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I am Drow : They are Drow : It is Drow : This is about the Drow
Also known as Dark Elves, Ekunquendi, Sylke
I am Drow : They are Drow : It is Drow : This is about the Drow
Also known as Dark Elves, Ekunquendi, Sylke
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The Drow (or "dark elves" as they are known by many) are an off-shoot of the elvish race who inhabit the mushroom forests of Fal Gorsihka on Arcadia. For long ages, they have been at odds with their dwarven neighbors and the high elven clans of the northern continent. Unlike their elven relatives, Drow are not high-minded and aristocratic, but adopt a more pragmatic approach to life. They are spartan, warlike, and xenophobic; a contentious and secretive people. The "dark elves" rightly earn their moniker as the antithesis of high elves in many ways, perfering solitude to company, conflict to peace, and melancholy to happiness.
DROW SOCIETYAdventuring Drow are not an uncommon sight as youths are often forced from their homes to seek their own fortune and make a name for themselves. The renown of one's family is of little importance to commoners, though it does matter a great deal to noble families who are infamous for inbreeding in an attempt to keep the lineage "pure" (resulting in a great deal of chronic illness and insanity in these lines). Drow society is matriarchal in nature, meaning that women hold much of the power and influence rather than men. The political infighting and treachery that Drow are famous for is most pronounced in their sprawling mushroom metropoli of Vaeldosh, cities where outsiders are most decidedly unwelcome (but often tolerated for the sake of trade or as pawns in the Drow's many political games).
The LIFE of a (Race)
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"Don't get me wrong, I like you. That's why we're fighting. Otherwise, I'd just kill you in the night." |
DARK DEFIANCE
Their penchant for subtlety and sabotage leads many Drow to become rogues and criminals upon leaving their home. Dark Elves have a reputation thieves, assassins, and spies of the highest ability. While there is some truth to this, not all Drow are criminals. Many are learned scholars, well-versed in the study and practice of The Mystery. Yet even in the vaunted halls of academia, Drow are prone to rebellion and contrarianism, searching after forbidden knowledge and practicing taboo magic. Their way is one of self-seeking and individualism, never constrained to the expectations of society.
Eyes of Midnight
According to legend the Drow were born in the dark, the children of some dark deal with the Raksha. While this is probably untrue, none can dispute the pull that shadow has on the heart and mind of the Drow. Even physically, the Drow are well-adapted to living in the darkness, either underground or in the vast, dark mushroom forests of Vaeldosh. The eyes of the Drow are able to instantly adapt to utter darkness, giving them perfect clarity of vision no matter what the ambient light levels are.
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EYES OF MIDNIGHTYou have Darkvision which you can turn on and off at will, allowing you to see in both daylight and pitch darkness with total clarity.
AdvancedYou can use an Asset to unlock the Advanced version of Eyes of Midnight, which works as above but also grants you the ability to see the heat signature of living creatures through up to one meter of material. So long as a living creature does not have total cover behind a barrier thicker than one meter, you can see their glowing aura regardless of whether they are Hidden or Invisible.
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DOMAINS OF THE DROW
There are a number of genetically distinct tribes of Drow, each originating from a specific part of Arcadia and, for the most part, making a home there. The various tribes of Drow are just as suspicious and intolerant of those outside their tribe as they are any outsider, showing the same hostility to Drow from another tribe as they would any other stranger. Some of these tribes barely eke out a rough, uncivilized live in their homelands while others have won and lost great empires through the ages. Whatever their lot, every Drow has some small amount of vanity in the deeds of their people, but even more pride and trust in the strength of their own hands.
ah-voh-meh-rihk
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The Avomeric are a rural and rustic people who inhabit the great mushroom jungles in the furthest southern reaches of Vaeldosh. Unlike other Drow, the Avomeric never formed into a great empire or challenged the powers that be. Theirs is a simple life among the great sprawling swamps and mushroom jungles, a life lived as a part of nature rather than as its master. Their people dwell in huts carved into the great mushrooms, forming small, close-knit communities of hunters and farmers. Those discovered by outsiders are often captured and taken as slaves, leading the Avomeric to adopt a hostile and paranoid view of foreigners (even more so than other Drow). They are an elusive folk and, though peaceful predators, one would not relish an encounter with the poisoned tips of their spears and arrows while traipsing through the jungle.
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AppearanceThe Avomeric have dark skin, almost to the point of being midnight black, and shock white hair. Their beautiful elven features are often accented by tribal markings and tattoos, the centerpiece of which is a pair of dimly glowing lavender, blue, red, or purple eyes. |
HomelandThe Avomeric make their home in the southernmost portions of Vaeldosh, among the wetlands and mushroom jungles. Though most call the lands of Fal Talestria home, many of their kind are spread throughout Arcadia, captured and sold off as slaves. |
grahn-meh-rihk
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In the greatest cities and sprawling mega-forests of Vaeldosh, the Granmeric are the most powerful and influential of the Drow clans. Granmeric are the most widespread, populous, and powerful of all the Drow clans; when other Mortals think of the Drow, it is likely the Granmeric they are imagining. The Granmeric once held sway over all of Vaeldosh, their great empire reaching even into the southern shores of Mithraes. But civil strife and economic unrest saw to the collapse of the empire and the dispersement of the Granmeric into warring city-states. Today the Granmeric are as at war with themselves as they are with the deadly creatures and Mortal interlopers that prowl the forest; assassination, betrayal, and political intrigue are just a part of every day life for the Granmeric, who assume it is the same everywhere.
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AppearanceThe Granmeric have dark blue skin, hair in shades of black, dark brown, auburn, and red. Their eyes glow ever so slightly in shades of red or stark white. Their athletic elven frames are often covered with ritual tattoos and piercings denoting their house and great deeds. |
HomelandThe Granmeric once controlled all of Vaeldosh, but fell into strife and disarray, splintering into a number of city-states scattered throughout Fal Gorsikha. They may also be found in great numbers throughout the Wynderwood and into Sundar. Off-world, many live in Neth'al Tuak. |
nur-meh-rihk
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Towards the west, the mushroom forests of Vaeldosh give in to rocky crags and jagged mounts where the shadowy Nirmeric wage a continuous war for territory with the encroaching dwarves. Though the Nirmeric are a small tribe of Drow, their reputation is legendary. Often called "Night Elves" by their enemies, the Nirmeric are masters of asymmetrical warfare, striking from a hidden position only to retreat before the enemy can respond. They are equally adept at the arts of subterfuge, deception, and information warfare, making them a formidable opponent against the Dwarves of Khyvar, who are much better in a face-to-face fight. Nirmeric who leave the shadowy crags of their homeland often become assassins or spies for hire, lending out their unique set of skills to the highest bidder.
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AppearanceThe Nirmeric have light blue to light purple skin and pure white eyes. Their hair comes in shades of ashen white, blue, red, and green. Many have tattoos or markings to denote their lineage, which often cover the length of their tall, athletic bodies with intricate markings. |
HomelandThe Nirmeric are an exceptionally small (and disproportionately famous) clan who inhabit the rocky regions that skirt the edges of Khyvar and Fal Gorsikha. They are mortal enemies of the Kyvari Dwarves and on neutral to unfriendly terms with other Drow in the area. |
tahl-meh-rihk
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Long ago, the Talmeric were a force throughout central Vaeldosh, acting not only as a check against the power and aggression of the Granmeric, but fighting against the advance of the Plaguelands and the demonic forces that roam Arcadia. Tragedy came as an illness swept through the cities and villages of the Talmeric, decimating their numbers until only a few remained. Some believed this was the work of the Granmeric while others held that the plague was supernatural in origin. Whatever its genesis, the result is the same; only a very few Talmeric remain, the ruins of their cities standing like tombstones among the fields and mushroom forests of their former homeland. Only a few holdouts remain in central Vaeldosh to oppose demon forces and the ceaseless spread of the Plaguelands.
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AppearanceStanding at an average height of six and a half feet, the Talmeric have light grey skin and hair of coal black, grey, white, and even blue with eyes of gold, amber, orange, and red. Like most Drow, they have ritual tattoos and markings, whose meanings are mostly lost to time. |
HomelandOnce, the Talmeric were well-established throughout central Vaeldosh. Now, only a few small fortresses remain in Absul Gron and Fal Naeloth. One may find wandering Talmeric elsewhere in Fal Gorsikha or even as far north as Sundar. |
vohl-meh-rihk
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Over centuries of intermingling with the Elves of southern Mithraes, the Drow clans who settled in the northernmost parts of Vaeldosh and the islands dotting the seas between continents developed features and culture representing a blend between the two regions. While as contrarian and contentious and any Drow, the Volmeric are slightly more open to outsiders and tend to have a sunnier outlook (at least when compared to other Drow). They are masters of the sea between Vaeldosh and Mithraes, controlling many of the smaller islands as ports of trade or havens for piracy and storing ill-gotten goods. Most Volmeric have a "live and let live" mentality, choosing freedom at any cost and disregarding the chaos and consequences that don't affect them directly.
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AppearanceVolmeric are tall and fair, showing a blend of features from both Drow and Elven parentage. They have light ashen skin, flowing locks of white, blonde, or sunset red with amber, brown, red, white, or orange eyes. Unlike other Drow, few bear tattoos, scars, or ritual piercings. |
HomelandThe Volmeric dominate the coastlines of northernmost Fal Gorsikha and southernmost Wynderwood, claiming many of the islands between the two continents as their own. They can also be found living among the shores and islands of Domigas Algoa. |
