SRD - Races

BLOOD OF MORUEME

The Blood of Morueme is a group made up of the dragon and draconic hobgoblin descendants of the legendary blue dragon Morueme, who ruled what is now the Silver Marches during the Time of Dragons.

For generations, the Morueme clan has occupied the extensive limestone caverns beneath Dragondoom Mountain, which lies amid the easternmost peaks of the Nether Mountains overlooking the sands of Anauroch. Draconic hobgoblins guard this territory for the blue dragons, also serving as their eyes and ears in the larger world, scouring long-forgotten ruins for treasures and magic.

In the Year of the Dracorage (1018 DR), Kizilpazar (also known as Kizzap) took control of the Morueme clan when he was forced to slay his sire, Moruharzel, who had succumbed to madness. In the decades that followed, Kizilpazar and his mate, Idrizraele, had two male offspring - Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim. (Their daughters, including the late mother of Krashos Morueme, were driven off once they reached maturity).

In the Year of Crimson Magics (1026 DR), Kizilpazar recruited a tribe of hobgoblin mercenaries known as the Red Flayers from the southern High Moor region to guard him and his kin. The hobgoblins built the castle of Doomspire beneath the mouthlike main entrance to the Morueme lair and settled in for generations of servitude. Each dragon cultivated an elite group of hobgoblins as servants, and the tribe collectively defended the dragon clan from the battlements of Doomspire.

As Kizzap's sons matured, they began to chafe at their father's rule, seeing danger in the clan's disengagement from the outside world and reliance on the Red Flayers for security. Secretly, the two brothers began selecting the most promising hobgoblin females as breeding stock. Over decades of careful experimentation, the brothers generated several dozen half-blue dragon hobgoblins. These Blood of Morueme, as their sires came to call them, were sent out into the world to acquire spells and magic weapons, beyond the watchful eyes of their grandsire. When they returned, their sires rewarded them with a harem of hobgoblin mates with whom they begat their own draconic offspring.

In the Year of the Unstrung Harp (1371 DR), Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim struck without warning, using weapons recovered by the Blood of Morueme to commit patricide and drive their mother out of the lair. Soon after, Idrizraele perished in a rash assault on the tower of the Lady's Hand, possibly tempted by the vast store of Netherese magic said to lie beneath Ladypeak. Despite the rift between them, the brothers were surprised by their mother's death, and they knew that they would have to punish Loviatar's monastic followers in order to make sure that no one else would dare lift a hand against a blue dragon in the Nether Mountains. Reacting swiftly, they sent the Red Flayers to attack the monastery, which fluttered grievous losses but still ultimately managed to defeat the hobgoblins and force their retreat.

In the wake of this defeat, relations between the Moruetne clan and the Red Players began to fray. Each generation of younger hobgoblins had always rebelled against servitude to the Morueme clan, but Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim, focused primarily on acquiring mates and nurturing the dragon-descended Blood of Morueme, allowed relations to deteriorate far more than their father ever would have tolerated.

When Sammaster unleashed the Rage of Dragons in 1373 DR, the four adult dragons (Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim, along with their mates, Eshaedra and Faenphaele, respectively) burst forth from the caverns of Daggerdoom to unleash their fury. They ranged the length and breadth of the Nether Mountains, hunting the orcs of the Thousand Fists tribe and literally digging them out of their cavern homes. Back at Dragondoom Mountain, the rage slowly infected the Blood of Morueme as well. Led by Arharzel (the wyrmling son of Roraurim and Faenphaele), the draconic hobgoblins poured forth from the caverns of Dragondoom to assault their pureblooded kinfolk on the slopes below. Doomspire fell within a day, but at the cost of Arharzel's life.

Once the rage had ebbed, the two brothers and their mates returned home to sec their greatest fears realized. By abandoning the clan's traditional engagement with the rest of Faerûn, Kizilpazar had left his descendants subject to the whim of forces they could not control. With grim purpose, Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim slaughtered the few surviving male hobgoblins and rounded up the surviving females to serve as breeding stock for the Blood of Morueme.

In the year since Sammaster's Rage, the Blood of Morueme has been installed in Doomspire, serving the role once played by the Red Flayers as penance for their role in the death of Arharzel. Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim have begun selecting the most promising dragonblood hobgoblins, training them to survive in the world at large and sending them forth to seek their fortune. The most promising of the Blood of Morueme are now making their fortunes as adventurers across the North, seeking the long-lost lore of Ammarindar, Delzoun, Eaerlann, and Netheril.

The Blood of Morueme have a long-standing hatred for orcs and ogres, dating back centuries to the death of a long-dead Morueme patriarch who died battling a burgeoning orc horde. This animosity regularly bursts forth into open conflict with the Thousand Fists tribe, the tribe based nearest to Dragondoom Mountain. In recent years, formerly tense relations with the followers of Loviatar at the Lady's Hand have devolved into open hatred, and representatives of the two groups now battle on sight.

In recent centuries, the Morueme clan has stood apart from all other races, relying only on the Red Flayer tribe for external relations. After the Rage of Dragons, the blue dragon clan became even more isolated, allying itself only with kinfolk.

However, Nahaunglaroth and Roraurim recognize the weakness of this position and now seek to build alliances much as their grandfather did in his day as head of the clan. As such, they have dispatched the half-blue dragon hobgoblin Lothouryte Morueme to Silverymoon, to serve as emissary to the allied peoples of the Silver Marches. Lothouryte has met with the High Lady and proposed a nonaggression pact that would allow the Blood of Morueme to move unhindered through the cities and wilderness regions of Luruar. In addition, Lothouryte seeks a position among the Masters of Music of Utrumm's Music Conservatory, where she hopes to rekindle the study of dragonsong.

Though the term Blood of Morueme originally referred only to the draconic hobgoblin descendants, the term is now used interchangeably, including both the original dragon clan and their hobgoblin progeny.

DRACONIC HOBGOBLIN RACIAL TRAITS

+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Charisma.
Humanoid (dragonblood, goblinoid).
Medium size.
Base land speed 30 feet.
Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d3).
+4 racial bonus on saves against magical sleep effects and paralysis.
+4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
+2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Spot checks.
+1 natural armor bonus.
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic, Goblin. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Infernal, Giant, Orc.
Favored Class: Fighter.
Level Adjustment: +2.

HALF-BLUE DRAGON HOBGOBLIN RACIAL TRAITS

+8 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
Dragon (goblinoid).
Medium size.
Base land speed 30 feet.
Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d6).
Breath Weapon (1/day, 60-foot line of lightning, 6d8 damage, Reflex save [DC 10 + 1/2 half-dragon's HD + half-dragon's Con modifier] half).
Immunity to electricity, sleep effects, and paralysis.
+4 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
+4 natural armor bonus.
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic, Goblin. Bonus Languages: Dwarven, Infernal, Giant, Orc.
Favored Class: Fighter.
Level Adjustment: +4.

HOUSE OROGOTH

The ruins of Orogoth have long been considered one of the most dangerous in the eastern High Moor. Few realize that the scions of an ancient Netherese clan who mixed their blood with dragons still dwell within the ruins of this sprawling abode. During the Silver Age of Netheril, elder wizards of House Orogoth transformed themselves into powerful wyrms, and their descendants learned to enslave such dragons to serve their bidding.

The modern history of House Orogoth began in the Year of Moor Birds (90 DR). A band of yuan-ti from Ss'thar'tiss'ssun explored the ruins of Orogoth and recovered a host of Netherese artifacts for use against the burgeoning empire of Ebenfar. During their explorations, the yuan-ti inadvertently triggered an ancient ward that apparently summoned a black wyrm named Calathanorgoth to the ruins. "The Old One," as the yuan-ti called him, claimed to be the last scion of House Orogoth and drove the serpent-men from his ancestral home.

In the months that followed, the armies of Ebenfar proved victorious, causing the Kingdom of Snakes to collapse and forcing the yuan-ti and the ophidians of Ss'thar'tiss'ssun to retreat into the Serpent Hills. This gave Calathanorgoth sufficient time to consolidate his hold over the ruins of Orogoth and enslave several tribes of ophidians to serve his will.

In the Year of Fallen Guards (111 DR), the fall of Anauria to an orc horde displaced many students of the Netherese arcane tradition. Calathanorgoth took advantage of this defeat to rebuild the ranks of House Orogoth's human spellcasters. In return for their loyalty, the Old One offered them sanctuary and the chance to learn lost Netherese magic.

In the centuries that followed, Calathanorgoth fathered both full-blooded and half-blooded offspring. Unlike other black dragons, who usually kill their young or forcibly drive them off, the Old One allowed his descendants to establish their own territories on the grounds of the ruined villa. Calathanorgoth's first two children were female dragons, who left soon after producing the Old One's first grandchildren, Zilanthar and Saquathos.

As the draconic ranks of House Orogoth continued to grow, the human descendants of Netherese wizards recruited by Calathanorgoth focused their efforts on finding and recovering lost Netherese artifacts and historical information, as well as punishing non-Netherese who sought to plunder or despoil the ruins of Low Netheril. During this period, House Orogoth forged strong ties with several Halruaan wizards who had similar aims and ambitions.

In the Year of the Dracorage (1018 DR), long-simmering tensions between Calathanorgoth and his descendants erupted into open battle. The Old One was gravely wounded in the fight, but managed to destroy all the rebellious dragons and the descendants of the Netherese wizards who allied with them. Of his full-blooded dragon descendants, the oldest surviving black dragon was Zilanthar's son, Wastirek.

In the wake of this great fratricidal battle, Calathanorgoth began to explore magical means of achieving immortality. After years of forcibly expelling emissaries from the Cult of the Dragon, the Old One became open to hearing their proposals. In the Year of the Immortals (1037 DR), Calathanorgoth transformed himself into a dracolich with the aid of the Cult, who hoped to subsume the magical might of House Orogoth. However, Calathanorgoth had prepared for their treachery and promptly expelled them from his domain with the aid of his wizards.

In the years that followed, agents of the Dragon Cult and small bands of yuan-ti sporadically attempted to plunder the ruins of Orogoth, but the Old One's followers drove them off each time. Over time, these efforts led to a nigh-perpetual state of war between the inhabitants of Orogoth and the serpentfolk of Najara in the neighboring Serpent Hills, but neither group is powerful enough to risk a full-scale assault on the other's holdings.

In the Year of Rogue Dragons (1373 DR), the insidious madness of the Dracorage affected the scions of the Old One much as they did dragons elsewhere in the Realms. As Calathanorgoth was immune to its effects, he retained the self-awareness to recognize what was happening to his descendants and to keep them from killing each other in an orgy of destruction as their kin had done nearly four centuries before. As had long been planned, Calathaqorgoth dispatched his living offspring to the Serpent Hills, where a King-Killer shield protected the large resident dragon population.

In the wake of the Rage of Dragons, Calathanorgoth's true dragon descendants - his great-grandson Wastirek, Wastirek's mate Vilholin, and most of their children - are strongly considering the advantages of undeath themselves, though they hope to improve on the process before becoming dracoliches themselves. As such, they have turned inward, retreating into the catacombs beneath the ruined villa and focusing on arcane research under the guidance of Calathanorgoth, while dispatching increasing numbers of their human and ophidian servitors into the world to acquire new lore to aid their studies.

As a result, daily draconic oversight of the small human and ophidian settlements among the ruins has sharply declined in recent months, giving their inhabitants more freedom than they have had in years. However, this has also increased their exposure to raids by the serpentfolk of neighboring Najara, who have made a renewed push to test Orogoth's defenses.

In addition to mounting regular incursions into the ruins of Orogoth and attempting to forge alliances with the human barbarian tribes of the eastern High Moor, the serpentfolk of Najara have inserted several pureblooded yuan-ti saboteurs into the ranks of House Orogoth's human wizards in an attempt to create tainted one spies. In response, the Old One developed a potion called taint removal that all applicants must drink before joining House Orogoth's human wizard ranks. Additionally, his followers have begun bolstering and encouraging the efforts of nearby communities to attack the serpentfolk.

Relations between House Orogoth and the Cult of the Dragon have been hostile ever since Calathanorgoth's transformation into a dracolich. In the wake Sammaster's Rage, the new leaders of the Cult of the Dragon had hopes of rebuilding ties with House Orogoth, but once again they were rebuffed. Now the two groups are skirmishing over control of the portal network linked to the Dungeon of Swords, which was rediscovered by the Dragon Cult in the Year of the Unstrung Harp (1371 DR) but has since become a strategic objective of House Orogoth.

The return of Thultanthar to the Realms is a major source of concern to the Old One and his followers. The Shadovar have sent several emissaries to the leaders of House Orogoth, including Hadrhune, and House Orogoth has responded in kind, but so far both sides appear to be simply weighing each other's strengths and weaknesses.

Calathanorgoth's arrogance and aloofness, coupled with the centuries-long decline of recognizable enclaves of Netherese culture, has left House Orogoth largely alone, estranged even from its old allies in Halruaa far to the south.

In the past, groups that dealt with House Orogoth often complained of its haughty negotiating tactics. However, the growing power of the serpentfolk of Najara has forced human inhabitants of the surrounding region to avail themselves of House Orogoth's assistance, such as it is. Wizards in the employ of the Old One have begun offering taint antidotes and magical support to nearby communities such as Serpent's Cowl and Soubar and to the barbarian tribes of the High Moor. In return, House Orogoth has been given permission to search for Netherese artifacts in ruins in those territories. Recent discoveries have focused on untangling the web of portals linked to the Dungeon of the Sword.

With their newfound freedom, the leading wizards of House Orogoth have begun rebuilding ties to Halruaa once again, although they have carefully avoided contacting Halruaan elders with interest in the Shadow Weave. In the past, young Halruaans were sometinies sent to House Orogoth for training and battle experience, and they hope to resume that practice again.

While his human followers work with other human groups, the Old One and his kin have been attempting to enlist the aid of other dragons against the yuan-ti. Of the Old One's true dragon descendants, only Kasidikal has evinced no interest in becoming a dracolich. Instead, she has begun recruiting allies among the other dragons of the Serpent Hills to fight together against serpentfolk. So far the red dragons Landillew and Troberdene have agreed to ally with House Orogoth, but most of the metallic dragons living in the Serpent Hills have kept their distance. The old bronze female dragon Thyka has offered to help, but is first trying to figure out Kasidikal's motives.

In recent years, the number of half-black dragon humans in the ranks of House Orogoth has grown significantly. Most are direct descendants of the Old One, but some are wizards who have transformed themselves into half-dragons by taking the path of a dragon disciple. In time, they can in turn give birth to a new generation of draconic humans, but for now House Orogoth only has half-dragons in its ranks.

HALF-BLACK DRAGON HUMAN RACIAL TRAITS

+8 Strength, +4 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, +2 Charisma.
Dragon (human).
Medium size.
Base land speed 30 feet.
Darkvision 60 feet and low-light vision.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d6).
Breath Weapon (1/day, 60-foot line of acid, 6d8 damage, Reflex save [DC 10 + 1/2 half-dragon's HD + half-dragon's Con modifier] half).
Immunity to acid, sleep effects, and paralysis.
+4 natural armor bonus
1 extra feat at 1st level.
4 extra skill points at 1st level and 1 extra skill point at each additional level.
Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic, Netherese. Bonus Languages: Infernal, Yuan-ti.
Favored Class: Wizard.
Level Adjustment: +3.

JAEZRED CHAULSSIN

The Jaezred Chaulssin are a secretive, hidden order of assassins who claim descent from the ruling House of the ancient city of Chaulssin and the shadow dragons who once enslaved the City of Wyrmshadows. After years of exile on the Plane of Shadow, the surviving lords of Chaulssin, reduced to a mere handful of dragon-blooded sorcerers and assassins, have returned to the city of their forefathers and founded minor Houses and secret guilds of assassins in other drow cities.

Members of the Jaezred Chaulssin believe that in order to "save" the dark elves from the madness and tyranny of Lolth, drow society must be shattered. If cities fall and thousands of drow die, then it must be borne, since misery and disaster will turn the drow away from Lolth and to other drow deities. They are willing to risk centuries of weakness, enslavement, and untold suffering for the drow in order to root out Lolth's power over the race and raise the Jaezred Chaulssin as the secret masters of a drow society shaped to their liking.

The Jaezred Chaulssin is ruled by an eight-member patriarchal ruling council, composed of eight senior drow-dragons. The founder of the Jaezred Chaulssin and leader of the ruling council is Patron Grandfather Mauzzkyl Jaezred. He is joined by seven other Patron Fathers, each of whom commands a minor house in a Lolth-ruled city that serves as fosterage for the order.

The Patron Fathers are served by the Velves (Blades), made up of zekylyn, zar'ithra'rin , and a handful of other races. The Velves are organized in a strict hierarchy that requires a Velve to defeat a higher-ranking rival to advance. The seniormost Velve holds the rank of Orthae'Velve (Anointed Blade). There are three Ust'Velves (First Blades), five Draat'Velves (Second Blades), and so on.

Nearly ten miles beneath the northern tip of the Rauvin Mountains lie the shadowy remnants of the ancient drow city of Chaulssin. The remote location and little known history of the City of Wyrmshadows make it largely unknown to most Underdark dwellers, let alone inhabitants of the Realms Above, but a secret brotherhood of master assassins (the Jaezred Chaulssin) uses the place as its hidden stronghold for launching strikes on followers of the Spider Queen.

Centuries after its fall, the City of Wyrmshadows is but a faint shadow of its former self. Large sections of the city stand empty, patrolled intermittently by tribes of dark bears or claimed by small bands of shadar-kai.

Most of the zekylyn (plural of zekyl) live alone, claiming perches in the shadowy upper reaches of the city's great galleries when they are not training under the watchful eyes of the Patron Fathers. The zar'ithra'rin (plural of zar'ithra, includes all females not selected for the ilharen'quarthen and all males) claim the city's lesser tunnels for their own, hunting interlopers from the Plane of Shadow and the surrounding Underdark in wolfpacks, each dominated by the strongest male and organized in a strict pecking order.

The ilharen'quarthen (female concubines of the Patrons Fathers of the Jaezred Chaulssin) dwell in the heart of the City of Wyrmshadows, in lavish apartments surrounding the great lair of Patron Grandfather Mauzzkyl. The other Patron Fathers visit their concubines in Chaulssin regularly, for each can afford to keep only a handful of female zar'ithra'rin with them in their respective cities.

The City of Wyrmshadows acquired its name in the Year of Shambling Shadows (-221 DR), when the shadow dragons of Clan Jaezred conquered the drow city of Chaulssin and enslaved the populace. In the centuries that followed, the dragons slowly eradicated the drow population, twisting them into creatures of shadow and supplanting them with their own wyrm-spawned offspring, all the while drawing the city further and further into the Plane of Shadow.

In the Year of the Darkspawn (634 DR), the shadow dragons of Clan Jaezred were overthrown by their own half-drow/half-shadow dragon progeny, known as the zekylen, who had mastered powerful planar magic in secret while purporting to serve their masters. Haerinvureem, a great shadow wyrm better known as "Shimmergloom," escaped the carnage through the Shadow Plane, but the rest of his clan were slain and reanimated as spectral creatures. (Shimmergloom was later slain by Bruenor Battlehammer, King of Mithral Hall, and the Companions of the Hall.)

In the century that followed, the newly emancipated scions of Clan Jaezred began to rebuild their city using wealth plundered from their forefathers' hoards. During this period, drow missionaries from Ched Nasad, Jhachalkhyn, and Menzoberranzan arrived to preach the word of Lolth to the Chaulssinyr but were repeatedly rebuffed by the ruling patriarchy.

In the Year of Visions (734 DR), Vhaeraun appeared to Chaulssin's leaders in a shared dream and revealed to them that the Spider Queen had decided to punish them for their defiance. In accordance with Lolth's will, the ruling council of Menzoberranzan had dispatched a massive army to conquer the City of Wyrmshadows. After hurried debate, Chaulssin's patriarchs chose to withdraw rather than make a suicidal stand. Drawing on their studies of planar lore, the Chaulssinyr opened portals throughout the city to the Plane of Shadow through which to flee.

Menzoberranzan's army arrived a few days later to find an abandoned city wrapped in the coils of the Shadow Fringe. After suffering grievous losses to monsters from the Plane of Shadow with little to show for their expedition, the Menzoberranzyr claimed victory and retreated, accrediting the flight of the Chaulssinyr to the might of the Spider Queen.

On the Plane of Shadow, the Chaulssinyr encountered all manner of dangerous creatures, but, at least initially, no hostile armies intent on their destruction. After a forced march through miles of shadowy caverns, they reached the abandoned lairs of their draconic ancestors and claimed them for their own. The Shadow City of Chaul'mur'ssin struggled for many years before the Chaulssinyr established a real foothold on the Plane of Shadow, and in so doing its populace gave up a large measure of its extraplanar Prime nature. (In other words, a significant fraction of the populace acquired the shadow creature template.) Once the Chaulssinyr population stabilized, the city began to thrive and the inhabitants became a threat to other planar interlopers, including the scions of Clan Malaug and, to a lesser extent, the Shadovar of Thultanthar.

In the Year of the Crimson Thorn (792 DR), the priesthood of Vhaeraun revealed that the ranks of the Chaulssinyr leadership had been heavily infiltrated by the malaugrym. After a day of bloody battles, the shapeshifters were unmasked and put to sword, but only at the cost of many lives and the collapse of the city's patriarchy. In response, the Church of Vhaeraun assumed power and founded House Jaezred, an elite brotherhood of assassins trained to ferret out and kill shapeshifting interlopers.

In the years that followed, the conflict between the Chaulssinyr and Clan Malaug waxed and waned, with neither gaining permanent advantage. Over time, however, by carefully studying their foes and stealing what secrets they could, the zekylen learned to split their dual natures into two alternate forms, one drow and the other draconic, creating the first drow-dragons. With this new power at their disposal, the Chaulsinnyr were finally able to hold their own against the malaugrym and other shadowy threats as well.

Responsibility for stealing Clan Malaug's secrets fell to House Jaezred, and their successes thrust the patron fathers of the brotherhood into a position of increasing respect and leadership among the Chaulssinyr that threatened to eclipse the authority of the ruling Vhaerunite priesthood. To avoid civil strife and to fulfill the Chaulssinyr's debt to the Masked Lord, the patriarchs of House Jaezred agreed to return to Faerûn, where they would work to undermine the rule of the Spider Queen. In so doing, they reduced the chance of fratricidal warfare with the Church of Vhaerun and gave hope to the long-nurtured dream of the Chaulssinyr of returning to the Material Plane. However, they also began to distance themselves from the Masked Lord and his followers.

In the Year of the Shadowkin Return (1136 DR), House Jaezred returned to the City of Wyrmshadows and established the House of Hidden Masters in the heart of ruined Chaulssin. Enmeshed in the Shadow Fringe, the abandoned city was a perfect base for the leadership of the Jaezred Chaulssin, as they took to calling themselves, but it was too dangerous a locale in which to raise the next generation of assassins. The patron fathers of the Jaezred Chaulssin agreed to establish fosterages in the guise of minor noble houses in seven drow cities ruled by the Spider Queen's followers: Ched Nasad, Eryndlyn, Karsoluthiyl, Jhachalkhyn, Maerimydra, Menzoberranzan, and Sschindylryn. Of the seven, only Menzoberranzan proved resistant to infiltration, so the more distant city of Dusklyngh was chosen instead as the site of the seventh fosterage. In addition, a half dozen or so additional smaller fosterages were established in Underdark settlements in which Lolth's followers were a minor power but drow could walk openly, such as Skullport and Sshamath.

Word of House Jaezred's return to the Material Plane reached Clan Malaug during the Harpstar Wars (1182 to 1222 DR), thanks to the chance capture of a Harper spy who had previously explored the City of Wyrmshadows, but the losses of the malaugrym during that conflict prevented them from attacking their long-standing foes while the Chaulssinyr were divided. By the Year of the Lost Lady (1241 DR), Clan Malaug had regrouped enough to mount a daring raid on Chaulssin's ilharim (harem) and managed to kidnap a pregnant zar'ithra'rin of the Patron Grandfather's ilhar'quarthen for further study. The Jaezred Chaulssin managed to track down and kill the interlopers before they returned to Castle Malaug, but the zar'ithra'rin vanished in the fighting. The Patron Fathers only discovered the fate of Mauzzkyl's missing offspring in the Year of Shadows (1358 DR), when word reached their ears of a female "drow-dragon" named Nurvureem luring male adventurers to the ruins of Rundeth Manor north of Amphail. For now the Jaezred Chaulssin are content to observe the errant drow-dragon, the only one of her gender not slain at birth, watching to see if she becomes a threat and waiting to see who else might be interested in her origins.

In the Year of Wild Magic (1372 DR), Lolth's Silence undermined the rule of her priesthood in cities throughout the Underdark. After years of plotting, the Jaezred Chaulssin saw their opportunity and struck several Lolth-ruled cities at once. Stonefire bombs burned the calcified webs of Ched Nasad, destroying the city and leaving the ruins to the rule of the Jaezred Chaulssin. In Eryndlyn, Jaezred Chaulssin provocateurs incited the followers of Ghaunadaur and Vhaeraun to work in concert against the church of Lolth, quickly decimating the ranks of the Spider Queen's followers.

Smaller strikes in Dusklyngh, Jhachalkhyn, and Karsoluthiyl weakened the hold of the ruling Matron Mothers, allowing male-dominated merchant houses to gain in influence. The plots of the Jaezred Chaulssin backfired in Maerimydra, as Kiaransalee's followers claimed the city for their own, and failed in Menzoberranzan when an invasion by the duergar armies of Gracklstugh and the tanarukk hordes of Khaanyr Vhok's Sceptered Legion faltered upon the Spider Queen's return.

Since the end of Lolth's Silence, the Patron Fathers have moved to cement their control of the ruins of Ched Nasad and their position of influence amongst the factions of Eryndlyn. Coins have streamed into the coffers of the Jaezred Chaulssin from merchant houses under their control in Dusklyngh, Karsoluthiyl, and Jhachalkhyn, and the Patron Fathers have begun to plot the next step in their efforts to free the drow race from Lolth's all-encompassing web.

ZAR'ITHRA (SHADOW DRACONIC DROW) RACIAL TRAITS

+2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, +4 Charisma.
Humanoid (dragonblood, elf, extraplanar).
Medium: As Medium creatures, shadow draconic drow have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
A shadow draconic drow's base land speed is 45 feet.
Darkvision out to 120 feet and low-light vision.
Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
Immunity to sleep effects.
+2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
+4 racial saving throw bonus against paralysis.
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
Resistance to cold equal to 5 + 1 per Hit Die, to a maximum of 15.
Shadow Blend (Su): In any conditions other than full daylight, a shadow draconic drow can disappear into the shadows, giving it total concealment. Artificial illumination, even a light or continual flame spell, does not negate this ability, but a daylight spell will.
Shadow draconic drow gain one of the following for every 4 Hit Dice they possess (minimum of one additional ability) chosen from the following list:
- +2 luck bonus on saving throws.
- Cause Fear (Sp): 1/day. Caster level 5th. The save DC is Charisma-based.
- Damage reduction 5/ magic.
- Evasion, as the rogue class feature.
- Fast healing 2.
- Mirror Image (Sp): 1/day. Caster level 5th.
- Plane Shift (Sp): 1/day, to or from the Plane of Shadow only. Caster level 15th.
+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A shadow draconic drow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if he were actively looking for the door.
+2 racial bonus on Intimidate and Spot checks.
+6 racial bonus on Move Silently checks.
+1 natural armor bonus.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d3).
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin, Kuo-toan.
Favored Class: Sorcerer.
Level Adjustment: +5.

ZEKYL (HALF-SHADOW DRAGON DROW) RACIAL TRAITS

+8 Strength, +2 Dexterity, +4 Intelligence, +4 Charisma.
Dragon (elf).
Medium: As Medium creatures, half-shadow dragon drow have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
A half-shadow dragon drow's base land speed is 30 feet. It has a fly speed of 60 feet (average). An unusual feature of the half-shadow dragon Chaulssinyr drow bloodline is that wings manifest in half-dragons of Medium size or larger, instead of Large size or larger. Chaulssinyr half-shadow dragons can fly at twice their base land speed with average maneuverability.
Darkvision out to 120 feet and low-light vision.
Spell resistance equal to 11 + class levels.
+2 racial bonus on Will saves against spells and spell-like abilities.
Immunity to energy drain, sleep effects, and paralysis.
+2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells or effects.
Breath Weapon (1/day, 30-foot cone of shadows, bestows 1 negative level, Reflex save [DC 10 + 1/2 half-dragon's HD + half-dragon's Con modifier] avoids negative level).
Light Blindness: Abrupt exposure to bright light (such as sunlight or daylight spell) blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.
+2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A half-shadow dragon drow who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if he were actively looking for the door.
+4 natural armor bonus.
Natural Weapons: 2 claws (1d4), bite (1d6).
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, Undercommon. Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, Goblin, Kuo-toan.
Favored Class: Rogue.
Level Adjustment: +5.