D&D 5E New Drow cultures coming in Starlight Enclave, the Lorendrow and the Aevendrow

[Dire Bare]

Why do the Lorendrow live beneath tree canopy AND darkened living quarters? Drizzt got himself accustomed to the sun, could these drow who've lived here for however long not have done the same? Just seems odd.

I'll add . . . the environment outside of Callidae is HARSH. It's the freakin' north pole, after all. The first part of the novel covers how our heroes, Cattie-brie, Jarlaxle, Zaknafein, and Artermis are all almost taken out by an avalance, the wind, and the cold. Callidae itself is an oasis of safety and comfort, with the hot spring flowing through it providing warmth and life for it's inhabitants. The walls of the partially enclosed glacial caverns make for good city walls too, and provide protection against their enemies, the frost giants. So, plenty of (in-universe) reason for the aevendrow of Callidae to live inside the icy caverns of Qadeej's glacier.

The lorendrow? Well, we've been told they live in Chult, we've got that one picture you posted . . . and that's about it. Presumably, we'll meet them in a later Salvatore novel . . . .

 

[mrpopstar]

The udodrow of Menzoberranzan live in darkness, completely underground. So they have developed a light sensitivity and enhanced darkvision, which fades after spending enough time on the surface. Both the aevendrow and lorendrow live in shade . . . they are no strangers to the sunlight. They are not (yet) described as having any degree of light sensitivity or enhanced darkvision. The ancestors of all three cultures were surface elves of dark skin.

Why did the aevendrow and lorendrow choose to live in shadow, in cave-like environments? Why not? It isn't covered in any of the material so far, and was long enough ago it wouldn't be in the memory of any living elf. I don't think there is an in-universe reason given, and personally I don't really need one. The meta reason, as I see it, is to give the drow cultures points of similarity with each other, and that's pretty much it.

I'm not sure how detailed Realms lore is of the Crown Wars, when the drow lived on the surface, and everybody was fighting everybody . . . perhaps the proto-drow cultures preferred a degree of shadow and darkness even then. I like that idea, gives them more difference from their more foresty cousins beyond the color of their skin.

I'm just curious why it is that all elves with dark skin live under cover of shadow and darkness. Why is that behavior shared across cultures? What's the justification? It's not an unreasonable question.

 

[mrpopstar]

I'll add . . . the environment outside of Callidae is HARSH. It's the freakin' north pole, after all. The first part of the novel covers how our heroes, Cattie-brie, Jarlaxle, Zaknafein, and Artermis are all almost taken out by an avalance, the wind, and the cold. Callidae itself is an oasis of safety and comfort, with the hot spring flowing through it providing warmth and life for it's inhabitants. The walls of the partially enclosed glacial caverns make for good city walls too, and provide protection against their enemies, the frost giants. So, plenty of (in-universe) reason for the aevendrow of Callidae to live inside the icy caverns of Qadeej's glacier.

The lorendrow? Well, we've been told they live in Chult, we've got that one picture you posted . . . and that's about it. Presumably, we'll meet them in a later Salvatore novel . . . .

It's not a question for you to answer, I'm merely thinking out loud.

 

[Yaarel]

@mrpopstar
More thinking out loud.

Living under the surface is mythologically accurate for Celtic fey. The fey are the places where the land is fertile. They are land spirits who are the land itself, but also relate to fertile soil, plants, abundance, and in this way a successful "fate". As embodiments of land, this sometimes correlates with traditions where the fey run back and forth on the waters edge of the sea coast − because they are the land but not the salt-water sea. But the fey do seem to be fresh water lakes and streams and so on. The Celtic concept is, they live above and below the surface simultaneously, as a mystical union of opposites. So below an earth mound that is above the rest of the land is a home of the fey, or a cave where above the land is also below it is also a home of the fey. Relatedly "pixie dust" is actually dirt, so that a person within its cloud is in the magical liminal fey space that is simultaneously above and below land. A person who wears a sod of grass-rooted soil on as a hat is simultaneously above and below the earth surface, thus can become magically invisible or fly. A boulder that is on top of the soil, becomes above and below simultaneously, and a fey home. Similarly, there is a tradition where below the water surface but above the riverbed or lake basin is also this liminal fey space.

Previously I interpreted drow as fey who are land spirits. Thus live in caves, simultaneously both below and above the land surface. Also they are the color of the fertile soil, often near black.

I definitely view the drow as having always been black, especially when good before the influence of Lolth. I am glad 5e does too. The race description says the drow descend from earlier dark-skinned elves. (This contradicts the Gygax tradition that said dark skin is a curse.) Indeed, the dark skin is a fey blessing embodying the lifeforce of fertile soil.

Where the aeven drow now live under the surface of a glacier but above the surface of the earth, it continues the Celtic fey concept. It is no accident that the presence of drow can make even the glacial arctic a fertile life-abounding location.

Where the loren drow are under a canopy of fertile plants, this too might count as both-above-and-below the surface − especially if these canopies carry soil upward for colonies of plants to live in the sunlight.

 

[Hexmage-EN]

I think the "wind gods" you are referring to is just one, and not a god . . . Qadeej, the vaati wind duke spirit trapped in the glacier, much like the primordial trapped in Gauntlegrym beneath Mt. Hotenow. But I could have missed something.

So I Googled Qadeej, and, uh, turns out they are the Wind Duke who wielded the Rod of Law and defeated the demon lord Miska the Wolf-Spider, resulting in the rod becoming the Rod of Seven Parts.

I'm curious if this is just a deep cut or if something related to the original Rod of Seven Parts adventure is coming.

 

[DarkCrisis]

The new ice drow seem to me to over compensate. Not only are they super nice and good they don’t even harm animals. Not for food or clothes. And you don’t even need money. Want some new clothes? Just sing a song or tell a story in payment. You know how fun the ice slides are? So fun that even on your 1000th slide it’s still so amazing! And let me tell you about wine and cheese! Aahhh how sweet.

 

[Bladesinger]

The new ice drow seem to me to over compensate. Not only are they super nice and good they don’t even harm animals. Not for food or clothes. And you don’t even need money. Want some new clothes? Just sing a song or tell a story in payment. You know how fun the ice slides are? So fun that even on your 1000th slide it’s still so amazing! And let me tell you about wine and cheese! Aahhh how sweet.

I couldn't agree more with this.

• Callidae is twice the size of Menzoberranzan - because of course it is
• twice as many Drow live here as Menzoberranzan - because of course there are
• 'We don't slaughter other beings for food or clothing' - because of course they don't
• We can conjure so much gourmet food, we never have to worry again - because of course they can
• Our ice slide is the Bestest EVAR! - Because it is.
• Our Wine, Cheese, and Persimmons are so awesome - Because of course they are.

Ugh. This was one of the worst books he's ever written. Smacks of the interference like the Ghost King and other transitions books. Clearly there was an agenda here, and it doesn't feel organic to me at all. Plus, Drizzt is like not in this book nearly at all, and his new stance on religion....just...ugh. That's about all can say.

Of course, YMMV. These are just my humble opinions after all, which is too bad, I'm usually a fan of his work. I loved his last Coven series for his world of Corona.

 

[mrpopstar]

@mrpopstar
More thinking out loud.

Living under the surface is mythologically accurate for Celtic fey. The fey are the places where the land is fertile. They are land spirits who are the land itself, but also relate to fertile soil, plants, abundance, and in this way a successful "fate". As embodiments of land, this sometimes correlates with traditions where the fey run back and forth on the waters edge of the sea coast − because they are the land but not the salt-water sea. But the fey do seem to be fresh water lakes and streams and so on. The Celtic concept is, they live above and below the surface simultaneously, as a mystical union of opposites. So below an earth mound that is above the rest of the land is a home of the fey, or a cave where above the land is also below it is also a home of the fey. Relatedly "pixie dust" is actually dirt, so that a person within its cloud is in the magical liminal fey space that is simultaneously above and below land. A person who wears a sod of grass-rooted soil on as a hat is simultaneously above and below the earth surface, thus can become magically invisible or fly. A boulder that is on top of the soil, becomes above and below simultaneously, and a fey home. Similarly, there is a tradition where below the water surface but above the riverbed or lake basin is also this liminal fey space.

Previously I interpreted drow as fey who are land spirits. Thus live in caves, simultaneously both below and above the land surface. Also they are the color of the fertile soil, often near black.

I definitely view the drow as having always been black, especially when good before the influence of Lolth. I am glad 5e does too. The race description says the drow descend from earlier dark-skinned elves. (This contradicts the Gygax tradition that said dark skin is a curse.) Indeed, the dark skin is a fey blessing embodying the lifeforce of fertile soil.

Where the aeven drow now live under the surface of a glacier but above the surface of the earth, it continues the Celtic fey concept. It is no accident that the presence of drow can make even the glacial arctic a fertile life-abounding location.

Where the loren drow are under a canopy of fertile plants, this too might count as both-above-and-below the surface − especially if these canopies carry soil upward for colonies of plants to live in the sunlight.

Fine stuff!

Ultimately I just want answers as to why it was only the black elves that turned to evil, went into hiding, or both. I'm here for the cool stories and new discoveries, I'm just very curious to see how they explain all this.

 

[Yaarel]

The new ice drow seem to me to over compensate. Not only are they super nice and good they don’t even harm animals. Not for food or clothes. And you don’t even need money. Want some new clothes? Just sing a song or tell a story in payment. You know how fun the ice slides are? So fun that even on your 1000th slide it’s still so amazing! And let me tell you about wine and cheese! Aahhh how sweet.

Some of this is reallife near-future.

Abstract digital economy.

Lab-grown meat.

Nanotechnology to build structures, weave fabrics.

I enjoy when D&D starts thinking more seriously about what a culture looks like, when its members utilize magic to solve problems.

 

[Yaarel]

Fine stuff!

Ultimately I just want answers as to why it was only the black elves that turned to evil, went into hiding, or both. I'm here for the cool stories and new discoveries, I'm just very curious to see how they explain all this.

Not all black elves.

Lolth herself is a black elf. Heh, she became a guru, started a cult, and the rest is history. Her uda community originated among the drow at the land surface, but eventually fled underground to continue her uda way of life without interruption by other elves. But there in the magic of the Underdark, her community became powerful and extremist. Not all black elves shared her views.



I am unsure when the aeven and loren separated from the uda. Was it before or after the Lolth attack-or-rebellion against the other elves?