| T O P I C R E V I E W |
| Inqy |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 17:44:57
Greetings scribes, sages and cloistered monks. I've been playing a Drow Bard in an ongoing campaign of Out of the Abyss for some months now, and while I've always had a general idea of his backstory, I've finally got around to sitting down and trying to come up with something more detailed.
The character himself is a commoner-who-disguises-himself-as-Drow-nobles kind of con artist with bits of the Scarlet Pimpernel and Harry Flashman thrown in as appropriate, which provided an obvious enough reason for him to end up in a prison cell with a bunch of surface dwellers about to be carted off into slavery. I went with the idea that he started out as an actor who moved on to con artistry; but that got me onto the idea of whether or not Drow even have a tradition of theatre and whether it would be a formal thing, whether it would be seen as something lowbrow or high brow, whether Drow cities have opera houses or just a bunch of peasants in the streets with props and shadow puppets and so forth.
Obviously I am quite happy to just make stuff up wholecloth in the proudest gaming tradition, but I couldn't help but wonder if there's ever actually been anything published or discussed on the subject of Drow bards and the performing arts in general amongst the Drow which I could use as a springboard.
So yeah, anyone recall anything on the subject? |
| 7 L A T E S T R E P L I E S (Newest First) |
| Wooly Rupert |
Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 03:34:07
There was a drow bard in the War of the Spider Queen books, as I recall, and that character (I can't remember who it was; I've tried to put that series out of my mind) followed some drow-specific bardic tradition. I can't remember details, but I seem to recall it being related to using music to inflict pain.
It was in one of the early books, as I recall, and like so much else in that series, ignored after that.
The book Tymora's Luck included commentary on opera from several well-known characters; the quote about opera in Menzoberranzan made it sound like it was torture, instead of art. Of course, that could just be the opinion of the character writing about it, since those quotes were all in-character.
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| TBeholder |
Posted - 25 Jul 2016 : 03:11:06
quote:
Originally posted by Irennan
The drow of Eilistraee would surely include dance and song in their performance, [...] those drow who travel from town to town to bring their song/dance (like when taking part to the ritual of the Run) will probably perform wherever they can/are allowed (if they are actually allowed).
Yup, likely because song and dance are the common drow forms of art to begin with. Both are mentioned now and then.
Sshamath has Glouras Wings - pretty much a dedicated concert hall, with attached performers and occasionally visiting ones from surface.
quote:
Originally posted by Ayrik
quote:
Irennan
Drow theatrical plays mostly consist of slapstick comedy and/or singing, and often involve the use of showy costumes and masks. They are generally performed in the warehouses of the cities, or at parties, on a raised stage, or on a stage defined by a boundary drawn through their faerie fire. The crowd doesn't sit, but they either stand up, or move around.
Where do you get this information, Irennan?
My impression from the novels was that drow entertainments would be more sophisticated.
They like pranks, too. So slapstick is definitely on the table. Or under the table, as it happens.
quote:
while edgy "inappropriate" entertainments risk displeasing powerful entities.
This, too. Like wearing star ruby. Or, say, visiting a festhall named "Spider's Kiss". They are thrill seekers. 
quote:
Although I imagine Machiavellian slapstick involving beating incompetent minions and falling off slippery banana peels onto daggers and "bad" poisons with odd side effects might all be appealing enough to the average drow.
They are, after all, elves ...
Or something in the spirit of The Fitting End of the Human King Halthor, only about them surface elves? 
Or they may think that "the Dwarves are comedy gold, the Duergar can make anything funny".
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| Hoondatha |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 22:12:15
I've always thought that drow males would make up the vast majority of the practitioners of the physical and vocal arts, primarily as a defense mechanism. If a sculptor slights you, you can kill him and know that you can still enjoy his creations whenever you want. But if you kill a great dancer, singer, actor, or even masseuse, you lose their work forever.
Not that I expect it would provide much protection, but when you're a drow male, a little is better than nothing. But as to what those arts are in specific, I don't know. |
| Irennan |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 21:24:49
Greyhawk drow instead have theatrical plays that reproduce their victories, where slaves are actually killed and tortured. IIRC, they have spells that allow them to hear the thoughts of the tortured victims during the ''play''. I howver don't think that Inqy was looking for something like this. |
| Irennan |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 21:19:03
It's from the part of the Menzoberranzan boxed set written by Ed, and from ''The Drow of the Underdark'', also wirtten by Ed. The drow in the novels didn't strike me as very sophisticated, to be honest. I didn't notice much difference between decadent human nobles and decadent drow nobles. |
| Ayrik |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 21:13:25
quote:
Irennan
Drow theatrical plays mostly consist of slapstick comedy and/or singing, and often involve the use of showy costumes and masks. They are generally performed in the warehouses of the cities, or at parties, on a raised stage, or on a stage defined by a boundary drawn through their faerie fire. The crowd doesn't sit, but they either stand up, or move around.
Where do you get this information, Irennan?
My impression from the novels was that drow entertainments would be more sophisticated. Drow society places emphasizes subtlety and deception and treachery and betrayal, drow nobles value the "soap opera" (and histories and propagandas) of dynastic houses and bloodlines, drow commoners value simple opportunistic survival (assuming they have much time to waste on entertainments at all). Public entertainments in large drow cities must often be sanctioned or otherwise deemed "appropriate" by drow rulers and priestesses - while edgy "inappropriate" entertainments risk displeasing powerful entities.
Although I imagine Machiavellian slapstick involving beating incompetent minions and falling off slippery banana peels onto daggers and "bad" poisons with odd side effects might all be appealing enough to the average drow. They are, after all, elves ... so they're fey and fickle and vengeful and supposedly more refined than low-brow humans. |
| Irennan |
Posted - 24 Jul 2016 : 18:00:08
Drow theatrical plays mostly consist of slapstick comedy and/or singing, and often involve the use of showy costumes and masks. They are generally performed in the warehouses of the cities, or at parties, on a raised stage, or on a stage defined by a boundary drawn through their faerie fire. The crowd doesn't sit, but they either stand up, or move around.
The drow of Eilistraee would surely include dance and song in their performance, and I guess that the priestesses are likely use their the goddess' moonfire to make light plays and embellish the show. Eilistraeean communities might have some dedicated space to perform (the Promenade had one cavern dedicated to that, for example), and those drow who travel from town to town to bring their song/dance (like when taking part to the ritual of the Run) will probably perform wherever they can/are allowed (if they are actually allowed). |
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