Drow Elves

'But some rejected their goddess, and burrowed below the ground below to escape her gaze. They came to the dwarves' Underkingdom, and sought to take it for their own. Thus, as the drow began their advance, the War Below began.' - The Words of the Faith, Adventus 7:80-82

Drow elves, dark elves, or simply Drow, are a subterranean species, mistrustful of the surface world. Characterised by purple skin and white hair, the Drow live in a slave society in their Empire below ground, much of which was once the kingdom of the dwarves, taken following a bloody and bitter war. What, exactly, made the Drow move underground and usurp the dwarves' Underkingdom remains unclear, but it has rendered them pariahs in the eyes of most other races, and they are typically treated with hostility on the surface, preferring to remain deep below ground in their bizarre society. Reports of the Empire of the Drow speak of everything from entire cities of slaves to domesticated spiders, painting a strange picture of this world beneath our very feet.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

The Drow live deep underground, whether in natural cave systems or artificial tunnels and chambers. When on the surface, they are highly sensitive to sunlight, thus typically prefer to move at night.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Due to their underground nature, the Drow diet typically consists of cultivated fungi, arthropods, and blind cave fish. Some reports of Drow stealing livestock from the surface have been confirmed, though whether these were actually to be eaten is unknown.

Biological Cycle

The shortest-lived of the elven subspecies, Drow breed at a rate similar to humans, and few will see the end of their natural lifespan due to the harsh conditions of their home.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Drow have the typical elven ears, but notably have almost solid white eyes - they are close to blind, and are believed to cope with other senses. They are also the most likely of the elven species to grow facial hair.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Drow typically have a name in their strange Elven dialect. For most, this single name is all they have, but the aristocracy will have surnames usually related to either their noble house, or the priesthood of Xune.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Drow retain the ability to speak Elven/Elvish, but their dialect is notably different to their surface cousins. They also speak Undercommon, which appears to be a pigdin of several languages, and use a special type of sign language to communicate during surface raids.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Drow society is built on the back of slaves, owned by the nobles of the priesthood of Xune. Everyone in drow society is either property, or an owner. A vast majority of these priests are female, but a rare few are male.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Drow are hostile to almost all species, seemingly treating most they encounter as either slaves or prey.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Elves

Lifespan

50-60 years

Average Height

Similar to wood elves, with 5ft seeming average. Notably, females are often taller than males

Average Weight

Drow are typically emaciated, so the average weight is very low

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Drow have a very notable physical appearance, having skin that can be seemingly any shade of purple and almost always snow-white hair.