Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Evil DM Mk3 04-21-07, 07:40 PM	NOTE:Used with this Pantheon (http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?t=824729) The Scrade are a most vile and disagreeable group of elves, sometimes called "Surface Drow" although this name is most inaccurate, whose culture revolves around the worship of a most vile and abhorrent Elvin deity known as Shithkik who preaches through his exclusively male clergy a scorpion focused creed of greed and violence. They stand slightly shorter than Elves of the tribe Grula'is, most commonly referred to as "Grey elves", about four foot and nine to five foot and nine, but weight no more. They have brilliantly white skin despite the fact that they live mostly in dense jungle, and all have soot black hair. Their eyes are of particular note, being of deep gemstone tones, and often miss-matched to each other, one perhaps being green and they other yellow. The Scrade are resistant to magic and have such keen senses of hearing, scent and taste that they can locate foes even when blinded or in magical darkness, making them very dangerous foes. Their cities are well hidden but lavish structures built into the jungle canopy, often made of rare woods taken from miles away. The quality of these buildings is great, as is their size. The ones designed for living are either massive rambling compounds were poor members of society rent rooms, it taking most of a common labourers wages to pay for a room about the size of a cottage’s bed chambers for his family. The other kind designed for habitation are owned by wealthy Scrade families, and both the family and the servants reside in them, they are generally higher in the canopies than the renting accommodation. The rest of the building are sized to fit their purpose. The stile is for round buildings, much like doubly truncated spheres. They display quiet opulence, rather than massive displays of wealth. A male's status is derived from his wealth, which in turn is closely linked to his family and social class, whereas a females is from either her skill at arms is she is unmarried or her husband if she is. The women of their society are extremely violent and are taught to fight from a very young age, at some five Scrade calendar years, or thirty five years as the humans count it. Males tend to be lazier and calmer, but they too are strong and can be meticulous at exacting their revenge. They also enter education for later life very early, learning the rudiments of the many rituals that control Scrade society from either their father or brothers at fourty human years of age. Typically a male will not take a wife unless he is certain she can defend herself, and in any case males find strong women attractive. Both genders are expected to be competent at some form of combat and so their are few non-combatants in Scrade society. Males of wealthy families tend to become Clerics to their demanding deity, especially if they are first sons, or Wizards. In either case they tend to distain manual labour and instead fight with a slow easy style that is never the less effective. Females of wealthier families tend towards Wizardry, and females of all classes and less important males tend towards physical combat. If they studied in physical combat a male can be expected to be treated as arrow fodder by their superiors, because groups of female warriors tend to contain the wives of the controlling Clergy. Scrade combat tends towards the paths of Ranger, Berserker or occasionally martial artists for female, with males taking on far more focused disciplined fighting, some of the poorest however find that their lives of oppression and extortion lend them to bouts of anger well suited to the life of a Berserker, such warriors, if successful, can wield much influence in Scrade society, as they are seen to have conquered the most feminine of pursuits, and act as a symbol of male superiority. Some of the most deadly warriors the race produces are the female berserkers known as Duln'di'ai and archers known as Dislai'mu'kiti, or in the common tongue Axes of Fury and Arrow maidens respectively. These warriors are what lead to many human myths of "Warrior women", but often the truth is more extraordinary than the myths. All Scrade warriors, Duln'di'ai especially, are highly critical of their own conduct on the battle field. It is considered a disgrace for any woman to allow any male in her care to be killed, and if that male was a family member or at worst their husband, they are expected to offer themselves for ritual sacrifice to Shithkik. Scrade law is curious for a society of its kind. Slavery is outlawed on the basis that it is money wasting to keep slaves as they require feeding and clothing even when not working. Although captured creatures and criminals are forced into labour, but this is only to stop them being wasteful until they can fulfil their true purpose as sacrifices on festival days. Marriage is central to the community and any male who has intercourse with a female has four weeks to marry her and pay her dowry or face execution in the most grizzly of manners. A male may have many wives, but polygamy is rare as a male has to pay a dowry to the father of each wife and must keep her in the fashion her mother was used to, meaning that as marriage outside of class is virtually unheard of only those with huge amounts of wealth can afford multiple wives. Love however often plays a significant part in marriage, unlike other similar creatures. Traditional tokens of love accepted between betrothed include vials perfume distilled from scorpion venom and the internal organs of certain humanoid species and bottles containing the blood of dangerous animals and opponents slaughtered by their betrothed for the males and weapons of fine make and jewels for the females. Body art, such as tattoos and piercings are considered highly attractive, and Scrade who practice such crafts can make large sums. It is hard to judge a female by appearance however, because if she is the wife of a tattooist, tailor of jeweller, she will be expected to display her husbands craft as they go through the day and also as they attend the Dilii'ti'ki (see my record below) and the Gulti'ak'ti, a kind of mock combat arena, coffee house and social meeting place. Whilst the wives of influential males may wield quite a bit of power, all males are considered to be superior to females and females are expected to bow to any male, and instructions issued to a female by their husbands are considered capital to break. Taxation does not occur in the traditional sense, although the family owning the Gulti'ak'ti usually makes significant profits. Also is a young Scrade has talent if a field of trade but no capital, a wealthy family might sponsor him in a way very similar to human customs. He will be educated and set up with premises, as well as tools and other non-expendable essentials of his trade and a sum of money. For the rest of his life he will be expected to pay a full 10% of all takings to the family that sponsored him (unlike the human custom where the apprentices first items are sold to cover training and the family will expect preference and discount). Those not talented enough to be sponsored (most males, females tend to find work as warriors of some kind or domestic servants to their social superiors and tend to stay in that task) will be forced to attend the Dilii'ti'ki. At such a place they will state their talents and then be assigned work by being herded in front of prospective employers who will, after testing their skills if necessary, offer them wages for a period. Capital punishment is practiced as the main punishment, but there is a large array of execution methods, all of which are sacrifices, to account for varying crimes. The least significant execution involves the simple cutting of the through, and then the creatures blood is dedicated to Shithkik. The worst is a fifteen week ceremonial torture after which the creatures blood and soul are gifted to Shithkik. A house's father will spend much time doting on his daughters and sons, although curiously not his first son, as this child will marry into another family and therefore cease to be his son. The first sons are considered to be adopted by the wife's family when they marry, but other sons are not, although a fathers link with his daughters is often good even if they marry into another family, as they are still considered his children under Scrade law, and attend all important rituals and celebrations with their father's family, not their husbands. The typical wealthy household I observed had the following structure, One father with three wives, the father being a cleric and able to call forth the Endowments of Healing and at least two of the wives where Duln'di'ai. Four daughters and six sons, by various mothers, and this with the father only recently having reached the middle of his age. One Velsitul or chief servant, twenty-six body guards, four maids to the wives, three Wizards other than the children, one Jailer, Two Head chefs/Torturers, five under chefs, two assassins, nine masseuses, four who worked for the father alone, one non family member of clergy, the husband of one of the daughters and the wives of all six sons, eighteen other petty servants, two artists, one tattooist, one alchemist and three animal trainers. In addition to this they would employ up to fifty other servants on minimal wages as they were required. I learned only a little about Scrade cuisine, but I did discover that what they eat on ceremonial occasions is very different to other times, and it is these ceremonial meals that have been the focus of other works on them. These ceremonies evolve the sacrificing of intelligent creatures to their vile god, and then the carcases are roasted and eaten, and this with so much salt and other spices that its original flavour is lost. These sacrifices are opponents captured in battle, criminals and, if the numbers are not already sufficient, victims randomly selected in a lottery. If a Scrade's name is drawn he may elect to either be sacrificed or to purchase his freedom from the church with a fee of 200 gold. Outside these events Scrade enjoy the flesh of wild animals, bread made from various kinds of flower, wines and spirits and certain insects and, if they can be captured, baby dragons eaten live and raw. The wider sense of taste Scrade enjoy allows them to partake of foods that others find unattractive. The three major Scrade ceremonies, that is to say those culminating in the sacrifices listed above are, first the Day of Pain, held every spring and autumn equinox to teach that even for the bountiful, pain is a daily occurrence. In this ceremony each Scrade is struck with a lash nine times by another member of their city, but as the names are read out loudly as the names are drawn, few Noble Scrade have to endure real pain, as few are stupid enough to truly attempt to hurt them. Held every other winter equinox is the Night of Revels. This ceremony takes place after the sacrifices, and during the hours after the feast any man may chose any woman or women to sleep with him. However, as most wealthy families have made it clear that anyone who does not work for them who attempts to sleep with a family member will have the organs used removed. Also daughters and wives in wealthy families often do the choosing, so a houses artists and tattooists often find themselves being forced to appease every one of their masters daughters, a daunting prospect, as many may be Duln'di'ai. Held every summer equinox is the Day of Death. Any Scrade who ventures from their abode is considered a free target for the Clergies murder teams. These teams also break into properties and slaughter the occupants, generally choosing those who have shown a lack of piety. Relations between these Elves and other races, especially the Drow are, as one would expect, tense at the best of times, but the Scrade's desire of wealth and both races hatred of the other Elven races and their gods can lead to their mutual co-operation, these alliances break down almost as soon as Priests of the respective gods arrive to organise matters. The two deiaties have a logn and complicated history and interpreting the whims of two such gods can often lead to mixed messadges. Such combined forces work best when lead by foot soldiers or wizards, who are generally of the gender dominant in the other society. Trade between the two Elven sub races however is usually quite open, with tradesmen of each society meeting in a mutually agreeable place to do business. Sometimes they have also been known to harbour fleeing members of the others high society who have fallen out of favour, although usually for a large sum in the case of the Scrade. Scrade characters. (as elves except) +2 Strength, Dexterity and Charisma (these replace the High Elven modifiers) Spell resistance equal to 15+character level +2 on Climb and Tumble checks Proficient with Scimitars not Longswords Extraordinary hearing. Blind sense 60ft radius. +3 on listen checks not +2 Favoured class: Cleric (male) Barbarian (female) Scrade with NPC levels have a CR equal to their class level. Scrade with PC levels have a CR equal to character level+1. Automatic languages: Srade dialect of Elven, Common. Bonus Languages, As elves. Alignemnt:Often Lawful Evil LA+2
The Ubbergeek 04-21-07, 07:50 PM	It's basicaly the Eberron drow, no?
Evil DM Mk3 04-21-07, 07:52 PM	It's basicaly the Eberron drow, no? Seeing as this has been kicking around on my computer since 2003, and was up on this forum at about that time and this is a repost with modifications to tie in with other things I am doing ATM, no. EDIT:Oh and I don't even have Eberron.
The Ubbergeek 04-21-07, 08:05 PM	No offence, but that's the drow of Eberron.
Evil DM Mk3 04-21-07, 08:13 PM	Could you say somthing a bit more constructive as, seeing as I never buy settings, I have no idea what you are talking about.:(
The Ubbergeek 04-21-07, 09:06 PM	Your creation sounds like it was taken straight off the Eberron world - they have drow too, but a divergent society from the classical GH/FR norm... And like you described it. Scorpions-worshipping natives kind of guys.
Evil DM Mk3 04-22-07, 10:20 AM	What eberron Drow are (Scoial)Class based patriarchal capitalist tyrants? They really did do a huge reworking of drow for Eberron!!
The Ubbergeek 04-22-07, 11:11 AM	Except for the biology and all, it's quite inspired by them.
Evil DM Mk3 04-22-07, 11:51 AM	OK well I PROMICE this is not plagurism. Like I siad I have never read the things you are refering too.:( I feel all unispired now.
Return of the Flumph 04-22-07, 05:38 PM	Great minds think alike, I guess. Never having looked at the Eberron setting, I can't comment on the similarity. I do like your guys though. That said, do they really need a net +6 to their ability scores?
Evil DM Mk3 04-22-07, 05:45 PM	The Cha was added after it was flet they where too weak for LA+2 last time. Do you feel their flavour works?
Grizzled Gryphon 04-22-07, 09:30 PM	First, I, too, have never seen the Eberron settings drow. I like the flavor a lot. Very interesting group of baddies you have here. Very interesting society, too. I like the flavor, and it does, in its own twisted, and thus evil, way, make sense. Nice job. However, it would seem to me that a ranged weapon would be in order for a weapon for them to be porficient in. After all, they live in the tops of trees, so any defense the Scrade used that involved ranged weapons would be very much in there favor. As the women seem to be the main combatants for this race, and there favored class is Barbarian, I would think a thrown weapon would be a good choice. Javalin, or even spear. Perhaps even something like throwing axes? Just a thought.
Evil DM Mk3 04-22-07, 09:45 PM	Well they have longbows and shortbows... They get scimitars rather than lognsowrds but keep the other three.
Grizzled Gryphon 04-22-07, 10:14 PM	OH, I see. You might want to state they retain the others in the characteristics block, then.
Evil DM Mk3 04-23-07, 07:31 AM	It does say "as elves except"
Adrez Nesnsid 07-05-07, 09:34 PM	It's basicaly the Eberron drow, no? The only similarity that I can see to the Eberron Drow is the scorpion worship; otherwise they're totally different.