Three key points about elves from the document: 1. There are several sub-races of elves, including high elves, aquatic elves, gray elves, sylvan elves, wild elves, and drow elves who are the focus. Drow have dark gray skin and white/gray hair. 2. Drow society is matriarchal and follows the teachings of the spider goddess Lloth. Females hold all positions of power over males, who are treated as servants. 3. In drow communities, lust and sex play a large role in their psychology. War and assassination between noble houses also occur, with the goal of wiping out

1. Subcultures: Elves Lye Lyestone/DeeBee Tigerauge/Lucinda McLeod/Vesna Velde

3. Overview Three Sections: Historical Sociological Psychological

4. Did you say Elves? Elves are an ancient race and their existence stretches further back in time than even they can remember. Whenever their creation, it is generally assumed Corellon Larethian created them. Corellon Larethian = the protector and preserver of life. God of music, poetry, magical study, dance and even combat.

5. Corellon Larethian The elven race are believed by some to have sprung from the drops of Corellon’s blood that were shed in battle with Gruumsh, the god of the evil orcs, but there is dispute with others that claim it was against Lloth, a demonic, spider-like goddess. There are also those few who believe the deliberate creation of the elves from Corellon’s blood to fight the evil spawned by their eternal enemies, the orcs and the dark ones such as Lolth and Her ilk – the Elven Drow race. Regardless of the diverse theories, most elves worship Corellon Larethian in some form, and many revere the being of light, life, and goodness as their primary faith.

6. The Elven Races There are six known sub-races of elf: HIGH : Slim, lithe, tipped ears, clear skin, sky blue eyes, dark hair. Most common and thus appear in many fantasy settings. Most magically developed. AQUATIC : Greenish skin, traces of silver, sea green-blue hair. Webbed fingers and toes, carry spears, tridents & nets. GRAY : Cloud/Mountain Elves; aloof, reclusive, mediate & contemplate life. Taller than most elves, silver/pale golden hair, amber/violet eyes.

7. Elven Races contd... SYLVAN : Wood elves; muscular, coppery red/golden yellow hair. Hunters or bowyers. WILD : Barbaric offshoot of high elves. Mostly untamed, known as Grurach —darker brown skinned elves, found in the desert/deep tropics. DROW : Dark Elves; depraved, evil subterranean race of elves, jet black/gray skin, pale hair & red eyes. Exposure to bright lights can cause blindness. *Most elves in SL are of the Drow variety, therefore the main focus.*

8. Drows

10. Historical & Social Aspects Drow are often exquisitely beautiful but with deadly elegance & grace. They generally lack empathy, are ruthless and find pleasure inflicting pain upon others. Skin/Hair: Dark grey/pale blue. Hair is usually white or grey in stark contrast to their skin colour. Eyes : Blood red; although sometimes pale eyes can be seen. Language : ‘Drow Speak’

11. Shop in SL: Drow Skins & Hair

14. Gender Roles/Religion The majority of Drow societies follow Lloth’s—the spider queen’s—teachings. This drow society is matriarchal and militaristic, with strong religious foundations, ruled by the most powerful drow priestesses. Women hold all positions of power and responsibility in government, the military, and in the home. Males, however, are treated as servants, and even the highest ranking male is still ranked lower than the lowest ranked female. Men’s duties are to fight and guard the land, and if they wish to gain a greater status and sense of power in drow society, they can become priests or wizards.

15. Jayded Slade: Queen of Elissidrin Elves

16. Lye & the Queen

17. Residency Banished to the Underdark (underground) In SL role-players normally reside in Aglarond or Avilion; Lloth worshippers reside in caves in Aglarond & Thraldom. In Llothian cities, due to their affinity for arachnids, many spiders and similar creatures dwell among the communities; spider webs decorate walls, dimly lit areas, eerie atmosphere. Arachnid art, sculptures and fashion can be seen throughout Drow communities.

18. Aglarond

19. Giant Spider

22. Structure/Rankings In a Lolth-dominated society, The Matron Mother , or Ilharess , is both queen and high priestess that dominates each noble House and carries on the family name. She holds the authority over every member of the House and must be obeyed and shown the utmost respect. Beneath the Matron Mother are her daughters. Usually priestesses of the leading deities they worship. All females of the mother's blood, in order of their age, follow in rank, although they wield no authority. Below the daughters come the male officers of the House; the weapons master, House wizard, and the patron (current companion of the Matron Mother). Even the highest ranking males are still ranked lower than the lowest ranked female

23. Blood Fountain

26. War & Crime In Lolth-worshipping drow communities, it is a sin to slay a Matron Mother. The assassination of a Matron Mother is often a punishment for losing Lloth's good will, and marks either a new direction for the House, or if it is weak, and has strong rivals - the beginning of its extinction. If one House in the city openly wars on another, and fails to eradicate it entirely in a single attack, the survivors of the ruined House can call down the city's justice on the attacking House. When this occurs, all Houses combine forces to wipe out the offending House. As a result of the hardship, sometimes the drow city enters an alliance with a dragon, to guard their land.

27. Beheading at Market Square

28. Slain Drow

30. Psychology Lust and sex play a large part in the psychology of elves in SL; the purpose is to release tension and to demonstrate a feeling of closeness with other elves. Elves have artistic tendencies, are technologically phobic, kind and honourable people with high levels of integrity. They are dreamers who seek life through fantasy.

31. Inside: Human Brain

32. Inside: Elf Brain

33. Real Life Psychology Research has determined that the reasons why individuals role-play online games are: Relationship factor: develop meaningful relationships that are supportive. Immersion factor: gain joy from story telling, both on their own & with others. They forget RL worries and lose themselves in the fantasy world. Escapism factor: temporary escape from RL problems. For example, lack of social skills, sexuality, lack of personal contact, among others.

34. Achievement factor: achieving goals and accumulating possessions online which gave them a greater sense of self worth & self-esteem. Manipulation factor: objective being to obtain the feeling of power, superiority & comfort by controlling others—however, not particularly a factor for Elf RP. Other factors that are not included in the findings include: entertainment from RP, language experimentation platforms, provides a means to practice handling of sensitive issues for RL et al.

35. Curious? Our Wiki: http://bhs3000.pbworks.com/BHS-Subculture-Group:-Elves More links: http://bhs3000.phttp://bhs3000.pbworks.com/Interview-with-Elissidrin-Elven-Queen http://frontiernet.net/~jamesstarlight/3eElves.html http://www.nj-pbem.com/data/Gods/elvengods/CorellonLarethian.htm http://www.angelfire.com/rpg2/roleplaynexus/drowcampaign/Lolth.html http://drowcampaign.roleplaynexus.com/drowpersonality.html http://tsamaris.com/?page=Matron%20Mothers%20and%20Worthless%20Males http://www.realms.force9.co.uk/UD/drow/dcult.htm