Vuulari

Vuulari
Racial Characteristics
Hair Color:	White
Eye Color:	Red
Other Information
Country of Origin:	Elvendeep-area
Significant Populations:	Chath'z'ress
Related Races:	Drow, Elves, Gulanadurians

Commonly known as dark elves to surface-dwelling races, The Vuulari are a group of elves that splintered away from the rest of the elven nation in the distant past as a result of the ancient wars between elves and the dragons. They turned to a pantheon of insectoid deities and forsook the surface to dwell in the deep places of the World Underneath.

Even many thousands of years later, the Vuulari's schism is still an open wound in the long elven cultural memory that evokes a great deal of animosity on both sides. Surface elves commonly refer to Vuulari as Lurkers, Apostates, Kinslayers or even less pleasant epithets. Both sides consider the idea of interbreeding repulsive and a sign of deviance. Vuulari possess dark skin that ranges anywhere from ashen grey to coal black. Their hair is frequently white or silver, and their eyes most commonly red or purple, but many hair hair and eye colors found among surface elves have some degree of expression in Vuulari communities. The Vuulari language has diverged significantly from surface elven dialects in their millennia of separation, and the two groups have difficulty communicating with one another when they wish to do more than exchange insults and threats. Many surface races feel that the Vuulari tongue has a much harsher sound than the melodious tones of surface elven races.

Race Origins

In the most ancient days of elven civilization, when the world was still young, the Vuulari were merely one of the various elven nations scattered across the world. In those days, dragons were far more numerous, and with the aid of tribes of lizardmen that worshiped them as gods, they carved out wide swathes of territory as their domain. The empires of the elves were expanding, and as they claimed new lands, they came into conflict with the dragons and their reptilian minions. The elves felt that the dragons claimed far too much land and did not leave enough for others. The dragons, for their part, resented the intrusion and had no more wish to negotiate with these little pests than a farmer wishes to negotiate with the crows in his field. And as the conflict grew, the elven knowledge of magic flourished as elves looked for a way to battle their foes and even the odds. Eventually, this led some to the exploration of dark magics, such as necromancy and demonology. The Vuulari were at the forefront of the research into the dark disciplines, so heavily besieged by the dragons and their servitors were they that they began to build their cities underground to protect them from dragon's fire. Maldrathass revealed herself to one such student of fell arts, a sorceress named Vic'inid, offering the Vuulari great power in return for becoming her chosen children.

The terrible powers offered by Maldrathass and the other Vermin Lords allowed the Vuulari to win smashing victories against the dragons, binding them to earth with her black arts so that they could be set upon by Vuulari warriors seeking vengeance. The faith of Maldrathass and the other insect Spirits spread throughout the Vuulari nation, at first existing beside the elves' traditional practices, but gradually eclipsing them. In time, the Vuulari ceased to pay homage even to the great Celestial Divinities, calling the Weaver of Webs their mother.

Due to the far-flung nature of the ancient elven nations, the other elven peoples were not aware of the extent of the changes that were occurring among their brothers and sisters until it was far too late. While elves who were in regular correspondence with the Vuulari expressed concern for their willingness to consort with demons, and about nature of the magical innovations coming from their wizards, the worst tales of what was occurring within their borders were dismissed as wild rumors. The Vuulari noble houses, now dominated by priestesses of Maldrathass, did their best to conceal the truth from the wider world until they could start making converts in other nations

No longer content with merely removing the threat to their borders, the Vuulari went on the offensive against the dragons, attacking their strongholds, and slaughtering the dragons' servitors without quarter. And as the servants of Maldrathass attempted to infiltrate other elven nations and turn others to the worship of the Spider, they were surprised that their advances were rebuffed, and that other elves were repulsed by the change that had come over their brethren. This led to increasing hostility between the Vuulari and other elven nations, whose pleas for the Vuulari to abandon their dark ways and return to the light of the Celestial Court only offended the dark elves. Tensions between the Vuulari and other elven nations escalated until a group of Vuulari soldiers attacked a Symaru settlement under questionable circumstances, shedding the blood of their elven kinsmen.

The alarmed leaders of the elven nations convened a council to resolve their differences and avert the war looming on the horizon. At the council, many distinguished elven orators entreated the representatives Vuulari to see the error of their ways, and to reconcile with their fellow elves. They made empassioned pleas to avoid a fratricidal war that would only weaken them, and leave them open to attack from the dragons. The representatives of the Vuulari sat stone-faced throughout the long hours of orations, and when called upon to give their response, they berated the representatives of the other nations for their stupidity. For had they not offered the means to achieve final victory over their adversary, only to have their gifts spurned? They derided the assembled council for their blind faith in weak and useless gods, and concluded with a litany of blasphemies, rejecting the Celestial Court and each of the great bird Spirits that served them.

As the stunned silence in the council chamber gave way to howls of outrage, the priestesses leading the delegation of the Vuulari announced that they would have nothing further to do with those unworthy of the name of elf, and that they were leaving them to their deaths at the end of a dragon's claws. They departed from that last council, and not long after, the entire nation abandoned the surface, conducting foul rituals to the Vermin Lords before setting fire to their remaining holdings on the surface. Under the infernal glow of the conflagrations, they turned their back on the sky and the Celestial Court forever, delving deep into the earth to conquer a harsh land pleasing to their terrible gods.

Religion

Surface elves refer to the Vuulari pantheon as the Vermin Lords, believing them to be twisted and evil counterparts of the bird Spirits venerated by surface elves. Each of the deities are associated with an insect or arachnid, usually predatory species or carrion eaters. Some human scholars have speculated that a connection exists between the Vuulari deities and the insectoid demons that plague the continent of Mwayambi, though this remains unproven.

Maldrathass, the Spider

Known as the First, the Mother of the Vuulari, and the Weaver of Webs, Maldrathass is the queen of the Vermin Lords and most widely venerated of Vuulari deities. She is associated with magic, wealth, power, and victory. Maldrathass was the first of the insect deities to reveal herself to the Vuulari, and the one to put in motion the events that led to the sundering of the dark elves from the other elven peoples. Maldrathass is cunning, patient, and a master manipulator, at the center of a thousand byzantine plots. Worshippers of Maldrathass believe that the cosmos is one grand chess game for the Mother of Spiders, and that they willingly play their part in her schemes for a share of the glory in her victories. The Vuulari are her chosen people, and that they must constantly prove themselves worthy of her blessings. Prayers to Maldrathass do not impore her for aid, as that would be an indication of weakness, but rather offer their triumphs to her that she may be pleased and grant them greater favor. This is not without risk, as Maldrathass is more than willing to sacrifice some of her followers to achieve her ultimate aims.

Priestesses of Maldrathass dominate the noble houses of most Vuulari cities, and therefore occupy a dominant position in the dark elven society. Priestesses of the Great Mother are known for their skill at summoning her infernal minions to possess beasts, slaves, or even occasionally themselves, creating terrifying abominations. The public temple to Maldrathass in any Vuulari city is immediately recognizable by its grandiose architecture and opulent furnishings, and public rituals to Maldrathass are grand spectacles, calculated to fill worshippers with awe for the glory of the Weaver of Webs.

Wehl'inidia, the Mantis

Maiden of Destruction, the Patient One. The daughter of Maldrathass and Vierjss, Wehl'inidia is an ambitious deity that one day intends to supplant her mother as ruler of the Vuulari pantheon. Like her insect totem, Wehl'inidia is endlessly patient, and her faith preaches that one must wait for the moment of opportunity, possess the wisdom to recognize it, and the strength to make a decisive strike. Wehl'inidia believes that her mother is enamored with her own cleverness and makes things needlessly complicated with her endless elaborate schemes. Maldrathass, on the other hand, believes that her daughter is too much like her father and lacks imagination and subtlety. While the abilities of Maldrathass' clerics tend to be oriented toward manipulation, control, and conjuration, priestesses devoted to Wehl'inidia command more destructive magic. Wehl'inidia is the patroness of arcane magic, and all Vuulari wizards give her homage. Still, despite their differences in philosophy, Wehl'inidia's faith is intertwined with that of Maldrathass. While mother and daughter might intrigue against one another, they present a united front against the encroachment of other deities against their position of supremacy. Clerics and sorceresses of Wehl'inidia exist side by side with priestesses of Maldrathass in noble houses, and religious rituals venerating one will also offer praise to the other.

Umraerra, the Ant

The sister of Maldrathass, the power of Umraerra's faith is second only to that of the Spider. She is known among the Vuulari as the Queen of Cities, Sovereign of the Law, and the Mistress of Battle, and her faith preaches the power of organization and the strength of numbers. While a single ant may seem insignificant, their ability to act in concert allows them to accomplish amazing achievements--like killing prey many times their size and tearing it to pieces to carry back to the nest. Umraerra's faith is responsible for the rigid, hierarchical nature of Vuulari society, in which each individual has a proper place, and knows who is above them and who is below them. The divine struggle between Maldrathass and Umraerra embodies the constant tension in Vuulari society between each dark elf's quest for individual power and the strength of the community as a whole. Umraerra is also considered the patroness of common Vuulari, as Maldrathass is so closely associated with the noble houses. Each of Umraerra's temples supports a militant order called the Ilvaere that maintains order within the city, and acts as the nucleus of the city's military along with the private armies of the noble houses. Serving as one of Umraerra's generals is one of the few paths to power in a Vuulari city for a commoner with no clerical or arcane magical abilities.

Orgoll'il, the Beetle

Called the Devourer of the Dead, Orgoll'il is the Vuulari deity of necromancy and death. A foul and bloated deity that is more feared than venerated, Vuulari believe that the Devourer consumes the souls of the dead not claimed by other deities. This is yet another reason behind the Vuulari obsession with accumulating power and wealth, since those who do not impress one of the other deities enough to be taken on as a servitor are doomed to annihilation. Necromancers are viewed with suspicion and mistrust by other dark elves, but there are always those to whom the Devourer's offers of power are attractive. Intelligent undead are considered the servants of Orgoll'il, granted eternal unlife as a reprieve from his endless hunger. As such, they are ruthlessly exterminated where they are found.

Vierjss, the Scorpion

Known as the Lord of the Wasteland and the Stalker in the Lightless Depths, the Scorpion is the only nature god that the Vuulari worship. The Scorpion represents the harsh and unforgiving expanses of the Depths, and the predatory nature of life in the world underneath. The Scorpion cares little for the intrigues of the other gods, bestowing his favors on anyone strong enough to thrive in the wild regions outside the safety of the cities. For this reason, the Stalker is worshiped in equal measure by trade caravans and the bandits that prey on them. When a supplicant approaches one of the Stalker's temples, he or she is given a simple test. They must venture out into the wilds of the Underneath with meager supplies and no support, to survive and hunt a trophy impressive enough to win the favor of Vierjss. Success means joining the fellowship of the temple. Failure means a return to the city in shame, or death out in the wilds. Sacrifice is an important part of the Scorpion's religious worship, though his faith considers the hunt as important as the kill. Sacrificial rituals to Vierjss resemble pit fights in which a member of the temple's fellowship battles a dangerous beast. Regardless of which combatant is victorious, the loser's corpse is laid out before the statue of the god as an offering. The Stalker's temples are usually located just outside the walls of a Vuulari city, and travelers stop to pay homage to the Scorpion at the start of a journey, and perhaps hire one of his rangers as a guide. His temples also organize hunting parties to keep the trade routes clear, and keep monsters from encroaching on the cities. There are reports that the Stalker has gained a foothold on the surface, and that corrupted druids in the Elgar Forest have turned predatory and begun to worship the dark scorpion god.

Shyntril, the Cockroach

Called the Hidden One, Shyntril is a mysterious deity with a thousand faces, each of them equally false. He or she is the god of secrets and deception, the patron of thieves and assassins. While temples to the Cockroach are a constant annoyance to Umraerra's church, his/her worshipers are as resilent as their patron deity's totem insect and are impossible to root out. Their continued existence is in part aided by their appeal to the noble houses, who pay handsomely for the services of the Cockroach's network of spies and assassins to do jobs they don't want to dirty their own hands with. Shyntril's church functions more like a criminal syndicate than a religious organization, and also does a brisk business in smuggling (such as providing illicit weapons to the Houseless) and usury. Temples to Shyntril are usually hidden in the homes of followers, and religious objects are made to be quickly disassembled into easily portable and innocuous looking objects.

Solda'tar, the Centipede

While Maldrathass sits at the center of her web of plots and waits for her plans to come to fruition, the Centipede is a constant blur of activity, eternally trying to extend his influence into new spheres and gain more worshipers to increase his power. In artwork, he is depicted as a many-armed individual wielding a variety of weapons, or bearing sorcerous accoutrements and symbolic representations of the four elements. His spheres of influence often border on those of other Vuulari deities, a tactic intended not necessarily to steal worshipers away from other gods, but make his name venerated along with those of other gods. For example, while Maldrathass is associated with wealth, the Centipede is associated with luck and with making money, making his worship popular among merchants, adventurers, and thieves. And while Umraerra is the goddess of war, he is associated with martial prowess. It is something of an open secret in Vuulari society that the Merchant Houses are the backbone of his followers.

The Centipede is a thorn in Maldrathass' side, challenging her rule by offering power to males and undermining her established social order. His mythology depicts him as a trickster fixture, always surviving his adventures intact, no matter how impossible the odds might have seemed. Umraerra seems to tolerate his encroachment better than her sister does, perhaps seeing Solda'tar as a welcome distraction that may enable her to supplant her sister as the ruler of the pantheon some day. In a few rare Vuulari cities, worshipers of the Centipede have succeeded in overturning the rule of Maldrathass' priestesses and males hold the positions of power. These cities are if anything more prone to cruelty and paranoia, since Solda'tar's church is constantly looking for signs of Maldrathass and Wehl'inidia's resurgence.