Crimson Eyes [OOC-Open!]

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1.Setting:

Menzoberranzan:
This is the main city of the Drow. It is deep in the depths of the world, carved out into a huge cavern. There is only a tiny amount of light, lit by the enormous pillar referred to as Narbondel. It serves as a clock to mark the passage of time, lit by a fire that dwindles down as the day wears on. Menzoberranzan is a cave, so there are many thousands of stalactites and stalagmites that cover the city. Races within the city are primarily Drow, though some goblins and humanoid creatures roam the streets as servants to the elves. There is little variation in animal species, the most prominent being enormous lizards that male Drow sometimes ride like horses. There are, however, thousands of spiders that crawl through the streets and houses. The city itself is huge, with large mansion type houses that loom in the darkness.

Houses:
In Drow society, there are two types of Drow: commoners and nobility. Commoners have little to no rights within Drow society. Nobility, however, do. Each Drow family is organized into a house, with the eldest female in the lead. She is usually the mother of the family, and referred to as Matron. She is the lead of the house, and is usually the most vicious and cunning of the family. There are literally hundreds of houses within Menzoberranzan, each a noble Drow family. However, the higher up in the list you are(i.e. twentieth house), the less power and respect you have. The houses are in numerical order, so house number one is the most prominent and powerful, two next, etc.

These are the houses that we will be using for this roleplay. Please select one. The house name that you choose, automatically becomes your character’s last name. For Example, my two characters are to be: Triel Baenre and Dinin Do’Urden. They are from Houses Baenre and House Do’Urden respectively.

• House Baenre – first ruling house of Menzoberranzan.
• House Hun'ett – second ruling house
• House DeVir – third ruling house
• House Do’Urden – fourth ruling house

So, there they are. Also, please remember, that in most instances the Drow from each house will be related to each other, mostly by being brothers and sisters. So, you may to check with other players who have chosen your same house to make sure that it is okay. However, it is not always the case, so if you really don’t want to be related to another member, then ask me and I will tell you how you can still be a part of the house, but not related.

The Ruling Council/House wars:
There is a ruling council of Menzoberranzan consisting of the top eight houses. These Matron Mothers are the most powerful in the city. It is every house’s desire to reside on the ruling council, but getting there is tricky. To move up within the ranks of Drow society, you must eliminate another house. Eliminating another house means removing them completely, as though they had never existed within Menzoberranzan. All members of nobility within the house must be killed. This includes the Matron Mother, any children she has, the Patron, weapons master, etc. Basically, anyone within the house that has prominence.

Attacks are conducted by another house, usually further down the list than the targeted house. They must be stealthy and cunning, and avoid being blamed. Although it is usually common knowledge within Drow society which house has attacked another, no one states anything about if the operation is successful. Usually, they drop globes of darkness around themselves and the houses they are attacking to avoid being caught. As mentioned earlier, to be successful, all members of nobility must be killed. If not, that noble can make a claim against the attacking house. If the attacking house is found guilty, then they will be eliminated. This only works if there is a surviving noble of the victim house.

Religion:
In the Drow world, there is only one religion. All Drow worship the goddess Lloth, the spider queen. She is the ultimate Matron Mother of all Drow, and is a cruel and vengeful deity. Drow families must remain in her favor, for to fall out of it invites death and attacks from other Drow families. To stay within her favor, the house must abide by her rule at all times, worship daily, and make occasional sacrifices. To evoke the wrath of Lloth is deadly, and most Drow families will die if they do.

Females are always above males within Drow society, and in this religion, females can become Priestesses and High Priestesses, which is the highest honor a daughter can achieve in her house. They must go through years (30-50) of study and schooling to become a High Priestesses, and all noble house females strive for this honor.

Lloth is the spider queen, and as such, spiders are precious in Menzoberranzan. More precious almost, than a male Drow’s life. To kill a spider is a great offense, often punishable by death.

Ways of the Drow:
Drow are naturally vengeful, spiteful, and hateful. Females are always the highest ranking members, with males behind them. Female Drow are usually Priestesses, or High Priestesses. Males can either be mages, or fighters. Each house usually has at least one male wizard. The highest position a male may achieve in his house is either a mage, or the weapons master. Otherwise, the male nobles are usually fighters.

Drow are particularly skilled with weapons and fighting! They must be in order to survive in the depths of the Underdark. Most Drow fight with swords, most commonly with twin blades. They can be any variation of sword types, but scimitars like these are a heavy favorite among the Drow world. They also use crossbows, typically very small ones that fit within the palm of the hand making it easily concealable. These crossbows usually contain poison darts. A Drow who carries one is deadly indeed. Females carry these same types of weapons, though they have the option of adding on a snake-headed whip. Only Priestesses of Lloth are allowed a snake-headed whip. They are very deadly, and painful, and are often used as punishment on insolent males.

All Drow have an innate magic within them. They things they can do are:

• levitate in the air, though to what affect on the surface no one is for sure. It is not as easily done on the surface as it is in the Underdark. (Only Drow nobles are able to do this. Not commoners.)
• Drop a globe on impenetrable darkness. This surrounds the Dark Elf, and a globe around them, with extreme darkness. Not even the Drow, with their infrared vision, can see through this darkness. They still can maneuver quite well however as they are used to being in the dark.
• Light their opponents in a harmless purple fire. This is called Faerie fire. It gives the Drow the advantage to target their opponent better.

Finally, the Drow have a very complicated sign language system as well. They are able to use their hands to signal to each other and talk. This works by using facing expressions, and hand movements. Think of it pretty much as sign language. It can take years to learn, but it's very helpful. This way, Drow can communicate with each other without having to speak, and thus avoid getting overheard. To use this IC, please use quotations, and then itallics to denote speaking in hand code. For example: '"How are you?" Dinin asked, his hands flashing quickly as he used the silent hand code.' Something similair to this please!

Brief history of the Drow/Surface Elf conflict:
The Drow are said to have once walked to surface with their fair-skinned cousins. They danced and sang under the moon and stars with them, and relished all living creatures. However, that was hundreds of thousands years prior to where Drow are today.

When they walked among the surface, their ways were beginning to change. They were slowly becoming corrupt, greedy, and hostile. They did things for themselves and themselves alone. They had changed. The Surface Elves who walked with them began to despise them, and became determined to drive them from their land. The Surface Elves and the Drow went to war with one another, each side fighting valiantly. Finally, after years of fighting, the Surface Elves got their wish. Drow elves were driven from the land into the depths of the world, the Underdark. There they remained, finding their spider queen, Lloth and despising Surface Elves.

Surface Elves, the Drow say, are evil. They are the reason for all the evil and cruel ways of the Drow, and the reason they are forced to live in darkness. Drow never forget. They seek vengeance around every turn. Surface Elves hate Drow in the same way, although they do not hold the great contempt and lust for vengeance that the Drow do. Until they have to, that is.

For Surface Elves:
Think traditional Elves here. Like LOTR elves, or similair. They may have their own innate powers to match the drow, as long as you keep them in check, and are also very swift footed and good fighters. Drow and Surface Elves are basically equall to each other. For those who wish to be Elves/other surface races, you may talk amongst yourselves about how you would like to organized in terms of leadership and such. I will be leaving the surface dwellers up to you to figure out. I will give you creative license as long as you check with me first!

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2.Plot:
The Spider Queen Lloth has told Matron Baenre, Matron Mother of Mezoberranzan’s first house, of a plot unfolded by the Surface Elves to eliminate Drow once and for all. Whether or not this plan exists is unknown, but the Drow believe it. They have been commanded to rise to the surface once more to fight back, and rid the world of their fair-skinned cousins instead. An attack must be planned, and the nine ruling houses must work together.

They plan to march to the surface world, and raid it, cleansing it once and for all. When they succeed (as they are confident that they will), the Drow wish to take over the surface world in the name of Lloth.

Will the members of each Drow house, so proud and determined, be able to work together before they destroy each other? Will they succeed in their plan to wipe the world of the Surface Elves? The war that rages among them is strong, the Drow fighting for justice in an age old struggle, and the Surface Elves fighting simply to stay alive. Only time will tell who will win this epic struggle between two races.

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3.Rules:

1. I shouldn’t have to tell you, but I will. No godmoding. No controlling other characters, the usual stuff. Please keep it as realistic as possible! No character is not going to not get hurt. This is a war remember!
2. Cursing, violence, and gore are all aloud. But please, do keep cursing to a minimum, I don’t want to read it every third word.
3. This is a literate roleplay! To me, this means good grammar and spelling is required! I want quality over quantity please! There will be no minimum post length, but at no time should I ever read a one-liner. However, this does not mean to make posts filled with unnecessary details either. Please use good judgment here.
4. Post your application here in the OOC. I will accept you before you begin posting. I am asking for a sample of writing, but it is mostly just to make sure everyone knows their proper grammar, spelling, and general organizational skills.
5. As GM, I reserve the right to deny your character/posts, or kick you from the RP should you not follow my rules. Please be respectful of this. I don’t bite, and I will try and be as helpful as possible before denying you.
6. At this time, I am only accepting nine characters not including my own. I would like at least three each of Surface Elves and Drow. After that, the other characters can either become a different race, or another Drow/Surface Elf. PM me first if you would like to play a different race. Doubling will be allowed as long as you can keep up with your characters.
7. I will only hold reservations for 24 hours. If you would like to reserve a space, you must PM me with your writing sample and I will decide if I will hold the spot for you.
8. Please have fun, and if you are unsure about anything, you are always able to send me a PM. I will work with you!
   

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   4.Character Skeleton:
   For Drow:
   

   Code: Select all

   [color=#BF0000][b]Application[/b][/color]
[b]Name:[/b] (Your character's name.)
[b]Age:[/b] (Your character's age.)
[b]Sex:[/b] (should be obvious)
[b]If Female, are you a Priestess/High Priestess?[/b] (yes/no)
[b]Race:[/b] Drow
[b]Appearance:[/b] (What the character looks like. Please fill this out with words first. And then, if you find a suitable picture, you may include it. But I prefer description first please! No posting pictures only!)
[b]Personality:[/b] (Optional field)
[b]Powers and special skills:[/b] (Please remember the basic Drow abilities as stated above. Keep your abilities under check, please!)
[b]Equipment:[/b] (The weaponry/magic items your character uses)
[b]House:[/b] ( May be from any of the houses listed above.)
[b]Bio:[/b] (Optional. Please make this as brief as possible! It can be anywhere between a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs, but no more!)
[b]Anything else?:[/b] (Optional)
[b]Sample:[/b] (Please provide me with a sample of your writing ability. It doesn't have to be long or especially detailed. I would just like to make sure everyone knows proper grammar, and has some sense of an organized post!)

   
   For Surface Elves/Others:
   

   Code: Select all

   [color=#BF0000][b]Application[/b][/color]
[b]Name:[/b] (Your character's name.)
[b]Age:[/b] (Your character's age.)
[b]Sex:[/b] (should be obvious)
[b]Race:[/b] (Either Surface Elf or other. Please PM me first if you are looking for another race to use!)
[b]Status:[/b] (Mage, Warrior, Ranger, etc.)
[b]Appearance:[/b] (What the character looks like. Please fill this out with words first. And then, if you find a suitable picture, you may include it. But I prefer description first please! No posting pictures only!)
[b]Personality:[/b] (Optional field)
[b]Powers and special skills:[/b] (Keep your abilities under check, please!)
[b]Equipment:[/b] (The weaponry/magic items your character uses)
[b]Bio:[/b] (Please make this as brief as possible! It can be anywhere between a couple of sentences to a couple of paragraphs, but no more!)
[b]Anything else?:[/b] (Optional)
[b]Sample:[/b] (Please provide me with a sample of your writing ability. It doesn't have to be long or especially detailed. I would just like to make sure everyone knows proper grammar, and has some sense of an organized post!)

   
   
   

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   5. Accepted Characters:
   
   Drow Elves:
   
   1. Goirach Baenre - Destablization
   2. Shurinid DeVir - Nightze
   3. Triel Baenre - xNightxElfx
   4. Dinin Do'Urden - xNightxElfx
   5. Rizzen DeVir - Amaya-Rin
   6. Onixan Hun'ett - Bigglesworth
   Drow now closed
   Surface Elves:
   
   Other Races
   
   1. Bivnah Havp - Bigglesworth

Refererences:

• Here you will find some Drow fighting techniques
• Here you will find a handy chart for creating Drow names.
• Here you will find information on Drow social structures. Please note that this covers many Drow cities, and not all of them are the same as Menzoberranzan. Lloth is who they worship in Menzo.

*This roleplay was based off of R.A. Salvatore’s Drizzt Do’Urden series, including several names and the city of Menzoberranzan. The opening picture is also not mine. I claim nothing.

My phone doesn't let me get into the code box, so I need to copy/paste it off a regular post. So "reserved" until either someone else makes a character, or that gets posted.

Also small note : all Drow can do the Globe of Darkness. Even ones that neglect the worship of Lloth. Its how Drizzt, as well as House Soldiers use it. Should also probably mention that when attacks are done, warriors from the attacking house shoot Globes of Darkness all around the house so no one can see what's going on.

Yes thank you Destabalization! I did remember this shortly after I wrote this, and I forgot to change it. I will do so ASAP. I can PM you a copy of the code box. :)

Name: Goirahc(Pronounced Go-Eh-Rock) Baenre. Full name means Blue Dragon of the West(or Frost Dragon of the West).

Age: 73

Sex: Male
If Female, are you a Priestess/High Priestess? N/A

Race: Drow

Drow Appearance: Goirahc possess the typical Drow appearance, with a few deviations. He has -oddly- bright blue eyes, a most uncommen Drow feature. When angry his eyes strike a foe as though they were flaming ice. He sports no facial hair, but he keeps his white hair exceptional long, and always straight. It trails to his mid back, and he has long bangs down to his chin, that he keeps pushed out of his face. His entire left ear is covered in silver piercings, even up to its pointed tip.

He's slightly taller then a regular Drow, with most of it in his abdomen. He's also broader, but only slightly.

Personality:

Powers and special skills: Goirahc does not worship the Spider Queen. As such, he has -no- Drow Racial Abilities at all. He can use none of the Drow Skills, except for Infra-Red Vision.

Instead, his Dragon God Suma has granted him the powers ;
Improved use of his Cone of Cold(6 hour limit still), but he has another gem in his right gauntlet(6 hour cooldown on that one too)

"Frost Ward" ; he mumbles a short incantation, and places his hand on a door, opening, or anything at all. A glyph(approx 1ft square) appears, and when anyone but Goirahc touches the glyph, it causes creeping ice to run up their leg(or whatever touched the glyph). The more magical resistant you are, the slower it creeps, and it can be dispelled. 2 times per 24 hours ability

Passive ability : "Chilled Body" - His body gives off no heat, and he's icy to the touch. I understand this would make him invisible in the Underdark, so to counter it, he heats all of his clothing each day under a blanket, to not arouse suspicion about why he's so cold. I don't intend on ever having him strip to become invisible, because he believes its beneath him, and its unfair anyways.

He also possess very, very minor parlor magics, all revolving around cold/ice/frost. They aren't spells, they're just his innate abilities.

Equipment: Goirahc weilds rather unique weapons. They're light gauntlets that slide over his hands, hardly hindering him at all. He can then attach any number of special blades to the knuckle area, or blades at the tip. A hidden compartment beneath his wrist holds poisened bolts that he can shoot out. The gauntlets are strong enough to halt an incoming blade, and light enough to be used without reducing his Drow-ish speed. Both gauntlets holds a glowing, round saphire. It allows Goirahc to cast "Cone of Cold" every 6 hours. When used, the stone dulls, and when ready to be cast it glows a soft blue. The stones are hidden by dirty black cloth tied around the palm of the gauntlets.

The gauntlets are named "Claws of the Frost God" or "Claws of the West", and are only usable by Goirahc. He weilds them at all times.

They were made for him by a Dwarven Slave Mage who he convinced to use his magical craft. After they were completed he tested them on the dwarf.

House: Baenre

Bio: Goirahc secretly desires to become a Frost Dragon. He tells no one of this desire, not even Lloth.

Anything else?: He was "adopted" into House Baenre after his return from the surface. He has shown no interest in finding out who destroyed his House.

Sample :

The darkness was oppressive. The silence was sheer.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by a loud scraping, as though something was being dragged. Any who's vision could pierce the absolute darkness would see a pale, slimy grey creature, giant and thick. It was moving swiftly, and it shool the dark cavern as its head briefly scraped the low ceiling. Despite its monsterous size, it was fleeing something, something in the dark and cold of the Underdark.

It exitted the cavern, forcing it into a smaller passageway, and it abruptly pulled up sharp. Standing in front of it was a creature more evil then the basilisk who ran in fear. Though he was small, and even blindfolded, the basilisk attempted to pull itself back. Unfortunately, the passageway was too narrow to turn around, and the dim creature realized this too late.

It turned to face the creature that had disturbed it, but it wasn't there ! The giant snake pushed itself forward, thinking the small foolish being had fled. It heard a soft thump, and a sudden weight on its head, and it let out a loud hiss as a sharp pain filled its head, followed swiftly by a horrible, cold sensation. The basilisks head crashed to the ground, and before it died it had one last look at the evil being.

He had black skin, white hair, but worst of all were the eyes. Horrible, icey eyes, that sent out a sinister sheen of blue. The snake let out one last moan, as the Drow lifted his left hand up, revealing a dull blue gem, coated in his brain fluid.

(Woo. I like this more)

Might change a few things around a bit later, and I don't usually like to, but for this I'll be your Co-GM ^^.

@Destablization: Good! Accepted of course. I did enjoy the part about testing out his new weapons on the dwarf. Classic. lol. So, that would make my character of Triel Baenre and yours, brother and sister. This good? Ah, and thank you! That way, if anyone has questions and I'm not avaible, perhaps you will be able to help them!

Ohh I suppose that does. More then fine with that of course ^^.

And actually just made a call to someone I know, they're bringing all my Drizzt books over so I can always reference those if someone has a question I don't know. I might also put up a few quotes from the book so people understand the Drow <3. Anyways super excited for this, can't wait to get started AND SOMEONE ELSE JOIN RAWR.

Thats great! Thank you. I'm excited too!

So for the 1x1, should I post from in the house? Also sorry I've been kinda inactive, been busy.

No problem. Uh....I would say yes. I know my opening post wasn't great, I was in a hurry to set the "stage." Lol. :)

God this has to be one of the few roleplays that make my adrenaline start pumping. I love the book series this is based off. I'm going to post a character for a Drow, but I just wanna let you know in case my computer crashes on me.

Oh that is completely awesome! I was begining to lose hope here. I know it's going to be super awesome once we get going!

Application
Name:
Shurinid DeVir
His name meaning Harbinger of speed and his house name being Champions of Dominance.

Age:
107

Sex:
Male

Race:
Drow

Appearance:
Like most Drow his hair is white and rests around his shoulders. His skin is dark and scarred from the years spent training at the Warrior's Academy and fighting with other houses. His right eye has been cut out and covered due to a run in with a group of Troglodytes, or so it is believed. His eyes unlike most Drow are a shade of black that seems to drag his onlookers into an abyss of the their own emptiness.

Powers and special skills:
Can use the basic magic: Dancing Lights, Faerie Fire, Darkness, Levitate, Detect Good, and Detect Magic He has mastered the fighting style Orb Alur and has some training with the Luth Alur. Through the many years in House DeVir he has learned small amounts of other fighting styles, but none as great as the ones he uses.

Equipment:
Uses a Drow cleaver and a hand spinneret. The short sword has been imbued with traces of Darkness which activates when he engages in combat, surrounding him and any opponents in a shroud of darkness. While his hand spinneret uses bolts that disrupt and confuse his enemies when struck. His armor is a rare Death Armor that has a slick surface covered in spikes and while wearing it gives him a greater invisibility.

House:
DeVir

Sample:

"Shurinid did you hear that?" croaked another member of the DeVir house as the group of scouts crawled through the void tunnels of the underdark. Shurinid was at the head of the group and had stopped suddenly scarring a few of the newer Drow who had yet to perform any scouts. Shurinid looked to the Drow who had opened his mouth, "The only thing I heard, Dhaunal Freafin, was the spiders crawling away from the stench that crawls off your armor."

Turning his head back to the shadows ahead of him, Shurinid heard a rustle of armor and blade clashes as he figured Dhaunal was trying to make a move. Though it was widely known that none should attack Shurinid while both his eyes are open. Standing again the scout group moved forward through the empty tunnels that for days had been empty and void of life except for the spiders. As they came to the end of the tunnel Shurinid began to hear a quick paced group of feet move up behind them, with sudden shift in his feet he turned around and began to move towards the back of the group. Others in the group moved behind him as they at least knew something was aloof.

As Shurinid drew his cleaver others followed suit and within seconds a large group of Troglodytes came upon them. With a large sweep down in front of him he watched as three Troglodytes fell in halves to the might of his fighting style. The battle continued like this for a long time with the other staggering behind while Shurinid constantly moved forward towards the middle of the attackers. As he moved ever forward he noticed a large group of the Troglodytes were rushing away as they saw their brethren fall so helplessly. Shurinid returned his cleaver to its holder on his back and was preparing to return to the group of scouts when a large hand came around his neck and held a dagger in front of his face, "If the great Shurinid DeVir can hear the spiders crawl, why can he not smell my stench? Are your ears better tuned then your nose? Let me correct that mistake."

Shurinid reached up to Dhaunal's wrist and tried to push the blade away as it came closer to his nose. While the rest of the scouts were further back fighting off the last of the Troglodytes Dhaunal had taken advantage of Shurinid leaving the group. He pushed the blade back almost far enough to escape its reach, but was set back by a sharp pain in his back causing him to lose his grip. Almost as if time had slowed Shurinid watched as Dhaunal's blade crossed over the bridge of his nose and sliced deep into the socket of his right eye. With a scream of pain Shurinid pulled out his hand spinneret and shot a bolt into Dhaunal's wrist causing him to drop the dagger. Quickly wrist down Shurinid picked up one of the Troglodytes weapons and cut Dhaunal's throat while he remained in a state of confusion.

Tasting his own blood Shurinid turned around to see the rest of group coming to the scene and noticing both Dhaunal's fatal wound and Shurinid's destroyed eye. They knew the truth of the situation, but whatever Shurinid wanted to make it they would all follow. None dared to mess with Shurinid, but Dhaunal had been stupid enough and all had become tried of his presence. Shurinid put away his hand spinneret and looked for a bandage, "It would seem the deep you get the better Troglodytes become. Dhaunal wished to best my attempts at cleaving them down. It led us both to a little bit of ruin"

None laughed, but none of them accused him of murder either. They bandaged Shurinid's eye and continued the scout. That was how everyone remembered that day and that is how it was written. None have ever spoken against Shurinid for his actions against the fool Dhaunal Freafin.

sorry if my sample is a little too long I just wanted to make a good explanation for his eye.

Oh and Destablization if you want to change your name I'd suggest going here. It will give you how to make a proper Drow name and what they mean. You can do it randomly like I did or look for a special meaning. I used to use the site for when I played a Drow in D&D and I strongly suggest it.

@Nightze: Accepted! I love it.

Yeah, I used that name generator recently. It works quite nicely. :) Tell everyone who might be interested in this! I would love to see it get going.

Oh wow thanks a million. I think I'll do ; Goirahc, or Blue Dragon ^^.

Also going to edit something. With permission, can I give my characters left gauntlet the ability to, once per 6 hours, cast "Cone of Cold"? That'd be so awesome.

@Destablization: Sure. As long as you keep it in check, which if it can only be used every six hours, then that's pretty good. :) Oh, and you're changing the name then?

Yeah, cause I hate how I ripped off Zaknafeins name really. Also, I might change a few minor things, nothing major.

Oh, lol. I didn't even notice that. I stole both my names. Although I didn't realize I stole Triel's name. lol. But really, I adore Dinin's name. I must have it.

Okay. It's fine with me. I'll just update it whenever you're done editing things.

hey I was wondering xnightxelfx if you would want me to add a link to the site I used to Drow fighting styles?