Drow
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[edit] Drow Profile
Life Expectancy: 1800 - 2300 Homeland: Trist’Oth - The Underdark Average Height: 4'6" (126cm) - 5'4" (162cm) Average Weight: 110lbs. (50kg) - 160lbs. (72.5kg) Preferred Classes: Mage (Male Only), Priestess (Female Only), Assassin Classes This race can be: Ranger,Mage, Priest, Assassin, Thief, Spell Blade, Necromancer, Illusionist, Druid Alignment: Lawful Evil, Chaotic Evil Preferred Weapons: Longsword, Whip Aggression Level: Extremely Aggressive Intelligence Level: Superb Intellect Magic Rating: High Strength Rating: Moderate (This is compensated for with speed) Weak Against: Psychological Attack, Light Strong Against: Poison, Dark Magic Related Races: Elf Allied Races: Enemy Races: Elf, Dwarf
[edit] Physiology
Relatively short, all Drow have dark skin and white hair. They tend to be short when compared to the humans, but make up for their lack of height and strength for their speed. Drow males also tend to be shorter than the females and rarely is this broken. Due to their dark skin and prolonged life in the Underdark, Drow flesh burns easily in the sun, causing them great pain. Also, the normal eye color of the Drow is red. To have yellow would denote some illness or poison, blue or violet would denote some sort of heritage that is not pure Drow. And on a final note, Drow see with the use of Infravision (Vision in Infrared), so their extreme cases of light directly exposed to their eyes burns and they also do not need a light source to see in their dark environment. This is also why so few Drow leave the Underdark.
[edit] Psychology
The phsyche of the Drow is that of a cruel, sick, and twisted nature. The Drow tend to have an insatiable lust for battle, killing surface dwellers bringing them the most delight. Also, it is not rare to see Drow female to show off her body by way of removing her clothes. In Drow eyes, she is merely indulging the fact she's a woman and is quite proud to show that fact off as women hold all the power. Although cruel and twisted, the Drow can occasionally develop affection, given certain and extenuating circumstances (e.g. living on the surface). More often than not, it's played off as lust. Rarely, if ever, is affection seen coming from any sort of Drow. Although affection is often not seen, it is the most likely result of favoritism, which is played out to gain power. For example, the Matron's favorite (her Patron) is often the strongest male in the house, or the Weapons Master. Drow think in a very twisted, self-centered manner. They do not act unless there is a plot within a plot within another plot to say kill someone. These multi-layered plots are found frequently in Drow society.
[edit] Drow Society
Drow society is famed for its matriarchal nature, in Drow society the mother matrons rein supreme and the men are almost second class citizens. Drow society is steeped in customs that have existed for many millennia. However one rule seems to be adhered to above all else and that rule is “Survival of the Fittest”. Drow are naturally cruel and vicious beings and only strong Drow survive and strongest of all the Drow are the mother matrons who lead the sadistic and twisted houses and make sure that the Chaos Goddess Astrala (Also referred to as Lloth, Lolth, the Spider Queen, or the Dark Mother) who favors the Drow and arachnid races above all else. Drow males are never allowed to be a priest or cleric but are often servants of the priestess of Astrala who are the highest order if the Underdark.
Almost all Drow live in the Underdark under the control of the mother matrons who lead their respective houses. Almost all Drow belong to a house either as a house brother or sister or as an owned slave of that house. There is little, if any, exception to this. Drow society survives through raiding and conquest and intelligent use of these ill gotten gains.
Another important facet of Drow society is hatred of their kin who live above the Underdark on the surface and any of the likes of half-breed drow. Many rituals and celebrations verbally bash their kin and revel in any victory over their fellow elves. The treatment of half-breeds on the other hand is delivered only in two ways: Death or exile. Regardless of that half-breeds abilities or any feature, those two sentences are carried out without question. Drow tend only to trade amongst themselves being a very xenophobic race, many of the Drow who venture out of Trist’Oth are outcasts or are carrying out missions for their matron mother, many males who do this are known as “The Rievers” and their cruel and calculating methods are feared by the surface races and much celebrated below amongst the drow who secretly desire their dark skill.
And last, but not least, there is an order of houses in the Underdark, one that is generally accepted by all cities of Drow and that is the House Ranking System. The most powerful house, of course, is ranked first with all houses, lesser in power, preceding it. They are the envy of every house within that city and they are to watch the city carefully as they are envied. Drow are taught and raised to be power-hungry and hate the surface world.
[edit] Drow House System
Drow society is based on the gain of status and the knowledge that only the strong survive in the world of the underdark.
Families of nobility (the ranking class) are grouped into Houses.
[edit] House Rankings
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 third son born is sacrificed to Lloth at birth, unless one of the first two sons die before he is born.
- The Patron, the Matron’s current lover.
- 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.
[edit] Drow & Religion
Drow religion is primarily monotheistic with the only allowed goddess being Astrala the spider goddess of chaos and survival. Astrala’s teaching’s fit the Drow way of life perfectly and almost all Drow worship her in one way or another. Virtually all of the house leaders of Trist’Oth and the Underdark known as “The Matron Mothers” have been or still are High Priestess’s of Astrala’s various religious orders. The orders of Astrala are easily the highest order of any Drow religion and give members especially the priestess hood tremendous social standing and influence. The Cult of Astrala is focused on her temple in Trist’oth and at the top of the pyramid like structure bloody and oft times cruel sacrificed are mad to the Goddess of all chaos. Occasionally some Drow Necromancers form death cults to worship Vakarash but these tend to be male dominated sects are therefore of less social standing. Dow rarely if ever allows other races to partake in their religious ceremonies with the exception of sacrifices. The most important ceremony is “The Night of The Bloody Moon” every sixth full moon the clerics of Astrala open a sacred channel fashioned from marble that sends a stream of moonlight down into Underdark the light travels through a pain of thick red glass and lands on a white marble circle in the temple when this process is completed sacrifices are brought to the circle in multiples of six and stabbed multiple times with curved blades and their blood flows out from the bloody moon circle like rivers. This ceremony recreates their bloody pact with the spider goddess and empowers the priestesses of Astrala with powerful magic.
[edit] Drow History
Many chroniclers of Hollow history have debated whether or not the Drow or Dark Elves are they are sometimes known are one of the elder races such as The Dragons, Dwarves and other Elves. All that can be certain is there is some connection between the Drow and other elves that neither side wish to discuss. A popular fairytale is that the Elf race was as one at the start of the golden age and by he end some terrible schism that split not only the Elf people but their very core, after that time many tribes of Elf departed the sacred groves of Sage and forged their own destiny as the Sea Elves of Rynvale did. It is quite possible a tribe of Elves left Sage and became the race now known as Drow but what transformed them into the dark skinned, white haired, wicked and sadistic race they have become is a mystery. Some among the elven races claim the Drow have sold their souls to dark powers and their dark skin and snow white hair mark them out for doing so.
A major exception to the Drow's isolation just before the time of the dark immortals when the Drow allies with the shadow gnomes in a private war against their elven cousins and their pixie allies ultimately though their above ground brethren won out this may be the reason for their isolation during this period up till the drow resurgance after the grand cataclysm.
During most of Hollow’s history the Drow have remained secluded in the Underdark, a few left to explore the surface world but not many. It was only after the cataclysm that lead to Cenril having to be rebuilt and that saw the decline in the power of the Dread Lords Kaizer and Solaris that the Drow became none as a race to be reckoned with. Raiding out from the virtually impregnable Underdark the Drow threatened to become a major threat to every surface race especially the elves of Sage for which they hold a bestial animosity which borders on insanity. However when the Dark Immortals Elazul and Khasad returned to reclaim Hollow they invaded the Underdark killing many Drow in Trist’Oth when they freed Karueborn, the dragon lord, from his enchanted prison. Many Drow joined the armies of Elazul and attacked the surface of Hollow but a small sect set up a secret base under Gualon and has since become separate from the rule of the Matron Mothers in Trist’oth.
After the disappearance of the dark immortals once again the hordes of the Underdark returned to their subterranean lair but a combined will as malicious and destructive as theirs will not be bent by this minor defeat and rumblings are sounding again of a new Drow uprising to bring their control to the surface world once again…
[edit] Famous Drow
See Famous Players