What the heck is a drow?
Drow are a sub-race of dark elves that live in the Underrealm. They are known for their distinct appearance of a spectrum of gray to bluish skin tones and unique eye colors. Though most have white hair, other hair colors are also observed. They have excellent hearing and a very refined sense of smell. They can also see in pitch darkness (infravision). They have a high sensitivity to bright lights, especially the sun, if they are not accustomed to it. Even after decades on the surface, a drow will still struggle in direct sunlight and often have to wear cowls and hoods during daytime.
Where are the drow located?
Drow are primarily in the Underrealm. The main city is Zar’Ahal, though there are other smaller drow cities scattered all over the Underrealm. The elves also control some mole dwarf/druegar cities like Dhunbor. Otherwise, there are plenty of drow who roam the surface as nomads.
How does the surface world perceive the drow?
While many wouldn’t recognize what a drow is beyond a darker cousin of any surface elf, those who know about drow know to fear them. Drow are known to the surface as being cruel and manipulative and not to be trusted.
Do the drow have a matriarchy?
Yes, a recently styled kingdom called the Onyx Kingdom. Though there is a slow shift in progress within men being able to hold some positions of power, men are usually second-class citizens. Men are also usually physically smaller and shorter than women. The current queen is Vyx'aria.
Do the drow have a goddess?
Yes, and no, it’s not Lolth. The goddess in this canon is Maelzafan, a chaos goddess. She thrives on deception, manipulation and in-fighting among the drow as they all vie for power. Drow can make sacrifices to appease Maelzafan, and if the sacrifice is great enough, she is known to give the drow a reward in the form of an ability (still within the constraints of the laws of magic)
What’s the story so far with the drow?
How do Houses work?
There are noble houses and lesser houses featured in the Onyx Kingdom writeup. Anyone can start in an existing House or make their own. Players are encouraged to flesh out details about their House or traits and practices that may be distinct. They also have their own crests or sigils, and they have someone from the participating in the Onyx Court.
What if I don’t want to write a Drow from a house?
There are many drow without houses or orphans. There is also a group Houseless or disgraced Drow can join called the Hounds. Houseless drow often have the last name of Nau Qu’ellar. As a slang, they may also be referred to as ‘Nauqs’.
What can I expect from this group?
Lots of open threads, group activities, one-on-one threads, etc. The kingdom is focused on expanding within the Underrealm so there will be battles, diplomatic threads, social threads and lots of things in between. There will also be a push toward opening up Surface/Underrealm relations so threads around opening up trade or doing business will also emerge. There will always be an open of some type for people to jump into!
What groups would vibe well with the drow?
Necromancers, vampires, werewolves, orcs, goblins, morally gray characters, etc. would be considered potential allies to the drow. When there are more interaction with the surface, this may expand to include more!
How can I get involved?
We have a channel in discord called Onyx Kingdom, but you can also DM/PM me directly. My discord is sreeya. You can also pop into any open thread we have going if it makes sense.
Misc. Questions
Are drow cannibals?
NO! Drow don’t eat drow, nor do they systematically eat other people. (Any time I’m asked this question, the chance of Vyx’aria eating your character increases by an undefined percentage.)
Do drow have Australian accents cuz they’re from DOWN UNDA?
If you want your drow to have an Aussie accent and eat veg’e’mite, have at it!
Drow are a sub-race of dark elves that live in the Underrealm. They are known for their distinct appearance of a spectrum of gray to bluish skin tones and unique eye colors. Though most have white hair, other hair colors are also observed. They have excellent hearing and a very refined sense of smell. They can also see in pitch darkness (infravision). They have a high sensitivity to bright lights, especially the sun, if they are not accustomed to it. Even after decades on the surface, a drow will still struggle in direct sunlight and often have to wear cowls and hoods during daytime.
Where are the drow located?
Drow are primarily in the Underrealm. The main city is Zar’Ahal, though there are other smaller drow cities scattered all over the Underrealm. The elves also control some mole dwarf/druegar cities like Dhunbor. Otherwise, there are plenty of drow who roam the surface as nomads.
How does the surface world perceive the drow?
While many wouldn’t recognize what a drow is beyond a darker cousin of any surface elf, those who know about drow know to fear them. Drow are known to the surface as being cruel and manipulative and not to be trusted.
Do the drow have a matriarchy?
Yes, a recently styled kingdom called the Onyx Kingdom. Though there is a slow shift in progress within men being able to hold some positions of power, men are usually second-class citizens. Men are also usually physically smaller and shorter than women. The current queen is Vyx'aria.
Do the drow have a goddess?
Yes, and no, it’s not Lolth. The goddess in this canon is Maelzafan, a chaos goddess. She thrives on deception, manipulation and in-fighting among the drow as they all vie for power. Drow can make sacrifices to appease Maelzafan, and if the sacrifice is great enough, she is known to give the drow a reward in the form of an ability (still within the constraints of the laws of magic)
What’s the story so far with the drow?
The drow empire had collapsed a long time ago. At one point, Vyx'aria had several successful raids on surface elves, and after conquering the city of Dhunbor, she was able to ascend to queen. However, Vyx’aria’s sights always lay on the surface. She found Maelzafan to be a cause of stagnation for the drow and a curse upon the elves instead of a source of strength. When ancient dragons awoke across Artehtil, the dragon @Neha awoke in the Underrealm. Vyx’aria led her group to strike a deal with this dragon and swear loyalty, believing the dragon to be a superior goddess. However, the dragon was slain and Vyx’aria suffered Maelzafan’s wrath, falling out of favor.
Vyx’aria managed to escape into the Surface with a small group of followers, but many were left dead in her wake. Others launched a coup, wiping out Vyx’aria’s House and killing all known family members and allies. A new queen emerged by the name Dalrithia Al’Dyrryn. This queen was ruthless and broke any trade or agreements made with any other races that weren’t drow. She decimated entire gnome villages, started fights with the rous, and began a bloody campaign to charge toward Bhathairk Undercity to occupy it.
Vyx’aria, having been on the Surface with no intention of returning back to her old title, decided to go back to the Underrealm with a ragtag group of hired help to retrieve the egg of Neha. It was entrusted to her, and she sought to return to take it and leave the Underrealm behind. However, this experience exposed to her how far the drow had fallen from grace and how Dalrithia’s rule was destructive and devastating to the drow people. Vyx’aria’s old allegiances to her people tugged at her, along with the guilt of those who suffered because of her. The deaths on her hands would be in vain because they had died believing in her, only for her to never look back on her people again.
It was then that she came across the demon Azrakar . An ambitious man, he struck her as a potential ally for future conquests. He knelt before Vyx’aria and placed his faith in her, lending his fire to the forge of Dhunbor to enhance it to make infernal weapons. Despite all he had done, Vyx’aria’s loyalty was first to her people. She lured him to the city of Zar’ahal under the pretense of needing his aid to kill the Matron Elzyrra Myrlochar. But instead, she sacrificed Azrakar to Maelzafan and handed him over to Elzyrra, leaving him to be tormented as his fire was stolen to power the priestesses, however they pleased. In turn for this great sacrifice to Maelzafan, Vyx’aria was rewarded and also back in favor with the goddess, strengthening her position to stake her claim as a potential Queen.
Vyx’aria’s betrayal of Azrakar was part of a bigger puzzle. She also arranged for his escape, rallying his orcs and giving them a path in to help him. The orcs were charged with assassinating the priestesses keeping his prison together, collapsing it, and allowing Azrakar to escape. His escape, in turn, put the Matron he was given to (Elzyrra) and her followers out of favor with Maelzafan. By extension, this also put Dalrithia out of favor with Maelzafan as the Matron was her second in command.
With all the pieces of her plan in place, Vyx’aria stormed into Zar’Ahal and launched the beginning of a coup against Dalrithia. She was met with resistance, and a few priestesses summoned a twisted creature to attack her and her followers. With the combined effort of Vyx’aria and those she rallied, they were able to defeat the beast and Vyx’aria reclaimed the city.
Having heard of the shift in power and favor, Tyrnael Myrlochar, daughter of Elzyrra Myrlochar, the disfavored Matron who had lost Azrakar, made the strategic decision to assassinate Dalrithia. This effectively spared Tyrnael from certain execution by Vyx’aria as it helped cement Vyx’aria’s claim to the title of Queen.
Vyx’aria managed to escape into the Surface with a small group of followers, but many were left dead in her wake. Others launched a coup, wiping out Vyx’aria’s House and killing all known family members and allies. A new queen emerged by the name Dalrithia Al’Dyrryn. This queen was ruthless and broke any trade or agreements made with any other races that weren’t drow. She decimated entire gnome villages, started fights with the rous, and began a bloody campaign to charge toward Bhathairk Undercity to occupy it.
Vyx’aria, having been on the Surface with no intention of returning back to her old title, decided to go back to the Underrealm with a ragtag group of hired help to retrieve the egg of Neha. It was entrusted to her, and she sought to return to take it and leave the Underrealm behind. However, this experience exposed to her how far the drow had fallen from grace and how Dalrithia’s rule was destructive and devastating to the drow people. Vyx’aria’s old allegiances to her people tugged at her, along with the guilt of those who suffered because of her. The deaths on her hands would be in vain because they had died believing in her, only for her to never look back on her people again.
It was then that she came across the demon Azrakar . An ambitious man, he struck her as a potential ally for future conquests. He knelt before Vyx’aria and placed his faith in her, lending his fire to the forge of Dhunbor to enhance it to make infernal weapons. Despite all he had done, Vyx’aria’s loyalty was first to her people. She lured him to the city of Zar’ahal under the pretense of needing his aid to kill the Matron Elzyrra Myrlochar. But instead, she sacrificed Azrakar to Maelzafan and handed him over to Elzyrra, leaving him to be tormented as his fire was stolen to power the priestesses, however they pleased. In turn for this great sacrifice to Maelzafan, Vyx’aria was rewarded and also back in favor with the goddess, strengthening her position to stake her claim as a potential Queen.
Vyx’aria’s betrayal of Azrakar was part of a bigger puzzle. She also arranged for his escape, rallying his orcs and giving them a path in to help him. The orcs were charged with assassinating the priestesses keeping his prison together, collapsing it, and allowing Azrakar to escape. His escape, in turn, put the Matron he was given to (Elzyrra) and her followers out of favor with Maelzafan. By extension, this also put Dalrithia out of favor with Maelzafan as the Matron was her second in command.
With all the pieces of her plan in place, Vyx’aria stormed into Zar’Ahal and launched the beginning of a coup against Dalrithia. She was met with resistance, and a few priestesses summoned a twisted creature to attack her and her followers. With the combined effort of Vyx’aria and those she rallied, they were able to defeat the beast and Vyx’aria reclaimed the city.
Having heard of the shift in power and favor, Tyrnael Myrlochar, daughter of Elzyrra Myrlochar, the disfavored Matron who had lost Azrakar, made the strategic decision to assassinate Dalrithia. This effectively spared Tyrnael from certain execution by Vyx’aria as it helped cement Vyx’aria’s claim to the title of Queen.
How do Houses work?
There are noble houses and lesser houses featured in the Onyx Kingdom writeup. Anyone can start in an existing House or make their own. Players are encouraged to flesh out details about their House or traits and practices that may be distinct. They also have their own crests or sigils, and they have someone from the participating in the Onyx Court.
What if I don’t want to write a Drow from a house?
There are many drow without houses or orphans. There is also a group Houseless or disgraced Drow can join called the Hounds. Houseless drow often have the last name of Nau Qu’ellar. As a slang, they may also be referred to as ‘Nauqs’.
What can I expect from this group?
Lots of open threads, group activities, one-on-one threads, etc. The kingdom is focused on expanding within the Underrealm so there will be battles, diplomatic threads, social threads and lots of things in between. There will also be a push toward opening up Surface/Underrealm relations so threads around opening up trade or doing business will also emerge. There will always be an open of some type for people to jump into!
What groups would vibe well with the drow?
Necromancers, vampires, werewolves, orcs, goblins, morally gray characters, etc. would be considered potential allies to the drow. When there are more interaction with the surface, this may expand to include more!
How can I get involved?
We have a channel in discord called Onyx Kingdom, but you can also DM/PM me directly. My discord is sreeya. You can also pop into any open thread we have going if it makes sense.
Misc. Questions
Are drow cannibals?
NO! Drow don’t eat drow, nor do they systematically eat other people. (Any time I’m asked this question, the chance of Vyx’aria eating your character increases by an undefined percentage.)
Do drow have Australian accents cuz they’re from DOWN UNDA?
If you want your drow to have an Aussie accent and eat veg’e’mite, have at it!
