Drota

History

The Drota became Spider hybrids during the Cataclysm, and are well-known for their desire to hunt all living things.

The Drota is one of the most ancient races - older than even mankind - that is native to the Elemental world. They hunted dragons more than five thousand years ago, and have undergone many shifts in culture. They put a lot of effort into recording and maintaining their history, in particular their successful hunters and their bloodlines.

However, the one thousand years before the Cataclysm mostly saw the Drota killed off due to their tribal structure and insistence on "hunting" all the other races of the world. The Drota are at heart hunters and by far the best hunters in the world. This was deeply ingrained in their hierarchies, with the best hunter also leading the tribe. A tribal leader that did not lead the tribe on constant hunts was thrown out. Because of this reason, diplomatic relations with the Drota have always failed within a few years. Indeed, it is difficult to negotiate deals with an entity that almost constantly smiles at you and tells you how he's going to "hunt you down". The century before the Cataclysm, the Drota were almost completely conquered by the other races and was more considered a pest, performing the occasional raid on the countryside rather than any true danger to civilization. This was also enforced due to their inability to use the magic in the shards - the coming of the Titans and their gathering all magic into the shards meant that the Drota's ancient magic was turned powerless over the course of a few weeks.

70 years before the Cataclysm, a new leader emerged, dubbed the Stormlord by the Drota. She was the first Drota to manage channeling from the Shards. The Drota tell of how the Stormlord made a deal with some extraterrestrial being, where she traded her "little brother" (an organ that grants the Drota great regenerative abilities) for the ability to channel magic again. The Stormlord then used her power to lead her spider cult to dominion over all the Drota tribes. This ensured the Drota were once again a threat to all other races just before the Cataclysm.

But not even the Drota could imagine what would happen during the Cataclysm. Even to this day there are many who will tell the story differently. What is known with certainty is this - before the Cataclysm, the Drota were humanoids like any other, with two legs, arms, and a head. After the Cataclysm, the Stormlord and her closest followers had turned into a hybrid between spider and Drota - the upper body remained intact, but the lower body had been replaced by the body of a spider, only with six legs instead of eight.

Some say the Stormlord was granted this great boon for her loyal worshiping of some obscure spider god. Others say the Cataclysm merely happened while the Stormlord was in the act of performing some unholy union between spider and Drota and the great surge in magic caused the hybrids to form.

The century after the Cataclysm saw a civil war amongst the Drota, where the spider cult eventually enslaved all other Drota and forced them to bear hybrid children. Their new hybrid bodies granted them greatly enhanced abilities that assisted them in the various hunts performed. The Drota are now a very different species compared to that which existed before the Cataclysm. Their military power is mostly untested against other races but it seems clear from early contact with the Drota that their cultural preference for war and "hunting" remains.

Faction Strengths/Weaknesses

Strengths

Meat eaters	The Drota do not ride mounts - they have no need to, nor can they. Whenever they come upon wild horses or wargs, the result is dinner for the Drota. Instead of building normal stables or kennels, the Drota may turn such resources into a building that provides food for the connected city (15 for Wild Wargs, 35 for Horses). These improvements require the Animal Husbandry technology. Drota may still research Mounted warfare and Warg Riding in order to equip hired champions.
Masterwork Chainmail	This faction crafts Masterwork Chainmail instead of Plate Mail armor at the Heavy Armor technology. Masterwork Chainmail has a lower defense but is lighter and cheaper to craft than Plate Mail.
Witch Market	All Witch Markets count as +1 Death Shard power as well. This effect produces no mana
Crawlers	No Movement penalty in Forests
Cult of a Hundred Eyes	This faction can train Widows, Harridans and Hoarder spiders in their cities

Weaknesses

Death to All

The Drota openly hunt all other races in the world. This is something they are proud of, and will tell those they meet. As a result, all Drota trades are perceived as having 40% lower value.

Bloodline

Bloodlines apply to all units of this race.

Blood: Drota

+10 Carrying Capacity, +50 Poison resistance, +2 Initiative. Cannot be knocked Prone. If faction controls 3 or more Air shards, unit gains +1 Moves in tactical combat Drota counts as: Twisted Monster Different Genders* *Males carry bone necklaces and masks, females don't Drota Champions may not pursue the Path of the Defender. Note that Drota cannot equip any other mounts than their equipped base, and any mount traded to them will be permanently lost. In addition, Drota uses all equipment slots like other races - including boots and legs. They function just like normal, only they have no graphics.

Special Traits for Unit Designs

These traits are exclusive to this faction and can be used for their Unit Designs.

Trait	Cost	Effect
Venomous	10 1	Melee and ranged attacks deal +2 poison damage. This trait costs 1 Crystal per unit member.
Webslinger	12 1	Allows the unit to use the ability Websling. Websling has a chance equal to ((Drota Troopcount+3 - Target Level) * 20) percent to make the target lose their next turn unless they resist. Oversized targets are immmune to Websling. Only one web may be cast on a single target until they end their next turn, regardless of its success. This trait costs 1 crystal per unit member.
Hunter	8	+40% Physical Damage vs Beasts