Drow Life
There is a vast world beneath the surface of Faerun- a vast,
lawless land under The Realms That See The Sun. It is a perlious
wilderland of dark caverns, crevices, and labyrinthine passages: The
Underdark. It is the home of the Drow. The Drow are perhaps known to be
the most merciless, and dangerous race known beneath the surface. They
are a subrace of the Elven race, with ebony black skin, though the rest of
their features, shapes, and hair colours range in variance as humans do.
Drow females tend to be larger and bigger than the males of the
society.
Drow society is strongly matriarchal (much to the hatred of
many males in the society), with females holding all positions of power
and responsibility in government, the military, and in the homes. Socal
station is the most important thing in the world of the drow. Ascension
to greater power is the untimate goal in drow society. Assassination is
the preferred method in this quest for Ascension. In order for a Noble
House to increase its ranking in the city, it is required to remove a
House that is higher in rank then itself. These battles tend to be
secretive, and quick. In order for a House to be destroyed, all the
nobles (the Matron, her daughters, and sons) must be killed. If even one
is left alive, then they have the right to call on the justice of the drow
city. When this occurs, all Houses combine forces to wipe out the
offending House. This type of justice is what keeps the internal strife
of the drow controlled, so that drow communities will not be torn apart by
constant bloody warfare. Drow life can be described as chaotic
and dangerous at best. Friendship is a term that is not known to the
drow, because one must always be wary of those they know, for one never
knows when an enemy or "friend" will strike, (preferably when they are
alone together, without witnesses) in order to increase in
rank.
Noble Houses are led by a Matron Mother, usually the senior
female priestess of Lloth (the main deity of the drow). In Lloth
worshiping societies, her rule is absolute, only coming to an end when the
Matron loses the favour of Lloth, and when one of her daughters decides to
have a change in rulership. The word of the Matron is enforced by the
priestess beneath her, usually the daughters of the Matron. These females
are usually ranked by age, giving them authority over each other. Below
the females come the noble males of the house. Some of them hold
important titles, though they aren't as influential as the priestess.
There is the House Weapons Master, who is basically the trainer of all the
warriors of the House, House Wizard, who is the chief mage in the House's
employment, and the Patron (the current consort of the Matron Mother. Some
Matrons have been known to change Patrons very quickly). These titles can
be held by any male of the House, including the male heirs. These male
heirs of the Matron also have an age ranking, Elderboy, Secondboy,
Thirdboy, etc.
Drow males do not have much power within the female controlled
society of the drow. There are only a few areas in which they are allowed
to excel at: fighting, wizardry, and dirty jobs related to trade,
building, and food. Those drow males who excel at wizardry are considered
the most threat to Lloth's rule, and are therefore made to take a test of
their loyalties to Lloth. These tests are usually very dangerous and
involve magical mindreading so that no decieving may take place. If the
wizard fails the test, they are then transformed my the will of Lloth into
driders. Those turned into driders are truly cursed. They retain their
upper bodies, but are given the torso of a spider. Their lives become
ones of hatred for themselves, filled with constant agony, and the need
for blood.
A few drow, perhaps 15%, of the society are able to break free
of this chaotic evil society. Those that do break free should be
considered strong since they were able to break free from the will of
Lloth and of the society. Or perhaps this should be viewed as a sign of
weakness, since they do not seem to be strong enough to survive in the
chaoitic and constantly dangerous way of life their evil kin lives
in.
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