The Druinar were one of several nations of elves, considered the people of the snow and ice. They were known to favor harsh environments because they valued isolation and austerity. They occupied many of the far northern and southern reaches, and shared the Wyrmback Islands with the Cauthrians and Ranat with the giants. Some of them, particularly the cult of the Emra Gohg, were known for their brutality.
Sacrifices
Originally the Druinar worshipped the gods of the Grellism pantheon, like the elves from other nations. During a particularly harsh winter on the mainland of Antival, they were threatened with starvation. They began making animal sacrifices from what little livestock they had to the goddess Gerna. When this did not work, they made more sacrifices, each to a different deity in the full pantheon of 33. Matters became worse as the winter bore on. With nowhere left to turn, they sacrificed a child to M'ranin, the goddess of pain, who had been banished to the Shadow Lay; this seemed fitting, as they were deep into the portion of the year when the sun did not rise for two months. Shortly after fortune turned in their favor, and they found wildlife for sustenance, which they took to be a sign from M'ranin. Embracing her as their new prime deity, they began to culturally appreciate pain, and began raiding campaigns to gain captives for sacrifice to M'ranin. This new religion came to be the cult of the Emra Gohg, which was dedicated to M'ranin and her likewise bannished progeny, the Dark Seven.
Interbreeding
After hearing about the far southern lands of Cauthria, the Druinar sent colonist there to build settlements. There they discovered the half-elf race of Cauthrians, which gave them the idea to produce some of this race from their own bloodlines to help them establish dominance in the new lands. These offspring lived among them to be taught their own culture of austerity and brutality, and their line of Cauthrians helped them tremendously with capturing others for ritual sacrifice.