Player Character's Guide: Ranks and Stations of Drow Society

THE QU'ELLAR
The hierarchy of the drow is not based on the typical ladder concept with
the leader at the top and the work force at the bottom. Instead it is
better compared to the complexity of a spider’s web. Thousands of
concentric rings forming a single House, with the leader situated in the
center and the lesser members making out the outtermost rings. From the
center the leader pulls the main strings through force of
personality, seduction, and brutality. These strings are made up
of the House Masters and depending on house customs may be appointed to any number of titled charcters. Most typically are; Yath’Tallar, Qu’el’Faruk, Qu’el’velguk, Qu’el’saruk. On our server there are is a special sect of Master known as the Qu’el’Queshel (Dark Choir of Lloth).

The Hierarchy in a Qu’ellar (Noble House) from Greatest to Least is listed as follows;

Matron Mother / Ilharess:


Matron Mother / Ilharess:

In the center of this large intertwined web that is the Qu’ellar,


sits the Matron Mother. As a fat spider pulling the strings of the entire

House, she is the dominating figurehead and all decisions for the house go through her. The Matron has full disposal of all resources that the Qu’ellar can provide. It is she who unquestionably leads

and brings focus to the House as a whole, though influence from other members always plays a part. Although the Matron

technically has the right to claim anything she wishes of her House

members, she would do well not to pull any one string too hard, or the

web collapses around her. The responsibility of the entire House rests

in the web she has spun. A strong Matron is able to direct and shape an

entire community through her House, demanding enough of her members to

be successful, but also providing enough benefits for the members of her

House to be satisfied despite their sacrifice. Though she possesses a seat in the Church of Lloth she may not cast a vote when there are proceedings or judgements pending. The Yath’Tallar of her House owns two votes to spend as she chooses, and should ultimately be for the greater vision of her diety’s will.

Requirements:
-21 Character Levels total
-May not be Yath’tallar
-Can be any Legal Class
- Have half of the House Masters on your side.
-You must defeat the current Matron in combat, be it Physical, Political or other means.





Should a player fail to appear In Game on a consistent basis they should have the professional courtesy to surrender this position to the next daughter in line (Most cases the 1st Daughter). The Dm team should not have to implement actions that remove anyone from a seat of power. But if we feel it delays significantly or infringes upon other characters right to progress in plots, then it will be done. After a period of two weeks a player who fails to make an appearance (for any reason) automatically forfeits this position. The Title will be considered abandoned and the DM team will allow the Masters of the House to determine the next in line. If a decision has not been made in a week from this time, one will be appointed by the staff.



If you do aim to achieve a Master/Matron

position then you should only strive for one if you are prepared to lose

it again. I feel it is important to note that two candidates, or even

more, can easily be favored for the same position which means the one

who put the most effort into succeeding most likely will do so. Because a

new person is favored for a position, it does not necessarily mean we

think the current one is doing badly but we are offering a chance for

some fresh blood to replace our current leadership with no OOC bad

feelings involved. What we want is drow RP and you can be sure you won’t

just get a Master/Matron title without working hard for it and the same

can be said for keeping it. When a new Master/Matron is chosen she has

two months of sanctuary where her position may not be challenged.



We do not enforce perma-death in the House, as this would quickly leave us

without members at all, if a Master loses his position he will be forced

to move one ring out in the web. An example of this could be from House

Weapons Master being defeated and having to move one ring out to the

Warrior station. The old House Master would in turn be free to try and

reclaim their old position after the two month sanctuary if he is so

able.

Why do I allow for this chaotic form of leadership you

might ask? To put it simply I hope it might promote drow RP in its

finest form and it prevents the House from ever falling silent. Our

characters should be afraid of losing their position, and it should be a

real threat. This is the drow game, this is the intrigues, and this is

why the drow can act polite when facing an ambitious rival. They want

to keep each other off-guard, but they need to work together as well.

Proving good RP, never taking an IC conflict OOC, and showing leadership skills will be taken into the equation as well.

But above all this system allows for everyone to gain influence inside the House if they put enough effort into it.


OOC information

This is a call out, both to present and future Players that would like to be
in the position of Authority, for instance becoming a House Master, one
of the Matrons daughters/sons, or even becoming the Matron Mother
yourself one day.

* Responsibility. With great power comes great responsibility. I expect you'll dedicate the time needed to

fulfill your role. You will have one MAIN character that you spend most of your time on, or will switch to if needed.

* Initiative, take it. And for the love of all the hairy legs of Lolth, pass it along to those below you.

* Plotting, the capacity to make small player driven plots within the House. It doesn't have to be big, but simple things like pitting two Characters against each other in a series of tests

* To accept the fact you CAN be overthrown and lose your position, and that this isn't a personal attack on you. It's an attack on your character, and it's good Lolthite


RP

What you can expect in return:

* Authority. House Masters will be able to promote anyone within their part of the House

* Influence. The House Masters and Daughters are the only ones close enough to the Ilharess to get a real influence in her decisions.

* More or less free reign. I'll happily assist you with OOC advice and suggestions if you ask for it.

* Unity. Not IC, but OOC. We're working together about this project, no matter what our characters are doing.

High Priestess / Yathtallar





The High Priestess is a title within the House and not of the Church. The

High Priestess serves as the Matron’s advisor in all matters religious

whether the Matron likes it or not, and even a powerful Matron should

think carefully about the consequences of her actions, should she choose

to go against the High Priestess counsel on such matters. The High

Priestess leads all the Priestesses of the House and she is responsible

for ensuring all within the House is loyal to the Spider, even (if not

especially) the Matron Mother can be subjected to such suspicions by the

High Priestess though such an investigation must run its course in the

most subtle fashion. If the Matron Mother is away, the High Priestess

often steps in to temporarily fill the void (See the 1 week rule in the matron's description)


Requirements:

*See Theocracy and Yath under The Dark Seldarine Thread


Special: The Highest authority is the Reverend Mother of the Church of Lolth, not the Matron Mother of their House.




In most cases the Matron Mother will decide who has enough favour with her

House to get a position and you will be compared to the current House

Master you would wish to replace. But if the Matron’s daughters start

becoming more influential they can push their own candidates into the

House. A strong and political skilled Matron will not allow this sort of

undermining of her authority and work around it, but if you can get

away with it, then by all means. This allows an option for the

daughters to try and undermine the ruling Matrons authority. Just be aware that actions or schemes uncovered may be detrimental to your character's web of influence. In our setting this is worse than character death.

If a Master leaves without notice on the board for 2 weeks, a temporary replacement will be

appointed by the ruling Matron Mother in his stead. If no further notice

is given within another week the replacement takes this position and

keeps it even if the Master returns in the third week.

If you do give a notice on the board, a replacement will be appointed to take over in

the time you are gone. If you are not back within a week after you

should have returned and no notice is given, the replacement gets the

position. The old master will get the chance of earning it back just

like any other after 8 weeks have passed from the date of return (this must be documented in the Qu'ellar or Church Forum Threads, if the date is not documented then he/she didn't return on said date).

Qu’el’Faruk (House Mage)

This title often, but not always, falls to a male as most females would find

it embarrassing to lower herself to practicing the arcane. This is the

highest position a male can strive for within the House and it bears

great influence to all the Matron's decisions on arcane matters. The

First Wizard is in charge of magical research, training, and teaching

the wizards of the House, as well as ensuring all the wards guarding the

House are properly maintained.

Requirements:

- Wizard/Mage

-Sorcerer and Warlocks can attain this Station. However, be wary that a Sorcerer or a Warlock that assumes this role must be able to train Magi in the House. If unable to do so then they will inevitably fail in a crucial portion of their role.



Advancement: To become First Wizard you must

- Gain favour of either the Matron or have 2/3 of her daughters support

- Defeat the current First Wizard in a mage duel.

Qu’el’Velguk (House Assassin)








The Head Assassin’s purpose is complicated. They are for all intents and purposes, inconspicuous eliminators of all things that threaten the affairs of their Qu'ellar. but they are so much more as well. The traits of this station typically employed are stealth and the ability to remain unseen. They are the Masters of information and the creators of subterfuge. Under the direct orders of their Matron they may eradicate a target or sneak into the confines of a rival house to plant espionage. They are the versatile and Elite masters of the darkness, that publicly would not wish to be named. How effective can a House Master Assassin be if everyone knows who he/she is?

Requirement:
- Cannot hold another Master Station
Advancement: To become the Head Assassin you must
- Gain the favour of either the Matron or have 2/3 of her daughters support
- Defeat the current Head Assassin in combat.

Qu’el’saruk







The House Weapon Master is the Matron Mother's favored champion and her
personal bodyguard. Should her honor or that of the House ever be
brought into question he will be called on to defend it. The House
Weapon Master is often considered the least prestigious of the four
House Masters. The relationship between the House Weapon Master and that
of the Matron Mother is often a special one however, and as such the
other House Masters should do well to remember the influence he can
wield through her. He serves as the adviser of the Matron Mother in all
things involving military tactics. Furthermore he is in charge of
training all Warriors. During times of city-scale war, a skilled House
Weapon Master’s position and influence can rival that of the Matron
Mother’s. The skill in which a Weaponmaster possess must be unmatched by any of his peers.
Should the day come when one of his lessers determine they are stronger,
it is likely his station will be challenged.

Requirement:

- Pure melee build

Advancement: To become House Weapon Master you must
- Gain the favour of either the Matron or have 2/3 of her daughters support
- Defeat the current House Weapon Master in a duel.

House Members

Serving the greater good of the house and making up the majority of it's census are the family members. These are the characters that are constantly striving to gain favor in their Qu'ellar and at the same time trying to undermine the station of authority they wish to assume. Starting characters will typically begin here when they have aligned themselves with a Qu'ellar.

******************************************************************************



Yathrin


In truth these members belong more to the Church, than to the House. A
Priestess of Lolth is not just a divine caster of Lolth. A Priestess is a
divine caster who has dedicated her life to that of the Church of Lolth
and in doing so she gains great station, power and influence through
the Church. This choice also means she is loyal to Lolth, the Church,
and the greater good of the drow as a whole, before the House and her
own schemes. They are respected out of fear by all House members,
Masters, Members, and sometimes even by the Matron herself. Their
function in the House is to ensure complete conviction in Lolth and her
doctrines, failure to do so will result in torture, tests and ultimately
death. None but the Matron can dispute the word of the Priestesses of
her own House. There is often an unspoken dispute between the Matron and
the Priestesses of Lolth, as the Matron’s concern is that of her own
House whereas the Priestesses of Lolth must think of the community and
race as a whole.

Requirements:
*See Theocracy and Yath under The Dark Seldarine Thread

Ilharn




The Ilharn could be considered the Matron's favored male. His role is to
please the Matron in any demand, be those physical or social. While the
IIharn has little direct influence or responsibility over House matters,
his rank is considered equal to that of a Master in prestige because he
holds the Matron’s ear. A very seductive and cunning IIharn can sway
the Matron’s opinions on matters behind the curtain. The males look to
him to be their voice to the matron, able to speak to her in private to
address their concerns. This grants a crafty Ilharn considerable
position within the house, but it is a very precarious one. If the males
of the house are treated well by the females, it is likely due to a
very skilled IIharn that they may thank. If the males are treated poorly
the Ilharn had better stay close to his Mistress and hope she does not
discard him any time soon.

Requirement:
- Male
- Chosen by the Matron (Can be any Male)

Yath'Saruk



The pinnacle of honor for a male is to be allowed into the sactuary of Lloth, ultimately to give his life to. Yath'saruk are the Elite guardians of the Llothite temple and stand to protect it in defiance of anything that may threaten it. It is important not to be confused as the threats are not subjective to the Yath'saruks interpretation. He simply follows two critical rules;

1. Protect and defend the Ul'ath'Tallar, all Yath'Tallar, Yathrin and Yath'abban (Trial Appropriate, but never during Trial) with all of your skill, all of your fury, and all of your might.

2. Every grain from every stone that makes up the temple is worth your life. Defend its grounds and walls and innards with devoted tenacity, vanquish all who would defile Lloth's house.


Yath'Saruk are the champions of the Church and are expected to be peerless in their art. These warriors receive direct orders from Yath'Tallar, Yathrin and Ilharessen only. When separate orders conflict between the Yath, then the Yath'Saruk is to follow the highest Ranking Yath's order. If the orders between two Yath'Tallar conflict, he is to use sound judgement for the benefit of the Defense of the Church. As an Unholy Knight of Lloth, he is due marginal respect from even the Highest ranking Church members. Though they don't have to go out of their way to do so (if at all). Yath'Saruk have Authority over the Temple Grounds, and regarding affairs concerned with the Sanctity and defense of its setting. This position is similiar to a House Weaponmaster, but he does not train Sargtlin, nor does he hold dominion over other Yath'Saruk. They are useful tools in the case of Inquisition or Apprehension of potential heretics for the Church.

Requirements:

There may only be 3 Yath'Saruk at any given time.
Tested and Comissioned by All Yath'Tallar, including "A Test of Intergrity".
Fighter/Melee Build only
Must have 23 Character Levels





****************************************************************************************************






Yath'Sargtlin




The Temple Guardians are Drow warriors assigned to protect the confines and grounds of the House Temple. Aside from Qu'el'Saruk, this is the highest station achievable by males in the domain of Sargtlin. The actual area of authority is strictly limited to the Temple grounds and immediate areas surrounding it. These boundaries are determined by the Yath'Tallar of the Qu'ellar. The Yath'Tallar of a Qu'ellar is also the direct superior to the Yath'Sargtlin and no other Master or member of the House may command him while on duty (the exception exists when the Yath'Tallar is not available, or is dead). When the Yath'Sargtlin leaves his post or is relieved, he is then considered a Sargtlin only.

Faern

A highly prestigious position for any male to achieve, the wizards are
often considered amongst the most privileged males in the House as they
are exempt from almost all the menial labour. They are in charge of maintaining
the wards protecting the House and its members, under the careful
supervision of the First Wizard. They also serve as the enchanters and
crafters of the House Masters and the Matron. A male in this position
can be quite calm in the presence of all but the Yathrin,
Yath'Tallar and Ilharess. They should do well not to purposely provoke
the wrath of any female regardless of her station, if they wish to
retain their privileges.


Advancement:
- All arcane casters must meet the demands of the House Wizard to be named a Wizard of the House.
-Can be any spell casting type, except Divine

Velg'larn




The assassins of the house serve under direct orders of the Qu'el'Velguk and the Matron Mother.
They are required to execute any mission that these two before mentioned see fit. A highly
prestigious position in its own right, the assassin is commissioned with some of the most dangerous
missions imaginable. Flexibility and anonymity are key elements into the house assassins
survival and ascension.

Requirements:

- Any Class (Rogue Classes are strongly suggested)

Fahliell




A gift or curse amongst the drow? Not many can decide how to
deal with the likes of your power and where you draw it from. The
wisest Warlocks claim that they draw it from the power of Lolth's divine
essence.

However the power of a warlock is done by evoking powerful magic
granted through pact with a demon. Which demon it is will be a subject
of debate if you are not careful.The font of dark magic burning in
their souls makes them resistant to many forms of attack and arms them
with dangerous power. Warlocks learn to harness their power to perform a
small number of specific attacks and tricks called invocations.

Warlocks make up for their lack of versatility by being tougher and more
resilient than sorcerers or wizards. By harnessing his innate magical
gift through fearsome determination and willpower, a Warlock can perform
feats of supernatural stealth, beguile the weak-minded, or scour his
foes with blasts of Eldritch power. However, if you are approached and
join a House assume that gaining true respect from the Yath will be a
never ending battle and often lead to internal issues. Who should
deserve the Dark Queen's power? A Warlock or Yathrin? Choosing the
most diplomatic words can keep your life long.

Requirements:

-Warlock Class

Sargtlin





The Warriors of the House are used as guards and escorts of key
members of the House when they are outside the House. The bulk of
warriors are usually made up of untrained male drow pulled into service
when needed. It is considered embarrassing for a female to end up in
this position but it is not unheard of. The few militarily schooled drow
are a highly priced commodity in a House and these will often make up
the private escort of the House Masters, if not the Matron herself.
Despite this it is considered one of the lowest stations attainable.
However while they act as Guards for a House Master they can speak with
his or hers authority to halt any would be incursions of lower stationed
members than the House Master they serve. This also means that if
ordered to guard the Matrons chamber, the guards have the authority to
deny the High Priestess of the House access. Of course a warrior should
remember the station of the one he declines, as such privileges are
limited by time; when they are dismissed from guard duty a scorned high
ranking member might exact a gruesome revenge if not treated with
respect.


Requirement:
- None. But prowess separates prized guards from the cannon fodder
Advancement:

- A member of the House must meet the demands of the House Weapon Master to be named a Warrior of the House.

Daharil



The daughters of the Matron mother are generally the heir apparents of her station.
Typically the daughters are of the Yath, either aspiring or current and hold significant
sway over other members of the family (especially if they are in line take the throne).
They are all ranked from oldest (or first born/adopted) to youngest, with the elder
daughters grooming the younger in the ways of house tradition and theocracy of Lloth.

Requirement:

-Female
-Adopted or naturally born of the Matron Mother

Dalinuk



The sons of the Ilharess are merely males that have been born from her.
They serve little more purpose than typical males within the house, yet may
gain an edge in ascending to a position of power if they are ever ambitious
and talented enough.


Requirements:

-Be born of the Ilharess naturally

Rothe/Slaves/Servants






The Slaves of a Lolthite House are poorly treated. In fact most are abused
to such an extent a healthy young human being, will last no longer than 5
– 10 years. Slaves perform all menial work in the House, from cleaning
and scrubbing the floors to working in the quarry. They never perform
skilled work such as painting, decorating, or sculpting. In battle they
are sent in first regardless of their abilities, used only with the
intent to wear down the enemy’s forces before the true warriors. Slaves
are degraded, humiliated, abused, and all in all live a most horrible
existence. Do not expect to be acknowledged for anything good or even
spoken to by any high ranking House members. Slaves mainly consist of
non-drow, or the occasional disobedient drow who has angered the Matron.
Be advised, if you do chose to play a slave you will never leave the
Work Force unless you are a drow and in this case only on very rare
occasions.

Requirement:

Race: Any race

- Sufficiently broken and submissive. Unruly slaves are killed, not endured.

Advancement:
You do not advance to a slave; you are claimed/captured/purchased by a
member of the House. Be that an initiate or the Matron, you’re still
considered filth at the very best. If anyone wishes to become a slave
contact either the Matron or one of the House Masters OOCly and we will
arrange your capture.