Species Name: Drow, Myrkálfar, Drow, Dark Elf

Drow were once part of the Elven races until they were corrupted by tampering with Diabolical magic and worshipping Malekith the Accursed (of the Norse gods). Now they live in mainly subterranean or other dark areas. Despite all this some of them do have a sense of honour and duty. They have become the masters and mistresses of dark grottoes, and any intelligent creature shuns them. In their quest for more power over life they inevitably began dealing with the forces that would one day corrupt them. Their Elven brethren dismayed at the initial change in their formerly peaceful kinsmen sought to reason with them. The Drow seeing this effort as aggression responded by slaying emissaries and invading Elven cities. Convinced of their evil the other Elves banded together to drive them from the land. No one not of Drow heritage knows exactly how far their underground holdings extend. It is well known that they have a certain grasp on interdimensional magic, for they use it to travel long distances. They hate the light, and they have extensively researched ways to travel while avoiding the sun, which is anathema to them. Other Drow struggle to rid themselves of Malekith's touch and instead seek Balder's aid, eventually becoming crusaders of the fey god within the dark realms of their race, gaining blessings of healing and light.

Type: Humanoid

Physical Traits: Drow are extremely intelligent, charismatic and dexterous but share surface Elves' comparative frailty and slight frames. Females tend to be bigger and stronger than males. Drow are characterized by white or silver hair and obsidian black skin. Their eyes are red (or rarely grey, violet, or yellow) in darkness and green in normal light. Rare hair colours include silver and copper-hued. Female Drow with blonde hues indicate the Drow in question is 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 jewellery and other accessories decorating it. Like all Elves, Drow are incapable of growing beards, though many males are fond of long sideburns.

Height: 5'4-6 ft

Weight: 59-79 lbs

Abilities: Nightvision up to 90 metres. Drow require no sleep but instead enter a meditative trance throughout which they retain full awareness of their surroundings. However, many Drow appear to actually sleep because they can not find the peace in themselves to enter this reverie.

Mobility: Legs

Sensory Organs: Visual

Communication: Vocal

Reproduction: Sexual

INT: 3D6, WIS: 3D6, STR: 3D6, DEX: 4D6, CON: 3D6 -3, CHA: 4D6, MR: 3D6, HPs: CON +D8

Orbit/Climate: See Earth

Feeding Habits: Omnivore

Lifespan: 3000 years

Technology: 2

Culture: Xenophobic, hostile, intolerant and aggressive, held in check by strong social customs. The Drow underground capital is Svartalfheim where the vast majority live. Above all else, Drow save their hostilities for surface Elves. They are willing to forge temporary alliances with anyone that would help them inflict pain or suffering on the surface Elves, for whom they know no mercy at all. The Dark Elves believe themselves to be superior to all. Drow are taught from an early age to trust no one, forging alliances only when they are confident that they could outmatch their ally if he/she decided to turn on them. The inherent pride in their own abilities quite often lead to such alliances being forged, though they almost always end badly when one party decides said alliance is no longer convenient. Even Drow who escape the cruelties of the Underground find it more difficult to form long term friendships than most races do.

Drow have one major source of income: slave labour. Slavery play a large part in Drow society, and Drow households usually have two or more slaves for each member. All unskilled labour in Drow cities is carried out by slaves. Drow raid all other lands, particularly the home of their enemies the High Elves. They take food and treasure, but the main purpose of their raids is to obtain slaves. Slaves play an important part in their society, as they perform the menial chores that an enterprising Drow deigns to be below him. Slaves also make up the bulk of the ritual sacrifices to the god Malekith. Dark Elves do not value their slaves' lives, and often kill one or two to show the other slaves their brutality. Slave revolts are rare, harshly suppressed, and due to the brutality of the Dark Elves, usually only the "new stock" have the will to participate in any revolt. Drow see all other races as inferior, even those to whom they were allied, and would attempt to enslave any enemies they capture, usually never willingly releasing them. Drow commonly enslave hobgoblins, ogres, and orcs, but also other humanoids. A common Drow ally are the Illithid, or mind flayers.

Drow do not keep animals as pets, as animals could not fully comprehend their dependence on their owners. Instead, many Drow take a favoured slave as a personal servant or thrall, and treated these people as little more than pets. The animal most associated with the Drow is the spider, since it was the symbol of the deity Malekith. Spiders roam the streets in Drow cities, acting as pest controllers, and larger ones are used to guard houses or as mounts for transportation. These spiders are often specially bred for the purpose and were more intelligent than their regular counterparts. Other types of working creatures included riding lizards, bats, and cavvekans, and also spider-like creatures such as bebiliths, myrlochar, and retrievers.

Dark Elf armies are fast and dangerous but potentially fragile. They are more fleet of foot than humans and favour speed and manoeuvrability over heavy armour. Characteristics of Dark Elven armies include armour forged with all manners of wicked barbs, hooks and blades, and their uniforms tend to be dark sombre colours such as purple, indigo or black. Human skin is a highly prized material for durable military garb, and their graceful swords and spearheads tend to be hooked and serrated for catching enemy blades and inflicting severe injuries. Magical power on the battlefield is supplied by the six Convents of Sorceresses, who refine the inherent magical aptitude of Dark Elf women into a deadly force. Though the Sorceresses are vulnerable in close combat, the sinister power that they wield is potent enough to ensure that almost every significant Dark Elf force will have at least one Sorceress.
Overall, the Drow are devastating on the offensive. Every Dark Elf spends their entire life drilling and training in military manoeuvres. Units working together in concert can break or destroy nearly any enemy that dares underestimate them, yet their fragile constitution means they are not able to absorb much damage in return. This forces Dark Elf commanders to rely on sound tactics rather than brute force.

All Drow enjoy surrounding themselves with things of beauty—Drow cities are always spectacles of breathtaking architecture—and often partake of lavish revels, indulging in the most pleasurable of activities, including long nights of dinner and massages. Some Drow are fond of dances. It is important to recognize that though Drow are untrusting and devious, they were not necessarily evil, any more than Gnolls or Tieflings, and Drow can become forces of good given the right conditions. However, the mental scars of Drow culture are not easily removed from the minds of an individual and the terrors of the Underground and Drow society can leave those who reject its evil with fractured minds and even a loose hold on their sanity.

Drow society is matriarchal, militaristic, and heavily influenced by religion. Their city-states are formed in huge underground caverns but frequently at war with one another. These cities are ruled by the most powerful of the families (or houses) and although the power of the many families change often, the top few usually remain stable. Males who hope to find any place of power in society often resort to ends as treacherous as the women that rule the Drow, hoping to perhaps win a coveted place as the mate of a powerful matron mother. It would be easy to imagine that Drow females, by comparison, have it much easier, but this is an illusion, and their prestigious position within society comes at a high cost. In fact, the drive to gain more power over others make competition between female Drow, particularly those who belong to powerful houses, violently competitive in a way that males do not have to cope with. Children who show kindness or love are brutally punished, so as to beat the instinct for cruelty into them. They valued advancement over their peers more than anything else, pulling down their superiors and crushing their inferiors. This doesn't mean they treat all of their peers with disdain, however. Drow are not barbaric and appreciated a sense of subtlety, and thus Drow are typically courteous and urbane, even to their most hated rivals.
Cities are structured around the most powerful families taking the best areas, leaving the other Drow to take whatever land they can. The focus of a city is often the temple of Malekith, and this is often in the grounds of the ruling family. Magical items that emit faerie fire adorning buildings are a sign of prosperity. The garrison and some of the slaves, as well as farms, are kept outside the city. Often a city will seek to forge an alliance with a powerful Underground creature like a deep dragon or a beholder so that they can gain extra protection. Although many Drow seek to regain the surface world that they felt was taken from them unjustly, some have become so used to life in the Underground that they would prefer to make the best of this realm and have no interest in the surface.

The Drow who choose to live on the surface do not form any kind of organized society and instead lived as hermits and outcasts. They interact with other societies when they need to, but not through choice.

Drow favour mithral chain armour when it is available, but will always wear non-restrictive armours that will not hamper their natural dexterity. They also favour fast weapons like rapiers, and would choose hand crossbows when possible, to deliver their poisons from a distance. Poisons and toxins are favoured by the Drow, especially a powerful knockout poison made from a slippery black fungus growing in certain Underground caverns, but other poisons could be made from purple worms, scorpions, and spiders.

Government: Matriarchy

All Drow gain all the following free;

Night Vision - The character can see in absolute darkness at a distance equal to his normal sight.

Resist Sleep and Charm - Drow can resist these forms of influence with a +1 save per 3 WIS.