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Originally posted by Quil

.So, a drow who escapes the Underdark and somehow becomes a Paladin of Torm, would physically be transformed back into the original dark elf race and really wouldn't be a drow any longer.

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Originally posted by Irennan

Idk if that's how it works. If a naturally dark skinned species goes to live underground, I'm not sure that their skin can spontaneuosly change to a light color.

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Because of that, I don't think that a blessing is needed to explain why the drow are still dark skinned even though they live underground.

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Cormanthyr:
p.9:
The drow lifespan is shortened appreciably due to their additional powers gained in the Underdark which nullify the Weave's beneficial 
effects upon their vitality. If your ARCANE AGE campaign takes place during the Crown Wars before the Descent of the Drow, they have 
no powers beyond those standard abilities of elves and they share the lifespan of Moon Elves.
p.126:
While the original Dark Elves from before the Crown Wars were merely dusky elves with pale hair, the drow of the Underdark have, 
over the millennia of exile, darkened to obsidian and taken on their more familiar visages as enemies.
p.136
This ritual can even restore a drow to status among the Tel'Quessir, though the ritual erases all powers (but not appearance) 
of the drow (judge as a moon elf).

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Althought we do know that the Elven Court and the Seldarine chose to change the dark elven skin to reflect the "evil inside" (or somthing along those lines).

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Originally posted by Irennan

Idk if that's how it works. If a naturally dark skinned species goes to live underground, I'm not sure that their skin can spontaneuosly change to a light color. That I know, usually that kind of change takes a period of time that is way over 10k years to happen, especially with a rather slow birth rate like that of the drow (faster than elves', but slower than humans'). Because of that, I don't think that a blessing is needed to explain why the drow are still dark skinned even though they live underground.

Althought we do know that the Elven Court and the Seldarine chose to change the dark elven skin to reflect the "evil inside" (or somthing along those lines).

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Originally posted by Markustay

Actually, 'evolution' occurs at a MUCH faster rate than previously thought. I had always figured that, being that I can argue that evolution 'disproves' itself (by the time a species adapted to an environmental change, said change would have already killed them off). I usually post links to several articles about this phenomena, but HERE IS A GOOD ONE* off the top of my head. I'm glad 'science' has finally caught up (partially) to my great big brain.

Thus, I can see a species changing its 'skin' color in just a few generations. In the case of more primitive species - like reptiles and insects, such changes could than occur within a single century. There are articles wherein a species have adapted to a 'cave environment' rather quickly (I recently read something about 'zombie ants' living in caves without a queen). Life is MUCH hardier and more adaptive than we've ever given it credit for. Species can also 'spontaneously reappear', but enough real-world science mumbo-jumbo; FR isn't 'real world' by a long shot.

So in a magical fantasy setting, anything is possible. Plus, Ed's 'Drow' WERE albinos - white-skinned, as they are in Mystara (OD&D). More like those guys in the Hellboy2 movie.

I think WotC/Hasbro decided that the whole "lighter skinned = 'less evil' " thing was best discarded and forgotten about.. a prudent idea, wouldn't you agree? The fact that Corellon "cursed them to be black" harkens back to a more primitive (less PC) age of gaming. In your games, YOU can spin them anyway YOU want. As for me, mine (MY settings) are albinos, as they should be (now that the entire concept of 'canon' has been shot in the foot, this is MUCH easier to do). You can even have all three types of if you like; I was writing an article for Elves of Faerūn linking the 'sea drow'** to an albino group of drow who entered the Moonsea, but I never finished it, so it doesn't appear in that work. They are 'white skinned'; however, they are also NOT technically 'drow', just very evil sea elves (although given the fluid nature of elven 'breeds', thats splitting hairs, IMO). IIRC, the original Drow of the Underdark (written by ED) mentions the occasional occurrence of albinos, but most are killed at birth (as are nearly all 'defective' drow babies). However, one can assume there are ALWAYS exceptions, and it is quite possible that that some of these 'outcasts' who survived found each other, and formed their own settlements (which is how I was going to spin my article), and are now even 'breeding true'.

Lastly, it makes MUCH more sense scientifically for the 'race' to have been turned WHITE, rather than black. Elves DO receive a small amount of 'nourishment' from the sun (this is old canon), which probably comes from their 'fey' heritage (so elves are 'sort of' plants LOL). Black absorbs sunlight better than any other color, white reflects it. Unless, of course, one could hypothesize that if an elf got 'too much sunlight', it would be like overcharging a battery. That could work - its painful to them. Drow are 'super-charged' elves... that would make the fanbois happy.


*Thats NOT even the one I meant to link to - thats a completely different story, but it applies. The one I was thinking of was THIS ONE.

**Marels - pg.77, Mysteries of the Moonsea, and earlier in The Moonsea, pg.27

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Originally posted by sleyvas

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Originally posted by Markustay

Actually, 'evolution' occurs at a MUCH faster rate than previously thought. I had always figured that, being that I can argue that evolution 'disproves' itself (by the time a species adapted to an environmental change, said change would have already killed them off). I usually post links to several articles about this phenomena, but HERE IS A GOOD ONE* off the top of my head. I'm glad 'science' has finally caught up (partially) to my great big brain.

Thus, I can see a species changing its 'skin' color in just a few generations. In the case of more primitive species - like reptiles and insects, such changes could than occur within a single century. There are articles wherein a species have adapted to a 'cave environment' rather quickly (I recently read something about 'zombie ants' living in caves without a queen). Life is MUCH hardier and more adaptive than we've ever given it credit for. Species can also 'spontaneously reappear', but enough real-world science mumbo-jumbo; FR isn't 'real world' by a long shot.

So in a magical fantasy setting, anything is possible. Plus, Ed's 'Drow' WERE albinos - white-skinned, as they are in Mystara (OD&D). More like those guys in the Hellboy2 movie.

I think WotC/Hasbro decided that the whole "lighter skinned = 'less evil' " thing was best discarded and forgotten about.. a prudent idea, wouldn't you agree? The fact that Corellon "cursed them to be black" harkens back to a more primitive (less PC) age of gaming. In your games, YOU can spin them anyway YOU want. As for me, mine (MY settings) are albinos, as they should be (now that the entire concept of 'canon' has been shot in the foot, this is MUCH easier to do). You can even have all three types of if you like; I was writing an article for Elves of Faerūn linking the 'sea drow'** to an albino group of drow who entered the Moonsea, but I never finished it, so it doesn't appear in that work. They are 'white skinned'; however, they are also NOT technically 'drow', just very evil sea elves (although given the fluid nature of elven 'breeds', thats splitting hairs, IMO). IIRC, the original Drow of the Underdark (written by ED) mentions the occasional occurrence of albinos, but most are killed at birth (as are nearly all 'defective' drow babies). However, one can assume there are ALWAYS exceptions, and it is quite possible that that some of these 'outcasts' who survived found each other, and formed their own settlements (which is how I was going to spin my article), and are now even 'breeding true'.

Lastly, it makes MUCH more sense scientifically for the 'race' to have been turned WHITE, rather than black. Elves DO receive a small amount of 'nourishment' from the sun (this is old canon), which probably comes from their 'fey' heritage (so elves are 'sort of' plants LOL). Black absorbs sunlight better than any other color, white reflects it. Unless, of course, one could hypothesize that if an elf got 'too much sunlight', it would be like overcharging a battery. That could work - its painful to them. Drow are 'super-charged' elves... that would make the fanbois happy.


*Thats NOT even the one I meant to link to - thats a completely different story, but it applies. The one I was thinking of was THIS ONE.

**Marels - pg.77, Mysteries of the Moonsea, and earlier in The Moonsea, pg.27

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Just to note, the Night Below adventure set from TSR days is set in FR. It introduces "Rockseer Elves". When you look at their lore, they pretty much are the same basic idea as the Mystaran shadow elves. Light skinned elves that live below where even the drow live, have had no contact with surface elves in forever, and who believe that surface elves would shun them.

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Originally posted by sleyvas

Of course the Elven Court and Seldarine will take credit for the blessing that Lolth gave them.

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Originally posted by Irennan

It depends. If it happened all of sudden right after the curse, like--for example--it is suggested in the GHotR, then it's very unlikely to be Lolth's work. If it happened over the millennia, as suggested in Cormanthyr, then it could be.

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