#and death doesn't necessarily involve clawing your way out

[y-rhywbeth2]

"how does Drow society exist" is a question that constantly baffles me too. Like if they really wanted to do a species of super-anti social elves that are constantly murdering each other than why not make them more like bears or something where they meet up to mate and then avoid each other for the rest of the time. I personally interpret a lot of Drow lore as being more about the upper echelons about society bc nobles constantly backstabbing each other like that for power makes more sense than literally everyone in society, ya know?

I'd have to go re-researching but I think I remember that Lolth usually reigns them in before they get to the brink of destruction and lets them recover before telling them to go nuts with the knives and poison again. She doesn't let it drop too low. They're also "blessed" with high fertility rates, prone to multiple births, and their society "encourages" hypersexuality - presumably to compensate for the death rate.

Despite their circumstances, drow aren't inherently murderous idiots and both Eilistraee and Vhaeraun are subtly influencing them (even if it's not openly, and the drow don't necessarily know where the dreams of peace and joy or the whispers of rebellion in their ear are coming from). It doesn't push most of them to undo their programming and risk their entire life, but it's enough that they may ignore an order or spare another's life if they think they won't get caught.

They have a whole romantic holiday that's just... playing hide and seek. No murder involved, just playing hide and seek across the city with your crush/es, so their lives don't just revolve around murder and social climbing. There's a reason Lolth's priestesses have a ritual to appease the Spider Queen that involves cutting out the heart of a lover when you grow too attached; because they do in fact have loved ones they'd rather not kill.

They're all going to be backstabbing and clawing their way up the ranks to some degree, because they need to survive and it's basically the same thing as Cazador and his spawn on a society wide level - you have to fight and claw your way to power and sell your soul for it, because the alternative is being powerless in a living hell where those that do have power will abuse you to save their own skins.

But I agree that the levels of murder are probably varied depending on the situation (less likely amongst the commoners who are beneath Lolth's notice; they probably don't target children and pregnant drow, even if just out of practicality, etc)