Drow
Drow, also known as dark elves, are a dark-skinned sub-race of elves that predominantly live in the Underdark. They earn their reputation as evil people, with all justification, though some members with more neutral disposition do exist, as does an even smaller number of actually good members. On the surface, the drow are sometimes referred to as "The Ones Who Went Below".
Description
Height and Weight
They are shorter than many other sub-races of elves, and while there is no average height difference between male and female drow, females on average are bigger and stronger than males. They usually vary in height from 4′7″ to 5′5″. Men weigh somewhere from 87 to 157 pounds while women weigh somewhere between 82 to 152 pounds.
Coloration
Drow have skin of dark grey to obsidian color and white or yellow hair. Rare hair colors includ copper and silver, the latter believed to be a sign of a mentally handicapped person, a superstition.
Female drow with blonde hues indicate the drow in question was of an older age. Elder male drow have naturally silvering hair. This hair is carefully groomed and cared for by most drow and worn long with jewelry and other accessories decorating it. Like all elves, drow are incapable of growing beards, though many males are fond of long sideburns.
Drow eyes are usually bright red, but some have different colored, often much paler eyes such as blue, lilac, pink and silver - these pale eyes are often so pale that they appear to be white - in fact, their eye color can be practically any color but can vary due to hue differences. Sometimes a drow's eyes can even be green or blue, which meant that particular drow has some surface elven blood in their veins.
Attractive Looks
Drow look attractive, especially their nobles. This isn't a coincidence but the result of selective breeding over several generations. Meeting beauty standards of surface races is surmised to be the most important reason that surface dwellers are prone to turn a blind eye on the drow race's deeds and allow inclusion in surface communities.
Reproduction
Drow have a reputation - even among themselves - of being more fertile than other elves, their bodies' actual fertility is no different than other elves', but they own a higher readiness to birth as many children as possible during their lives. Their constant strife keep their numbers low.
An interesting thing about birth is that when different subraces of elves intermarried, there is an equal chance for the child to inherit either of the parents' traits. The resulting child usually has both a psychological quirk to favor the drow parent over the other one and a genetic quirk to be more likely to parent a drow, when there is a chance for it.
Lifespan
Drow have lifespans far beyond those of humans and comparable with the rest of the elven race, although usually somewhat longer. This is, of course, presuming the drow doesn't meet a premature and violent end, as many often do, but those that survive the trials of their society and the horrors of the Underdark can live for centuries, with a natural lifespan of up to 750 years.
Relationships with Other Races
Drow expect betrayal from each other and all other races, and act accordingly.
The drow view on other races runs the entire gamut from potential slaves or the target of extermination as vermin. While drow are capable of holding some respect towards races that are capable of repelling their military aggression, like the duergars or the illithids, none is considered an equal.
While drow do feel hatred against all other surface races for their supposed weakness, this hatred can’t match the one they feel towards surface elves, out of whom moon and sun elves hold an even more special position of hatred. Traditional drow culture calls for blind hatred towards them, which was based on the idea that they were unjustly cursed by the Seldarine, especially by Corellon Larethian. Although many drow think this way, some have become so used to life in the Underdark that they prefer to make the best of this realm and have no interest in the surface.
This view results in an extreme thought process regarding other races. The drow race’s first idea on making new encounters is to rage war to subjugate or eradicate the others. Prisoners of such violent activities are the source of slaves in their cities with orcs, hobgoblins, ogres and other humanoids considered savage being the majority.
The followers of Eilistraee strive for the drow to live in harmony with other surface races, and to gain the friendship of those people by offering their help. They also work to be accepted within human communities, like Fallbell or Bylyn, being rewarded with some success.
Religion
The vast majority of drow worship Lolth, while the majority of drow on the surface follow Eilistraee. The latter is also the prime choice for those drow who want to look for a means for freedom from the tyranny of Lolth.
The other deities are of minor note but clearly existent. For example, while also a choice for drow seeking freedom from slavery to Lolth like Vhaeraun, Ghaunadaur didn’t manage to increase the number of his followers due to not caring enough for matters on Abios, while other deities are in a subservient position to the Spider Queen like Kiaransalee or Selvetarm.
As mentioned before, while good drow are an extreme rarity, they exist, the majority of these worship Eilistraee or other deities of other pantheons.
Though religion plays a large part in drow society, the caste system and other seemingly lawful aspects of the culture clash with Lolth's intent and directives as a chaotic evil goddess. As a result, much of the tension between the clergy of Lolth and more secular drow come from this very different perspective.
Encompassed species
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