Drow, bards, & Lolth [Archive] - Wizards Community

Drow, bards, & Lolth [Archive] - Wizards Community

Post/Author/DateTime Post
Michael_Lightbringer
03-19-08, 05:09 PM I am playing a bard/wizard in DDO (Eberron Setting). I'm trying to flesh out my bio. In Forgotten Realms a drow bard is called bae'queshel telphraezzar, which I'm told means Whisperers of the Dark Queen.

That seems to be a pretty clear reference to Lolth to me. I'm pretty much a noob for the Eberron setting. I know drow worship a scorpion god instead of Lolth in Eberron. So I'm debating whether the bae'queshel telphraezzar have a place there. Could an Eberron lore expert clue me in on Lolth in Eberron and whether or not I can use the bae'queshel flavor in DDO or if it isn't really lore appropriate?
Gurv
03-19-08, 05:52 PM Could an Eberron lore expert clue me in on Lolth in Eberron and whether or not I can use the bae'queshel flavor in DDO or if it isn't really lore appropriate?
Sure. Lolth doesn't exist on Eberron. Some drow worship Vulkoor, a scorpion spirit.

Take everything you know about drow from the Forgotten Realms and forget it. None of that applies.
Michael_Lightbringer
03-19-08, 06:38 PM Thanks a lot. Darn it but I liked that fluff. Oh well... back to the drawing board on fluffing up my character.
Syltorian
03-20-08, 08:19 AM What does being a bae'queshel telphraezzar involve, apart from a tie to Lloth? If he is simply a speaker for the deity, this is easily converted to Vulkoor or to any other deity, for that matter), so I assume there is something that makes him special... could you tell us what parts of the fluff (beside the name) you especially like? I am sure we could find a way to adapt it.

It's true that virtually all of the FR Drow stuff is simply not true in Eberron. The Drow of Xen'drik are not killing each other for advancement, as the Menzoberranyr Houses do; in fact, family loyalty is a guiding concept to the tribes. They might kill another tribe, sure, but few will betray their own. Many scorpions are protective of their offspring and good mothers - I expect that the Xen'drik drow would be disgusted by the in-house strife of FR drow if they had any chance knowing about it.

They also do not kill elves simply because their gods tell them to. They kill outsiders mostly because they desecrate the land, destroy valuable resources, and risk triggering curses and releasing ancient evil. Contrarily to the FR drow, those of Xen'drik are not aggressive, but on the defensive against the colonialist powers of Khorvaire and Riedra. Some tribes might kill for fun, or seek sacrifices, but many are more 'noble' than that (though not more merciful).

Finally, most drow are much less sophisticated and hedonistic than the FR drow. The Xen'drik drow are nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers. They are not stupid primitives (in game-terms, they still have that Intelligence bonus), and I assume they have created great art, but you will not find the silk and luxury of Menzoberranzan in Xen'drik, whose drow will mostly despise such weakness. Also, the Xen'drik drow are egalitarian when it comes to their genders. No matriarchy in the FR style.

A disclaimer, however: The nomadic tribes of the drow are simply one aspect of this race. Other drow exist. The Sulatar are sophisticated, magically adept and know secrets of elemental binding that put the Khorvairians in the shadow. The Umbragen have a strong civilisation, probably on a par with that of Riedra or the Five Nations. Even amongst the nomadic tribes, you will find those who worship the Scorpion exclusively, those who follow animistic traditions that include the scorpion next to the tixlin bird, the displacer beast, and other spirits, and possibly even some serpent cults (variants of the Silver Flame); anything is possible here, even making up your own culture. Xen'drik is hardly explored at all, and everything and anything may be hidden there.
Hellcow
03-20-08, 11:31 AM Just a few quick thoughts.

While some of the nomadic drow worship Vulkoor exclusively, others respect the Scorpion as simply one of the pantheon of spirits of nature, with others including the Shifting Panther (displacer beast), the swift and cunning Tlixin Bird, and any other beast you could think of. In such a culture, a bard could easily have a touch of the druid; he would be the storyteller who inspires others with tales of these great spirits, who draws on the wisdom in these tales to perform his spells (blur being an obvious tie to the displacer beast, for example).

The Umbragen drow worship the Umbra, a force of shadow. To be more accurate, they don't WORSHIP it as a god; rather, it is a force of energy that they have bound to their race, essentially selling their souls for the mystic power they believe they need to defeat their enemies. Essentially, the Umbra is the reverse of the Silver Flame; they do believe that it takes their souls when they die (if not before), growing ever stronger. So for an Umbragen bard, I could definitely see "The Voice of the Darkness", channeling the Umbra for his magic and in theory telling the tales of those long dead but who have become part of the Umbra - the link to the spectral choir, sole tie to those who have made a terrible sacrifice for the good of their people.
Verbrek
03-23-08, 08:43 AM I am playing a Sulatar (drow culture from the Obsidian City) Fire Dancer (bard), a culture that worship Fire aspect. My take on this i am a Fire dancer, and i have been touched by the elements (dragontouched feat from Dragon Magic, just renamed it Efretitouched) and my mear Inspiration gives all my allies a fire boost (Dragonfire Inspiration(Dragon Magic), renamed to Efreti Fire Inspiration), so with my battle dance (resembling a Maori Haka) i ignite my allies weapon with fiery inspiration, thats my approach to a drow bard
Syltorian
03-23-08, 11:07 AM Verbrek, do you have access to Dragon Magazine #314? There's some information in there that could be very appropriate to your character.
Verbrek
03-24-08, 06:15 AM Nice one Syltorian, will see if there is something there i will add to my concept, i liked the Heartfire prestigeclass, but i dont think i can get that high in this campagn, my GM have a tendency to kill all of us, or make another campaign

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Michael_Lightbringer 03-19-08, 05:09 PM	I am playing a bard/wizard in DDO (Eberron Setting). I'm trying to flesh out my bio. In Forgotten Realms a drow bard is called bae'queshel telphraezzar, which I'm told means Whisperers of the Dark Queen. That seems to be a pretty clear reference to Lolth to me. I'm pretty much a noob for the Eberron setting. I know drow worship a scorpion god instead of Lolth in Eberron. So I'm debating whether the bae'queshel telphraezzar have a place there. Could an Eberron lore expert clue me in on Lolth in Eberron and whether or not I can use the bae'queshel flavor in DDO or if it isn't really lore appropriate?
Gurv 03-19-08, 05:52 PM	Could an Eberron lore expert clue me in on Lolth in Eberron and whether or not I can use the bae'queshel flavor in DDO or if it isn't really lore appropriate? Sure. Lolth doesn't exist on Eberron. Some drow worship Vulkoor, a scorpion spirit. Take everything you know about drow from the Forgotten Realms and forget it. None of that applies.
Michael_Lightbringer 03-19-08, 06:38 PM	Thanks a lot. Darn it but I liked that fluff. Oh well... back to the drawing board on fluffing up my character.
Syltorian 03-20-08, 08:19 AM	What does being a bae'queshel telphraezzar involve, apart from a tie to Lloth? If he is simply a speaker for the deity, this is easily converted to Vulkoor or to any other deity, for that matter), so I assume there is something that makes him special... could you tell us what parts of the fluff (beside the name) you especially like? I am sure we could find a way to adapt it. It's true that virtually all of the FR Drow stuff is simply not true in Eberron. The Drow of Xen'drik are not killing each other for advancement, as the Menzoberranyr Houses do; in fact, family loyalty is a guiding concept to the tribes. They might kill another tribe, sure, but few will betray their own. Many scorpions are protective of their offspring and good mothers - I expect that the Xen'drik drow would be disgusted by the in-house strife of FR drow if they had any chance knowing about it. They also do not kill elves simply because their gods tell them to. They kill outsiders mostly because they desecrate the land, destroy valuable resources, and risk triggering curses and releasing ancient evil. Contrarily to the FR drow, those of Xen'drik are not aggressive, but on the defensive against the colonialist powers of Khorvaire and Riedra. Some tribes might kill for fun, or seek sacrifices, but many are more 'noble' than that (though not more merciful). Finally, most drow are much less sophisticated and hedonistic than the FR drow. The Xen'drik drow are nomadic tribes of hunter-gatherers. They are not stupid primitives (in game-terms, they still have that Intelligence bonus), and I assume they have created great art, but you will not find the silk and luxury of Menzoberranzan in Xen'drik, whose drow will mostly despise such weakness. Also, the Xen'drik drow are egalitarian when it comes to their genders. No matriarchy in the FR style. A disclaimer, however: The nomadic tribes of the drow are simply one aspect of this race. Other drow exist. The Sulatar are sophisticated, magically adept and know secrets of elemental binding that put the Khorvairians in the shadow. The Umbragen have a strong civilisation, probably on a par with that of Riedra or the Five Nations. Even amongst the nomadic tribes, you will find those who worship the Scorpion exclusively, those who follow animistic traditions that include the scorpion next to the tixlin bird, the displacer beast, and other spirits, and possibly even some serpent cults (variants of the Silver Flame); anything is possible here, even making up your own culture. Xen'drik is hardly explored at all, and everything and anything may be hidden there.
Hellcow 03-20-08, 11:31 AM	Just a few quick thoughts. While some of the nomadic drow worship Vulkoor exclusively, others respect the Scorpion as simply one of the pantheon of spirits of nature, with others including the Shifting Panther (displacer beast), the swift and cunning Tlixin Bird, and any other beast you could think of. In such a culture, a bard could easily have a touch of the druid; he would be the storyteller who inspires others with tales of these great spirits, who draws on the wisdom in these tales to perform his spells (blur being an obvious tie to the displacer beast, for example). The Umbragen drow worship the Umbra, a force of shadow. To be more accurate, they don't WORSHIP it as a god; rather, it is a force of energy that they have bound to their race, essentially selling their souls for the mystic power they believe they need to defeat their enemies. Essentially, the Umbra is the reverse of the Silver Flame; they do believe that it takes their souls when they die (if not before), growing ever stronger. So for an Umbragen bard, I could definitely see "The Voice of the Darkness", channeling the Umbra for his magic and in theory telling the tales of those long dead but who have become part of the Umbra - the link to the spectral choir, sole tie to those who have made a terrible sacrifice for the good of their people.
Verbrek 03-23-08, 08:43 AM	I am playing a Sulatar (drow culture from the Obsidian City) Fire Dancer (bard), a culture that worship Fire aspect. My take on this i am a Fire dancer, and i have been touched by the elements (dragontouched feat from Dragon Magic, just renamed it Efretitouched) and my mear Inspiration gives all my allies a fire boost (Dragonfire Inspiration(Dragon Magic), renamed to Efreti Fire Inspiration), so with my battle dance (resembling a Maori Haka) i ignite my allies weapon with fiery inspiration, thats my approach to a drow bard
Syltorian 03-23-08, 11:07 AM	Verbrek, do you have access to Dragon Magazine #314? There's some information in there that could be very appropriate to your character.
Verbrek 03-24-08, 06:15 AM	Nice one Syltorian, will see if there is something there i will add to my concept, i liked the Heartfire prestigeclass, but i dont think i can get that high in this campagn, my GM have a tendency to kill all of us, or make another campaign