The Military of V'eldrinnshar.
(An interview with Canaris Tegredir, Marshal of V'elldrinsshar, when he was in a good mood, by an un-named scribe of non-Drowish origins)

The military organisation within the city…well, clearly you are too stupid to be a spy as shown by the fact that you asked that question ! The military are not organised in quite the same way that many Drow cities tend to favour, with the warriors separate from the wizards and clerics. Here, we operate a much more 'all arms' approach and the standing army of the city operates in mixed teams. This does have it's disadvantages of course, and several Priestesses have had to be disciplined over harassing males in the ranks, but normally the strong hint that the temple minotaurs are looking frustrated and might enjoy a new plaything keeps the rowdy females in line, and overseeing High Priestesses weed out the truly un-desirable.

The city keeps a fairly small standing army, only 1500 in three compounds of five hundred each. Obviously, in any emergency all the ruling houses have considerable armies of their own that will rally to defend the city. I am tasked with leading both the standing army, as Marshall of the city, and also my own House Troops as weaponsmaster of the house. All in all it is a full but satisfying job, and my continued existence seems proof that The Matrons feel I do it reasonably. The city army is made up largely of House troops that serve in rotation, and also volunteers and a considerable number of House…………, whose undead can prove useful from time to time.

Most recently, the military had an extended tour of duty against The Gasharim and their Undead servants, in which we acquitted ourselves well and succeeded in driving out or destroying the Gasharim Army with relatively few casualties compared to the surface races who faced them. Hit and hide tactics have always been a Drow forte and once again we proved that it is fatally unwise to attempt to invade The Underdark against Drow.

How do we operate ? A pertinent question for one so young……yes….young; I myself am in my 500's. Drow troops operate in groups of eight, which can further divide into two groups of four. A typical group will consist of four warriors, one scout, one wizard, one priestess or cleric and a patrol commander, generally an experienced warrior, but not always. The patrol learn to act as one against a threat, and if combat is likely the Wizard will cause as much damage to the enemy as possible from range before the Warriors use their ranged weapons and then close for melee combat. The Priestess goes in to combat with the scout, who guards her as she performs any healing or spell casting that may be necessary. However, being Drow it is often the case that enemies forget that we can all fight well with melee weapons, and Wizards and Priestesses often exploit this stupidity. Once the combat is over, Drow Troops are trained to reform a short distance from the area of combat and wait to see whether the enemy had reinforcements in the area.

What weapons do we favour ? Is there no end to your idle curiosity ? Be careful who you ask such questions of, even in V'elldrinsshar which is considered to be most lenient by Drow standards. Very well, step this way to my armoury and see for yourself.

In The Underdark, often it is the shortest weapons that are most useful, unlike the surface where brightly coloured hooligans attempt to impress one-another with the size of their weapons. Short swords and long knives are weapons of choice for many scouts, with perhaps a bandoleer of throwing knives as well. A stabbing knife is also considered vital for anyone seriously considering climbing the social or political ladder, which is of course everyone. It is often the case that an enchanted stiletto knife will fetch a higher price than an enchanted sword or axe in The Underdark.

For serious fighting, most Drow will opt for a longsword, preferably dark in colour, or a bastard sword if in a less crowded area. Many Drow favour the use of two weapons, twin longswords being used considerably. I myself favour twin scimitars, but it is a style that seems to come and go. Shields are less in evidence than one might expect, but then they are cumbersome and of little use against a wizard, and a shield wall does not fair well in a narrow tunnel where the enemy can come out of side tunnels and cubby holes once the wall has gone past them. Bucklers on the other hand are considered fashion items, and most great houses have their own designs and designations as to what rank can wear cirtain variations of the House buckler. Since the clergy often prefer maces and axes, which are slower to wield than swords, the protection of a buckler that does not impede their fingers is much sought after.

Pole arms are indeed used by the Drow, because despite their size they can be used to jab into areas where it is impossible to fight with swords. Generally all metal in construction, due to there being no wood available down here, barbed spears and glaives are particularly prized as effective weaponry. The truly elite Temple Guards use the infamous Death Lances, whose magic is designed to kill merely by the touch of the weapon's blade. Of course, no Drow worth their salt would forget to have a knife ready in their lower hand in case an enemy gets inside the swing of their weapon.

For ranged combat we prefer cross-pistols, or hand-bows as they are sometimes called. There are two reasons for this; most combat in The Underdark takes place at short range and is over very quickly, and the weapon is small and easily carried whilst being able to implant any number of poisons into it's target. When needed, in particular in larger caverns or for static defence, cross-bows are used rather than longbows, as it is easier to shoot from concealment with a cross-bow. Javelins are also popular with the Drow, since they can be used as a spear in close combat or thrown at an enemy before it reaches you. It is also more worthwhile to enchant a javelin than a cross-bow bolt; you tend to be more likely to recover the javelin !!

So there you have it; no more questions will I answer, it is time that you found your own answers here. Borrow the short sword…..that's it, strap the scabbard on, and go and visit the Bazaar. Lots to see down there, only watch your back, and your front. If you get into trouble, find an Enforcer patrol and show them the sword…….they'll bring you back here in one piece. Now……. leave, I have matters to attend to.