The Tome Of Drow Lore.pdf - RoseRed

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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.