Of all the common underground races, drow have the most high level clerics. We have tales of certain drow embracing and killing leaders and assuming their places. What keeps the assassinated leaders dead?
I can't speak specifically to Golarian Drow, but Drow in general tend to have very low personal loyalty. Nothing's keeping the assassinated leader dead, save for fear that the newly self-appointed leader would quickly dispose of anyone who tried.
Besides, Drow in general aren't high on the gratitude scale, so it's not as if your efforts would be all that well rewarded even if you did succeed.
Creative Director
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In drow society, if you get killed, you're weak. You don't deserve to come back to life. Anyone who resurrects a fallen leader like this is also likely to be looked upon as someone who is even weaker (since you're subservient to someone who wasn't good enough to stay alive). And unless the resurrection happens more or less immediately, all of the drow that were chomping at the bit to take the place of the dead leader are now going to be in the position of power in your house, and are likely to be armed with your gear and have the command of your armies. And then presto, you're dead again.
Personally, if I had 10,000 gp in diamonds and holy water, I would not use it to cast resurrection on someone so they could come back and whip me and boss me around more. I'd probably take their job and do that to other people.
Don't you already do that being a managing editor and all?
That's right. I do. ^_^
In drow society, if you get killed, you're weak. You don't deserve to come back to life. Anyone who resurrects a fallen leader like this is also likely to be looked upon as someone who is even weaker (since you're subservient to someone who wasn't good enough to stay alive). And unless the resurrection happens more or less immediately, all of the drow that were chomping at the bit to take the place of the dead leader are now going to be in the position of power in your house, and are likely to be armed with your gear and have the command of your armies. And then presto, you're dead again.
That seems to completely avoid opposing political factions, something that I thought was rampant among the drow.
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In drow society, if you get killed, you're weak. You don't deserve to come back to life. Anyone who resurrects a fallen leader like this is also likely to be looked upon as someone who is even weaker (since you're subservient to someone who wasn't good enough to stay alive). And unless the resurrection happens more or less immediately, all of the drow that were chomping at the bit to take the place of the dead leader are now going to be in the position of power in your house, and are likely to be armed with your gear and have the command of your armies. And then presto, you're dead again.That seems to completely avoid opposing political factions, something that I thought was rampant among the drow.
If the head of a Drow Family is killed, the resulting disorder will allow rivals to claim some power and influence while the "heir" is scrambling trying to establish power.
If the head of a Drow Family is killed, the resulting disorder will allow rivals to claim some power and influence while the "heir" is scrambling trying to establish power.In drow society, if you get killed, you're weak. You don't deserve to come back to life. Anyone who resurrects a fallen leader like this is also likely to be looked upon as someone who is even weaker (since you're subservient to someone who wasn't good enough to stay alive). And unless the resurrection happens more or less immediately, all of the drow that were chomping at the bit to take the place of the dead leader are now going to be in the position of power in your house, and are likely to be armed with your gear and have the command of your armies. And then presto, you're dead again.That seems to completely avoid opposing political factions, something that I thought was rampant among the drow.
Right! If the assassinated former leader is raised, the possibility of a civil war inside the house between the pretender and the former leader factions should weaken the house to outside forces. An enemy of the house raising the assassinated leader almost can't lose by doing so. It is certainly worth the cost of casting the spell, no?
If the head of a Drow Family is killed, the resulting disorder will allow rivals to claim some power and influence while the "heir" is scrambling trying to establish power.Right! If the assassinated former leader is raised, the possibility of a civil war inside the house between the pretender and the former leader factions should weaken the house to outside forces. An enemy of the house raising the assassinated leader almost can't lose by doing so. It is certainly worth the cost of casting the spell, no?
Which would presume that the "enemy of the house" would be able to 1)locate the body and 2)retrieve the body without being detected by the living drow of the house, who likely have no wish to see the former leader brought back to life.
Personally, if I were the new leader of the house, I'd cast create undead on my predecessor, just to add insult to injury...and possibly give a nasty surprise to anyone that went graverobbing in the hopes of causing internal strife in my faction.
Another question is whether or not the drow's deity would be willing to relinquish the leader's soul. If they were to weak to live, would the deity allow them a second chance? Or would they be to entertained watching Yochlols (or whatever) eternally torment the offender?
Never been a fan of resurrection really, unless it was directly granted by a god or something. A good example, albeit evil, was Demogorgon's resurrection of Vanthus Vanderboren in Savage Tide. That pawn came back first as a death knight, then later as some kind of worm thing as punishment for getting killed by the PC's.
But yeah, Drow would probably never do a straight resurrection as mentioned previously. Bringing them back as undead, or maybe reincarnated forms like spiders or beetles would be something to look into though :)
I'd like to note that pages 59 and 60 of Chapter 3 of The Second Darkness do contain some info on Drow burial customs. It is worth noting that Drow, as demon worshipers, do not control their own souls after death, and may not qualify as "willing" for purposes of resurrection, since their souls are owned by their demon masters.
edit, same idea as Jam412:
The soul of a loyal drow, regardless of social class,
is consigned to the care of its patron demon. What happens
to it after it reaches this new master is left for theologians
to discuss.
Right! If the assassinated former leader is raised, the possibility of a civil war inside the house between the pretender and the former leader factions should weaken the house to outside forces. An enemy of the house raising the assassinated leader almost can't lose by doing so. It is certainly worth the cost of casting the spell, no?
There's no loyalty among the drow, the strongest rules.
Members of an undermined faction aren't going to follow a leader that has already been killed - proving her inferiority to whoever managed to slay her and losing her power base - they move on to follow whatever leader they believe they'll have the most to gain from serving. If down the line the raised leader again manages to come into power, sure, maybe she'll get back some old followers, but being killed 9 out of 10 times knocks you to the bottom of the social totem pole.Even among drow "allies" the chances of an influential leader bringing back their murdered ally after she's been stripped of her holdings, her followers, her throne, and her life seems like a waste, especially when one might better concern themselves with snatching up as many of the deposed leader's resources as they can.
Drow A and Drow B are friends. Drow A and Drow C are enemies. Drow C kills Drow A. Even if Drow B also doesn't like Drow C, it's far more beneficial to Drow B to go into Drow A's house and take her toaster.
Now, a deceased and very quickly raised drow leader might be able to do some damage control if her murderer is inept or has completely botcher her coup attempt. But even this is unlikely for several reasons.
- First, what self-respecting drow usurper is going to allow her enemy's body to be carried off by "loyal" servants - if such drow even exist - or even leave it in a state where it could be raised?
- Second, a large portion of deposing a matron or other significant drow personality requires gathering a power base large and strong enough to depose the current leader. Thus, an usurper is already likely in control of most of a faction and is probably well known and feared enough that her coup brings most of the old holdouts quickly in line.
- Third, drow are used to extreme shifts in power and often bloody revisions to house structure, all are keen to such realignments where survival means being on the side of the new boss.
- Forth, in addition to personal survival noble drow and their servants know that every other noble house in the city waits to pounce at the slightest sign of weakness within. Thus, civil wars are fast and secret affairs with the shifts often occurring in hours and to falter is to die.
- Fifth, drow leaders are among some of the most evil, powerful, and paranoid creatures into the Darklands. If an potential usurper rises to the point where it even starts to look like they might be able to take an entrenched matron down, either that drow is a maniacal genius who has accounted for every possibility, or she about to be murdered herself by her target.
Jam412 also brings up a good point: drow are demon worshipers. When they die, demons get their souls. It's far less likely that a fiend is going to give a soul back than it is when a PC goes to goodly power or deities (demons really want/need those souls, and the more powerful the better).
It might be a good flavor item that IF an unlikely resurrection takes place in drow society it has a unique material cost. Such as the ritualistic sacrifice of other drow whose levels equal or exceed that of the drow being resurrected. A great way to put those captured enemies to use!
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I get the drow mentality about survival of the fittest, But what if a higher entity like a demon lord or deity had a vested interest with the assassinated drow. Or what if the drow in question was apart of some kind of hertical organization (for sake of example) the Elder Elemental Eye, or both for that matter. That in my opinion could make for an interesting plot seed.