drow profile

Presenting--at last, at long last--the Drow profile. The last in the trinity of the three basic races of Vistallah: Humans, Elves, and Drow. (Dwarves lost thier spot because, as you may have noticed from the rest of my gallery, I'm not too interesting drawing squat bearded women) There are other races in the land to be sure, but these are the ones that create magnifigant cities and sprawling civilizations. Everyone else--for now, at least--is pretty much nomadic, feral, or only exists in direct counterpoint to these races.

And let me again emphasize just how long this was in coming. I started drawing those characters in the picture 4 or 5 separate times before I found a look I liked. So many wasted pages.... Well then, without furter ado: The Drow!





Physique: Calling a Vistallahn Drow a ‘Dark Elf’ is a good way to get yourself punched in the nose. (Or at least in the upper chest.) Drow are no more Elvish than Humans, and you wouldn’t call a Human a ‘Pink Elf’… Besides, Drow are not necessarily dark skinned. Instead they have grayscale skin. Some are dark, some are simply gray. It depends on the family lineage of the individual in question. Beyond their skintone, Drow share the same basic sapien body-type as Humans and Elves. They are generally shorter than a Human, but not drastically. The average Drow will come up a Human’s chin, who will in turn only come up to an Elf’s chin. A Drow’s ears are large and triangular, and have a knack for picking up low-vibration sounds. Drows also possess exceptional night vision.

Magic: Like all sentient creatures of Vistallah, Drow are inherently magical. As is typical of the smaller creatures, they generate magic simply by living healthily, and can create spells from both their personal energy and from collected energy. Nearly all Drow have the ability to spellcast, but it is not an ability that comes naturally. Spells must be learned, practiced, and take a significant amount of concentration. Items—amulets, charms, and such—are often used to ease the casting of specific spells, and are commonplace throughout Drow society. Oftentimes, aides for important spells are built right into the structure in which they are used.

Society: Drow Society is among the most well developed in Vistallah. It is built around a Kingdom, where large swaths of people and territory owe their allegiance to a single institution. Typically the crown or throne of a King, but it does vary. It’s worth noting that this allegiance is given to the institution itself, more than to the individual that represents said institution. This distinction is often lost on non-Drow… Kingdoms usually consist of a number of large cities, as well as a number of towns and the rural areas between them. Naturally, the sovereign’s control over the hinterlands is far from absolute, but it is there in principle. And in select matters, often in practice as well. Local control delves to lesser nobles, or often to guilds, who pledge a degree of loyalty to the sovereign.

Religion: A Drow temple is an important fixture in the Drow world, both culturally and socially. Drow are generally quite religious, and have ceremonies or prayers that accompany any aspect of life. Drow Temples require a large number of priestesses—and only priestesses will do!—so that the act of being a priestess is a common cultural experience.

Drow temples are expansive and geneally walled-off structures, consisting of multiple shrines, dormitories, storehouses, and often gardens, libraries, and other on-site amenities. Public ceremonies take place at the perimeter of the facilities, often in open plazas or under colonnades. Private ceremonies take place in the various shrines within…Though only after special consideration are outsiders allowed within the temple walls. Visitors must give up their pretense, humble themselves before the temple’s patron god/goddess, and place their fate in the hands of the attending priestesses. This is done both ceremonially and literally, as visitors are shrunk to the size of a doll and carried by a priestess across the threshold. This custom is found both degrading and alluring in equal measure…

As mentioned earlier, temples require a great deal of priestesses to function. And there is a great deal of status to be achieved in serving in the temples. Most daughters of the nobility serve in the temple, partly because only priestesses are allowed to marry royalty. In addition, many daughters from middling trade families also serve, as do stand-outs from the servile classes. From childhood, priestesses are educated, taught grace, dignity, and piety, and the strict rules of the temple compound are generally believed to keep the young women safe and isolated from undesirable influences. Like all institutions, however, the temples have fewer positions at the top of the hierarchy than positions at the bottom. So while some priestesses will spend their life in the service, most will leave the priesthood. And when they do leave—typically in their mid 20s—they do so as the most sought-after bachelorettes in society! Though quite often, they’ve already found a pious young bachelor that they favor…

Politically, Drow temples are both hold themselves above and are part of the rest of the Kingdom. All who enter the temple are held to be equal before the temple god/goddess, thus no outside titles or authority are acknowledged. On the other hand, temples rarely stand against the sovereign of their realm, as the reigning Queen is by law and the custom the head—or Misselle—of the Kingdom’s temples. Although spousal power-plays of crown verses temple do happen—and are the stuff of sagas when they do—they generally coexist rather harmoniously, sharing the same general goals and content in their own separate spheres of influence.

There is a dark side to Drow religion, however. There are cults removed from the traditional Vistallan pantheon. Rather than currying favor with a legitimate god/goddess, these cults make direct pacts with the spirit of a Phoenix. In exchange for a sacrifice, the cultist is given unnatural powers. The terms of the sacrifice will vary, but it is always a living Drow, and it is often a child. Those who follow the Phoenix call themselves Carthae. Others call them witches. And when caught, the Carthae are returned to their patron spirit…in flames…

Military and Weapons: A Drow military is quite varied. Each class of society serves, often in substantially different ways.

The king and the nobility lead the armies, of course, and are the best equipped, with custom plate armor with magical enhancements, personal weapons with similar powerful enhancements, and a mount of some sort. Often a horse, but more exotic mounts are not unknown. Typically these mounted warriors will fight together in bands or units, focusing on particular parts of the enemy forces and attaching those spots en masse.

The merchant classes take a different view of combat. Unable or unwilling to afford the special arms and mounts of the nobles, they prefer to avoid direct contact with the enemy. As such, they become archers. While the equipment can be expensive and training extensive, archery allows them to contribute to the battle while minimizing their own personal risk. At least when things go according to plan…

The last key segment of a Drow army is its infantry. Drawn from the lowest classes of Drow society, it is the job of the infantry to meet the enemy head-on, and, if one views things cynically, to absorb the losses of direct combat so that others don’t have to. The infantry screens the archers, and engages the bulk of the enemy so the mounted nobles are free to pick their target at the right moment. Infantry arms and armor varies, but is generally of only moderate quality.

It’s worth noting that many Drow kingdoms are somewhat cosmopolitan, with significant numbers of non-Drow inhabiting the trading towns or the hinterlands. In cases like these, the other races are added to the Drow armies. Elves loyal to the crown make useful additions to the auxiliary and mounted forces, and Human rustics can be added to the infantry. The latter are particularly useful, since Humans make for powerful footsoldiers, and thus reinforce what is traditionally the weak point of a Drow force.

Commerce: A great many Drow are urban dwellers. Not most, certainly, but substantially more than what would be normal in other societies. This means that manufacture and trade are much bigger parts of Drow culture. And for this reason, Drow culture tends to have more material wealth than other cultures…

Drow are not true capitalists, as guilds are a powerful part of society. Guilds impose strict control over industries, controlling quality, quantity, price, practices, and regulating membership. Individuals join guilds as apprentices, become journeymen over time, and eventually become a master. It is not uncommon for scoundrels to flout guild authority, sometimes for good and sometimes for ill, but these are isolated individuals who are generally unable to check guild power. What will check a guild’s power is the power of a rival guild, or the brute force of the crown. Life with guilds is a continuous give and take…

As mentioned, many Drow communities are somewhat cosmopolitan, with a substantial number of commercially-minded non-Drow living among them. There is also a significant number of Drow who live or travel among the other races. It’s important to make the distinction between vagrant traders and professional merchants who have an established home to work from and return to. Professionals are trusted and respected. Life-long transients are viewed with mistrust and suspicion.

On a final note, Drow are known as the best sailors throughout all of Vistallah. They are most at home on their junks, cutters, or schooners in the inland Brak Sea, though they’ve been known to sail anything with a mast, and do venture into deeper waters. Alas, as of yet, the ocean to the east holds great danger, for relatively little profit…