Llurth Dreier (also spelled Llurth Dreir), known as the Accursed City and the City of Ooze, was a drow city in the Great Bhaerynden domain of the Underdark.[1][3][4][6][note 1] After its destruction, it was called the Oozing Ruin.[2]
Geography
It lay in a remote middledark region of the Underdark, located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) under the Shaar grasslands and a long way to the west or northwest of the Great Rift, part of the Great Bhaerynden domain or the Deepwild.[1][7][3][8][4] In past ages, a river rich in nutrients descended winding from the surface and fill a huge subterranean lake, carving out a cluster of vast but shallow caverns. Over still more millennia, the water level subsided again, emptying the caverns. All that remained by the 14th century DR was a greatly reduced body of water called Llurthogl surrounded by extensive fertile mud flats.[1][note 2]
History
Around −7600 DR, the great cavern of Bhaerynden collapsed, leading to the downfall of the drow empire of Telantiwar. Refugee drow spread out in all directions, laying claim to lesser caverns and establishing new cities, among them Llurth Dreier.[6]
From −5112 DR to −4835 DR, Llurth Dreier was wracked by the Webfire Wars, a conflict between the faithful of Lolth and those of Ghaunadaur.[9]
In centuries past, the drow of Llurth Dreier somehow offended their goddess Lolth, and she withdrew her support from them. The city fell into strife, with House feuds out of control, and the drow turned to other gods of the Dark Seldarine. The faiths of Eilistraee, Kiaransalee, and Vhaeraun tried to fill the demand for divine help, but they couldn't compete with Ghaunadaur's cult.[1]
Eventually, a frightful avatar of Ghaunadaur emerged from the depths of Llurthogl. Many of the Houses elected to worship it and make sacrifices to it, desiring the power to obliterate their rivals, but this was largely futile.[1]
After Chansreena (princess) Alabhansree Alanasker of Ormpur went missing in the Year of the Prince, 1357 DR, there were reports she was held in the slave pits of Llurth Dreier. High Suikh (king) Helbareim Alanasker hired a number of adventuring companies to rescue her, but the reports were found to be completely false by 1372 DR.[10]
After the Spellplague of the Year of Blue Fire, 1385 DR, the city was destroyed by the collapse of the roof of its cavern.[2]
Description
Once a large and mighty city, by 1372 DR, Llurth Dreier occupied three huge caverns. These were home to nearly 60,000 drow, known as the Dreiryn, and over 100,000 slaves.[1] There were also uncounted jellies, oozes, and slimes, which were revered and cultivated.[3][note 3] It was perhaps the most populous drow city in Faerûn.[5]
The drow Houses stayed safe inside their black towers, and offered a piffling degree of protection to those who offered them tribute. Their slaves, dwelling in abject misery, were otherwise almost completely ignored, left to fend for themselves and eke out a living. The black towers held some wealth, but all outside was utterly squalid.[1] There were vast farms of fungi.[4]
After its deserved destruction, all that remained were fields of rubble and stones, though holes and gaps permitted entry to the remnants of the drow buildings. Oozes and aberrant creatures lurked in the darkest parts.[2]
Culture
The Accursed City was a wretched hive of scum and villainy, a horrible cesspool of a city, without even the culture and arrogance of a typical drow settlement.[1]
Ignored by Lolth, the Dreiryn paid homage to other drow gods, such as Kiaransalee, Vhaeraun, and even Eilistraee, but most followed Ghaunadaur, whose avatar lurked right there in the city. Each House had adopted one god or another, and quashed the worship of other gods.[1][3] The clergy of Ghaunadaur practically ruled the city.[3][note 4] It was whispered that the ancient Ilythiiri order of Ghaunadaur crusaders called the Fanatics of the Overflowing Pit lingered on in some form in Llurth Dreier.[3]
Society
The noble Houses of Llurth Dreier engaged in endless feuds, unrestrained by any sense of shame or style. They regularly raided the fields of rival Houses to steal food and kidnap people to serve as slaves or sacrifices to Ghaunadaur.[1]
To make matters worse, the Houses weren't even the real power in Llurth Dreier. Aboleth psions and clerics of Ghaunadaur, some exceptionally powerful, were the real rulers of the city. They used their considerable psionic powers to enforce their will and keep the large population under tight control. They had done this for such a long time and with such intensity that it had had an unforeseen effect on the drow thralls, awakening latent psionic talents in them by the early 1370s DR and causing them to gain psionic powers themselves. It was possible that this growing power would result in some kind of resistance movement, perhaps even a revolt.[5]
Woefully weakened, Llurth Dreier was protected only by its remoteness; there was no rival close enough who'd care to crush it. In any case, it was practically worthless. Its only real defense was the lurking avatar of Ghaunadaur, which no force would dare face, if it would even move to defend its worshipers.[1]
Rumors & Legends
By 1479 DR, it was warned that, after the city's fall, the avatar of Ghaunadaur still dwelt in the ruins, inside an open vault. It was said to be a gargantuan amorphous thing.[2]
Appendix
Notes
- ↑ The name "Llurth Dreier" has had multiple spellings, with "Dreir" used in Underdark and Ascendancy of the Last and "Drier" used in Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide (assumed to be a spelling error), with the remaining sources using "Dreier", which is adopted for this article.
- ↑ The statement "from the depths of Llurthogl" in Underdark implies it is the lake. However, it is also used more generally to refer to the city or its caverns. Ascendancy of the Last confirms that it is indeed the lake.
- ↑ Menzoberranzan: The City page 3 and Demihuman Deities page 20 give the population as 400,000 dark elves/drow, but Underdark page 158 has only 60,000 drow, not including slaves. The discrepancy may be made up by the otherwise "countless" slime creatures, but the later figure is adopted here. It is unknown if any great changes occurred between 1369 DR and 1372 DR.
- ↑ Demihuman Deities suggests, by way of example, that rival drow faiths are completely absent and the clergy of Ghaunadaur rule completely. However, Underdark introduces various other faiths, active in the current time, seemingly contradicting or overriding the earlier situation.
Appearances
- Novels
- Magazines
- Polyhedron #140: "Llurth Dreier: City of Ooze"
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 126, 158–159. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Bruce R. Cordell, Ed Greenwood, Chris Sims (August 2008). Forgotten Realms Campaign Guide. Edited by Jennifer Clarke Wilkes, et al. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 227. ISBN 978-0-7869-4924-3.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). Demihuman Deities. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), pp. 12, 20. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Ed Greenwood (1992). Menzoberranzan (The City). Edited by Karen S. Boomgarden. (TSR, Inc), p. 3. ISBN 1-5607-6460-0.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Eytan Bernstein (2007-07-03). Psionics Across the Land: Cormyr, Evereska, Kaliesh-Erai, Halruaa, Sembia, the Shaar, Thindol. Class Chronicles. Wizards of the Coast. Archived from the original on 2016-09-19. Retrieved on 2020-05-03.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 19. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Bruce R. Cordell, Gwendolyn F.M. Kestrel, Jeff Quick (October 2003). Underdark. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 125. ISBN 0-7869-3053-5.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Sean K. Reynolds, Skip Williams, Rob Heinsoo (June 2001). Forgotten Realms Campaign Setting 3rd edition. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 192. ISBN 0-7869-1836-5.
- ↑ Brian R. James, Ed Greenwood (September 2007). The Grand History of the Realms. Edited by Kim Mohan, Penny Williams. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 23. ISBN 978-0-7869-4731-7.
- ↑ Ed Greenwood, Eric L. Boyd, Darrin Drader (July 2004). Serpent Kingdoms. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 103–104. ISBN 0-7869-3277-5.
Further Reading
- Ascendancy of the Last
- Polyhedron #140: "Llurth Dreier: City of Ooze"