Editing Drow (section)

=== In ''Exandria'' ===
The region of Xhorhas, the eastern side of the Wildemount continent in the [[Exandria]] setting, is governed by the Kryn Dynasty and ruled by the Bright Queen Leylas Kryn. The Dynasty was founded by drow who escaped to surface after rejecting Lolth for a god of light known as the [[List of Dungeons & Dragons deities#Luxon|Luxon]]. The nation is now home to many creatures others in Wildemount would see as [[Dungeons & Dragons controversies#Humanoids and monsters|monstrous]] or evil. Due to the Luxon, the Kryn Dynasty also established a new source of magic called [[Magic in Dungeons & Dragons#Other forms of magic|Dunamancy]]<ref name=":9" /><ref name=":13">{{Cite book|last=Mercer|first=Matthew|title=Explorer's Guide to Wildemount|publisher=[[Wizards of the Coast]]|others=Haeck, James., Introcaso, James., Lockey, Chris., Amundsen, Even.|year=2020|isbn=978-0-7869-6691-2|location=Renton, WA|pages=35–158|chapter=2: Factions and Societies, Ch. 3: Wildemount Gazetteer|oclc=1139657849}}</ref> which "involves the manipulation of entropy, gravity, and time".<ref name=":6" /> Known as dunamancers, people accessing this power draw it "from alternate timelines and unseen realities, subtly affect the flow of time, and even tighten or loosen the grip of gravity".<ref name=":11">{{cite web|last=Haeck|first=James|date=April 1, 2020|title=Spell Spotlight: Dunamancy|url=http://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/757-spell-spotlight-dunamancy|access-date=2020-05-31|website=D&D Beyond|language=en-us|archive-date=2020-04-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427203410/https://www.dndbeyond.com/posts/757-spell-spotlight-dunamancy|url-status=live}}</ref> Compared to their neighboring country, the human-run monarchy of the Dwendalian Empire, "the Dynasty is freer, both politically and culturally. They accept anyone and everyone while the Empire is restrictive and nearly inaccessible to outsiders".<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-10-21|title=D&D: Explorer's Guide To Wildemount Explained|url=https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-explained-guide-tips/|access-date=2022-02-07|website=TheGamer|language=en-US|archive-date=2022-02-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220207230241/https://www.thegamer.com/dungeons-dragons-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-explained-guide-tips/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Kryn Dynasty was first explored in depth in the [[Critical Role (campaign two)|second campaign]] of the web series ''[[Critical Role]]'' before being added to the ''Dungeons & Dragons'' [[Canon (fiction)|canon]] in the ''[[Explorer's Guide to Wildemount]]'' (2020).<ref name=":5" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite web|last=Plante|first=Corey|title=D&D 'Explorer's Guide to Wildemount' makes Critical Role & dunamancy canon|url=https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|access-date=2022-02-07|website=Inverse|date=13 January 2020 |language=en|archive-date=2021-12-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211201082110/https://www.inverse.com/article/62252-d-d-explorer-s-guide-to-wildemount-critical-role-sourcebook-dunamancy|url-status=live}}</ref>

Critics have highlighted that this setting breaks from traditional fantasy tropes especially around evil races.<ref name=":5" /><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hall|first=Charlie|date=2020-03-19|title=Dungeons & Dragons' Critical Role book is one of the best campaign guides published for 5th edition|url=https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/19/21186669/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-book-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-review|access-date=2020-03-30|website=Polygon|language=en|archive-date=2020-11-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201110174609/https://www.polygon.com/2020/3/19/21186669/dungeons-dragons-critical-role-book-explorers-guide-to-wildemount-review|url-status=live}}</ref> James Grebey, for ''[[Syfy#Syfy Wire|Syfy Wire]]'', highlighted "it's a country of cast-offs and scrappy upstarts who are simply trying to thrive in a world that's prejudiced toward them. Due in no small part to a religion that allows for souls to be reborn in another body, the Kryn society is race-neutral in a way that's rarely seen in fantasy lore. It's borderline progressive, even. Crucially, while there are bad actors among the Kryn, they're not evil solely because of their race".<ref name=":5" /> Academics Lisa Horton and David Beard, in the book ''The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities'', viewed the Kryn Dynasty and Xhorhasian culture as "a departure and significant extension of ''D&D'' lore surrounding drow" and highlighted that their religion is centered on "the physical manifestation of light itself, the Luxon, and the pursuit off immortality".<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Horton |first1=Lisa |url=https://conservancy.umn.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ff9f191b-e952-4a81-aa86-177e6758a181/content |title=The Routledge Handbook of Remix Studies and Digital Humanities |last2=Beard |first2=David |date=2021 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-367-36142-6 |series=Routledge handbooks |location=New York |pages=325–341 |chapter=The Critical Role of New Media in Transforming Gamers into Remixers}}</ref> In contrast, Dan Arndt of ''The Fandomentals'' opined that the setting's attempt at subverting the evil drow trope was not "the biggest step up" since he viewed the Wildemount drow as "religious nutjobs with suicidal tendencies".<ref name=":15">{{Cite web |last=Arndt |first=Dan |date=2020-03-18 |title=Do You Want To Do This?: A Review Of The 'Explorer's Guide To Wildemount' (By Someone Who's Never Watched Critical Role) |url=https://www.thefandomentals.com/explorers-guide-to-wildemount/ |access-date=2024-09-30 |website=The Fandomentals |language=en-us}}</ref>