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added 210 characters in body
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akaioi
akaioi
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Here's a thought... In stories I have read, there are a couple salient facts about elves:

  • They are not numerous

  • They live in out-of-the-way places

We can work with this. Imagine small, isolated communities of elves. If each small elf-clan sticks to itself, any mutation which shows up has a far greater chance of spreading through the community; this is the stay-at-home version of the founder effect.

To clarify ... imagine a city of ten thousand elves. One little elf is a mutant and has white hair. The chances of his mutation spreading throughout the whole city is minuscule. But if he lives in a clan of 50, his white-haired children will be a way larger proportion of the population. A little luck, a little contingency, and before long you have a whole little tribe of proto-Drow!

Update: A further note on "contingency". If a mutation is beneficial it has a better chance of spreading. If it is purely cosmetic, it's a question of chance (hence better odds in a small, isolated group).

Here's a thought... In stories I have read, there are a couple salient facts about elves:

  • They are not numerous

  • They live in out-of-the-way places

We can work with this. Imagine small, isolated communities of elves. If each small elf-clan sticks to itself, any mutation which shows up has a far greater chance of spreading through the community; this is the stay-at-home version of the founder effect.

To clarify ... imagine a city of ten thousand elves. One little elf is a mutant and has white hair. The chances of his mutation spreading throughout the whole city is minuscule. But if he lives in a clan of 50, his white-haired children will be a way larger proportion of the population. A little luck, a little contingency, and before long you have a whole little tribe of proto-Drow!

Here's a thought... In stories I have read, there are a couple salient facts about elves:

  • They are not numerous

  • They live in out-of-the-way places

We can work with this. Imagine small, isolated communities of elves. If each small elf-clan sticks to itself, any mutation which shows up has a far greater chance of spreading through the community; this is the stay-at-home version of the founder effect.

To clarify ... imagine a city of ten thousand elves. One little elf is a mutant and has white hair. The chances of his mutation spreading throughout the whole city is minuscule. But if he lives in a clan of 50, his white-haired children will be a way larger proportion of the population. A little luck, a little contingency, and before long you have a whole little tribe of proto-Drow!

Update: A further note on "contingency". If a mutation is beneficial it has a better chance of spreading. If it is purely cosmetic, it's a question of chance (hence better odds in a small, isolated group).

Source Link
akaioi
akaioi
  • 9.4k
  • 2
  • 31
  • 51

Here's a thought... In stories I have read, there are a couple salient facts about elves:

  • They are not numerous

  • They live in out-of-the-way places

We can work with this. Imagine small, isolated communities of elves. If each small elf-clan sticks to itself, any mutation which shows up has a far greater chance of spreading through the community; this is the stay-at-home version of the founder effect.

To clarify ... imagine a city of ten thousand elves. One little elf is a mutant and has white hair. The chances of his mutation spreading throughout the whole city is minuscule. But if he lives in a clan of 50, his white-haired children will be a way larger proportion of the population. A little luck, a little contingency, and before long you have a whole little tribe of proto-Drow!