Rebuilding, Rebelling, or Ruling: The Three Paths in After the Fall

The mighty drow city of Holoth has fallen. Its once-proud streets are now under the iron grip of the Coalition—a union of dwarves, funglets, and other races intent on “rehabilitating” the drow. Elegant towers and shadowy alleys have been reshaped into Hopeholme, where brutalist architecture dominates the skyline. Towering stone walls and angular fortifications rise over the remnants of drow culture, casting harsh shadows across a fractured society.

But even under occupation, opportunity endures. In After the Fall, three paths emerge for those who dare to shape the city’s future:

• Rebuilding — Accept the Coalition’s rule and help forge a new order.
• Rebelling — Resist the occupiers from the shadows and restore drow independence.
• Ruling — Seize power amid the chaos, manipulating both sides for personal gain.

Learn more about the setting in our Rise of the Drow: After the Fall campaign.
Need Underdark allies? Check out our Drow and Drider books.

Choosing Your Path: Drow and Drider Loyalties

In After the Fall, characters must navigate shattered loyalties and shifting power. Players choose to play as a Drow or Drider, each carrying social weight and political baggage. Their background, class, and most importantly, house allegiance determine how they fit into the fabric of Hopeholme.

Every drow house has its own ambitions. Even within the same party, characters may carry conflicting goals—hidden missions, rivalries, and secret loyalties that test the party’s unity.

This internal tension is at the heart of After the Fall. Trust must be earned. Betrayal is inevitable. And the future depends on how players balance ambition with survival.

The Rebuilder’s Path: Cooperation and Compromise

Some drow choose to work with the Coalition, believing peace and progress are still possible.

Rebuilding may include:

• Assisting Coalition architects as they reshape Holoth into Hopeholme.
• Supporting cults like the rising Cult of Irultoro, seen as a safer alternative to Naraneus.
• Volunteering to guide fellow drow through reeducation, easing the transition.
• Mediating disputes between Coalition commanders and local drow factions.

But beware: Rebuilders are often viewed as traitors by their kin. The Coalition may exploit their loyalty, and their choices may haunt them.

The Rebel’s Path: Resistance in the Shadows

Others refuse to bow. For them, submission is betrayal.

Rebellion may include:

• Joining the secret Chelicerae resistance, skilled in sabotage and coded messaging.
• Freeing imprisoned drow or recovering stolen relics.
• Undermining Coalition supply chains and surveillance.
• Stirring public unrest through subversive messaging.

The risk is real: The Coalition’s magical wards and fungal surveillance make rebellion dangerous. Captured rebels face brutal punishment—and betrayal from within is all too common.

The Ruler’s Path: Power in the Void

With House Gullion fallen, the vacuum of power invites ambition. Some see this moment as their opportunity to rule.

Ruling may include:

• Asserting control over a surviving house or founding a new one.
• Exploiting tensions between rebels and occupiers to gain leverage.
• Manipulating politics from the shadows, playing both sides.
• Recovering powerful artifacts from the ruins of Tolgorith Tower.

But the price is steep: Power invites enemies. The Coalition will see you as a threat. Rival houses will try to end your rise before it begins.

The Hidden Game: Party vs. Party

A single adventuring party may walk all three paths.

Some characters may serve the Coalition. Others may fight for rebellion. Still more may scheme for dominance. Players must navigate intrigue, betrayal, and personal ambition while cooperating just enough to survive.

Want help balancing secret goals and shared missions? Read our guide on drow party dynamics.

The Fate of Hopeholme Is Yours to Decide

In After the Fall, every choice reshapes the future of the drow city. Will you rebuild Hopeholme into a bastion of peace? Will you strike down the Coalition in the name of freedom? Or will you rise as a new power in the Underworld?

In a place where every shadow hides a secret, where loyalty is a weapon, and betrayal is always just a whisper away, the path you walk will decide everything.

Explore more from the world of Rise of the Drow.

Rise of the Drow: After the Fall 🕷️

The City Has Fallen — Will You Rebuild, Rebel, or Rule?

The mighty drow city of Holoth lies in ruin, its elegant towers shattered, its streets filled with conflict and opportunity. The Coalition’s brutal occupation tightens its grip, but beneath the watchful eyes of their guards, power shifts in the shadows.

You are drow. Now is your chance to take the power back.

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