Albinism

Albinism was a rare congenital condition that caused a creature to have an absence of pigmentation in both their skin and eyes, causing them to take on white and pink hues, respectively.

Effects
Those who expressed albinism often had poor vision due to the lack of pigmentation in their eyes.

Notable Albino Creatures
Creatures in the Realms that were known to be capable of expressing this condition included the following:
 * Bugbears
 * Cattle
 * Chultan dwarves were an entirely albino offshoot of shield dwarves.
 * No more than 1 in 1000 dragons were born with albinism. The condition was associated with an assortment of physical problems that varied between dragons.
 * Dragonborn
 * Drow born with albinism were known as szarkai. This condition occurred in only 0.01% of the population, though they were relatively more common among the noble houses than among lower castes. It was unknown if this was due to inbreeding or meddling by the goddess Lolth.
 * Giant octopi
 * Giant albino cave crickets could be found in the Underdark near Mantol-Derith.
 * Halflings
 * Humans
 * Nightmares
 * Peacocks
 * Penguins
 * Sarrukhs
 * Saurials
 * Yikarians

Notable Albinos

 * Avarice was an albino tiefling wizard.
 * Draevyn Thornbolt was an albino Illuskan wizard.
 * The Coral Princess was an albino yikarian.
 * Elistan Thistlebuck was an albino halfling.
 * Heldel Thasstan was an albino Illuskan cleric of Tymora.
 * Kanjentellequor Biri was an albino dragonborn.
 * Kingsport was an awakened albino penguin.
 * Luuthgar Zev and Ulan Zev were twin albino Red Wizards.
 * Magdon
 * Ophelia
 * Pil'it'ith was an albino sarrukh.
 * Steam, an albino nightmare.
 * A giant slug left to guard the underground vaults of al-Asirr grew and mutated into an albino over time due to the magical radiation given off by mists within the vault.

History
During the mid–14 century DR, pirates and Sembian merchants were known to sell exotic animals like albino peacocks to the noblemen and wealthy merchants of Ravens Bluff.

During the Rage of Demons, a wizard known as Olon was killed by an albino giant octopus.

Rumors & Legends
Among halflings in the Sword Coast there was an old folk tale that claimed those who were born with albinism were touched by the goddess Auril. Because of this, halfling communities in this region sometimes ostracized those with the condition.

Trivia
The White Bull in Waterdeep was named for an albino bull that was born on the spot where the tavern was built.