Drow

The drow, or dark elves, are a subgroup of elven race, created thousands of years ago by Lolth in a fit of jealousy. Following the Elf Wars, they were imprisoned in Doth'Mordun, a deep valley in the frozen wastes at the bottom of the world, bordered by impossibly tall mountains and sealed by powerful magic.

In 2930, as part of a plan to shatter their prison, the drow used the Negative Energy Plane as a medium to teleport many of their number throughout the rest of the world. When their ultimate plot to free Lolth failed, however, the drow who escaped found themselves stranded even as Corellon Larethian and Boccob strengthened the seals on the prison. Soon after, as a result of the Deity War, the Negative Energy Plane flooded through the crack the drow had created in Doth'Mordun, and the entire valley was consumed by the Shadowfell; it is unknown exactly what happened to the drow who remained within.

The drow who escaped, however, established their own disparate enclaves throughout the Underdark. Some remained loyal to the Spider Queen and continue working to see her freed. Others seem to be pursuing their own agendas. A small number, however, sought instead to rejoin the world their ancestors had been banished from. One group in particular, former followers of the sorceress Theriana, met with the Sorceress-Queen Vyrellis of Estorium. With her assistance, they secretly established the city of Dol-Estor within Estorium, on the condition that they renounce the worship of Lolth entirely. At the turn of the millennium in the year 3000, Vyrellis publicly revealed Dol-Estor's existence to the world. Pointing out that they had lived there peacefully for more than forty years, she called upon the world to forgive them for the sins committed by their ancestors thousands of years ago and welcome any drow who likewise rejected Lolth, emphasizing that any drow willing to live by Estorium's laws woud be considered Estorium's citizens and entitled to the protections thereof.

Though the declaration was met with outrage from many nations - especially elven ones, such as Lorius - a few were willing to join Estorium in welcoming drow who foreswore the Spider Queen. Even in places where drow are able to walk openly, however, they are still frequently met with hatred and mistrust; for three thousand years they have been known only as monsters and villains, and such a reputation is not easily overcome.