House Jaelre

In 1372 DR, House Jaelre was the largest drow faction in Cormanthor, accounting for about 11% of the drow population. 
==Objectives==
After their expulsion from Menzoberranzan and exile in the Underdark, House Jaelre sought to establish a settlement in Cormanthor after discovering a portal in the Underdark leading there. House Jaelre specifically looked to repopulate a section of Cormanthor which had been abandoned by elves in the wake of the Retreat.
Toward that end, they aimed to satisfy the three requirements of a state: territory (the region around the Elven Court), population, and power to defend their borders. They aimed to achieve this goal through modifying elven magic, specifically the mythals within the ruins of the Elven Court, into forms that would protect them.
==Activities==
House Jaelre claimed the abandoned Elven Court and surrounding territory before the Eldreth Veluuthra could do so. The elves who abandoned the Elven Court in favor of Evermeet destroyed the largest structures in the area before they left. Members of House Jaelre generally remained on the upper sections of the ruins because the lower sections were riddled with mortally dangerous traps.
House Jaelre repurposed elven structures when possible, but also constructed their own buildings. These buildings served as forts, camps for defense, and places from which to strike against their enemies. As a general rule, such buildings had at least one Underdark level.
They maintained agricultural traditions from the Underdark and did not grow surface food. Instead they acquired surface food through gathering, hunting, and trading.
House Jaelre often covertly stirred trouble in distant lands, such as Mistledale, to trick their non-drow enemies into attacking their drow enemies, thereby diverting attention from themselves and weakening their enemies.
==Members==
House Jaelre’s members were followers of Vhaeraun and organized in a fashion resembling a military structure. This arrangement, although common to Vhaeraunite groups, reflected a cooperative mindset uncommon in drow cultures. Notably, holding a higher rank did not guarantee special treatment.
They were led by a council of four members. These were:
* Nurkinyan, a cleric; he was the spiritual leader as well as the leader of the leading council
* Belarbreeza, a wizard; she led the study efforts of the mythal
* Jezz the Lame, a rogue-sorcerer; he led the striking forces among others against Mistledale
* Tebryn, a rogue-fighter; he was responsible for House Jaelre’ defenses
In contrast to other religious drow groups, where clerics take leadership roles based on their strength, House Jaelre did not seem to prioritize this approach. Instead, House Jaelre appeared to give more importance to secular standards. This distinction became apparent as the High Priest Tzirik Jaelre possessed the ability to cast spells like astral projection and gate, while their leader, Nurkinyan, lacked such capabilities. 
==Relationships==
House Jaelre was formerly a drow house from Menzoberranzan and continued to be composed of drow after their relocation to Cormanthor. 
After their departure from the Underdark, House Jaelre abandoned their racial hatred towards elves. However, unlike Clan Auzkovyn, they made no efforts to recruit non-drow. They formed alliances with dragons, mephits, and surface elves who did not harbor racial hatred against them, such as members of Clan Auzkovyn. Enemies of House Jaelre, such as the Eldreth Veluuthra, exploited racial hatred against drow to their advantage. They often disguised themselves as drow, raiding human wanderers and settlements to sow discontent and provoke hostility from humans. House Jaelre, themselves, used this strategy to deceive their non-drow enemies into attacking their drow enemies, simultaneously weakening two enemies at once.
House Jaelre considered all drow sworn to Lolth as enemies. They maintained a fairly good relationship with the Vhaeraun-worshiping groups they traded with. House Jaelre specifically developed an exceptionally positive relationship with Clan Auzkovyn. This is because Clan Auzkovyn did not intend to create permanent settlements, and many of their members worshiped Vhaeraun. Influential members of both groups developed personal friendships, exemplified by the bond between Jezz the Lame and the Widower. The importance of this relationship was highlighted by the fact that neither group would kill trespassers from the other. Eventually, this cooperation developed into a formal alliance called the Masked Brigades. 
==Magic and Skills==
Each member of House Jaelre’s fighting forces was provided with magic items which included at least one healing potion.
House Jaelre displayed a preference for magic items that augmented their own abilities and the intrinsic power of items. These were items usable by anyone. For instance, specialists in stealth were provided with boots of elvenkind, elixir of sneaking and potions of cat’s grace, while warriors were provided with gauntlets of ogre power and potions of bear’s endurance. Potions of spells like blur and invisibility were also common.
Their armor and weapons were enchanted to enhance basic capabilities, prioritizing durability over gimmicks.
As drow, they utilized piwafwis and drow house insignias. More unqiue items included fire elementals gems and rings of antivenom.
House Jaelre heavily employed alchemical goods and poisons. In addition to common items like smokesticks, acid flasks, alchemical fire, thunderstone, or tanglefoot bags, they utilized drugs like kammarth or ziran.
A distinctive trait of House Jaelre's members was their aptitude in stealth, and the fact that many overcame the drow race's weakness to sunlight.
==History==
House Jaelre resided in Menzoberranzan until they were expelled from the city. One account suggests that the house was ousted approximately 500 years before 1372 DR due to outrage over the fact that they had a male leader and venerated Vhaeraun instead of Lolth. Another account suggests they lost a civil war and were driven out of the city only decades before 1372 DR. 
After being cast out from Menzoberranzan, House Jaelre wandered the Underdark in exile. They settled for a time in the Labyrinth, where they occupied a palace and other holdings. Sometime between 1322 DR and 1372 DR, they found a portal in the newly sacked Blingdenstone, taking them to areas within the forest of Cormanthor that had formerly been protected by mythals. (Alternative accounts suggest the portal was located within their holdings in the Labyrinth.)
In Cormanthor, House Jaelre set up their base in Minauthkeep, an abandoned elven fort.
House Jaelre sought to occupy the ruins of the Elven Court and make use of the mythals and wards there to keep their enemies at bay. To distract from this undertaking, they sent a force led by Jezz the Lame to stir trouble in Dalesfolk. 
House Jaelre had relatively little conflict with Clan Auzkovyn, which arrived in Cormanthor around the same time. The latter, being nomadic, did not contest Jaelre's holdings. 
A century later, Valan Jaelre (as a simulacrum of himself) led the drow to attack Shadowdale and steal the Pendant of Ashaba.
==Notable members of House Jaelre==
Pre-Spellplague
* Tzirik Jaelre, high priest of Vhaeraun.
* Jezz the Lame. 
Post-Spellplague
* Valan Jaelre.
==Appendix==
===References===
Category:Drow houses
Category:Houses of Menzoberranzan
Category:Organizations in Cormanthor
Category:Organizations in the Dalelands
Category:Organizations in North Faerûn
Category:Organizations in Faerûn
Category:Organizations on Toril
Category:Organizations
Category:Organizations in the Eastern Heartlands