Drow

Drow, or dark elves, were one of the Empire's best kept secrets for more than four millennia. Secreted away below the earth in their own cities, they had carefully crafted a way of life that would ensure that any contact with the other races would be strictly on their terms. All that changed when a great cataclysm brought about by an ancient foe thrust them, figuratively and literally, blinking into the light. The young races are still reeling from the revelation of the secret world beneath their feet, and the drow must work quickly to cement their place in the new world order.

Physiology
Drow are similar in stature and build to other elves, and live for a comparable length of time. They are easily identified, however, by their white hair, red or violet eyes and pale, lifeless skin. A product of generations lived underground, away from the light of the sun, this appearance can often provoke an unsettling feeling in others. It also results in an acute sensitivity to bright sunlight on the rare occasion where a drow ventures into the world above. To counteract this, drow will often cover their faces and hands with a layer of dark grey paint or powder, using ashes as the base pigment. This is designed to counteract the worst of the effects of the sunlight - though it can also serve to increase their natural stealthiness, should such a thing be important to the drow in question. This in turn has given rise to the myth that drow have jet-black skin naturally. Such stories are usually propagated by those who simply did not get a close enough look.

Drow have a natural affinity with magic, similar to their high elf cousins. This aptitude stems from the intrinsic relationship the drow have with Fey, and the powers their ancestors consorted with that led to their expulsion from elf society originally. Whether the magic is now simply ingrained into them at a fundamental level, or it is gifted to them by the watchful presence that lurks in that benighted realm, even the wisest of elven scholars cannot say for certain.

Society
Drow society can be viewed as a dark mirror to the elven societies on the surface world. Though they derive from the same guiding principles, they arrive at often drastically different end states. This in turn leads to strained relationships with other elven societies, where incompatible philosophies end up coming into conflict.

Drow society has formed along strictly authoritarian lines. There is an entrenched power structure that values strong continuity above all. Uniquely in modern elven society, the drow are ruled by a queen, who in turn administrates by devolved power through a series of hereditary noble houses. This would seem to be a relic of ancient elven tradition, kept alive through the conservative and reverential nature of drow culture; this can be inferred by the outdated use of 'house' names in other elvish cultures long after such structures were deemed unnecessary. Though the monarchy is theoretically hereditary, the fact that Queen Valpuri has been on the throne for more than 1000 years makes this a moot point.

The drow are matriarchal, a fact which goes unquestioned by the society at large. Long ago, it was determined that if drow society was to survive at all, their ability to procreate must be ensured at all costs. To that end, the social freedoms and mobility of drow males are somewhat limited.That which is mildly taboo in high elf society is strictly enforced in drow society. Males cannot serve as soldiers or guards, and cannot take part in dangerous manual labour like mining or hunting. They are discouraged from advancing their natural aptitude for magic, for fear of attracting unwanted attention from predatory spirits and demons. They also cannot hold any position of political power, though male courtiers are relatively common. Whether this is an acknowledgement of the often lethal nature of drow politics or merely a conceit designed to ensure the matriarchal power structure endures is open to individual interpretation. Instead, the males of drow society are overwhelmingly artisans or artists, creating things of beauty and value and enriching their communities culturally rather than materially.

Slavery is an integral part of drow culture. The drow are neither proud nor ashamed of the fact, viewing it as a necessity for survival. Where possible they will use other races for these purposes, their overt xenophobia and distrust of outside cultures having long overcome any question of ethics. However, indentured servitude is also a common punishment for those that break the law, and drow culture is notoriously strict in enacting these punishments. Commonly, slaves are used for either menial drudge work or serving the noble classes, as cooks, cleaners and personal servants. However, on the rare occasion where the drow are called upon to go to war, they have been known to employ slave levies as part of their forward fighting force, considering them expendable. Most slaves are taken as a natural result of outsiders stumbling upon a drow city and being captured by the guard, but when stocks of slaves run low, or a new project begins, the drow are not beyond conducting raids on the surface world, preying upon isolated or abandoned communities and leaving none behind to tell of the drow's presence.

Relations with the outside world
In 309 NE, a meteor struck the ground in the heart of the forests of Cemryn, in an area long considered uninhabited. Soon after, amid a frantic rush of activity to claim the starmetal inside, the region was wracked by earthquakes of unprecedented size. A large portion of the ground buckled and cracked, exposing underground caverns that had never been suspected to exist by the surface world. With that one event, the millennia the drow had dedicated to remaining unseen was undone, and they were forced to once again become a part of the surface world.

The appearance of a previously unknown civilisation of elves living in the heartlands of the empire was met with extreme suspicion, if not outright hostility from the humans and dwarves living in the region. This was exacerbated by the damage done to the nearby city of Kingspire by the earthquakes, and further complicated by the recent decision by Empress Theodora to allow high elves to once again return to Cemryn. Ultimately, it was the efforts of the high elves and Theodora that allowed the drow to remain in the empire at all, though the cost was great.

The elves of Nor Cened acted quickly to secure a temporary alliance with the drow. For the high elves, having an allied enclave of elves with as-yet unknown capabilities living in the heartland of the Empire would allow them an unprecedented axis with which to apply pressure to the Empire regarding their own demands, namely allowing elves to legally return to their homelands in Cemryn and beyond. For the drow, an alliance with an economically and militarily powerful nation of elves immediately gave them a much stronger bargaining position when negotiating their own position within the Empire, to say nothing of the symbolically resonant gesture of being extended the hand of friendship by those who had previously exiled them from their ranks, in effect representing the assurance that the drow's actions had been justified all along.

With the alliance secured, the Empress was left with little choice. The Empire was barely able to hold itself together following the damages incurred during the second undead invasion; it certainly could not afford an all-out war against the elves, politically or financially. Theodora, against the wishes of many of her advisors and subjects, allowed the drow to remain in the lands they already inhabited and, furthermore, repealed the laws that prevented elves from owning land or property in Cemryn. This decision would prove to be the most controversial of her reign, destroy any goodwill earned from defeating the Keeper's armies and would be the primary reason for her abdication five years later. For the meantime, however, the position of the drow was assured, even if their neighbours were less than pleased with the outcome.

The drow have seemingly chosen not to push their luck in regards to integration with the Empire at large, mostly staying within the bounds of their old territories. On occasion a small group may be found in one of the larger cities of the Empire, or wandering alone in the wilds, but for the most part they are content to keep to themselves. Not that this has endeared them to the Empire at large, any more that full integration would, for the populace at large are still inclined to view them with deep suspicion. With anti-elf sentiment on the rise in Cemryn, many are inclined to blame the appearance of the drow for the dire circumstances they find themselves living under.

As for the alliance with Nor Cened, the true nature of their agreement remains shrouded in mystery. Certainly both have benefited from it, but there are factions within both groups that believe continuing that alliance will only weaken them, and that they should look to dissolve it as soon as possible. The eventual outcome is yet to be decided.