Fans of R.A. Salvatore’s best-selling The Legend of Drizzt series have likely been shaped by Drizzt Do’Urden’s values, morality, and experiences. But what many readers may view as a fantasy world, with fantasy characters, and fantasy scenarios, I’ve read as a fantasy depiction of our own societal struggles. Through the thirty-three books published since 1988, Drizzt has reached into our hearts and minds, sharing his (fictional) experiences which help us to empathize with those we may not immediately relate to.
As a diversity and inclusion advocate and trainer for organizations, I frequently hear concerns about whether these initiatives have value. Many also wonder if an organization has to compromise on quality to bring more diverse people in. If you find yourself asking these or similar questions, and happen to be a Drizzt fan, this blog series is for you.
DISCLAIMER: My familiarity with the Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) world is limited to this series (and technically the Lords of Waterdeep board game), so it’s safe to say I’m not familiar with the rules of the world or how R.A. Salvatore was influenced by those rules or by TSR/Wizards of the Coast.
For this first post, I’m focusing on how the series’ explorations of race can be used to better understand the value of racial diversity in organizations and society as a whole.
But before diving in, it’s important to identify a couple leading issues with the D&D world as a whole with regards to race. One of the first issues is that there is an essential understanding that some races are “good” whereas others are “evil.” These essential building blocks of the world are a less subtle version of our own society’s understandings of race. In one of the most symbolic examples of this, the black elves, called the drow, are considered inherently evil and devious, in direct opposition to the goodly white elves. It’s particularly disturbing that members of the goodly races do not even need their skin color described — they are assumed to be white — or or at the darkest, tan. As a white person, I grew up believing I didn’t see race; that race didn’t matter. I failed to recognize that my understanding was largely shaped by my surroundings — where most people were white. But when I really thought about it, I couldn’t shy away from the fact that one of the first things I noticed about a person of color was their race. These books present a similar perspective. White is the norm and notable people of color are described as such from the outset. Though these (and other) issues regarding race exist, the books do a good job of challenging the assumption that race determines character, starting with the main character, Drizzt Do’Urden.
Drizzt Do’Urden, is an unconventional drow who defied the expectations of his race and society to live a life of truth-seeking, honesty, integrity, and justice in the surface world. He rejected the tenets of the drow’s goddess and abhorred the self-serving, ambitious nature of his race. But in ascending to a new life on the surface, he faced extreme prejudice and discrimination. Before achieving a reputation as a valuable ally, villagers and townspeople often refused to allow him entry into their communities. Finally, after traveling to Icewind Dale, the northernmost tip of the continent, he found a place that tolerated, and later accepted, him. He found his first true friends and allies there and built a life for himself with them. These friends, a dwarf, a human, a halfling, and a barbarian supported one another through all of their adventures together. Drizzt faced insurmountable odds in every book, not only in his fights with mighty monsters, but also due to the expectations others had of him due to his race.
In this series, diversity is hailed as not only important, but necessary, for achieving success against difficult foes. But the true value of diversity could only be attained when everyone had mutual respect and trust in one another. For Drizzt and his friends, the “Companions of the Hall,” strong friendships gave them the ability to benefit from each person’s different skills and perspectives, defeating foe after foe against unimaginable odds (almost) every time. Whenever a person faltered in this trust or respect, disaster followed, as evidenced by Wulfgar’s (the barbarian) apparent death by a yochlol in The Legacy. Moreover, if one of the character’s sought to solve something on their own, they almost always found themselves in a precarious position and were always saved by another of the companions.
The Companions of the Hall were successful because of their racial diversity. Drizzt’s inherent drow abilities, including his stealth and ability to see in darkness complemented Wulfgar’s strength and raw power, for instance. While each of them were amazing fighters, they would not have been nearly as successful if they had been in a racially homogenous group. Because the races in D&D are actually based in genetic difference, it’s not easy to see why this diversity would be beneficial. In our world, where racial diversity is based solely on skin color, we have to look deeper, towards the skills, experiences, and perspectives that each person brings to a problem.
This kind of racial diversity based on respect also benefitted cities. The city of Silverymoon, described as being open, understanding, and welcoming to people of all races, is one such example. It is described as a model of civilization, a city with a rich culture and a focus on learning and achievement. While even the people of Silverymoon have their bouts of intolerance, as evidenced by Drizzt’s initial denial of entry, they are open to challenging their initial impressions, and progress as a result.
In each of these examples, unlocking the value of diversity requires mutual respect and trust. In cases where this foundation was lacking, the benefits of diversity were either short-lived or detrimental. In the Hunter’s Blades trilogy, for example, an allegiance between frost giants and orcs showed that even though these groups found greater success together, their mutual dislike and distrust led to a dissolution of the alliance, stalling their progress.
In The Thousand Orcs, hundreds of years of cooperation between the human and dwarven residents were ruined when Marchion Elestul’s refused to meet with King Bruenor of Mithral Hall. This show of disrespect created a rift between members of the Mirabaren dwarven community who questioned whether their first loyalty was to race or city. This incident led to an exodus of nearly a quarter of Mirabar’s dwarven population, a move that devastated the city’s economy.
These examples show that unleashing the benefits of racial diversity require more than simply bringing people of different races together. It is vital that all people trust and respect one another. Most people acknowledge that trust and respect take a while to earn, but can easily be lost. Especially in cases where there are few members of a minority group, seemingly small incidents can easily break any trust that developed. These incidents can include things like: telling racialized jokes (“How many drow does it take to change a lightbulb?”), using derogatory language (“or you’re a bearded gnome”), interrupting a person who is speaking, questioning the validity of a person’s claim (“Are you sure it was an orc Catti-brie?”), or using stereotypes to inform the questions a person is asked (“No dwarf, where are you from from?”). If a person from a minority group experiences these things, it can give them subtle (or not so subtle) cues that they aren’t a respected as much as other people. If a person doesn’t feel respected, they are unlikely to make their best contributions to the organization. People in a minority group may also feel pressure to assimilate to the majority culture. That assimilation will force them to hide the skills and experiences they have that would bring value to the team, while causing undue stress. This gets to issues of inclusion, which will be addressed in a later post.
Over and over again, these books espouse the virtues of racial diversity. They show us that different experiences and skills can allow people to overcome incredible odds as long as the relationships are grounded in trust and respect. Our organizations will do well to embrace these values. When we unlock the benefits of diversity, we can look at problems from angles we never imagined and solve them in better ways. If we continue to struggle with diversity, however, we will likely fail to overcome the challenges of the future, and may fall prey to a glabrezu.
The “What Drizzt Do’Urden teaches us about…” series will continue with posts on how this series teaches us about other facets of diversity and inclusion, and how that can impact our organizations, society, and personal relationships.
