolerated male clerics are not allowed. The worship of Zinzerena emerged after the Time of Troubles and the faith is still very much in its infancy.

Shar Contrary to what some Lolthite clergy say the goddess of the Underdark is Shar. Dark Followers say that she is present in all the dark places of the world and especially in the spaces between the stars. However, Lolth has Darkness as one of her domains and is also rumoured to reveal the secrets of Shadow Magic to her worshippers. It is unclear to the sages, who study these matters, what the exact relationship is between

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the two. What is clear is that Shar is not Lolth; therefore the clergy of Menzoberranzan have no hesitation in killing Sharrans who openly practice and proclaim their 'heresy'. However, there have been Sharran drow documented as living in neighbouring cities and by their veneration of Ghaunadaur some drow show that they are not prejudiced about worshipping a non-drow deity if their personal power increases as a result. Others There are worshippers of other faiths in Menzoberranzan as a consequence of the large number of slaves in the city. However, none of them are allowed to worship freely and any clerics of these faiths are persecuted. The only possible exceptions are the duergar. Gracklstugh is a powerful city and Menzoberranzan is not so powerful that it should seek to start a war with that city, in spite of arrogant drow boasting. As such it is possible that duergar clerics of Deep Duerra and Laduguer walk the streets of Menzoberranzan. However, they do so only as members of trade caravans and their sole purpose is trade. Gracklstugh is not so wealthy that it can afford to start a war with a city that is a major market for its products. The goblinoids are rumoured to worship chiefly Maglubiyet with Khurgorbaeyag, Nomog-Geaya and Bargrivyek also commanding the prayers of Menzoberranzan's oppressed goblinoids. The bugbears worship Hruggek, Grankhul and Skiggaret, whilst the kobolds revere Kurtulmak mostly, with a few praying to Gaknulak. The Orc Pantheon is ruled over by Gruumsh, asssited by his loyal son, Bahgtru and his lieutenant, Ilneval; his consort is Luthic. The two other main orc gods are the Night-Lord, Shargaas and the terrifying,Yurtrus. Some half-orcs worship the orc pantheon and a few duergar mutter darkly about the influence of Diirinka and a rare few speak of Diinkarazan. Ever vigilant for heresy, drow priestesses are expected to know these names for what they are, the speaker's own death sentence. There are many gods in Faern and the Priestesses of Menzoberranzan make sure their influence is never felt in Lolth's city. DM's Comment: If a player wants their character to worship a specific deity then they need to justify their character's worship. Obviously, the deity needs to be worshiped in Faern.

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The City and its Organisations

Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, is the ultimate site of Lolthite society. Along with Ched Nasad, Menzoberranzan is in held in the highest favour by the Spider Queen. Its noble houses strive to keep their power and status whilst trying to usurp their rivals who are ranked higher. Chaos rules Menzoberranzans society, but it is a chaotic surge led by a matriarchal society that is utterly devoted to Lloth. Open worship of any deity except Lloth is heresy and her priestesses hold absolute and uncontested power. Adherents and clerics of other faiths must keep their practices extremely secret to ensure they are not branded heretics and subsequently executed. Even Zinzerenan worship, which is officially tolerated, must be performed out of sight (DM's comment: Not actually a problem since no-one actually worships her). Only Lolthite clerics can wear their holy symbols and only Lolthite clerics can preach their faith. While society changes dynamically with every assassination and backstabbing, only the power of the priestesshood remains constant.

The Districts of Menzoberranzan

Menzoberranzan is divided into nine districts, with each one unique in its features, landmarks and citizenry. The services, characters and adventures differ in each district as well. Prudent visitors make sure they are familiar with each district so that they know what type of establishments, goods and services to expect. They also make sure they know which places they can visit and those that should be avoided. Quellarzorl Screened from the lower city by a swathe of giant mushrooms, this plateau is occupied by some of the proudest Noble Houses. It is bare, spacious and there is none of the crowding associated with the other neighbourhoods; House Baenre ruthlessly keeps the rabble out. A visitor sees only giant mushrooms, a small forest of them and the compounds of a few Noble Houses (as well as the ruins of several extinct Houses). No one else lives here, and no businesses are located here. Soldiers from all the powerful noble Houses promenade here from time to time, on real or assumed business, just to be seen and to challenge beings they dont think belong here, or just dont like the look of. Narbondellyn This wealthy district is dominated by the compounds of several houses that belong to the Ruling Council namely Houses Fey-Branche, Faen Tlabbar, Barrison DelArmgo and Tuin'Tarl. The compounds of the notable Noble Houses Srunelett, Horlbar, and Shobalar are also located here. It is also home to many wealthy up-and-coming drow families, the Noble Houses of the future, and the most luxurious and profitable of trades: gems, perfumes, moneylending, and the like.

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West Wall Aside from the ruins of House DoUrden, the fortresses along the western wall of Menzoberranzan's great cavern are wealthy, solid, and long-established and look it. Among them are the noble Houses Duskryn, Druugiir, Symryvvin, and Vandree. Their neighbours include proud, old families, given to gaming, various esoteric hobbies, such as collecting animals of the surface world, or staging gladiatorial combats between captured beings, for private amusement, and dreaming of grander days. Manyfolk This large area of the city is home to many of the shops and businesses of the city, from the Bluirren family, who make spiced sausages from Underdark creatures whose precise identities and origins are best not investigated too closely, to the Ulaver, whose luminous, sweet green wine is a growing taste among the Menzoberranyr. Around The Bazaar stand too many shops and family homes to list. Almost all of the drow commoner class, or the normal drow citizenry, dwell in Manyfolk. Many noble Houses maintain secondary or secretive safe residences here. It is the most colorful, interesting, and tolerant neighborhood of the city and is the place most Menzoberranyr come from, although the ambitious always try to move out of it to a better area and subsequently neglect to speak of their childhood background. The Bazaar There is an ever-changing, always busy area of Menzoberranzan; a crowded, untidy labyrinth of stalls and hagglers whose fame has spread across the Underdark. In the city, it is known simply as The Bazaar. A Calishite with rings gleaming on every finger and puffing slaves bringing purchases along behind would feel right at home here - and indeed, Calishite satraps seeking bargains are often to be seen in the Bazaar. Menzoberranzans ongoing trade fair attracts merchants and goods from all over Faern, and even a few items from Kara-Tur and fabled Maztica can be found for sale. Merchants and shoppers of all races and lands are welcome, it is even whispered that some of the more mysterious traders, who may also go about masked and cowled, gesturing silently, come from places beyond the stars - Above the World Above - or other planes of existence. Tier Breche The largest single piece of architecture found in Menzoberranzan is the broad stairway that leads up to Tier Breche. Rumour says that these stone steps are enspelled with chain lightning and other killing magics under the control of the wizards of Sorcere. However, if such defenses exist, they are rarely used. The top of the stair is always guarded by two male drow warriors in the final year of their battle training. They wear rings of spell turning, and have sleep-venomed longswords, hand crossbows, daggers, and guardhorns. A note from a guardhorn summons a duty wizard from Sorcere in seconds. The wizard can in turn summon a pair of jade spider guardians and request the aid of a duty priestess of similar rank. In addition to their spells and items both the priestess and the wizard carry wands and they can call on arcane and divine reinforcements. Storming Tier Breche from the city below is not likely to be a successful act.
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Eastmyr Those not successful enough to dwell in Manyfolk live in the poorer, less esteemed neighborhood of Eastmyr. Struggling merchants, outlaws, the penniless, mercenaries, and non-drow of no particular wealth or power dwell here. The noble Houses Hunzrin and Kenafin also maintain their fortresses here.

The Braeryn Extending north from the western end of the Spiderfangs are the dark alleys and hovels of the Stenchstreets. This is Menzoberranzans slum, home to sick and outlaw drow, goblins, orcs, bugbears and other non-drow who are sometimes hired for odd jobs, such as heavy loading, digging, etc or for guard or mercenary pillage-raid duty. Some are even stupid or desperate enough to try their luck in the city as thieves or kidnappers. Drow hunt here for sport from time to time, often after drinking too much, slaying all who can not hide, escape, or fight off their attackers. Outlaws and others hide here and raiding drow occasionally come to grief when the helpless old orc they attacked turns out to be a powerful, enraged human wizard or drow priestess on a spy mission or indulging personal tastes for adventure. Donigarten The granary of Menzoberranzan, this area is dominated by the lake of Donigarten. It is surrounded by a rich moss bed, a stand of giant mushrooms, and rich fungi farms. On an islet in the lake, orcs and goblins tend a herd of deep roth watched over by drow patrols sent out from Tier Breche through the Mantle. As well as the patrols, drow with guardhorns and eyes of the eagle cusps keep watch from cavern-wall fissures overlooking Donigarten, to prevent food thefts by the orcs and goblins, as well as raids by others. There are two to five spies on duty at any one time; these are drawn from the three schools of Tier Breche to teach them patience and vigilance. The Bauthwaf Surrounding the City of Spiders are tunnels and caves that lead into the wilds of the Underdark. These tunnels are known as the Around-Cloak or Bauthwaf. The tunnels are dangerous areas where no drow should roam alone. These passageways and stone labyrinths are infested with monsters and Underdark creatures, and are constantly patrolled by Academy students and drow militia groups. The Pit Warrens The Pit Warrens are the prison cells of Menzoberranzan, a place no-one would want to visit. The lowly criminals that are not sacrificed to the Spider Queen are thrown in this pit that opens up into a vast and deadly maze with no way out. Only those not worth sacrificing to Lloth or those who have committed a lower crime against nobles will end up stuck indeterminably within the maze.
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Rumor has it that sort of an under city lies within the Pit Warrens, an underground society of outlaws ruled by an ancient beholder. However, no-one has ever confirmed the tales, or investigated it in detail; and ancient beholders are said to be very fat. The Ruins of Former Noble Houses There are those noble houses that either displeased Lloth or were annihilated by other noble houses. Those Qu'ellaren that have fallen from grace are only remembered by the shattered ruins of their compounds. These ruins are, as a city rule, left alone, unmarred and undisturbed, so as to remind passers-by of the fate of those too weak or unwilling to obey the will of the Spider Queen. They are usually haunted by the spirits of those who failed to defend it, and are dark, gloomy places that hold secrets left behind by their owners. Most drow who venture inside these ruins soon join the forgotten dead, but there are a few who come back with tales and power unimaginable. Listed below are the six most notable ruins. Ruin of House Hunett Ruin of House DoUrden Ruin of House Oblodra Ruin of House DeVir Ruin of House Tekenduis Ruin of House Freth DM's Comment: Officially these ruins are testament to the Spider Queen's power. They are not the ruins of by-gone Houses since officially these Houses, especially those destroyed by rivals, never existed. It is prudent not to speak of, for example, House Oblodra since that house never existed officially. It is thought to be extremely unlucky to speak of former Houses and since any drow who does speak of such things is promptly executed proof of this bad luck is visible for all.

The Houses of Menzoberranzan

Menzoberranzan plays a deadly game, the Game of Houses. Each house functions almost like a small city with its Matron as absolute ruler heading a predominantly selfserving hierarchy some of whom wish to replace her but none of whom wish to see another House achieve this, since their lives would also be forfeit. Presiding over the Great Game is Lolth, who not only throws the dice but frequently changes the rules. It is estimated that at any one time, Menzoberranzan has between sixty to seventy noble houses. All Houses are ranked in order of power, status and station; and all strive to increase their standing in this order at the detriment of others. At the same time, each House vigorously makes sure that it does not slip down the rankings since this is normally fatal. Changes in rank and station occur often and frequently in the lower ranks as a consequence of small Qu'ellar size and the support of powerful allies. At the top, positions change rarely with the top seventeen being considered the most powerful and wealthy. The Top eight Qu'ellaren are members of the Ruling Council and it is either a foolish House or a powerful one who moves against any of them. The powerful Houses instead ally themselves with the
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weaker Houses. These alliances are nearly always kept secret since the powerful House does not want to look weak by announcing an alliance, neither does it wish to announce its plans to rivals and finally a secret alliance is much easier to break if the stronger House wishes to do so.

The Major or Noble Qu'ellaren Qu'ellar Baenre House Baenre has a large compound, consisting of thirty linked stalactites, twenty huge stalagmite buildings and the domed Temple of Lloth, in the Qu'ellarz'orl section of Menzoberranzan. The Baenre have long enjoyed the favour of Lloth throughout the many years of its rule over Menzoberranzan. The loss of former Matron Yvonnel Baenre and half of its fighting force in the failed attempt at conquering Mithral Hall was a heavy blow but Qu'ellar Baenre, under the leadership of Matron Triel, succeeded in keeping their premier place in Menzoberranzan. However, the other seven members of the Ruling Council claimed more power than they enjoyed under Yvonnel, thus slackening Baenre's grip. Relations with some of the other houses, such as Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo are as shakey as ever, although no open conflicts, or even verbal hostilities have been noted as yet. Within the house there remains a void due to the botched war. The losses of Matron Baenre, many other nobles and many priestess of Lloth have not been regained. This poses a problem since House Baenre was known for the large number of High Priestesses and ordinary Priestesses. Most of these clerics were claimed from the survivors of fallen noble houses and Qu'ellar Baenre has simply not been involved with, (a better phrase might be 'has not directed') many inter-House hostilities. The loss of many nobles in the war, the failure to replace them and the lack of involvment in the wars of Lesser Houses has lead some to speculate that House Baenre's favour with Lloth is not as it used to be. To date, Matron Triel's most impressive feat has been retaining her noble house's grip on the ruling chair of Menzoberranzan. Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo House Barrison Del'Armgo has had its sights set on taking the position of First House of Menzoberranzan for quite some time. The only thing that has kept them from attaining their goal, is House Baenre and their continuing favour of Lloth. Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo will not openly challenge House Baenre, even with their numbers reduced and Triel as Matron. It was only a decade ago that their chief rival, former third House Oblodra, was destroyed due to the power of Yvonnel Baenre and the will of Lloth and this has made House Barrison Del'Armgo wisely rethink their relations with Baenre. Earlier on in Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo's history, Matron Mez'Barris Armgo and her daughters realized that they could never be a truly powerful force within Menzoberranzan without a sizable group of High Priestesses. This lead to a time of fervent praying and sacrifice to the Spider Queen, and the forging of treaties and alliances. However, House Barrison Del'Armgo's entreaties for more female births was not answered, and Mez'Barris realized that Lloth wanted it that way. As such, the house openly accepts males and have not only bred some of the finest wizards in the city but the most elite warrior group as well. The males of the house ensure that Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo
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keeps it high position and are more than ample compensation for the lack of priestesses. The House's tolerant attitude towards males has ensured that that they are very loyal to Matron Mez'Barris and she encourages this 'cult of personality'. The mages of House Barrison Del'Armgo demonstrated their power, many years ago, when they performed a magical slaughter which not only made an entire noble house, compound and inhabitants, disappear overnight but left a work of art curriously shaped like the Armgo sigil in its place. This act and others resulted in the house receiving a much higher ranking. It was only natural that such an ambitious and powerful House eventually attained the rank of second house. Although Mez'Barris feels that Triel is an upstart and has no place ruling a house, and that Baenre have had their primary position long enough, Barrison Del'Armgo will not openly face House Baenre. Even if Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo triumphed the victory would be pyrrhic and they would struggle to maintain their newly won position as a result of the losses incurred. Instead, Qu'ellaren Baenre and Barrison Del'Armgo deal with one another on levels most Menzoberranyr never know about. Qu'ellar Faen Tlabbar House Faen Tlabbar is best known for its priestesses, and their enjoyment of the more carnal pleasures of life. When a group of them goes out to paint the town red, that is usually exactly what happens, either through celebration, or through the slaughtering of some unfortunate being who crossed them at the worst time possible. The history of Faen Tlabbar is an interesting one, as most of its advancement through the house ranks has occured without them even attacking another house. Qu'ellar Faen Tlabbar is known for being extremely loyal to the Spider Queen, with many new incantations and divine magics being studied and created as a grace of Lloth. These new dark magics require the joint effort of all the clan's priestesses. Upon the completion of a new divine spell, it is usually either the Matron or one of her daughters that performs the spell for the first time for the rest of Menzoberranzan. While the Priestesses rule this clan with complete authority, there is a sense of openness within the nobles. Open discussion, and criticism is welcomed, even from the males of the family, though ultimately it is the Matron and the priestesses of Lloth that have the final say and decision. The real power of Faen Tlabbar is its influence upon the mercantile dealings within Menzoberranzan. They co-founded the Brown Mushroom Company with Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo in order to counter the Black Claw Mercantile that is backed by House Baenre. This influence within the mercantile circle has allowed the house to form "friendships" with other groups and houses, allowing them intimate knowledge of caravans and their coming and goings. Faen Tlabbar is known for being very tactful in its dealings with other houses, and is very diplomatic. Qu'ellar Xorlarrin House Xorlarrin's Matron, and therefore all the females of the Qu'ellar, treat the males of the House on an almost equal basis, rather than as lesser beings. Qu'ellar Xorlarrin also screen every male child to ensure that its life is lived to the fullest and that its qualities and eventual skills are placed within the area that would most benefit the house. These males are screened to ensure that their aptitude towards the arcane best serves the house. Those who fail are disposed of, either through sacrifice or sold to such groups as Bregan
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D'Aerthe, or slavers. House Xorlarrin is a very reclusive and paranoid house, even by drow standards. When out in public all the nobles wear identical clothing. This is usually a veil or mask, which covers their face and loose, flowing robes that hide the individual's gender. What singles them out from other such clad persons is the family insignia, which is always displayed upon the person. Perhaps one of the most important reasons why House Xorlarrin has been known as invulnerable, is the potent magic that is wielded by the many wizards of the House. At least seven are listed amongst the Masters of Sorcere and several of these are extremely powerful. The wizards of House Xorlarrin have also perfected the art of crafting various magical wands, including the creation of new variations of older wands as well as unique wands that only House Xorlarrin know of and use. Qu'ellar Agrach Dyrr There is perhaps no house more warlike than House Agrach Dyrr. Throughout its ancient history it has brutally destroyed many houses and successfully defended itself against just as many. The Matron and females of Agrach Dyrr have common ideals with some of the other matrons of the city, in that they allow the males an unusually large measure of independence and respect. However, there is a power behind the Matron's throne and that power is the wizard, Dyrr. He is an ancient drow lich who was born over two thousand years ago, and still actively deals with the higher members of his house and rules over it. Dyrr is often seen throughout Menzoberranzan and the Dyrr compound as a hobbling, decrepit figure leaning heavily upon his staff. However, very few know that this agd and sickly creature is an extremely powerful individual. Dyrr is generally masked even when among members of his own family and very few have actually seen the lichdrow's actual face. Through his influence, the arcane spellcasters of Qu'ellar Agrach Dyrr have created a place for themselves within the House and have become the cornerstone of its rise through the ranks of the Noble Houses. Some of the Dyrr nobility are known to have a pompous attitude towards other Houses. However, due to the reputation of superiority that House Agrach Dyrr has within Menzoberranzan these others are hesitant in correcting or defying them. One of Qu'ellar Agrach Dyrr's most famous victories came when another Noble House attacked them. So swift and deadly was their defence and counter attack, that no noble of the attacking family survived; which deprived the Ruling Council of the duty and pleasure of ordering the offending House's destruction. Truly, House Agrach Dyrr has earned the respect of the Ruling and the lower Noble Qu'ellaren within Menzoberrazan. Qu'ellar Mizzrym House Mizzryn is known to be a house composed of utterly duplicitous, doubledealing, manipulative back stabbers who negotiate with the sole purpose of gaining as much power and status for themselves. Even by drow standards, the Mizzrym are extremely untrustworthy. A great deal of Mizzrym's influence comes from trade, for unlike most of the xenophobic drow they are open to dealing with other races, including those not of the Underdark. Rumor has it that House Mizzrym has dealings with rogue deep gnomes, something, which, if true, would be viewed harshly by both races. The only trade between drow and svirfneblin is carried out at Mantol-Derith, the Market of the Underdark.
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Although, after the sack of Blingdenstone the svirfneblin have little to sell anymore. Whatever the source, Qu'ellar Mizzrym seems to control a source of exceptionally rare gems. Through their gain in wealth, House Mizzrym has become one of the largest employers of mercenaries within Menzoberranzan and have seen their status rise accordingly. Miz'ri, the Matron of this house has sacrificed many sons to Lloth and jealously guards her position from her daughters. The spellcasters of House Mizzrym are extremely proficient in the casting of illusions and such magic is used to deceive both their enemies and allies. This illusionary magic is also a metaphor for the actions of Mizzrym. They promise much to their allies but in the end don't deliver and abandon them for their own gain. Qu'ellar Fey-Branche House Fey-Branche is one of the most ancient houses within Menzoberranzan, unfortunately most of those years have seldom been triumphant. Considering all the bad luck that this House has endured it is a surprise that they have survived as long as they have. This bad luck has taken the form of the untimely deaths of many of its nobles, be they deaths by accident, assassinations, or even duels. However, what this Qu'ellar has been successful at is collecting an incredible amount of information. This is perhaps the key to Fey-Branche's survival, for the information known by this House could lead to severe embarrassment for an exposed House and even bring many Houses to their knees. When it has experienced warfare Qu'ellar Fey-Branche has usually been defending itself. It has defended itself on over a dozen occasions. This House while holding a key position in the city by dint of being one of the ruling Houses is perhaps one of the most unstable. There are many eager Houses amongst the lower Noble Qu'ellaren awaiting the chance to improve their status should Fey-Branche fall. Qu'ellar Tuin'Tarl House Tuin'Tarl is a fairly new house, having arisen only within the last thousand years. Its rise in status came from trade, and it still sponsors expeditions that range across huge distances within the Underdark. Qu'ellar Tuin'Tarl deals in many goods, including the trade of nobles, in order to increase their own number. In spite of its strength in trade, House Tuin'Tarl is viewed and known to be a very weak noble house. There are many Houses beneath eagerly waiting for a chance to increase their rank within the city by plotting Qu'ellar Tuin'Tarl's demise. Qu'ellar Duskryn This Qu'ellar has a reputation for commiting acts of savage cruelty for the perverse amusement of its nobles. House Duskryn appeared 3,000 years ago and has consistently trained some of the best soldiers and armies in the city. The Duskryn reward performance and don't discriminate between nobles and servants when it comes to conferring prizes. Qu'ellar Duskryn have succesfully defended themselves against many attacks down the years, the most notable defence being seven centuries ago when several Houses attacked it rapid annual succession. It was rumoured but never confirmed that House Baenre
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orchestrated those attacks. Duskryn is a strong and powerful House that continues to rise in status and it seems likely that they will secure a seat on the Ruling Council soon. Qu'ellar Srune'lett This clan has many powerful priestess but few talented wizards or fighters. The Srune'Lett priestesses tend to be short and stocky which has lead the loose-tongued to call them the 'fat sisters'. Naturally, if a Srune'Lett hears that description applied to her she kills the speaker. In addition to its own army this Qu'ellar has a reasonably sized mercenary company. However, their loyalty is suspect. The Srune'Lett have also persuaded a mindflayer to join them. Qu'ellar Horlbar The chief feature of this Qu'ellar is the twin Matron Mothers. For 2,000 years Qu'ellar Horlbar has been ruled by joint Matrons. These are usually twins but have at times been sisters or first cousins. When one of the Matrons die the other quickly follows. The two Matrons hate one another and are united only in their hatred for anything that is nonHorlbaryn. The House has gained its power through prosperous agriculture and succesful trade. They have rarely initiated conflict but are very vengeful against any House that offers them insult. Qu'ellar Kenafin This House very much epitomises the principle of a Lolthite household. The males are kept in order by brutal and enthusiastic priestesses, who in turn are kept in line by the malevolent Matron, Kyrnil. As a result of this vicious application of Lolthite doctrine Qu'ellar Kenafin have a bare handful of noble males. In public, the House is known to be a busy trading house, which performs the greater part of its trade within Menzoberranzan. Qu'ellar Druu'giir The vast wealth of Qu'ellar Druu'giir and its role as Menzoberranzan's chief moneylender means that this Qu'ellar has power out of proportion to its position in the rankings. The clan is dominated by a quintet of elderly wizards whose skill at employing gate spells means that their well-paid, and therefore, loyal mercenaries can appear in virtually any compound in the city. Qu'ellar Hunzrin This House is often dismissed as a bunch of farmers who struggle to breed enough daughters to give themselves a sizeable number of priestesses. This overlooks the fact that they are the third most powerful Noble House in terms of fighters and their control over the city's food supply makes it prudent for the Ruling Houses to treat them respectfully. Their alliance with House Baenre and a dialogue with House Barrison Del'Armgo also helps.

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Qu'ellar Shobalar The nobility of this House is dominated by females to such an extent that even the wizards are females. Qu'ellar Shobalar is similar to the Xorlarrin in their reclusiveness, yet in their dealings they are more like the Mizzrym and have very few alliances as a consequence. The distinguishing features of Qu'ellar Shobalar are the enormous spiders that accompany family members when they are out in public. Spiders define House Shobalar and the House works extensively with these creatures that are sacred to Lolth. Qu'ellar Vandree House Vandree continues to walk a precarious path. It has no major alliances and its attempts to court House Baenre have failed. The defeat and subsequent weakening at Mithral Hall mean that the Baenre do not wish to provoke a direct confrontation with Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo, who have continued to take a strong anti-Vandree stance. Although, House Barrison Del'Armgo have made no secret that they covet the Vandree compound they have not yet made their move. Naturally, there is speculation why but no explanation has won out. For the moment, the Vandree continue to trust to Lolth and their long tradition of getting out of serious trouble. Qu'ellar Symryvvin The Symryvvin are best left alone since Matron Hesken-P'aj doesn't visit Qu'ellaren Baenre and Barrison Del'Armgo. Instead, their matrons visit her on a regular basis and since such gestures are extremely unusual for such powerful Matrons many a drow wonders what is the power that Hesken-P'aj wields. The Symryvvin are strong in both arcane and divine magic and both their priestesses and mages spend long hours working on new magics. There is considerably more to this Qu'ellar than their lowly seventeenth place in the rankings would suggest. The fact that no-one has been able to find out what that is sends a shiver of fear down the spine of any sensible drow who pauses to consider that fact.

The Lesser or Non-Noble Qu'ellaren After the seventeen most powerful houses there is a long list of houses whose strength and power wanes the further down the rankings they are. At the same time as being less powerful they are also more vulnerable and whenever a list of the Qu'ellaren of Menzoberranzan is drawn up it can be certain to be out of date soon. The following list ranks the Houses in terms of wealth, power and prestige. Some of these Houses have been described by more powerful Houses as non-Noble because they were founded by rich commoners or servants and not by a strong and independently minded noble daughter with a powerful coterie. However, even though these Houses are called non-Noble they still posess their own royalty and nobility.
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18 - Qu'ellar Shunn Tahaladar 20 - Qu'ellar Nurbonnis 22 - Qu'ellar Klor'lbar 24 - Qu'ellar Millithor 26 - Qu'ellar Asbodela 28 - Qu'ellar Chuethduis 30 - Qu'ellar Lylyl 32 - Qu'ellar Tormtor 34 - Qu'ellar Arabani 36 - Qu'ellar Hlaund 38 - Qu'ellar Azuviir 40 - Qu'ellar Godeep 42 - Qu'ellar Urundlet 44 - Qu'ellar Tirin 46 - Qu'ellar Vahadarr 48 - Qu'ellar Ol'il'isk 50 - Qu'ellar Miliskeera 52 - Qu'ellar Yulaun'tlar 54 - Qu'ellar Balartyr 56 - Qu'ellar Fael Olyphar 58 - Qu'ellar Ulutar 60 - Qu'ellar Bluirren 62 - Qu'ellar Valauntlar

19 - Qu'ellar Ilharus-Freth 21 - Qu'ellar Auryndar 23 - Qu'ellar Ssh'starm 25 - Qu'ellar Despana 27 - Qu'ellar Ilith'vir 29 - Qu'ellar Haellrin 31 - Qu'ellar Torgh 33 - Qu'ellar Vest'yrr 35 - Qu'ellar Rilynt'tar 37 - Qu'ellar Noquar 39 - Qu'ellar Ulaver 41 - Qu'ellar Dlaen Del'Amatar 43 - Qu'ellar Ilueph 45 - Qu'ellar Neereath 47 - Qu'ellar Llarabbar 49 - Qu'ellar Waeth del'tar 51 - Qu'ellar Ousstyl 53 - Qu'ellar Elaugolvir 55 - Qu'ellar Yune'duis 57 - Qu'ellar Ilystryph 59 - Qu'ellar Zalyzryn 61 - Qu'ellar Tuek'tharm 63 - Qu'ellar Bystryph

The Houses placed beneath this list are young or newly formed, have no real allies and are vulnerable to the tides of chaos. They are, therefore, not included. DM's Comment: Some players may wish to found their own House once their character has gained enough levels and gold. Their character will also need several strong allies (that is other PC's of a similar level) and the backing of a powerful Noble House or at least the assurance that their nascent House will not be attacked by several Houses. Such non-aggression treaties are expensive and having the backing of a Noble House means that the nascent House is often the dupe for the Greater House's schemes. However, Lolth bestows her favour on those priestesses who do found their own Houses and enough newly created Houses have succeeded to make it a venture worth considering and undertaking. Obviously, a player will have to speak to a DM about founding their own House since the opportunities for roleplay and enjoyment are many.

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The Academy (Getting an Education)

The drow are famous for their prowess in both combat and magic. Menzoberranzan, as in most drow cities, has a system known as The Academy, which is utilised to train youngsters in the arts necessary to survival. The Academy of Menzoberranzan is housed in Tier Breche; the two names are used interchangeably. It is where the young drow live whilst they train and master their skills. This is solely so that they can become useful to their superiors, repay the debt they incurred as children and create a new debt, as an Academy education is expensive. Noble drow of every House have to undergo training in the academy in order to be accepted by their brethren. Indeed, many drow say that one can not be a Noble if one has not had an Academy education. Since, the number of noble children is quite small many of the students of Tier Breche are commoners or servants. The servant students are skilled individuals who are sponsored by their House. Nearly all the Qu'ellaren send servants to protect their young nobles; although they can't officially act as bodyguards, a noble often finds a familiar face or two in any of the classes they attend. Common drow can either try to find a Noble House, a rich familiy or a guild to sponsor them so that they can prove that their skills can also be used by the powers within the city. DM's comment: Noble PC's will be required to enter The Academy since it is their duty to their House. Servant PC's are not obligated to attend Tier Breche, however their House will grant them sponsorship if the Player decides that they'd like their character to attend. Commoner PC's will struggle to find a Noble sponsor, although some Houses will see a benefit to doing so. Commoner PC's may also discover a street Academy where they recieve training in a range of roguish skills, for a price of course. Classes in the Academy There are three academic buildings in Tier Breche. These are Arach Tinilith, which is an impressive temple of Lloth and is used for the training of priestesses. Sorcere is the school for wizards and Melee Magthere is the place for fighters. These classes, however, are not the only ones allowed in Tier Breche and the following list shows which school a drow of that class should go to. Arach Tinilith - Clerics Sorcere - Wizards The School of Song - Bards The Spellguard of Sorcere - Monks Melee Magthere - Fighters, Barbarians, Rangers The Dragon Blood Society - Sorcerers Those schools in italics are secret, their classes are not commonly followed in Menzoberranzan and none outside of their host institution (and very few within it) know of its existence.

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DM's Comment: Single classed Rogues and Druids can not attend Tier Breche. Players of such characters should multi-class in order to attend. The list below shows the top-most floor of each building a player can enter according to their academy class. Arach Tinilith Cleric Wizard Fighter Bard Barbarian Ranger Sorcerer Monk 5th 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st (1st) 1st 3rd 1st 1st (1st) 1st Sorcere 1st 5th 5th 3rd 5th 5th 5th
-

Melee Magthere 5th 1st

The first four floors of each of the three buildings have five academy quests each that a PC can complete to count towards their graduation from Tier Breche. These quests are a mixture of DM-ed quests and static quests. The higher the building floor, the harder the academy quest is, and the more specific to the buildings primary class it is. The fifth floor of each building contains only the graduation quest. The classes marked in red are restricted in their movement. Sorcerers can take the toughest tests in Melee Magthere but aren't especially suited to doing so. Once a sorcerer is inducted into the Dragon Blood Society they effectively disappear from Menzoberranyr society and can not enter Arach Tinilith or Sorcere. Before this sorcerers are treated as wizards, hence are able to enter the first floors of Sorcere and Arach-Tinilith. The primary advantage sorcerers have over their fellows, once they join the Dragon Blood Society, is that they are no longer required to graduate from Tier Breche. Monks are not a recognised class outside of Sorcere and within Sorcere their own talents are not suited to the tests within that building. Technically, they have access to all of the Sorcere but only in the guise of servants or as a consequence of being given a task to perform. Since, monks were never inducted into Tier Breche as students they are not bound to stay there until they graduate. The ground levels of all buildings (1st floors) are open to all enrolled students. This reflects the time the different academies spend training all students. Fighters will receive spiritual training in Arach Tinilith as well as instruction in the Sorcere, just not as much as they receive in Melee Magthere. Different classes have different accesses to buildings based on what type of skills that class needs to develop.

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Multiclasses in the Academy Some drow have a variety of skills, being able to fight well and cast spells, for example. In these cases, a number of criteria are used to determine which of the three schools is to be their main one. These are gender, the wishes of drow's matron and what class the drow excels at. Nearly all of the noble females go to Arach Tinilith since their Qu'ellar increases in power and station as a result upon their graduation. The pressure on a noble female to attend Arach Tinilith is intense and the Matron has to be exceptionally tolerant or the noble female exceptionally gifted in her alternate career not to attend. To date, only Qu'ellar Shobalar have not sent some of their noble daughters to Arach Tinilith. Since, the priestesses are trained to fight and can hold their own against most warriors no noble female to date has attended Melee Magthere. It is not expected to change. The situation is different for servant and commoner females. Commoners who are paying for their own education can choose which school to attend since it is their gold. However, the other two schools are different in the way they deal with these types of females. Melee Magthere has no gender bias, also the Matrons prefer to have females in charge of their armies so this school has a good number of female students. Sorcere, on the other hand, frowns on female wizards believing most to be Arach Tinilith spies. Those few females who enter Sorcere are tested severely and face a deep rooted prejudice. Of course, this prejudice is not manifested openly but the Masters of Sorcere are wily and the towers of their school contain many rooms and traps. Males are forbidden to attend Arach Tinilith, except to receive religious instruction (DM's comment: That is they are allowed to complete the first floor test.) and there is a slight prejudice to sending noble sons to Sorcere. However, the male's natural talent is the main determiner. DM's comment: If your character possesses more than one class when you enter Tier Breche you will be evaluated by a DM to see which academic building you will join. Social and Prevalent character classes strongly influence that decision. This means that if your character is a noble female 3rd level fighter and 1st level cleric, they will almost always be placed in Arach Tinilith. For example, when Liriel Baenre joined Tier Breche, she was a wizard and a cleric. However, she was placed in Arach Tinilith instead of Sorcere because her clerical abilities were considered more important than her magical ones, even though she was more experienced in wizardry. Characters that wish to train in a specific class other than that considered your most important one, will have to report to a DM and offer a very good explanation.

Academy Admission The cost of attending Tier Breche for the full ten years necessary to graduate is 125,000 gold pieces per drow. For royal, noble and servant drow their Tier Breche fees are paid by their Qu'ellar. However, in effect their Qu'ellar simply buys their debt and they then have to pay their House back - with interest. A similar scheme is set up for those commoner drow who demonstrate exceptional talent. Although, in most commoner cases their 'sponsors' are the various Menzoberranyr guilds.
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In order to be eligible to attend Tier Breche the student must be a drow and must be either a cleric, wizard, fighter, bard, barbarian or ranger. DM's Comment: That is multi-classed PC's must have at least one level of one of these allowable classes. Characters can be students at 1st level. Also, those that obtain sponsorship and qualify according to their classes can enter regardless of their starting academic class level. Academy Graduation In their tenth year, the students of Tier Breche have to undergo an exacting test in their main school in order to graduate. In keeping with the unforgiving nature of Menzoberranzan these graduation tests are fatal for the inferior and all students are wise to them, and even wiser to prepare ardulously for them. (DM's Comment: Players should note that these quests could result in the death of their characters. Players should also note that if their characters refuse to take this final test they will definitely be executed.) The tests are different for each school and can vary from year to year but all serve the purpose of ensuring that the graduates who descend the steps of Tier Breche are eminently suitable for contributing to the continuing success of their city. Having said that, Tier Breche exists to supply the Noble Houses and the Guilds of Menzoberranzan with drow who are an addition to their strength. If their lessons and tests are too easy or too hard then the Qu'ellaren and Guilds will not be strengthened. Most graduates return to their Qu'ellaren, some, however, remain to take advanced studies with their school. These studies are paid for by the school in question.

Titles used Within Tier Breche Each of the three schools and one of the sub-schools use titles for the different stations a drow can occupy in Tier Breche. Although, members of Tier Breche can be called either a Student, Graduate, Post-Graduate, Instructor or Professor, depending on the station they occupy, they are usually called by different titles: For Arach Tinilith, the titles are Namuth, Yathrin, Talrin, Yathtallar and Alurin. The head of Arach Tinilith is called the Ilharess Arach Tinilith. For Sorcere, the titles are Novice, Graduate, Apprentice, Mage and Mastermage (usually just Master). The head of Sorcere is called the Archmage. For Melee Magthere, the titles are Cadet, Warrior, Soldier, Warlord and Master. For the School of Song, the titles are Voice, Herald, Learned Herald, Learned Bard and Prince at Arms. The head of the School of Song is called the King at Arms.

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Goods and Services

Starting Equipment When a player first logs on to the server, they will begin in the Character Generation module. This module allows a player to set up any necessary sub-race bonuses and penalties. They can also read the server rules and credits, and prepare themselves for living, surviving and advancing in the City of Spiders. The PC will be given a certain amount of gold to spend on the merchants that they meet in the Character Generation module. There are two types of merchants in the beginning area, one selling weapons and armor and one selling spells and magic. A PC will be able to buy and sell their starting equipment for the same price, in case they change their mind after a purchase. It is advisable for a PC to stock up on potions and healing patches and spend most of their starting money on their starting equipment. Once a PC has finished purchasing goods, they may proceed to the far portal where an NPC will transport them to Menzoberranzan. When a PC reaches the city, they start of in the Players OOC area and either make their way into The Bazaar or to the point of their last quest. If there is a DM online then a player should contact them if they need help or more information about their character's starting equipment. Moneylending Life in Menzoberranzan is costly but there are many ways to acquire money. Characters can take out loans with moneylenders found on the streets of Menzoberranzan or if they are noble characters they can take loans from their own House. Loan amounts vary according to a characters social class and birthright, as the following table shows. Loan amount 250 gp 1,250 gp 2,500 gp 6,250 gp 12,500 gp 18,750 gp 25,000 gp Surfacer Yes No No No No No No Outsider Yes Yes No No No No No Commoner Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No Servant Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Noble Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No Royal Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes

Interest stacks every month with the rate varing from one moneylender to the next. When a borrower signs a contract with a moneylender they will be responsible for payment every month. A collector will visit them, or find them if they are hiding, and ask for either the minimum payment or the total amount of the loan. Collectors tend to be large, violent and difficult to refuse so borrowers had best have something for them. If a very resourceful borrower manages to escape the delicate attentions of a collector, things get much worse. Moneylenders are very resourceful and nearly all are backed by a Noble House. It is a bad idea for a character to take out a loan if they have no means to pay the money back. It is even worse to make an enemy of moneylenders, since that in turn means one has made an enemy of a Noble House.
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Characters will only be able to ask for one loan at a time, but they can transfer debt from one moneylender to another if they find a lender that offers a lower interest rate. In such cases, the new moneylender buys the old loan from the previous lender and the character now owes the new moneylender a sum of gold equal to their previous debt less the payments they've already made. For example, Vorn Asbodela fancies a night of debaunchery that involves several barrels of wine, a strange surface animal called a donkey and exotic dancers. The cost of such unusual revels total to 2,500 gold pieces. As usual Vorn's pockets are empty so he has a word with Lucre Do'Osh who lends him the requisite gold at the rate of 10 % per month. After one month, Vorn now owes 2,750 gold pieces and either has to pay back the whole amount or 10% of the current owing amount. Vorn opts for the minimum payment and hands over 280 gp. He now owes 2,470 gp. After a few more months, Vorn owes 1,500 gp and arranges for Ryath Druu'gir to buy his debt. Ryath pays 1,500 gp to Lucre Do'Osh and Vorn now makes his payments to Ryath who only charges Vorn an interest rate of 3 % per cycle since Ryath recently had an embarrasing incident that involved too much wine and a strange surface animal called a donkey. The limit of transferring loans is of course the maximum amount of money a character can ask for and it also depends on who the debtor owes. Menzoberranyr moneylenders generally don't buy debts from non-Menzoberranyr money-lenders. For instance, if a Ched Nasadran owes about 3,000 gp in loans, then they won't be able to transfer their debt because they won't find a moneylender who would be prepared to lend them more than 1,250 gold pieces. That said, the Nasadran is probably on the run and would be wise not to draw attention to themselves. Below are the notable moneylenders found in the streets of Menzoberranzan: Narbondellyn Yuimmith Shulcloak Ologh Gathergold Ilyri Sheeress of the Many Eyes Nantlel of the Three Fingers Regular income Many characters in Menzoberranzan receive a regular income and do not have to resort to borrowing money. The many Noble Houses of Menzoberranzan give monthly allowances to their nobility and pay their servants. Similarly guilds pay a monthly allowance to their members. Player characters will be able to generate an income for themselves by making a Skill roll based on their class. The key skills for each class' income checks are: Barbarian - Intimidate (Barbarians can find employment as guards and enforcers.) Bard - Perform (Bards literally 'sing for their supper'.) Cleric - Heal (Clerics are paid for healing the faithful.) Druid - Heal (Druids are learnd in herb lore, medicinal fungi and the such like they are also paid for their healing skills) Fighter - Discipline (Fighters are often employed as soldiers in House armies) Monk - Listen (Monks are secretly employed by Sorcere as bodyguards to important wizards, their ability to listen for danger is essential)
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Paladin - Persuade (Paladins, if any were present in the city, would speak on behalf of the causes they espouse.) Ranger - Set Trap (Rangers can earn their income by trapping fresh meat) Rogue - Pick Pocket (Rogues employ a number of means to acquire money) Sorcerer - Spellcraft (Primarily, Sorcerers are paid for the spells that they cast.) Wizard - Spellcraft (Primarily, Wizards are paid for the spells that they cast.)

Monthly Income and DC DC - 14 Novice Work (1d4 x 25 GP) DC - 19 Average Work (1d8 x 25 GP) DC - 24 Above Average Work (1d8 x 50 GP) DC - 29 Commendable Work (2d8 x 50 GP) DC - 34 Extraordinary Work (2d10 x 100 GP) To calculate their character's monthly income a player can either make a Skill check or accept the automatic Skill Check, i.e. takes a ten. For Example, Nym, a bard's apprentice (BRD 1) can have a maximun of four ranks in Perform Nym, also has a CHA of 14 which gives him a +2 modifier. For the first month he 'takes a Ten' and therefore receives a Income Roll of 16. (i.e. 10 + 4 ranks + 2 ability modifier = 16) This means he will earn between 25 to 100 GP. In the second month, Nym's player decides he would like to roll for Nym's income. He rolls a d20 and adds Nym's Perform score. In this case, Nym rolls a 19, this gives an income roll of 25 so he should gain somewhere between 200 to 900 GP that month.

The Bazaar The Bazaar is the open market of Menzoberranzan. A visitor will find all kinds of goods and services in that area, and merchants from all over the Realms, and beyond, stop by at least once every season to either stock up on rare goods from the Underdark or sell their own goods to a buyer. The Bazaar is heavily policed by Academy students since many noble drow visit to stroll around its booths and wagons. Many merchants also keep their own guards mostly for protection and partly to beat up non-paying customers in dark alleys. However, even more merchants have agreements with the Noble Houses who ensure that customers pay for goods purchased. It is strictly forbidden for anyone to start a fight or a skirmish in the Bazaar's vicinity, hence the patrols. It is also illegal to have a permanent structure in the Bazaar and all merchants must rotate their stalls every sixty six days. Some move their stalls every two months and nearly all have agreements to swap places with other merchants. The Bazaar is the best place in Menzoberranzan to replenish supplies of magical and mundane goods for fair prices and also to find exotic items as well.

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Menzoberranzan Shops Below is a list of the many shops on the streets of Menzoberranzan, followed by a short description of their business. Narbondellyn Hondel Belektyr - Grand Gem Merchant Infinyl Mestpar - gem dealer Thadalix Family - diamond merchants Ryrrl Family - diamond merchants Thaelara Oblare - gem dealer and cutter Maershala of the Flowers - perfumer Dhellorn and Diriziir Jaszaar - perfumer Mritt Shadalun - Gem Merchant Westwall Myrip Minstrelwish - perfumer Halaera - perfumer Elstearns Escorts - escort services and personal bodyguards Manyfolk Tlar Queltlarn - merchant, fine metalsmithing, gemsetting, and locksmithing Rhauvals delYgana - merchant and maker, exotic and highquality weaponry, specialized in concealed and venomed body weaponry for nobles Vilteerns Fine Chains - chains shop Duarthe Klendara - Cloth Merchant Shaun Darnruel - personal fashions merchant Uluruela Drael Tuabbar - merchant dealing in clothing and travel goods of leather, lizard skin and carved bones Ulavers Winegoblet - winery and shop Faeeras Floating Plants - surface and exotic plants shop Bhaern delHluanter - merchant selling, repairing and making crates, chests, casks and carts Baelaskros Dollisharr - merchant dealing in bulk grain, dates, and other foodstuffs Bluirrens Fine Sausages - provisions shop The Cathlyre - general shop The Bazaar Vhurn Bhaelyndryns Bestiary - Sells pack lizards, riding lizards and the occasional donkey. Daelein Shimmerdarks Decanter - wines, liquors, love potions, sleeping potions and poisons Eastmyr Calasks - healing, cosmetic and other surgery, hair styling and Underdark map sale The Battered Beholder - hardware and weapon shop, emergency food and healing potions, weaponry and fencing of goods, no questions asked

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The Braeryn Blaethiira Duth DelAmmyth - vendor of poisons, potions and information Home of Blind Alyss - potter and sculptor Home of Malaric Darkstar - spellcaster for-hire Home of Dhaunythe Blaurduis - vendor of poisons, love philters and magical potions Home of Phaeril One-hand - guide, weaponmaster and vendor of poisoned weapons Home of Calauthe Meztalyth - vendor of poison, drugs and information Home of Rhauldyn the Old - retired swordsmith, still active weaponsmith / trainer Home of Dzureen the Weaver - weaver Home of Drythaera Bryn Tereth - fence, vendor of information and Underdark maps Massage Houses Massage houses are an important part of drow culture with both nobles and rich commoners often frequenting the many and varied massage houses to be found in the City of Spiders. Drow love the chance to gain relief from their stressful lives by paying visits to their favorite masseurs. There are many massage houses spread around Menzoberranzan. Characters that need mental, physical or spiritual healing may find their peace of mind inside the walls of a massage house. Services and prices offered in the different massage houses vary according to the establishments clientele. Many pieces of valuable information and healing techniques can be obtained if a character is a frequent customer of Menzoberranzans massage houses. The following is a list of the massage houses that can be found in Menzoberranzan: Westwall Tolkars Copper Door Manyfolk The Three Lamps Maelchyras Massages Amcryls Jhulayes Legendary Caresses The Black Glove Shandearyns Sash The Scented Slaves Orlarbryns House Vhaundryls Lloths Laughter Alessras Couches The Pampered Drow Shairsteels The Bazaar The Scented Lanterns Alabaeyrs Massages Sheern Tlabryns Couches
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Eastmyr Nanszryns Dylchantas Furfeathers

Drinking Pits Drow often visit the drinking pits in Menzoberranzan for the occasion of banding together, sharing information, drinking and the occasional brawl. The drinking pits that can be found in Menzoberranzan are: Westwall Six Black Rings Manyfolk Filarils Firewine Flagons The Spiderdrink The Dancing Dwarf The Quynstone Pit The Deep Dragons Lair Ormyths Tankard Shadowcloak Pit Mauryns Deep Tier Llochl The Emerald Pit The Cup and Lizard Shondarls The Bazaar Arachars Pit Myrinzars Chasm The Cockatrices Claw The Spiders Kiss The Winesong Drablyns The Sign of the Azmyth Shimryls Eastmyr The Rothe Rampant Inns Rooming houses are rare in Menzoberranzan, but those businesses that are exclusively inns can generate much revenue. Below is list of inns that can be found in Menzoberranzan:

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Eastmyr Narbondels Shadow Symeeras Lylars Helm Ilitrees

Mansions for Rent Noble drow frequently rent mansions for various occasions. Mansions are chosen for their neutral appeal and are known for being the best place where Houses usually strike deals and agreements. Below is a list of mansions for rent that can be found in Menzoberranzan: Narbondellyn Gemstars Daelethwaf Pride of Menzoberranzan Westwall Warmfires

Guilds There are seven merchant and/or mercenary companies publicly known in Menzoberranzan. Apart from the merchant families, these guilds are composed of houseless drow that strive to become rich and powerful. They are the number one choice for 'cannon fodder' in the affairs of Noble Houses since the mercenaries tend to be placed on the front lines of any inter-House battle. However, the many advantages for a commoner of belonging to a guild far out-weight the disadvantages. In order to enter a guild, a character will have to undergo a special mission for them. Failure usually means death, but if the character is successful, they become a full member and profit from the many connections that the guild possesses. Guilds usually have an array of magical trinkets to help their members nearly all have powerful allies to support them in their activities. Heres a list of the guilds that can be found in Menzoberranzan:

Manyfolk Black Claw Mercantile Brown Mushroom Company Dragons Hoard Narbondellyn The Amber Spider
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Eastmyr Bregan Daerthe Guild Teken'mtor The Braeryn Black Balaeryns Band

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Your Character's Career

Death
Death and Dying Death is often seen in the streets of Menzoberranzan with drow and lesser creatures killed on a daily basis for personal gain, revenge or in some cases just for pleasure. Although drow have to be careful that they don't kill the wrong drow a well-placed lie or 'evidence' that the dead drow was weak, downright treacherous, ineffective or gave no advantage to anyone by being alive can help ease the killer out of trouble. However, clever drow make sure that their knife finds a rival's back only when there are no witnesses present who could twist the situation to their own advantage. DM's Comment: Members of non-drow races are not considered to be witnesses. In such an environment, many characters die over time. However, every drow worshipper is special in the eyes of Lloth (DM's Comment: or whichever deity they worship) and they, therefore, have certain chances to return from death if their life hasnt yet served a purpose. It is not in Lolth's interest (DM's Comment: or the character's patron deity's interest) to lose all of her worshippers, and therefore a considerable amount of her power, in a violent blood-letting. The purpose of Menzoberranyr society and Lolth's Will, which it is based upon, is to strengthen her worshippers. Adversity makes her faithful strong and there is no opponent worthy of opposing a drow except another drow. As such, Menzoberranyr who call on Lolth in need may receive healing or some other such boon. The chances aren't high (10 % per character level - 10 % for each time in the last 32 days that the drow has called for aid) but unanimated corpses are not worshippers and Lolth will usually exact her payment later. DM's Comment: The character death system described below was outlined by Mikayla and developed by Nalfien and the team. It is a realistic but fair system for players to enjoy the server and their characters yet still fear death.

Methods of Death and Revival Revival Immediate Revival This happens when someone in the dead character's party has the ability to cast Raise Dead or Resurrection spells either through memorizing it earlier or via a scroll or device. The spell is cast and if successful the character is raised on the spot. Delayed Revival This is when someone in the dead character's party carries or drags the character's
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body to a cleric where the character is raised or resurrected.

Organisational Revival This happens when the dead character is affiliated with a House, Merchant Company, Mercenary Band or another organization but is not raised or resurrected by the party they were with when they died. The character can be resurrected by their organisation. If this happens the character appears in the organisation's building where the spell was cast without their equipment. The character's constitution suffers as a result of this. DM's Comment: The PC loses 1 point of Constitution permanently. Characters who are not affiliated with any organisation obviously do not have this option. These 'lone wolves' will have to rely on the good nature of their 'friends'; such is the price one pays to be independent. Death Intra-organisational Character versus Character. This happens when one character kills another character and both are members of the same organisation. Then, so long as the character who committed the killing is in good standing with the organisation, and smart characters make damn sure they are, the organization does not resurrect the dead character. The dead character was obviously inferior and therefore detrimental to the organisation. Clever characters make sure that there are no witnesses and that the event can not be scried. There are well-known cases where one character kills another character but do so in front of witnesses or allows witnesses to escape and the dead character was the favourite of the head of the organisation. This head would be well within their rights to resurrect the dead character and have murderer executed. DM's Comment: Where all characters are PCs this situation must be overseen by at least one DM.

Inter-Organisational Character versus Character This is where a character from one organisation kills a character from a different organisation. Essentially, this situation is similar to that described above in that the killer has to do a good enough job of disposing of the body and covering their tracks. Sloppy killers, those that do nothing, will be in real trouble when the rival organisation resurrects the victim. They will also find that their own organisation will distance themselves from them. The only exception is when the victim's organisation is wiped out at about the same time as the victim, such as what happens in inter-House wars. DM's Comment: These sorts of situations have to be overseen by a DM.
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In-Character Deaths When a player character is placed against another player character in such a situation as has just been described one of the characters stands a good chance of ending up permanently dead, that is they can not be returned to life.When the permanent death of a character occurs, as a consequence of one of the above situations, it is considered to be an in-character death. An in-character death is when a PCs death means something to the overall scheme or story of the setting. A PC who is killed by a random monster is certainly not an in-character death unless the 'random monster' had in fact been summoned by a rival mage who wanted the PC dead. In order to best judge all in-character death situations, players need to communicate to the DMs their intentions when executing a Character v Character action. Drow are scheming and calculating, so to reflect that aspect of their culture, the DMs need to be aware of their players intentions when planning someone elses death. Drow do not just eliminate their brethren, they have a purpose for their deaths, be it to improve their status, or please their deity, guild, band or House. Player alliances and fellowships can change dynamically, for instance when facing a more powerful ally, or abandoned in the Underdark. And as such, one single event can launch a series of back-stabbings and betrayals that have been meticulously calculated by party members. Still, DMs need to be aware of these betrayals if they would ever occur and under what circumstances they would function, in order to best judge an in-character death. If a player wants to assassinate a fellow player's character, then that player needs to contact a DM, either via the forums (sending a Personal Message) or in-game if there is a DM around, to discuss and explain the in-character circumstances of disposing of an opponent. If a player fails to communicate their character's reasons for killing an opponent, then their character's opponent might be returned to life and wouldnt be very happy about being murdered. Worse still, this opponent now has a reason to kill the offending player's character permanently. Delivering death to other characters is complicated, even more so when a character has ties with organisations and powerful allies, so a character needs to plan well and above all, the player of such a scheming character must communicate to the DMs what is in their characters mind so that the in-character death system is enforced. If a character happens to be killed and it was ruled an in-character death players are asked not to be upset with or hold grudges against the player that ended their characters life. This is Menzoberranzan and all players signed up to play the game knowing that the city has a high death rate. The DM's try to be fair to everyone and if a beloved character simply fails to come to life then such is the way of Lloth. Players are asked to cheer up, start anew and take solace that their character not only left their mark on the servers story with their late character but that their character served the purpose of their deity and have now gone to their deity's realm to receive a fitting reward for their life.

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Player Killers Whilst Character v Character situations not only happen on the server but are integral to the setting, Player v Player is not. The difference between a Character v Character situation and a Player v Player should be obvious. A character has reasons to attack another, especially in Menzoberranzan where everything is intricately calculated and thought out. Player v Player is simply non-logical bashing and killing off the lower-level characters of other players for no reason other than to kill that player's character off. Although, Menzoberranzan is a chaotic evil society, it is also a very strict place where laws are followed and enforced; the deities are also watching over their faithful. A player whose character kills another character off for no apparent reason in-game is considered to be player killing and these players will be banned from the server. Other players and DMs watch everyone that roams around the streets, and player killers will be spotted if they decide to play that way. There is no argument for player killers in www.menzoberranzan.net. If a player that enjoys showing off their powerful character by simply killing off others, is not welcome. Further explanations of suitable incharacter behaviour of the drow can be found in essays in the Appendix.

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Leveling up in Menzoberranzan
Hopefully, players will level up many times in Menzoberranzan as a result of adventuring and role-playing with fellow players. When a PC attains a new level, the player has the option of choosing where to spend that level, either incrementing their PC's current class or acquiring a level in another class.

Multiclassing Before a player chooses a secondary or tertiary class, they need to ask themselves a few questions first. Multiclassing should always be something that is done in-character and not from a 'mechanistic' of view. At www.menzoberranzan.net the emphasis is on roleplay and many a low level character has gained victories over stronger opponents by subtle word-play and letting the stronger character's over-confidence become their doom. In order to multiclass, a player should first demonstrate that their character is attempting to start a different career or learn news skills. The player should continue to demonstrate this in their role-play as their chacter continues to gain the requisite number of experience points to level up. For instance, Vorn Asbodela has just become a second level rogue but his player wants Vorn to become a druid. Vorn's player needs to role-play Vorn's growing druidic awareness as Vorn adventures and gains experience. This can be easily done by considering that Vorn is a rogue who spends a great deal of time by himself and alone in the city. He begins to think of Menzoberranzan as having its own personality and feels that it is more than just a cavern and buildings. By being silent, observant and meditating on his spiritual awakening Vorn learns that there are ways of connecting to the divine force that he thinks is the spirit of Menzoberranzan. Then once Vorn has gained enough experience to progress to third level he can take a class of druid. Thus his new spells and abilities are seen to be a gradual evolution and in-character. If a player follows this example and tests themselves from the questionnaire below they will be able to roleplay the multiclassing of their character more effectively and ultimately give their character the story that their character deserves. A cleric isn't a spellslinger but a character who is divinely inspired, just as a wizard is a character consumed by a passion for learning about the Art and how to truly master it. Therefore, a wizard/cleric is a character whose divine calling has led them into studying magic. The following questionnaire has been designed to help players determine if their character can take another class. Answering yes to any of questions 1-3 and no to both questions 4 and 5 will help a player present a good case for their character gaining a level in an additional class. These questions should be asked prior to leveling up: 1. Did the character receive proper tutoring or training for the desired class? When a player decides to take a level in a different class, their character can seek a tutor or a professor that is willing to teach their character the secrets of that class, or their
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character can research about it themselves if they are intelligent enough and given the proper material. 2. Was the character influenced by another character of the desired class? When a PC belongs to a certain group composed of characters of a desired class (e.g. a band of rogues) the experience that the PC receives whilst in contact with such group can have an influence on the skills they learn/improve and upon the PC's character. In time, the PC becomes one of them (i.e. the PC gains rogue levels.) 3. Did the character experience a life-changing situation that propelled them toward the desired class? When a character experiences a life-changing situation it can change that character's perspective upon life forever. Or the character experiences a change of circumstances that causes them to adopt new skills and abilities. Examples could be a Paladin that has not regained their faith acquiring a level in fighter, and continuing to do so for as long as their faith is shaken. A more pertinent example could be a rogue that begins learning magic after stealing a novice-level spellbook and continues to do so since they find an advantage to doing so. Many life-changing situations result in a character abandoning their previous class altogether. Players of such characters should not add levels of the abandoned class to their character but add levels of the new class to to reflect the characters understanding that his new acquired class is better or more suitable than their previous class. Two examples are Drizzt DoUrden, who abandoned his ways as a fighter to become a ranger after exposure to the teachings of Montolio, and Halisstra Melarn, who attained some levels of bard before becoming a priestess and thus abandoning her former class. Subsequently, she returned to her bardic abilities when she could not cast priestly magic due to the silence of Lloth. 4. Does the desired class conflict with the PC's current alignment? Certain classes are restricted to certain alignments, eg a monk can not be chaotic. The game won't allow a PC to take a class that doesnt match their current alignment. If a PC is of an alignment-restricting class and their alignment changes in-game, then they will have to pick a class that best reflects the life-changing situation that made the character switch alignments. Such a PC will no longer be able to add levels to their previous class. 5. Does the desired class conflict with a characters motivations/goals? Before commencing play a player submitted a concept containing their characters motivations and goals. This defines what their character wants for their life. A class that conflicts with their characters ambition will be denied, unless the character has been in a life-changing situation and has re-evaluated their early ambitions. If that happens, the character will be able to choose to add levels in another class, but they will never be able to return to their previous class.

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Powergaming Powergaming is when a player chooses a secondary or tertiary class in order to improve their characters statistics and/or abilities. For example, a player choosing to add levels of barbarian to their sorcerer character to raise their character's hit points or a player taking levels in rogue for their fighter character to gain more skill points. These motivations are considered "power-gaming and not in-character. The player is not adding levels to their character as a consequence of what happened in the game or because of their character's own decision but simply to create a more powerful character. Powergaming is frowned upon by www.menzoberranzan.net because such a type of player ruins the setting and the role-playing environment. A drow rogue character may acquire ranger levels if they are ordered by their gang or organisation to 'trail' victims, etc but if the rogue/ranger character selected humans as a favoured enemy this could consititute powergaming if the characters they are trailing are other drow. In game and in-character the rogue/ranger would have to select elves as their favoured enemy because drow are elves and it is drow that they are trailing.

Skills & Feats Classes have a variety of skills and feats associated with them. When a PC levels up and they have the option of acquiring new skills or feats. A player should base their decision on things that have happened during the course of their characters life up to that point. When spending skill points, a player should choose to add to those skills that they have used in-game to reflect the increased skill that has resulted from their character's increased experience. If a player wants their character to acquire a new skill then the player should make an effort to have their character use that skill while their character is adventuring and gaining experience. Some skills are automatic, such as Hide or Search but some of them have to be taught for example Animal Empathy. If a player wants their character to acquire an automatic skill that their character doesn't currently have then the character needs to learn about that skill by talking to those that have it, eg a ranger for Animal Empathy or a wizard for Spellcraft. Or they should attempt to teach themselves the skill by reading books or from careful observation. If a player makes an effort in-character for their PC to learn a new skill then they will be able to spend skill points in this new skill when their character levels up. The same thing goes for feats. There are some feats that are automatic like certain resistances, affinities, or extraordinary abilities that a character class possesses. A character can only acquire a resistance feat by being exposed to the cause of that resistance. For example, a Resist Poisons feat can only be acquired if the character has experienced being poisoned in the first place. (And it is a wicked rumour that such things happen often in Menzoberranzan.) Or a character can only acquire a Knock Down feat if they have been trained to use it or they have seen someone else repeatedly use it. The choices for skills and feats are always justified by what a character has seen in their life. If a character desires to learn a new skill or feat then they need to make an effort to learn it.

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Acquiring a Prestige Class Prestige classes in Menzoberranzan are optional kits that players may choose to acquire for their character. The range of prestige classes available are limited to those considered to be in-character (see the Classes of Menzoberranzan section earlier) and character's can only acquire them by joining those organisations that teach them. If a player wishes to acquire a prestige class for their character then their character needs to actively seek out an organisation that teaches it and the character needs to undergo the necessary study and training. Prestige classes are so-called because only the most suitable can gain levels in a prestige class, and only these fortunate few can pass its legacies along. PC's should look for NPCs and PCs that are of the same prestige class as the one they desire if they intend to start gaining levels in such a class. The rules of multiclassing apply to prestige classes as well. A character may not take a level in a prestige class if they havent joined an organisation that teaches it and have not begun to experience the demands and responsibilites of that class. While learning a prestige class, a character needs to make an effort and try to use the prestige classs ability, power, or skill. It is only by role-playing that a character can acquire a prestige class.

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Guilds of Menzoberranzan
The City of Spiders is not just home to the many Noble Houses but also to numerous other bands of drow. These guilds are alliances between drow organised under a certain hierarchy. There are many different guilds in Menzoberranzan, some are mercenary companies, some are merchant traders, some are cultists, and there are even secret guilds that worship deities other than Lloth. To belong to a guild, a character needs to find its secret hideouts, and embark on an entrance quest. Different guilds have different quests and the exisiting guild members ultimately decide whether or not a character is to be accepted.

Joining a Guild If a character finds a suitable guild they might consider joining them for a number of reasons. As stated under Death and Dying, only those who are part of a faction or guild in Menzoberranzan stand a chance of being returned to life if they die. Guilds usually have a vast inventory of magical items and equipment that are often restricted to their own members only. Guilds also have a Guildhall, where members can rest without fearing outsiders and lastly guilds will provide characters with the right network to band together and explore the city and its many different plots and adventures. Once a player joins Menzoberranzan, they should look for a guild that suits their characters profile by either role-playing in-game or by getting in touch with a guild leader via the forums. The chances are that a player will learn more about a certain guild if they have to look for it and only by seeking for one will they become a member. Houses and guilds are not the same. A character can be a member of both a house and a guild at the same time. Although it is unusual to do so and it depends upon the aims of those two organisations and the specific agreements that exist between them. It is up to a player to decide which house their character will join and if their character will join a guild after that. Or a player can decide that their character is a commoner and can simply just join a guild instead of a house. Joining multiple houses or guilds is not allowed. The list below contains the starting guilds of Menzoberranzan: Bregan D'aerthe Black Claw Mercantile Brown Mushroom Company Dragon's Hoard Black Balaeryn's Band Guild Teken'mtor The Amber Spider

Betraying a Guild Guild betrayers that are caught are nearly always punished by death. Betraying a guild is either something a character will want to avoid, or something that they will need to do meticulously. Most guilds, regularly catch spies and double agents, or say they do.
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DM's Comment: In game terms, if a PC is found guilty of treason then that PC is killed permanently. Characters should beware of whom they deal with and ally themselves with. Sometimes a spy is successful in infiltrating a guild and selling information about it to one of its rivals. The income from selling such information is the main motivation to betray a guild in the first place. Betrayers have to be resourceful for the consequences of their real work being found out are dire indeed. However, the risks also mean the rewards are high. If a player plans on their character becoming a guild spy then they need to make sure that their character is on the right (i.e. winning) side and that they know the right people. In the world of the drow, information about ones enemies is a currency more valuable than gold.

Leaving a Guild Many guilds go by the motto once a member always a member. However, there are some ways out of a guild if a character chooses to leave. There has to be an in-character reason, for a character wanting to leave their guild. Such as a situation that has severely disrupted a character's personal ambitions or something that makes it best for a character to consider leaving, such as the promotion of a rival within a guild. A large sack of gold from a rival guild is also a motivation, providing, of course, that the agent offering the gold is actually from the rival guild. If the reason is good enough then a player needs to communicate their intentions and their plans to a DM. They then leave it up to the DM to hook their character into a plot that will take their PC out of their current guilds grasp. Although such escapes carry the risk of death. The path for leaving a guild is treacherous and only those certain of their survival will take it. The best way of leaving a guild is not joining one in the first place.

Creating a Guild When a character has acquired enough experience, fame and fortune, they may be tempted to purchase a suitable building to use as a guildhall and start their own guild. The player of such a character should communicate their intentions to a DM and between the two of them they start a quest for the character to create their guild. The quest could, for example, involve recruiting other PCs and NPCs to join their new guild, purchasing a place in Menzoberranzan that is going to be used as the guildhall or fighting off competition. If the quest is completed successfully, then the character will be rewarded with the leadership of a guild and their own guildhall, which brings with it the benefits of joining a guild. Powerful characters are encouraged to start their own guilds so that Menzoberranzan gains the feeling of being an 'organic' and 'living' city.

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Nobility
For many, inclusion in the ranks of nobility is the ultimate reward in the City of Spiders. Nobles and the clergy of Lloth control the fate of Menzoberranzan and all below them must obey them. Most players chose to have their characters start of as a noble by submitting a noble character concept that has a background tying them to a specific House. However, some players start of as commoners and join a House later either by being adopted or sponsored.

Sponsorship In order to be accepted as a noble by a noble house, a character first needs to graduate from the Academy. Some Qu'ellaren offer sponsorships to those drow whom they deem able and whom they believe are capable of proving themselves in Tier Breche. Menzoberranzan is a devious place and there are advantages to a House in sponsoring a commoner. Scouts from many of the Noble Houses are out and about on the streets, visiting drinking pits, massage houses, hanging around the Bazaar, or just moving from one place to the next. These are the places where a commoner might get acquainted with a noble, or a scout from a Noble House, and prove themselves worthy of a sponsorship. The Noble Houses are constantly recycling their contingent of nobles and militia, and often search the streets for ex-house members or able commoners. Once sponsored by a house, the commoner will have to report to that particular house when their studies at Tier Breche are completed and they are ready to begin their life as a noble or a valued servant depending on the decision of the Matron. They will then be introduced to the hierarchy of the house and they will have to obey whoever is above them in the chain of command.

Adoption Adoptions usually happen when the surviving nobles of a destroyed House are accepted by another House. Nobles are considered to be of great value and many will choose to surrender themselves to the will of the conquering house for the obvious advantages such an action carries. Nobles are sometimes traded as spoils of war between the Qu'ellaren. If a PC happens to be a part of a Noble House that has been destroyed, then they may want to consider being adopted by the winning house since they lose their nobility otherwise. If the winning House doesnt adopt such a character then the character can appeal to other Noble Houses and see if they are worthy enough in their eyes. If no House adopts the character, then they become a Houseless drow and the streets become their home until they eventually join a House, a guild, or death finds them. Adoptions also happen between Qu'ellaren and commoners. Commoners that are extremely powerful or important to a house can be offered adoption regardless of their rank. Commoners are free to accept or reject adoption. Although, a commoner should seriously consider the consequences of refusing such an offer. No Matron is likely to be happy that their House is deemed not good enough by a mere commoner.

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Royalty Those sitting in the positions of power of a Noble House are referred to as the House royalty. The royal family of a House comprises of the Matron Mother and those she elevates to the Royalty. Typically the members of a House's royalty are the Matron's siblings, her daughters, her first and second-born sons, her patron and the other high priestesses in her House. The House wizard and the House weapons master are also usually added to the Royal family. For a house to become officially extinct all of its royal females need to be killed or adopted by another House. A character can only become royalty ingame. A player can not choose for their character to start out as royal but their character can, through role-play, ascend to such power within a Noble House. There are many things to be considered in order to become a royal and all of them need to be played out in-game. In most of the powerful Noble Houses, the royal positions are already filled and their current occupiers will not surrender their places easily. A player should consider what they intend to do and how high they want their character to go in a Qu'ellar. A character should always plan their actions and identify potential enemies. Ambitious characters should take care not to draw too much attention to themselves from powerful royal characters who have probably defended their position on several occasions. The greater the power such characters have the more likely they will execute those characters who envy their position. If a player is planning on taking up a royal position in their house, they should communicate their objectives to a DM so that they can plan the events ahead accordingly and create a quest for the player to either become a royal or die trying.

Leaving a House There will be times where a character will be forced, or presented with the option, of leaving their House. Leaving a House occurs under three circumstances alone either by adoption into another Noble House, the destruction of their current House or death. There are certain Noble Houses that scout out other Noble Houses to determine ambitious and powerful individuals that may want to join them. Lower ranking houses will be interested in recruiting and adopting powerful, experienced nobles to join their ranks since it may raise their own status by doing so. Higher ranking Houses are interested in adopting powerful nobles from other Houses since it weakens those Houses ranked underneath them and adds to their own power. A character might think they are doomed for the rest of their life to being the second-in-command to the weapons master in Quellar Baenre and may therefore consider that being adopted by House Srune'Lett will significantly increase their chances of becoming that House's weapons master and therefore potential royalty. These things do occur, although nearly always behind closed doors, and the exchange of nobles is often a trade of power and interests. For drow, the only bond that holds them together in the same House is that via that House they stand a greater chance of achieving their ambitions. Therefore, a noble from a higher ranked House may join a lower ranked House if that means they increase their social class to royalty. Similarly, powerful royal daughters may decide to found their own Houses since that means they will become a Matron.

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When a character's House is destroyed by another House, they will be forced to leave their nobility, station and allegiances behind, (assuming that they survive the destruction, that is.) If a character finds themself houseless as a result of their House's annihilation they no longer need to leave their house since that choice has been made for them and they are, by default, Houseless.

Creating a House When a character has acquired enough experience, fame and fortune, they may be tempted to purchase their own compound and start their own personal house. The player of such a character should communicate their intentions to a DM who will begin the quest that will result in the foundation of a new House. The quest will probably involve recruiting other PCs and NPCs to join the upcoming house, purchasing a place in Menzoberranzan that is going to be used as the household, fighting off competition, and the such-like. If the quest is completed successfully, the character will be rewarded with a royal position in the new House and they will either be in charge of the New House, i.e. the Matron or in a strong position to influence the new House, e.g. House Wizard. The players of powerful characters should consider starting their own Houses since the rise and fall of Houses is the heartbeat of Menzoberranzan. Few other games are as fun, rewarding and challenging as steering a newborn House to safety then to gains in station.

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Experience Rewards
Experience rewards are probably the best way to attain power and are the main way to gain new levels. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes in Menzoberranzan. You will be rewarded experience for good role-play, interacting with other players and taking up scripted and live quests amongst other things.

In-Character vs. Out-of-Character If a player isn't familiar with the term in-character then they should try to keep in mind that when they are playing they are their character and everything that their character says, does or thinks is supposed to reflect their characters knowledge, ambitions and experience. This is the true beauty of in-character role-playing, the ability to step inside a characters demeanor and to interpret everything that happens to them through their eyes. Out of character comments are real-life remarks, e.g. 'away from keyboard' or "meta-gaming talk, e.g. players discussing the game inself and using knowledge that their characters do not know. Such talk is vey distracting for the other players and the DMs, and should be kept to a strict minimum. Comments like 'away from keyboard' usually abbreviated to 'afk' are allowed since they are the quickest way of letting other players and the DMs know that a character may not be active for a while. Some players role-play necessary absences from the keyboard but sometimes this is difficult especially when real life demands a player's attention. Players are asked to reduce the number of out-ofcharacter remarks to the barest minimum. If a player needs to talk with a DM they should use the DM channel but be aware that the DM may very well be busy. Alternatively, if they need to communicate out-ofcharacter with another player they can do so using the Tell channel, which sends a personal message to the recipient. Players can also talk to a DM this way as well.

DM Interaction DMs login into the server at various times during the week. Live quests and other events will be scheduled by the respective DMs in the Server Announcements forum. Players should keep an eye on that forum for news about upcoming events, ongoing quests and DM-ed quests if they want to be included in those events. DMs will reward players they meet when engaged in role-playing, and live quests are the best, most rewarding way to acquire experience in the server.

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Language
The language of the server is English. Although, there have been many varied attempts at creating a drow language none of them are endorsed or used by this server. Please use English as much as possible.

The Calendar of Menzoberranzan

Many merchants and Menzoberranyr use a measure of time called a Trade Turn. This is composed of sixty six cycles (days). Sixty six is an auspiscous number since the Demonweb Pits is the sixty-sixth layer of the Abyss. As trade has increased and therefore the contact Menzoberranzan has with other cultures has grown many drow, and especially merchants use the Faernian calendar with ten days to a week (the well-known tenday). Although, the drow are long lived and the passage of years wears lightly upon them it is useful from a financial point of view to keep a measure of time in terms of the more frail races, notably the numerous and trade obsessed humans. DM's Comment: Players are not in anyway obliged to use the following calendar. It is provided here simply to allow players the chance to add more flavour to their journal entries.

Days of the week Eight is a sacred number for the Lolthite drow, which is why there are eight cycles to a week. A cycle of Narbondel (see later) is equivalent to one day on the surface. Anoth 1, 9, 17, 25 Andaur 2, 10, 18, 26 Anree 3, 11, 19, 27 Anran 4, 12, 20, 28 Antarm 5, 13, 21, 29 Anraun 6, 14, 22, 30 Anrena 7, 15, 23, 31 Anorb 8, 16, 24, 32 The first day of every month is always Anoth and the last day of every month is always Anorb. Similarly, the ninth, seventeenth and twenty-fifth days are always Anoth.

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Months of the year Belash (32 days 4 weeks) Yuvien (24 days 3 weeks) Elash (32 days 4 weeks) Liralen (24 days 3 weeks) Nalanil (32 days 4 weeks) Ritharil (32 days 4 weeks) Ceremony of Graduation (5 days, these days are not named) Ellan (32 days 4 weeks) Shenee (32 days 4 weeks) Ilsar (32 days 4 weeks) Ralde (32 days 4 weeks) Aline (24 days 3 weeks) Elfaer (32 days 4 weeks)

Festivals/Holidays Festival of Founding - Anran, Yuvien 4th Ceremony of Graduation - after Ritharil and before Ellan. The ceremony lasts for only three days but the actual day of graduation is never certain, it has to be divined. This reflects Lolth's chaotic nature. In essence, it means that a graduate could either graduate on the 2nd, 3rd or 4th day of this five day period. (In some years, Lolth doesn't designate any day which means all of that year's graduates have to wait until the next year.) These five days are not named! Rather they are simply called: First day, Second Day, Third Day, Fourth Day and Fifth Day. The Open Days - Elfaer 25th - 32nd Lloth's day - This day is celebrated once every four years. It is placed between Anree 3rd and Anran 4th Elash. This day is solely called Lloth's Day.

Correspondences January 1st = Belash 1st January 8th = Belash 8th January 15th = Belash 15th January 22nd = Belash 22nd January 29th = Belash 29th February 5th = Yuvien 4th February 12th = Yuvien 11th February 19th = Yuvien 18th February 26th = Elash 1st March 5th = Elash 8th
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March 12th = Elash 15th March 19th = Elash 22nd March 26th = Elash 29th April 2nd = Liralen 4th April 9th = Liralen 11th April 16th = Liralen 18th April 23rd = Nalanil 1st April 30th = Nalanil 8th May 7th = Nalanil 15th May 14th = Nalanil 22nd May 21st = Nalanil 29th May 28th = Ritharil 4th June 4th = Ritharil 11th June 11th = Ritharil 18th June 18th = Ritharil 25th June 25th = Ritharil 32nd June 26th - June 30th = Ceremony of Graduation July 2nd = Ellan 2nd July 9th = Ellan 9th July 16th = Ellan 16th July 23rd = Ellan 23rd July 30th = Ellan 30th August 6th = Shenee 5th August 13th = Shenee 12th August 20th = Shenee 19th August 27th = Shenee 26th September 3rd = Ilsar 1st September 10th = Ilsar 8th September 17th = Ilsar 15th September 24th = Ilsar 22nd October 1st = Ilsar 29th October 8th = Ralde 4th October 15th = Ralde 11th October 22nd = Ralde 18th October 29th = Ralde 25th November 5th = Ralde 32nd November 12th = Aline 7th November 19th = Aline 14th November 26th = Aline 21st December 3rd = Elfaer 4th December 10th = Elfaer 11th December 17th = Elfaer 18th December 24th = Elfaer 25th December 31st = Elfaer 32nd

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Telling the time

The Menzoberranyr live in a vast cavern, which is far underground, and as an obvious consequence they can not measure their days by the rising and the setting of the sun. Instead, they tell the time by the rise and fading of heat in the great stalagmite, Narbondel. This mighty, unshaped column is visible from most parts of Menzoberranzan. The Archmage of Sorcere, Gromph Baenre casts a spell upon its base at the start of every day. This spells imparts a large amount of heat into Narbondel causing the base to glow red. This roseate glow creeps slowly up the column until the whole of Narbondel radiates with a dull red colour. The times and their surface correpondences are: Black Death - Midnight Silent Rise - Dawn Late Trade - Morning Red Shade - Midday Spider Feast - Dusk Fast Fall - Evening

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Submitting your Character Concepts

Rules for Character Concepts
1. Read this Player's Guide before submitting a concept. 2. Use the General Discussion forum on www.menzoberranzan.net to ask questions if you are uncertain about anything or want to try a new concept. 3. You must enter only one concept at a time. Post the submission as a new topic in this forum. 4. Only one active character per player. If you want to play a new character then arrange with a DM to conclude your current character's story. 5. Only first level characters are accepted. 6. Baenre character concepts are only acceptable from experienced Menzoberranzan players. This is because exceptionally high standards are demanded of a Baenre character; and in all things they occupy the station that all other drow aspire to. 7. Noble priestess characters are restricted to those players who show exceptional roleplaying talent (i.e. experienced players) or who can write very good character concepts. Players should not feel that they can't submit a concept as a priestess. They can but they should be aware these submissions take longer to review and the submission reviewers are much stricter on these characters. This also applies to servant and commoner clerics. 8. Title the character submission using the following format: Username/forum ID - Character Name example: Janus - Zindrell Horlbar

9. Complete the following questionaire.

NWN ID: Character Sheet Name: Race: Gender: Class: Alignment: Deity:
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Social Class: Physical Description: Demeanor/Personality: Motivation/Goals: Background:

Advice on character creation

Help and Advice on the Questionaire NWN ID: This is your GameSpy ID. Character Sheet Name: This is the name of your character. Race: For example, Drow. Gender: Some character classes in Menzoberranzan are restricted to one gender. Character Class: For example, Rogue. Alignment: Some character classes are restricted to specific alignments. Deity: For example, Lolth Social Class: Your character can be either noble, servant, common or slave. Physical Description: A few sentences about what your character looks like. Demeanor/Personality: A few sentences about your character's personality. Motivation/Goals: A few lines about your character's ambitions. Background: A brief biography.

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Example Character Submission NWN ID: insanebadger87 Character Sheet Name: Vorn Asbodela Race: Drow Gender: Male Class: Rogue Alignment: Chaotic Evil Deity: Lolth Social Class: Common Physical Description: Vorn is thin and wiry. He is below average height and wears his long white hair tied back. His eyes are dull red and his face is non-descript. He is plain featured and rather unremarkable. Demeanor/Personality: Vorn is quiet and says very little. His face and eyes betray little emotion and he maintains a calm manner in all that he does. He does not make friends easily and is a loner. He is as polite as necessary and avoids the priestesses. Motivation/Goals: Staying alive is Vorn's main goal. He lives on the streets with only his wits and a short sword to protect him. He would like to join a criminal gang and work his way up through the ranks. He has dreams of being a warrior (and feared) so he would like to be trained how to fight properly if he can find a teacher and can afford to pay their fee. Background: Vorn was born to a non-noble but wealthy family, the Asbodela. His mother thought he was rather ugly so exchanged him for the better looking baby of a servant. (He learnt this story by being teased by the older children.) As he grew older he realised he was never going to amount to much if he stayed as a servant in his family home. So he left and now lives on the street.

Yet more advice on character creation Many of the concepts submitted are over-powered and are rejected because the submission reviewers think that the background is too powerful for a first level character. It should be borne strongly in mind that characters start out at level one, with no experience. Their story lies ahead of them not behind them. Some applicants may then, at this point, worry about what they are going to write, which is what the rest of this text hopes to provide advice for.
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Firstly, a player should answer the simple questions on the small questionaire for their character, that is: NWN ID: Exampledrow Name: Avonel Sisril Race: Drow Gender: Female Class: Cleric Alignment: Chaotic Evil Deity: Lloth After doing that a player should think about the six abilities their character will have. A character's starting class will help determine these, eg, fighters tend to be much stronger than wizards so will have higher strength scores. In pen and paper a player would roll for their abilities and assign the scores to their character as they saw fit. In the server, a player uses the 32 point buy system with the initial value for the six abilities being set to 8. For example, the above cleric would want a high Wisdom and a reasonable Charisma since Wisdom determines the difficulty class of her spells and with a high enough score she will gain bonus spells. With a high Charisma she'll be able to use skills dependent on that ability and also be stronger when turning undead. Once the figures for the six abilities, that is Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom and Charisma have been determined it should be straight-forward to fill out the Physical Description section. A drow with high Strength and Constitution is going to be much thicker-set than a drow with low scores in these areas. Similarly, a drow with a high Wisdom score may have a furrowed brow, which has resulted from long hours spent reading. Then again a good Wisdom score also gives bonuses to the Spot and Listen skills so a character may have large eyes and wear an alert expression. Characters with a high Charisma can be considered to be more attractive than the norm. However, a character with a good personality is also described as being charismatic. Since both factors are covered by Charisma a player should decide if their character is fun, out-going and conversational or beautiful or handsome. Having now drawn up some idea of what a character looks like a player can now proceed to thinking how these factors may affect their character's Demeanor/Personality. If a character is charismatic due to being a good conversationalist and not due to looks then a player may want to consider how their character might feel about that. Is the character happy-go-lucky and do they not care that other drow get the same response by simply being gorgeous? Or are they jealous that they have to make an effort? At this point, it is worth considering a character's alignment and how that affects their personality. A chaotic individual is obviously going to be unpredictable, whereas as an evil individual will be selfish and ungenerous. Neutral characters may exude an air of detachment and unconcern. When a player writes about their character's Motivation/Goals they should consider their PC's starting class. Is their class what their PC always wanted to do and do they want to keep progressing in that class? Or do they want to be something else? Are there skills a character thinks they need but can't gain with their current class. At this stage a player can say how they want their character to progress. Will a rogue PC eventually become a shadowdancer? Does a cleric PC think learning a few warrior skills (ie taking a few Fighter levels) would help them?
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Of course, at this stage a player should consider their PC's social goals. Do they want to found and rule their own house one day? Or do they want to stay within their own house and help it gain in station? Do they want to become master or mistress of their guild? Or d they want to travel and see the world? Finally, there is what to write for Background. This isn't just about the social class of a PC. It is also about how they feel about their choices so far. Why have they chosen the deity they have for their patron? Was it tradition, or is there another reason? Is a PC male and wanting equality for his gender? Is a PC happy with their character class or was it expected that they would take that career? What was it about their upbringing that gave them their strength or their constitution or their intelligence? For example, if a character has a low constitution was that because of a childhood illness or were they poisoned?

Patron Deity Menzoberranzan is located in Faern's Underdark, which is of course the basis for the Forgotten Realms setting. In the Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (page 39) it says that "Everyone in Faern knows that those who die without having a patron deity to escort them to their proper judgement in the land of the dead spend eternity writhing in the Wall of the Faithless, or disappear into the hells of the devils or the infernos of the demons." In game terms, this means that "a character who dies without a patron deity cannot be raised from the dead by any mortal means short of a miracle or wish." When mortals die their souls travel to the Fugue Plane. There they await their deity to send an agent to collect them and take them to their deity's realm. A soul does not go to a plane that matches their alignment. Alignment The main advice for players regarding alignment is simple. Players should not allow their alignment to act as a straitjacket, rather it is a guide. A character's alignment describes their personal philosophy and the internal system they have in place to cope with what life and the gods throws at them. It is also worth considering that although two characters may share the same alignment they may have different personalities. One character may be calm amd laid back while the other may have a hot temper. Also characters, like people, are not consistent from day to day. Some players think that playing a chaotic evil character in a chaotic evil society gives them the right to commit murder and acts of atrocities. It does not! Such a chaotic evil character has to be aware of the rules of the society that they live in. Alignment is a subtle thing not an obvious thing. Players are advised to read the Appendix for more advice and general guidance on this.

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How the Submission Review process works

The application process works as follows: The player submits a concept to the Character Submissions forum. They post this as a new topic. A moderator moves the concept to the Pending Characters forum (a private forum that only the submission reviewers can see) and edits the Pending Concepts announcement in the Character Submissions forum. Looking at this announcement, the player will see a date for when they can expect a result for their concept. This date is usually set at seven days from the date of submission but a result may be obtained before then. The submission reviewers (who are composed of DMs and experienced players) have a week to post their comments and their votes. The reviewers will mostly be looking to see if the character can survive in Menzoberranzan and also if the player has a good grasp of what it takes to play in such a setting. If the concept is accepted the player then registers to attend the Sojourney Orientation Seminar (SOS). Posts about the SOS can be found in the Character Submissions forum. The SOS is fun but also gives a lot of useful advice on how to play D&D on a server. Upon successful completion of the SOS the player is added to the Player's Guild and can take a full and active part in the games organised on the server. If a concept is rejected then the player is invited to try again. There will be some feedback for rejected applications. This will take the form of a PM being sent to the applicant, which lists the reasons for rejection; upon the applicant's request. It should be noted that the writer of the PM is not necessarily the writer of the comments. Please do not get into a dialogue if your submission is rejected. If your application is rejected it is worth remembering that only the character concept is rejected not the player.

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Bibliography
Sourcebooks and magazines used in the writing of this guide are: *Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting (3rd Edn), *Players Handbook (3rd Edn), Neverwinter Nights Players Handbook, Drizzt DoUrdens Guide to the Underdark, Demihuman Deities, Drow of the Underdark, Underdark, Faiths and Pantheons, *Menzoberranzan Boxed Set, Monster Mythology, Dragon 251, 267, 298 & 317. (While all the sources in this list are worthwhile reading, those marked by the asterisk are considered essential reading for players. A player unaware, for example, that Menzoberranzan is found in Faern's Underdark or that a monk can not be chaotic will struggle severely with the heavy emphasis that www.menzoberranzan.net places on roleplay.) These novels are recommended reading: RA Salvatore - Homeland, Richard Lee Byers - Dissolution, Elaine Cunningham Daughter of the Drow, Rite of Blood (from either Realms of the Underdark or The Best of the Realms - Book I)

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Appendix
Things to do in Menzoberranzan when the DM is dead
As a result of different players and DM's living in different timezones there may be times when either a player is on by themselves with what they think is not much to do or a few players are online but there is no DM. Although, the Team are preparing scripted quests these take time and need testing before they can be put into the server. What follows is a few suggestions for things that a player can do by themselves. I hope that others can suggest more. Using the PC Dicebag, a player can roll a few skill checks. For example, a priestess can make either a Concentration, Heal, Lore or Spellcraft check that she can roleplay as, for example, saying prayers or studying some part of Lolthite doctrine. The player of such a character can then record these scores in their Player Journal and a DM can then PM them to tell them the success of such rolls, ie letting them know if their PC's actions were successful or not. The success of such rolls will not be as a consequence of equalling or exceeding a DC since the temptation to roll 20's becomes extremely tempting. It would soon become boring as well. Rather the success of such rolls will be matched against a value that would be rolled by the DM, a so-called success roll. If the player's score falls within 5 of the success roll then the PC receives 5 XP. If the player's score exactly matches the success roll the player receives 10 XP. To further explain this process the following example may help: Dementia is praying to Lolth in the under-imposing chapel of House Ousstyl. Her player rolls a Spellcraft roll of 2. Heady stuff! Her player records this in Dementia's journal and waits for a DM to PM her. The DM then rolls a success roll. In this case a 6. This means that Dementia's prayers were successful and the PC will receive a small XP reward when both player and DM are on the server together. Possible outcomes are: If the success roll was a 2 then Dementia would have recieved 10 XP. If the success roll was 7 or less then 7, Dementia would have recieved 5 XP. If the success roll was greater than 8 then Dementia would not have recieved any XP. Other examples are: Ineptus the mage studying or practicing his spells. His player can make, for example, Spellcraft, Concentration or Lore checks. Krapsong the bard is practicing his ballad; 'I've got tears in my ears from lying on my back crying over you.' His player can make Perform rolls or concentration rolls. Players of characters belonging to other classes can make such checks that they can reason in terms of game-play. For example, a fighter PC can make discipline checks or other such military-related checks, etc in his Qu'ellar's gymnasium.

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Further and more fun use of the PC dicebag comes into its own if there are two players on the server. The PC's can meet up in a drinking pit and play the following: Sava - The PC's make a series of opposed Intelligence checks. Usually the number of such checks is ten but this need not be the case. A even number is best since this allows the possibility of a draw. Useful links: http://199.222.161.231/menzoberranzan/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=871 A discussion about Sava and http://199.222.161.231/menzoberranzan/phpbb2/viewtopic.php?t=2390 Vendrin and Zerak's in-game version. Dice - Simply roll two d6. Players either win if they get the higher score or have it that certain doubles win. Sixteen - Roll two d8 with a score of sixteen being the winning score. Twenty-One - Based on the card game pontoon also called vingt et un, blackjack and no doubt others. Players roll d10's with 21 being the ideal but the score nearest and lower than 21 being the winner if 21 is not obtained. Poker - Roll five d10 with either various agreed upon combinations winning, eg 1,2,3,4,5 or the highest score. All these games become significantly more entertaining if PC's bet some gold on the outcome. The purposes of these games is to give your characters something that they may very well do in the various drinking pits of the city. By having these games to play with each other chances of role-play also increase. For example, is your PC a gambler and have they borrowed heavily to support their habit. The role-play is more fun if they've borrowed from another player. Unscrupulous characters (as if such things exist in our fair city) may drink potions of Fox's Cunning to give them an edge in sava and pray that they don't get found out. Finally, players can make, break or simply discuss alliances. There is also the matter of trade and earning a living that could occupy their time. And it is for these reasons that alliances are made and broke all the time in the city. Certain nobles may think that such mundane matters are beneath them. However, the clever nobles realise that money is one of the best ways to gain and maintain power and keeping a careful eye on such transactions ultimately benefits themselves. Nobles tend to deal with large sums and to use a clich, the bigger picture. They talk about grain shipments and their financing but not about how many drow are needed to handle it or the day-to-day practicalities. Commoners and servants deal with the details. They are to some extent the facilitators whereas the nobles are the motivators. Possible trade goods are vegetables, herbs, spices, fruit, honey, meat, livestock, cereals, fish, nuts, berries, mushrooms, butter, cream, cheese, eggs, bread, pickles, chutneys, jams, pastries, beer, wine, vinegar, salt, energy, energy producing equipment, slaves, fuel, compost, fertiliser, building materials, rope, baskets, pottery, wool, cotton, looms, spinning wheels, paper, paper-making machines, cured products, tanned products,
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tiles, bricks, stonework, stone working tools, metalwork, metal working tools, wood products and wood working tools. Many noble Houses have constructed rows of shops along the outer walls of their compounds to not only keep an eye on trade but to benefit from it (page 31, Book 1 MBS). These shops also serve as a form of defence as well. How could this work? Hopefully, the following example will help. Ryath Giir has been approached by Vorn Asbodela to help finance Vorn's purchase of some gems from Kelnor Mizzrym. Vorn can't afford to pay for such fine gems himself but Ryath can, therefore Vorn should negotiate with Ryath and the two of them need to come up with a mutually beneficial deal. The Mizzryms have a reputation for duplicity so Vorn decides that a few enforcers might be needed to 'lean on' Kelnor should he start being dishonest. Therefore Vorn has a word with a few shadowy characters from the Braeryn. You know the types, mad, bad and dangerous to owe. All of these negotiations can take place in drinking pits since they are neutral territory to a large extent. Inns, taverns, alehouses, coffee-houses and cafs have all served as meeting places to conduct business in ages past and theres no reason why the same cant be true in Menzoberranzan. Below is a list of the major Houses and the goods they tend to specialise in. Where a House has nothing listed as a speciality it suggests that they deal in all kinds of commerce. Those goods/service underlined are taken from canon. 1 - Qu'ellar Baenre - Banking, capital, education, protection and information. 2 - Qu'ellar Barrison Del'Armgo - Heartwine, Herbs, spices, banking, capital and protection. 3 - Qu'ellar Faen Tlabbar - All kinds of trade. 4 - Qu'ellar Xorlarrin - Slaves, mining (the Lustrum), magic wands, arbitration and trade agents. 5 - Qu'ellar Agrach Dyrr 6 - Qu'ellar Mizzrym - coal, iron, sand, obsidian, very rare gems, gold and platinum. 7 - Qu'ellar Fey-Branche - Information, surveillance and espionage. 8 - Qu'ellar Tuin'Tarl - Intercity trade and importers. 9 - Qu'ellar Duskryn - weaponry and military training. 10 - Qu'ellar Srune'lett 11 - Qu'ellar Horlbar - Agriculture and ambitous trade. 12 - Qu'ellar Kenafin - Intracity trade. Carters, hauliers, warehousing and sellers of the information that such activites bring. 13 - Qu'ellar Druu'giir - Money-lending, financing and banking. 14 - Qu'ellar Hunzrin - Agriculture. 15 - Qu'ellar Shobalar 16 - Qu'ellar Vandree - surface world trade, trophies, magical items, outside news, magical components. 17 - Qu'ellar Symrivvin - education,

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Essays on Role-Playing Drow Effectively

Essay authors Mikayla Connell (Mikayla) Patrick Smith (Kiaransalyn) Glenys McGhee (Jak) Compiler Thiago Garcia Editor Patrick Smith The community at www.menzoberranzan.net has many talented and outspoken people that really want to help others understand the complexity of drow society and an individual's motivation. Below you will find role-playing tips taken from posts made by several community members that will guide and assist you in making sure your character acts and thinks like a Menzoberranyr drow. Understanding drow motivation and culture is a cornerstone to maximising game experience in the server. It requires maturity and an open mind to grasp the concept of evil, play around with it and at the same time not ruin the fun for others. By incorporating the elements that make drow so unique and displaying them for everyone's (players and DMs alike) enjoyment.

Role-playing a Drow an essay by Mikayla Some thoughts on drow RP A lot of people have remarked on how tough it is to role-play drow correctly. For a long time, I thought that remark was rather patronizing and inaccurate. I believed the error was in the collectives assumption that there was one, single correct way to run a drow character. This seemed to me to be a situation where there was a collective view of the general traits of the drow that the collective wanted to see each and every player portray. Otherwise, the player would likely incur the wrath of the collective and have to suffer accusations of being a poor role-player. For my part, I look to the novels and real life and I believe each drow is as different from every other drow as each human being is different from every other. This does not mean the drow are the same as humans; far from it in fact. My recent experience on Skullport playing as a drow priestess of Lolth has taught me a lot. I now believe there are certain things players who play drow must learn and know to properly play a drow PC. This is not meant to stifle RP. A PC drow may have any personality the player wishes, but, for those drow coming from a Lolthian background, there are certain fundamental differences in the structure of society and in its rules we must take into account.
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The traditional Lolthian drow culture is essentially the anti-thesis of our own. In the modern world we struggle to achieve a society in which all people are equal, fairly treated, and safe. We want stable government. We want life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all. We want justice. We want fairness. We want peace, but make war when we feel we have to. We want leaders we respect and admire, though we often are disappointed. We want people to be able to rise up through merit, not nepotism. We want love and understanding and companionship. Lolthian drow society could not be more different. The drow of Menzoberranzan and Ched Nasad are intentionally sexist, racist, religiously intolerant, chaotic, murderous all of which has been displayed in human societies however, their base desires are much different than ours. They do not want a stable government, at least not until they are atop the pyramid. The do not want equality or fairness they want everything skewed in their personal favor. They do not value our notions of justice they value and fear revenge. They do not want peace nor do they want war neither is a concept they really understand the way we do for the drow, every day is a day of conflict as they are locked in a life long struggle to gain the favor of Lolth and advance their personal station. Our notions of peace and war are like the weather to them all it does is color the struggle they are born into and live everyday. Some days they carry on their struggle in what we would call peace and other days they carry on their struggle in what we would call war just as some days we walk in the rain and some days we walk in the sun. They do not want leaders they respect and admire they want leaders who have the favor of Lolth, for a leader who has the favor of Lolth is nearly invincible and brings great rewards to her followers a leader who loses the favor of Lolth dooms her followers. Our notions of leadership, cooperation, fairness, communication and teamwork have little place among the drow. They lead by dictate, not mandate. The right to give those dictates stems from Lolth herself, and is translated down a hierarchy Priestesses, noble females, females, then the males. Lolth takes an active role in drow society and those that lose her favor are doomed, so those that can best achieve and keep her favor are the ones who have the right to dictate to others. Those who cannot or will not dictate are viewed as weak and quickly fall to the blades of the strong below them. The masses do not cry out for democracy they cry out for a dictator who will keep Lolths favor and thus make their society prosper. The drow in Lolthian society are discouraged from loving any but Lolth. Their society rips children from their mothers and disenfranchises the fathers completely. Noble drow grow up children of their society, not children of a mother and father. Marriage does not exist. Most siblings are only half-brothers or half sisters. Family relations, within a noble house, are more titles than actual family connections a persons relation to the matron is more about their station within the house than whom they were born to. Adoption is common. So is disinheritance and murder. By breaking these most basic human bonds, the drow create a race of beings that lack the same empathic connection to one another most humans have. By our terms, they are sociopathic. Other creatures are tools to be used, threats to be avoided, pleasures to be enjoyed or obstacles to be removed. They are not human. This does not mean that every drow is a serial killer, but it does mean they put far less value on life than we humans would and have little to no sympathy for their victims. To say they objectify others is an understatement.
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Lolthian society is not the only drow society. The drow of Cormanthor are largely followers of Vhaerun, the drow of Sshamath are less than entirely faithful, the Eilistraeens of the surface follow the Dark Maiden, and then there are the nearly insane followers of Kiaransalee and Ghaunadaur. The Lolthian model, however, is the base from which all start. To analogize, Lolthian society is to the drow, what a combination of Greek, Roman and Medieval European societies are to Western Culture. So what does this mean to players? Well, players of traditional drow need to learn a different set of values. For example, in our culture, we would value a leader who leads by example. We want Sergeant York or Macarthur. We also value personal loyalty, bravery, honesty and modesty. We want someone who has our back. The drow do not. The drow want a leader who maintains the favor of Lolth and plays the politics of drow society well they want Yvonnel Baenre, or Machiavelli. They do not value a leader who fearlessly throws herself into combat at the head of the army that is a position for slave troops! They want a leader who is going to stay on Lolths good side and out maneuver all those other bitches trying to do the same thing. The drow understand and respect personal betrayal when it makes sense in the War of the Spider Queen, Phaerun the wizard betrays Ryld the swordsman, Phaeruns best friend, to his death or so Phaerun thinks. Ryld survives, but does not really hold a grudge against Phaerun Phaeruns betrayal made sense at the time. Ryld could respect that. They do value the allegiance of a person who takes their side, but they understand that such allegiances are born from utility rather than personal friendship or loyalty. This comes out when a group of drow players plays regularly enough that their PCs take on real lives. When a group comes together only infrequently, for specific quests, they are more like any evil party of adventurers. But when they come together often enough to establish real relationships with one another, we see how hard it is to RP drow. Here is why: Drow society as depicted in the novels and game materials would not really work. The society is too chaotic, too murderous, too divided, too vicious to go on the way it is. People who can never cooperate are quickly destroyed by those that do. The chaotic jumble of drow society would fall to outside invaders or to an internal force of organized drow who shed the traditional drow ways in favor of personal loyalty, bravery, honesty, fairness etc. Why? Because those values give rise to loyalty and cooperation and loyalty and cooperation make the whole greater than the sum of the parts. A group of drow who cooperate and trust each other can defeat those that do not. An example: My drow patrol in Skullport would work far better and more efficiently if I led it the way I led my scout squad in the army, leading by example, gaining the trust of my teammates, displaying integrity and working hard. Similarly, if the members of that patrol put aside their petty feuds and cooperated the patrol would work much better. In a world dictated by reality and Darwinism, that is what would happen. A more efficient patrol would form or this one would fail. In Faerun, that is not what happens. Drow society does not fail it thrives. Granted, with the silence of Lolth, it is under serious pressure and may be destroyed, but except for that, drow culture works. Why? Because the writers of the game say it does. It is as simple
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as that. Divine (writers) fiat. It works because we say it does. What is the in game reason? Lolth. If a group of drow were to start cooperating, trusting each other, working together as a team, Lolth might very well destroy them or arrange their destruction. She likes the drow to be chaotic and evil and at each others throats. Once we accept that, we can start really playing drow. As a drow player, accept that there are, in reality, better ways to do things, to organize, to have relationships, butgo the drow way unless you are playing a renegade because the drow way works not because it really does, but because we are told it does. Because Lolth says it does. So, in game, this means I go on raving as a tyrannical bitch and, though I am a tyrannical bitch, I can expect to remain unchallenged (more or less) so long as I maintain the favor of Lolth. Does it matter that in battle I fight from the rear? Not really indeed, my subordinates get mad when I actually get into hand to hand. Similarly, my subordinates continue on with their feuds even though they could settle their differences. Plots abound where there should be cooperation. True, when an outside enemy appears we set most of that aside to deal with the situation at hand, but our internal struggle is the real conflict. The others, the iblith, the dragons, the illithid, the whoever and whatever come and go our real struggle, our real adventure, is amongst ourselves and our own relationships both to ourselves and to our goddess (or god for you heretics). So to those who would come to play drow with us, think on these things. Set aside your traditional values of friendship, leadership, efficiency, and your basic notions of how group dynamics should work the Lolthian drow do not know these things. Accept that the rather inefficient way the drow operate IS the way they operate. It is the Way of Lolth. And it is ALL that most drow know. They do not know that other societal structures exist or what those structures might look like. All they know is what they see and for most Lolthian drow, that is not much only what the priestesses show them. Now, if you are a renegade, you are free to disregard all that indeed you should take advantage of it. Showing the Lolthian drow there is a better way is undoubtedly a powerful weapon of conversion in the renegade arsenal. In sum play your drow PC as you will some may be sadistic, others obsessed with magic; some may be relentless station climbers while others may simply be looking for a way out; some may seek vengeance while others seek absolution. Just keep in mind, however, that underlying the drow is a different set of values and assumptions. They come from a different world than we do, not just physically, but mentally. We have to accept that world even if it does not really work, at least to some degree, in order to get our heads around playing them. And just FYI my crew on SP does a fantastic job of this. Somewhere between the murderous gangland of the Sopranos, the soap opera of Days of Our Lives, and the magical fantasy of D&D, lays the twilight patrol of Skullports drow PCs. Now a practical comment on what I have written above for players. If we assume I am correct that the drow are basically sociopathic should we play them that way? Can we play them that way? Yes and no. While the drow are sociopathic, we humans, for the most part, are not. Elvaelaeyl Tlabbar/Sheyreiza Auvryndar, my character, does not empathize in the slightest for
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Amenia. I, Mikayla, however, empathize greatly with Spiderjones, Amenias player. While Elva might kill Amenia out of hand if convenient, necessary or even just pleasurable, I, Mikayla, do not want to do that to Spider. This means that RP-ing drow will frequently place the player in a position where proper drow RP is at odds with the players personal feelings. Should we expect that the player put aside their morality and adopt that of the drow? Yes and no. This is a game and we play it for fun. The truth is, living in drow society would be many things but fun is not likely one of them. Though I am a huge fan of drow and of hardcore RP, it is my preference, that, where possible, we sacrifice a little RP to save the fun of the game. Though my priestess might be willing to carelessly sacrifice the lives of her followers I am not. Cayssan, Spider, Zak, and even GD deserve to have as much fun as me playing the game. So, on a day to day basis I am going to have Elva rant at them, insult them, command them and do the things priestesses do. I am not, however, going to kill them out of hand like Elva might. We, the drow players, have to find a middle ground between accurately playing a bunch of uptight, relatively murderous sociopaths, and having fun with the game. THERE lies the difficulty of playing a drow. Playing a selfish, homicidal, sociopath who cares only about herself or Lolth is easy. Playing a selfish, homicidal, sociopath who cares only about herself or Lolth AND trying to ensure everyone has a good time is much harder. That, I believe, is where the real difficulty in drow RP lies. So, now that I have presented the situation and the problem, how does one find a middle ground between the nature of the drow and the need to maintain a fun gaming environment? I will offer a couple practical suggestions which should NOT be seen as the be all, end all of drow RP. Just suggestions. First step away from the urge to kill everyone who crosses you. Feuds will develop between characters. Let them simmer. Drow live a long, long time and not every feud needs to be resolved right away, and not always through death. Find other ways to fight your opponent scheme to make them lose favor with Lolth or their commanders for example. Also, remember drow have no formal justice system there are no police in Menzoberranzan, there are only noble houses. Justice is achieved by revenge and more often than not, the strong achieve justice while the weak do not. Offenses from those far above your station must often be let go. To fight back is to invite almost certain destruction. Second step away from your natural tendencies and inclinations, but temper that removal with a dose of reality. For example, when the drow on Skullport began planning their surface raid, I leaped right in and took over that planning. For years in the army, small unit raids were what I did for a living. I had the Ranger handbook nearly memorized and I could recite the classic 5-paragraph order by heart. Initially, I began to lead the drow the way I
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used to lead my troops in the army. I had the urge to lead by example, to be the hardest working person on the team, to not order anyone to do what I would not do, to listen, to communicate blah blah blah. I had to set all that aside to accurately portray a drow priestess. A manifestation of that: several of the drow in my patrol have feuds going. Were this my scout squad in the army, I would sit them down and hash it out with them until they were friends again. A Lolthian priestess is not going to do that. So, what do I do? Let them kill each other? Yes and no. What I did was simply order them not to kill each other until I say they can. No warm and fuzzy sit down where we all express ourselves and get things off our chest, no hand shake, no burying the hatchet except maybe in someones head later. Sowe forestall the feud by order and we avoid acting like nice normal humans. This does not mean you cannot play smart while I may not lead the drow patrol the way I would my old scout or rifle squads, we can still train. Though I do not lead by example, I can still make them learn tactics and maneuvers. For their part, the other drow on the patrol do a great job of playing as well when I act as a human might, showing concern or respect or allowing others to speak their peace, members of my patrol smell the weakness and are on me like white on rice. When I lash out at them, they back down. It simply takes a slightly different mindset but one tempered with the knowledge that this is a game and we are playing for a common goal fun. I will now stop my lecturing and pontificating. For those that have read this far, I thank you and hope that at least something here was useful, enlightening or at least entertaining. Malla tlu Lolth.

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Unless an essay by Kiaransalyn Perhaps the first thing I should do is to comment on the Chaotic Evil (CE) description. The Player's Handbook, (Version 3.5 pg 106) says that CE characters 'do whatever their greed, hatred and lust for destruction drive them to do. They are hottempered, vicious, arbitrarily violent and unpredictable.' Granted, alignment shouldn't be used as a strait-jacket but this definition suggests that a CE society shouldn't really exist since every individual in it will be a violent criminal who is consumed not only by thoughts of murder, rapine and theft but by the need to commit them. Clearly more consideration should be given to what a CE society is and how it functions. If we now turn to the drow the first thing to point out is that they have a +2 modifier to their intelligence, (from Underdark, pg 11). This suggests that they are not brutish barbarians and are quite capable of finding solutions to the problems they encounter. Now they may be greedy, violent and unpredictable but that does not mean they are suicidal, stupid or lack a strong instinct for self-preservation. I think that drow use their intelligence to persue their goals and they clearly see the benefit in banding together. Their first social tie is their 'house', this is a collection of individuals that see the benefit in working together because the individuals are then better able to achieve what they wish to achieve. What is more appealing to a drow, killing another drow of equal ability for no reason or ganging up with that drow to kill some weaker goblins because they can? And it should be borne in mind that the reason 'because they can' is good enough for a CE character. One of my favourite shows is Babylon 5 and I'll quote G'Kar from it; "The universe runs on a complex interweaving of three elements: energy, matter, and enlightened self-interest." It is not in any intelligent drow's self-interest to get killed, (we'll get on to the 'raise dead' issue soon.) Your usual drow character will be cultured, charming, intelligent, dress well and straight away will be calculating what use you are to her/him. If you are of no use to them and they know you are of no consequence they might kill you if it so pleases them. That 'no consequence' is important and I'll explain why in a while also. I have said that drow work together in 'houses' because they find they can better achieve their aims that way, and for that same reason 'houses' group together to form cities. Again they can better achieve their aims that way. Drow are intelligent and this is why this happens. However, does this mean they are happily drinking tea and passing the port the correct way? Far from it. They are always striving to improve their station. For example, Gruherth the mage may think about killing Laerekh, the leader of his mercenary company. As leader, Gruherth would have more power and an improved station. However, he then considers that Laerekh has better contacts and those mean contracts and wealth for their mercenary company. Also although Laerekh isn't a wizard he is a gifted shadowdancer and Gruherth has seen how he fights. Gruherth knows if he is going to kill Laerekh he had better make his first spell a damn effective spell because Laerekh's daggers will finish him off before he can ready his second. After this musing he may then think that actually he is doing fine and it is to his advantage to leave Laerekh as leader. He could form an alliance but that means telling another drow, for example, Calimar his plans. However, Calimar will only help Gruherth if there is something in it for Calimar. And Calimar will consider what Laerekh will do if he knows Gruherth's plans. In fact, Laerekh may better improve Calimar's position.
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Taking that example, you may now see why House Baenre has remained unchallenged for many thousands of years. The gamble for the other high ranking noble houses is too risky. They can't form an alliance with other houses because that may give their intended target the advantage of a potential informant. The more houses involved in a conspiracy to topple House Baenre the more likely one will just inform House Baenre, because it is in their self-interest to do so. Far from being a violent society, Drow society is a society that on the surface seems quite civilised. However, underneath, there is a violent desire bubbling away. Alliances are formed and plans are set and it only needs one event to set the whole house of cards falling. If you have read Insurrection from The War of the Spider Queen series, this is why I think Ched Nasad falls in one day. One action and one event triggers all the other planned actions. It unleashes that need for violence in the drow character because suddenly the gambles they are wagering on have a better chance of paying off. There's a chance to commit cruelty and get away with it. Another example is the attempted destruction of House Freth by House Teken'duis (from the novel Homeland). The Teken'duis fail to kill all of House Freth and therefore House Teken'duis itself is destroyed utterly. To be powerful, one must have powerful friends and to gain powerful friends one must show that you have equal power. If House Teken'duis had destroyed House Freth completely the other houses would know that Teken'duis was powerful and therefore deserving of consideration. However, by letting some of House Freth survive the allies of House Freth would be compelled to act forcefully against House Teken'duis. They have to show that their power is something to feared and to be courted. Otherwise, how many other houses would ally with them or leave them alone if they let Teken'duis go unpunished. And exactly because the violent drow nature could bubble up in blood-letting and violence all the houses combine to destroy Teken'duis. An individual drow then, takes care not to kill somebody of consequence. A Del'Armgo wouldn't just kill a Baenre if there were witnesses present unless all of those witnesses saw an advantage to the death of that particular Baenre. Similarly, a Del'Armgo wouldn't kill a Baenre in an isolated location if they knew the spot could be scryed or some other form of magical detection could be employed. At the same time, a Baenre might not kill a Del'Armgo because House Barrison Del'Armgo could use that as evidence to the other houses that the Baenre are killing needlessly and such violence will harm all the houses lesser in rank then Baenre. A drow always strives to improve their station but they have to make sure that the actions they take to improve their station do not carry consequences. There are no chances to commit evil acts and there is no increase in station if you are dead after all. This is a good time to mention the 'raise dead' spells that clerics can cast. In a good society, characters have a higher chance of being raised from the dead. In a drow society a cleric will only raise a character from the dead if they percieve a personal advantage. You may think that a sack of gold is a fine advantage to the cleric but the cleric might think that killing those who are offering the gold, pocketing it and saving the spell for someone who is directly useful to the cleric is a better decision. I've mentioned all this without mentioning Lolth. As a goddess, Lolth wants power and to get power she needs worshippers and clerics to spread her belief. If she sees her believers killing one another the Spider Queen is going to lose worshippers and power very quickly. This filters down the hierarchy, the Matron Mother doesn't want her house being weakened by bloodshed because she will lose power and station. Even the lowly male
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patrol commander doesn't want his troops fighting amongst one another because his power is lessened and the group's chances of getting back to the city from the perils of the Underdark are greatly reduced. Now if that patrol commander is taking risks that are perceived as unnecessary by his troops a cunning soldier may assassinate him and take his place. A daughter will kill her mother if the Matron is growing old and infirm. The daughter will rationalise this in terms of the mother's continued existence being a source of weakness to the house. At the top of the hierarchy, Lolth will be displaced as head of the drow pantheon if the drow percieve that worshipping another deity is to their advantage. I've titled this post 'Unless' because it seems appropriate. When you role-play a drow character your character will not commit an evil act unless there is no consequence. Remember drow are intelligent as well as cruel. They are also intensely keen on the idea of staying alive. You may say that acts of random violence is in keeping with your drow character's chaotic evil nature. However, before you commit those random acts think about the the drow one step higher in the hierarchy who is more powerful and stronger who will also be staying 'in-character' by destroying your character. Be cruel and be evil because that is drow nature but don't do it at the expense of your life.

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A General Discussion about Drow Sexism by various A male who has an attitude towards females is going to die pretty quickly or at least have his tongue nailed to the base of his mouth. It's only worth being arrogant with those who you know are lesser than you. Your male character will have had it repeatedly drilled into his head that males are inferior to females. He will note that females are bigger and stronger and more than a few have very impressive clerical magic. Where is he going to get the ideas from that you want him to have? As for thinking he is a priestess of Lolth, that sort of blasphemy will have other non-essential parts of his body nailed down. And that's going to hurt! Remember your character is starting out as a level one character; he's got nothing to be arrogant about except for surviving childhood. Male insolence isn't tolerated in any house. There are some notable exceptions: Barrison Del'Armgo relies heavily upon its well-trained wizards and swordsmen because for a noble house their lack of priestesses is notable. Agrach Dyrr is a puppet rule, the real power of the house is from Dyrr himself, a lich. While the males of the house are afforded more respect because of his manipulations, there is a fierce gender rivalry within the house. Faen Tlabbar, as was noted already, gives males an equal voice. Note: this does not apply to all males equally. The Elderboy can get away with saying something to the Matron Mother that a soldier could not. The most important thing to remember however, is that male or female, the "attitude" you can get away with displaying is purely relative to the willingness and ability of others to kill you for it. Male insolence is not going to be tolerated much, even at the houses mentioned. True, and as the book points out, the males get much respect at Barrison DelArmgo, but tolerance for insolence? That is different than respect. Faen Tlabbar gives males a voice. Here is what the book says: Though the females, and Matron Ghenni specifically, exercise typical iron-fisted drow matriarchal rule, the clan is unusual in that open dialogue and a free exchange of ideas and opinions is encouraged including input from the males! Of course, the females make the ultimate decisions, but all clan members are given the opportunity to voice their opinions. Menzoberranzan Campaign Set, Book Two; The Houses, p. 30. Clearly the male does not have an equal voice Matriarchal rule is still well entrenched in Quellar Faen Tlabbar. The males ARE listened too, however, which is different than in many houses. The deceptive part of the statement is the ability part on average, females have, by virtue of station, greater ability to kill their enemies than males, thus you can generally get away with less attitude towards them. Such is life in Menzoberranzan.

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Character Psychology by Jak I am very curious whether or not anyone here plays characters with various psychological disorders? It goes without saying that drow society is sociopathic and I think most players of evil characters play their drow as such. But what about the plethora of other mental problems that come of such a harsh society? Instead of, or in addition to, sociopathy, I think there are plenty of workable disorders. I'm not a psychologist, rather I have done a lot of work in the United States volunteering at state-run wards and the like. I have plenty of course work on the subject (no degree), and I have direct relatives with mental disabilities. I'm am by no means qualified to diagnose a person, though I could make feeble guesses. Characters are different. If you're interested in the psychological aspect of your character, I think it might be interesting to diagnose them. Also, if you're interested in playing a character with a disorder, I'd be happy to help. Just keep in mind that mental disorders are serious and not something to laugh at. I can tell you a lot of funny stories about some of the people I worked with, but the disorders and the people they affect are serious. Delusional (Paranoid) Disorder This has has several different types that I think could work, especially for priestesses. Erotomanic Type is one I think people hear in the news fairly often. Typically this disorder is characterized by the delusion that x person secretly loves them either romantically and/ or spiritually by a person of great prominence. In the world we know, x person is usually a politician or celebrity, but in FR, x person might be Lolth. In almost any other case, I think it is a deadly delusion. Persecutory Type makes the most sense to me since most drow might never even notice it. The delusion in this case is that everyone is out to get you. In drow society, it is assumed that everyone who will gain from persecuting you will persecute you. However, in this case, the delusional theme will lead you to find benefits for even people you don't know to persecute you. Someone suffering from this disorder would go to bizarre lengths to protect themselves from possible attacks. The drawback of this disorder is probably said bizarre lengths the character will go to in order to protect themselves.

Mood Disorders Manic Episodes are characterized by a distinct timeframe wherein the person is somewhat high on life, irritable, or expansive. Those things dont seem to be too much of a problem, but the accompanying symptoms are both advantageous and a problem for a drow experiencing this disorder. They will exhibit a few of the following: less need for sleep, feelings of grandeur, freer speech, flight of ideas, inclination to dangerous or high risk activities, thoughts easily scattered, and remarkable increase in overall activity. Minor
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hallucinations arent unheard of, but remember that hallucinations arent always things you see. These symptoms should cause a character to have dysfunctional relationships with most everyone she/he deals with in their normal associations. It goes without saying that many features of this disorder could be pretty unsafe for males or females. The aftermath of the manic episode is somewhat harsh since the person has to come down to their normal functioning level. The episodes themselves wouldnt longer than a couple weeks, unless you want to consider the long lives of elves. Of course, if it lasted longer than a month, other drow might consider killing your character out of irritation. It might be interesting to note that pregnancy can trigger these episodes. Might not want to provoke a female in this state for fear of the creativity and sleeplessness when she tortures you. Hypomanic Disorder is much like manic episodes, only hypomanic episodes are not as pronounced as the manic version. Hypomanic episodes wont impair a characters ability to carry on their normal relationships and such. Think of it as Manic lite. As such, this disorder would be easier to live with in drow society, though it would still be troublesome. Major Depressive Episodes dont seem to need much explaining, but Ill run through it quickly. Episodes dont usually last more than two weeks and are marked by several (not usually all) of the following: loss of interest/pleasure in almost all activities, insomnia or hypersomnia, inability to experience pleasure, significant weight loss unrelated to diet, fatigue, suicidal ideation, worthlessness, and inability to concentrate. Once again, hallucinations arent unheard of, but arent limited to visuals. The worst problem with this disorder is the inability to hide it. Unless your character was necessary to his/her House or other association, this weakness would probably be exploited unto death or driderhood. Of course, it wouldnt be impossible to continue on with Depressive episodes, just not easy. If you enjoy a role-playing challenge, I wouldnt let the dangers get in the way. There are a multitude of combinations when it comes to Bipolar Disorders, however with the information Ive provided on Manic, Hypomanic, and Depressive episodes, I think it would be redundant to detail them all. Suffice to say that Bipolar Disorder is characterized by experiencing both Manic and Depressive episodes with varying frequencies of either episode. Anxiety Disorders I really was disinclined to consider drow with anxiety disorders until I began to consider the male situation in drow society. I mentioned before that I semi-seriously thought Gromph was a candidate for a social anxiety disorder, which sort of turned me around on my original consideration. Anxiety Disorders have a poor image, but having being diagnosed with one myself, I can personally dispute the image of a person who is timid and/or lacking in social graces. Mine, like most people, doesnt even show up unless Im around specific stressors that arent necessarily social in nature. I think most people have a specific stressor that will set off anxieties, so anxiety disorders should be easier to understand and role play. For drow of either gender, Panic Disorder without Agoraphobia (bear with me here) seems to be a good bet. The attacks rarely last more than an hour, though they recur in
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and around times the character is introduced to the stressors that induce them. It isnt always apparent what is setting them off. In fact, according to the DSM-III-R, the unexpected quality is mandatory for the diagnosis. Symptoms include may include several of the following: difficulty breathing, choking, increased heart rate, dizziness, nausea, sweating, numbness or tingling sensation, hot flashes or chills, depersonalization or derealization (Ill get to those next time, as they are dissociative disorders), shaking, and fear of losing control. The worst symptoms Ive had are livable, despite the extreme stressors I was at one time experiencing. It simply isnt pleasant. Also, in this case, the stressor shouldnt have anything to do with being the center of attention. I could still function through feelings of choking, heart racing, hot flashes, slight trembling, and dizziness despite the difficulty and remarkable decline in performance. I figure if I can deal with it, then a drow could do the same. It would make for some interesting role play to see the character trying to figure out what is wrong with them and to try to avoid the situations that they think give rise to the problem. Social Phobia was my tongue-in-cheek diagnosis for Menzoberranzans arch mage, but it could work for any drow. This disorder is characterized by the reoccurring fear of scrutiny and the fear that she/he will do something or act in some way that will bring humiliation on themselves. In the case of drow, I think it important to consider fear they will bring humiliation on their House or other association. Most magic-users who loath going out in public are possible candidates, but obviously only a fraction would be affected. I dont think this would be limited to mages, though, since drow society is a high-pressure social environment and everything you do could reflect on those you associate with. Many people with social phobia resort to drugs and/or alcohol to relieve the anxiety the phobia induces. The symptoms should mirror those of the anxiety disorder. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is known for the obsessions or compulsions that interfere with a persons performance, cause the person distress, eat up great amounts of time and energy, interfere with normal routines, and disrupt social functions. The obsessions are uncomfortable or, at least the time they take to go through them is. Resisting the compulsions leads to greater and greater anxiety until such time as the person gives in to them, in which case, the anxiety vanishes until next time. Obsessive compulsive disorder is known by many people, thanks to As Good as It Gets and Jack Nicholsons excellent performance. However, I think the movie might tend to lead to a stereotypical view of cranky sufferers (though we are talking about drow here: cranky goes with the territory). I had a roommate in college who occasionally suffered the disorder when she experienced stress. She had elaborate rituals concerning the order of picking up her keys and books and what she should do in the event of stepping on leaves. With her bubbly personality, I never even noticed. A relevant case study I read once was more typically drow. A young man suffering this disorder began to write compulsively things he did not want to forget. In college, his margins were filled to capacity, when he ran out of space in notebooks he wrote on tables, failing that, he wrote on his hands, at night he filled more notebooks with everything he had to remember from the day, when he finally got to sleep, he wrote on his walls. In a paranoid society such as the drow live in, a player could easily incorporate this manifestation of the disorder.
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Post-traumatic Stress Disorder was supposedly covered in detail in R.A. Salvatores exploration of Wulfgars character. Being that I cant stand said character, Im not sure what kind of a job he did. I know it was a major theme in RAS books, but since I dont have them anymore, I cant say for certain. Since he devoted so much time to this theme you can see how much conflict a disorder can be for a character. Excellent grounds for character development. If you read about Wulfgars plight, tell me what you thought of it. If you didnt, tell me if I should edit this to include a description of Post-traumatic disorder. I think priestesses would be good candidates for it, considering the whole demonic initiation thing. But I really dont want to discuss that since even the vague notion of that ritual makes me nauseous. (Note to self: empathy is bad.) Dissociative Disorders These all have something to do with disturbances in the fundamental functions of identity, consciousness, or memory. These are the sort of disorders that play with deeply philosophical ideas about the self. Most of these are do-able for drow characters of either gender, under most circumstances. Dissociative Identity Disorder is better known as Multiple Personality Disorder, but Ill use the former name in order to play down this disorders fame. This disorder is known for the presence of multiple patterns of consciousness that can be identified as personalities. There are usually at least two very distinct personalities within one person, sometimes more. They usually hold differing social, gender, and psychological outlooks. In some cases, one of the personalities may even suffer from other disorders. These personalities may be aware of one another or some may know the others, while individual personalities are utterly ignorant of the rest. Transitions between personalities are instantaneous and have multiple triggers. People suffering from Dissociative Identity disorder are very rare in our world, but from most accounts, the disorder can be surprisingly useful. It could be an excellent survival mechanism for more sensitive drow. Dont like being traumatized in your youth and feel like you cant handle it? Cant find somebody to take the abuse for you? Then create somebody who can. If you have a multi-classed character, it might be interesting if you had a personality for each. Of course, you couldnt use multiple classes at once since each personality usually has full control when they surface. Psychogenic Fugue occurs when a person suddenly picks up at travels some distance and on the way loses their old identity and assumes a new one. This is often found in wartime situations or after heavy abuse of alcohol. Not knowing anything about yourself would be a bad handicap, but imagine the fun of going through all your gear and wondering who the heck it belongs to. I think this is an excellent option for PCs that need new life breathed back into them, or for a brand new character just entering a new city or place. The possibilities are as endless as the characters reactions to the situation. A drow could react multiple ways, according to their personality (identity changes, not personality). Did they screw up royally? Did they successfully whack somebody and assume their identity? Did they know something that would get them killed? Did they suddenly exist, with some god/desses amusement in mind?
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Sufferers of Depersonalization Disorder experience an almost complete disconnect from their bodies and mental processes, which can last almost any amount of time, but intensifies most especially in times of stress. Somebody suffering from depersonalization disorder will experience social and occupational impairment. They lose all sense of emotional connections, though they are cognizant of once having them. If they loved someone, they remember it, but no longer feel it. Feeling like an automaton, they question their own existence and what is real. Many resort to self-mutilation in order to feel something real. Personality Disorders When personality traits are rigid and unchanging, as well as a cause of distress and impairment, they might be considered Personality Disorders. The personality traits show up in every aspect of a persons thinking and the way they relate with themselves and the world around them. These disorders are usually developed in adolescence and often continue throughout a persons life. Considering the age issue with drow, this could last a terribly long time unless she/he can rectify or get away with the behavior. Most people dont even know they have these, so I think most are merely suggestions. As common as they are, it is sort of odd calling them disorders. The DSM-III sorts these by clusters according to behaviors. Cluster A is known for odd and eccentric behavior but, in drow society, some of these odd behaviors are the norm. Paranoid Personality Disorder is a case in point for drow society: a norm. Does this sound at all familiar? People with this disorder believe that actions around them are intentionally intimidating or threatening. They dont take kindly to criticism, have a hostile view of all new situations no matter how benign, are intense, aggressive, and critical of others. They often lack sentimentality, softer emotions, and a sense of humor, going so far as to deride those who do. They never forget a grudge. Sounds about right for drow, though it seems obvious most drow do have a fairly wicked sense of humor. Schizoid Personality Disorder is marked by a limited sense of emotional expression and feeling, as well as a lack of interest in social relationships. I think this is another sleeper disorder for drow; easy to get away with it. The thing that would mark them as a little strange is not the desire to be alone but their lack of interest in sexual relationships. Also, people with this disorder tend to be socially inadequate. Mainly, this disorder is going to cause some anxiety in social situations. Schizotypal Personality Disorder seems to be a bit chaotic, so it could also make for a good choice if you want to explore a personality disorder with a chaotic character. It could almost be thought of as featherweight schizophrenia due to patterns of odd beliefs, magical thinking (thinking that indicates your thoughts will affect your habitat more than your actions), eccentric appearance, and anxiety in unusual social situations.

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