Drow

## Overview

Drow are a race of subterranean elves hailing from the vast, hidden depths of Mount Chorum. Scholars debate to this day whether drow are a natural race or one created by the legendary creature that resides within the lava of the volcano itself, but there is one thing that is true in either case - the drow are uniquely representative of the volcanic depths where they originated. Obsidian skin, ashen hair, and molten-red eyes accompany a seismic temper and impulsive interests which can harden into lifelong dedications without warning. Mostly populating their island home and only spreading a certain distance from it due to their dedications, drow are a rare sight across most of the world.

## Mechanics

Standard Racial Traits

* Ability Score Modifiers: Drow gain +2 Dexterity and Charisma, but a -2 penalty to Constitution
* Type: Drow are humanoids with the elf subtype.
* Size: Drow are Medium sized creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
* Base Speed: Drow have a base speed of 30 feet.
* Weapon Familiarity: Drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and shortsword.
* Languages: Drow begin play able to speak Elven. With a high intelligence score, Drow can also begin play with any of the following languages: Abyssal, Aklo, Aquan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Gnome, or Goblin.

Defense Racial Traits

* Immunities: Drow are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial bonus on saving throws against enchantment spells and effects.
* Spell Resistance: Drow possess spell resistance (SR) equal to 6 plus their total number of class levels.

Feat and Skill Racial Traits

* Keen Senses: Drow gain a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

Magical Racial Traits

* Spell-Like Abilities (Su): Drow can cast dancing lights, darkness, and faerie fire, once each per day, using their total character level as their caster level.

Offense Racial Traits

* Poison Use: Drow are skilled in the use of poisons and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.

Senses Racial Traits

* Superior Darkvision: Drow can see perfectly in the dark up to 120 feet.

Weakness Racial Traits

* Light Blindness: Drow suffer from Light Blindness. Abrupt exposure to any bright light blinds drow for 1 round. On subsequent rounds, they are dazzled as long as they remain in the affected area.

Gleam Specific

* Volcano Aesthetic: The Spider Step and Spider Summoner racial feats apply to fire elementals and creatures native to volcanoes, rather than to spiders.

## Society

Drow settlements are intrinsically matriarchal - though any gender may acquire any position or job, feminine traits are valued and encouraged over masculine, and it is traditional for women to occupy the most powerful and celebrated roles in society. As such, drow culture emphasizes the importance of emotion, both in its expression and sensitivity to it, as well as compassion and humility. Those who act self-aggrandizingly without considering the appearance of their actions quickly fall out of favor with drow, as do those who reject their emotions and emotional displays.

As such, drow culture has no room for braggarts or stoics, but is willing and able to welcome those whose emotions overpower them far better than any other race - which is necessary, as those who directly channel their volcanic heritage are granted great magical powers, social status, and unrivaled intensity of any mental state.

Almost all drow have a collection of mannerisms or interests gathered over their long, long lives that they regularly engage in. Unlike some other races, these interests, known as dedications, are not obsessive and may even be casual, but any given drow knows in their heart that their dedications will last until - or beyond - death.

## Religion

Drow tend to worship gods who express the connections that they feel, especially Ketar Mozog's social contracts, Vicenta Salcedo's art and individuality, and Petya Naumov's curiosity and restlessness. Some drow who stumble into scholarly or inventive dedications venerate Jolein Composed of Desire or Zhihao Jin. Almost all drow native to Mount Chorum have a disdain for Basang Ba, who doesn't measure up to the volcano's destructive and life-altering power. Part of that power is the art of fleshwarping, which draws drow to Masik, who also meddles with the forces of life and death. However, many drow worship or venerate beings from beneath the surface of the world who are not yet known to other cultures - to the anger of the Inquisition.

## Relations

Drow have explosive reputations and demeanors, which colors their interactions with other races. Aasimar, tieflings, ganzi, and aphorites all seem alien and strange to the drow, despite their understanding of emotions. Aasimar and tieflings return the feeling, but aphorites enjoy drow works and ganzi enjoy their friendship, although any lasting relationship between them is bound to be skin-deep.

Dhampir and changelings are tentatively accepted, and drow often are able to help them work though much of the isolation they've experienced in their life, but no drow isn't aware of the threat that they could pose.

Drelmans, parmans, kobolds, orcs, nagaji, grippli, ratfolk, vanara, skinwalkers, hobgoblins, kitsune, halflings, tengu, and vishkanya live lives too short for drow to really have much of an impression of them, but they find that parmans most appreciate their bombastic spirits, tengu appreciate their dedications, orcs appreciate their ability to live beside a natural disaster, and skinwalkers find them to have an admirable connection to their instincts. On the other hand, nagaji, ratfolk, and grippli fear their short tempers, and vishkanya dislike the ease with which a drow can swing from attacking to affectionate.

Ifrit find drow to be kindred spirits on many levels, and as long as the elemental race doesn't brighten up their surroundings too much, close bonds are easily formed.

Sylphs and fetchlings gravitate towards drow, both to discuss the emotions and events involving others as well as the things happening in their own lives.

Elves, for their part, consider the drow to be degenerate cousins, and treat them with tense impatience and a hint of shame.

Drow and oreads get along well, with the oreads weathering any outburst with quiet support as long as the drow don't attempt to change their habits and traditions.

Undines, experts at hiding their emotions, do not get along with drow.

Duergar, hailing from the coldest parts of the underground realm, have a shared understanding of drow and are the most likely of all to treat any given drow as an individual. This individuality draws the ire of surface dwarves, who dislike the perceived touchiness of drow, and the lack of shared crafts and skills due to their seemingly random dedications.

Gnomes are easily amused by drow, and often make role models and legends of the volcano-dwelling elves - which can grow into an irritating or threatening obsession, due to the rarity of drow outside of Mount Chorum.

Ghorans find drow to be inscrutable, as they lack any similar emotion that could be used as a starting point for empathy, and their fiery tempers only remind ghorans of the unpredictability and danger of mortals.

Suli find that their pride and courtly mannersims don't match very well to drow moods unless they've sufficiently awed the volcanic elf first, so well-planned first meetings may result in stable relationships but chance meetings never do.

It is rare that lizardfolk and drow interact, but for some reason, the slow pace of lizardfolk life and the humility of drow often meld together into effective partnerships.

Goblins love drow due to their rarity, fleshwarping magics, and their exaggerated reactions to their songs - they can't be that bad, can they?