Re: Drow Question

>They don't have to teleport into space, although teleportation magic
>doesn't
>appear to be limited in such a fashion (since you can teleport whereever
>inside a crystal sphere).  What I had in mind was a pad on the ground,
>perhaps in a cavern, only working on a command word.  The problem with
>shafts
>is that they provide direct access to a drow city--IMO, the drow are too
>paranoid for that.  They would easily see the prospect of hostile
>spelljammers flying down the shaft, even if heavily defended and cloaked in
>illusion.
>Another possibility is that the vast majority of drow have no intention of
>allowing ANY spelljamming ships into their subterranean cities--including
>(perhaps especially!) their own.  Contact and trade would be maintained
>through caravan contact points, interplanar gates, and groundling
>stronghold-to-space stronghold teleportation arches.

My opinion tends to lean in this direction too. My take on a Drow faction
desiring spelljamming capability, though, begs the question: is this group
creating a SJ ship or fleet for the benefit of their own interests back in
the Underdark, or, are they doing this to escape from it?

If these are rebels or whatever, looking to forever depart from their deep
city, then the need for some form of connection between the city and
whatever form the SJ landing facility takes is moot.  They won''t care
overmuch if they leave a shaft behind, as future invasion becomes someone
else's problem.  However, what form their construction and launch pad comes
in would, I think, mirror what I'm about to put down for those seeking to
maintain ties with the Underhome...

If this is a group seeking to boost its own power by having SJ capability,
then I see the Drow building all adamantite drillbits and such in their Drow
city, then, using their own routes to the surface world [ie.,
already-established trade tunnels and/or magical methods used to transport
their trade goods] to an isolated, well-hidden, warded construction hanger
right at or near the surface. Although they'd invest alot of magic and
effort into making the place livable and stocking it with repair items and
survival gear and such, this hangar would basically be a throw-away in case
the surface dwellers somehow happen upon it [and pesky adventurers have a
habit of doing this], with littel or no direct connection to one's home
turf. The ships would for the most part be put together right there [maybe
even out of local mnaterials for the basic substructure with your exotic
materials bolted on], and fly out the door when completed. It would be much
more economical in terms of, well, everything, to carry the pieces up in
small packages or carry them on one's person while plane travelling or
'porting, than to conceive & build a hundred-foot wide tunnel, miles deep.

~Abbadon~





_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp