Drow in a Modern World

[silke_rahn]

Needing Advice on doing a D-20 Modern Campaign which revolves around Silke's people after coming to Earth.

[CrankyOzzie]

Try and get a copy of Urban Arcana. It is a rulebook for d20 modern that uses the more typical D&D races such as Drow, Gnomes, Dwarves, Elves and so on, as well as creatures, weaponry, how magic works, feats; you name it, it's probably in there.

Here is the entry for Drow
[b:3pdmuqcn]Drow (Dark Elf)[/b:3pdmuqcn]
Drow are closely related to Elves. However, they differ greatly from their Elven cousins in abilities, appearance, and attitude. Drow are lithe, slight beings with jet black skin that resembles polished obsidian. Most possess stark white or pale yellow hair, although many Drow i nthe mundane world dye their hair other vibrant colours. Their pale, almost white eyes feature shades and speckles of lilac, silver, pink, and blue. They share a similar lifespan to Elves, maturing at 100, and living up to 700 years.

While exceptions exist, Drow tend to be careful, manipulative, and expansive. They see they world ([i:3pdmuqcn]any[/i:3pdmuqcn] world) in terms of lines of force, much like a spider detects its prey through the vibrations of its web. Spider imagery is prevalent among the Drow, and they are masters at spinning their own webs of lies, half-truths, and rationlizations.

The Drow differ strongly from their Elven cousins in their view of the mundane world. having carved their own subterranean empires inthe realm beyond Shadow, they are pre-disposed to do the same when brought to Earth. Strong believers in political and social manipulation along with brute force and monetary gain, the Drow generally seek to corrupt those around them and use other spieces as tools.

The Drow wish to understand the mundane world - the better to manipulate it. They embrace the modern technologies and conveniences of the mundane world so that they can eventually dominate and enslave it. They infiltrate every level of society, viewing others of their kind both as potential rivals and instruments.

[b:3pdmuqcn]Species Traits[/b:3pdmuqcn]
Drow traits are much the same as your standard D&D Drow. The exceptions are:
Light Blindness can be negated by wearing sunglasses or tinted visors.
They receive Archaic Weapons Proficiency as a bonus feat.
They can read, write and speak Elven and read,write and speak any 1 other language for free

[Tyrmer]

Ditto on that, I was just slower to post .

[Rooky]

Very unlike you Tyrmer...

[silke_rahn]

Now how would Drow like Silke Rahn's people whom follow Eilistraee make due in the mundane of the modern world? Would they be like the Dark Maiden's followers on Toril or would they like their darker kin adapt and maybe become corrupted by the modern world?

In Silke's story she adapts and even goes on to serve her adoptive nation. She even get a college degree and goes on and gets a doctorate in Sociology and Anthropology, becoming a professor at a university in Kansas near the portal that her people first came to Earth.

[Bhaern Quel]

I do not see followers of the Dark
Maiden becomig corupt, they though might become a modern day version of the Harpers. Modern society would be more likely to accept that of "those kind" not all of them are "like that"

Modern society of course might enagae in race wars, however there is no indication of that, that demonised all of a race. In FR the Good Drow tend to be mistructed as a trick of Lolth or just claiming to be good in the name of Lady Silverhair.

Of course depending on how society changes it is posible many outcomes.

Eilistraee loses followers in total.
She loses Drow followers among the Drow (remember that other races are devoted to her)
She increases other race followers and Drow percent stays the same.

and so on.

There is no absolute answer for how the faith will evolve either. Ed has only said he believed Lolth would remain the most worshiped deity in FR. Modern is not FR.
Er not sure if Modern even uses FR exclusive deities.

[Sabaal]

[quote="silke_rahn":ipcczwu5]Needing Advice on doing a D-20 Modern Campaign which revolves around Silke's people after coming to Earth.[/quote:ipcczwu5]

Hi, Silke... I know you've been around for some months but I've been a bit away, so let me welcome you.

As for modern Drow I don't know. Once I read an online comic about a drow and he was in the modern world and all, but it was so long time ago that I can't remember the site or even the name of the comic. If I ever find it again I'll send you the link, ok?

[CrankyOzzie]

It's up to the individual, really. How strong-willed are they? How strong is their faith? Eilistraee is a goddess, and - while not as powerful as many others - I do not see it being a great difficulty for her to manifest herself to followers on different worlds, so long as their faith is strong enough. Things such as clerical powers and the like would probably be weakened, though. Perhaps, finding themselves alone, they cling to their faith as the last reminder of where they came from.

What sort of influence does the modern world have on the individual? Does trying to cope with a completely different reality send them mad? Does it strengthen their belief in their god/goddess even further?

The example in my previous post is just that, an example. An example based on the more typical and well-known Drow. Just as Drow in the realms are more known to be evil, that does not mean there are no good Drow. So why should it be any different on other worlds? If you know your FR timeline, Elves, Orcs, and I believe Dwarves, all came from other worlds originally. As, too, did some of the humans.

[Rooky]

Methinks that they would develop a realy big back-bone and flip a finger.
Then again, some would politely explain to them what's going on here.
Then there are those who would beat the **** out of them.

It all depends on living area, family and all those other standards they keep on babling about in beetwen football games.

[Shir'le E. Illios]

I’ve always considered that in a modern setting the Eilistraeens would be social workers. At the low level they’d be the ones running soup kitchens and homeless shelters and at the high level (and I mean social level instead of game level here) they’d work on integration and acceptance of drow and other races; working to ‘educate’ the drow away from their more evil ways and such and teaching them to accept others just as much as the other way around.

I see them as liberalists and champions of personal freedom, supporting education and universal welfare. They’d fight for equality and freedom, focussing particularly on helping those who are (socially) in need. Instead of doing battle to remove evil from the land they’d, I think, help the poor, the handicapped, the disabled, the old, etc.

Or something along those lines.

[EDIT] I almost forgot, but the Eilistraeen’s pursuit of arts, particularly in the form of song, dance and music, shouldn’t be overlooked either. I can well see them as artists and pop-stars (of varying kind) and dancers and such as well. I wonder what in drow in a tutu looks like…

A lot also depends on how, exactly, the rest of the drow in the setting would be as I see Eilistraeens as still being opposed to the evil of drow and would likely seek ways to continue to do so (assuming that modern drow would still be evil).

Anyway, it’s an interesting question how a modern world would look with the races (and deities) of fantasy.


Love -x-x-x-

Shir'le

[Sabaal]

[quote="Shir'le E. Illios":9uy3apgy]I’ve always considered that in a modern setting the Eilistraeens would be social workers.[/quote:9uy3apgy]

Perhaps could be healers as well?

[quote:9uy3apgy]I almost forgot, but the Eilistraeen’s pursuit of arts, particularly in the form of song, dance and music, shouldn’t be overlooked either. I can well see them as artists and pop-stars (of varying kind) and dancers and such as well. I wonder what in drow in a tutu looks like… [/quote:9uy3apgy]

I'd see them more like this last thing actually, but talking about non eilistraeean drow but followers of other deityes like Mystra... I have a character that was recently phased to another world and time by a magician (won't mention it because he's here and he knows) and is really very confusing. She knows why she's there; she has a mision, but is confusing in the sense of what will happen when she finishes that mission. I don't know what will happen with her faith and I guess is something I'll have to determine while the game goes on if it will strengthen or weaken her faith in Mystra. I don't know even if she will be able to adapt to this new world (is not a modern world) because of many things and if she will be strong enough to keep her sanity or will get totally insane, but perhaps that will depend on what the DM has planned and the way things develop not to mention the characters decisions, of course.

There's also another game... Shadowrun. Is like a cyber punk world, but there are races from D&D including dark elves, although I don't know if dark elves are evil or not there.

[Vendrin]

I figure humanity in such an instance would wipe every non human out. We can barely tolerate those of our own species, let alone another one with magical powers.

[DarkSongKnight]

[quote:2zs82xpr]I figure humanity in such an instance would wipe every non human out. We can barely tolerate those of our own species, let alone another one with magical powers.[/quote:2zs82xpr]

You have a good point there Vendrin. A sad one, but a good one.

But if drow did exist, I can see Eilistraeens on a sort of alliance with other "peaceful" races. Perhaps against some sort of aggressive and expansionist alliance of evil forces, including many other drow.

[silke_rahn]

Well in the story line I am working up the place on Earth that the survivors of Silke's hometown appear in is a place here in Kansas. It is called Stull and its now demolished old stone church was once rumored to be on a gateway to hell. Now if instead of a gate to hell this was a portal to and from Toril somewhere in the area of the Silvery Marches southern frontier with the High Forest then that would be a twist. In the story I am working on this is were Eilistraee sends Nedylene Vrinn (Silke's mom) her surviving family and many of the Drow and other residents of a village I named Morn's Forge. Morn's Forge Silke's hometown was attacked weeks after her return from her adventures along the Sword Coast and in northwestern Faerun.

The arrival of the survivors from Morn's Forge (about 40 Drow, 50 Wood Elves, 120 humans, 30 Dwarves, 30 Half-Elves, 20 Half-Drow and 60 halflings) to Earth was a little over twenty years ago on the 23rd day of the 6th month of the Common Era 1986 by Earth's calendar. Back on Toril the transferal took place on the 23rd day of the 6th month of the Year of Wild Magic.

Silke has been gone from Toril the length of time from the Year of Wild Magic to the current year of the game calendar, but she has lived twenty plus years on Earth. On Toril her career path went this way Ranger, then Rogue, next Shadow Dancer. On Earth it went this way Soldier, Student, Grad Student, Professor, Special Agent for DHS ICE Dept. 7 (her real D20 Modern occupation). The Professorship of Sociology and Anthropolgy at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas is just her cover though Silke actually teaches a class called Comparative Mythology and Legend. Whom better to teach such a class than a Half-Drow. Since she is from Shadow according to Dept 7 she would know a Shadow creature better than a native human would.

The unnamed mission back to Toril is to rescue Silke's father, a planar traveler himself, but from a different Earth timeline where he was a soldier in the Sixth German Army at Stalingrad. Friedrich Hans Rahn was kidnapped by a Necromancer in Thay that enjoyed blood sports. Eilistraee wanting to help Nedylene find a partner to ensure that the Dark Maiden worshiping branch of the House of Vrinn had an heir and a spare pulled a devine intervention and redirected the planar teleport to deposit Friedrich in the woodlands of the northern High Forest during the winter twenty two years before Silke, Sabine, and Ursula Nedylene's triplet daughters were born. Nedylene and Ursula thought that they saw Friedrich go down in combat with fighters and warriors of the Lolth worshiping branch of the House of Vrinn during the massacre of Morn's Forge. In fact Akordia Vrinn Matron Mother of the Lolt worshippers had him taken prisoner and keeps him as a plaything in her palace in the original seat of the House, a small Drow town in the Underdark north and west of Waterdeep near the port of Neverwinter. Akordia sent some of her warriors to work for the city of Luskan in its war with Neverwinter (Neverwinter Nights, the Drow in the Orc cave.) Silke in my storyline helped to defeat her cousin's minions during her service to Neverwinter.

Akordia's attack on Morn's Forge was punishment for Nedylene's child interfering with the main House's business nothing more, but the taking of Friedrich was just Akordia sticking it to Nedylene and her daughters. Akordia has ambitions of building a Drow imperium in the local Underdark and on the surface of Faerun's northwestern lands. Eilistraee knows that this Lolth lover is a major threat to her childern in that part of Toril as Akordia practices geoncide against the Chosen of Eilistraee. What happened to the nameless village in Trail of Retribution is an action similar to the Aktions performed by the Einsatzgruppen in the eastern European and western Russian lands occupied by the Germans. Akordia besided her dreams of grandure and power sees the Eilistraee worshippers as heritics and blasphemers as well as a lessor kind of Drow good only as forced laborers or just dead. Akordia's special clan of Assassins not only go out to meet out Akordia's displeasure with her enemies they are kind of Gestapo like secret police within Akordia's realm in the Underdark.

Eilistraee has sent Silke and anyone she gets to work with her to stop her third cousin Akordia Vrinn form realizing her ambitions. The villages that Akordia is ordering destroyed were peopled by Drow that decended survivors from the House of Vrinn's internal familiar civil war five generations before Akordia was born. These survivors like Nedylene's ancestors all resettled on the surface in scattered settlements in the wilder regions of northwestern Faerun. The settlement attacked in Trail of Retribution was settled by allies to Nedylene's thus Silke's branch of the House of Vrinn. Now Akordia and those that follow her are not too overly concerned if the settlement is one of the surface branch of the House of Vrinn or some other surface dwelling community of Drow, and they are too picky if these Drow follow Eilistraee or her darker siblings. Akordia and her followers are real fanatics for Lolth. They see their actions as cleansing the Drow of unbelievers and heritics.

My story about the Drow in the modern world has an assassination team lead by a Qulie' Vrinn, Akordia's daughter and spare heir, assigned to eliminate the only other claimants to the Matron Mothership of the whole House of Vrinn. I will post this story in the story part of the roleplaying forum later after I have it completed.

[Rooky]

It sounds good, jsut don't make a soap opera out of it.