Jurisdiction: Drow Nest
Features: Underground hot springs
The homeland of the Drow, the Subterranean Pools are now little more than ancient nesting grounds used by the few Drow who refused to venture to the surface. Countless eggs incubated and hatched over millennia have created a perpetual eggshell bedding for their successors, and the stone walls once used to house a generation of eggs now lie mostly barren, though their egg sockets remain perfectly sized, shaped, and suited for their contents.
The inhabitants hold mixed sentiments about the Great Migration, some feeling betrayed by their cousins, and others wishing their ancestors had possessed the courage to explore themselves. Many surface Drow see the place as liminal or abandoned and look upon it with imprecise feelings of loss, but those who continue to dwell there consider it a place of peace and safety, and are happy to welcome their surface-preferring cousins during visits.
Role in Nature
As their name suggests, the Pools are located underground, housed adjacent to a large aquifer that provides a source of fresh water to the Drow and other inhabitants. They're composed of a network of caverns and tunnels worn smooth by the constant flow of water and the brushing of many feet. Among the pools of cold water are also hot springs, which were integral to early Drow culture and society. The people had found that they healed more quickly while submersed, and made a ritual of visiting a spring with family members.
The prehistoric Drow incubated their eggs around and inside these springs, infusing their offspring with high levels of minerals, and encouraging the early development of gills. Every Drow child at the time was hatched underwater, closely observed and retrieved by a parent or other caregiver shortly after hatching. The warmth and nutrient content of the spring water is enough to sustain the little creatures for their first few hours of life outside the egg, though with the shell they lose the ability to absorb nutrients through their skin.
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