Surface Drow
Taxonomic Name: I/A
Geographic Distribution: I/A
Like all races of the Drow species, the Surface Drow have light, greyish-green skin and white eyes with vertical pupils. What separates them from their underground counterparts are their lack of gills and their decreased sensitivity to light. The former, a result of their eggs no longer incubating and hatching in the hot springs of their ancestral Subterranean Pools, prevents them from venturing farther than the initial underwater tunnels that lead to said Pools.
The latter has proven more unhelpful than beneficial to certain people groups. Photos practitioners in particular have suffered from a decrease in ability to recognize light activity, and its variations. This situation has led to an effective, if rather unconventional, practice utilizing Mykket berries. On the other hand, Thermos practitioners have benefited from the reduced light sensitivity—less stimulation of visual senses leaves more energy and focus for their Thermal Sense.
Societal Concerns
While they have lost their gills, Surface Drow do still enjoy the robust lung capacity and plasticity that all Drow possess. Whether or not they still qualify as amphibians or should now be named a distinct species is a subject of debate among academics of all races. Multiple authorities claim that a distinction of species is necessary for the purpose of accessibility laws, as certain accommodations must be made for those who can no longer breathe under water. Others believe that further separation of the races in formal law may threaten the species' otherwise general political unity.
The discovery of new Domains plunged the newly-emerged Drow into social chaos, as the more intrepid individuals scrambled for power. Domination became the law of the land; information and Natural Sources became its currency. Subgroups and roving bands arose from the previously benevolent community, ultimately resulting in the current-day ruling families. At first, the more traditional, communally minded members of society opposed the idea of hierarchy, though they eventually relented as they recognized the futility of their pleas in the face of such aggression.
Comments