Dragonlance CS Question of Elven Nature

[ArcOfCorinth]

If anyone has this book, will they please tell me if the DL elves are given an alignment other than CG? If they keep them CG I will be sorely disappointed.

I've always felt that the Qualinesti and Silvanesti elves were LG. They're simply too rigid and adamant to be anything else.

Any insight on the issue is much appreciated.

 

[Geoff Watson]

Why LG?

Why not LN or LE?

Is this the old 'elves are always good' crap?

Geoff.

 

[Stormprince]

"Qualinesti are proponents of independence, self-determination, and freedom. They tend to be mildly chaotic, with a strong tendencey towards goodness. Qualinesti who embrace evil become outcast dark elves." (Neutral to Chaotic Good)

"With a society built upon a strict hierarchy. Silvanesti elves tend to be more lawfully aligned than other elves. Silvanesti are aligned with bood, but they believe so highly in their own purity that goodness can be taken to extremes." (Lawful to Neutral Good)

"Half-elves share the same characteristics of chaos or lawfulness as their elven parent, in addition to the human tendency towards extreme." (Tendency towards the parent's alignment)

"Freedom of choice and freedom of expression are fundamental beliefs of the sea elves, who tend toward the peacful side of chaotic. Among the Dargonesti, lawfully inclined sea elves are not uncommon. Sea elves are aligned with good, since those who follow evil are either banished or go into volunary exile." (Chaotic to Neutral Good, with a decent percentage of Lawful Good amongst the Dargonesti)

How's that?

Christopher

 

[The Blue Elf]

"Qualinesti are proponents of independence, self-determination, and freedom. They tend to be mildly chaotic, with a strong tendencey towards goodness. Qualinesti who embrace evil become outcast dark elves." (Neutral to Chaotic Good)

"With a society built upon a strict hierarchy. Silvanesti elves tend to be more lawfully aligned than other elves. Silvanesti are aligned with bood, but they believe so highly in their own purity that goodness can be taken to extremes." (Lawful to Neutral Good)

"Half-elves share the same characteristics of chaos or lawfulness as their elven parent, in addition to the human tendency towards extreme." (Tendency towards the parent's alignment)

"Freedom of choice and freedom of expression are fundamental beliefs of the sea elves, who tend toward the peacful side of chaotic. Among the Dargonesti, lawfully inclined sea elves are not uncommon. Sea elves are aligned with good, since those who follow evil are either banished or go into volunary exile." (Chaotic to Neutral Good, with a decent percentage of Lawful Good amongst the Dargonesti)

How's that?

Christopher

But, also Qualinesti would shoot to kill who ever is not an elf that comes into woodlands also they would shoot you In the back even of your are human of Good alingment they will attack you for coming into there lands.They feel humans in Sterotypical way that humans having weak wills and short lifespans, that they feel some humans, are evil due to the history of war with the humans.

 

[med stud]

"With a society built upon a strict hierarchy. Silvanesti elves tend to be more lawfully aligned than other elves. Silvanesti are aligned with bood, but they believe so highly in their own purity that goodness can be taken to extremes." (Lawful to Neutral Good)

Im interrested in how "goodness taken to extremes" would be ~~

 

[Stormprince]

Im interrested in how "goodness taken to extremes" would be ~~

Well, in the case of Dragonlance, the Silvanesti have had individuals whose concept of good approached that of the Kingpriest... where the desire to eradicate all evil expanded to include pretty much all non-human races (with the exception of a few elves), the Edict of Thought Control, where even "bad thoughts" were outlawed...think the Holy Crusades, only backed by the magical means to enforce the Church's (or the State's) pogrom.

Christopher

 

[ArcOfCorinth]

Why LG?

Why not LN or LE?

Is this the old 'elves are always good' crap?

Geoff.

No, its the whole "the gods of good created the elves to be good" crap that is the creation story of DL. However, the terms law, chaos and neutral are never connected to good in their creation.

Thank you for the info Stormprince. That was what I wanted to know.

 

[Ravellion]

I have written an essay on this subject for my university, about two years ago. It is mostly hot air (sssh, don't tell my teacher ), but I like it nonetheless... Anyone want it?

edit: it passed and is 4000 words IIRC


Rav

 

[med stud]

Well, in the case of Dragonlance, the Silvanesti have had individuals whose concept of good approached that of the Kingpriest... where the desire to eradicate all evil expanded to include pretty much all non-human races (with the exception of a few elves), the Edict of Thought Control, where even "bad thoughts" were outlawed...think the Holy Crusades, only backed by the magical means to enforce the Church's (or the State's) pogrom.

Christopher

Sounds like turning your back to God in your hunt for the devil to me, not like "extreme goodness"

 

[Stormprince]

No, its the whole "the gods of good created the elves to be good" crap that is the creation story of DL. However, the terms law, chaos and neutral are never connected to good in their creation.

Thank you for the info Stormprince. That was what I wanted to know.

In the creation mythology of Dragonlance, the Gods of Light created the elves, the Gods of Darkness created the ogres, and the Gods of Balance created humans. These were the chosen, firstborn races.

The ogres grew corrupt and brought down a curse upon themselves, stripping them of their former beauty and power, creating the "stereotypical" ogres.

The elves isolated themselves in the forests, away from the decadent ogres and the odd humans, but over time, their isolationism cut them off from the ability to truly understand the rest of the world.

Humans, with their shorter lives and drive, epitomized the freedom of spirit and will the Gods of Balance believe in. They were enslaved by the ogres, but won their freedom. They took what they had learned as slaves and built their own civilizations. While the elves continued to isolate themselves, blaming everyone else for the state of the world (after all, being the chosen of the Gods of Light, were they not the epitome of "perfection?" Or so they deluded themselves), blinded of their own faults.

Now, the elves have been forced through circumstance to interact with the world once more, no longer able to hide in their forests.

*blinks* What was the question I was trying to address? *acks* I'm babbling. I'll shut up now.

Christopher