Drow
"Too long has tradition kept us sequestered, ignorant and bitter, in our caves. Look around you. You are not in Menzoberranzan. You are in a new land, and you must adapt.
I envision a better way for our people. Subjugating half of our race thwarts half of our potential, and I invite my brothers to stand at my side. Imagine what we might accomplish together if we turn our eyes away from seeking to drive a knife into each other's backs... and instead turn our wrath to those who would oppose us. Turning away - or worse, enslaving - those who share only half our blood denies us new and varied skills which would serve us well when they might pass more easily in the lands of pale faces.
Those who bow their head beneath our gazes deserve what they will tolerate. Those who would lift a fist defiantly had better be well prepared to defend what is theirs. Those whose fierceness matches our own are the only worthy allies. Honor comes before a battle... never during, and seldom after. To win without fighting is best, but come to blows and no mercy will be granted.
United we are mighty. Divided we will be consumed.
I invite you to add your strength to ours, and our strength to your own."
- The Karliik lu'Xukuth
Current Lead: senga.recreant
Current Co-Lead: asmodeus.dragovar
Please note that the following information does not reflect the present attitude of Eilystlar, but a good guide for new Drow players. We absolutely welcome the conflict that a traditional Llothite Drow represents! Bring on the drama! If you are interested in playing a Drow character and need some guidance - in either how to play or how to make a Drow avatar on a budget, anything at all - don't hesitate to ask. My character might wanna rustle your characters' jimmies, but I'm friendly and approachable.
Looking forward to all the fun we're going to have!
~ Drejan / Senga
Cruel and cunning, drow are a dark reflection of the elven race. Also called dark elves, they dwell deep underground in elaborate cities shaped from the rock of cyclopean caverns. Drow seldom make themselves known to surface folk, preferring to remain legends while advancing their sinister agendas through proxies and agents. Drow have no love for anyone but themselves, and are adept at manipulating other creatures. While they are not born evil, malignancy is deep-rooted in their culture and society, and nonconformists rarely survive for long. Some stories tell that given the right circumstances, a particularly hateful elf might turn into a drow, though such a transformation would require a truly heinous individual.
Adventurers: Conquerors and slavers, drow are driven to expand their territory, and many seek to settle ancient grudges upon elven and dwarven nations in ruinous and dreary sites of contested power on the surface. Male drow favor martial or stealth classes that put them close to their enemies and their homes, as either soldiers or spies. Female drow typically assume classes that lend themselves to leadership, such as bards and especially clerics. Both genders have an innate talent for the arcane arts, and may be wizards or summoners. Drow make natural antipaladins, but males are often discouraged from this path, as the feminine nobility feel discomforted by the idea of strong-willed males with autonomous instincts and a direct relationship with Lloth.
Physical Description
Drow are similar in stature to humans, but share the slender build and features of elves, including the distinctive long, pointed ears. Their eyes lack pupils and are usually solid white or red very rare cases violet. Drow skin ranges from coal black to a dusky purple. Their hair is typically white or silver, though some variation is not unknown.
Relations
Drow have a strong sense of racial superiority and divide non-drow into two groups: slaves, and those that are not yet slaves. In practice, however, races that may share similar inclinations (such as hobgoblins and orcs) and those who serve willingly may be treated as servitor races and granted a measure of trust and modest rank in drow society. Others, such as dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, are deemed fit only for the lash. Manipulative drow delight in exploiting the weak character of humans. While they claim no kinship with fetchlings, the drow harbor a curiosity toward the shadow race, as both are adaptations of races exposed to extreme and dangerous conditions. Finally, the drow's hatred of elves sets these beings apart from all other races, and the dark elves desire nothing more than to ruin everything about their surface cousins.
Alignment and Religion
Drow place a premium on power and survival, and are unapologetic about any vile choices they might make to ensure their survival. After all, they do not just survive adversity—they conquer it. They have no use for compassion, and are unforgiving of their enemies, both ancient and contemporary. Drow retain the elven traits of strong emotion and passion, but channel it through negative outlets, such as hatred, vengeance, lust for power, and raw carnal sensation. Consequently, most drow are chaotic evil. Most if not all Drow that reside in the Underdark worship Lloth also known as the Spider Queen.
Society
Drow society is traditionally class-oriented and matriarchal. Male drow usually fulfill martial roles, defending the species from external threats, while female drow assume positions of leadership and authority. Reinforcing these gender roles, one in 20 drow are born with exceptional abilities and thus considered to be nobility, and the majority of these special drow are female. Noble houses define drow politics, with each house governed by a noble matriarch and composed of lesser families, business enterprises, and military companies. Drow are strongly driven by individual self-interest and advancement, which shapes their culture with seething intrigue and politics, as common drow jockey for favor of the nobility, and the nobility rise in power through a combination of assassination, seduction, and treachery.
A house consists of, in the order of rank, as follows:
A ruling Matron Mother.
The Matron’s first daughter.
Any daughters in birth order that are in training to become priestesses, or are priestesses.
Any daughters in birth order not in training.
Any priestesses not of the same family.
The Elderboy, first son of the Matron.
The Secondboy, the Matron’s second son.
The Patron, the Matron’s current lover.
Any remaining sons that may still live.
The House Mage, if none of the sons has taken the position.
The Weapons Master or Trainer. Also a position that can be taken by a son.
Any warriors and mages.
Any slaves or workers.
Language
Deep Drow
Deep Drow, also known as Low Drow or Drowic, is the normal language of the drow. Each isolated community has its own variant with a distinct accent. Deep Drow is read right to left in single-world columns with little punctuation.
High Drow
High Drow is a more complex language than Deep Drow and has a larger, runic alphabet. This language is primarily used by priestesses in their rituals and by nobles who wish not to be understood by lower-born drow and slaves.
Drow Sign Language
Drow Sign Language is a silent hand code used to communicate in the Underdark. Unlike other languages that must be heard to be comprehended, Drow Sign must be seen to gather meaning. It has no alphabet or written form. Humans and other goodly races often confuse the language's motions as spell conjurations. Drow Sign Language is commonly known by drow, who find it particularly useful on patrols and in other instances when silence is expedient. It is a very expressive language, able to convey tone and emotions.
Signing drow sometimes disguised their signing with what was called a "visual code of silence": holding up part of one's cloak with one hand in order to shield the signing hand.
Food For Thought
None of this is strictly canon, but feel free to utilize it for your character as they seem to be a common theme for many of ours.
- Many career surfacers seem to have a habit of sleeping a few hours, as humans do, in addition to reverie. Perhaps this is a side effect of becoming habituated to the sun.
- Many career surfacers appear to be taller than those from the Underdark, perhaps because there is more protein and calcium available in their diet. This is particularly true of males.
- Many drow appear to be lactose intolerant. There are no cows in the Underdark, after all. Some cheeses may be tolerable, however.
- Many drow appear to disdain sweets.
- Surface Drow tend to live longer than their subterranean counterparts (whose life expectancy is approximately 1000 years.) We may perhaps live as long as the Darthiiri if we do not fall in battle.
Feel free to add to this if you have noticed any recurring themes in the course of your RP.