Drowtales/Headscratchers: Difference between revisions

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=== Why are non-magic users not extinct? ===
If elves (and their [[Evolutionary Levels|and their evolutionary derivatives]]) are so powerful, why do they tolerate what they consider to be animals that just happen to be intelligent (with the capacity to rebel that entails) at all?
* Because they're useful? Humans and orcs can be slaves and humans are at least intelligent enough to trade with, and with a few exceptions (the Nagyesced king) are pretty much harmless. Also, wiping out an entire species would take a lot more work than the elves are willing to expend, since in the classic Moses scenario if you miss one it can bite you in the ass. Also non-magic users have a distinct advantage in that they can survive in areas without a mana pool, while an elf there would eventually start getting mana deprivation. That an it's implied that the human presence on the surface is a lot more than it used to be during the Moons Age, and that the humans have largely taken over old elven ruins for their own purposes. And unlike D&D drow the drow of DT are not [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]], so they wouldn't simply wipe out humanity unless they had a reason to.
* Wow. I've heard about increasing dislike towards elves on the readers' part, but when exactly did they become analogous to the Third Reich?
* Alternate version: Both populations must compete for food and resources. If one is clearly superior, the other would go extinct. There's a reason that there aren't any neanderthals around anymore. Why are there still non-magic users in the Drowtales universe?
** Because the drow for the most part don't care. Most of the resources they need are underground, and they only need quick raids to the surface for the most part. Plus humans breed much faster than the drow can keep killing them off. Seriously, drow in this universe are not [[Always ChaoticExclusively Evil]], and going through the trouble of killing the entire human population, especially when some exists in areas that are hard to reach, is just not worth the trouble. It's better to keep them around to trade with an occasionally raid.
*** Drow didn't always live underground. The goblins should have died out once the elves appeared. It's possible that goblins are actually more fit, possibly because of inverse fertility or needing less food, in which case the elves should have died out. The only thing I can think of is that they have different ecological niches, but what are they?
*** Well for one humans can live in areas without adequate mana supplies, while elves cannot unless they have a large enough population (this is the main thing hindering the colonization effort, since you need a pretty large population to be self-sustaining, so you basically need to move an entire clan at once). That would prevent overlap in territory since besides occasional raids like the Highland Raiders elves need to set up settlements if they want to stay in any one area for an extended period of time, and there are only certain areas that are suitable for that. The Tei'kaliath, for instance, are in an area that has two human settlements nearby, but the area they chose is geographically isolated enough that they basically have to look for each other to find each other. There's also a group called the Hermiones from a different continent that apparently didn't have elves, so the humans might've migrated, in fact there are some implications that humanity as a whole is relatively new to the areas that were once major elven population centers, since most of the human settlements seem to be built on old elven settlements. Also, since elves have low fertility rates they probably have a fairly stable population, and Chel itself is only around 100,000 people and one of the larger population centers, and while we don't know the exact size of Vanaheimr it's apparently pretty small if it can stay hidden.
 
 
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*** One possibility is it's the other planes that nether gates connect to. But really, you're just going to give yourself a headache if you think about this too much.
* Is it feasible that it's [[wikipedia:Chemosynthesis|chemosynthesis]]? I'd expect the rifts would give rise to that.
* Come to think of it, I don't think fire spells take as much energy as the should, and don't get me started on ice spells.
 
=== What technology do they have? ===
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=== What's the difference between Val and Vel? ===
 
I thought "Vel" meant that it was the ruling clan, but that wouldn't explain the Vel'Vloz'ress.
* "Val" originates from the time when the religion of Sharess was still mainstream in the Drow society, and it has connotations to holiness. "Vel" is its total opposite, and indicates rejection of the traditional, hostile attitude towards demonic forces, and embrace of the practice of Tainting. In a nutshell, the Val-clans hold a negative attitude towards Tainting, while the Vel-clans consider it to be the salvation of Drowkind.
 
=== Why would demons help the Vloz'ress? ===
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=== How bad was Diva'ratrika as both a parent and a ruler taken from the knowledge we have from her own account in ''Longest Wait'' and the account given of her by other characters? ===
 
* There seems to be no middle ground here if you look at the comments on the forums. My personal theory is that she did what she could with what she had and if she wasn't exactly "nice", that was because she couldn't afford to be in the setting -- look what happened to Nega'fanae in Chapter 34 as an example. Her being strict with her daughters to the point of stifling them doesn't seem to hold up with the treatment of Sil'lice, Nishi'kanta and Ashu'athama. Snadhya'rune mentions how restricted she felt by Diva'ratrika but she was the "first" daughter which in general drow society seems to mean that you have the most responsibility heaped onto you, and even then it seems the major issue between Diva'ratrika and Snadhya'rune seems to be the latter's {{spoiler|assumed}} lack of children. Zala'ess as the youngest probably had the most freedom of all her daughters, yet even she {{spoiler|joined in on the two eldest daughters' matricide and coup d'etat}}.
* Her being a "terrible" ruler doesn't seem to hold up with the fact that she held control for a good "six hundred" years, meaning she had to be doing ''something'' right.
* Things seem to point to her starting out decent, albeit somewhat of a hardliner but her being in power so long left her with a narrow outline for the future of Chel'el'sussuloth and disillusioned from mainstream politics, all of which kept her an outsider from current issues and made her more unpopular with her subjects.
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=== What is it with Snadhya'rune and the fur? ===
* Seriously why the fetish for fur? Unless its to further emphasise her as being the odd one out amongst her siblings?
** Because it comes from the surface, and is therefore expensive.
** That still doesn't explain it. Expensive as fur may be for Drow, there are other materials equally as expensive from the surface. Why her specific fetish for fur? What about feathers for example?
** Maybe she just likes fur?
 
=== How did Waesoloth react when she found out that {{spoiler|Naal'suul had died}} from likely Khal'harror when he returned home? ===
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** Also, during Path to Power we actually met Khaless, and she acted perfectly normal. I'd guess that it's only a few people.
* How ''did'' Snadhya'rune get Khaless to be her willing servant even when turned demon? If Khaless is a Vel'Akar and is therefore a demon capable of complex thoughts and motivation, how come she seems so subservient to Snadhya'rune?
** Probably because it's mutually advantageous, Khaless can do things for Snadhya and Snadhya can do things for Khaless. We also don't know how much of the original Khaless personality got absorbed, but it might have also absorbed her loyalty for Snadhya.
 
=== Nei'kalsa and Sarnel Tions Sarghress ===