Martin O requests the following gift:Things that make the Drow unique as a society compared to their surface-dwelling humanoid counterparts:
What trade goods do the Drow export in order to destabilize their human neighbors? Gimme the weird stuff.
- Live underground. Duh.
- Full of hatred; waiting for their moment to snatch their deserved respect.
- Do deeds that would be beneath other societies' standards. Slavery being the most obvious example.
- Highly hierarchical, they follow a code of their own. Impossible to decipher for any non-Drow.
Due to the difficulties presented in the Underground, it will be tough for the Drow to tackle mass market and export of goods. Or compete in a price war. Food is more valuable than gold in the world below the surface. Therefore, either a very meticulous and calculated strategy or a stroke of luck (likely provided by the aid of a 3rd party) are the only ways such an edge can occur when talking edibles. Similar logic can potentially apply to energy sources, lacking the sun in the Underground is a HUGE disadvantage.
Generally, Drow can outperform and potentially destabilize their surface counterparts with one of two strategies:
- They produce luxurious items, finely crafted or rare on the surface. Requiring Drow expertise in manufacturing.
- They export or manufacture an item not available on the surface. Assuming a geographical advantage; access to artifacts or edibles not present outside of the Underground.
To the Point, Hammer!
I present 8 tangible trade good examples the Drow can use, broken down into broad categories (food, energy, etc.). Pick and choose. Or roll a d8. Or take all 8 at the same time and have a train-wreck. Treat each one as campaign fodder. Entries follow these formatted points:- Description: what is this, and why is it special?
- Effect: does it have an in-game effect of interest to a group of adventurers?
- Cause: what has made the Drow capable of producing this item at an alarming rate, and/or at a low price?
- Omen: what begins to happen when this good is introduced into a surface dwelling humanoid society?
- Destabilization: longer term, why does this item destabilize their human neighbors?
Food
Food is hard to get by in the Underground. Down there, starvation is the real enemy. Achieving destabilization through common edible goods would require a tremendous breakthrough, and is possibly not worth the effort for the Drow. There are more effective means to destabilization.1) Troll Steak
- Description: thick and gnarly meat, filling.
- Effect: Troll Steak is a feast when in the Underground. But continuous consumption can have... interesting effects. If a person had troll meat for 3 consecutive days, Save vs Poison. On a fail, skin and inner organs start mutating, adopting the regenerative properties of a troll, but without the fire vulnerability. Of course, people can still die of age. Missing a day of meat consumption reverts the effects.
- Cause: after years cross-breeding trolls in their laboratories, the Drow found the key to fertilizing them. Increasing the troll population at their whim, it is just a matter of waiting for a particularly harsh winter, where the grain reserves are running low on the surface cities. Drow can be patient to make their move, and will wait decades if necessary.
- Omen: feeding entire populations is no longer a challenge. A surplus of meat is always a win, right? Well... cattle farmers will go out of business, unable to compete on the price race. Troll meat becomes a standard of living, consumed by all class segments of the population. Repeated consumption brings the regenerative effect to a sizeable portion of the population.
- Destabilization: people develop the regenerative effect, after repeated consumption. Most wounds no longer being fatal, even the smallest disagreements turn to a violence bath. Creative torture measures flourish. Some even develop a twisted taste for physical pain, akin to the first segment in Black Museum. Society embraces the new currencies: violence, torture, and pain. Now the Drow only have to swap the Troll Steak back to a counterfeit. Or enjoy the society they helped create.
Energy
Similar to food, but to a lesser extent. Potentially hard to transport to the surface efficiently. In our world, oil and gas would be an incredible asset to have. But their value is unclear to me in your typical D&D game (magic being more common and all).2) Fecal Coal
- Description: mundane coal, but in ridiculous quantities.
- Effect: coal is black fuel. Nothing more, nothing less.
- Cause: Drow houses struck a deal with Xiromanthas, a red dragon the size of a mountain. The dragon poops as much coal as the elves need, and then some, in exchange for gems and golden coins. An unprecedented surplus of the black.
- Omen: coal prices have been driven to the mud. It's cheaper to warm your house than ever before, and winter is no longer the harsh season of the year. A coal cargo stored in a warehouse requires no locks or bodyguards. A cart of the black fuel will only get you a handful of apples.
- Destabilization: this one is all about geographical location. In a town where half its working force is employed at the local mining industry, the effects can be devastating. Unemployment would hit hard, with the depression that surfaces from that. The working class taking the hardest hit (as always). They would be looking for new leadership that can put food on their tables... Time for the Drow to infiltrate an agent, push the politician on their pocket, or a similar ploy.
Drugs
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| Drowning, Pamela Gomez |
Drugs move insane amounts of money, power, and influence. They can destabilize whole countries and economies. There are plenty of examples in our own world, where disposable 1.5 million $ submarines are used to transport them across the sea. They empower those distributing them illicitly at an exponential rate.
Assuming the Drow can create an efficient network for distribution of rare drugs, these can easily destabilize whole nations both economically and through devastating effects to their consumers.
3) Blue Roses of the Syn'ar Valley
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| 🌷 DEMORIE 🌷 |
- Description: their metallic scent elevates you in eerie, giving a feeling of relaxed power. Describing them as drugs is misleading, because the fact these roses are one is only known to the Drow and the most skilled scholars. Blue Roses are subtle.
- Effect: when within smelling distance Save vs Poison, or become indifferent to sighting any sort of violence, no matter how crude or visceral. Someone getting knifed to death in front of you becomes less interesting than your morning's porridge... The act is not invisible to you, just utterly mundane and uninteresting.
- Cause: Drow cities always had copious supplies of the Blue Roses from the Undeground Syn'ar Valley. The distribution network and their survival to the surface were the missing keys. But the right fertilizer started allowing the roses to grow on cities washed by the sun. Accelerating ultimately their rapid distribution. They have to spread quickly, otherwise their effect might be uncovered! loosing their destabilization effect.
- Omen: priced items, Blue Roses are introduced to the surface dwellers by powerful merchant families. Soon every petty noble wants their gardens full of them. It's a symbol of status. And the rich always want to be part of a material capitalistic trend. Full grown gardens are a slow process to attain, but a worthwhile one.
- Destabilization: when every garden, grove or patch of land is full of these roses, the ruling class is literally indifferent to any sight of violence. Assassinations can be carried just in front of them at a dinner party, and they won't even blink twice. Guards won't be alerted on a violent revolt. An orgy of violence can unleash without anybody of power moving a finger. The moment is ripe for the Drow taking over, and keep the common-folk as slaves. Maybe.
4) Ghoul's Marrow aka "Black Gums"
- Description: denser and darker than honey, the two could be confused otherwise. Has to be eaten to apply the effects. Highly addictive, and can have fatal side-effect consequences. Could be sold as a medicine even, the endurance inducing properties to body and soul so invigorating. "Black Gums" is both the visible cue on consumers, and the name commonly used for this drug.
- Effect: even one consumption is extremely addictive. Anyone trying the drug has to be restrained for the next 3 days, or they will try by all means possible consume more doses (even going to self-harm to do so). On every consumption of the drug, Save vs Poison. Gain d10HP and +2 to all Saves regardless of the result. On a fail, the consumer turns into a ghoul in exactly 7 days. No Clerical prayer will work to prevent this, it's not a curse.
- Cause: the name is just a mislead, the consequence of consumption. PCs will think that's the source of the drug. Let them. The origins are a bit more twisted. Drow have been cross-breeding cannibalistic slaves for generations, studying their behavior. Finally understanding their physiology, the Drow found the key cranial source of the appetite. And are able to induce it with the right combination of narcotics.
- Omen: stories of miraculous recoveries, elder cripples able to walk again, reach the PCs ears. The local duke won the recent war against all odds, like by a miracle. His soldiers more efficient at their task, able to endure more physical and mental pain. Then the first ghoul sprouts. From there, it's a quick down spiral.
- Destabilization: the population is either addicted to the drug, or a ghoul as a consequence by now. The undead creatures lurk at night like an army. "Show me your teeth" becomes a common greeting when encountering strangers. The Drow have a weakened target, and half a ghoul army waiting to take over.
Mundane Luxury Items
Slaves provide skilled hands to produce some of the finest items. In almost every segment, objects of quality and bizarre properties attract surface humanoids. Their alien nature part of the selling point. Barring problems in their distribution network, Drow can gently introduce luxury items to visible individuals (merchants, nobles, warlords), in hopes of forcing a fashion trend. Fear of missing out is real. Very real. And acting recklessly is a natural consequence of said fear.5) Spider Silks
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| exellero |
- Description: brightly colored silks, soft as a lover's touch. Embroidered out of spider webbing by tiny gnomish slave hands. A prized possession for fashionistas and adventurers alike.
- Effect: Let's focus on Spider Silk cloaks. Their price go at d4*100+300gp. Roll a d6 for the effect on this cloak:
- Fair piece of garment, envy of sultans.
- This silk can't be stained by blood.
- Counts as leather armor, but takes no weight in encumbrance/item slots.
- Wearer takes no falling damage on a 20ft or shorter drop.
- Increase the number of followers/henchlings you can have by 1, regardless of your Charisma score.
- Translucent, wearer or objects concealed by this silks gain a +1 to hiding when in shadows.
- Cause: locating the gnome enclave within the Underground was an arduous task. But with that, plenty of skilled hands in the crafting of Spider Silk were added to the slaving task force of the Drow.
- Omen: these fine cloaks become a status of symbol. Everyone wants one. Squires queue in front of the regal tailor shop. Loans become frequent to purchase multiple changes. Burglaries and planned heists increase exponentially, as manors start protecting their wardrobes more than their treasure chests.
- Destabilization: taxes get a hefty increase to finance the ruling class and their fashion habits. Disenchantment between the common-folk, protests and strikes flourish. Social unrest. Several merchant families and nobles go bankrupt, leaving a power vacuum. Unable to pay for mercenaries or hired swords, they are at the mercy of their lenders.
6) Myconid Cranial Condiments
- Description: sized colorful grain-sized, somewhat mushy.
- Effect: sprinkling a pinch renders anything amazingly flavorful. It's like hearing Beethoven after being born deaf. Priced reasonably (cost of a mug of ale per portion).
- Cause: smoking powdered myconid brains has been practiced in the Underground for centuries. But the Drow know how to twist the knife a little deeper. Experimenting. Plotting on extravagant uses. Alchemical labs and gourmands alike arrived to this condiment.
- Omen: you come across an inn where they serve a dish of worm stew. Street food stalls offer grass, cloth, and even mud, complimented with the novel Myconid Cranial Condiments. Food gets creative.
- Destabilization: able to overcome any food shortages. Missing a crop shipment? Eat spiced maggots. BUT, this doesn't change the nutritional value one bit. Illnesses and famines begin to sprout. Mercantilism in the mid to high end food industry takes a hard blow. Open feuds between merchant families, some going completely broke.
7) Carnal Suitor Perfume
- Description: smells like a mixture between intertwined sweaty bodies, roses, and faint dried plasma. Invigorating. Pleasant.
- Effect: this perfume could well be in the drug category. A vial is priced like a good seasoned wine. Lascivious immediate effects, that can spiral in the very long term. Anyone smelling Carnal Suitor has to Save vs Poison, if they decide to resist the effects (Drow are immune). On a fail, the perfumed individual becomes a libido driven sexual magnet. Urgency to fulfill the most primitive needs grows.
- Cause: mixture of watered down floor swipes from Underground orgies dens and fighting pits.
- Omen: the PCs could come across a wild orgy at their tavern of choice. Or individuals openly fornicating on the open of a freezing night. More than one odd matching pair should raise eyebrows.
- Destabilization: local churches and temples start a holy quest to finish this descent into mad lasciviousness, causing social unrest. Long term, the birth rate torpedoes to the roof. The overpopulated city will become hard to feed with time.
Mundane Magical Items
The artifacts and magical paraphernalia found within the twisted labyrinths of the Underground are akin to our own gold rush. In comparison, the surface wands and magic trinkets are like the only souvenir shop selling hats before a day-long tour of the Egyptian pyramids. Mid-summer.Including these seems like a cheat when talking about trading goods. But minor magics are fair game. Enough of them can make it to the surface, and they don't disturb the day to day life to the point of destabilization.
8) Subsurface Shells
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| Aaron Griffin |
- Description: shaped like a broken egg-shell, covering the eyes when worn. Surprisingly comfortable. Black like the abyss.
- Effect: wearing a Subsurface Shell confers blindness after a 30ft range. Mildly inconvenient. On the flip side, it grants powers to communicate telepathically at a distance of up to 1 mile, if the individuals have previously met and shaken hands (basically any type of physical contact). Constant communication is so addictive... Save vs Device to take it out.
- Cause: Drow assassinated a city of Illithids. Every. Single. One. The octopi invented an apparatus capable of the most pathetic telekinesis. Producing them is surprisingly simple and cheap.
- Omen: Subsurface Shells are introduced en masse. Cheap as they come, everyone wants one. And they can have it for change. To kick, it's all advantages. Information just flows. Fast. Transportation is relegated, no longer necessary. Leaving the security of home becomes... inconvenient.
- Destabilization: tuning in becomes an effort. There is no way to refuse telepathic communication. But at the same time, physical isolation is the real deal. There's no incentive to leave home anymore. So you just stop doing so. Talk is cheap, and the signal-to-noise ratio is garbage. Yet this new form of communication is highly addictive. Gaining a "connection" by touching another Shell user is charged at a hefty rate. Whores and escorts no longer need to open their legs, but instead to have an interesting rhetoric. Now an isolated society, the Drow could literally march through town unnoticed. The 30ft visual range doesn't help of course.
Reading Reference
- Aelf-Adal by Patrick Stuart
- Veinscrawl
- Drow pt 1 and pt 2 over at Coins and Scrolls
- The Black Mirror show
- Thief, by Matt Colville
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