The birthing process is more difficult for women of the Lorgreln than for other drow, though still easy by comparison to many other races. Death in childbirth is quite rare, even for the poorest of the Lorgreln. For the wealthier and more influential families, who can afford access to healing spells and apothecary services, it is all but unknown. This is due at least in some part to the increased stamina and vitality of Lorgreln women.
The Lorgreln spend their early childhood with the extended family, learning what they can of the work the family does.
Each family of Lorgreln belongs to one of the Hosts, be it warrior, priest, smith, trade or any of a dozen others common and powerful in iron drow society. Before the child enters puberty, he is sent to the Host Hall of the nearest city, where he will spend two decades mastering the knowledge of the Host to which his family belongs. Once the Host training is done, females are returned to their families, while males move on to train for a decade with the Warrior Host.
110
There are more priests than spellcasters of other stripes in Lorgreln society, but they are still few in comparison to other groups of drow (except, obviously, the Sulzthul) and their services as healers are in constant demand. In order to fill the void between the abilities of the priests and the demand for the priests, Lorgreln have mastered the use of all manner of curative herbs and compounds. While expensive, there are usually enough herbalists to satisfy demand, and the Lorgreln remain in good overall health. The herbalists and physicians of the Lorgreln are constantly seeking to refine and improve their abilities, and usually keep a fair number of slaves on hand for experimentation.
Upon death, Lorgreln bodies are consecrated then interred, if possible, in a crypt in the city of their birth. If for whatever reason it is not possible to bring the body home, the corpse is burned.
Clothing
Few other aspects of the Lorgreln reveal the ordered, martial nature of their society as much as the clothing. Males and females both go armed constantly, even if it is merely the ubiquitous cold-wrought dagger of the culture. Males more commonly go about armed with at least a sword in addition to the dagger, and a shirt of mail is hardly uncommon.
Lorgreln clothing and uniforms are generally made of na’orsuin, though stiffer and rougher than the na’orsuin made by most drow. Styles of clothing for both men and women tend to be modest and severe, with none of the scantiness or clinginess commonly found in the clothes of other drow. All Lorgreln wear, at all times, a sash of na’orsuin. The colour of this sash and the manner in which it is tied represent the Host to which the iron drow belongs, and the city from which he or she hails. Lorgreln from smaller communities wear their sashes in the same fashion as that of the nearest large city.
Combat
The Lorgreln are a deadly, disciplined force in combat.
Adept at all manner of squad tactics derived from literally centuries of practice, the soldiers of the Lorgreln move, strike and fight as one.
Now that they once again have access to all the tools of the weaponsmiths, able at last to smelt iron into steel in a roaring furnace, the Lorgreln are well-equipped with finely-crafted, sturdy weapons and armour. Still, though, all Lorgreln carry a cold-wrought iron dagger, to remind themselves of what their race has endured and how they have survived.
The Lorgreln prefer medium to heavy armour and large shields. When venturing into battle, the Lorgreln go heavily armed, with a short stabbing sword, a long steel-hafted spear and a heavy crossbow as the most common load, in addition to the ubiquitous cold-wrought dagger.
Lorgreln prefer to fight in a depth of three ranks; the first rank forming a shield wall, wielding their swords above and below the gaps, and the second two ranks attacking with long spears over this wall. This densely packed formation makes them vulnerable to area-effect spells like fireball and lightning bolt, but the Lorgreln count on their enhanced spell resistance to shrug off that threat.
Culture
The Lorgreln became a martial society in order to survive against and eventually defeat the shangu. Even when the most immediate threat was past, however, they did not lapse from their martial mindset. This has made the Lorgreln a very lawful society, tending towards either lawful evil or lawful neutral, but certainly with none of the chaotic traits that mark other elves. Some believe the fact that the race used, and still uses, cold-wrought iron on a daily basis bears some responsibility for the Lorgreln’s switch from chaos to law, that the iron burned out everything in them that was still tied to faerie. Whether that is true or not, the lawfulness of Lorgreln society today is undeniable.
Order is highly regarded in the culture of the iron drow, and submission to authority and the society at large is considered the duty of the individual. Each Lorgreln belongs to a specific sect of society, known as a ‘Host.’
There is a Warriors Host, a Smiths Host, a Miners Host, a Priests Host and so forth, each with its own well-defined role in society.
Strength in all things is among the greatest of the Lorgreln’s values, be it mental strength to resist the attacks of shangu, moral strength to submit oneself to the community or physical strength to forge and build the tools and cities of the iron drow. This obsession with strength, combined with the dimorphism of the Lorgreln, has given rise to a certain amount of misogyny in the society of the iron drow, as the females of the race are considered less capable than the men.
The close ties the Lorgreln enjoy with the duergar have had a noticeable effect on several aspects of iron drow culture.
From their dwarven allies, the Lorgreln have learned feats of stonework to equal or exceed what other drow are capable of. Forsaking the light and graceful lines preferred by most drow, the Lorgreln build thick, heavy, immeasurably strong works of stone, be they fortresses, braces to support an unstable cavern roof or even a simple house.
111
Some outsiders suggest this influence of the duergar spreads so far as to be the reason Lorgreln males often shave their heads, though most are wise enough not to suggest it in front of a Lorgreln.
Economy
The economy of the Lorgreln is robust. They are industrious and well-organised workers, skilled at mining ores and gems, and forging various trade goods for export to other races. Their trade caravans travel through the Underdeep like an army on the march, so well-guarded are they.
Though this practice requires a good deal of manpower, it also ensures, as much as is possible, that the caravan will arrive unmolested at its destination.
Though the iron drow have no particular trade good which is unique to them, no single item which can be gotten
nowhere else, there are other factors at work which ensure the trade interests of the Lorgreln continue to grow.
The first and simplest of these is the undeniable and unerring quality of goods produced by the Lorgreln. The iron drow are among the finest craftsmen in the Underdeep, combining attention to detail and an ambition to perfect their craft with the long centuries of a drow lifespan.
The second reason the Lorgreln trading concerns continue to increase is the fact their caravans are so well guarded. Because of the iron drow reputation for delivering items unharmed and as promised, stipulated in rigid terms though it may be, the other races of the Underdeep who are in contact with the Lorgreln often pay the iron drow to transport cargo for them, paying a steep percentage of the worth of the cargo in exchange for its safe arrival.
Lastly, the Lorgreln occupy a unique position.
Though relations with other drow are cool and cordial at best, as alien to one another as the two races have become, they are still capable of leery cooperation. Further, the iron drow enjoy relations with the duergar which could almost be classified as warm, a wide departure from the hostility which exists between the grey dwarves and most drow. The Lorgreln act as the bridge between the two races, not to bring them together or allay hostilities, but rather to act as the middlemen for trade.
Education
The Lorgreln spend their early childhood with the extended family, learning what they can of the work the family does.
Each family of Lorgreln belongs to one of the Hosts, be it warrior, priest, smith, trade or any of a dozen others common and powerful in iron drow society. Where the parents are from two different Hosts, the patriarchal society of the Lorgreln dictates that the child is considered a member of the father’s Host. Before the child enters puberty, he is sent to the appropriate Host Hall of the nearest city, where he will spend two decades mastering the knowledge of the Host to which his family belongs. Once the Host training is done, females are returned to their families, while males move on to train for a decade with the Warrior Host.
This education is expected of every member of Lorgreln society, up to and including the offspring of the king.
112
The iron drow are a particularly methodical and driven people, thus it is unusual that a youth will fail at his studies.
Most commonly, this happens with children attached to the Priest Host, who find themselves unable to overcome the innate Lorgreln disadvantage with magic. Males who fail in their studies are sent to the Warrior Host for training as soldiers. If the youngster fails at the Warrior Host, he is almost always assigned to heavy labour, working alongside the slaves until he drops. Females who fail are offered to any Host that will accept them. If none do, they are given away, either in marriage if the girl is lucky, or handed over to a brothel if she is not.
Very few Lorgreln outside the wealthy and privileged receive what would be considered a thorough education. Rather, each young iron drow receives an education emphasising the knowledge and skills appropriate to the family’s Host, almost to the exclusion of all else. Information not needed to master the demands of the Host is kept to a minimum, usually limited to a rudimentary grasp of basic subjects like history, reading and mathematics.
Engineering
The Lorgreln are excellent and efficient engineers, drawing on their own knowledge and that gleaned from their duergar allies. Without the widespread use of magic in their culture, the iron drow have had to achieve a level of mastery with stonework unnecessary in other drow cultures.
The martial mindset of the Lorgreln carries over into the structures they build. Whether it is a temple, a storehouse or only a meagre home, the iron drow build everything as though it were meant to withstand a siege. When they actually build a fortress, it is an awesome sight, seemingly as impregnable and impervious as a mountain.
Lorgreln cities are walled at each access point with as much as a dozen yards of thick stone, carefully cut and mortared into place. These walls run from floor to ceiling, and are honeycombed with small rooms where three or four iron drow can stand abreast and fire weapons out through narrow arrow slits. The wall juts outward at the top in a strongly-secured lip hanging over the area in front of the gates. From this lip, the Lorgreln can pour everything from boiling oil to cauldrons of green slime down on their attackers.
The style of Lorgreln buildings differs markedly from anything constructed by other drow, far more reminiscent of dwarven architecture than elven.
Entertainment
Gladiatorial matches are very popular with the Lorgreln, though the iron drow notion of such things differs from that of other drow. Individual combat accounts for only about half of all gladiatorial matches in Lorgreln culture.
Making up the other half are demonstrations of small-unit combat, allowing a particular legion of iron drow soldiers the opportunity to put their skills on display when matched against a rabble of untrained goblin slaves.
Demonstrations of personal strength and skill are also extremely popular among the Lorgreln, and competitions in such things are frequent events in all iron drow communities, from the largest city to the smallest outpost.
Lorgreln like a generous helping of spectacle in their entertainment. Of all the drow races, they are the only ones with any real passion for theatre, so long as it is grand in scale and martial in theme.
Family
Family is considered an important element of Lorgreln society. It is there that children first begin to learn the lessons of ambition, diligence, order and meticulousness that they must carry with them through life to be successful members of society.
The family structure of the iron drow is unusual, however.
The core family unit consists of a single husband and from one to five wives, the number dependent on the man’s wealth, which Host he belongs to and his standing within that Host. Though the Lorgreln have changed in many ways from the drow they once were, one thing which has not changed is the low birth rate endemic to the race. It was decided long ago that multiple wives for a single man provided the best means to overcome that. Tying the number of wives to the man’s social standing and personal success, in turn, helped ensure that the most outstanding members of the population also had the opportunity to produce the most offspring, thereby bettering the race as a whole.
Large extended families of as many as ten generations of Lorgreln often live together in a single home. Succeeding generations are expected to care for the elderly, until such point as they can no longer work or contribute to society.
Once the elderly become a burden to the larger community, the youngest adult generation of the family is expected to end the life of the old drow, painlessly, either by poison or a swift stroke with a cold-wrought knife. This is not considered cruelty among the Lorgreln. Indeed, the elderly usually welcome it, as there is no greater shame to an iron drow than to be a burden upon society, dragging the
113
community down rather than helping it reach new heights.
The elderly drow, once slain, is then entombed with the full honour of any other funeral.
Food
The food harvested and eaten by the Lorgreln is as simple and bland as that of other drow, consisting primarily of mushrooms. Meat and fish caught in the Underdeep is more of a luxury than a staple.However, the wide trade networks of the Lorgreln, including the races who pay the iron drow to transport their goods, provide the Lorgreln with the opportunity to import more exotic and flavourful foods. This is not the status symbol it is among other drow, but it is a welcome departure from the usual fare for those who can afford vegetables from the surface or the Sulzthul, not to mention fruits, spices and sundry other foods.
One thing the iron drow and other drow do have in common is a love of bread, though it is even harder for the Lorgreln to acquire the necessary grain. Bread is uncommon at even the richest tables of the iron drow, and rarely is it enjoyed by anyone of a social standing lower than among the top hierarchy of a Host.
Government
The Lorgreln, alone among the drow, have a single centralised government uniting their cities and villages.
The government itself is, in its simplest terms, a monarchy, controlled by a single powerful family with a strong claim to descent from Hruth na’Ythreen. The family’s name is, of course, Ythreen, but it is widely whispered by those Lorgreln who would seek to supplant the current ruling family that the Ythreen name is merely an affectation, adopted to help seize control of the throne from the previous ruling family.
Though the Lorgreln government might seem simple at first glance, it is anything but. Indeed, the complexity of rulership is one of the few things the iron drow share with their drow cousins. The king is advised by a council, made up of one representative from each Host, and each Host has its own sphere of control within the government which is jealously guarded against interference by others, even the king himself.
Each of the Six Cities of the Lorgreln is ruled over by a Warden, a governor appointed to his post by the king, and each Warden is also advised by a group of representatives from each of the Hosts, again with their own spheres of influence. Trade agreements or other relations between two cities of the Lorgreln must be handled through the appropriate Hosts. Even the smallest community of iron
drow is not exempt from these rules, as no matter how small the group of Lorgreln, it is ruled over by a Warden appointed by the king.
The only real exception to the tight grip the Hosts maintain on their power is the Warrior Host, which does answer directly to the king. No monarch who allowed his military to answer to the control of someone else would sit on the Unforged Throne of the Lorgreln for very long. Likewise, warriors based in one of the Six Cities are answerable directly to the Warden of that city. The Warden of a city is responsible for the enforcement of law in his city, and has authority to appoint tribunals to weigh criminal cases. All laws, however, are the province of the monarchy. No other laws may be created, and none deleted, by the Wardens.
This highly stratified form of government does have its advantages. Assassinations are rare in Lorgreln government, as all important decisions and appointments descend from the king. Without a complete coup of the government (which has happened a few times) it is difficult, if not impossible, to seize power through assassination.
Magic
Of all the societies of the drow and the sub-races which have sprung from the drow, the culture of the Lorgreln is the least magical.
This is widely held to be a result of the race’s long tenure
This is widely held to be a result of the race’s long tenure