Overview[]
Drow, also known as dark elves, were a dark-skinned sub-race of elves that predominantly lived in the Underdark. They earned their reputation as evil people, with all justification, though some members with more neutral disposition did exist, as did an even smaller number of actually good members. On the surface, the Drow were sometimes referred to as "The Ones Who Went Below". They are a matriarchal, theocratic society in which the Spider Queen Lolth is the supreme Goddess. They harbour hatred for all other races, especially Elves and believe themselves to be the apex race.
Physical Description[]
Drow had skin of dark grey to obsidian color and white or yellow hair. Rare hair colors included copper and silver, the latter believed to be a sign of a mentally handicapped person, a superstition. Female drow with blonde hues indicated the drow in question was of an older age. Elder male drow had naturally silvering hair. This hair was carefully groomed and cared for by most drow and worn long with jewelry and other accessories decorating it. Like all elves, drow were incapable of growing beards, though many males were fond of long sideburns. Drow eyes were usually bright red, but some had different colored, often much paler eyes such as blue, lilac, pink and silver - these pale eyes were often so pale that they appeared to be white - in fact, their eye color could be of practically any color. Sometimes a drow's eyes could even be green or blue, which meant that that particular drow had some surface elven blood in their veins.
They were shorter than many other sub-races of elves, and while there was no average height difference between male and female drow, males were on average a bit heavier. They usually varied in height from four feet seven inches to five feet five inches and weighed from 80 to 155 pounds on average.
Drow looked attractive, especially their nobles. This wasn't a coincidence but the result of selective breeding over several generations. Meeting beauty standards of surface races was surmised to be the most important reason, that surface dwellers were prone to turn a blind eye on the drow race's deeds and allow inclusion in surface communities
Psychology[]
Drow had reputation to consist entirely of evil people. This reputation mostly matched reality with a few exceptions few and far between. Drow were arrogant, ambitious, sadistic, treacherous and hedonistic. From birth, drow were taught they were superior to other races and should crush those beneath them. Children who resisted and showed kindness or love were brutally punished, so as to beat the instinct for cruelty into them. It was important to recognize that the drow race's evil wasn't of inherent nature. Unlike for example orcs, who suffered from an inherent drive towards evil, elves like drow chose by themselves to turn their culture into what it became. Leading to a race of emotionally stunted people, with a tenuous grasp on sanity and scarred mentalities among which relatively undamaged minds were considered abnormal. Luckily for them, them meeting the surface's beauty standards gave them a comparatively easy time to be accepted into communities there.
Drow were hedonists. They loved beautiful things and surrounded themselves with what they considered beautiful and generally didn’t pay attention at how much it’d cost them. This also extended to their behavior. Drow generally believed they were entitled to do whatever they wanted whenever they wanted to do it. They often partook of lavish revels, indulging in the most pleasurable of activities, including long nights of dinner and massages. Some drow were fond of dances, including the frenzied nedeirra competition or the illiyitrii, a formal dance sometimes involving costumes.
Drow were taught from an early age to be distrustful of others. Like in any other culture, drow culture expected one to advance at the expenses of others. The difference was that unlike other cultures, there were no rules for how the "expenses of others" have to look like, acceptable forms included treachery and even outright murder. While drow did understand the value of forging bonds, they didn’t see a value in the virtue of honesty. Forming bonds was thus a dangerous endeavor and mostly of temporary nature.
Drow believed themselves to be the apex creature. Their treatment towards members of other races ran the entire gamut from pets, slaves to grudgingly respected partners when they proved themselves a military match for them, though never equals in their minds. Most drow shared a hatred of all other races, especially surface races, the object of true hatred was the surface elves. It was the only thing that united them as a species, leading them to yearn for a return to the surface that would defeat the surface elves.
Culture[]
City States[]
Drow lived in city-states formed in huge caverns in the Underdark, and had trade relationships but were mostly at war with one another. While called “city-states“, Drow didn’t form states. These cities were badly organized, in fact they weren’t cities but more clusters of Drow, with the most powerful family groups taking the best lands and resources for themselves, who then formed the “city’s“ nobility. These cities were ruled by the most powerful of the families (or houses) and although the power of the many families changed often, the top few usually remained stable. Desperation, oppression and poverty, were the general rule in such a city. The standard drow city paralyzed its own growth through infighting.
These noble Houses were in close physical vicinity to each other within these families’, more precisely the within the strongest’s, territory was usually a public temple to Lolth. Drow cities tended to provide a chaotic and messy sight because they didn’t care to have a uniform architecture style. Still, their architecture was considered something to marvel at and more wealthy holdings got faerie fire decoration. These cities had farm land, where slaves worked to get meat and crops. As a rule of thumb, half to two-third of a given drow settlement’s population consisted of slaves or non-drow without rights. These cities where also build in places with high magical shielding making them impervious to magical spying and teleportation in or out.
Matriarchy[]
Lolth’s dogma mandated to recognize female drow as more valuable than male ones, in fact they were considered worthless. This gave female drow practically all power in the theocratic society of drow and were also less likely to be sacrificed than males. Males who hoped to find any place of power in society often resorted to ends as treacherous as the women that ruled the drow, hoping to perhaps win a coveted place as the mate of a powerful matron mother.
Arcane magic was a route for power for male drow, though it was a route allowed only to a few. While they were still socially inferior to every female drow, they weren’t in real danger of being killed by a priestess, while even accomplished male war commanders were in danger of being executed for perceived insults. It would be easy to imagine that drow females, by comparison, had it much easier, but this was an illusion, and their prestigious position within society came at a high cost. In fact, the teachings of Lolth and the drive to gain more power over others made competition between female drow, particularly those who belonged to powerful houses, violently competitive in a way that males did not have to cope with. Matters were even worse for those who sought power through venues outside of Lolth's church, where the females had to compete not only with one another but with resentful and oppressed males.
Theocracy[]
Drow cities were ruled by the priestesses. Drow priestesses saw their meaning of life in pleasing a goddess. They hoped to gain the favor of their goddess by enforcing through violence others into compliance with their goddess' dogma. It resulted into a society where "might makes right" was the only "law". The priestesses fulfilled the function of judges and other judicial functions, this may sound bizarre or even idiotic given the aforementioned lawless state of drow society. In practice, something that was called "laws" did exist in drow society. Priestesses saw it as their right to arrest and punish people in ways she made up on the spot for some offense, when they got caught. Concepts such as presumption of innocence didn't exist and not good lawyers and defense but believable clarification by the suspected criminals about their connections that could lead to retribution against the punishing priestess was the basis of lessened or no punishment
Male clerics did exist. In Lolth-dominated cities, they were the targets of their female fellows and Lolth barred them from strong powers. They served in low-ranking positions under lethal risks. While they could even become divine champions or divine disciples, becoming this, made it acceptable for priestesses to kill them.
Military, Magic and Professions[]
Drow had an admiration for stealth and guile, and works of great skill. They were encouraged to become warriors or arcane spellcasters, if male, and wielders of divine powers, if female. Drow scouts were also valuable for the early warnings of threats they could provide in the tunnels of the Underdark. An assassin was prestigious in Drow culture. Drow were also known for their alluring appearance, which could be used for seduction but was more likely used as a tool of fear. In drow society, priestesses were formally the military leaders. In practice male commanders led the military forces because the priestesses commonly hid away in the face of danger while resorting to the use of corporal threats and magical domination to ensure their loyalty.
Clerical magic was the territory of Drow women, arcane one of Drow men. This clear division was due to the favoritism of Lolth towards female Drow, and to Drow women’s inferior compatibility with arcane magic. Regarding divine magic, blackguards, divine champions, divine disciples and divine seekers were common because tying one’s power to Lolth made one’s life in Drow society easier. Priestesses also became runecasters and wrote the protective runes for Drow cities.
They had a fascination with stealth and subtlety, despite this bard magic wasn’t very common but it was appreciated, and schools that trained them alongside those for rogues did exist. Rangers were valued scouts. This fascination with stealth had an interesting effect, while normally a known assassin was the equivalent of one with bad skill, Drow society’s fascination was one which made the existence of (in)famous assassin schools that doubled as assassins’ guilds possible.
Notable Drow[]
Notable Drow Individuals[]
- The mysterious figure known only as "The Black Spider" was indeed a Drow, and the villain of the Lost Mine of Phandelver Campaign
Notable Drow Clans[]
There are no notable Drow clans right now