Symbol: A pair of drow hands, open as if reaching or grasping for something. Among the Lorgreln, the symbol is entirely different, consisting merely of a cold-wrought iron dagger.
Alignment: Neutral evil Governs: Craftsmen, smiths Domains: Earth, Magic, Strength
Favoured Weapons: Light crossbow, warhammer
Requirements for Priesthood: Minimum of four ranks in any Craft skill.
Background
The Taskmaster is a common god among the craftsmen of the drow and is generally well regarded amongst the population as a whole.
According to legend and to the dogma of the church, it was Olyet’Naru who first taught the drow how to survive in the Underdeep; how to build, mine, forge and create what was needed to preserve themselves during their first sojourn in the dark in the many long years of the first goblin war.
The cult of the Taskmaster is responsible for the overall excellent quality of goods produced by the drow. Olyet’Naru has no tolerance for anything less than perfection in the works done by his worshippers and a devout craftsman of the drow will gladly make and remake an item to avoid incurring the wrath of the Tyrant of the Forge. Obviously, this excludes items that are designed to fail, a not-infrequent request from one drow to bestow as a gift on an unsuspecting rival.
The focus of the Taskmaster varies depending upon the drow culture in question. For a culture in which magic is a predominant force, Olyet’Naru is most associated with the difficult task of crafting items able to take an enchantment. Among more militaristic drow cultures, the Lorgreln (see page 107) in particular, the primary representation and association of Olyet’Naru is his guise as the Tyrant of the Forge, a heavily-muscled, cruelly stern drow who is preoccupied with forging the weapons of war and cares little for other crafts.
Olyet’Naru sees the drow as a continuing work in progress, a weapon slowly being forged for the use of the drow pantheon. Beginning with dominance of the
Underdeep, one day that weapon will be unleashed on the surface world.
Religious Observances
Temples of the Taskmaster hold frequent services which are as much an opportunity for the clergy to collect money and offerings from the worshippers as anything else. Most of the true worship of Olyet’Naru is done individually, with craftsmen and smiths offering up a prayer to the Tyrant of the Forge before beginning any new project and offering up prayers again at its successful conclusion.
Offerings of blood are also expected by the Taskmaster. For an average project, such as a smith forging a dagger or a potter spinning a clay jar, the offering is expected to come from the smith or potter himself and is more a symbolic sacrifice than anything else. Using a small blade, the worshipper cuts his arm or hand just enough to create a superficial wound and then lets several drops of blood fall into the stock metal,
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unworked clay or whatever other raw material is to be used in creation of this item.
For more important projects, Olyet’Naru demands a more impressive sacrifice. The worshipper informs a priest of the Taskmaster what this project will be and the priest advises the worshipper on what manner of sacrifice will be most pleasing to Olyet’Naru. Most commonly, the needed sacrifice is a slave, who can be bought from the temple and sacrificed to the Taskmaster for the benefit of the worshipper, though which manner of slave is needed depends on the project at hand.
Obviously, this is an expensive process, one beyond the means of many highly-skilled craftsmen. Some of the most skilled and talented drow craftsmen, if unable to find a patron, must settle for a life of creating small and inconsequential items, prevented from finding or soliciting more important work simply because of their inability to purchase the required sacrifices.
Temples
The temples of the Taskmaster vary widely from city to city. Constructed by the local artisans in each area, their exact nature is determined by the skills and focus of the city’s craftsmen. Temples attempt to incorporate the work of all the Taskmaster’s followers, which often leads to an intricate and impressive but somewhat confused-looking building, as masonry, glasswork, pottery and metalwork all compete against one another for dominance. Though garish to outside eyes, the worshippers of Olyet’Naru see it as a demonstration of the wide-ranging power
of their god.
As noted earlier, the Lorgreln see Olyet’Naru primarily as the Tyrant of the Forge and his temples among the iron drow reflect this. Metalwork is the dominant theme here, both forged and cold-wrought, from the doors to the altar to the smallest ceremonial implements.
Clergy
The clergy of the Taskmaster are drawn primarily from the merchant and artisan classes of a drow city. They are the most secular of any of the drow religious orders and many of them marry and spend most of their time running their own businesses within the city, coming to the temple to serve in the capacity of the clergy for one day out of five.
The clergy of Olyet’Naru consist of priests and priestesses in roughly equal numbers, except among the Lorgreln, who bar women from the clergy.
Worshippers
Virtually every artisan among the drow devotes at least some of his worship to Olyet’Naru, though most also give worship to Alsythuth the Bloodied Coin.
Polshoath (The Dark Lady of Agony)
Symbol: A split oval within a black circle. The oval represents an egg, the beginning of life, broken open to unleash its occupant into the dark and cruel world of the Underdeep, symbolised by the black circle.
Alignment: Chaotic evil Governs: Birth, life, pain Domains: Chaos, Evil, Water
Favoured Weapons: Javelin, spiked chain
Requirements for Priesthood: Minimum of four ranks in Heal
Background
The Dark Lady of Agony is frequently in conflict with the Dark Mother, as both claim jurisdiction over that most important aspect of drow life - its beginning. Since the Dark Mother gives no credit to any other god in the drow pantheon, the relationship between her cult and the church
of Polshoath is poisonous.
Polshoath believes life is and should be pain and hardship and that only through trouble and suffering can strength be found. She is a harsh mother to the drow, displaying none of the cruel protectiveness of the Dark Mother. Rather, she will willingly let them come to any manner of harm that befalls them, on the basis of the belief it will make the race stronger as a result.
This viewpoint feeds directly into drow psychology. Forced into the Underdeep, first in the goblin war and again in the Great Betrayal, the drow have suffered and endured beyond what they ever imagined possible. As a result of this pain and suffering, they have emerged as one of the greatest powers of the Underdeep. The drow still hold to this belief today, though it may be difficult to imagine exactly what pain and suffering is befalling the lord or lady of a Noble House.
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The Dark Lady of Agony believes this pain begins at birth, a pain shared by mother and child. Though drow births are easier than those of many other races, they are certainly not without their share of pain and suffering, viewed by Polshoath as an introduction to the pains of life for the newborn and a stern reminder of those pains for the mother.
Religious Observances
Drow who worship Polshoath honour their goddess through sacrifice, pain and offerings to support the church.
Like Belishtim, the temples of the Dark Lady of Agony are frequently the site of orgiastic rituals. However, unlike the cult of the Seducer, these rituals are not devoted to lust or desire, but rather to pain and to procreation at all costs, an ongoing episode of torture and fornication which is designed to bring the drow involved ever closer to Polshoath.
Birth itself is central and sacred to Polshoath and is carried out on an altar to the goddess,
offering the pain of mother and child to the Dark Lady and ensuring that the newborn takes his or her first breath in the sight of Polshoath.
Sacrifices and offerings are frequently made to the Dark Lady in hopes of a successful impregnation and may take the form of anything from a ritualised flogging of the supplicant to the sacrifice of a specially-prepared slave to the goddess.
Temples
On the outside, the temples of Polshoath are made up of hard edges and sharp corners, squat, hulking buildings ringed with spikes and seemingly devoid of grace. On the inside, that pattern continues, with the addition of bright light in multiple areas, bright enough to cause the drow pain. To the drow, the entire structure appears uncomfortable and that is indeed the intent.
For the goddess who believes pain is the fire that will forge the drow into the mightiest race in the world, it would hardly do to have her worshippers relaxing in comfort while at one of her temples. Indeed, pain is thought to draw the drow nearer to the Dark Lady of Agony. In addition to the bright light and disquieting architecture, all areas of her temples (aside from utilitarian areas like storerooms) feature devices and implements for inflicting pain, either on oneself or on another.
Clergy
The clergy of Polshoath is primarily, but not exclusively, female. Unlike the cult of the Dark Mother, the necessity and worth of the males of the race is acknowledged but as they are, obviously, incapable of giving birth, they are not as well-esteemed in the eyes of the Dark Lady of Agony as are the females.
However, pain affects all drow equally and improves all drow equally. It is in this aspect of Polshoath that most of the males come to the clergy.
The priests and priestesses of Polshoath are recruited from all classes of drow society, though most do come from the upper classes. Still, the more of the ecstasy of their goddess the drow are able to bear, the higher they will climb in the clergy and it is not unknown for a priestess born in the back alleys of a city to rise to such a level she can claim absolute obedience from those members of the clergy born to pampered luxury.
Worshippers
Like the clergy, worshippers of Polshoath come from all levels of society. The constant need of the drow to replenish their population provides a continuous drive for drow of all stripes to see the services of the temples of the Dark Lady of Agony.
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Thraud (The Pitiless Blade)
Symbol: A cleft shield. This is sometimes used as the entire symbol of Thraud the Pitiless, but often is complemented by scenes of battle in which the cleft shield stands as the central element.
Alignment: Lawful evil
Governs: Combat, conflict, soldiers, war Domains: Death, Destruction, War
Favoured Weapons: Longspear, longsword, composite shortbow
Requirements for Priesthood: Must have at least one level of fighter
Background
Thraud is the epitome of the drow warrior. Deadly and merciless, he cares nothing for honour or fair play and expects the same from the warriors who worship him.
All that matters is the destruction of the enemy and the iron discipline required of soldiers in order to achieve victory.
The Pitiless Blade is equal parts deadly warrior and shrewd strategist. Though the chaotic nature of the drow cries out for them to throw themselves on their enemies in a raging storm of steel and spells, Thraud has taught them that the path to victory is paved with rigid discipline and planning.
Thraud is quite proud of the drow, a race of chaotic creatures with little knowledge of war who have become, under his worship, one of the greatest powers of the Underdeep and indeed a race whose armies are feared throughout the world. In particular, he is extremely proud of the Lorgreln, the Iron Drow (see page 107), who through unyielding discipline and determination overcame tremendous odds to become some of the finest warriors in the Underdeep.
This pride is not enough to make the Pitiless Blade forgive any lapses on the part of the drow, however. A drow soldier who fails in his duty is hateful to Thraud and a warrior who deserts or shows cowardice before the enemy is doomed to a long, slow death when caught.
Religious Observances
Before going into battle, drow soldiers offer both prayers and a few drops of their own blood to Thraud, spilled on the ground as a sacrifice to him and in hopes there will be no more of their own blood lost that day.
Most drow sing hymns to the Pitiless Blade when marching into battle, hymns that continue even once the battle is joined. The Lorgreln, devout worshippers of Thraud though they are, do not sing as they enter the fray. Rather, they march to the beat of enormous drums carried at the rear of their force, drums with a deep, penetrating roll so low it is almost more a sensation than a sound.
Following a victory in battle, the drow make offerings to Thraud in the form of prisoners taken and spoils won.
If there are no prisoners, which is sometimes the case as few people are so foolish as to voluntarily surrender to the drow, the bodies of the highest-ranking enemy commanders are offered up to the Pitiless Blade. The sacrifices are piled on the altar (or, if the battle took place far from any drow city, on a large, flat rock) and burned. The Lorgreln, again, deviate from the common practice here. Trapped for so long in areas of the Underdeep with scarcely enough fresh air to support a few small cooking fires, the practice of burning sacrifices to Thraud was
abandoned out of necessity.
Having forsaken fire as a means of sacrifice, the Lorgreln instead use the cold-wrought iron dagger that is ubiquitous to their culture, slitting the throat of enemy commanders on an altar to the Pitiless Blade. This is only done with commanders for all lesser enemy soldiers are enslaved, either doomed to years of working the mines of the Iron Drow or to a much shorter existence in gladiatorial contests.
Temples
Whether among normal drow or among the Lorgreln, temples to Thraud tend to do double duty as fortresses.
Usually sited at the edge of a drow city, the temple is both a place of worship and a bulwark of defence against any invader.
Often, a temple of the Pitiless Blade is not so much constructed as it is gouged out of the stone on one or both sides of the entry to a drow cavern, creating a honeycomb of billets, armouries, storerooms, mess halls and, of course, a sanctuary. Stretched between the two sides of the entrance to the cavern is a wall of thick stone pierced with a single gate and fortified, like the fortress temples themselves, with dozens of spells and enchantments. These temples are often home not just to the priests and acolytes, but often to hundreds of drow soldiers as well.
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Clergy
The priests and priestesses of Thraud are soldiers, warriors and mercenaries who have devoted their lives to the Pitiless Blade and to the defence of the drow. Though they can come from any social rank, it is most common for them to be recruited from among the ranks of the officers of a drow army, or from an officer’s children. It is exceptionally rare to find a scion of a Noble House as a priest of Thraud, just as it is rare to find the children of the lowest classes among the clergy.
The priests of Thraud are charged primarily with preparing the drow for battle and doing all that can be done to assure victory. Though they are skilled at healing, it is seen only as a tool to get a drow soldier back on his
feet and back to the fighting.
The clergy of Thraud wear vestments that look as if they were designed to be worn into battle, which is indeed the case. The ceremonial garb of a priest of the Pitiless Blade consists of a burnished breastplate emblazoned with the cleft shield emblem of Thraud, a steel cap and a longsword.
Among most drow, the priesthood of Thraud is open to both males and females.
The Lorgreln, unsurprisingly, restrict the priesthood to men only.
Worshippers
The vast majority of worshippers of Thraud are soldiers, mercenaries, guards and others who make their living with the edge of their blade. This accounts for a significant percentage of the drow population, making the Pitiless Blade one of the most popularly worshipped gods among the drow.
Though Thraud has no specific interest in the ins and outs of the Game of Bones or the Sheathed War (see page 88), an increasing number of players in that game have begun to seek the blessings of the Pitiless Blade upon their endeavours.
Ydrillia (She of the Veil)
Symbol: An open book, its spine turned towards the viewer so the contents of the pages are hidden.
Alignment: Neutral evil
Governs: Knowledge, learning, magic, wisdom Domains: Knowledge, Magic
Favoured Weapons: Quarterstaff, hand crossbow
Requirements for Priesthood: Must have at least four ranks each in Knowledge (arcana) and Spellcraft.
Background
Magic is an essential part of the drow, reflected in everything from the innate spell abilities with which they are born to the affinity they have for mastering magics both arcane and divine.
Ydrillia is the goddess of knowledge and magic in drow society, two things widely regarded as the most powerful weapons a dark elf may have at his side. It is thought in the cult of Ydrillia that She of the Veil is responsible for gifting the drow with their tremendous abilities and talents for magic.
Ydrillia is devoted to furthering the knowledge and magical ability of the drow, but not through any additional gifts granted without effort on the part of the dark elves.
As evidenced by her symbol, of an open book with its spine turned towards the viewer to hide whatever is on the pages, She of the Veil makes the knowledge available, but the drow must work to learn it. Spurred on by the twin drives to further their knowledge and please their goddess,
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worshippers of Ydrillia have mastered incredible feats of magic.
She of the Veil holds herself aloof from the other gods of the drow pantheon and does not involve herself in the eternal internecine warfare of the drow. Her focus is and
She of the Veil holds herself aloof from the other gods of the drow pantheon and does not involve herself in the eternal internecine warfare of the drow. Her focus is and