Drow
Elvish history is a long and complex saga, and we have witnessed and overcome things far beyond what a fledgeling race such as yours is rather capable of comprehending. ...That being said, the great tragedy of the Drow is a regret that even today, is profoundly felt by Elves everywhere. - Elvish historian.
Feared and reviled throughout the Lands Above, the drow (or dark elves) are perhaps the most numerous, powerful, and wide-spread of the Underdark's native peoples.
Basic Information
Biological Traits
Like other elves, the drow are slightly shorter than humans, and more slender, with little physical difference between the genders. They have pointed ears. They are differentiated by their black or deep purple skin and pale, almost-white hair and eyes.
Like other elves, the drow are exceptionally nimble and graceful. They have exceptionally good sense of sight and hearing, able to see in complete darkness. Centuries of exile has honed their darkvision to surpass even that of the surface elves, but they suffer from light sensitivity in bright sunlight.
Drow have exceptional inner strength and talent for sorcery, and possess innate magical talents, able to create motes of light or summon magical darkness. Their elven ancestry resists magic that would charm a human or put them to sleep.
Drow live as long as surface dweling elves, although in their violent society it is rare for any individual to live longer than 400 years. Drow begin schooling at age 8, and enter adolescence at age 20, where they enter an apprenticeship. Those who survive the harsh drow culture reach adulthood at age 80.
Ecology and Habitats
Most drow inhabit the Underdark , deep caverns below the surface of the earth. There, the drow have built vast cities, the best known of which is perhaps Menzoberranzan
The Underdark is an inhospitable and dangerous place, full of monstrous creatures. The weakest of the drow do not survive.
Civilization and Culture
Major Language Groups and Dialects
- Undercommon
- Common
- Elvish (Rare, the Drow hate to speak the tongue of their surface dewlling cousins)
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Drow society is strictly matriarchal. At the highest tiers of society are priestesses known as the Handmaidens of Lolth, chosen from among the drow noble houses and trained from birth to serve the Spider Queen, as well as lead thier respective noble house.
The drow houses perpetually vie for power, a necessity in the cutthroat Underdark cities. Weaker houses are forced to pledge loyalty to stronger ones to survive. The drow think nothing of murder or betrayal if it raises their status, and the powerful must constantly watch their back.
Open warfare between high priestesses is rare. They are all too aware that powerful drow make the best sacrifices to Lolth, and the noble houses typically maintain an uneasy peace as a result.
Male drow hold low status in society. They cannot lead a house or their own, nor does Lolth accept them into her priesthood, so even higher-status males are ultimately subservient to females. Among the most prestigious role available to males is a hunter, tasked with venturing out from their underground cities to capture victims for sacrifice.
The majority of the dark elves live in city-ctates ruled by various noble Houses. Each House commands its own small army of fearless drow soldiers, cunning wizards, and zealous priestesses, as well as large contingents of slave soldiers. In fact, half to two-thirds of any drow city's population consists of humanoid slaves and rabble, all of whom are subject to the cruelty and whims of any passing dark elf.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Drow are hedonists. They love and surround themselves with what they consider beautiful, generally without paying attention to the cost. They generally believed to be entitled to do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted to do it. This also extended to partners: for example, they take and discard lovers at their leisure and have a tendency to be lecherous.
Drow cities host large amphitheaters, featuring screeching music performances by bards and terrifying jesters. Violent bloodsports are also common. However, by far the most popular events are public displays of torture and ritual sacrifice. The most high-status sacrifices to Lolth are usually performed here in public, and it is not uncommon for the goddess Lolth to appear in person to partake in the sacrifice herself—or eat the priestess instead for failing to produce a worthy victim.
Another popular event sees captives (often captured adventurers or slaves) skilfully tortured to within an inch of their life, while their sensations are transmitted to the audience by telepathic orbs.
History
As they wandered deeper, half delirious and fearing death, the voice continued to call to them, until they had wandered beyond any hope of returning. When they reached the widest cave in the deepest cavern, the voice revealed itself as Lolth, deceptivily whispering to the winter Eladrin that she could save them. And she did. Lolth provided the Eladrin with just enough water, food and heat to survive. She pretended to try and guard them aganst the things that scuttled and snarled in the depths of what would eventually become known as the Underdark, all the while whispering to the Eladrin how thier other brothers and sisters had abandoned them. With their minds and bodies shattering from Lolth's subtle psychological and physical torture, the Winter Eladrin started to turn on another. Lolth encouraged this, sowing the seeds of doubt and paranoia, while endorsing thoughts of murder and theft.
It would not be long before Lolth began to demand loyalty from the Eladrin in return for her guidance and protection, and the first demonic pacts were struck, forming hierarchies that encouraged dominion and subservience to the spider-queen. Any Eladrin that objected to the teachings of there new goddess, or that tried to escape from the underdark, were caught, tortured and sacrificed. Lolths total corruption of the winter Eladrin would be a process that would take generations. As these generations passed, the teachings of those sworn to the service of Lolth became more and more twisted, even to the point of forgetting their Feywild origins, now calling themselves the Drow. Through cunning and deception she had created an ideology and culture that would provide her with a steady stream of souls to gorgee upon, forever.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Drow regard all other races as inferior. Some they view as potential slaves, others as deadly vermin to be exterminated. None, however are considered truly equal to the dark elves.
Though they despise humans and all other surface folk as weak creatures, the drow save their true venom for surface elves, particularly high elves. The dark elves have been convinced over centuries to hate their kinfolk with a blind passion and seize any chance to strike at their ancient cousins.
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