Drow (Race)

The stereotypical idea of a dark elven warrior in propaganda

The Drow, or Dark Elves, are a race of northern based elves with stone like skin, an entirely overtly competitive culture, and a constant need to fight amongst each other if there is not a current enemy to distract them. Drow live long lives much like their older cousins in the Hrow, they are similarly capable of many feats beyond normalcy, and one can draw conclusions on how the elves all came about by investigating the differences between each race.

The Drow have, in the past, believed themselves to be the caretakers of Aradia's creation, sharing this responsibility with all other elven races. They have a haughty perception that, since they live longer, that must make the shorter existences of humanity as children. More modern identities have begun to reject this, and simply wish to live alongside humanity and share in their ancient traditions and accumulate knowledge. By 1086AE, it has been a slow deconstruction of traditional drow values and a slow death of their cultural identity and racial purity standards that has been flaring up new tensions.

### Physical Capabilities

Drow are twice as strong as Humans, twice as fast, and usually twice as heavy. Drow bodies can't convert much energy into fat stores and so the energy is burned off or converted into hard packed muscles that make elves deceptively heavy. They're more like statues than people sometimes, and unlike their more elegant cousins, they don't move with the same grace and poise. Fighting a dark elf is like going up against a living stone, it's harder to hurt them, and easier to get crushed by a brutal swing as the weight of their strikes carries a great degree of momentum.

Female dark elves don't have the same issues as males, they're typically only half as strong as their male counterparts, convert far more energy into fat reserves for child bearing, and are on the whole much less proficient in combat. They have slightly better connected brains, better resistances and empathetic reasoning, and are much better equipped to be the brains behind their men's brawn. This does not stop a bevy of female warriors and male politicians, as physical characteristics do not outright regulate societal norms. Female Drow, much like Hrow, choose when to menstruate and never lose the ability to bear children, with the oldest case now being Mossa Dul-Sansiska birthing Xenovia despite being in her nine hundreds. Female drow are usually less imposing physically and seen as much more desirable partners than male drow, however due to musculature, it can be quite a different feeling sexually than one might be used to with normal human women or high elven women.

Drow possess resistances to the Void, generally speaking it's partially because their rabid fanaticism, partially brain patterns, and partially their physiology and the Void's nature are not highly compatible. It is not foolproof, as drow heretics are the forefathers to the Vrow, Divankul Dul-Sansiska fell to the call of demonic possession, and the Arkons were known to delve into the evils of the Void in a deep level.

Drow are meant to be the answer to Demons, as their skin is caustic to void dwellers, turning what would be mundane punches in that which can harm the hides of those born in the Void. Dark Elves also have an innate Void Sense, that allows them to feel the negative pressure exuded by chaotic entities, generally Drow lack a fear response to demonic entities, and instead their adrenal glands begin to fire off ad nauseum to 'pump them up'. The Drow's stone like skin, perceptive abilities, and increased muscular density and reinforced bone structure was all made to fight demons, but also works well to fight against others and themselves when there are no demonic incursions. By 1086AE most non-pure drow have lost much of their extrasensory powers, and their skin has begun to be bred out to be less sturdy, many are losing muscle and bone density as they breed with humanity, their anti-demon traits being lost easiest as interracial breeding persists. Because of this, modern elves are much closer in line to their human counterparts, and most ascetic traditions and procedures have been lost in favor of progress and an abandonment of the Old Ways.