Trow

Trow are a race of Goblinoid born from the union of Goblins and Drow, typically Cotlins or Hobgoblins. It is unknown when Trow were first created but it is believed to have been during or after the Gods Plague when Drow began raiding the surface of Tevian in earnest. Like the Drow, Trow are native to the Undercroft but are not adversely affected by sunlight.

Description
The average Trow bears great resemblance to a Drow with similar facial features and anatomy, especially mannerisms. This similarity is so great that those unfamiliar with the two species will often conflate them. However, a number of differences make identification easier. Trow are generally shorter than Drow while being proportionally similar. However, Trow skin tends to be a gradient of blue to white without uniformity. They are often speckled with purple or black freckles which are found on the more blue parts of their body. Trow hair is almost universally white, although many utilize dyes to highlight the tips of their hair in a way similar to Drow’s natural hair colour. Their ears and eyes are also markedly different with Trow possessing larger eyes but smaller pupils alongside larger ears.

While in personality Trow and Drow seem initially similar, Trow are often more subservient in attitude which can even manifest in startlingly masochistic inclination. Trow are also immune to the adverse effects of living underground that have marred the Drow race, allowing them to be active on the surface at all times of day.

History
Drow histories speak very little of the Trow but what they do say is telling. In the earliest records, Trow are not typically distinguished from Drow and are generally considered equal. However, records indicate that the radicalization and stratification of Drow society pushed Trow and Drow into a kind of civil war. In the end, Trow were either enslaved or treated as second-class citizens.

Gods Plague
Coinciding with the dissolution of the Dvati Empire, many Minotaurs found themselves being attacked by Elven and Leonin warbands. In an effort to escape, Minotaurs entered a vast, hostile underground known as the Undercroft. This would bring the first recorded sighting of the Drow and Trow. Soon, contact with the people living on the surface far above them led Trow and Drow slavers to the surface.

Dragons Bane
In the chaos of the Dragons Bane, parties of Trow and Drow slavers were an almost inescapable fact of life. However, as the war raged, these slaver bands became rarer, mysteriously. It was only after the Dragons Bane that scholars determined that some event of equal magnitude had occurred underground. Over the next few years, many Trow migrated above ground, speaking of a war between the Trow and Drow.

Goblin Rising
With many Trow now living above ground, Trow mages were not uncommon participants of the Goblin Riding on both sides. As surface Trow made their own way, Trow began to reappear as members of Drow slaver parties, indicating that whatever conflict had occurred was brought to an end.

Society
Like Drow, Trow are a familial, matriarchal society. The female head of Trow families are referred to as Matriarchs and hold absolute power over the family. However, underground, Trow families are much weaker and generally subservient to a Drow family.

Undercroft Trow
Trow in the Undercroft are typically subservient to or enslaved by Drow families. Robbed of much of their agency, Trow live in a state of mostly perpetual fear. However, enclaves of independent Trow are known to exist in the Undercroft. Left to their own devices, Trow form societies along the same lines as Drow with similar rules. A strict adherence to law followed by vicious, often deadly, rivalries.

Surface Trow
Surface Trow are subdued in their activities but are functionally no different from Drow or Trow societies underground. They form the same matriarchal families and compete against others and within their own families for power. However, rather than competing for control of a whole city, Trow families often control criminal organizations or merchant companies. Some surface Trow, however, have begun to integrate more wholly with the societies above ground. In general, it is not uncommon for surface Trow to worship Thurnac or Elistra.