Blackbourne's Drow

Dwellers of the underground of Blackbourne

Introduction

"Haven't you heard the tales? Moving shadows stalking on the streets at night, taking those who have sinned. It scares me shitless..."
— a scared citizen of Blackbourne

Born from the dark underground of Blackbourne under the Silent Blades organization, these Drow are unknown to the people of Archana, only legends of moving shadows in the night. But while they are impressive in battle, there is nothing magnificent in their lifestyle.

Naming Traditions

Family names

Blackbourne's drow don't use given family names - especially because they don't have the concept of families in their culture. Even when blood-related, they are each treated as just one more cog in the organization's machine.

Other names

Their names are always derived from words related to stealth, shadows and etc. Words such as "sly" may form "Slythe", and deadly, "Daedalus".

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

Relationships

Life in the Silent Blades is cold and unforgiving. There is no such thing as bonds between the drow in this society, to the point that the concepts of parenting, marriage or even dating are completely alien to them. The children all have the Master as one of their parents, be it a man or a woman. If the Master is a man, he will impregnate any female agents he wishes, and if it is a woman, she will bear the children of any Veteran she deems worthy. Their offsprings are put under harsh conditions since their early days, which causes their rate of mortality to be unsurprisingly high.

Common Dress code

Blackbourne's drow aren't very worried about their clothing the way people from other cultures are. Their dressing is a matter of practicality first and foremost. Each of them has their own garment for missions: a dark blue/purple uniform-like clothing, with a hood and a mask, completely covering their bodies. This is only used during their contracts in order to keep it clean and in good shape.

During their training and daily activities, they use light and tight rags, which are seldom washed by the owner in the underground part of the Black River, where they also shower.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

The drow aren't used to thinking much – they exist to fulfill their contracts. Things such as religion, ethics, and traditions are completely irrelevant to them.

Still, there is one thing they often respect: a challenge. While the drow do follow a strict chain of command, any one of them has the right to challenge their superior to a duel to the death and take the spot for themselves in case they win. This shows that, despite obedience and servitude being overvalued, strength and skill are what drive their society.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Drow often die young due to their unhealthy lifestyle. When one passes away, their equipment is given to a trainee, and they are unceremonially tossed down a pit to rot away. This unconcern to their deceased extends to those who die in battle. While it is a rare event, when this happens the drow's weapons are collected and their soul is drained from their corpse with Dark magic so it can rot faster, leaving no evidence of their existence behind.

Common Taboos

It is utterly prohibited for a drow to speak against their superior. They are as silent as shadows, and so they have to be unless giving orders to a lower rank agent or passing urgent information to their bosses and associates that cannot be delivered through gesturing. If a drow is caught speaking their mind, their punishment is swift and harsh. If the transgressor is seen as a promising asset, a skilled agent, they have their mouth shut forever by having their lips stitched together. Otherwise, the Veteran may just kill them.

Another prohibition is leaving the headquarters under the sunlight. There are no punishments to this, as all drow believe they will die within a few minutes of exposure, so they never do so anyway.

Historical figures

Douglas Devin wasn't a drow, but he was the founding leader of the Silent Blades, and most of his teachings carried out through the generations of assassins. For this reason, his memory is respected as the father of the Blackbourne's drow.

Major organizations

The only organization the Blackbourne's drow have, which is also the reason why they exist, is the Silent Blades, an order of assassins working for Archana's nobility, a secret to the common public.

Parent ethnicities