Khail Thmarrow
“Her Web Reaches All.”
Khail Thmarrow, known in ancient Drow as the Webbound Empire, is a subterranean dominion buried deep beneath the surface of the world, utterly sealed from the realms above since the Sundering of Threads. Within its darkened reaches, amidst glowing mycelium forests and stone cathedrals carved from fossil-rich walls, an empire thrives—matriarchal, militant, and fanatically devoted to Arasta, the Spider Queen.
Once a haven for exiled elves, dwarves, and gnomes cast down for their allegiance to forbidden gods, Khail Thmarrow has evolved into the dominant power of the Underdark. It is a society built on bone, blood, and venom, where the ruling High Lady weaves politics and prophecy into a singular doctrine of control. Her elite warrior-saints, the Velkyr, stand as divine executioners and enforcers of her will.
History of the Banished
The foundation of Khail Thmarrow is rooted in divine punishment. At the end of the Age of Shattered Thrones, a significant number of elves, gnomes, and dwarves broke faith with the surface pantheon and allied themselves with Arasta, a being of silk, fate, and poison. For this transgression, the gods cast them into the world’s crust, sealing the paths behind them with celestial fire and stone. The Underdark became their prison—and their proving ground.
What began as a desperate alliance among the Banished eventually fractured. The Drow—driven by their discipline, arcane mastery, and fervent worship of Arasta—rose to dominance, establishing Khail Thmarrow from the ruins of collapsed cities and shattered oaths. The dwarves and gnomes became second-class citizens or chattel, and elven culture was bent toward the Spider Queen's dogma.
Geography and Settlements
At the heart of the empire lies Oshmedell, the gleaming capital of Khail Thmarrow. Suspended over a bottomless chasm by silk bridges and petrified fungal pillars, Oshmedell is a marvel of vertical architecture. Its towers spiral like nautilus shells, draped in weeping strands of spiderweb. The Grand Cathedral of Arasta dominates the skyline, a nightmarish dome adorned with chitin, bones, and obsidian glass.
To the southeast lies Phazzongad, the secluded monastery city where priestesses undergo venom rites and commune with Arasta's divine essence. Shrouded in bioluminescent mists and silence, it is here that visions are received, sacrifices made, and the sacred weaving of prophecy interpreted.
West of the capital, Toz Olus serves as the military capital and crucible of Khail Thmarrow’s war machine. Its caverns echo with war chants and the forging of soulbound weapons. General-mothers and blade-matriarchs train their daughters in the art of ambush, massacre, and sacred conquest.
Closest to the borders of the Duergar realm is Velkynvelve, a fortified trade outpost and the central hub of martial training for Drow youth. It doubles as a commerce post between Khail Thmarrow and the Duergar-ruled kingdom of Gorthoid, where Fire Giants oversee the forges of the deep. Velkynvelve is both an economic artery and a recruitment stronghold for the elite Velkyr.
Rulership and the Velkyr
Khail Thmarrow is ruled with absolute authority by High Lady Haelydre, the living Mouth of Arasta and architect of her empire’s resurgence. Haelydre is a formidable Drow Bladesinger and tactician, feared and venerated in equal measure. Her reign has seen Khail Thmarrow’s territory expand and its religious practices deepen. Under her, the dogma of Arasta is law, and the ancient prophecy of Ragnarök, as spoken by the Fire Giants of Gorthoid, has taken center stage in imperial policy.
Haelydre has declared that Khail Thmarrow will rise during Ragnarök—not to be destroyed, but to conquer what lies above once the seals are shattered. To this end, she has begun the Grand Project, a secretive campaign of divination, ritual war, and selective breeding.
Her closest protectors and enforcers are the Velkyr—a cadre of Drow women transformed by Arasta’s venom into angelic killers. Each Velkyr is spiritually bound to the High Lady, able to traverse shadow and silk alike, striking from above like descending fangs. These elite few represent the apex of martial training and divine favor. Only those who survive the brutal trials of Velkynvelve and receive Arasta’s mark may be chosen.
High Lady Haelydre has also appointed her two sons as inquisitors in service of the Grand Project:
- Throdir, her firstborn, a towering warrior infused with frost giant blood. Bearing the sentient runeblade Jökulhamarr, he commands terror and loyalty in equal measure.
- Hyroneth, her middle son, a master of subterfuge, enchantment, and memory manipulation, who leads covert purges and retrieval missions.
The High Lady’s only daughter, Vaelya, recently vanished after defying her mother’s decrees. Now hunted by her brothers, she is believed to be in league with the Pale Ore Resistance, a rebellious faction that seeks to destroy Khail Thmarrow and replace it with a society free of religious tyranny and gender-based oppression.
Economy and Trade
Unlike the surface realms that use minted coins of gold and silver, Khail Thmarrow’s economy is built on osteocratic currency—a material expression of death, time, and power.
- Bones (equivalent to gold) are used for daily transactions and are often inscribed with familial or house markings.
- Fossils (equivalent to platinum) are considered ancient, sacred, and potent. These are used for high-level trade, such as military contracts, noble pacts, and arcane exchanges.
Trade is heavily regulated by the Matron Houses and their military enforcers. Goods commonly exchanged include rare poisons, weapons, spell-silk, and Underdark beasts. Velkynvelve acts as the sole sanctioned trade point between Khail Thmarrow and Gorthoid, the duergar kingdom ruled by Fire Giants.
Though their relationship remains diplomatically sound, tension persists—particularly due to diverging interpretations of Ragnarök. While Haelydre views it as a moment of ascendancy for the Drow, the Fire Giants foresee a more destructive reckoning that may devour all empires, including their own.
The Pale Ore Resistance
Founded by defectors, apostates, and escaped slaves, the Pale Ore Resistance represents the greatest ideological threat to Khail Thmarrow. Their dream is a new society beneath the earth—one that values equality, freedom of thought, and the dismantling of patriarchal and matriarchal dominance alike.
They oppose Arasta’s influence and have begun unearthing forbidden relics and tunnels in hopes of reaching the Surface once more—or breaking the seals entirely. Vaelya’s rumored alignment with them has invigorated their cause, and whispers of civil unrest now move through the empire like silken threads on the breeze.
Divine Doctrine and Prophecy
The state religion is the Cult of the Web Eternal, who believe that Arasta spins the web of fate that ensnares all mortal and divine lives. Her priestesses wield divine venom, administer sacrificial rites, and read the omens of the strands.
Arasta’s five tenets govern the culture:
- The Strong Must Pull the Threads
Fate is a weapon, not a gift. Weave it to serve your will. Others exist to be bound.
- Bind Before You Break
Ensnare your enemies before destroying them. Control lasts longer than conquest. - The Loom Hungers
Every soul, secret, and oath feeds Arasta's return. Nothing is sacred. Everything is thread. - Obedience is the Pattern
Those who follow are preserved. Those who resist are unraveled and rewoven as tools. - Darkness Is a Tool, Not a Curse
Hide in shadow, strike with precision, and twist truth to your ends. Victory is the only virtue.
In recent centuries, the Prophecy of Ragnarök has overtaken even these laws in importance. Discovered in magma-etched glyphs from Gorthoid, it speaks of a coming collapse in which the surface barriers will fall, ancient gods will awaken, and the Underdark will be bathed in fire and unmaking.
High Lady Haelydre believes Khail Thmarrow will ascend through this chaos—and she is determined to ensure it.
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