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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe
Ireland
705 Posts |
 Posted - 05 Sep 2016 : 19:33:19
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While reading Archmage something occurred to me about how much I hate Salvatore's writing of drow. It's when ever a drow fails at something the automatic assumption that they are out of Lloth's favour. In the books they are aware of other gods and goddesses and have acknowledged that these gods and goddesses are of a mighty power and that Lloth does not control all and yet they seem to associate any failure as falling out of favour. I know there is blind faith and all but most of these characters are outside of the usual close mindedness.
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“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien
*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*. |
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Lilianviaten
Senior Scribe
489 Posts |
Posted - 05 Sep 2016 : 20:01:08
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quote:
Originally posted by Shadowsoul
While reading Archmage something occurred to me about how much I hate Salvatore's writing of drow. It's when ever a drow fails at something the automatic assumption that they are out of Lloth's favour. In the books they are aware of other gods and goddesses and have acknowledged that these gods and goddesses are of a mighty power and that Lloth does not control all and yet they seem to associate any failure as falling out of favour. I know there is blind faith and all but most of these characters are outside of the usual close mindedness.
That's only true of the priestesses, who by their nature are fanatical. The males, particularly those in Bregan Daerthe, are much less religious. They are just forced to pay a certain amount of lip service. |
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Wrigley
Senior Scribe
Czech Republic
605 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2016 : 12:18:44
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Also it is not so much about favour of Lloth but more about resulting effects like loosing spells, turning of your loyal servants (especialy plannar) against you, attack from other houses using your weakness... and this fear logicaly makes you prone to be ready for it and this assumption might save your life.
If you would have somebody with the stick behind you who will hit you each time you make a mistake you will probably learn to harden yourself (or try to evade) to the hit you know you will take even before it lands. |
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Eilserus
Master of Realmslore
USA
1446 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2016 : 23:22:36
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| Thinking out loud here, but I'd guess the narcissistic nature of drow might be the main culprit in that type of thinking. Instead of saying they screwed up, they shift responsibility to somewhere else. Just a guess of course. |
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Shadowsoul
Senior Scribe
Ireland
705 Posts |
Posted - 09 Sep 2016 : 00:05:58
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| Well Jarlaxle did say it best near the end of Archmage. |
“Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisioned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape?. . .If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!”
#8213; J.R.R. Tolkien
*I endorse everything Dark Wizard says*. |
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Ayrik
Great Reader
Canada
7971 Posts |
Posted - 10 Sep 2016 : 03:16:36
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quote:
Originally posted by Lilianviaten
That's only true of the priestesses, who by their nature are fanatical. The males, particularly those in Bregan Daerthe, are much less religious. They are just forced to pay a certain amount of lip service.
In a way, it's a certain amount of lip service from the authors to their fans. Drow are stereotyped, simplified, generalized. It's a way of keeping them dehumanized, of ensuring the audience will tend to think of all drow (with one notable exception alongside a few - very few - supporting exceptions) as villainous, corrupt, nasty, treacherous creatures who deserve every ill which falls upon them. Perhaps it's also a symbolic reverberation of Corellon's curse upon the drow, it sets them aside from "the good people", they become "the evil enemy" and authors can justify them slaughtering or being slaughtered with impunity. You need great villains and monsters to define great heroes and adventures.
I personally do not like much of RAS's writing. Re-reading his (earlier) works which I did like, I found that I don't like anymore - a fine pre-teen entry point to the Realms but too vapid and munchkinny for my now rarified tastes, lol. But remember that RAS is not the only author who has written extensively about drow in the (Under) Realms, and not the only one guilty of reinforcing this fallen-out-of-Lolth's-favour assumption. And there is no substitute for success - people want to read about evil betrayers being evilly betrayed, they buy what these drow sell, so I don't blame the authors for selling more and more of it. |
[/Ayrik] |
Edited by - Ayrik on 10 Sep 2016 03:22:57 |
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CorellonsDevout
Great Reader
USA
2708 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2016 : 19:50:24
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| What bothers me most about RAS' writing of the drow is he -doesn't- mention the other drow deities. |
Sweet water and light laughter |
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BrianDavion
Seeker
71 Posts |
Posted - 11 Sep 2016 : 22:52:13
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quote:
Originally posted by CorellonsDevout
What bothers me most about RAS' writing of the drow is he -doesn't- mention the other drow deities.
yeah that is a bit odd, and a real missed oppertunity IMHO.
honestly as I grew older for me the problem was also drizzt's very orgin is a very "nature instead of nurture" mind set. which honestly strikes me as unrealistic. despite growing up among the drow Drizzt hasn't developed ANY of their cultural aspects.
I found Larel Banare a much more sastifying character as a result. a renegade to be sure, but she's still very much a drow, and thus adapting to life on the surface has been MUCH harder for her. (and I'm not talking about dealing with sun glare) Drizzt may be a Drow, but he's not really a Drow, and other then the odd bit of "Family background comes back to pster him" book plots, drizzt might as well be a human.
I've not read any drizzt novels since the change over to 4th edition so maybe that has changed but... |
Edited by - BrianDavion on 11 Sep 2016 22:53:05 |
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You would think the drow would have copped on.
