Dark Elves – Dark-Elves, Moriquedi, Hisildi

In the Arda Shijie, the term "dark-elves" refers to all elves who have not reached Aman and have not seen the light of the Twotrees, thus including Sindar, Nandor, and Avari. We know a lot about Sinda's history and legends, and Nando knows a little about it, but the Avari of the East is a mystery, and there are few written references to them. However, it is not completely without clues, in Tolkien's early designs, there are some very interesting stories of the dark elves of the East.

The following is compiled from the first and second volumes of the History of Middleearth (hereinafter referred to as Home), namely Thebook of Losttales I and II.

The place where the Lake of Awakening is located is called Palisor, which means "wildland". It was located in the middle of the entire continent, and the elves who did not obey the summons of Valar, the elves who turned around halfway through the summons, and still lived in the area of Parisol before the First Age of the Sun, so they were called the "Dark Elves of Parisol".

Legend has it that there is a very magical "Fay" named "T" or "Tvo". What kind of ethnicity Fay is is not clearly stated. The word means "fairy, fairy, leprechaun" and so on in modern English, but its origin is Middle English faie, which means "man with magic". At the same time, the word has the same meaning as "fairy" and "elf", and elves are often called "fairy". However, another "fay" mentioned in the book is actually Melian, so it seems to be another name for Maiar. Tuffer is also known as the "Wizard", and in this respect is more reminiscent of the Five Warlocks of Mai in the Tertiary Age. Of course, at the time when "The Lost Tales Collection" was created, the author did not design the story of the Third Age at all (the saga ended in the First Age). Naturally, the five great warlocks had no way to talk about it. The Lost Tales only says that Tufer is known as a Warlock because of his magic mastery, which according to the book is superior to anyone, even those who live in Valinor. This is another very mysterious note. If it's a maie. This seems to be an exaggeration. It is also mentioned that when Melkor was imprisoned in Mandos, he was in the main hall of Mandos and taught him a lot of dark magic. So Tufo was a Mai, was he so bold to learn the dark arts from Morko? It was supposed to be during Moorko's captivity. He was chained and had no freedom of movement, so Van La was also very wary of him, and it should be very difficult for Tufer to learn the dark arts from him. Of course, maybe he was simply a Mai who guarded the Morko, but the next thing to mention. Contrary to what many might think, Tuiffer was not a first-class figure of Sauron and Saruman, and even though he learned the dark arts from Morko, he seemed to be in a deep love of magic.

Later, Tufer went to Zhongzhou, and some places say that he came to Zhongzhou after Moorko destroyed the Twin Divine Trees, but in this case, there are contradictions with some other legends, which is doubtful. What is certain is that when Tufer came to Midstate, he did not have much contact with the West Coast Sinda or even Nando (in short, Eldar). He traveled to the east and met the dark elves of Parisol, whom he gathered to help and teach, and became the king of Parisol. The kingdom of the Dark Elves was built on the shores of Lake Awakening. They live in the cave, and the water of the Awakening Lake flows all the way to the bottom of the cave, and the door of the cave is sealed with magic. The blue and silver light flickered in the cave, and there were many strange spirits coming in and out of the elves. Tuffer is revered as the "Lord of the Twilight". His subjects were called Hisildi, which means Twilightpeople.

Heatherdi has a very interesting strength. It's their shili, their shili surpasses their fellow citizens of other clans, they are still sharp-eyed in the dark. This is reminiscent of Legolas, the Legolas of the First Gondolin mentioned in The Lost Tales, who is distinguished by his keen vision and impervious to darkness, as is Legolas, the prince of the forest in the Lord of the Rings trilogy, whose shili also makes a deep impression when he shoots down the flying Rings in the dark. Notice that at that time it was not only said that he could see far, but more importantly, that he could see through the darkness without light. At the same time, we also note the shape of the palace of Legolas's father, Thranduil, king of the forest. It is generally said that Thrandil built his own cave house in imitation of Thingol's Thousand Caves. However, Thrandil's cave may be more like Heatherdi's form, and Singel's Thousand Caves does not pass through the water at the bottom of the cave, nor does it have a door to a magic seal. The cave of Thrandil, on the other hand, has a forest and a river flowing into the bottom of the cave, and the gate is also controlled by magic, much like the elven palace on the shore of the Awakened Lake. For more information about the Legolas family, see my Royal Archives of the Great Forest.

After many years of peace and happiness, one day, a Heatherdi named Nuin went on a trip. The wisest, the most learned, and the most curious of all Heatherdi, he went far away in one breath, and Zuihou came to a very beautiful and fragrant valley, where many sleeping children were found. Lu Ying was so surprised that he ran back and told Heatherdi about his adventure in one breath. Heatherdi told him that it was a "sleepy valley" (Valeofdeep), where in the future it would be full of flowers and the "sun" would rise in the sky. Then Iluvatar's youngest son, the human race, will awaken. What Lu Ying saw was the ancestor of mankind.

It should also be noted here that the Brahmen do not know much about the specific situation of the awakening of the elven humans, but Toiffer seems to know everything about it. This is also an interesting question.

Tuiffer forbade Lu Ying and the other elves to visit their "brother". Although they are all curious and excited about it. However, Lu Ying couldn't help it, he often sneaked into the sleepy valley to visit the human children, and Zuihou finally couldn't help but wake up the two. He called them Erumon and Elmir. Maybe it means "Star Jewel"), they were scared at first when they didn't know what was going on, but soon they were no longer afraid of Lu Ying. Tufo was not very happy about Lu Ying's "deviant" behavior, but he did not punish Lu Ying, overall. Toiffer shows a very gentle personality. Lu Ying taught Elumo and Ermi the language, and he was later known as the "father of speech". Elumo and Elmi lived happily under his watch, and humans seemed to have a long lifespan at that time, and their liliang and form were similar to those of elves.

Finally, one day, the sun rose from space, and Elumo and Elmi were the only ones among the humans who saw the first sunrise, and they also saw Sleepy Valley shining in the sun's light, so that the seeds of sleep sprouted, and it became a land of flowers. The children of humanity awaken. They studied under the tutelage of Elumo and Elmi, and learned a lot from Heatherdy, with whom they lived happily. But Tufer faded in the sun, and since then he has been hiding in the depths of the cave for unknown reasons. It is not known whether he will be able to come out after the sun goes down. It's strange that if Tufer was indeed Mai from Oman, there was no reason why he would be afraid of the sun—or how could he be in the light of the homogeneous Twin Trees, or if he was really some special Maie, who was also in the Temple of Mandos when Moorko met him. Mandos is a big hole and a temple of death, so it should be pitch black, not to mention the place where Morko is imprisoned. It makes people feel that it must be very dim. (Cui Weiju novel)

The happy days did not last long, and Moorko had returned to Midstate, where one of his agents (presumably a Maier) rallied an army of Goblins (or Orcs) to attack Parisol. Elumo and Elmi lead the humans to fight on the side of the Heatherdi Elves, but traitors appear among them. This great battle, which is little known to the Western elves, is known as the "Battle of Parisor", and the outcome of the war is widely debated. It is certain that Lu Ying died in battle, some say that the Heatherdi elves were defeated, and some say that the war was a stalemate. The latter statement should be more reliable, as Toiffer will appear later. Those humans who rebelled against the elves became the "barbarian people" who later became them. Elumo and Elmi remained firmly allies of the Heatherdi elves, and some of their people were probably the three Edain families who later moved west.

After the war ended, a Heatherdi elf named Taerg heard rumors from the west and knew that the Noldor elves had returned to Zhongzhou, so he led many Heatherdi elves to the west coast, where they merged with Sinda and Noldor.

In the "Battle of the Rains of Tears" in 472 of the First Age, Maedros, the prince of Noldordo, wrote to Tufer and to Elumo (it is surprising that he was still alive at this time as a human) to invite them to join the alliance, and that Tufo might not have been able to participate in the battle himself (considering that he was unusually afraid of the sun), but should have sent troops and representatives. The Battle of Tears ended in a crushing defeat for the Elven Humans, the Shili of Noldor and Sinda on the West Coast was greatly reduced, and the contact with the East was lost, and the fate of the Heatherdi Elves and the humans under Elumo was never mentioned in the legend.

An introduction to the Drow Society

Not many surface dwellers know the true state of Drow society. The lore is full of nightmarish things: underground cities, powerful magic, and the fallen and arrogant culture of the Dark Elves, who are far removed from their blood relatives on the surface.

More factually, the Drow society is ruled by women, and that the Drow have a close connection to spiders, and they live with spiders and may even worship them. Drow elves are generally considered to be cruel and treacherous slave keepers. What else do we know? With the help of a female drow archmage and an inquisitive Ilminster, we're going to find out.

Identity and class

The Drow society is a solid, matriarchal society, with women holding all positions of power and responsibility in the government, military, and family. Men were warriors of great valence, or priests or shamans of the lower ranks. It is rare to see a drow without a female leader outside of the drow settlement.

There are generally only two types of drow groups commanded by men. One is the death squads, and the other is the outcasts who refuse to accept the traditional drow elf social structure.

Social identity is the most important thing in the drow elves' shijie. Increasing one's power is the ultimate goal in Drow society. And an assassination sneak attack is the perfect means to achieve this goal. This must be done around the city, and care must be exercised. Public murder or war against rival families will provoke a brutal and righteous assault from the Drow elves (the punishment is not for the action itself, but simply for their vulgar and rude public fights). ）

But outside the city's patrol range, liliang is justice, and families or merchant clans often openly compete in the wilderness of the dark regions.

Spiders and drows

Drow Elves have a strong bond with spider creatures. Most of the drow elves worship their spider god, Ralth. The priestesses of Rolls rule the Drow society, and Rolls' trials are inflicted on many budding Drow Elves (level 6 or higher). Trials are tests of ability and faithfulness. And the results of the trial are considered absolutely credible. The failure of the trial will pay a terrible price for it.

The reward for passing the trialist is an increase in social status. It is also usually accompanied by an immediate ascension to the priestly rank. Other non-priest drow elves are sent by the goddess on a mission, usually a dangerous mission against a specific target on the surface.

Even those drow who don't worship Rolls have a strong connection to spider creatures. Spiders and similar creatures often inhabit drow colonies, and are often featured in drow sculptures, paintings, and clothing. For example, the frame and carvings of the Drow Elven Gate are always exaggerated and repeating the representation of a crawling spider. Drow houses are also often adorned with realistic grey translucent cobweb-like wall hangings or hanging curtains.

Even catch people's games. In particular, the game of hide-and-seek played in the courtyard during the festival of the young drow elves is called "spider hunting". In any battle or otherwise, a drow elf's struggle before death is referred to as his "zuihou bite".

Social organization

There are two main social groups of drows: relatively unimportant (according to the priestesses of Ralles) merchant clans, and large aristocratic families. In fact, both are crucial to the survival of the Drow.

The commercial clan is extremely organized. They are usually led by an "inner circle" or council of the most experienced and/or wealthy merchant members. The trading squads are usually led by men (especially those who deal with "meaningless" trades or dangerous deals with outsiders are definitely men's jobs).

The inner circle of a merchant clan is mainly made up of male wizards who have passed or escaped trials. Although many of the members come from various drow societies. But the merchant clans are not upset by trading with the surface shijie. In fact, a large percentage of the members (or managers) of the "subcircle" are of various races other than the drows.

The lowest class of merchant clans is called "Assets", and this class is almost entirely made up of non-drow elves. They were laborers and soldiers of the merchant clans. Through the division of labor and cooperation of all members, the trade connection between the merchant clan and the external shijie made the survival of the aristocratic family possible.

The aristocratic family was headed by a mistress. The Mistress is a high-ranking priest who has absolute authority over the Drow society that worships Rolls, with the female priestesses (usually her daughters) in her position carrying out her orders. All women of the primary maternal lineage are of highest rank in descending order of age, although they have no authority until they have completed their training and reached adulthood (through puberty).

Below the main mother's daughters are the male dignitaries of the family: the master of martial arts (the leader of the warriors), the (chief) family mage, and the father (the current spouse of the main mother). These positions can be both. It can even be done by the male heirs of the family, who are traditionally in a secondary class.

The status of male heirs is also determined by age: the eldest son, the second son, the third son, and so on. As young as children, they couldn't look up at the faces of the other drows. They also can't speak casually unless someone else speaks to them first or is commanded to do so. This treatment is to make them understand their secondary position in the dark society.

Below the male heirs are the clan's "battle commanders" (experienced warriors who lead patrols, assault squads, and guards under the command of the Martial Chief). and the Minor Family Mages (commanded by the Chief Family Mage).

Under these "blood" members and family officials were ordinary warriors, artisans, servants and slaves. Their status decreases one by one in the order above. Their status may also change at the whim of the mistress. The mistress's own status is changed by her death, most likely at the hands of one of her daughters.

In the Drow community that worships Ralth, killing a mistress who is being favored by Ralth is a mortal crime. So the mistress can rule her family for hundreds or even thousands of years. Ralth's magic will keep them alive, and the Mistress will do everything in their power to please Ralles to maintain and strengthen it. The assassination of a mistress is usually the punishment for losing Ralse's favor. It usually marks a change in the direction in which the family is heading, or. If the family is weaker but has a stronger enemy. This was the prelude to the demise of the family.

If one family in the city openly attacks another. However, if they fail to eradicate the opponent in a single attack, the survivors of the attacked family can demand justice from the city to punish the attacking family. At this time, all the families in the city will join forces to eradicate the attacking families. Families who have been secretly fighting with Assassins or Saboteurs for years will be forced into a direct battle by the city's Governing Council, and the rules of the battle will be the same as those previously described. This mode of battle, where there is no real winner, keeps the internal struggle of the Drow tightly controlled. The Drow Elven Colony was thus saved from being thrown into a mess by a continuous, brutal and bloody struggle.

For the reasons mentioned above, most drow infighting takes the form of a succession of well-planned sneak attacks in an attempt to achieve smaller victories and superiority over time. Insidious intrigue in the backyards, poisoned daggers in the alleys, nefarious trade confrontations, and dirty trade of all kinds are all part of the daily life of the Drow Elves.

The way the dark elves treat people

Drow never trusts other creatures, and that includes (or especially) other drow spirits. It is much more difficult for other creatures to form an intimate relationship with such a paranoid race.

Perhaps the Drow will deal with races that are equal to them (and the Drow do not recognize any race as supreme to them), such as the Psicosva or the Durgal Dwarves, under a mixture of armistice, harsh conditions, subtle intimidation, magic, and mutually beneficial treaties. There are only a few exceptions in the cities where Rolls is worshipped, and the Drow is completely convinced of one other creature (and is alive to say it). Drows who believe in others are more common among Elistri's worshippers. But even if it is to gain their trust, it is not easy.

The Drow Elves are the most widely distributed and the strongest Liliang among the known civilizations in the dark region of Feiru. But constant infighting and a strong desire for personal power and business gain have always prevented the Drow from rallying together to fight their enemies. This may be the only reason why many of the Koutao fish-man, bag-clad and disir communities have remained intact. If the Drow Elves are really ready to fight, they can easily sweep away their weaker neighbors.

Dominating all other Underworld races (even the mighty Mind Flayer and Slavs) is the ultimate goal of the Drows, "the first part of the Drow Destiny", in the words of the priest of Rors. The second part is to destroy all the elves except the Drow, which also includes plundering their surface lands and possessions. But Rolls and her priests did not advocate any kind of "holy war." Ralls believes that the best way for her people to serve her is for individuals, groups, sects, and priests in the Drow society to compete with each other, and that the Drow communities should work separately. Because of this, the drow elves continue to grow stronger, and there is no decadence, weakness and laziness to grow.

When a settlement is overpopulated, the Drow Elves will even kill each other. Only the adults will be used for food, and the surviving young drow spirits will be considered the future of the community. In some cases, population pressures can cause such consequences. This is because these settlements believe that sending expeditions around in search of new places to live is likely to anger powerful neighbors.

The further control and influence of the Drow is always supported by those who are most enthusiastic about the Jihua - the Drow who are dissatisfied with their current status (if the Jihua is beneficial to them and there is no threat to them). The lowly Drow usually supports Jihua who openly engage in battle or fight against other Drow Elves.

If the Drow Elves are already cunning in their dealings with their kind, they are even more cunning in their dealings with other races than they are with their own kind. They will be happy to "negotiate" with other races on issues such as borders, trade, peace, and so on. But when an agreement or treaty no longer benefits them, the Drow will not hesitate to tear it up (in the eyes of the Drow). The agreement with the "weak race" is not something that must be followed). Most races have learned to be cautious and vigilant when dealing with drow spirits. And in order to stop deception and trickery, you should keep a few hands when dealing with the drow elves.

The dwarfs of the underworld hate the drow elves more than anything else. Correspondingly, there are no creatures in the Dark Lands that Drow are more willing to kill than underground gnomes. The traditional enemies of the Drow Elves also include Dwarves, Humans, and all other Elves. The Dwarves, Psicos, and the weaker races of the Dark Lands are all traded by the Drows. But with the exception of the most worldly and experienced Drow merchants, the Drow never trusted or treated these races as friends.

But that doesn't mean that the drow elves are an unruly, unpredictable, and unruly rabble of people engaged in never-ending internal warfare ("de facto"). Ilminster said, "A more appropriate description is that the drow elves are a nest of falling." Obsessed with status. A viper that goes on a never-ending civil war, but never lets it get out of control"). That's right, they always work for personal power. But their struggles are controlled by rules and loyalty to the collective.

Even if some drow elves break away from the clan, ruler, or colony, they will instinctively gather into groups. For these militants, who often live under the tip of the sword, their survival often depends on their numbers, their means of warfare, and whether they have comrades they can trust.

slave

Rumors of the Drow slave trade known to some of the surface dwellers are true. Some human slave traders (mainly in Carmensen, Tey, and the Wanma Plains in the Eastern Realms) trade with orc slave traders (in the northern realms) and the Drow Elves, and have learned that they should never be trusted. Drow elves take the health of their slaves far less seriously than the surface dwellers. Slaves were an extremely valuable commodity to surface slave traders. Fearing that they would degrade their value, they would not harm them unless necessary. But for most drows, a slave is nothing more than a pair of hands, with no limits to worry about, and if a slave is killed, there are thousands of replacements to take his place.

Slaves must make way for the nobles, and must not raise their eyes to any drow elves. Slaves were also allowed to carry weapons only with the permission of the drow nobles (usually only in gladiatorial "recreational" combat or when the clan was attacked and needed to defend themselves).

In drow society, slaves are usually goblins or similar creatures: goblins, orcs, goblins, etc. Spirits and Monsters are too short, active, and lone to be good slaves (as most drow elves think). And creatures like Tror and giants are too burly and powerful. Drow elves are only enslaved if they are captured in battle, especially those who owe debts or nobles whose families refuse to pay a ransom to ransom them. Some drow communities do not have drow slaves. There, captives or dangerous prisoners were either sacrificed or killed.

Humans are valuable slaves, but unless they don't have combat and magic skills, they are considered dangerous. Human artisans are the most valuable slaves, but they rarely survive for long in the dark and cruel drow drow settlements.

Drow elven customs

The limited space limits all aspects of the Drow Genie History, from the dawn (the long years before the settlement. At that time, the Drow Elves lived in the terrible sun-drenched Shijie) to the present day, when the Drow Elves had extensive control over the Dark Lands and the endless riches and magic liliang within them.

However, here is a small amount of information that will be useful for the Dungeon Master in the game. For example, the Dark Elves sign their surrender posture by dropping their weapons, lowering their hands to one knee and waiting for them to bring them to the person who has the right to surrender (usually a male Drow brings him to a female Drow).

Drow elves love to be massaged or massaged by others - long, well-artificially treated massages with scented oils, hot water and steam are close to the most luxurious indulgences of drow elves.

Drow elves love magic. They will be ecstatic when at the disposal of the powerful magic liliang. They are also fascinated by new spells and effects.

Drow elves love beauty—the beauty of carving, the beauty of objects (especially weapons), and the beauty of the body. Drow elves, both men and women, are happy to show off their physique. Any child who appears to have a physical defect will be killed.

The Drow Elven Colony celebrates some of the annual festivals. And when wizards, warriors, and priestesses graduate from their training for ten or decades (during which time they experience all three branches of drow elven expertise: witchcraft, priestly teaching, and weapon training). There is usually a wild celebration. This includes worshipping Ralth and summoning the demons who serve her.

Many drow communities also practice so-called "blood sacrifices", in which young drow elves, both male and female, must kill an intelligent or powerful and dangerous creature (such as a human warrior or wizard) on the surface during this ritual in order to reach adulthood. If the settlement was far from the surface, the merchant clans would provide captives at a high price, remove their weapons, and let the young drow elves hunt them.

The drow colonies that are not far away from the surface often hold a "run": a hunt and carnival that runs on the surface. (To be clear, it's the drow elves who call this "hunting and binge.") The surface dwellers call it "trespassers and kills") and the hunt is held once a year. All walking drow spirits in the community participate. However, in the process of attacking the surface dwellers, it seems that many of the Drow Elves' swords are accidentally slashed at other Drow Elves. Young drow elves who participated in the hunt for the first time were looking forward to completing their blood sacrifice during this time. Drow elves like to constantly change the timing of this annual event to prevent the surface dwellers from hiring powerful guards to keep them on guard.

It is important to note that if trained, experienced, and honed over and over again, the Drow can get used to the light. And it is possible to use both night vision and normal shili. This process takes about ten years. Only experienced surface bandits and wizards who traditionally study by candlelight are generally exempt from the light (see the Drow entry in the Monster Compilation). Marriage and family life

Among the drow nobles who worshipped Rolles, women were free to choose or discard (sometimes simply separated, but more often killed) males. Even among drow commoners or drow spirits of other faiths, marriage is still a short-lived affair. Marriages are usually delayed for a few years to a decade or so, and there is always the possibility of reunion. In the commercial clans. For security reasons, the man to marry must be a member of the clan or an outsider who has joined the clan. The act of joining a dynasty is permanent, and usually if the person who comes wants to leave the dynasty, he will face death. In aristocratic families, men from other families or commoners were given the surname of the woman's family (only temporarily) in marriage for reasons of family glory.

It is not only the responsibility of the immediate parents to raise their children, but also the entire family (clan or clan) for it. Long-lived female drows do not get pregnant easily, and generally give birth to about ten children before the end of the multiparity period.

Drow elves rarely live past seven hundred years. And 94 percent of them will die of natural causes before the age of 800. A small number of individuals (usually those who do not have to go through any hardships, such as the head mother of a powerful family) live past a thousand years and become old and dead. Drow elves do not reveal their age in appearance until they are six hundred years old.

Costumes and family coats of arms

Most of the drow elves wear a defensive magical cloak known as the "Phiva Vo". Underneath the cloak neckline, most drow elves wore a necklace bag. Nobles used necklace bags to hold their family's coat of arms, while commoners used it to hold a black metal plaque showing the family or merchant clan to which they served.

On the streets of a drow elven city. Generally, only members and subordinates of the "First Family" (the strongest Shili family) publicly reveal their family crest (on cloak pins, sewn on cloak or tunic decorations). The coats of arms of other weaker families can usually be found on the walls and doors of their colonies, where they are often worn in public.

The coats of arms of noble families are engraved with some unique graphics. It can usually be used as a chest ornament. All family crests have several of the same magical powers, while the details of other minor abilities are known only to the members of the family.

Here's an example. The coat of arms of the Duden family (from which the hero Trist came) is spider-shaped. Each of the spider's eight feet holds a different weapon, and the word "DN" is engraved on its back, which is the abbreviation of the ancient and official family name of the Duden family, "Demonasbanon".

The architecture and residence of the Drow Elves

Drow elves have designed buildings and passageways to resemble the shape of a spider's web. Traps and falling walls will force intruders towards the center of the "cobweb" radiation, where the most powerful drow elves in the entire building await them.

Even if it is a simple dwelling, it usually has traps to thwart intruders. For example, the "Spring Gun" (a crossbow triggered by a thin black silk or wax thread).

Drow civilians live in caves or domed houses with walls, basements for refuge, and billet buildings. They are always built and decorated as beautifully as possible. And as the wealth of its owner increased, it was enlarged to a greater magnificence until it became like the mansion of wealthy merchants, merchant clans, and noble families.

To get an idea of the large drow elven city, take a look at this prime example: Morsoblay City. The birthplace of Trist Duden (one of the few drow elves known on the surface of Shijie). It sits in a two-mile-wide, thousand-foot-high cavern inhabited by 20,000 drow elves. Morsobre is not a large city by Drow standards, but it exemplifies the well-armed and organized cruelty of the Drow civilization. The city of Morsoblay was founded more than 5,000 years ago. The "first family" in the city, the Banduan family, has existed since the beginning of the city. Its residence was the grandest of all the noble palaces in the city, with towering mushrooms obscuring the high platforms where the nobles lived to the south. The Banduan family has twenty huge stalactite pillars and ten stalagmites. It's all meticulously decorated. The entire surface of the complex is illuminated by ghostly fire almost every inch, the outlying watchtowers are blue, and the massive igloo in the center is bathed in bright purple glow.

The rest of the buildings in the city are not as impressive as the Banduan's house, but not a single stone has been left in its natural form in the city of Morsoblai. Generations of drow artisans (and the slaves under their command) have done everything in their power to perfection, carving lines and lines of ornamentation into the castle with the magical heat of silence.

The city of Morsobrai is home to drow elven soldiers and other civilians. They were ruled by the sixty-seven recognized families (noble families) in the city, numbering about a thousand, who were constantly fighting each other for liliang and influence. Each family is governed by a master mother who is a high priest of Rolls. The illustrious Consul consisted of the matriarchs of eight of the city's most powerful families. Through their rulings, conspiracies, and rivalries, Rolls' twisted laws rule the city.

The Caves of Morsoblay are the production areas of the city. Not a single drow elf lives there. Hundreds of orcs and goblin slaves herd Lothmon here to feed the city (other delicacies on the city's table come from hunting in the depths of the tunnels or trading with outsiders, mainly Durga dwarves). Lothmon is housed on a moss-covered island in Lake Tonicadon (which is actually a small pool).

The entrance to Morsoblay (leading to Tyr-Brits, the easternmost cavern in the city) is an intricately carved arch illuminated by a soft blue magical light. Inside the arch are two fifteen-foot-tall giant spider statues. If there is an intruder trying to pass through the arch. The two statues would come to an active effect, and the magic that would make them move was connected to a smaller spell that would cause the alarm to sound throughout Morsoblay City.

Tyre-Buch is the highest point in the city of Morsoblay, from where you can enjoy a splendid view of the rest of the city. A wooden staircase connects it to the college. Only faculty members and students of the academy are allowed to come here.

The entire college is divided into three parts. Each section has its own large building. The most important and spectacular building is the Spider Church, the spider-shaped mission of the goddess Ralse. Second only to the Spider Church in importance and appearance is the Warlock School with elegant curves and many spires. That is, where mages learn magic. The simplest form of the zuihou is the pyramid-shaped fighting tower, where male warriors are trained. The entrance to the Warlock School is guarded by wizards (usually senior mage students) and is responsible for challenging intruders. The accustomed posture of the masters of the academy was to stretch their arms out, their elbows bent, and their palms folded up and down in front of their chests ("this posture makes the arms and back unduly tense", says Ilminster, "and this is mainly the result of the personality tendencies of the Drow elves").

The only clock in the city is the huge natural stone pillar in the center of the city known as the Nabondel Pillar of Time. At the end of each day, the city's designated archmage casts Nightmare Flames at the base of the pillar.

One cycle of this spell is equal to a whole day of Shijie on the surface. Over time, the flames will gradually rise along the pillar (glowing bright red in the infrared vision), rise to the top of the pillar and then slowly descend. When the entire pillar cools and turns black at midnight ("The Dark Death of the Nabondel Pillar"), the Archmage casts the spell again.

Some Drow cities have a method of timekeeping that has nothing to do with surface time. They may keep track of the burning of ceremonial candles, or they may kill a slave or prisoner of war each day and pile up their heads to keep track of the date.

Much of the details about the life of the drow elves and the daily conflict and struggle in Morsoblay can be found in Bob Salvatore's novel The Homeland. Trist's meditations on the way the Drow think and the nature of the Drow will be useful for players who want to bring their role as the Drow to life.

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