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Home of The Dark Mother's Grand Temple
| Score: 1104 | 07/08/24 |
History
Two of the largest Houses at the time of the Sundering, House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah managed to escape the hosts of illithids and vengeful surface elves by fighting a slow retreat through the unknown passages of the Underdark, rather than simply fleeing as did many of the dark elves. So deadly were the illithids and so full of wrath the surface elves however, that even the combined forces of House Arras'zur and Narrishtah were unable to stand against them.
Fortunately for the dark elves, they were able to slip out from between the two hosts of enemies, retreating away through the Underdark while leaving just enough forces in combat to keep the enemies coming from both sides, ensuring that the hated cousins who betrayed them would run headlong into the alien menace marching up out of the depths of the world. This ploy cost the two Houses many of their finest warriors, but it was successful. In the depths of the Underdark, the surface elves met the illithids and the surface elves were forced to flee back into the lands of the sun.
In an attempt to cut off any pursuit by their enemies, the dark elves worked their most powerful magics and collapsed the tunnels and caverns in their wake. There was some concern about finding the other tribes of dark elves who had scattered between the two enemy forces but there were trumped by concerns of House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah over their own survival. Satisfied that the job was done, the dark elves of these two great Houses, numbering well into the thousands even after the horrid losses of battle, collapsed in exhaustion.
However, the illithids turned their slaves to clearing away at the collapsed stone and digging new paths through the Underdark, pushed ever onwards by their masters seeking to reach the two great Houses.
House Arras'zur and Narrishtah were taken unaware by this newest assault. Still reeling from the losses in the prior days, the exhausted dark elves were unable to mount a defense against this new attack. They fled into the Underdark, with the illithid and their slaves close on their heels.
The dark elves feared escape was impossible this time, that the two great Houses would be destroyed and consumed by this terror from the depths of the Underdark. Desperate and terrified, they called out to the Dark Mother for deliverance from their enemies, and their prayers were answered. Ahead of the fleeing dark elves, the tunnel they ran through began to widen, silvery wisps of spider webs drifting through the air. Some began to panic, fearing they were trapped, but the faithful pushed onwards and the thick mesh of webs parted in front of them.
The dark elves found themselves in the first of a series of enormous caverns, glowing with the light of luminous fungi and echoing with the rush of water through an underground river. Spider webs clung to the walls and hung thickly from the ceiling and everywhere there was movement as the children of the Dark Mother scurried about to carry out Her will. The illithid did not falter in their pursuit, undeterred by the prospect of mere spiders standing in their way. However, the dark elves that were being chased were filled with renewed hope and faith in the strength and power of their goddess, and with hordes of spiders gathering around them, they stood their ground in the face of assault. As the enemy herded their slaves forward into the caverns and the battle begun, swarms of spiders of all sizes rushed to meet the attackers. Massive spiders wrestled with the largest of the illithid's slaves as the remaining dark elf warrior cut through the hordes of enemies, the magical webs of the Dark Mother's Sanctuary hampering the invaders but letting the dark elves pass with obstacle. Soon the assault was repelled and the illithids were thrown back in defeat, now being the hunted with masses of spiders hunting them as they fled.
With the illithids gone, the dark elves gave thanks to the Dark Mother for their salvation. Some dark elves were not sufficiently grateful, merely mouthing the words of gratitude and devotion to the Dark Mother. The faithful called upon Her again, and now the spiders infesting the caverns began to hunt among the dark elves, culling the faithless from the faithful and hanging the poisoned, screaming faithless in webbed cocoons. Some of the faithless fled the caverns but it is believed that the dangers of the Underdark overcame them soon after.
The battles with the surface elves and the illithids had depleted the numbers of the dark elves, as had the Dark Mother's culling of the faithless. House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah were large Houses however, and there were still several thousand dark elves between them. Convinced they were safe at last behind this screen of the Dark Mother's children, the dark elves of both Houses began to construct their new home, which would one day become the webbed city of Drak'kamuth.
The first construction to begin was a temple to the Dark Mother. This early building still stands as part of the enormous temple complex in Drak'kamuth devoted to the Dark Mother.
House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah both had priests among their number and the peace that followed the war was soon broken by the two Houses contesting which of them would be in control of the priesthood of the Dark Mother. This desire of the ruling families to control her priestesses was insulting to the Dark Mother, who sent a plague of venomous spiders into the homes of the ruling Houses, slaying the leaders and providing an object lesson to the other dark elves. From this time onward, the priestesses of the Dark Mother have been held separate from the Houses of the dark elves in Drak'kamuth.
This plague of venomous spiders did little to quell the growing competition and distrust between the two Houses. However, it did instill an amount of fear that the priestesses of the Dark Mother were slowly able to bring the two Houses under their influence. Both House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah still wield tremendous power in Drak'kamuth but long habit and experience have taught them to play careful heed to the words of the priestesses.
The dark elves of House Arras'zur and Narrishtah longed for vengeance upon the surface elves as much as any dark elf, but even their hatred was eclipsed by the rage of the Dark Mother. The priestesses began to demand offerings to the Dark Mother of the surface races, particularly those of elves, presented as a pledge of vengeance against the surface elves.
From the caverns near Drak'kamuth an easy pathway led to the surface world. The dark elves travelled this path on the first of an uncountable number of night time raids against the surface, capturing those who dwelt there for slavery or sacrifice and slaughtering all those they could not drag back to the Underdark with them. The surface races began to move away and the dark elves of Drak'kamuth were able to find new routes to the surface. These dark elves were the ones who formed the common perceptions of dark elves among the surface dwellers.
Culture
The culture of Drak'kamuth has been fundamentally influenced by the worship of the Dark Mother. Religion invades every facet of life in the city, from the spider motifs in clothing and jewelry to the near-constant chanting that comes from the web-cloaked temples of the Dark Mother. Spiders are everywhere in these lands, ranging in size from tiny to large. Millenia of breeding have created dozens of races of spiders, used by the dark elves for everything from food sources to silk production to guardian animals.
Among the dark elves of Drak'kamuth, everything is considered to be a gift from the Dark Mother to her faithful children, from the caverns where they live to the magic they possess. In the many years that have passed since the Dark Mother ended the fued over her priestesses, the dark elves of House Arras'zur have come to dominate the clergy of the Dark Mother, while the dark elves of House Narrishtah have embraced arcane magic. This is not a hard and fast rule, as dark elves from each house practice each discipline of magic. Although there are a number of fighters among both Houses, they are not as prevalent as they are in many other dark elf houses, the profession never completely recovering from the near-total elimination of warriors from each House at the time of the Sundering.
Hosue Arras'zur and House Narrishtah are in frequent conflict, as each tries to overthrow the other and become the only true secular power in Drak'kamuth. The temple of the Dark Mother does nothing to stop the struggle between the two Houses, believing that the competition will ensure only best of the dark elves survive and while the Houses are in conflict with each other they are not challenging the rule of the priestesses. Both Arras'zur and Narrishtah have grown in power in the last millennia as ties with other dark elves were re-established and dozens of new trade routes formed throughout the Underdark. The influx of money and trade goods has strengthened the Houses and they are beginning to press against the power of the clergy, who currently cling to control by a thread.
The dark elves of Drak'kamuth believe themselves to be the true vision of what dark elves were meant to be. They will trade with others of their race but consider them apostates from the true faith of the Dark Mother if they do not follow Her will. This idea creates animosty between other dark elves; however, despite that, the other dark elves are eager to trade with the two Houses as the value of what they have for trade is undeniable, from clothing spun of spider silk to treasures seized during surface raids. It is for this reason that many other Houses have established a presence in Drak'kamuth and the surrounding caverns. Initially, the priestesses of the Dark Mother tried to bar any outsiders from entering Drak'kamuth but in one of the first victories of the Houses over the clergy in millennia, the Houses were able to successfully force the issue.
House Arras'zur and House Narrishtah retain a healthy hatred for any non-dark elves, especially those of the surface world. Most of the slaves of Drak'kamuth are taken from the surface and it is because of these two Houses that dark elves are viewed the way they are by the surface world.
Religion
There is only one religion permitted within the lands of Drak'kamuth and that is the worship of the Dark Mother. All other faiths are forbidden, either in public or private worship.