Tens of thousands of years ago, the elves were divided, with those of benevolent disposition battling those that were selfish and cruel. The war among elvenkind ended when the good elves banished their malevolent kin to the subterranean depths. Here, in the lightless caverns and endless warrens of twisting passages, the dark elves-the drow-found refuge. They also found leadership in the only elven deity who had not forsaken them. At her command, the dark elves built an empire in the underworld.

Children of Lolth

The drow worship Lolth, a deity who resides in the Abyss. Known as the Spider Queen or the Demon Queen of Spiders, she is the figure around which the dark elves have built their subterranean civilization. Whatever she demands, the drow do. The wickedest of elves, drow are seldom seen by the surface world. Though they plot to destroy the elves that banished them, they no longer see themselves as exiles. They are the destined rulers of the darkness, and when Lolth commands them to rise up and destroy their surface-dwelling kin, they will.

Creatures of Darkness

The drow have lived underground for so long that they have evolved to their surroundings and can see in the dark. However, they can no longer stand sunlight. When slaves are in short supply in the Underdark, the drow send raiding parties to the surface to capture humanoids under cover of darkness, bringing them back to their cities to be tortured into submission. Beyond those occasional excursions, the drow are content to remain in their subterranean realm, where they feel secure and in control.

Underdark Cities

The dark elves build fantastic cities in enormous caverns where food and water are abundant. Their ability to sculpt stone rivals that of the greatest dwarf artisans, yet their structures retain a decidedly elven aesthetic. Though appearing delicate, drow settlements are structurally sound and remarkably resilient. The drow like to hollow out enormous stalagmites and stalactites, creating populated spires that rise from the floors and ceilings. A drow city is a sprawling metropolis enclosed by high walls. Non-drow visitors must conduct their business outside the walls under watchful eyes. The drow raise and keep giant spiders to help protect their cities against intruders, even as they drape those cities in beautiful webbing, creating a gossamer snare to catch flying enemies that would otherwise soar over the walls.

Drow Magic

Just as the drow have adapted to underground life, so too has their magic. In addition to using that magic to carve their cities from stone, they empower their weapons, create dangerous new magic items, and summon demons from the Abyss. Drow spellcasters are supremely arrogant and never hesitate to use their magic in the most abhorrent ways.

Arms and Armor

Drow craft weapons made of adamantine, a dark and supernaturally hard metal. Drow artisans adorn their weapons and armor with web-like filigree and spider motifs, and mages sometimes imbue items with magic to enhance their effectiveness. However, such magic fades when exposed to sunlight, so that magical drow weapons and armor rarely retain their enhancement bonuses and magical properties when brought to the surface.

Cutthroat Politics

Drow politics are cutthroat and rife with intrigue. When drow work together, it is typically to destroy a common foe and ensure their own survival, and such alliances are short-lived and fraught with peril.

Drow society is divided into noble houses, each ruled by a matron who seeks to raise the prestige and power of her house above all others. Other high-ranking members of the house are blood relatives, while the middling ranks are flush with drow from weaker families that have sworn fealty to the greater house. Clinging precariously to the bottom rung of a house's social ladder are the house slaves, made up of drow of low birth and the occasional non-drow captive.

Matriarchal Rule

Lolth, through her faithful priestesses, dictates the rules of drow society, ensuring that her orders and plots are carried out. Since Lolth is prone to manifesting on the Material Plane and directly punishing those that disobey her, the drow have learned to heed what she says and do as her priestesses command.

In drow society, males are subservient to females. A male drow might lead an Underdark patrol or a raiding party to the surface, but he reports to a female drow-either the matron of his house or one of her hand-picked female subordinates. Although male drow can fill almost any function in drow society, they can't be priests, nor can they rule a house.

Poison Predilection

Distilled from spider venom and the flora of the Underdark, poison can be found in abundance among the drow, and it plays an important part in their culture and politics. Drow mages concoct a viscid toxin that leaves enemies unconscious. Drow warriors coat their blades and crossbow bolts with this venom, looking forward to the interrogation and torture that follows combat.

Variant: Drow Magic Armor and Weapons

Drow often wear magic armor and carry magic weapons that lose their enhancement bonuses permanently if they are exposed to sunlight for 1 hour or longer.

Such depravity. Such terrifying cruelty. They are the vile poison that plagues all elvenkind.

Drow spellcasters who seek to devote themselves wholly to Lolth|Drow|MTF, the Spider Queen, sometimes walk the sinister path of the arachnomancer. By offering up body and soul to Lolth, they gain tremendous power and a supernatural connection to the ancient spiders of the Demonweb Pits, channeling magic from that dread place.

Drow mages can be quite learned and skilled in magic. Some of them can even cast my spells.

Drow Arachnomancer

Drow spellcasters who seek to devote themselves wholly to the Spider Queen sometimes walk the dark path of the arachnomancer. By offering up body and soul to Lolth|drow|mtf, they gain tremendous power and a supernatural connection to the ancient spiders of the Demonweb Pits, channeling magic from that dread place.

Elite warriors of Lolth lead raids and command garrisons in the Underdark.

Nearly every priestess of Lolth|Drow|MTF, including the powerful drow matron mother|MPMM in this book, takes an attractive drow as consort. Chosen as much for beauty as for magical might, a drow favored consort can hold their own in both conversation and combat. Combining the roles of advisor, protector, and beloved, some favored consorts are content with a supporting role, while more ambitious consorts aspire to be the power behind the throne—or even to claim the throne themselves.

Those favored consorts who prove their cunning gain the ear, and perhaps even the heart, of their priestess and are relied on to provide useful advice. No position of consort is assured for long, though; Lolth's priestesses are notoriously fickle, and a consort must often contend with rivals.

Some favored consorts work behind the scenes to undermine the evils encouraged by Lolth. Others can be found in Underdark cities free of Lolth's influence, where these powerful spellcasters apply their might toward ending her tyranny.

Many creatures enjoy torture, but the dark elves have made it into an exquisite art.

Drow Favored Consort

Nearly all priestesses of Lolth|drow|mtf, including the powerful matron mothers, take attractive drow as their consorts. Often these individuals serve no purpose beyond pleasure, breeding, or both, but sometimes consorts can gain the ear of their priestess and be relied on to provide useful advice. No position of consort is assured for long; priestesses are infamous for being fickle with their favor, which are they are especially glad to lavish on a consort who combines beauty with magical might.

Firearms aren't widely available in the North, but some members of Bregan D'aerthe are equipped with Lantanese pistols, bullets, and packets of smokepowder. These drow gunslingers are expert pistoleers, as skilled with their guns as the best archers are with their bows.

House captains will do anything to protect their family—whether that's their birth house or their platoon of scrappy rebels. I'd do anything for my (sometimes infuriating) mother and for my chosen family, so I admire their dedication.

A drow house captain leads the troops of an Underdark faction, whether defending a stronghold or leading forces against enemies. These officers make extensive study of strategy and tactics to become effective leaders in battle.

Among Lolth's devotees in the city of Menzoberranzan in the Forgotten Realms, each noble house entrusts the leadership of its military forces to a house captain, who is typically the first or second son of a drow matron mother. Elsewhere drow house captains fight in the war against Lolth, often allying with duergar and others who also wish to rid their subterranean world of that god's malevolence.

Many creatures enjoy torture, but the dark elves have made it into an exquisite art.

Drow House Captain

Each drow noble house entrusts the leadership of its military forces to a house captain, a position normally held by the matriarch's first or second son. The house captain commands the drow and slaves making up the family's army and has made extensive study of strategy and tactics to become an effective leader in battle.

Lolth's worshipers expect treachery—the Spider Queen encourages it, after all. A certain amount of backstabbing and double-crossing can be managed, but too much can undermine an entire community. To keep some semblance of order and to root out traitors, priestesses of Lolth employ inquisitors. Inquisitors are chosen from the ranks of the priesthood, and their authority is equaled only by that of the drow matron mother|MPMM|drow matron mothers (also in this book) of the noble houses. Anyone they decide is at odds with the hierarchy faces painful interrogation and usually an excruciating death.

Drow mages can be quite learned and skilled in magic. Some of them can even cast my spells.

Drow Inquisitor

Drow expect treachery. After all, the Spider Queen encourages it. A certain amount of backstabbing and double-crossing can be managed, but too much can undermine an entire community. To keep some semblance of order and to root out traitors, drow priestesses employ inquisitors. Chosen from the ranks of the priesthood, these female drow possess authority equaled only by the matrons of the noble houses. Anyone they decide is at odds with the hierarchy faces torture and usually an excruciating death.

Some drow pursue arcane study, summoning Fiends from the Abyss in Lolth's name.

Among drow followers of Lolth|Drow|MTF, each noble house is led by a matron mother, an influential priestess of Lolth charged with carrying out the god's will while also advancing the interests of the family. Matron mothers embody the scheming and treachery associated with the Queen of Spiders. Each stands at the center of a vast conspiratorial web, with demons, spiders, and conscripted soldiers positioned between them and their enemies. Although matron mothers command great power, that power depends on maintaining the Spider Queen's favor, and the goddess sometimes capriciously takes back what she has given. The stat block here represents a matron mother at the height of her power.

A matron mother is almost never encountered alone. She is typically accompanied by a drow favored consort|MPMM and a drow house captain|MPMM, each of whom appears in this book. Other Underdark creatures might also be in the priestess's presence, providing protection or advice.

Mothers of Rebellion

Some matron mothers renounce Lolth|Drow|MTF and join the war against their former goddess. Such drow could be of any alignment, and they lose the following abilities in the stat block: Lolth's Fickle Favor, Summon Servant, and Compel Demon. Even without these abilities, drow matron mothers are formidable opponents, and several of them hold positions of great influence in the Underdark armies arrayed against the followers of Lolth.

A Matron Mother's Lair

The palace of a drow matron mother is her home and fortress. Sigils throughout the building allow the matron mother to use the following lair actions while within it.

Any temple of Lolth|Drow|MTF also functions as a matron mother's lair while she is inside it, unless she has renounced Lolth or another matron mother is present. When two or more matron mothers gather within a temple of their goddess, none of them can use it as their lair.

Matron mother is a strange title for a cruel tyrant, but given what drow consider to be a goddess, perhaps we shouldn't be surprised.

Drow Matron Mother

At the head of each drow noble house sits a matron mother, an influential priestess of Lolth|drow|mtf charged with carrying out the god's will while also advancing the interests of the family. Matron mothers embody the scheming and treachery associated with the Queen of Spiders. Each stands at the center of a vast conspiratorial web, with demons, drow, spiders, and slaves positioned between them and their enemies. Although matron mothers command great power, that power depends on maintaining the Spider Queen's favor, and the dark god sometimes capriciously takes back what she has given. The stat block here represents a matron mother at the height of her power.

Drow of Lolth defend cities in the Underdark and raid the surface in the name of the Spider Queen.

Female drow with blood ties to a noble house are molded and trained from birth to become priestesses of Lolth. The Spider Queen doesn't allow male drow to hold such positions.

Such priestesses execute the will of the Spider Queen, and as a result, they wield tremendous power and influence in drow society. The matron mothers who rule the drow houses are the most powerful of Lolth's priestesses, but they must constantly balance their devotion to the Spider Queen with their devotion to their families.

Lolth's worship is matriarchal, and only female drow can rise to become priestesses of the Spider Queen or rule a noble house.

Drow shadowblades steal down the dim passages of the Underdark, bound on errands of mayhem. They protect enclaves and Underdark cities from enemies and track down thieves who make off with prized treasures. In the city of Menzoberranzan in the Forgotten Realms, noble houses often employ shadowblades to eliminate rivals from other houses. In communities free of Lolth's sway, they serve as spies tasked with foiling the plots of that demon lord's cult. In any role they take on, they move undetected until the moment they attack—and then they are the last thing their victims see.

A shadowblade gains their powers over shadow via a ritual in which they kill a shadow demon and mystically prevent it from re-forming in the Abyss, siphoning its essence into themselves.

Many creatures enjoy torture, but the dark elves have made it into an exquisite art.

Drow Shadowblade

Drow shadowblades steal down the darkened passages of the Underdark, bound on errands of mayhem. Ruthless killers, shadowblades find employment with a noble house, usually involving the elimination of a rival in another house. Shadowblades also protect enclaves and Underdark cities from enemies and track down thieves who make off with prized treasures. In whatever role they serve, they move undetected until the moment they attack. And then they are the last thing their victims see.

A shadowblade harnesses a dark magic that is said to arise from a fiendish ritual in which the drow kills a lesser demon and mystically prevents it from reforming in the Abyss. This ritual creates a shadow demon and infuses the drow with shadow magic.