Dark Elven sign language

The Elvish that The Dark Elves speak in The Underdark has retained certain archaich tendencies, structures and vocabulary that have dissappeared from the main dialects of the Elvish. The Dark Elven Sign language was born out of need to communicate without noise in the tunnels of the Underdark, as many creatures living there have good hearing, but not so good eyesight. Even if it was originally formed to aid in hunting and communicating in the wilderness of the tunnels, it eventually found its own place even in the high drow society and developed into an art form of its own.
It is said that many things can be told without words. Mastering the nuances of this elegant and highly complex sign language takes years, even when it is taught to the drow children alongside the spoken language. Often the children do pick up sign language earlier and be able to form simple signs earlier than their first spoken words. Some might say they speak dark elvish, but if they lack the knowledge of sign language, they are only grasping half of the drow languages.
Someone might think that the sign language, even if originally based on the spoken language, would be simple to learn, lack complexity of a spoken language and be easily understandable by the speaker of the original mother language, but that is a completely false assumption. The Dark Elven sign language is highly nuanced and difficult sign language to learn and favoured by the dark elven elite, especially men. The noble men are valued by their skills in sign language, above all, as often the women tend to discuss with their men and command them with sign language when there are other people present. Poetry can be recited with only sign language, difficult abstract concepts discussed with ease and even complete verbal fights fought with only precise movements of fingers and hands and changes in posture etc.

Geographical Distribution

The Dark elven sign language is used alongside the spoken language mainly in The Underdark and in lesser amount on the surface among the drow minority in The Crescent Enclave.

Vocabulary

Some signs used by women and men are different and reflect their status, upbringing and the context. For example, if a drow commoner would use certain signs which are reserved to the ruling elite, esp. noble women, they could get reprimanded and even properly punished for 'speaking out of line'. Sometimes a drow man might use the signs reserved for the (noble) women among other men, if the man using them wants to have a certain kind of effect on their listeners and signify their higher status among their peers, but if a women would see that, the man in question could easily get into a trouble.

Spoken by

• The Dark Elves