Drow

[Emmarie]

Drow

Cursed souls beneath the earth, depraved and castoff cousins of the goodly elves, drow are feared and hated by all other races. They are well-known for their remorseless cruelty, their deadly efficiency, and their passions for vice and excess. Despite their selfish and evil natures, drow are also famed for the disturbing beauty of their art and architecture and the peerless quality of their crafts.

Personality

Little fazes a dark elf. Jaded and cynical in the extreme, drow take shocking events in stride and manage to maintain an air of detachment even when embroiled in deadly circumstances. This cold-hearted distance is necessary in a treacherous and volatile environment; despite their long life spans, drow know that death can come at any moment. All understand that each step taken is part of an intricate and intimate dance on the edge of destruction. Thus, they take every threat seriously. Even the most innocuous joke could be seen as a reason for deadly vengeance, and for drow, vengeance is more than an idea, it's an art form.

Physical Description

Drow are short and slim by human standards, being slightly smaller than surface elves and often weighing less. their height ranges from 4 to 5 ½ feet, but most dark elves are about 4 ½ feet tall. They typically weigh 75 to 125 pounds; drow are as light on their feet as they appear.

Drow features are slightly more angular than those of surface elves, but they retain an alien beauty. Their skin is jet black, and their hair tends to be a stark white, although some drow have very pale blond, greenish-white, pale blue, or light lavender hair. Dark elves' eyes usually range from a sickly orange to a crimson red color, but some drow have bright blue or even purple eyes (denoting some surface blood). They favor dark clothes of intricate design. Since their darkvision cannot distinguish colors, drow prefer to impress with detail and texture. Black is the natural clothing of choice, but purple, deep red, and dark shades of other colors aren't uncommon. Drow rarely wear bright colors or reflective materials, which make them too noticeable if exposed to light.

Altogether, drow present a stunning and imposing image. Some humans and elves find them beautiful, but such fools are like moths attracted to a dark flame.

Relations

Motivated to do all the evil that mortals are capable of, it's a wonder that dark elves have any relationship other than all-out-war with other races. Drow view all other creatures, no matter how powerful, as inferior. Regardless of how cordial a dark elf behaves toward a particular creature, the drow secretly harbors designs for its degradation, subjugation, and destruction.

Drow hate elves with unreasonable passion. Derro they view as disgusting grubs that should be expunged from the earth. Duergar compete with drow for resources, and their spell-like abilities make them troublesome. Other sorts of dwarves make decent slaves but are good for little else. Surface gnomes are viewed with derisive humor, but svirfneblin are hated almost as much as duergar. Drow see halflings as a minor nuisance to be enslaved or eliminated. Humans are naive and easily manipulated, simple tools to be used before their destruction. Dark elves view half-orcs, orcs, and goblinoids as humans do wild dogs: useful when properly trained and carefully managed, but otherwise to be killed when encountered. Mind flayers, beholders, kuo-toa and aboleths are alien and unpredictable creatures, to be used, eliminated, or ignored, as circumstances dictate. Araneas, ettercaps, the drow subraces, and other related creatures are gifts of the Spider Queen, servants and tools. Driders are hated examples of drow weakness.

These views represent common opinion held by most drow, but individuals might have their own take on how to deal with other races. Some might even find it possible to form friendships with individuals or another race, able to deal fairly and in good faith with them - or so they say.

Alignment

Drow are almost universally evil, lawful or lawless as necessary to achieve their goals. Some rare individuals have no particular drive to do evil, but rarer still are those who feel they must do good - such drow are often eliminated or exiled from dark elf society.

Drow Lands

Drow kingdoms are often small, usually no larger than a metropolis on the surface world. The dangerous wilds of the Underdark and the limited quantity of large open space force drow settlements to be scattered widely or spread over a series of linked caverns. Little exists to inform travelers that they approach a drow city. A patrol or guard outpost might be a creatures only warning before it stumbles into a cavern filled with hundreds or thousands of dark elves. Drow often divide their cities into Houses, fortresses owned by powerful families. Weaker families own smaller enclaves or serve in the fortress of a more powerful family.

Religion

The patron goddess of the drow, the Spider Queen, rules her people from the cradle to the grave - or so it has always been thought. In truth the dark elves worship a multitude of deities, of which She of Spiders is the most prominent. Together these gods make up a small but vicious pantheon. For more information, see Gods of the Drow.

Language

Drow speak their own language, which is similar in many respects to the language of surface elves but uses a unique symbology for written words. In addition, all dark elves speak Undercommon, a trade tongue developed to allow creatures of the Underdark to communicate. Written words tend to be highly religious or utilitarian. Works of fiction, philosophy, or poetry are viewed as frivolous unless they achieve a political goal. Many drow also communicate with a hand cant, a special sign language.

Names

Drow names reflect the history of their language, having an elven sound but with the hard consonants and sibilant sounds adopted by the race. Unlike surface elves, drow usually have one given name at birth and keep that name throughout life. Names can be very important in dark elven society; they indicate a drow's position in her family, what House the family serves, and that House's position in the city. Drow who abandon their names often do so to break from their House and gain power for themselves.

Drow names have four distinct parts: personal name, family name, House name, and position House name. There are certain leading Houses within a drow city, listed in the position House name to indicate which that drow's House serves. The drow of the most powerful Houses all serve the leading House.

These names are divided by certain qualifiers or prefixes that indicate position and rank.

A Drow Name Glossary

Do': A common qualifier meaning "of" used to indicate a certain House or family. This does not indicate position, so it is mostly used between drow who are very familiar and with outsiders who might be confused by other qualifiers.

D': Used before a family name or House name, this prefix translates to "higher of" or "leader of". It indicates that the drow is a member of the elite in his family or that his family is a member of the elite in his House. This prefix is also used when the drow's House leads the city. In such cases, the drow would replace the position House name with the city's name.

Du': Meaning "servant of", this prefix appears before family names, House names, and position House names. It indicates a middle rank.

Dre': Meaning "slave of", this prefix describes the lowest rank of a family's or House's service. It is never used for position House names except in mockery.

Sil': This signifies that the drow is a priest or a druid. It is used before family or House name to indicate to which the drow owes most loyalty. sometimes drow use Sil' before the name of their deity, abandoning family, House and position House names, to show they have chosen to serve the god first. Such individuals are seen as dangerous wild cards or tractable tools, depending on the power and independence of the god's church in the city.

Zan': This prefix indicates "servant of", and is used in the same way as Du', but with the secondary meaning that the service is outside the boundaries of the drow's House or family rank. Mercenaries commonly use use this prefix, as do members of Houses or families who are shifting their support to another House. Using this prefix can be a dangerous business, but such risks come naturally to dark elves.

Ze': This qualifier means that the drow is an arcane spellcaster of some kind. It's used exactly like Sil', except that instead of a god, a drow might list a college of magic to which he is in service.

Zru': This prefix identifies the drow as a member of the standing army of a house or family. All drow are called upon to defend from or attack foes, but Zru' indicates the drow's main duty is to guard that family or House. Rank is shown by using other prefixes, and service to a particular drow can be indicated by inserting that drow's name in one's own.

Most drow know when a word indicates a name, family, House, or city, but when dealing with creatures unfamiliar with their home city's structure, they sometimes employ a second set of prefixes that come after the first to help clarify.

A': "Of the family."

Che': "Of the city."

Sus': The words that follow state the name of another drow.

Ur': "Of the House."

A Drow might also extend his name to explain the rank of the person he serves or the House his family serves. This is done upon the request of a more powerful dark elf, to impress with rank, or to explain the drow's position to an outsider.

Drow Male Names

Brakka, Druzzd, Graxxek, Illitoreth, Ronox, Quizorus, Siltoruz, Timox, Xanazu, and Zreezdonor.

Drow Female Names

Kaxanna, Ballistra, Dretta, Levilresh, Quolathirathay, Ravillen, Sillilzoress, Tarrarun, Zarrundra, and Xansizi.

House Names

Brozen, Drakuno, Exarz, Omat, Saruda, Tezan, Uden, Xuxim, and Zandra.

City Names

Brekathra, Kathkatluth, Illitorrazuz, Nellethorud, Reayzakatra, Suskurazazz, Tezzuran, Uthtillatorien, Tyrrynythol, and Zedratazuz.

Adventurers

Drow take up adventuring for many reasons. Some are more comfortable facing the physical dangers of the Underdark than the deadly social and political climate of drow cities. Others seek to win fame or power they can bring home, and still more take up a life of adventure to break free from a constrictive social position. Many are forced to take the adventurer's path to escape the destruction of their family or House. Exiled dark elves become adventurers because the alternative is death.