Drow
Basic Information
Anatomy
Drow possess a humanoid form
Biological Traits
Roughly, the Drow are similar to elves in terms of biological traits. Differences are mainly cosmetic, though they do have far better vision in dark spaces then their surface kin. They also have magic inherit to their species, mainly spells for light and even summoning magical darkness.
Genetics and Reproduction
Drow reproduce sexually the same way humans do, however unlike their other elven cousins, their gestation period is shorter and closer to humans, ranging around 9-10 months
Growth Rate & Stages
Drow's age at the same rate as humans do, however they are not considered adults till 100 years of age. After 100, they virtually don't age for the next couple hundred years, only at the age of 800 do they start to show signs of aging as they near the end of their natural life
Ecology and Habitats
Drow were native to the vast underdark and underground areas of the world, but ever since the Underdark Cataclysm, they have been forced to live up on the surface, which has caused mass discomfort for the drow
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Drow have eyes that turn bright red in dark environments, and change back to normal looking eye colors in normal light. However, most dorw now on the surface take to covering their faces with masks or veils that conceal their face, these masks and veils have small magic imbued into them to help them see more comfortably on the surface
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Every since the cataclysm, the drow have become a spread out people. Many have take to living in small, scattered drow settlements in the wilds, while the unlucky ones live in refugee camps next to some of the larger cities of the neighboring kingdoms. A few however have been noted as traveling out into the ocean and taking up a life as ruthless pirates and raiders
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Drow possess a knack for seeing in completely dark environments thanks to their life underground. This however, has lead them to finding the sun sensitive to their eyes, making it rather uncomfortable for a drow to be looking around in direct sunlight
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
The drow believe that having first names that were similar to one of their gods was a guarantee for misfortune, when it came to names resembling their own patron, it is considered blasphemy. Drow last names never start with a "L"-sound that was similar to the one in the name "Lolth" or one of its variations, like "Lloth" or "Loethe", as this was reserved for the Spider Queen's avatar.
Major Organizations
Dread Fleet Corsairs, known in drow tongue as treemma thalackz'hind
Beauty Ideals
Due to selective breeding drow had during the starting generations of their society, drow are attractive even when compared to other elven races. Their attractive looks, which could prove very useful in seduction and manipulation, was usually used to instill fear in their lessers
Gender Ideals
The drow are a highly matriarchal people, where according to Lolth, males are inherently inferior to the females, however there is caveats to this. Drows view on genders is a more practical mindset then what outsiders may believe. Drow males are just inherently less valuable then females, but that doesn't mean a drow female can just trample over a powerful male. A male who has earned some form of power, whether that be physically or politically, is something to at least be somewhat respected. The drow respect power, cunning, strength, and status above all else, and if a man overcomes a woman in those areas, he is entitled to the rewards. Drow males can acquire all the same jobs a female can, safe for a priestess of Lolth.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Undercommon, though this isnt used as much as it used to now that they live on the surface
Common Dress Code
Drow dress code is strange, in that the less clothes one wears, the more confident in their security they are, for if a drow is so sure in their power that they wear revealing or little clothes, then they are powerful indeed. However drow will still wear clothes appropriate for the weather, so they wont wear a bikini in the middle of a blizzard. Ever since being stranded on the surface. the drow now all wear either veils or metal masks that conceal their identity, and help them see better in the sun.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Drow are a very distrusting race. Drow are constantly looking to backstab and overpower one another, and so one must be ever weary of potentials to get at them. This makes things like relationships hard and even the kids are taught at an early age to be distrustful of others. However weirdly enough drow don't usually backstab other races without good reason. This is cause most drow see the other races as too "inferior" or "simple minded" to pose the same threat a cunning drow does.
Drow are vengeful people by necessity. Not answering to slights with punishment was easily perceived as weakness by other drow, and was essentially the same as inviting exploitation, abuse, or even death. This means that insulting a Matriarch would be essentially suicidal for a commoner drow.
Drow are hedonists. They love and surround themselves with what they considered beautiful, generally without paying attention to the cost. They generally believe to be entitled to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to do it.
Slavery plays an important role in drow society, and many households have two or more slaves for each member. Now more then ever slavery is vital to drow society, for with so few drow left they need as much labor as they can and paying for mass amounts of works simply isn't feasible for those living in the small drow settlements. In the refugee camps, drow are obviously subject to laws of the kingdom, and so this puts it into conflict with their stance on slavery. While drow in the refugee areas seem to obey the laws against slavery, behind closed doors slavery still persists, just less out in the open. Of course in the drow settlements this is not the case. All unskilled labor in drow cities was carried out by slaves, and for that reason slave trade was a booming business. Slaves were not only captured but also bred, or bought from some of the other slave trading kingdoms such as Tajir, Catai, Praelia, or the many Vikningir clans. The drow don't see slaves as worthy of any respect and simply replaceable tools that they were allowed to treat cruelly and exploit at will. Slaves, in general, were not allowed to look into the eyes of a drow or to carry weapons without permission (a rule that was mostly enforced when the slave was a gladiator of some kind).
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
After having spend over 200 years on the surface, the masks that help them see have become somewhat of a important cultural symbol. For a drow to show one their face, especially a non-drow, is seen as an extremely intimate action and a massive exercise in trust, something that is extremely hard to come by for the drow
Common Taboos
Weakness and kindness in traditional drow society is seen as dangerous, for the strong rule and the weak serve, and those showing weakness are easy to be manipulated and forced into submission. This isn't to say that "kind" or "caring" drow don't exist, its just they usually only last long outside of drow society, for a drow has to be cunning and ruthless to survive in the cutthroat society of the drow
History
The origin of the Drow is one the elves of the surface would keep you form believing. That is, if the Drow themselves are to be believed, for they are a mysterious people in themselves. The elves of the surface claim that the drow simply floated across the sea during the Great Exit, and went mad by the whispers of the Abyssal Demon Lolth, the Mother of Spiders. The Drow hold otherwise, for their origins lies in a battle of the very gods.
When Teclican and Ira made the other realms and the elven pantheon, there was one that was forgotten. Liarel, was born into the world by Teclican, who during a great battle with a demon spilled its blood, much to the same way the other elves were made. However, the magic around this blood was far more powerful and so birthed a goddess, which Teclican took under his wing as one of his new chosen gods. Liarel was considered to be the favored daughter among the newly born pantheon, her power great and her beauty unmatched. When Teclican was meant to pick a wife to join him, Liarel was sure that she would be picked. However, that was taken from her as Teclican chose Onrasha as his bride.
Betrayal of the highest kind, in Liarel's eyes, there was no greater insult. Why should her power be denied like this? Did she not stand by his side at all times? Did she not prove herself the most faithful in Teclican's grand design? This rage at her mind as the pretender gods danced and reveled while Liarel was left to bask in first sorrow, then rage. She vowed to never be taken advantage of, made the fool, or used in someone else's scheme ever again. Seeing this building rage, Onrasha whispered lies and half truths into the elves and Teclican that Liarel was planning to attack them and destroy everything. Enraged, the elves and the gods butchered the followers closest to Liarel, and she could only despair as she was thrown from the heavens to crash into the ground, buried under rock and rubble. Those who would become the Drow were forced into exile or face execution as they huddled in half broken ships out into the sea. However they heard a whisper, for their goddess had survived her fall. They traveled a perilous journey into the Underdark, and Liarel revealed herself, now under the name of Lolth. She had stolen power from the demons of the Hells, and had made her own realm of the Demon Web Pits, and turned the Drow into her own image, thus the first Drow were born.
She would impart her experiences upon the Drow, as they were taught that to show weakness is to invite ruin. They must be strong, always ready for danger, and that their surface kin are naught but liars and traitors. They are true children of the old gods, for Lolth had always been faithful but was betrayed by the tyrants up above. THeir society grew dark, and cold, as the first great city of the Drow Narvandor was built. They would raid the surface and take slaves to rapidly build their society up. Even more cities were built as the Drow finally had their revenge after generations. Suddenly, the island of Iadith was swarmed by attackers emerging from seemingly nowhere. The surface elves were overwhelmed by the Drow as they set fire to all the land, and cities were reduced to rubble. Lolth did battle with the very gods, bringing her own pantheon beside her of Drow she elevated to godhood, and the sky crashed and burned with the raging of gods. Though Lolth and the Drow were pushed back to retreat, the cost for Iadith was great. So terrible was this defeat that Iadith has completely and utterly wiped any knowledge of this battle from the face of the planet, seemingly making it that it never existed in the first place. The drow at this point were unstopable, they thought. The underdark was brimming with life and nothing could bring down the Church of Lolth or the great Matron Houses. But then the Cataclysm came.
None no exactly how it came to pass, some say a heretical drow let the great monster in, others say it had always been there, waiting, but the bottom line is: an indescribable monster of immense power was in the Underdark. It casted a terrifying spell, causing a flood to suddenly hit the Underdark without warning. Many drow would drown before they even had a chance to flee, and many more died trying to flee. With the waters rapidly rising, the only option they had was to escape to the surface, and seek some form of shelter in the foreign land. Whats worse is Lolth was somehow "imprisoned" and thus cut off from the rest of the pantheon, though she can still exert some power. This event would only take hours, and scholars debate the number of dead but its believed upwards of 60% of the drow species was killed in what would be known as: The Great Underdark Cataclysm.
This influx of refugees put the Kingdom of Ashenfeld, the closest kingdom to the main Underdark entrance, in a awkward position, not really having liked the drow but at the same time not willing to just slaughter them like animals for simply daring to seek some form of shelter. So the Kingdom of Ashenfled would offer two choices: either live in sort of refugee camps next to some of their larger cities, or have the choice to form their own sort of closed off communities off in the wilds wherever they so choose. Most took to running off to form their own small city states deep in the wildernesses of forests or mountains or immigrate to other places around the world while the "unlucky" ones ended up staying in refugee areas of some of the cities. Others took to escaping to the seas, where they became the feared Dread Fleet Corsairs. This on top of the new heretical faith of Eilistraee now divides the drow more than ever before. One thing is known for certain, whoever can either free Lolth or re take the Underdark, will decide the fate of the Drow, either the Matron Houses and the Church of Lolth, or the wave of the new faithful in Eilistraee.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Relations with other species is rocky at best. Due to the reclusive nature of the drow, and the fact they deal in slavery, this had put them at odds with the other races even before the cataclysm. However now that the drow have essentially become an endangered species since the cataclysm, this relation has gotten even more rocky. Some genuinely look at the drow with pity, not being able to help but feel bad for a race who has lost everything, even their home. Others look at them with disdain and disgust, using the nickname of "maskies" or "faceless" half as a nickname and half as a sort of slur. This is on top of the chaos of the Drow as their people are divided in what they should be in the surface, and the faithful of the new goddess and Lolth cause more tension and blood.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Lifespan
1,000 Years
Average Height
4'7 to 5'5
Average Weight
80 to 155lbs
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
The coloring can varry between drow, with some sporting an almost charcoal black skintone, a purpleish skintone, to a very pale skin tone. All drow are naturally born with bright white hair, but some have taken to using hair dyes to change their hair color
Related Organizations
