Driders

Nidavellir

Driders are a race of centauroid creatures with the upper bodies of drow and the lower bodies of giant spiders. They are native to the elven controlled area of Nidevellir, and originally were the result of drow fleshwarping, but now breed true.

Appearance

Driders appear as typical drow from the waist up, with a clear head and two arms extending from their torso. Below the waist, however, they possess a monstrous spider's thorax and eight arachnoid legs. Female driders retain their sleek, beautiful elven shapes above the waist; below, their spider bodies are similarly sleek and smooth. Males, though, are much more bestial. Their faces are a horrific blend of drow and spider, and their bodies are spiny and rough.

Ecology

Male driders have a more bestial appearance. The drider race originated in the fleshwarping pits of House Havhallenic. A drow who undergoes this process develops the arachnid features of a drider and forgets much of their drow memory, making them almost into new creatures entirely. Unlike most victims of drow experimentation, driders can breed true with each other.

Habitat and society

In drow society, driders are seen as freaks and mutants. Becoming a drider is not prestigious—it's physical proof of punishment and a brand of shame. Yet driders are not frail or helpless fleshwarps; they're powerful creatures in their own regard. As a result, in drow society, driders are often kept as guardians, soldiers, or bodyguards. Retaining little of their previous life's memories, most driders serve their drow lords and ladies without question. Some female driders, however, possess a stronger sense of aggressiveness and are as headstrong as any unwarped drow. These females have been known to lead drider rebellions, and there exist a number of small tribes of driders throughout the Darklands comprised of driders who have freed themselves from drow rule. As a result, most driders seen in drow cities are male.