Dark Elves prior to Lolth's Rise - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

Dark Elves prior to Lolth's Rise

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
carbon_dragon
Jul 01, 2009 15:44:19 What were dark elves (drow) like prior to the rise of Lolth? Wasn't Lolth once a good deity before she went bad? Weren't the drow just dark skinned elves? Is there any information on what they were like?
#2
lord_karsus
Jul 01, 2009 17:19:36
What were dark elves (drow) like prior to the rise of Lolth?

-We don't know very much about them. Primary among the sources are Evermeet: Island of the Elves, and Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves.

Wasn't Lolth once a good deity before she went bad?

-Good? Most likely not. Not evil? Presumably. Chaotic Neutral, like most other deities in the Seldarine, most likely.

Weren't the drow just dark skinned elves?

-Drow look the way they look because they were cursed to reflect the darkness in their hearts. Before -10,000 DR, when this happened, they had brownish-grayish-tannish skin tones.

Is there any information on what they were like?

-Elves of Faerûn compiles the above-mentioned sources, and theorizes more on what Dark Elves were like prior to, and after arriving in Realmspace in -28,000 DR.
#3
carbon_dragon
Jul 02, 2009 8:57:54 I have an idea for a quickie adventure for my players which would have a small group of non-evil dark elves originating from a time prior to their being driven underground showing up in my player's sphere of influence. They'd be dark elves, but not drow in the traditional sense. They'd be disoriented, possibly the victims of a massive timeshifting spell or possibly just a massive time stop spell. But they would perhaps be attacked by one of the local power groups because they're drow and the players might end up having to defend them because they're not actually evil.

Just an idea. They don't know anything about Lolth (not by that name anyway). They're just maybe soldiers in an outpost, like japanese on an island in the pacific. So I thought I'd try to find out what the dark elves were like before to see if it's a viable concept.
#4
leiril
Jul 02, 2009 10:19:54 Why make it so special? Dark elves are back after what happened in the Lady Penitent series. It would be a good start for using them. They must be disoriented, because they were born as drow and then whush without doing something they were changed back into old style dark elves before the Descent. Many of them must have been in drow cities when Qwhatever created his little High Magic ritual (with all the problems caused by casting it being a drow, but who cares about rules in a novel ) and therefore will have some problems with the changes. Some may even be hunted down, since Lolth knew that they were not hers anymore, others may chose to leave the Underdark on their own now they no longer have to stay there.
#5
lord_karsus
Jul 02, 2009 11:25:26
I have an idea for a quickie adventure for my players which would have a small group of non-evil dark elves originating from a time prior to their being driven underground showing up in my player's sphere of influence. They'd be dark elves, but not drow in the traditional sense. They'd be disoriented, possibly the victims of a massive timeshifting spell or possibly just a massive time stop spell. But they would perhaps be attacked by one of the local power groups because they're drow and the players might end up having to defend them because they're not actually evil.

Just an idea. They don't know anything about Lolth (not by that name anyway). They're just maybe soldiers in an outpost, like japanese on an island in the pacific. So I thought I'd try to find out what the dark elves were like before to see if it's a viable concept.

-Up until 1,378 DR (I don't know when you're setting things), that really wouldn't be possible. The Descent of the Drow spell that was cast in -10,000 transformed ALL Dark Elves into their current Drow forms, and continued working from that point forth. We do have a group of Dark Elves who were (seemingly) non-Evil who wanted to avoid being transformed into Drow, buy they could not retain their forms, either. These Dark Elves became Sharn, and mentioned that if they reverted to their original forms, they would "instantly" transform into Drow. Now, mind you, it's your game, yada, yada, yada, you can do what you want, but I'm just pointing out how things work. It's an interesting concept, I'll certainly give you that.
#6
markustay63
Jul 02, 2009 12:19:56 Considering that the Dark Elves are now considered merely one branch of the Green Elves (just as I have always conjectured ;) ), one can assume that they were very much like the Grugach (Wild Elves), or perhaps even something in-between Wild and Wood Elves (all being 'Green', or 'Sylvan' Elf varieties). Figure the technology level and sophistication of the Green (which really isn't that much), with the 'feralness' of the Grugach.

Conjecture, but based on what little we know of those original (Wood) Elves that were sent to Toril by the Fey.

Green Elves are just plain 'Elves' in 4e, BTW. Everything else (the old-school 'High' Elves) are Eladrin now.

Most confusing, but it works for me, at any rate.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 carbon_dragon Jul 01, 2009 15:44:19	What were dark elves (drow) like prior to the rise of Lolth? Wasn't Lolth once a good deity before she went bad? Weren't the drow just dark skinned elves? Is there any information on what they were like?
#2 lord_karsus Jul 01, 2009 17:19:36	What were dark elves (drow) like prior to the rise of Lolth? -We don't know very much about them. Primary among the sources are Evermeet: Island of the Elves, and Cormanthyr: Empire of the Elves. Wasn't Lolth once a good deity before she went bad? -Good? Most likely not. Not evil? Presumably. Chaotic Neutral, like most other deities in the Seldarine, most likely. Weren't the drow just dark skinned elves? -Drow look the way they look because they were cursed to reflect the darkness in their hearts. Before -10,000 DR, when this happened, they had brownish-grayish-tannish skin tones. Is there any information on what they were like? -Elves of Faerûn compiles the above-mentioned sources, and theorizes more on what Dark Elves were like prior to, and after arriving in Realmspace in -28,000 DR.
#3 carbon_dragon Jul 02, 2009 8:57:54	I have an idea for a quickie adventure for my players which would have a small group of non-evil dark elves originating from a time prior to their being driven underground showing up in my player's sphere of influence. They'd be dark elves, but not drow in the traditional sense. They'd be disoriented, possibly the victims of a massive timeshifting spell or possibly just a massive time stop spell. But they would perhaps be attacked by one of the local power groups because they're drow and the players might end up having to defend them because they're not actually evil. Just an idea. They don't know anything about Lolth (not by that name anyway). They're just maybe soldiers in an outpost, like japanese on an island in the pacific. So I thought I'd try to find out what the dark elves were like before to see if it's a viable concept.
#4 leiril Jul 02, 2009 10:19:54	Why make it so special? Dark elves are back after what happened in the Lady Penitent series. It would be a good start for using them. They must be disoriented, because they were born as drow and then whush without doing something they were changed back into old style dark elves before the Descent. Many of them must have been in drow cities when Qwhatever created his little High Magic ritual (with all the problems caused by casting it being a drow, but who cares about rules in a novel ) and therefore will have some problems with the changes. Some may even be hunted down, since Lolth knew that they were not hers anymore, others may chose to leave the Underdark on their own now they no longer have to stay there.
#5 lord_karsus Jul 02, 2009 11:25:26	I have an idea for a quickie adventure for my players which would have a small group of non-evil dark elves originating from a time prior to their being driven underground showing up in my player's sphere of influence. They'd be dark elves, but not drow in the traditional sense. They'd be disoriented, possibly the victims of a massive timeshifting spell or possibly just a massive time stop spell. But they would perhaps be attacked by one of the local power groups because they're drow and the players might end up having to defend them because they're not actually evil. Just an idea. They don't know anything about Lolth (not by that name anyway). They're just maybe soldiers in an outpost, like japanese on an island in the pacific. So I thought I'd try to find out what the dark elves were like before to see if it's a viable concept. -Up until 1,378 DR (I don't know when you're setting things), that really wouldn't be possible. The Descent of the Drow spell that was cast in -10,000 transformed ALL Dark Elves into their current Drow forms, and continued working from that point forth. We do have a group of Dark Elves who were (seemingly) non-Evil who wanted to avoid being transformed into Drow, buy they could not retain their forms, either. These Dark Elves became Sharn, and mentioned that if they reverted to their original forms, they would "instantly" transform into Drow. Now, mind you, it's your game, yada, yada, yada, you can do what you want, but I'm just pointing out how things work. It's an interesting concept, I'll certainly give you that.
#6 markustay63 Jul 02, 2009 12:19:56	Considering that the Dark Elves are now considered merely one branch of the Green Elves (just as I have always conjectured ;) ), one can assume that they were very much like the Grugach (Wild Elves), or perhaps even something in-between Wild and Wood Elves (all being 'Green', or 'Sylvan' Elf varieties). Figure the technology level and sophistication of the Green (which really isn't that much), with the 'feralness' of the Grugach. Conjecture, but based on what little we know of those original (Wood) Elves that were sent to Toril by the Fey. Green Elves are just plain 'Elves' in 4e, BTW. Everything else (the old-school 'High' Elves) are Eladrin now. Most confusing, but it works for me, at any rate.