Elvish Campaign
- Thread starter Gwaihir
- Start date
Three responses from various campaigns I have created or played in; first two are my own for D&D, the third is another interpretation mixing ideas from my Modern game and a great concept from one of my players:
1.) Elves were once thought of as keepers of the Sun and the Moon; no nature spirit hipness going on. They lived long lives in mountain retreats, their frailty protected by their children who were sent 'into the sun'. These children, 'blessed' by the gods of Sun and Moon, returned as jet-black figures, granted boons of protection save from the gaze of the Sun or the tears of the Moon (in essence they came back as Trolls, though these Trolls were exalted by their former families and served as the martial defenders of the culture).
The elves, at the behest of a zealot in their own culture, sent a generation of their children into an ancient mountain hold. There, the zealot's true rulers (a group of spirit-corrupted entities) tortured the sun-loving youth. After several decades and the exposure of the zealot's evildoing the elves went to regain their children and found them corrupted beyond their means; pale skeletal figures begging for release from their hellish existence. In response to prayers and auguries by the priests of the Sun and Moon the children were mercifully given their wish, and the Fields of Youth were created in their honor. Each youth were turned to stone, and the statues are said to protect any who beg succor in the Fields.
2.) Elves are human changelings. Fey, weakened by a world of stone and steel, require the seed of man to bear their children. One child is kept by the fey, and the other returns to a hellish existence as a freak and product of foul ritual and their parent's suffering. Elves are sickened by exposure to iron, but their long lifespan makes them even more unacceptable to the humans who eke out a meager short life. Many elves take on a militant hatred of both 'parent' races, and some have begun to gather around the Silver Crown, a group made up of elves who have chosen to embrace the path of the Moon and become hunters in the forms of therianthropes.
3.) Elves who are fancy-schmancy nature-lovers are considered to be buying into what the other races are selling (in my modern game we call them Tolkies, just like Dwarves of the same ilk). Most elves learn to sneak by to get by, and operate a shadow kleptocracy. Elves too old to keep up with the sticky-fingered youth usually rise into a 'second life' where they pick up other skills. Still, 300 years worth of wizardry after the same amount of thievery makes for a pretty talented 'elder council' (and a lot of PrCs amongst the Elders
.)
Hope at least one of these will suffice.
Slainte,
-Loonook.
1.) Elves were once thought of as keepers of the Sun and the Moon; no nature spirit hipness going on. They lived long lives in mountain retreats, their frailty protected by their children who were sent 'into the sun'. These children, 'blessed' by the gods of Sun and Moon, returned as jet-black figures, granted boons of protection save from the gaze of the Sun or the tears of the Moon (in essence they came back as Trolls, though these Trolls were exalted by their former families and served as the martial defenders of the culture).
The elves, at the behest of a zealot in their own culture, sent a generation of their children into an ancient mountain hold. There, the zealot's true rulers (a group of spirit-corrupted entities) tortured the sun-loving youth. After several decades and the exposure of the zealot's evildoing the elves went to regain their children and found them corrupted beyond their means; pale skeletal figures begging for release from their hellish existence. In response to prayers and auguries by the priests of the Sun and Moon the children were mercifully given their wish, and the Fields of Youth were created in their honor. Each youth were turned to stone, and the statues are said to protect any who beg succor in the Fields.
2.) Elves are human changelings. Fey, weakened by a world of stone and steel, require the seed of man to bear their children. One child is kept by the fey, and the other returns to a hellish existence as a freak and product of foul ritual and their parent's suffering. Elves are sickened by exposure to iron, but their long lifespan makes them even more unacceptable to the humans who eke out a meager short life. Many elves take on a militant hatred of both 'parent' races, and some have begun to gather around the Silver Crown, a group made up of elves who have chosen to embrace the path of the Moon and become hunters in the forms of therianthropes.
3.) Elves who are fancy-schmancy nature-lovers are considered to be buying into what the other races are selling (in my modern game we call them Tolkies, just like Dwarves of the same ilk). Most elves learn to sneak by to get by, and operate a shadow kleptocracy. Elves too old to keep up with the sticky-fingered youth usually rise into a 'second life' where they pick up other skills. Still, 300 years worth of wizardry after the same amount of thievery makes for a pretty talented 'elder council' (and a lot of PrCs amongst the Elders
.)Hope at least one of these will suffice.
Slainte,
-Loonook.
Serendipity
Explorer
In my homebrew of 16 years, the other races spent about a thousand years enslaved by the elves; given that that was only about 300 years ago, and it's fresh in the minds of elves (and many dwarves etc.) it's a constant source of tension. Of course, elves in my homebrew tend toward Lawful Neutral / Lawful Evil sorts.
Only some of the races managed to maintain and preserve parts of their culture - most didn't. Consequently, many races have a hangup about, essentially, "living like elves" as they've lost touch with their own societies and live as they know.
Only some of the races managed to maintain and preserve parts of their culture - most didn't. Consequently, many races have a hangup about, essentially, "living like elves" as they've lost touch with their own societies and live as they know.
Dragonblade
Adventurer
I played in a campaign where the elves were brutal oppressors, ruling most of the main continent. Basically eco-tyrants, the other races were considered vermin, and a threat to their vision of a pristine elven-ruled natural world. It was decided the other races should generally be exterminated and enslaved.
The campaign centered around a resistance movement to topple the elves.
The campaign centered around a resistance movement to topple the elves.
Gwaihir
Explorer
I'm not a big fan of the classic D&D chaotic good nature elves, so I usually twist them somehow. We needed to start a new campaign and offered an all one race campaign to my players, to my surprise they chose ELVES (probably because they know my feelings about them.)
I've recently re-read the LOTR (using the excellent readers guide) and so decided to give the elves a Tolkienian slant and see how that would play.
So all was starting to line up until one of the players decided he wanted --we use Gestalt-- to do a warlock/dragon shaman. Which doesn't fit real well into a Tolkienian vision.
So I'm fishing for ideas. Thanks for the help so far- I've got some ideas percolating...
I've recently re-read the LOTR (using the excellent readers guide) and so decided to give the elves a Tolkienian slant and see how that would play.
So all was starting to line up until one of the players decided he wanted --we use Gestalt-- to do a warlock/dragon shaman. Which doesn't fit real well into a Tolkienian vision.
So I'm fishing for ideas. Thanks for the help so far- I've got some ideas percolating...
Joshua Randall
Legend
Ages ago I co-DM'd a game that was a mash-up between a traditional D&D world and a post-apocalyptic sci-fi world. The PCs were from the standand high-fantasy knights and castles land, but they got transported into... the future? another planet? Earth's future?
In any event, orcs and associated monsters ruled the new world, using their mastery of technology to enforce their will. The most feared thing were the orbiting Eyes of Grumsh, orc-controlled spy satellites which were capable of detailed imaging and of blasting targets to ash if the target sat still long enough for the satellite to obtain a lock.
In this world, elves were grim, fatalistic, almost culturally suicidal resistance fighters. I remember the neo-elves made a big impression on the players when the PCs first arrived in the world. The PCs witnessed and participated in a fight against some orcs, with the PCs using traditional D&D swords & sorcery (fireball was lethally effective) and the elves using modern weapons, i.e. guns.
After the fight, while the PCs talked with the elves, one particular elf was going around the battlefield with a sawed-off shotgun, killing any orcs who were still moving.
Also in that game, the elves lived in forests, not because they were nature-lovers, but because the forest canopy gave good protection from the Eyes of Grumsh. At least, until the orcs started using napalm....
In any event, orcs and associated monsters ruled the new world, using their mastery of technology to enforce their will. The most feared thing were the orbiting Eyes of Grumsh, orc-controlled spy satellites which were capable of detailed imaging and of blasting targets to ash if the target sat still long enough for the satellite to obtain a lock.
In this world, elves were grim, fatalistic, almost culturally suicidal resistance fighters. I remember the neo-elves made a big impression on the players when the PCs first arrived in the world. The PCs witnessed and participated in a fight against some orcs, with the PCs using traditional D&D swords & sorcery (fireball was lethally effective) and the elves using modern weapons, i.e. guns.
After the fight, while the PCs talked with the elves, one particular elf was going around the battlefield with a sawed-off shotgun, killing any orcs who were still moving.
Also in that game, the elves lived in forests, not because they were nature-lovers, but because the forest canopy gave good protection from the Eyes of Grumsh. At least, until the orcs started using napalm....
In my last long-running campaign elves had a fey cast to them, and were chaotic neutral in temperament. They had a huge racial focus towards magics of enchantment and illusion, and while a human visitor might remember an elven city as some glorious glowing tree-city like something out of Lord of the Rings, the reality in the light of day would not necessarily be quite so glamorous, as everything elven would be equal parts glamer and reality.
Even their young adventurers would have often lived for over a century, and regard shorter-lived races with equal parts amusement, boredom and contempt, occasionally saying something tactless like, 'You're still talking? I thought you'd be dead by now.'
The elves of this setting also were infamous for their emotions. When an elf falls in love, it's like a fire that can easily turn into the obsessive and destructive love of a stalker or revenge-killer. When an elf takes an off-handed comment the wrong way, he might draw his sword and attempt to gut his own brother in a red rage. When an elf comes out of such a state, he might look at the bloody body in front of him and collapse wailing and begin physically hurting himself in his grief.
Ten seconds later, that same elf might be petulantly kicking the body, because he just remembered something his brother said fifty years ago that pissed him off.
Humans travelling in the company of an elf quickly learn (if they survive the steep learning curve) to always be on their guard. Their elven companion might be a valuable ally, but he will *never* be trustworthy one, no matter how much he himself might intend to be. He *will* lose his temper. He will petulantly refuse to cooperate. He will laugh at the most inappropriate time and having him present at any sort of diplomatic event or sensitive negotiation is begging for a major land-war.
Creatures from another world, older and less substantial than our own, the elves are physically dissipated creatures, because of their fading ties to an otherworldly fey realm (which they may well be completely cut off from, by this point, or have been exiled from, although neither line of conversation is likely to end without violence). They act slowly, if at all, but react like lightning to events that move them.
In company, elves seem to despise each other, although it's impossible to say if that is true, as they regard concepts like truth, honor and justice as illusory and transitory things, embraced only by lesser races. The only time a group of elves won't be treating each other poorly is when some other unfortunate is present to be the recipient of their withering contempt.
Despite being dangerous and flighty creatures, elves produce some legendary heroes, who become incensed at some moral outrage or insult and end up crusading with inhuman fervor against oppression or evil forces (in some cases for the most unusual reasons). The unnatural strength of their passions can make them incredible forces for good, when their fury rises against an evil agency.
An elven hero will likely have a legacy like that of Enkidu (whose rash acts offended a god and led to his death) or Samson (who was seduced and lost his powers) or one of the Greek tragic heroes, with great powers and deeds, but often brought low (or their deeds tainted) by their own lack of self-control or rash actions.
nicholasgeorg
First Post
We ran an interesting game where elves had built the great civilizations long ago, using magic as technology for infrastructure, etc. A thousand years ago-ish the non magic using humans rose up against their benevolent overlords, pushing them west, until in a moment of great sacrifice, many of the most powerful elvish mages raised a great mountain range, seperating the world of magic from the world of humans.
Now, elves are feral creatures living in the wild, formed into clans tied to animal familiars. There a great plains where elves live in cities in giant oaks, shapeshifting into wolves they ride to hunt giant snakes, etc.
Great world though. Good times.
Now, elves are feral creatures living in the wild, formed into clans tied to animal familiars. There a great plains where elves live in cities in giant oaks, shapeshifting into wolves they ride to hunt giant snakes, etc.
Great world though. Good times.
Check out the Elves in Earthdawn, especially the Blood Elves. They are scholars and artsy-fartsy types due to longevity, but mainly they are keepers of arcane (read: often evil and tainted) lore and the Blood Elves themselves are cursed to have small briars pierce through their flesh, keeping them in eternal torment and pain.
Pretty interesting, if you ask me.
Also, if you can find the fluff for Aarklash (by Rackham, makers of Confrontation, Cadwallon, Rag Na Rok, Hybrid), the elves there are awesome. They come in three types:
- Cynwall: outcasts that turned to modern society and have tried to become its protectors, but at what price? They uncovered ancient technology (essentially The Warforged), cybernetic-like symbiot technology, and they've befriended lots of dragons.
- Akkyshan: basically Drow by another name. The first among them was cursed into spiderlike mutation for her vanity, and she and her followers cursed the regular elves such that their woman cannot provide offspring. So, maybe the Akkyshans are a little more "dridery" than typical drow.
- I can't recall the final name, but they are similar to Wood/Wild Elves, except their culture is very caught up in insect symbols...they ride giant beetles and such, have chitinous armor, and generally are very, very xenophobic.
Pretty interesting, if you ask me.
Also, if you can find the fluff for Aarklash (by Rackham, makers of Confrontation, Cadwallon, Rag Na Rok, Hybrid), the elves there are awesome. They come in three types:
- Cynwall: outcasts that turned to modern society and have tried to become its protectors, but at what price? They uncovered ancient technology (essentially The Warforged), cybernetic-like symbiot technology, and they've befriended lots of dragons.
- Akkyshan: basically Drow by another name. The first among them was cursed into spiderlike mutation for her vanity, and she and her followers cursed the regular elves such that their woman cannot provide offspring. So, maybe the Akkyshans are a little more "dridery" than typical drow.
- I can't recall the final name, but they are similar to Wood/Wild Elves, except their culture is very caught up in insect symbols...they ride giant beetles and such, have chitinous armor, and generally are very, very xenophobic.
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