A Primer on Life in Menzoberranzan

Menzoberranzan, the City of Spiders, was a large underground drow city-state in the Upper
Northdark. Menzoberranzan was possibly the most well known drow city in Faern.

Menzoberranzan was located in a huge arrowhead-shaped cavern, some two miles wide and a
thousand feet high. The city was mainly carved from calcite and it was filled with blue, green,
and violet faerie fire. Buildings were often covered with the city's main motif: the spider, in honor
of Lolth. The roof of Menzoberranzan is covered in paths. Some homes were 1,000 feet above
the floor. Ceiling houses had to have great magic to prevent them from falling, and many were
empty. An enchantment in the city cavern reduced echos from all the noise.

There were a fixed number of buildings in Menzoberrazan, meaning that the poorer areas were
extremely crowded. Noble houses, once destroyed or abandoned, were not permitted to be
reoccupied, meaning that there were a number of abandoned compounds both on the surface
and roof of the city cavern. House Thalakvel was located in Narbondellyn.

The city had around a hundred gates, all guarded. These gates led into the myriad tunnels
surrounding the city (collectively called the Bauthwaf).

One of the most distinct structures in the city was the pillar-clock called Narbondel. It was
enchanted each morning by the Archmage of Menzoberranzan with a glow that slowly
dissipated as the day wore on. Narbondel could be seen from throughout the entire city. When
the pillar was completely dark, it was called Narbondel's Black Death (effectively midnight).

There are approximately 15,000 drow living in the city, with as many humanoid slaves.

The city exported poisons, mushrooms, riding lizards, spell scrolls, wine, and water (clean water
could be hard to come by in the Underdark). Other goods included body dyes, chains, everdark
ink from deep dragon scales, giant slugs, herbal medicines, kayaks, musical instruments (flutes,
drums), obsidian carvings (often used for sacrifices), perfumes, spells, spiced sausages, stone
sculptures, surgical services, textiles, tortoiseshell goods, and ulaver wine. The city imported
produce (surface and Underdark), shellfish, slaves, and textiles. The neighboring drow city of
Ched Nasad provided fully half of Menzoberranzan's goods. What does House Thelakvel
export?

Spider Silk?

Various currencies were accepted in Menzoberranzan. Coins came in many shapes, including
round, square, triangular, ring-, and spider-shaped coins. The greatest dozen houses in
Menzoberranzan minted the coins. For example, House Baenre minted their own coins with the
Baenre emblem, which were accepted throughout the city. There is no Menzoberranzan set
currency. House Thelakvel mints its own coins, what do they look like?
Spider web?

The city had many different factions, or Houses, all of which vied for power. As it was a
matriarchal society, however, only females truly held power. Officially, the city was under the rule
of the Ruling Council of Eight, composed of the eight matron mothers of the first (and most
powerful) eight houses. For many centuriesas long any living drow could rememberit was
under the indirect rule of House Baenre which was governed by Matron Mother Yvonnel Baenre,
also known as Old Matron Baenre, perhaps the most powerful de facto ruler the city ever saw.
House Baenre had been the First House of Menzoberranzan for centuries of uncontested
power.

Although drow culture was matriarchal, a few male drow in the city held some political power,
including Gromph Baenre, the archmage of the city, and Jarlaxle, leader of the mercenary band
Bregan D'aerthe, which was often utilized by House Baenre. A separate council of mages dealt
with affairs of the arcanebut as its members were all male, it was wholly within the grip of the
matron mothers.

The Houses that rule through the council of 8 are:

House Baenre
House Barrison Del'Armgo
House Faen Tlabbar
House Mizzrym
House Agrach Dyrr
House Fey-Branche
House Melarn
House Duskryn

Religion
The worship of The Spider Queen, Lolth or Lloth, was prevalent, and worship of any other deity
was forbidden, bar the worship of Selvetarm, Lolth's protecter, by males. However, there are
many gods in the Dark Seldarine pantheon, who were worshipped secretly. Do you worship
these gods secretly? These are:
Eilistraee - Goddess of beauty, dance, hunting, moonlight, song, swordwork
Ghaunadaur - God of all things subterranean, oozes, jellies
Kiaransalee - Goddess of undead and vengeance
Vhaeraun - God of drow males, thievery

The Academy
The Academy was located in Tier Breche, and was composed of three schools.
Arach Tinilith - the clerical school where all noble females went to learn the ways of Lolth
Sorcere - the wizard's school, which taught the intricacies of magic
Melee-Magthere - the school for warriors
Food and Drink
Local food was primarily produced in and around Lake Donigarten. The Isle of Rothe in the lake
housed the city's rothe herds, managed by House Hunzrin, which provided rothe cheese and
meat to the city. The area in and around Donigarten also housed moss fields, giant mushrooms,
fungus farms, fish, and orc and goblin slaves.

Pyrimo, a type of aggressive fish similar to piranhas, was prized, despite being deadly if not
prepared in the correct manner.

Cheap street food in Menzoberranzan included sausage and rolls, which could be bought from
street vendors in the Braeryn slum, and pickled sausage.Finer foods included rothe steak, raw
mushrooms with creamy dipping sauces, wine, and a salad of black, red, and white fungus.

Alcoholic beverages found in Menzoberranzan included green ulaver wine and a type of sweet
dessert wine. There was also lace fungus brandy and some drow favored duergar brandy. What
is the special dish of House Thelakvel?

Baked Umberhulk? (Think clambake, but umberhulk)

Entertainment
Entertainment was perhaps not the most obvious word connected with Menzoberranzan, but the
city nevertheless provided recreation and relaxation (as much as possible) to its (drow)
inhabitants.

Taverns were plentiful and brothels were abundant, as well as casinos, clubs and opium style
drug dens. The Bazaar offered food, shopping, street performers, and even a game tent or two.
"Houses of delights," massage parlors, and public bath houses, all of which were usually
manned by slaves, offered their services.

Well-to-do drow, particularly nobles who were not busy plotting to overthrow their rivals or
guarding against usurpers of their positions, were fond of wild parties and dances. Another
notable pastime for nobles in Menzoberranzan was the plotting and carrying out of pranks.

Sava was a popular chess-like game that represented war between noble houses. It was often
played in taverns.

Noble drow would occasionally go hunting in the Underdark, riding their lizards. However, they
would also hunt in the commons, hunting and killing peasants and slaves.
Customs
Because the drow worshiped Lolth, the Spider Queen, killing spiders (even unintentionally) was
punishable by death by the law of Lolth.

By law, parties had to end at start of new day (the Black Death of Narbondel, or midnight).
Dancing while armed was considered an insult (as well as being hazardous), so dances,
particularly the frenzied nedeira, were usually performed sans clothing.

Houses constantly schemed against one another, and it was legal to attack and destroy another
house, providing that there were no family members left to testify against you.

Death (usually by intrigue) was widespread in Menzoberranzan. The dead were usually placed
in airtight stone crypts in the solid rock north of the city cavern so that they could later be
reanimated as battle fodder. Only priestesses were cremated to prevent such a thing occurring
to their corpses.

"Rock, knife, and parchment" was game in Menzoberranzan after the manner of "rock, paper,
scissors."

To communicate silently, the drow created a secret language of hand signals that was as robust
as a full language.