This suit of platemail is the oldest mortal forged suit of armor in drow hands, it's forging having been begun in the fateful Year of the Everstorm, or -62 A.C. This year, the Shlevian Warlordess Naeria Cirithal siezed the capital of Old Elven Shlevia and renamed it Phlytrograd. With Old Elven power on the Frozen Continent collapsing, the Mangadai Elvish Hordes overwhelming them, they tried the impossible: To harness the power of the ice and snow on the continent and launch it at the Mangadai Horde. The attempt utterly failed, destroying the tower they were in, the mages, and creating the Everstorm. From that point on it has been constantly snowing heavily in Shlevia. Also, this created the magical radiation in Shlevia that allows Shlevian smiths to make Icesteel, this is quite similar to the radiation that creates drowmail. In any case, the Everstorm's clouds blocked out the sun to the extent that drow could roam freely on the continent, and so the Crusade of the Blackcloud was launched by King Tir'Thax IV, creating the surface Drow Empire. One of Tir'Thax's royal knight squadrons stumbled across the remains of the tower the Everstorm had been created in. Near the center, they found a lump of black metal that seemed to flow and twist about itself. They took this material back to the king, who ordered that his master smiths make a sword and suit of armor from it. There was just enough to make that, and over a period of 155 years the equipment was crafted. When it was done, it was said to be the best armor ever crafted, and all the smiths who had worked on it and mages who had enchanted it were killed, so that they would never make such a work again. 

The armor has been used by the drow monarch since it's creation. This would be more than you think (elves have long lifespans) because drow monarchs are frequent targets of assassination. In any case, it was held by the Tir'Thax's till the entire family was killed by the Bael'Krax family, which became the new royal line. They have had the armor ever since.

Abilities:
The armor gives magical energy to any weapon that is wielded by the wearer, in effect adding a +2 magical bonus. 
 
The armor is +5 by Trilus Standard Magical Power Rating (TSMPR), 1275 A.C. version. This gives it an effective AC of -4.
The wearer is totally unaffected by darkness. He can see as if it was bright as day, even when under the effects of spells and spell-like abilities. Also, darkness based attacks (a shadow dragon's breath weapon for instance) do not harm the wearer.

The wearer can summon up a globe of darkness (as the spell) that is 40' in diameter. Also, the wearer can summon clouds as per the Summon Weather spell. There is no precipitation, but all other effects apply