Drow[]
Drow are humanoids that live in the Underdark. Most drow are considered evil by abovegrounders.
Traits[]
Almost universally, drow have dark grey or obsidian-coloured skin and white or silver hair. Their eyes are most commonly red. Among elves they're considered short, averaging around five feet tall, with powerful, thin bodies being most common. Females are far stronger than males.
Drow are as agile, graceful, and silent-footed as their aboveground cousins, the elves. They can see in almost perfect darkness and are well-accustomed to using their other senses to navigate unfamiliar terrain. They're tremendously good hunters and trappers. Stealth comes naturally to most drow; the rest are quickly eaten by all the horrible beasts that roam the Underdark.
Female drow are excellent sorcerers (males are not allowed to practice much magic, but some may have high hidden potential). They share moon elves' abilities in runic magic, but most of their spells rely on darkness and shadow to work. Drow clothing, gear, and weapons will rapidly break down in sunlight. They universally hate the outdoors and will receive terrible burns if exposed to the sun for too long. They are an extremely cranky race.
Society[]
Drow society is completely ruthless. Weakness is slaughtered. Death is common and funerals are rare, with dead drow disdained as too weak to survive. Cruelty is considered an art form used to prove an individual's strength, cunning, and skill, and contests are sometimes made of torture or the breaking of slaves. Drow keep captives, pets, and servants and regard their lives as worthless. They sometimes fight each other face to face, but more often concoct elaborate schemes that bring their enemies down without any chance of resistance.
Drow are matriarchal, meaning females control their society. They worship foreign deities, most of which are horrific monstrous things that demand sacrifices, refuse mercy, and require absolute perfection in their followers. Each deity has a high priestess responsible for its care. This rank is equivalent to a king or chieftain in aboveground parlance: the high priestess makes all big decisions over her race, guided by the wishes of the deity. Battles over rank are subtle, ruthless, and never-ending. Young drow from noble families may be dedicated to the priesthood at birth.
There is no trust in drow society. They sometimes ally with one another, but only when it profits them and when they know they're stronger than their ally, capable of killing them in an instant if things go south. Betrayal is frequent. At any second a drow's close ally of many, many years might ram a dagger in their back, or a drow might be forced to turn on that ally in order to survive. It's not the least stressful environment, and while drow are not necessarily evil people, they must do and learn terrible things in order to get by.
They value decorative beauty in architecture, clothing, and weapons and are good craftsmen. Priestesses and assassins are their most desirable ranks.
Drow vs. elves[]
Drow are commonly confused with elves. They are related to elves, but diverged from the aboveground races so long ago that they class as a different race. Remnants of elven culture remain in drow culture, such as their preference for elaborate decorations and clean lines, and the two races have similarly-graceful movements. But drow and elves hate each other and will be sorely offended if called the wrong term.