Illus. by T. Giorello
n the drow imagination, Erelhei-Cinlu is both the darkly shining star of their subterranean empire and a foul pit of the rankest offal, teeming with filthy lesser creatures and bubbling with a raw sewage of dirty commoners and vulgar merchants. Erelhei-Cinlu is at once loved and hated, like an obese and disease-ridden lover who nonetheless provides golden trinkets to her consorts. It is a treasure to be protected and a festering boil to be lanced. In typical fashion, the dark elves simply accept their city as both and go about their foul business. Erelhei-Cinlu is one of the few places in the drow empire where outlanders can come and go in relative freedom. As evil, sadistic, and xenophobic as the drow can be, they tolerate the presence of foreigners here—as long as their own interests are not threatened. An outlander can even live in Erelhei-Cinlu without interference from drow authorities, as long as she does not draw undue attention to herself. Of course, many other dangers lurking in the shadows make life here a constant challenge. The spiders, the thieves and bandits, the slave-takers, the gangs, the diseases, the undead—these are only a few of the hazards facing non-drow in the city.
Welcome to Erelhei-Cinlu, the most prominent and important city in the Vault of the Drow. This chapter presents basic information about the city, its inhabitants, its history, and its politics; descriptions of major locations; encounters suitable for adventurers from the surface; and tips for player characters and Dungeon Masters alike. This city has been described in previous DUNGEONS & DRAGONS products and remains one of the game’s classic locations. This chapter portrays a city farther along in its history, emerging from a series of destructive civil conflicts that almost shattered drow power in the region. As the DM, feel free to change, adapt, or ignore any aspects of Erelhei-Cinlu described below. The city is yours now, and you can do whatever is necessary to make it a living and growing part of your campaign.
— Human scholar Monus Abramus, in his treatise The Empire Below, a rare and largely unknown work on drow history and society
191
