Drow

The Drow are a race of dark-skinned Elves. Hence, they are also known as Dark Elves. According to legend, the Drow were born out of the Spider Queen Lolth's womb. She wanted a way to influence the other humanoid races, who seemed to take over the world of Maelan and pushed her true children away. Therefore, she took the Elves as a template to improve upon and thus the Drow were born, loyal followers of Lolth's will.
Within the Numian Empire Drow are known as the residents of Vrinn Island. However, the Drow themselves are not native to the island. They settled on the island a few hundred years ago. Where they originally came from is, as of yet, unknown in the empire. Within the empire, Drow are rarely seen and generally regarded suspiciously.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Humanoid (Elven).

Genetics and Reproduction

Drow follow the same reproduction cycles as most humanoids. A union between a male and female generally produces one offspring. At the age of 21 a Drow is considered fully developed from a biological point of view.

Ecology and Habitats

Due to their dark skin, Drow are well suited for tropical regions and territories with a lot of sun exposure, such as deserts.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Drow society is organized into dynasties. A dynasty encompasses many related families, as well as small non-related families who pledged their loyalty and service to the dynasty. A dynasty usually specializes in one business, trade or craft which provides revenue to the families.
Drow dynasties are in constant competition with one another. They vie for money, for prestige, and, more than anything else, for power over others — the surest sign of Lolth’s approval. In the struggle between dynasties, lies, deception, and assassinations are not uncommon.

Facial characteristics

Common eye colors for Drow are red and purple. Other colors, such as yellow, green, and blue are found more rarely. Brown or gray eyes are never seen. Like most elves, they have elongated pointed ears. Most of the time Drow have white or silver hair. Other colors, such as orange or red tones, however, are not uncommon.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Drow do not have specific naming conventions. Their names, just like other elven names, have a very melodic sound to them. However, their names often incorporate a few harsher sounding elements. Generally, there is no special meaning to the names, but the Drow put great value in family names, which are often used first when introducing themselves.
When naming settlements the size of the settlement is denoted in its name. The Prefix 'An' is reserved for larger cities. 'In' is reserved for towns, and 'On' denotes smaller villages.

Major Organizations

The Zaphrian Dynasty is a dynasty of Drow who settled on Vrinn Island.

Lifespan

70 - 150 years

Average Height

1.52 - 1.82 m

Average Weight

55 - 75 kg

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Skin tones can vary from obsidian black to light grays. Most Drow carry some markings in the form of a spider web on their bodies to show their allegiance to Lolth.