Drow

O Flesh Carver; who wove the world Who made us from the darkest clay. Spinning in it a red web of vein and artery. We feel thy hunger. O Lolth, humbly today we feed thee. We feed you this flesh, this quivering meat. With a blade like your jaws. We divide muscle from bone. Eat of this, the meal we consecrate to thee, And do not this day devour us.

Abjuration from the Crimson Liturgy of Lolth

History

While most drow share a hatred of all other races, especially surface races, the object of their deepest hatred is the surface elves, referred to as the "Darthiir" in Drow language, which also means "traitors". From the very day a drow child could understand words, they were taught that whatever problems or injustices they faced, the elves of the surface world were ultimately to blame. Hatred for their surface-kin was not simply a taught lesson, but a conditioned response, their name instinctively cursed when a dark Elf was faced with pain and hardship.

Since the creation of the first primal elves, all elves worshipped one of two deities; Corellon (the creator of elven kind and the Seldarine) and Lolth (his former wife, the betrayer and creator of the dark Seldarine). They regarded Corellon as their Father, and Lolth as their Mother, though this changed after a vicious conflict between Lolth and Corellon.

The worshippers of Lolth live in the Underdark, a foul place beneath the surface of the earth. While the vast majority of elves stayed on the surface, after worsening conditions during the age of chaos some decided to join the cult of Lolth in the Underdark (an event known as The Delving).

After the Age of Chaos passed, priestesses of Lolth claimed now was the time to seize the opportunity to bring pain and death to all surface elves for rejecting Lolth. The drow attacked the surface elves, and the Elvish Civil War that ensued was bloody and terrible. It lasted from 237AC to 252AC, with the elves being victorious, largely due to the military might of Elothil. Since then, the drow have remained in the Underdark, plotting to retake the surface for their spider queen. While elves are still at war with the drow, none have been sighted on the surface since the end of the war. Undercommon is taught to surface elves as a sign of respect; while the drow are considered evil, the surface elves pity them, and would love nothing more than to see their brothers in the shadows re-emerge to the surface (peacefully). This sentiment is of course not shared amongst all surface elves.

Morality

The moral code of the average drow is informed by the teachings of Lolth. From birth, the drow are taught that they are superior to other races, and as such they believe themselves to be the ultimate beings. This mindset creates an arrogance so strong that drow are normally incapable of viewing other creatures as their equals, including members of their own kind; almost every drow believes themselves to be the epitome of their superior species.

Drow are also taught that they should crush those beneath them, cruelty is seen as a method of self-validation. If someone cannot defend themselves, as the logic went, they deserve to have cruelty inflicted on them, which would prove the superiority of the drow performing the torment. They are a vengeful people by necessity, as not answering to slights with punishment is easily perceived as weakness by other drow, and is essentially the same as inviting exploitation, abuse, or even death.

Given the scarcity of resources in the Underdark and the limited chances for advancement within their society, most drow have to be aggressively competitive. They lean heavily towards violence as their instinctive form of conflict resolution.

As a general rule, drow don't show emotions like compassion or love, and drow often prefer emotional cruelty over causing physical harm. The strife they constantly endure has led them to paranoia, with a fear of everyone and everything. From the potential loss of personal position, Lolth's favor, the loyalty (or even the threat of outright rebellion) of their inferiors, to punishment by their own superiors' hands, the drow live in constant anxiety.

The end result of being raised in this environment is that the drow have become untrusting sadists with a constant readiness to stab others in the back, both in the figurative and literal sense.

Culture/Society

Drow society has two goals, called "the First and Second Part of the Destiny of the People". The first is about forcing all other races of the Underdark into slavery, while the second is about driving the entire elven population into extinction, seizing their lands and holdings in the process. Lolth claimed that, in order to achieve such goals, the drow had to be in a state of perpetual infighting and violent competition, the constant training serving to make them stronger and smarter while breeding out weaknesses.

Drow communities are known as city-states, although they aren't actually organized as "states", as much as clusters of drow lead by oppressive, theocratic nobility. Cities are normally independent and not part of a larger drow nation, and though some have trade agreements, most frequently fall to war with one another. Cities usually include farmlands, where slaves work to produce and harvest meat and crops.

Drow architecture, like typical elven works of construction, put an emphasis on beauty and are considered a marvel to behold. The drow are the best architects when it comes to shaping and hollowing out stalactites, stalagmites, and cave columns. They are also known for their stone Bridge, balcony, and buttress designs, as well as their intricate spiral tunnels. Suspension bridges are the norm, as they can withstand earthquakes.

Drow are ruled by their aristocracy, the drow Houses, made up by the families that have the strength and incredible influence to occupy the best lands, with most Houses often being located in close proximity to each other. While the nobles hoard the best territory and resources, the rest of the population is forced to fend for themselves.

The head of a noble House is a matron mother, a powerful priestess of Lolth. Below her, in descending order of influence, are the female members of the House, who are also priestesses. After them came male officers, including the weapon master, House wizard, and patron (the matron's consort), although these positions can be combined. Then, came the other male members of the House (war-leaders, who answered to the weapon master, and House mages, subservient to the House wizard). Below the non-officer males (who are normally of the House's bloodline) are servants and slaves.

Females have absolute power within their household, and own all the governmental and militaristic power within the city, although they hold no authority until after puberty. Males never hold any authority unless they manage to become an officer. In most cases, a matron only loses her position if murdered by her eldest daughter.

Like any other civilization, the drow have craftsmen, farmers, and businesses. However, the priestesses of Lolth have the authority to take items from businesses without paying. If a priestess particularly liked the products, this could cause a business to go bankrupt, leaving the workers with no choice but to enter a contract that essentially made them slaves to the priestess.

In general, drow society doesn't have unemployment or homelessness issues, as those who fall in either or both categories are naturally dealt with. This could mean that they suffered indiscriminate violence, were used in murderous sport by drow nobles, or were simply put to work as slaves. Many drow signed up into the military because the risk of a violent death there was lower than as an unemployed or homeless individual.

Spiders, being the symbol of Lolth, are the animals most closely associated with the drow, and they have a variety of roles in a drow community depending on their size. Very small ones are kept as pets by children in lairs made of metal and glass, while those big enough to kill mice serve as familiars or roam the streets acting as pest controllers. Those of dog-size sometimes serve as temple guards, while those of horse-size are used as steeds.

Drow cities aren't full of spiders solely because of the faith. The drow have an affinity for spiders and they in turn are attracted to the drow, leading to large concentrations of spiders even in all communities. Lolthite dogma forbids the act of hurting spiders, and such an act is punished with torture and death. However, other sources claim that rather than revering spiders, it would be more accurate to say that the drow emulate them, meaning they ruthlessly prey upon even their own kin.

Drow also notably Trance .

Eating Habits

Drow hunt and eat underground animals, such as cave-dwelling insects, rodents, and cavefish. Some particularly cruel drow may also consume the flesh of other intelligent races as a source of nourishment or as a means of displaying their power and domination over others.

Funeral Rites

In the bloodthirsty culture of the drow, the words "burial" and "old age" do not exist. It is rare for a drow to survive past 400 years, and sooner or later, a drow powerful enough to have gained so many years will certainly attract the attention of Lolth and end up on the sacrificial altar. Drow who die of natural causes are considered to have shamed Lolth. Their bodies are simply left to rot, their carcasses feeding the insects and vermin.

In some cases however, such as when a more prominent drow dies of natural causes, the priestesses might choose to use the death as an example to other drow, imparting on them the shame that comes with never having caught the eye of Lolth and been called to sacrifice. The corpse of such a drow is strung up over the door of her family home, suspended by delicate spider silk, and left until only bones remain. This serves as a symbol of the family's shame, and a reminder to other drow of the benefits of murdering particularly long-lived family members.
Drow who fall in battle or who have been killed by another drow receive a "blessing" from Lolth. Rather than being thrown on the garbage heap or left to rot over the doorway of one's ancestral home, the flesh on their bodies is ceremoniously stripped from the bones by a priestess, dried, and used for clothing enhancements or to make czak'ls, special bowls used to collect blood drained from sacrificed victims. Their remaining body parts and bones are soaked in a strong acid, and alter a few days, nothing remains.
The drow have no concept of ancestor worship, and they do not grieve for fallen family members. Instead, they are too busy scheming how to use the death to their advantage. This might mean gaining new power and prestige within the family, new business contacts, or new inherited wealth. On the extremely rare occasion that a drow feels loss over the death of a mate or family member, it is advantageous to hide such feelings. A dark elf stupid enough to demonstrate an emotion as useless as grief is considered an abomination, and quickly and painfully sacrificed to Lolth.

Rituals and Customs

A short summary of some of the more common rituals or customs.

• The Blooding: A coming of age event that consists of killing a dangerous or sentient creature.
• Illiyitrii: A formal dance, which sometimes serves as a platform for displaying wealth and power, for example, through costumes.
• The Running: An annual ritual where the drow commit a massacre against a surface community. It was only held when the surface was easily accessible (i.e. during the Elvish Civil War ).
• The Test of Lolth: Rites of passage and tests of loyalty for drow (especially wizards) who reached a certain degree of power and knowledge. When a priestess passed, she gained a promotion. Those who failed were turned into driders (drow that have been transformed from the waist down so they have the body of a spider). These tests are usually cruel and violent.
• Spider Hunting: A game of hide-and-seek played by young drow as a kind of courting ritual during festivals.