Regarding the Emergency Warning Test and sound on phones:
"
Wow! That is really interesting to see, and they even have that Welsh portion these days, I wonder if that has always been the case or how long ago that started to be included. It also reminds me of 28 Days Later. I also wonder if it is the very same sound that occurs in other places, like here. I saw a video clip the other day where someone was filming their TikTok or Instagram video and was interrupted by something like this. I am increasingly feeling like taking measures to banish my phone. It is my only connection to the outside while I’m inside, and some kind of sound proof box where I wouldn’t be informed of the Zombies would do the trick.
Just like everything pretty much, I get the impression I’m the “zombie” they are talking about anyway in those films, so what good does it do me to hear news of my compatriots supposedly running amok or “kidnapping” their own “kids”? That was the last one I heard maybe, some guy had driven away with his own disabled daughter, and I didn’t think much of it, meaning I might be a little bit on the side of that guy too, or at the very least feel constipated about it. Lol, I hope I’m the first to use the term in such a way, as an alternative to not giving a…Why, WHY, does this nauseating world keep trying to involve me with things I can do nothing about and also don’t want to do anything about in many cases? Why do they want me to feel involved and then constantly remind me how uninvolved and powerless I am? It practically amounts to bullying, and I HATE that MY devices are complicit, and working in cahoots with organizations I did not tell it to! It is a little spy living with me, watching me, whispering foul things to me that I don’t want to hear or screeching violently! Who do you work for?! I’ll see if there is some kind of No Signal Dead Box to store this in. This thing sleeps right next to me and is the first thing I look at sometimes, and that wasn’t what I did all my life until rather recently, and it just so happens that my life seemed better in many ways back then, possibly for other reasons, but the phone will bear the crucifix and maybe I’ll be forgiven of all that weighs on me, until I pick it up again. This phone is everything in my days now, I practically worship more than anything, Mirror, Mirror, which also looks like a Wall, why can’t you tale a good picture of me at all?
"
Added in 2 days 16 hours 36 minutes 30 seconds:
Re: Lolth: Web
I'm watching this film called Cuckoo.
Scenes in it look like they were inspired by a few things, including images from a music video I posted in this thread.
I moved all the posts to join them together in the first few posts since I deleted so much here.
This film is very "on theme" for this thread so far, extremely so.
This is the 2024 film with Dan Stevens in a very funny performance.
The elements in the film connect to themes in this thread.
I'll either replace all the numerous empty lots with more material or they can be deleted up until the consolidated posts. If they are left around I will continue to fill them up until this post.
Throughout the entire forum, unless you mind or object and prefer that I do not do it, I plan on filling in all available sections with quite a bit more, besides also making new posts as I have been.
I don't like deleting or losing my writing but if I happen upon anything that I think might not be good for the site anymore, I'll put it somewhere else off of the website, but I think for the most part everything is fine.
I don't tend to like one liners for my own posts so I might go through and minimize those by putting them together into longer posts or added much more to them, so that space isn't wasted with old one liners of single links.
Somewhere along the line though, I will hopefully figure out how to make shorter posts and also more conversational types of posts even though the answers to such may not be too likely just yet while the population is low.
What I have been achieving recently again though have been, for myself at least, really productive meditative rides, and they seem to be getting better in some ways, or maybe a little easier for me, as what occurs in this thread is quite a bit more difficult in some ways, though all the posts or experiences are quite complex still, but don't include the deletions that I made here which is a layer to this theme also, like how webs are weaved and un-weaved and have opened spaces between the lines.
If you view the video I placed at the top of the first thread if you haven't already, that also relates to a lot of the thinking abd themes related to what this thread is about, similar to this film.
I'd reccomend seeing the film before reading anything about it or seeing trailers or getting spoilers. I'm even quite a bit into the film already and don't know what it is about, but do know it has a lot to do with ideas that this thread is meant to bring up too.
Added in 2 days 5 hours 8 minutes 45 seconds:
Re: Lolth: Web
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tsuchigumo
Added in 6 hours 13 minutes 1 second:
Re: Lolth: Web
I'm reading:
https://archive.org/download/DragonMaga ... ine129.pdf
There is relevant and disturbingly true and scary stuff in it, I was explaining some of what is scary about it in detail and the whole thing I wrote got deleted, something about this thread and the theme of this thread seems to have to do with that, like not saying or showing certain things, things getting deleted and blanked out, the whole thing is scary and puts me on alert. I will show you some relevant sections, but it also mentions The Forgotten Realms, which is mostly what I use throughout the forum these days:
"
Children of the
Spider Goddess
The darkest elves point of view
by Eric Oppen
The drow, or dark elves, are easily the
most distinctive elves found in the AD&D®
game. From their very appearance to their
way of life, dark elves are as different
from surface elves as is possible; in more
ways than one, dark elves are like photo-
graphic negatives of surface elves. At the
same time, the common ancestry of dark
and surface elves shows up in the many
similarities between the races. Indeed, the
enmity between these races could well lie
in the fact that each side sees a horrid
caricature of itself in the other.
Pride and personality
The key to the dark elfs personality is
pride. Any dark elf, no matter how lowly
his station, feels that he is a natural aristo-
crat. No matter how powerful a nondrow
is, or how awe-inspiring his achievements
are, the most open praise a dark elf will
usually give is: You did about as well as
could be expected, for a [fill in racial
name]. When dealing with drow, other
beings often note a hint of elaborate,
subtle mockery in the dark elven manner.
When among other races, even the hum-
blest beggar-drow carries himself like a
prince in exile.
For a dark elf, pride in clan comes just
after pride in self. The achievements of a
noble house are believed to reflect upon
all its members; a merchant clans suc-
cesses, for example, are sources of pride
for each member. At the same time, this
pride often leads to bitter feuds between
noble houses, since no drow is willing to
believe that a house other than his own
should be more prominent in a drow
colony. These internecine feuds often
grow very nasty, with assassins plying
their trade briskly or with open battles
breaking out in little-traveled corridors.
One reason the drow give for the preemi-
Illustration by Richard Bennett
nence of the priestesses of Lolth among
them is that the priestesses ensure that
these feuds are never taken to the point of
endangering any one colony of drow. As a
result, many dark-elven ballads celebrate
heroes and heroines whose loyalty to their
clans and kin saved the day.
The third sort of pride all dark elves feel
is pride in their race and its accomplish-
ments. To be sure, the drow do have rea-
sons for being proud. In one of the most
threatening environments on the Prime
Material Plane, they not only survive but
thrive within and dominate their sur-
roundings. Dark-elven legend states that in
the beginning, all elves were challenged to
enter the underworld and test themselves
against its elements. The ancestors of the
drow accepted this challenge, and were
made different from all other elves to
commemorate their courage. Because of
this, dark elves scorn their surface-
dwelling kinfolk for choosing the easy,
untroubled life. More danger, more glory
is a common drow saying.
Dark societies
Some commentators have wondered
how the chaotic-evil drow manage to hold
themselves together and survive at all,
much less how they have done as well as
they have. The answer lies in clan loyalty,
as noted earlier. Even the most chaotic,
evil, and primitive drow differentiate
between the in group with whom an
individual cooperates and the out groups
who are fair game. This is reflected among
primitive tribes in our own world: Many
of the names these tribes give themselves
translate as the people, indicating that
outsiders are not quite regarded as hu-
man. The drow feel much the same, al-
though more so about their merchant clan
or noble house, purely as a matter of
survival. Clan loyalty among dark elves is
intense and deep, even though it does not
preclude nonlethal infighting for positions,
of dominance within the group. The drow
feel that leadership should go to those
who show themselves worthy, and a
leader worthy of the title is able to keep
subordinates loyal to the clan.
Drow adventurers are usually social
exiles, and have no clan to which they may
cleave. This loss tends to make drow ad-
venturers intensely loyal to their adven-
turing party, although their normal
tendency for domination is exacerbated by
dealing with nondrow. Such a drow de-
fends the group with fervor and fury
(simply as a matter of survival) in order to
preserve the only surface-dwellers with
whom he feels even partially comfortable
yet may constantly quarrel with and
engage in petty rivalries with group mem-
bers when with the group alone.
One tendency drow share with the other
elves is a deep appreciation of beauty and
quality in all things. For the drow, this
appreciation is manifested in a drive to
excel at whatever is done. A drow crafts-
man with centuries of perspective thinks
nothing of taking a few decades off to
become skilled in some new craft tech-
nique. This drive for excellence ensures
that any items manufactured by drow are
of the best quality and beauty. The love of
beauty is somewhat spoiled by the sharp
and egotistical pride they feel in viewing
their own works.
The drow love of beauty is one main
reason their race engages in the construc-
tion of free-standing buildings in the high,
wide caverns they favor. Queried on this
practice, a drow often responds: What
scope for skill can holes grubbed out of
the rock afford? This tendency for build-
ing runs contrary to that of most other
underground races.
The drive to excel at all things, com-
bined with personal pride, tempts most
dark elves to leave menial work to slaves
or servants, thus providing the free-time
for studying spell-casting or practicing the
warriors arts. Even drow thieves and
assassins take great pride in their skills,
often competing to see who can steal the
most in a set time, or to see who can assas-
sinate a particularly difficult target first.
Dark-elven society, unlike that of any
known race of surface elves, is basically
matriarchal. Whether or not this came
from the widespread worship of the de-
moness Lolth is unknown. In any case,
noble houses are usually led by their most
dominant female member. The males
accept this rule without cavil. Like other
elves, the dark elves do not discriminate
against a dark elf of proven ability simply
on account of sex (noble houses led by
males exist, though they are rare).
The priestesses of Lolth, along with their
male assistants, form an elite group and
provide such race-wide leadership as
exists. When an intrafamily vendetta
threatens the colony, or an outside threat
has been detected, the priestesses of Lolth
usually rally the other dark elves to their
banner. No drow could willingly accept
domination by any single noble house, but
those who serve Lolth serve a cause that
almost all evil (and even some neutral)
dark elves revere.
The drow adventurer
Drow adventurers are even rarer than
halfling adventurers. A drow needs very
powerful motives to leave his or her clan.
One common motive for such departure is
alignment. Any good-aligned dark elf finds
his entire society repugnant. The casual
acceptance of betrayal and treachery as
methods of advancing the clans cause, the
worship of Lolth and trafficking with
other demons and devils, the casual cru-
elty with which slaves are treated all of
this tends to alienate a good dark elf.
Attempts at reforming drow society might
follow, only to be promptly quelled by the
amused majority. When a good dark elf
has had enough, he might well decide to
defect to the side of the predominantly
good, surface-dwelling races.
Evil drow might also find themselves
trying their luck among the surface-
dwellers. In this case, the predominant
motive could well be that their clans have
been virtually destroyed as a result of a
vendetta or assassins war. With no clan
and many enemies, the surface might hold
fewer terrors than the drows subterra-
nean home.
Still another motive that could apply to
any drow adventurer is greed. Dark elves
are well aware of their relative advantages
over other races, and a dissatisfied dark
elf might easily decide to put his skills to
use against inferior opposition. This sort
of dark elf usually plans a brief surface
sojourn with intentions of returning much
richer than when he set out.
As can be expected with such a unique
race of beings, the dark elves approach
each profession in their own distinctive
manner. Often, their perspective on a
given profession is unlike that of any other
22 JANUARY 1988
known race.
Dark-elven cavaliers are immediately
recognizable (even in full plate mail with a
closed visor) by the holstered hand-
crossbow they invariably carry. Since
cavaliers must start out as good charac-
ters, these dark elves are converts from
evil. Like many other converts, they are
often more fervent about the cause than
those whose lives have been spent in its
service. Good and neutral drow cavaliers
are among the most relentless foes evil
has. Their race is often an advantage in
itself, for many evil beings are more at
home in darkness an element in which
the drow operates at peak efficiency. As
the drow reach higher levels, their innate
spells become more useful, particularly
against enemies who are unaware of the
fact that theyre up against a dark elf.
Dark-elven clerics are almost all female.
Unlike other elves, dark-elven females have
unlimited advancement in the clerical class,
which gives rise to some anomalous situa-
tions. A case is known in which a dark-
elven female cleric of Corellon Larethian
rose far past the highest level that the
worship of Corellon Larethian normally
allowed. Like regular cavaliers, good-
aligned, dark-elven clerics are particularly
remorseless in battling evil; their familiarity
fuels their hatred of it.
Fighters hold a relatively low status
among dark elves, even among the ranks
of adventurers. Most dark-elven fighters
are multi-classed, if any talent for another
career exists. No dark elf likes to think
that all he is good for is fighting. Neverthe-
less, a dark elf with fighting skills alone
works just as hard to perfect these skills
as he would in any other profession.
Drow rangers are a rare and special
breed. Like dark-elven cavaliers, they are
usually converts from evil, and are just as
fervent against it as are dark-elven cava-
liers. Not surprisingly, drow rangers pre-
fer operating at night, making them
invaluable members of any rangers orga-
nization. Since many evil beings think that
the night is their time, a few drow rangers
can often be more effective than their
numbers warrant. This is due, in part, to
the overconfidence of their foes. Taking
advantage of their races evil reputation
also helps. A drow ranger has a better
chance of entering an orc encampment
and being accepted as a nonthreatening
stranger than any surface-dwelling demi-
human does.
Magic-users among the drow tend to be
male for the same reasons that female
drow tend to be clerics. Often, a dark-
elven male who chafes at female domina-
tion within his society takes up magic in
an effort to excel at something few female
drow are capable of. Good drow magic-
users tend to be less dismayed over the
concept of dealing with demons than they
do over dealing with magic-users of other
races, especially since drow magic-users
are so familiar with various beings from
the lower planes.
Thieves and thief-acrobats of dark-elven
race steal primarily to prove their super-
iority over nondrow characters. Their
predilection for operating in darkness,
combined with their innate spell-ability
and high dexterity, make drow thieves
difficult to stop. In thieves guilds, dark
elves often specialize in the kinds of jobs
that cause other thieves to despair. Drow
thieves believe that success where other
thieves fear to dare demonstrates dark-
elven superiority.
Drow assassins seldom bother to go
adventuring. In drow society, these char-
acters perform a function that is both
valuable and in high demand, and one in
which they take great pride. In the eternal
cold war between various noble houses
and their associated merchant clans, dark-
elven assassins often do the perilous work
of removing leaders who pose a particular
threat. At other times, they perform the
task of removing particularly charismatic
troublemakers who threaten dark-elven
society with reform or the overthrow of
Lolths priestesses. Since the drow seldom
dare to war openly among themselves, the
skillful assassin receives much of the sta-
tus that a fighter receives among other
races. In fact, the drow attempt to hire the
services of nondrow assassins of higher
rank than they themselves can attain.
These higher-level assassins are offered
enticing rewards and challenging work.
Several human Guildmaster Assassins have
accepted these offers; one Grandmother of
Assassins who disappeared mysteriously is
said to have taken on the job of defending
a hard-pressed noble house.
Racial considerations
Dark elves distrust most characters
dark elven or not who are not members
of their noble house or clan, but they do
make some judgments by race. Generally,
dark elves respect humans of higher level
than they themselves can attain. Contrary
to Unearthed Arcana, dark elves should
have a neutral disposition with respect to
halflings. Unlike the other races to which
they bear antipathy, halflings are not
competitors for dark-elven food and living
space. Furthermore, halflings do not even
vaguely resemble races whom the drow
disdain; as a result, most dark elves are
entirely unfamiliar with halflings.
Gnomes, despite their similarities to
halflings, are another story. Deep gnomes
and dark elves have feuded throughout
history, fighting over alignment, food, and
living space. The deep gnomes are also
tempted by the wealth of the dark elves,
who share an envious greed over the
wealth of the gnomes. This tends to make
dark elves prejudiced toward all gnomes,
whether deep or not. The gnomes love
of pranks and japes makes matters even
worse. Although dark elves have a good
sense of humor, they find jokes directed at
them extremely unamusing.
Hill and mountain dwarves, being easily
the most subterranean of all the surface
dwelling races, have a long history of
conflict with the dark elves. The dwarves
usually claim they were tunneling along
when the dark elves ambushed them
without warning. Likewise, the dark elves
claim that the dwarves, having discovered
the drow wealth, deliberately tunneled
toward their treasure caches. The usual
dwarven-elven differences in outlook
merely make things more bitter. To the
disdainful drow, dwarves are grotesque,
self-enslaved, compulsive hoarders. The
dwarves, for their part, cant understand
how any race with the undeniable subter-
ranean skills of the drow can be so flighty.
Furthermore, the drow penchant for
slavery and evil enrages dwarves.
The dark elves are of two minds about
half-orcs. The few half-orc assassins of
levels above those the drow themselves
can attain are respected (though never to
the same extent that humans of equal level
are). Other half-orcs are lumped together
with orcs, hobgoblins, and other human-
oids in the dark-elven mind. Such human-
oids are regarded as useful cats-paws and
patsies, but are not deserving of much
respect. Thus, half-orcs are often underes-
timated by the dark elves. The excellent
craftsmanship of the gnomes and dwarves
is respected by the drow, and the few
halflings the drow encounter are re-
spected for their superlative thieving
abilities. But half-orcs have no crafts or
arts, nor any real prospect of improving
themselves, Consequently, half-orcs often
receive exaggerated praise from the dark
elves for anything they manage to do.
("Oh, look! You actually managed to kill
that monster! Isnt that wonderful!)
Gray dwarves are probably the race
with whom the drow feel most at ease. As
underground demi-humans, both races
have a lot in common. In many areas, both
races have discovered that cooperation
benefits both sides. Dark elves and gray
dwarves have often fought as allies. Like-
wise, the two races often engage in a great
deal of trade. The dangers of the under-
ground environment force both sides to
suppress the traditional dwarven-elven
distrust that is typical of their surface-
dwelling cousins.
Surface elves, as is well-known, are the
people the drow hate most. Even good-
aligned, surface-dwelling dark elves share
some of this feeling, albeit to a lesser de-
gree. The drow feel contemptuous of the
easy life led by the surface elves; in like
fashion, the surface elves are revolted by
the demon-worship common among the
drow. Civil wars and intrafamily feuds are
usually the most bitter, and the feud be-
tween dark and surface elves is no excep-
tion. Indeed, many dark elves who defect
to the surface because of alignment do not
associate with surface elves if possible.
Often, these defectors find it difficult to
quell their childhood training of fear and
hatred for their surface-dwelling
cousins.
"
"
Entering the Drider's Web
What happens after a drow fails Lolths test
by C.E. Misso
Your failure has proven you too weak to
represent the race of the drow. I therefore
sentence you to the form of the drider!"
With those final words from the demoness
Lolth, a dark elf is painfully transformed
into the hideous shape of the drider: a
misshapen creature, half-drow, half-spider
the possible fate of all Lolth-worshiping
drow who fail her test, as described in the
Monster Manual II, page 60.
The first drider was created many cen-
turies past by Lolth, queen of the Abyssal
plane known as the Demonweb Pits. In the
first few years of the drows existence,
Duagloth, a drow in the service of Lolth,
was bribed into stealing Lolths platinum
egg (as detailed in AD&D® module GDQ 1-
7 Queen of the Spiders). When Lolth
learned of this treachery, she turned
Duagloth into a hideous cross between a
drow and a spider. Now, to insure a finer
racial stock of drow, Lolth tests all drow
of promising ability who worship her;
failures result in driders. Duagloth is
rumored to still survive in some remote
area of the world; and may be more pow-
erful (and dangerous) than other driders.
Upon reaching 6th level or thereabouts,
a promising evil drow is summoned by
Lolth to the drow homeland in the under-
world, where he or she is brought to the
Abyss. Lolth there puts the drow through
a specially devised test. Clues as to the
nature of this test may be found in GDQ
1-7 Queen of the Spiders, in the section on
the Demonweb. Those drow who fail the
test become driders and are dropped off
on the Prime Material plane in random
spots. Note that a driders form is perma-
nent; nothing short of a wish spell or
divine intervention will restore it to its
drow form.
Once a drow becomes a drider, it seeks
the seclusion of caverns and tunnels;
avoiding contact with nondriders as much
as possible out of shame, hatred, and fear.
Due to ill feelings about its failure and
bloated appearance, the drider becomes
totally self-centered. As a result, its
30 JANUARY 1988
alignment changes to chaotic evil if it was
not so already. Once a drider has claimed
a certain area as its territory, it receives
the service of 2-12 huge spiders (Monster
Manual, page 90) as a sort of parting gift
from Lolth. New spiders may be attracted
chance exists that the drider is also en-
dowed with the ability to spin a web. The
resultant web covers a 10-square area
and acts as a net of entanglement. Up to
10 such webs can be spun per day, and
they can only be used by the drider who
to replace those lost in combat later. spun them.
Many of the drows former abilities are The drider also acquires a natural thirst
greatly altered by the change to drider for blood, as if it were a real spider. A
form. A brief summary of these changes drider must consume blood at least once
appears in Table 1. Those abilities which every four days or receive 1-6 hp damage
are not lost include: the creatures former per day. The damage is cumulative and
knowledge and languages known; abilities
to detect secret and concealed doors (Play-
only heals once a live creatures blood has
been digested. Because of this need for
ers Handbook, page 16); 12 infravision;
clerical and magic-user spell-casting abili-
ties (6th or 7th level in the former case,
and 6th, 7th, or 8th level in the latter);
90% sleep and charm resistance; innate
drow spells as per sex and level (FIEND
FOLIO® Tome, page 34; and Monster Man-
ual II, page 60); sharp senses allowing
surprise only on a roll of 1 on 1d8; abilities
to detect slopes, new construction, sliding
walls, certain traps, and depth under-
ground as per dwarves (Players
Handbook, page 16); +2 bonus to save vs.
spells (as per drow); sensitivity to and
penalties from exposure to bright light
(FIEND FOLIO Tome, page 34); and knowl-
edge of the silent tongue (though the
drider cannot master this unspoken lan-
guage in its new form, it understands it
perfectly well, and can still make a few of
blood, the drider is constantly creating
new and efficient weaponry to use on its
victims.
If attacked and harmed, a drider be-
comes enraged, having only a will to kill.
Consequently, the drider never checks
morale in combat and gains a +4 save vs.
fear. The drider enjoys using its weapons
on victims and attackers, but it also has a
taste for employing traps, and prefers to
single out its victims for ambush, biting to
paralyze and then drink the victims blood.
With its new body structure, the drider
gains a dexterity of 18 and a +2 bonus to
strength (for a maximum of 18). The effec-
tive intelligence, wisdom, and constitution
scores of the driders drow form are re-
tained intact. As a result of its appearance,
the drider PC receives a -8 penalty to its
charisma and comeliness (minimum score
the gestures). A drider, like a drow, can of 1). All elves hate and fear driders.
use a weapon in either hand, and can even All driders, regardless of their drow
attack with weapons in both hands, mak- backgrounds, gain certain skills similar to
ing two attacks per round so long as each those used by assassins, thieves, and thief-
of the weapons is of long sword size or acrobats. These skills (and those skills not
smaller. Drow (and thus driders as well) do so gained) are given below and in Table 2
not have the sword and bow to hit bo- (see Unearthed Arcana, pages 23-25, for
nuses of other elves. most details). These skills cannot be im-
Unlike drow, however, driders gain proved save by changes in the driders
poisonous saliva and needle-sharp teeth, dexterity or strength scores. All base
making their bite dangerous (1-4 hp dam- chances for success are those of a 6th-level
age, plus save vs. poison or victim is para- thief-acrobat or assassin, unless the drow-
lyzed for 1-2 turns). Any psionic abilities turned-drider previously had a higher skill
once possessed by a drow are lost if the level in these classes.
drow fails a system shack survival roll
during the transformation into drider
Tightrope walking: The drider is perfect
with this ability because of its spiderlike
form. All driders are sterile. structure.
Other changes may occur as well. A 50% Pole vaulting: This ability is not possible
"
The next bit becomes a mess, since it, somewhat like a web and this thread, inserts different lines between other sentences, so it is interspersed like the cut-up technique:
"
Web
Table 1
Ability Changes from Drow to Drider
Former drow ability
Armor and dexterity determine armor class
Move 12" or 15" (females)
Hit dice as per class*
Drow-made armor and weapons
Present drider ability
Natural AC 7 from thick skin (AC 3 from 18 dexterity)
Move 12" (either sex)
HD6+6
Weapons as can be found; no armor (magical items possible)
50% or better magic resistance 15% magic resistance
* Dark elves entering Lolths test are usually multiclassed, with levels of ability
between 6th and 8th level in the highest-rated class; other classes may have lower
scores. Acceptable classes include fighter, cleric, assassin, thief, thief-acrobat, and
magic-user; see DRAGON issue #103 for acceptable class combinations for drow.
Table 2
New Drow Abilities
because of the size and shape of the dri- dexterity of the drider, along with its new Ability Bonus/penalty
der. Also, because of its jumping ability, shape, provide a greater maneuverability Tightrope walking 100%
this skill is actually of little use to the than that of a normal human or drow. Broad jump
drider. Move silently: The drider receives a Standing +18
High jumping: Because of the driders leg penalty when executing this ability due to Running +28'
strength and its additional number of legs, its increased weight and number of legs (a Pole vaulting Not possible
the drider gains an 18 bonus on this skill. lone drider can still surprise opponents on Tumbling maneuvers
Assassination: This is one of the driders a 1-3 on 1d6, in the manner of an elf). Attack +5%
main abilities due to its dependence on Wide in shadows: The drider receives Evasion +7%
living organisms for sustenance. Due to a advantages when using this skill, as a Falling +5% for every 10'
repeated use of this skill, the drider gains result of the driders adapted color and High jumping +18
a 15% bonus for this skill. shape. Move silently -15%
Pick pockets: Because of its awkward Hear noise: The drider gains bonuses in Assassination +15%
shape and height, the drider receives a this ability as a result of its heightened Hide in shadows +15%
penalty when attempting this maneuver. senses. Pick pockets -15%
This skill (like the others here) is gained Climb walls: Because of its spiderlike Hear noise +5%
even if the drow was not a thief before ability, the drider can perform this skill Climb walls 100%
being turned into a drider. flawlessly. Open locks Normal
Open locks: This is similar to the thief Stalk: This ability is similar to the beast- Stalk 100%
ability. master ability given in DRAGON® Maga- Find/remove traps Normal
Find/remove traps: This is similar to the zine, issue #119. The drider is able to Track 100%
thief ability. perform this function without error be- Read languages Normal
Read languages: This is similar to the cause of its familiarity with its natural
thief ability (driders are easily bored and habitat. The drider uses this ability to As noted in the text, these bonuses and
reading passes the time between victims). follow and capture its prey. penalties are based upon either the 6th
Broad jumping: Because of its increased Track: This ability is similar to the beast- level of ability as a thief, thief-acrobat, or
leg strength, the drider gains a bonus master ability given in DRAGON Magazine, assassin, or upon the skill level possessed
when broad jumping. issue #119. in these classes as a drow, if such levels
Tumbling maneuvers: The increased were over the 6th level
"
Oh, maybe Bubba Gump was from this word:
https://www.etymonline.com/word/gumption
"
gumption(n.)
1719, originally Scottish, "common sense, shrewdness, acuteness of practical understanding," also "drive, initiative," a word possibly connected with Middle English gome "attention, heed," from Old Norse gaumr "heed, attention." The sense of "initiative" is recorded by 1812. Related: Gumptious (adj.), attested from 1823.
"
I was going to write about the power of all the "vices", like intense arrogance, and it looks like it appeared in that article anyway.
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Corellon
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corellon_Larethian
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki ... _Mestarine
"
Worshipers
Those most likely to worship Fenmarel Mestarine were pariahs and tribes of wild elves struggling to survive in a world hostile to their kind. Each independent group of worshipers worshiped and celebrated their god in their own unique way, a representation of the chaotic nature of a profoundly paranoid deity.[1]
The Misty Vale was a major center of worship of Fenmarel Mestarine.[11]
More recently some neutral fey'ris converted to Fenmarel Mestarine in order to understand better the Faerun of today.[12]
Clergy
Clergy of Fenmarel Mestarine who served tribes of wild elves were lone wolf specialty priests called the Unbowed. They were referred to as shamans[note 1] rather than priests.[10] Some chose to use different titles or none at all. Clergy included both males and females, with 56% being male.[11]
They offered training in techniques considered underhanded by some, including poisoning, guerilla warfare, and deception. Members of Fenmarel Mestarine's clergy prayed at dusk, an analogy to when darkness first settled upon the world.[1]
Lay Followers
Novices were called the Lost. Outcasts and isolated individuals were typically lay followers rather than clergy. They engaged in worship of their own design and observed the anniversary of their banishment as a holy day.[11]
Shrines
Worshipers of Fenmarel constructed hidden shrines rather than temples. Shrines varied depending on the individual or tribe who constructed them. Builders commonly included a token relating to their isolation as well as plant and animal materials indicative of local threats, shelter, and food sources, such as bones, teeth, claws, sticks, and leaves.[11]
"
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Seldarine
"
Each member of the Seldarine was represented by both male and female forms. For example, in Cormanthor, there were statues of the Seldarine in either both their male and female forms or in a single androgynous form. Some gods even had more than three forms, including nonhumanoid forms.[9]
In fact, the elves found the human obsession with biological sex and gender roles to be limiting and not befitting of a deity, who was beyond mortal definitions. All gods were to be respected, not squeezed into a role that presented them as little more than powerful versions of mortals at best or spoiled children at worst.[9]
"
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Dark_Seldarine
https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki ... ne_Moonbow
Added in 7 minutes 32 seconds:
Re: Lolth: Web
https://notallwhowanderarelost268.wordp ... fragility/
"
On Elvendom and White Fragility
Elrond of Imladris demonstrates the typical response to the phrase “White Fragility”
Hello again, dear readers. Today I want to talk about a topic that I have been mulling over for a long while. A past post, On Elf-Friends and Sanctuary; or, On Allyship and Safe Space, was a brief explanation of those social justice concepts through the lens of the world of Tolkien, in order to (hopefully) help those who might not otherwise be willing or able to comprehend the subject see it from a different angle, and perhaps grasp the reasoning. Here, I am hoping to do a similar thing with the notion of “White Fragility.” This is an extremely polarizing phrase, as many White people (myself included, once upon a time) feel personally attacked by the concept. What do people mean when they point out White fragility, and what contributes to it? And what in Middle-earth do I mean by bringing Elves into the discussion? Let’s begin!
Tolkien’s adaptation of the old Norse mythological figures of Elves has predominated in the genre of high fantasy since his time. Though there have always been exceptions and innovations, in this literary tradition Elves are generally immortal (or extremely long-lived), exceptionally beautiful, and possess great physical and/or spiritual strength and strong moral compasses. They represent the epitome of artistic and cultural achievement and accumulated wisdom. They also are frequently given hated foes who are often corrupted versions of themselves, whether Tolkien’s Orcs or the more common Dark Elf trope in Dungeons & Dragons or Warhammer, for example.
Warhammer_High_Elf_Spearmens.png
In the Warhammer world, the High Elves of Ulthuan are understood to be fighting a perpetually losing battle against a number of unrelenting foes, including their estranged kin the Dark Elves.
In nearly all of their literary manifestations, Elves are described as being a “Dying Race,” in inevitable decline or exceedingly low population. According to this tradition, the Elves represent the best of the world, but they are extremely vulnerable and prone to extinction.
But again you will ask, what does this have to do with the idea of White fragility? White fragility is a very similar dynamic to what we call Fragile Masculinity – when a person with social privilege is confronted with accusations of racism or racial insensitivity, they will frequently lash out, emotionally shut down, or refuse to engage in reasoned discussion. Even passive feelings of defensiveness are manifestations of this phenomenon.
This defensiveness happens when something we (consciously or not) consider to be of exceptional importance to our sense of reality is called into question (I say we because I myself am White and I am in no way exempt from this cultural conditioning, and I expect many of my readers will also be White). Whiteness is deeply reliant on these unquestionable assumptions in order to construct itself. And one of the defining traits of Whiteness is its obsession with its own vulnerability.
Elves, as imagined in most modern high fantasy literature, map almost perfectly onto this model. It is no accident that the Elves of high culture, of magnificent wisdom, of immense grace and power, are nearly always portrayed as light-skinned. It is also no coincidence that Elves are the classic example of the “Dying Race.” These tropes exist because of the explicit and subconscious understanding that this is the situation of the so-called White Race. White Supremacists have for centuries raised the specter of a hypothetical White extinction in order to galvanize repression of people of color worldwide. You can see it today when politicians and pundits talk about the declining birth rate among White people in the United States and Europe, immigration fears, and the idea that the United States will soon no longer be majority White. This is presented as something to be dreaded, the loss of something essential to society. Exactly the same rhetoric was behind anti-miscegenation laws and continued bigotry against interracial couples.
Drow
In Dungeons & Dragons, the Drow (Dark Elves) are presented as an evil subterranean race which split off from other Elves due to an ancient sin by their patron Goddess, Lolth. Their defining trait is their dark skin, a fact which has been a constant source of contention in the tabletop roleplaying community.
This is the way the ideology of White Supremacy operates – it hides in plain sight in popular culture, its very pervasiveness rendering it invisible to the untrained eye. Its unquestioned presence in our society leads us to accept it as simply the Way Things Are. White people, reflected in the literary creations the Elves, have convinced ourselves on some level that we are at the same time superior to people of color but also on the brink of total destruction. This is the core assumption and worldview that White people are falling back on when we react defensively to discussions about racial injustice and racism. And we need to fight it.
Acknowledging the problem is the first step. White readers, always be alert for the ways these tropes are playing out in the words and images you absorb each day. Think critically about the stories you grew up with and how they shaped the way you understand the world. Remember that one of the universal literary flaws of the Elves is their pride and arrogance, and let humility guide the way you approach discussions about race. Those small steps alone will help us to begin to resist the White fragility we have had ingrained into us from early childhood.
Author’s note: I chose to capitalize the word “White” because of some advice I received years ago – capitalizing racial terms emphasizes the fact of their existence *as racial terms*, forcing people to confront the discomfort that induces.
"
I bet you're real fun at parties 
