Drow Characteristics

The Drow, commonly known as dark elves to surface dwellers, are a sinister reflection of their elven cousins, dwelling within the Everdeep. These evil offshoots of the Fae have skin as black as coal, white hair, and most commonly red eyes. Otherwise, they appear almost identical to traditional elves, being shorter and more slender than the average humanoid, even more so than other elves. Over the centuries of living below the surface, Drow have adapted to better navigate the treacherous caves, perpetual darkness and predatory beasts that infest their domain, rising to the top of the hierarchy of the underworld as its malevolent apex predators. Drow tend to average just under 5 feet tall and weigh slightly less than 100 pounds.

Much like other Elves, Drow are highly resistant to certain forms of mind affecting magics, but have also gained an innate spell resistance and several innate powers from centuries of living deep under the surface of the earth, where strange magical properties abound. All Drow are trained in the use of their favored weapons, the Hand Crossbow and Sleeping Poison. These implements have been critical in their survival in an environment where the slightest noise could alert a dozen nearby predators to their presence. The magical equipment they craft is equally potent, but fades and inevitably crumbles when left under surface light for too long. Much like their equipment, the Drow themselves are also sensitive to sunlight, and have difficulty perceiving targets and defending themselves while on the surface during daylight hours.

History

Long ago, dark elves were believed to have dwelled on the surface along with their fair skinned cousins, their complexion and appearance being much more similar to their surface kin. Supposedly a great conflict almost as old as the world itself drove the two cultures apart, forcing a large group of them into the Everdeep, where the opportunistic Lilith severed their spiritual connection to their fey homeland and trapped them beneath the surface as her unwitting puppets. Drow society is matriarchal, their cruel goddess ensuring that the males of their race will always serve as second class citizens to the twisted whims of her priestesses.

The world of Dark Elves has always held to a rigid caste system, with the captured slaves of other races being at the bottom, even having a word for non-Drow that references humanoids and excrement at the same time. Above them are commoner Drow, typically servants or soldiers for the noble houses. The Noble houses of their dark society are ruled by clerics of Lilith, with warriors, wizards and other classes serving as supplementary forces. Over the many years of subjugation to their dark god, the Noble Houses constantly war with each other for ranking in the city, crafting subtle and devious plots to overthrow those above them, or squash resistance from below. Entire armies have vanished overnight from ruthlessly executed plots to replace an enemy house, the lack of evidence left behind used as justification for the assault. Any house that should attempt to overthrow another but fail and be discovered is punished mercilessly for its clumsiness by the whole of society.

Culture

The Drow worship Lilith, an evil, demonic fae goddess of chaos, trickery and murder who has long held sway over her subjects, intentionally perpetuating a society of infighting amongst her people under the guise of cutting out weakness among them. This allows her to remain as the dominant, guiding force for the Drow, as everything they do is meant to please their horrid goddess, even at the expense of their own kin. As Lilith is female, Drow society is Matriarchal, and its most important station is that of the Matron, seconded by High Priestesses, of which there are many, ruling over the males of their race with an unforgiving and dismissively abusive temper. The nature of their dark goddess has created a society that stands as a mockery of civility. To an outsider their cities appear as beautiful works of art, the noble houses of the city appearing as grand structures extolling the symbology of Lilith, masking the inner chaos that writhes within their world.

Dark Elves are cunning, exploitive, cruel, treacherous, and exceptionally skilled in both magic and murder. If not for their unending struggling for power within the bounds of their twisted society, the Drow would be a threat to every decent living sentient creature in existence, but such as they are, they are only dangerous to those who enter their domain or happen across one of their raiding parties.

Drow Types