Drowtales

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Drowtales is a site that hosts numerous webcomics, several of which take place in the Drowtales universe; a world based off of Yan "Kern" Gagné's interpretation of Drow elves-- including history, cultures, world, and evolution of subspecies. The "main" featured comic is called Moonless age written and drawn by the site's webmaster Kern and revolves (mostly) around Ariel Val'Sarghress, her upbringing and later quest to find a friend who has been banished. A number of different spin-off comics are included on the site, featuring stories taking place in the same universe while focusing on different aspects or giving details on the backstory of events that happened before Ariel's time. In addition, the site hosts several different and unrelated elf/furry based comics, independent of the Drowtales universe.

Most of the stories are fantasy drama, though within the Daydream section there is more mature comedy as well as adult comics. The entire world is oriented towards an older audience, and should not be mistaken for the daily-comic, and is declared to be outside the stories' canon continuity. Specifically, that Daydream is the fantasy of one of the characters, nicknamed "Blueberry."

The drawn art tends to have a distinct anime style to it, however, since there are multiple artists, there is some variation.

Contents 1 Comics set in the Drowtales universe 1.1 Moonless age comic 2 Cast 2.1 Val'Sarghress Clan 2.2 Vel'Sharen Clan 2.3 Val'Sullisin'rune Clan 2.4 Vel'Vloz'ress Clan 2.5 Val'Kyorl'Solenurn Clan 2.6 Val'Beldrobbaen Clan 2.7 Val'Ilhar'dro 2.8 Other Characters 3 World setting 3.1 Races in the Drowtales universe 3.2 Locations 3.2.1 Underground 3.2.2 The Surface 3.2.3 Skyworld 3.3 Culture 3.3.1 Noble Clans 3.3.2 Spirituality 3.4 Magic 3.4.1 More on mana 3.4.2 Types of magic 4 External links

[edit] Comics set in the Drowtales universe

Besides Moonless age, the site has a number of "supporting" comics that share the same world and features some of the same characters as the Moonless age comic. Most of these are fairly short and are usually intended to give background information on characters or clans, or expand on the world setting.

• Moonless Age: The feature comic of the site drawn and colored by Kern. The beginning of Chapter two was colored by three different artists in an attempt to produce a rewrite of the earlier (and discarded) chapters. This is the story of Ariel Val'Sarghress.

• Spiderborn: A fairly short (22 strips) comic drawn in black and white by the artist Hevia. It gives some insight in the relationship between Mel'Arnach and Quain'tana and details the events surrounding Ariel's birth and subsequent "adoption".

• Breach of Faith: An ongoing comic by Tranquil, Kern and Sanjay Sarkar featuring Syphile. It gives some insight into the abuse she suffers at the hands of her "sisters" Sillice and Mel'Arnach and her reasons for hating Ariel. The main plot in the comic revolves around the relationship between Syphile and Awasthi Durral'Lamis (a young male commoner). It has not been updated since October of '05.

• Rebirth: Set before Moonless Age, Rebirth is the story of Chirinide Kyrol'solenurn, a zealot Drowussu Warden. In Moonless Age, it is hinted she is different from the other Drowussu, or gray drows, that populate the underground. In Rebirth her mysterious origin is revealed and depicts why she feels so out of place. It was drawn by many artists over the 50+ pages its two chapters hold, Daymon being the one who drew part of the first chapter and all of the second chapter, finishing the story.

• Soul Fusion: A short (6 pages) unfinished comic (no updates since 2003) drawn by Akiman. It gives some insight into the dimension of the demons and the origins of the demoness Discordia.

• The Longest Wait: An ongoing comic written by Sanjay and drawn by Blackmyst. The entire comic is seen from the perspective of Diva'ratrika the Ilharess of the Val'Sharen (later known as Vel'Sharen), the imperial clan. The comic takes place some 15 years before Moonless age and gives some insight into the events surrounding the rise of the tainted as a power to be reckoned with in drow society.

[edit] Moonless age comic

The first comic, Moonless age, originally took place as a fancomic within the Dungeons & Dragons world, and was a drawn version of a played RPG. Since then the author, Kern, has re-edited the story to stand as an original work of fantasy on its own, utilizing its own origins and rules for the races within. To do so he tossed out the first three chapters, and will be re-writing others in order to get rid of all D&D based elements. For some time Kern has been re-writing the first 3 chapters while simultaneously progressing the current story, however these attempts have been plagued by flighty artists and computer problems. The original, D&D based chapters are still available in a special archive.

[edit] Cast

[edit] Val'Sarghress Clan

Ariel Val'Sarghress

The main character of the Moonless age comic, and the youngest heir of Quain'tana, leader of the clan Val'Sarghress. She is very young at the start of the series where we learn about her rather unhappy childhood. Her true parents are Mel'arnach, a daughter of Quain'tana, and Zhor, a Dark-elf turned spider. However, Ariel was forcefully adopted by Quain'tana, and raised to believe that Mel'arnach was her sister. In drow fashion, her upbringing was committed to an older sister, Syphile. Syphile blamed the baby Ariel for her own being taken out of school to raise the child, and took out her frustration on Ariel. The young Ariel was often beaten and mistreated by her hateful foster-mother.
Later in life, she was deemed a failure by Quain'tana, the blame for which was placed solely on Syphile. Her older brother Kelnoz took her to be raised in Othorbbae Towers, an all male school. Since she was raised with males, she has a bad reputation, in the same manner that a male raised in an all girl environment, and going to an all girl school, would have had a bad reputation in most of real-world history.
Being the daughter of a Drowolath and a Dark-elf (whom has undergone extensive and permanent physiology changing spells), Ariel has a form of High Sorcery that allows her to shift her shape within certain limits. These limits are revealed in the 'world-setting' comic. Basically, she can only move mass around, and not create new mass. New organs, such as eyes or fangs, are only for show, and don't really work. Fangs will not have poison, and she can't see out of additional eyes. This changed when she merged with a couple of magical artifacts, and can use poison. When she grows wings, she can fly, theoretically. But her muscle mass is lower, and she has to figure out how to fly first!

Quain'tana Val'Sarghress

Founder and Illharess (ruler) of the Val’Sarghress clan, and former mercenary hero. She is a second-generation drow, which means her mother was one of the original dark elves who migrated to the underworld millennia ago. She is seen as a hero by the common people, because she was a mercenary who organized her troops to form a clan, and passed from commoner to a powerful ruler. She has been described as short tempered, direct, blunt and impolite. She has ambitions of overthrowing the ruling Vel'Sharess clan and become the dominant power in Chel'el'sussoloth, the capital of the drow empire, and beyond.

Kelnoz Val'Sarghress

One of Ariel's "brothers", he is a mage and one of the only people who showed Ariel any kindness as she was growing up. Brother by birth to Mel'arnach, he is really Ariel's uncle. A master of the school Orthorbbae Towers, he has a reputation of being a good teacher, and is popular with both lords and ladies. He has great skill in high art, yet seems to have little ambition. He is a talented diplomat.

Syphile Val'Sarghress

One of Quain'tana's younger daughters. She was given the task of raising Ariel as a chance to be considered an adult, but Syphile came to resent Ariel because she was taken out of priestess training in order to raise her thus being left victim to her "sisters" Silice and Mel'arnach. Mel'arnach beats Syphile regularly due to her ill-treatment of Ariel. Syphile is not Quain'tana's daughter by birth but was adopted into the Val'Sarghress clan. Much of her reputation comes from the fact that she is 'tainted'. She merged with a demon, to grant her power and dark sorcery. The Sarghress clan does not support this, and neither does Silice, who has bad experience with tainted drow.

Mel'arnach Val'Sarghress

Sil'lice Val'Sharen

Nei'kalsa Val'Sarghress

Sar'nel Val'Sarghress

Laele'aell Val'Sarghress

Koil'dorath Val'Sarghress

Kor'maril Val'Sarghress

[edit] Vel'Sharen Clan

[edit] Val'Sullisin'rune Clan

Faen'arae Val'Sullisin'rune

Yafein Val'Sullisin'rune

[edit] Vel'Vloz'ress Clan

[edit] Val'Kyorl'Solenurn Clan

[edit] Val'Beldrobbaen Clan

[edit] Val'Ilhar'dro

[edit] Other Characters

Diva'ratrika Val'Sharen

Liriel

Nishi'kanta Val'Sharen

Rikshakar

Tralyn the Clanless

Valeria

[edit] World setting

The Drowtales universe is not to be confused with the Dungeons & Dragons universe where drow are generally evil and cruel. There are several similarities though. Drow society in the comic is, for example, ruled by powerful matriarchs and the drow live underground. Some early works referred to the Underdark, but these have since been re-made, both to improve the quality of the artwork, and to remove all references to D&D specific sites.

[edit] Races in the Drowtales universe

This section details the various intelligent races in the Drowtales universe. The word race is used quite liberally here. Both completely different species (for example faeries and orcs), as well as groups that are biologically identical, but have a radically different way of life or value system (like duergars and gnomes) are considered different races within this context. Think of it as a "catch all" term to describe distinctive groups, rather than a biological term.

Fae races 

These races are practically immortal and all have the ability to manipulate mana and use magic to some extent.

Faeries 

Little is known about them. Most mortals will never see a faery in their lifetime.

Light elves 

Light-skinned elves living on the surface world.

Dark elves 

Dark elves have a darker, more tanned skin tone than the light elves (hence the name), and colorful hair, ranging from cyan to green to blue or purple, and eye colors to match. They used to live on the surface world. After the War of the Moons, a massive magical war that decimated most of the surface, they migrated underground. However, their children, having been born underground, away from the light, all had black or gray skin and usually silvery-white hair and purple eyes. This new "race" became known as the drow. Because no new dark elves were born after the migration underground, their numbers have dwindled over the ages, and at the present time they are all but extinct. The few that remain are generally ancient and powerful though.

Drow 

A collective term for the descendants of the dark elves that moved underground; several sub-races exist.

Drowolath 

Also known as Black drow. They are the most numerous of the Drow races and the most archetypical. They have dark brown skin, silvery-white hair and commonly purple eyes, although blue and green are also possible.

Drowussu 

Also known as Gray drow. They have gray skin, fair-colored hair, commonly golden-blonde, and pale-colored eyes, commonly blue or golden. They tend to stick together and rarely involve themselves in the chaotic politics of the drowolath clans.

Ver'Drowendar 

Most commonly referred to simply as tainted. They are predominantly drowolath that have become tainted by demonic energy. Some clans deliberately taint their young because they consider a slight taint to work as a kind of vaccination that prevents a full-blown demonic possession. Other clans consider tainted to be evil, or at least a bad idea, since it tends to make Drow more aggressive, vicious, and generally not nice. After becoming tainted, the eyes of a drow take on a blood red color, making them easy to identify. Their aura also changes, so sunglasses won't help much.

Xuile'Solen 

Also known as the sightless. They are drow who have no skill whatsoever in magic. Unlike the goblin or dwarven races who simply have no mana at all, the Xuile'Solen seem to instead have a negative mana aura of some sort. As a result they are not only unable to use magic, but "pure", mana based magic does not affect them at all. For example, a mana arrow would not harm them and a mana shield would not block them. This immunity does not extend to their equipment however, so a Xuile'Solen would have to strip naked to completely pass though a mana barrier, and a mana based attack spell could still knock them off their feet if it impacted their armor or clothing. They are also not immune to whatever elemental effects might be mixed into a spell, so fire spells will burn them, ice spell freeze them and so on. The Xuile'Solen are outcasts and have learned to survive on their own in the harsh, pitch black, underworld. As a result, their physiology is quite different from most drow. They have no eyes, and instead "see" with their long tongue by "tasting" the air, much like a snake. Their teeth are sharp and jagged, and their fingers and toes pretty much just claws. Their numbers are small, and they are rarely seen in drow cities, except as mercenaries.

Dragons 

In the Drowtales universe dragons are counted among the fae races, and like the other fae they possess a mana aura and the ability to perform magic. The most common kind of dragon seen in the Underworld are just giant dumb beasts though, usually used as mounts or war beasts by the most powerful clans. There are hints though that a civilization of intelligent, humanoid, dragons exist on the surface, or more specifically on Skyworld, the magical islands that float high above the surface of the planet. Half-dragons also exist like the Moonless Age character Riklaunym (Ariel's bodyguard (and part time lover), and former gladiator slave).

Goblin races 

Considered by most Drow to be lesser races, they have short lifespans, reproduce like vermin and are generally violent and destructive.

Humans 

Humans in the Drowtales universe are pretty much the same as humans in the real world, except that we see them from the perspective of the practically immortal Drow race. They are considered violent and destructive, but still the smartest of the Goblin races, preferring to settle in one location and build cities and empires. It is also noted that the intelligence of the humans tend to be proportionally lower depending on the size of the group they operate in.

Orcs 

Orcs on the surface generally operate in nomadic tribes. Generally less intelligent and physically stronger than humans, they are considered little more than dogs on two legs, but the Drow value the loyalty they show to their masters, and often use them as guards and cannon fodder in their armies.

Driders 

Driders are drow-spider hybrids, originally created through magical means. Several sub-types exist.

Waelinider 

A newly created drider. During the Dark elf migration into the underworld driders were the result of mortally wounded soldiers being merged with spiders, both to keep them alive and to create a fierce warrior race. Originally they commanded much respect, but as the Drow's hold on the underworld solidified they became shunned by Drow society at large, and became known as the cursed. Few of them survive, and 99% of them eventually go mad.

Streekaider 

They are wild driders, Waeliniders who have gone mad. They are little more than rabid monsters, and have a special hatred for the Drow who created and cast them out. They are considered to be some of the most dangerous monsters in the underworld.

Ne'Kalsaider 

These are "natural" driders, the offspring of two sane Waelinider's (or on rare occasions the offspring of a drow and an intelligent giant spider or a drider). Unlike the Waelinider they are typically mentally stable and civilized. They have formed a community known as the Hive.

Dwarven races 

Duergars

At the time of the dark elven migration into the underworld the duergars were the most common intelligent race to inhabit the underworld. Their skin and hair color is similar to that of the drow, although black hair is also common in addition to white. Strong but non-aggressive by nature, they soon became hunted as slaves. Resistance was brutally crushed. Only a few free duergar nations still exist, and they generally live as nomads to avoid slave traders. They have little love for the drow empire and will often use guerilla tactics to fight drow interests whenever they can, usually preying on travellers and caravans.

Gnomes 

Also known as yingil among the drow. Gnomes are duergars who have been assimilated into drow society, originally as slaves, though many are now free. They have adopted drow customs and fashion, and dress in drow clothes. Male yingil are also almost always clean shaven in contrast to "wild" duergars who favour long beards.

Nagas 

Naga are not very well known within the setting of Drowtales. Within this world setting the Naga slither upright, with a fully human torso and a very long tail to support them and move.

Ferals 

Ferals are humanoid felines, or "cat people". They mature much slower than most of the other races, but with time they can be trained to speak and perform simple tasks. Not much more has been revealed about them. In the most recent chapter (as of May 2005) Ariel has bought a young Feral pet/slave.

Awares 

Awares are giant sapient spiders. The big vertical eye in the center of their head is the symbol of the Val'Kyorl'solenurn clan, and they are an integral part of their religion. The Awares (or Holy ones as the Val'Kyorl'solenurn call them) they believe to be emissaries of Sharess, and they serve as spiritual advisors to the Val'Kyorl'solenurn. They are rumored to have originally been dark elves who have been transformed. Zhor, Ariel's real father, is such a creature.

[edit] Locations

The stories of Drowtales are mostly located underground, where the Drow have taken up residence after great wars that ravaged the surface. However, there are events taking place on the surface, with cities and other locations coming into focus.

[edit] Underground

The main location of the World setting, this is where the Dark Elves retreated from the surface after the Great War.

Chel'el'sussoloth- The main Drow establishment of the Underworld, Chel'el'sussoloth is a bustling metropolis and a major center of trade. This city is most commonly home to drow characters of any subrace, although Xuile'Solen are very uncommon. Non-Drow races (humans, orcs, elves, gnomes, dwarves) may also live within the city, but they are invariably slaves to a drow master.

Chel'el'Sussoloth cavern- The Cavern in which Chel'el'sussoloth was founded has a ceiling made of a solid crystalline stone. It is Reflective, so it mirrors the lights of the city, giving it the impression of a night sky. The crystalline structure also prevents people from using earth sorcery to modify it. There is also at least one major stalagmite within the cavern that stretches from ground to ceiling. This stalagmite is covered in bioluminescent moss and is the source for most of the light in the main cavern.

The Clan Fortresses- Within the city, the Fortresses of the individual clans are considered major sights. There are no special names given to the fortresses other than the Clan name.

• Vel'Sharen Fortress- The fortress of the ruling clan Vel'Sharen stretches from the ground to the ceiling of Chel'el'Sussoloth cavern. It is built at the outskirts of the city, against the cavern walls. Powerful beasts and outer-world beings protect it from outside attacks, and is the oldest fortress in the city.
• Val'Sarghress Fortress- This fortress was built by the Mercenaries of the Clan Val'Sarghress out of the ruins of a Dwarven Bastion that was destroyed by the Drow in the past. Built far outside of the protections of Chel'el'sussoloth, Val'Sarghess Fortress is the closest to an independent city-state.

Val'Raveran- A major trading outpost between the Underworld and the surface, Val'Raveran is a prosperous city of about ten thousand people of all races and beliefs. In stark contrast to Chel'el'sussoloth, most inhabitants of this city are free people, no matter their race.

[edit] The Surface

Not much has been written about the surface. There is evidence of raids on the surface, as well as known trade with cities on the surface. Drow will occasionally flee to the surface if they have made too many or powerful enemies among their own kind.

[edit] Skyworld

Skyworld is made up of several islands floating high above the clouds. Very little is know about these mystical islands. In the recently remade chapter one, they are shown, and it is said that the planet contains 3 worlds (surface and underworld being the two other) [1], they are however not referred to directly. Various earlier pieces of art also hint that the islands might be the home to a civilization of humanoid dragons [2]. As of May 2005 no further information has been revealed about these mysterious islands.

[edit] Culture

The main culture featured within the Drowtales Universe is the Drow Culture. Drow are a race of fiercely individual beings that hold together in communities. This internal conflict forms the impetus for most Drow culture, which is very Clannish. As Drow women tend to be larger, stronger, and more aggressive, the Drow are a matriarchal society.

[edit] Noble Clans

The Val' and Vel' prefixes used in clan names mean holy and demonic respectively. Val' is the traditionally used prefix. Vel' is a fairly recent addition, used by clans who worship demons as their patron deity [3]. The prefixes are similar to honorifics in that they are not part of the clan name itself. In everyday informal conversations it is common to use only the clan name (Sarghress, Vloz'ress and so on) without the Val/Vel prefix attached.

Val'Sarghress 

Notable for being a fairly young clan, only a few centuries old. It was founded by a group of legendary mercenaries under the command of Quain'tana, who now rules as the clan's Ilharess. The lack of noble ancestry caused many of the other clans to look down on the Val'Sarghress, but their power can not be denied. The clan's main army is commanded by Koil'dorath, who is also first heir of the clan. Due to the Val'Sargrhess clan's mercenary background, the clan's army is highly disciplined and both well trained and equipped. A special branch of the army called the Overworld Exploration Army, commanded by Quil'yate Yurunhiir (she is referred to as Quain'tana's sister, but they are not blood relatives, just sisters-in-arms from their mercenary days [4]), is responsible for raids upon the surface. The loot and slaves that are sent back ensure the clan's financial health. The main character of the Moonless Age comic, Ariel, is a member of this clan.

Val'Kyorl'solenurn 

The only major Drowussu Clan, the Kyorl'solenurn are a Clan obsessed with purity, believing Demons are filthy creatures and that any Drow tainted by a Demon must be destroyed. They believe themselves to be the 'order amidst the chaos', and they think it their duty to keep their dark cousins pure - even though the Drowolath hate them for it - and follow this belief with a zealous will. This Clan is known to contain noble Wardens such as Chirinide, who fight alongside a male, named their 'blade'; Shan'naal is Chirinide's blade, for example. However, their obsession with purity can even affect those within their circle, such as Tir'ade, who, after being "tainted" by a demon and refusing execution, escaped as an outcast who would be killed by any Drowussu on sight. They do perform important works, such as protecting other drow from tainted, and also killing any demons that try to attack Drow.

Vel'Vloz'ress 

This Clan was once a very small group that provided sanctuary to those that would otherwise be killed or abandoned by the rest of Drow society. As such, they were largely comprised of people from the slightly eccentric to the downright insane. Their religion was one that centered around Demons, they gave them life in their world in exchange for knowledge or skills unknown to them. For this, they were despised by many other Clans. The Vloz'ress were led by a kind and caring female, Ven'nedia, the mother of Kiel'ndia, until a young girl known as Kharla'ggen was brought to the group - half-starved, heavily Tainted and insane - by Sene'kha. Ven'nedia took care of the girl, but soon ended up at the wrong end of Kharla'ggen's extraordinary abilities, leaving the girl to take over the group and force its way up the hierarchy until they sat as a major Clan, with Kharla'ggen as its Ilharess, though Kharla'ggen is considered a figurehead do to her complete insanity.

Val'Beldrobbaen 

Once a powerful Clan, the Beldrobbaen have always been very selective when it comes to nobility, preferring pure nobles rather than giving commoners titles like many other Clans. As a result of this fixation, they'd steadily dwindled in number over the years. However, this minor problem became a very real and very major one during an 'accident' at Orthorbbae. During a tainting ceremony, to vaccinate them against Demons, something happened within the chambers that left many young Beldrobbaen nobles dead or so badly tainted they died, or worse, soon after. Now, only Naal'suul, the daughter of their Ilharess Waes'soloth, has survived, though she knows that she is destined to be overcome by the demon within her. The Beldrobbaen Clan is one of the few Clans left that has a strong belief in Sharess and believes spiders are holy creatures. They are also the only Clan that respects Driders, and they commonly give them sanctuary within their fortress.

[edit] Spirituality

Spirituality in the Drowtales Universe is Atheistic, in the sense that there is no God, or Creator Being. There are gods in the sense that the people of various races will worship either made up deities, demons, or legendary heroes.

• Souls - There are no eternal spirits, only the mana, or life force, of the Drow. This force is what is commonly referred to as the soul. Humans and the other goblinoid races have no mana, and therefore, in the Drow eyes, no soul.
• Gods and Goddesses - At the time this article was written, only the Drow deity Sharess has been described. There have been hints of others to be explored, however Sharess is the deity important to the story. There is also the worship of Demons by the Vel'Vloz'ress clan.
  • Sharess - Sharess is not a deity in the traditional sense, but a Dark Elf who transcended the mortal/physical plane to "counter-possess" in the demonic realm, saving the Drow from destruction. What actually happened to her is unknown. It is important not confuse her with the Sharess of the Forgotten Realms setting.
  • Spider Demon - Kharla'ggen is known to be the servant of a spider demon. This is possibly one of the demons that Sene'kkha worships.
• Demons - Demons in Drowtales are predatory beings of energy that feed on mana. They originate from different planes of being. In order to manifest physically in the drow world, they have to possess the body of a creature of fae or draconic descent (a creature with mana). Demons can only enter the world through gates created by a drow summoner. Demons come in many varieties, the most common being simple mindless beasts that attack on sight, others being sapient beings of high intelligence. Demons are not necessarily evil (though some are), most are simply mindless animals following their instincts, much like a hungry wolf released among a flock of sheep.
  • Possession - When a Demon completely consumes a Drow's mana, it can then replace the mana of the Drow with itself, thus inducing possession. Once possessed, the Drow personality is lost, and replaced by the demon. The demon now has accessed energy which it will use to transform the physical body, either intentionally or unintentionally depending on the intelligence. Demons are capable of manipulating mana into physical energy, which allows them to transform their victim into a form closer to the demon's. The most dangerous thing a demon can do, is to 'taint' an unwilling drow. If the drow does not have special training, it will quickly be transformed into another demon. This new demon can taint more drow, until there are no drow left.
  • Tainting - Tainting is a recent Phenomenon among the drow society, which began by modifying the art of summoning. If a demon does not completely consume the drow's mana it will not possess the drow but leave a "seed"- a poison left behind after feeding. This seed can be compared to the offspring of the demon. Like shown in Soul Fusion, this kind of demon is born from the shard of another demon. The tainted have a shard within them, so weak that their own personality, their mind, overpowers it.
    Tainting isn't all without benefits, though it has both positive and negative side effects: positive, the drow who has been "seeded" is immune to possession from a demon, since they are pretty much already possessed; negative, if left unchecked the "seed" may grow within the drow and become a new demon killing the host in the process. The process of tainting is often compared to a vaccination, though there are hints within the story of darker effects.
    What the name Tainted refers to is that the aura and the eyes of the Ver'Drowendar get a red taint due to the demon seed. In addition, the physical senses are dulled. They also become more vicious and aggressive. These effects can range from light to heavy, depending on the strength of the seed left behind. Heavy tainting can have some random effects on the person, other than the lack of feelings and the red eyes. The body can also change, and their habits and personality can shift. There are examples of Ver’Drowendar who have been devoured to the core by a strong seed within them. They are on the border of losing against the seed, unable to keep it at bay. One day they could wake up an empty shell, and a new demon would be born in full control of the body, the soul of the person completely lost.
    Examples of the two ends of the spectrum are Naal'Suul and Syphile.
    The ritual to taint someone is usually done via a relationship with a demon under controlled conditions, and it is now a prerequisite at the school for learning summoning. Nearly all summoners are tainted, since it both increases their power and protects them from accidents.

[edit] Magic

In the Drowtales universe all fae races (of which the drow are a part) generate an aura of energy called mana. This energy aura can be manipulated and can perform magic. Most drow have an affinity for a particular "element" (like fire) and are especially skilled in its use, though there are however no inherent limitations to how many magical disciplines a person can master through training and hard work [5]. Some rare abilities however like empathy magic or visions of the future do however seem to be exclusively for people born with the "gift" of those abilities.

[edit] More on mana

The drow consider their mana auras to be the manifestation of their souls. Therefore races that do not have a mana aura are considered soulless. These soulless races (humans, orcs, dwarves and ferals) are also unable to perform magic. Creatures without mana are also safe from demons, that is that they can not be possessed. Naturally, they can still be killed by a demon who has possessed a physical body.

Mana is also the source of the fae "immortality". Some mana always "bleeds off", and when many fae live in close proximity the excess mana mixes together and saturates the area with "background mana". This effect is used to power lights throughout the city, but it also affects the fae themselves. As long as a fae lives in an area rich on background mana they will not age beyond adulthood. However, if they live as hermits or outcasts away from the mana saturated areas they will wither and die of old age after mere centuries [6].

When someone performs magic they drain mana from their aura, when the aura is low on "power" they will feel physically drained and weak. If the aura is completely drained they may even die from exhaustion. To counter this people who rely heavily on magic often have special crystals integrated into their armor and clothing. These crystals are capable of storing mana, and the magic user can tap into these crystals like "batteries" when performing magic in order to preserve their own aura, or cast more powerful spells. Such crystals can also be used to "power" golems and other magical devices that continuously "burn" mana to function (minor magical constructs like street lights don't require crystals because they get what little mana they need from the background mana that saturates drow settlements).

[edit] Types of magic

All fae have limited ability to use magic, however without extensive training they are usually limited to creating a weak light source and other such very basic spells. Most drow don't rely extensively on magic, as magical training is reserved for the rich and powerful who can afford to attend a school of magic or hire masters to train them. A few people though, even among the commoners, are born with special magical abilities that they can use almost instinctively. These in-born abilities are usually highly specialised though, and not as versatile as the magic that is learned the hard way.

There are several "types" of magic in the drow realm [7]:

Basic energy

Any fae can use basic energy magic (also known as "raw magic" ) without much training. It simply involves turning their energy into some usable form, for example a source of light or a shield. There is not much finesse involved and the power of the spells are pretty much directly proportional to the amount of mana that is put into them. A highly skilled magic user can usually channel a lot more energy (or make better use of it) than an untrained user can though.

Sorcery

Sorcery is an inborn ability to manipulate certain elements (for example heat and fire). This ability is second nature and requires no special training to use. Sorcery abilities usually follow bloodlines, but the exact nature if the abilities seem mostly random, the children of a fire sorceress might very well turn out to have the ability to manipulate water or wind rather than fire. People skilled in high art can achieve the same results, but it requires considerably more training.

High sorcery

High sorcery is extremely rare. It can either mean that a person has multiple sorcery skills (natural ability to manipulate multiple elements), or some natural ability to manipulate complex objects other than the base elements. For example Ariel's natural ability to shape change is a high sorcery skill (shape changing is not unique, but her natural affinity for it is).

Empathy

Empathy magic is purely inborn, no amount of training can make an empath out of a "ungifted" person. It usually follows the same bloodline. An empath basically feel the emotions and dreams of others. For an unskilled empath it's mostly a curse, and the never ending flow of emotions and visions drive them mad and suicidal. With proper training the ability can be controlled however and a strong empath can even learn to read the minds of others or even control their thoughts! They also make skilled animal handlers and healers.

Spell song

A very rare skill, almost no one outside the Illhar'Dro clan have access to it. It is not transmitted by bloodline so anyone can learn it in theory, however the clan guard its secrets well. By mixing complex songs and chants with their mana the Illhar'Dro songstreses can achieve a number of effects. Most of which affects a person's aura directly (although it can also be used to tear down a wall, but other kinds of magic is more suited for that task). Because the magic is transmitted by sound it's almost impossible to block or dispel (the sound waves interact directly with the aura so even a deaf person is affected). It's mostly used for support to increase the strength and morale of allies or weaken enemies, but can also be used directly to stun or daze an opponent temporarily.

High art

The most common type of magic, as it is available to all (who can afford the training). It involves mixing of elements with mana to create various effects. Both mages (Faern) and priestesses (Yathrines) use some form of high art. Faerns tend to focus on the concrete elements (fire, ice, earth, water, wind etc.) while the Yathrines tend to focus on "abstract" elements (light, shadow, blood etc.)

Golem making

Golem making is highly complex and often involves centuries of trial and error to master, and it's as much engineering as it is magic. In order to be able to move, the golem need working joints in every limb and, by far, the most complex part is creating the "control centre", which is usually made up of complex magical patterns worked into the structure. Once complete the golem is animated and "programmed" with a set of spells and powered by one or more crystals filled with mana. A far easier type of golem to make are "flesh golems", a corpse makes an excellent golem (assuming it's not too damaged) as one does not have to spend ages building the body and control centre. All that is needed is some spells to animate the corpse and the crystals to power it (and presumably some kind of "preservation spell" to prevent the golem from going stale). Golems are usually used as guardians or as menial labour in hazardous environments.

Summoning

An ancient art which originally involved summoning creatures to the aid of the summoner. Though over time it has been "corrupted" as summoners have sought out new ways to increase their power and is today used almost exclusively to summon demons or raw energy from the outer planes. Summoning is used to open a rift to the demonic plane and "pull out" a demon who the summoner then tries to control for her purpose. There is a high risk of getting tainted or possessed if something goes wrong. For this reason a prerequisite for learning summoning today is a controlled "low level" deliberate tainting for the would be summoner. This weak taint work as a vaccine for demonic possession because only one demon can possess the same person and the summoner is already "taken" by a very weak shard of a demon. Summoning can also be used to make direct attacks at a person’s aura; which makes it a lot harder to defend against compared to "normal" spells that do physical damage. Summoning is almost exclusively taught to Yathrines.

[edit] External links

• Drowtales main site
• Drowtales Oekaki board see also: Oekaki
• Drowtales forums
• Fourth year anniversary animation in Flash
• Fifth Year anniversary animation in Flash
• Daydream "Mature" Section