Xen’Drik Drow

The drow of Xen’Drik are not the same as their Underdark cousins in other realms. These ancient dark elves have dwelt in the jungle continent since before human civilizations rose, and they guard its secrets with lethal efficiency.

First Contact

In Session 11, a patrol of six drow—five warriors and one who appeared to be a priestess or scout leader—intercepted the party in the jungle. They descended from the canopy on silken ropes, emerging from shadows with practiced ease.

Their leader spoke:

“You chase foolishly. The party you follow, and those before them, they have trespassed into forbidden ley ground. They are reckless. The land does not know them.”

She studied the party carefully before asking:

“What is your purpose here? You are unfamiliar with this land.”

Stance

The drow are not allied with the Slanted Circle. They view the Circle’s expedition as dangerous trespassers who threaten the sacred ley grounds they’ve protected for millennia.

Whether they will become allies or obstacles to the party remains to be seen. They appeared to be evaluating whether the party posed a threat—or represented a solution to the Circle problem.

Known Capabilities

• Expert jungle navigation and stealth
• Silken rope descent from the canopy
• Night vision and shadow-stepping
• Deep knowledge of Xen’Drik’s leyline network
• Warriors armed with weapons suited to jungle combat

The Forbidden Ley Ground

The drow spoke of “forbidden ley ground” that the Circle has trespassed upon. This suggests the drow serve as guardians of specific leyline locations within Xen’Drik—places of power that outsiders are not permitted to approach.

The Trial of the Stones (Session 12)

Session 12 opened with Lairk, the priestess from Session 11, requesting a “show of good faith.” She led the party to a small clearing where flat runed stones lay arranged in a circle, and instructed them to stand on the stones — “the land will interpret what it will.”

The stones lightly vibrated under the party’s feet. Lairk’s verdict: “You listen to the ground. That is rare among outsiders.”

The trial was not arbitrary. Subsequent events made clear the drow had been waiting for an outside force they could trust enough to commit their warriors to open warfare against the Circle.

The Colossus Riddle

Lairk led the party to a clearing where the Slanted Circle had bound a Chainbound Colossus as a guardian. She refused to interfere — calling it “your riddle to solve” — and walked away.

The party freed the Colossus rather than fighting it. When Lairk returned, the empty clearing answered the trial more completely than any words would have.

Open War (Session 12)

After the riddle, Lairk marshalled her warriors into open war against the Circle’s expedition at the resonator field. The Drow held the line against the cultist main force while the party broke through the orbiting crystal storm to expose the regulator. This was the first open Drow military action against the Circle in living memory.

What They Guard

The Mage’s monologue in Session 12 revealed what the Drow have actually been guarding: not just the leylines, but Vorthalax — the Sleeper Beneath Stone. “The Drow fear it,” the Mage said. The drow’s role as guardians of the leyground in Xen’Drik is, in fact, a millennia-long sentry duty against the Sleeper’s awakening.

Status

Conditional ally. The relationship is built on the leystone trial and the Colossus’s release — it is not unbreakable. If the party’s actions in closing the Maw align with the Drow’s purpose, the alliance holds. If not, it will end as quietly as it began.