Dark-Elves

The Dark-Elves, often derogatorily called the Drow, are the often outcast cousins to Wood and High-Elves with a reputation for thievery and the occult due to their unsettling appearance and preference for the night. Drow communities often form in the underbelly of cities or in remote locations, only aiding their ill reputation, banding together when the rest of society rejects them, often only finding Tielfings and Orcs to lend a sympathetic ear.

## Abilities

Ability Scores: +2 Dex, +1 Cha

Size: Medium

Base Speed: 30 ft.

Superior Darkvision: You can see in Dim Light as though it were Bright Light, and Darkness as though it were Dim Light, up to 120 ft. away. You can't discern color in Darkness, only shades of grey.

Keen Senses: You have proficiency with the Perception Skill.

Fey Ancestry: You have Advantage on Saving Throws against being Charmed and magic cannot put you to sleep.

Trance: Elves don't need to sleep, instead they enter a state of meditation. You gain the full benefits of a Long Rest after only 4 hours instead of 8.

Sunlight Sensitivity: You have Disadvantage on Attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight whenever you or your target are in direct sunlight.

Drow Magic: You know the Dancing Lights Cantrip. At 3rd level you may cast the Faerie Fire spell once per Long Rest. At 5th level you may cast the Darkness spell once per Long Rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Drow Weapon Training: You are Proficient with Rapiers, Shortswords, and Hand Crossbows.

Languages: Drow speak Common, Elvish, Undercommon, and one language from your country of origin.

Base Height: 5'4" + 2d10 inches

Base Weight: 100 lbs X 1d4 lbs

Age: Dark-Elves are mature at the age of 18 and can live to be 200 years old, should their environment allow such a long life.

Appearance: Dark Elves are tall and slender, and typically take the facial features of their country of origin. Dark Elves have black, silver, or white hair, pitch black to light purple skin color, and universally blood red eyes.

## Common Perception

Thanks to their unnerving appearance Dark-Elves are often mistaken for demons or malevolent spirits, leading to their abuse and persecution driving them away from civilization or to the bottom reaches of cities. Their preference for the night has lead to them gaining a reputation as thieves and assassins, and given their lack of other options their reputation isn't wholly unfounded. Many Dark-Elves find themselves working for the Thieves Guild, though some are able to leverage their magical talent to get into the Mages Guild or finding work as court mages. It isn't uncommon to find communities made up of Drow, Tieflings, and Orcs within cities, often in poorer districts, finding support amongst the other outcast and downtrodden to survive. Curiously Dark-Elves are more often born female than male, with about 75% of the Drow population being female.

## Alaran Origin

The Dark-Elves were the result of mistakes in the process of trying to make either a High-Elf or a Wood-Elf, often thought of to be the result of a curse upon the Alaran performing the ritual. Drow were considered the lowest of the Slave Races, bought and sold for cheap and given the deadliest or most repulsive jobs to do as a form of combating the dark forces that brought such a curse to them in the first place. Surviving documentation shows that Drow were recommended to be buried rather than burned like the other Slaves in an attempt to keep whatever dark spirit inhabited the Elf inside the corpse, rather than freeing it with the smoke.