>Just to say that i've never read salvatore and my
>interpretation of dark-elves and duergar were that they were
>"fallen" members of their species.

You are right. In general, all of the "underdark" races are viewed as fallen in some way.. Even the svirfs are "fallen" gnomes outside of CF -- though you can also view them as mere subterranean relatives.

>In the case of the d-elves they have such long lives and
>elaborate social structures that some began to follow
>corrupted forms of this set up. They are dark in as much as
>they followed the dark path just as wood elves aren't made of
>wood.

Hah. I think that is a perfectly accurate view and I am inclined to agree. The Salvatore books do not refute this idea, but also introduce characters who are not as corrupt as others. As a whole, it is a twisted society full of backstabbing, violence, and evil. In CF, you more or less have a blank check to play out your dark-elf character. The helpfile simply says they are "evil."

>The duergar were corrupted by another more magical means (for
>example the dark crystal in the base of mortorn) and their
>values became skewed (ie the love of gold in dwarves is not
>offset by other things in the duergar make up).

That sounds like a legitimate view. It is probably a good way to approach the race and is tied to the CF world.