Drow

An example of a typical drow. Military uniforms such as this one are most common in Enyvemel.

## Aging

### Lifespan

500-700

The **drow,** or dark elves, are the descendents of storm elves and magma elves inflicted with the Blacklight Curse. While they are often considered as high elves, this status is often debated. Their relations with the other high elves and poor, and much of their culture was lost to them when they were forced to escape underground.

Drow are regarded negatively by the surface nations, mostly due to the fact that they are often outright hostile to the people of the surface. Despite this, some attempts to trade or negotiate with them have been successful, as the drow nations are willing to make deals that would benefit themselves.

Harmed by direct sunlight due to their curse, the drow mostly reside in Ir, where they have divided into two main nations, Enyvemel and Sylsrysi. Each nation is divided into several noble houses, each holding a significant of power in their own right.

## Enyvemel Drow

The drow residing in Enyvemel are those who have remained loyal to Valtheris Kalthin'Ishetar. They have formed a strict, militaristic, dictatorship run by their former king, who has managed to sustain his immortality since the Arcane War. Their leadership is decided by strength, and those can kill their superiors can quickly ascend the ranks of Enyvemel society. Most Enyvemel drow worship Ikara, although they are not nearly as religious as the Sylsrysi drow.

Of the two primary drow nations, they are most willing to accept forming relations with the surface nations, although it is commonly believed that, were they to gain sufficient military strength, they would prefer to conquer rather than negotiate. For the time being, however, a full-fledged war with the surface is unlikely to end in their favor, and so they have been open to making deals so long as those deals benefit their own people.

With the recent defeat of Valtheris, Enyvemel has found itself in a state of political turmoil, and no clear leader.

## Sylsrysi Drow

When the drow were first cursed and forced underground, many of them blamed their king for their current fate, choosing to form their own path instead. Unaccustomed to the underground terrain, these drow soon allied with another native race of Ir, the serpentine Yuan-Ti. The Yuan-Ti helped the drow found the nation of Sylsrysi, and the drow adopted the Yuan-Ti's religion, the worship of Mathaira.

The drow of Sylsrysi are a matriarchal society, led their high priestess of Mathaira. The noble houses from whom the high priestess originates tends to hold the greatest power, and thus they will do everything in their power to produce the next heir to that position. Sylrysi remains closely allied with the Yuan-Ti, and the drow hold great respect for the snake-peoples' leader as well as their own.

After the Triumvirate Alliance War and the subsequent change of Mathaira's teachings, the drow have Sylrysi have grown divided between those that hold to their old beliefs regardless of their goddess and those that will follow Mathaira no matter what. While the city has not divided so far, this conflict has prevented a new high priestess from being selected, and it is likely only a matter of time before a complete civil war breaks out.

## Vi'Shalal Drow

In addition to Enyvemel and Sylrysi, a third, smaller faction has formed among the drow in more recent years. Formerly one of the noble houses of Sylrysi, House Vi'Shalal was able to discover a means of partially reversing the curse, allowing their members to survive in the sunlight unharmed. While the process is extremely difficult, they hoped to allow their people to eventually reclaim their place on the surface.

High Priestess Jysyrsi Ni'Xardin ordered the destruction of House Vi'Shalal's research, claiming that it was Mathaira's will for the drow to remain in Ir. While it was never discovered if the order truly came from Mathaira, or if Jysyrsi simply feared losing control over her subjects were they to try to reclaim their old nation and culture, Vi'Shalal was able to escape and formed a small town in the upper levels of Ir, offering their treatment to drow who wish to escape their life in Ir.

These treated drow usually take on a blueish tint, though this ranges in individuals, with some having a slight blue hue to their skin but mostly retaining the appearance of the drow, and others gaining bright blue skin, hair, and eyes. These drow are often refered to as "blue drow" or "blue elves", though they retain many of the traits associated with the drow race, aside from their vulnerability to sunlight.

## Biology

Drow have dark skintones, usually with white hair and eyes, although black hair is also not unheard of. While the effects of the Blacklight Curse as not as strong as they once were, the drow are still rendered partially blind by the presence of light. Drow blood appears red, rather than black, although this does not seem to have any effect on their physical health.

Vi'Shalal drow are slightly altered, usually having some shade of blue in their skin, eyes, and hair. No difference between drow of storm elf and magma elf descent have been observed in the Vi'Shalal drow, though it is also unlikely many pure bloodlines of either still exist. They can see as well as any other race in light, but their ability to see in the dark is worse than other drow, and their blood has mostly returned to normal, but is still a darker shade of red than most other races.

## Enyvemel Drow Racial Traits

- **Ability Score Modifiers (0 RP):**Enyvemel drow are cunning and agile, but physically fragile. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and -2 Constitution

- **Size (0 RP):**Enyvemel drow are medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

- **Type (0 RP):** Enyvemel drow are humanoids with the Elf subtype.

- **Base Speed (0 RP):** Enyvemel drow have a base speed of 30ft.

**- Languages (0 RP):**Enyvemel drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon.

**- Skill Bonus: Interrogation (2 RP):** Enyvemel drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Intimidate checks.

- **Elven Immunities (2 RP) :** Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.

- **Spell Resistance (2 RP)**: Drow possess spell resistance (SR) equal to 6 plus their total number of class levels. If they possess a high spell resistance from another source, that spell resistance is increased by 1 instead.

- **Darkness (2 RP)**

Once per day as a spell-like ability, an Enyvemel drow may create an area of darkness, as the Darkness spell, using their character level as their caster level.

**- Weapon Familiarity (2 RP)**

Enyvemel drow are proficient with the scimitar, falchion, and treat repeating heavy and light crossbows as martial weapons.

**- Enyvemel Military Training (1 RP)**

Enyvemel drow are trained in tactical combat from a young age. They gain a +2 racial bonus to their sunder and stunning blow maneuvers.

**- Superior Darkvision (120ft) (3 RP)**

- **Light Blindness (-2 RP)**: As a lingering effect of the Blacklight Curse, 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.

## Sylsrysi Drow Racial Traits

- **Ability Score Modifiers (0 RP):**Sylsrysi drow are manipulative and agile, but physically fragile. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Charisma, and -2 Constitution

- **Size (0 RP):**Sylsrysi drow are medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

- **Type (0 RP):** Sylsrysi drow are humanoids with the Elf subtype.

- **Base Speed (0 RP):** Sylsrysi drow have a base speed of 30ft.

**- Languages (0 RP):**Sylsrysi drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon.

**- Skill Bonus: Serpent's Tongue (2 RP):** Sylsrysi drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Bluff checks.

- **Elven Immunities (2 RP) :** Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.

- **Spell Resistance (2 RP)**: Drow possess spell resistance (SR) equal to 6 plus their total number of class levels. If they possess a high spell resistance from another source, that spell resistance is increased by 1 instead.

- **Obscure Poison (2 RP)**

Once per day as a spell-like ability, a Sylsrysi drow may cast Obscure Poison using their character level as their caster level.

**- Weapon Familiarity (2 RP)**

Sylsrysi drow are proficient with the hand crossbow, rapier, and shortsword.

**- Poison Use (1 RP)**

Sylsrysi drow are skilled in the use of poisons and never risk accidentally poisoning themselves.

**- Superior Darkvision (120ft) (3 RP)**

- **Light Blindness (-2 RP)**: As a lingering effect of the Blacklight Curse, 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.

## Vi'Shalal Drow Racial Traits

- **Ability Score Modifiers (0 RP):**Vi'Shalal drow are adaptive and agile, but physically fragile. They gain +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, and -2 Constitution

- **Size (0 RP):** Vi'Shalal drow are medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.

- **Type (0 RP):** Vi'Shalal drow are humanoids with the Elf subtype.

- **Base Speed (0 RP):** Vi'Shalal drow have a base speed of 30ft.

**- Languages (0 RP):**Vi'Shalal drow begin play speaking Elven and Undercommon.

**- Skill Bonus: Keen Senses (2 RP):** Vi'Shalal drow receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception checks.

- **Elven Immunities (2 RP) :** Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.

- **Spell Resistance (2 RP)**: Drow possess spell resistance (SR) equal to 6 plus their total number of class levels. If they possess a high spell resistance from another source, that spell resistance is increased by 1 instead.

- **Curse Resistance (3 RP):** The process to remove the Blacklight Curse has rendered the Vi'Shalal drow more resilient to other forms of curses. They gain a racial bonus on saving throws against curses equal to their Hit Dice.

- **Spell-like Abilities (1 RP)**

Vi'Shalal drow can cast dancing lights and faerie fire, once each per day, using their total character level as caster level.

**- Darkvision (60ft) (2 RP)**