This setting and more found at
Top_Alts.
Deep in the underdark lies the drow city of Eryneth, a dark city where cutthroats and thieves could thrive assuming they could survive among the devious drow elves. I created this setting with the mindset that other players could join in by creating their own household and running it through the secret wars and intrigue of a drow city as they try to sit on the council of the spider.
How house combat works. Houses will battle each other using d100 rolls for every 50 soldiers they have (per 100 soldiers for houses bringing more than 1,000 soldiers to battle.) Regular infantry win the encounter on a roll of 75+, elite infantry win at 60+, cavalry at 50+ and slaves at 90+. A loss results in the loss of 1/5 of the battling soldiers. If both armies roll winning rolls, both armies lose troops. An army will surrender when it has reached 1/4th of it's starting strength. Sons taking part in the battle will +10 to a unit's roll as they are more highly trained than average soldiers and their presence is likely to inspire stronger fighting. Daughters that show up on the field will add +20, their unit will be counted as elite soldiers and they will fight to the last man for their priestess. When a house has been beaten in combat the winning house takes the remaining fighting force as their own and is allowed to do as they wish with the surviving family members. Typical choices include sacrifices to Lolth, adopting the family members into your home or, most commonly, executing them.
Reinforcements can be gained through alliances. Just how many reinforcements a house will lend will be decided through what that house gains and how well your house plays out the interaction when bargaining in scene. Troops borrowed will leave the field after sustaining half casualties.
If you would like to create a house of your own. You may roll 1d3 daughters and 1d4 sons. I typically pick my house names and other notable characters from
this website. House forces will be discussed before scene begins.
The Council of the Spider. These eight houses rule the city and live in the best part of the city. They have better access to resources, stronger built and larger houses and larger, better equipped armies.
1.
House_Helvirahel
Lead by Maeryn Helvirahel
Daughters: 8
Sons: 3
Soldiers: 5,000
Slaves: 3,000
Elite Soldiers: 1,000
Cavalry: 500
Drider: 50
Known Alliances: Torund, Rilynt'tar and Aleanett
Known Enemies: Do'ep, Zaurae, Kenval
2.
House Do'ep
Daughters: 10
Sons: 7
Soldiers: 1,000
Slaves: 4,000
Elite Soldiers: 600
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: Zaurae, Kenval
3.
House Torund
Daughters: 5
Sons: 6
Soldiers: 1,500
Slaves: 2,000
Elite Soldiers: 400
Cavalry: 700
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: Helvirahel, Rilynt'tar, Zaurae
4.
House Rilynt'tar
Daughters: 12
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 3,000
Slaves: 3,000
Elite Soldiers: 500
Cavalry: 500
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Helvirahel, Torund, Kenval
5.
House Zaurae
Daughters: 12
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 2,000
Slaves: 3,000
Elite Soldiers: 500
Cavalry: 500
Drider: 5
Known Alliances: Do'ep, Torund and Aleanett
6.
House Kenval
Daughters: 9
Sons: 5
Soldiers: 1,500
Slaves: 5000
Elite Soldiers: 800
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: Do'ep, Rilynt'tar
7.
House Aleanett
Daughters: 10
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 2,000
Slaves: 4,000
Elite Soldiers: 300
Cavalry: 300
Drider: 15
Known Alliances: Helvirahel, Zaurae
8.
House Cladd'ghym
Daughters: 4
Sons: 15
Soldiers: 3,000
Slaves: 2,000
Elite Soldiers: 100
Cavalry: 300
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Helvirahel, Do'ep, Zaurae
The next tier of the city acts as a buffer between the royal houses and the lower houses. These 12 houses are among the most chaotic seats in the city with houses fighting over their spots regularly. Any houses that hold any stability in this section of the city are likely backed by a royal house and have access to better gear and armies to help them hold their places.
9.
House Rilyn'undar
Daughters: 6
Sons: 5
Soldiers: 750
Slaves: 1000
Elite Soldiers:300
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Do'ep
10.
House Noqu'ari
Amalafae's recent dealings with the daughters of House Helvirahel have gotten her a house in the upper reaches of the city. After a small battle, the surviving offspring of House Freurden have sworn themselves to Amalafae Noqu'ari and now share her house name.
Lead by Amalafae, played by
Tanya_C_Roberts.
Daughters: 4
Sons: 2
Soldiers: 2,000 placed by Helvirahel, 500 of its own
Slaves: 500
Elite Soldiers: 250 placed by Helvirahel, 0 of its own
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Helvirahel
11.
House Everhath
Daughters: 12
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 1,000
Slaves: 2,000
Elite Soldiers: 500
Cavalry: 500
Drider: 25
Known Alliances: none
12.
House Do'atlar
Daughters: 5
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 800
Slaves: 1,500
Elite Soldiers: 300
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: Aleanett
13.
House Godendar
Daughters: 9
Sons: 4
Soldiers: 1,000
Slaves: 1,000
Elite Soldiers: 200
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Zaurae
14.
House Myervs
Daughters: 8
Sons: 7
Soldiers: 1000
Slaves: 600
Elite Soldiers: 300
Cavalry: 400
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Torund
15.
House Auvry'arahel
Daughters: 12
Sons: 4
Soldiers: 800
Slaves: 2,000
Elite Soldiers: 400
Cavalry: 200
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Rilynt'tar
16.
House Teken'erae
Daughters: 7
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 500
Slaves: 800
Elite Soldiers: 100
Cavalry: 50
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Kenval
17.
House Torduis
Daughters: 3
Sons: 7
Soldiers: 400
Slaves: 600
Elite Soldiers: 100
Cavalry: 100
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Cladd'ghym
18.
House Arabani
Daughters: 5
Sons: 5
Soldiers: 800
Slaves: 1,250
Elite Soldiers: 200
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: Helvirahel
19.
House Barriana
Daughters: 9
Sons: 11
Soldiers: 750
Slaves: 500
Elite Soldiers: 100
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 20
Known Alliances: The Zaulyl
20.
House Eilsurden
Daughters: 7
Sons: 2
Soldiers: 500
Slaves: 300
Elite Soldiers: 50
Cavalry: 50
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: Do'ep
In the lowest parts of the city you'll find the lowest ranked of the houses. These are the fledgling houses, the disgraced houses and the unlucky or stupid houses. These houses fight amongst themselves for the chance to ascend to the higher parts of the city and usually leap at the opportunity to do the bidding of the royal houses in hopes that they will help them to gain a loftier seating in the house ranks. These lowest houses are given the most mundane of tasks that the slaves are unable to do. These lower houses are separated from the higher ranked houses by the city.
21.
House Alerret
Daughters: 2
Sons: 1
Soldiers: 100
Slaves: 500
Elite Soldiers: 50
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: none
22.
House Melsek
Daughters: 4
Sons: 0
Soldiers: 300
Slaves: 700
Elite Soldiers: 50
Cavalry: 50
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: none
23.
House Oussiryn
Daughters: 2
Sons: 5
Soldiers: 200
Slaves: 300
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 100
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: The Zaulyl
24.
House Kilvirr
Daughters: 5
Sons: 1
Soldiers: 200
Slaves: 300
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: none
25.
House Alezynge
Lead by Sinalay Alezynge and played by
Jez_Harkins. This new house appeared overnight with a wonderfully constructed house. Sinalay clings to her Lolth inspired vision and will see it to it's conclusion.
Daughters: 3
Sons: 2
Soldiers: 40
Slaves: 40
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 4
Known Alliances: none
26.
House Arken'umtor
Daughters: 1
Sons: 3
Soldiers: 100
Slaves: 300
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 10
Known Alliances: None
27.
House Baent'tar
Daughters: 5
Sons: 3
Soldiers: 100
Slaves: 500
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 100
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: None
28.
Despith
Daughters: 7
Sons: 2
Soldiers: 500
Slaves: 300
Elite Soldiers: 50
Cavalry: 50
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: The Zaulyl
29.
Do'ar
Daughters: 2
Sons: 8
Soldiers: 150
Slaves: 200
Elite Soldiers: 0
Cavalry: 0
Drider: 0
Known Alliances: The Zaulyl
The city, which separates the higher and lower houses, is home to the merchants who sell goods from other drow cities and occasionally specialty items from the surface. This is also where the slave markets can be found as well as the three schools for the city. The Zaulyl can also be found here if one wanted to call the attention of that group to themselves.
The Zaulyl are headed by Shynt'tyr, formerly of House Helvirahel, and is an elite group of assassins, warriors and thieves comprised mostly of males. These houseless rogues are the survivors of the brutal house warfare that goes on in the drow cities or runaways who refused to bow to the matriarchy of the city and their homes. The Zaulyl operate outside of the priesthood and as such, they are hunted by the priestess' of Lolth. Though only loosely hunted because the priestesses often need to hire an unseen blade and in Eryneth, there are no better than the Zaulyl.