Reinventing fantasy cliches

[CruelSummerLord]

I like the Rightful King trying to overthrow the popular democracy. One wonders by what right he claims a mandate...

Related theme: what have folks done with "The Dark Lord on his Dark Throne" trope?

How could I spice up my Dark Lord? It's a low magic setting, more sword and sorcery then a standard DnD. This is all theoretical as I doubt I shall ever run anything in it.

My version of Iuz found, both as he was growing up, and now as an adult, that people all but expected him to be evil, being the spawn of a demon. He figures that, if everyone thinks he's going to be evil based on his heritage, he might as well fulfill their expectations.

Here we have a strange twist on the whole chicken-and-egg question: Has Iuz turned out evil because of his demonic heritage, or because people expected him to be evil because of his heritage? Could he have chosen to be good, overcoming his dark heritage and fighting against it, instead of openly embracing and accepting it? Why did he make the choices he did?

Iuz's childhood was not traumatic or abusive, at least not any more than you would expect for a lad growing up in the Northern Reaches under the auspices of a wealthy nobleman. He never suffered grief, or trauma, or abuse, or anything else that often makes people into villains. He openly chose to embrace his demonic heritage, and everything that would logically come from being the son of Grazz't and Iggwilv.

And yet, would he have been inspired to take up this mantle if the people around him had not muttered about his demonic siring? He might have become a warlord, founded one of the Bandit Kingdoms, or otherwise remained a local power, if he had not been inspired to attempt to conquer and destroy the Flanaess, submerging it in a river of blood. But had the tales of his being the son of a demon been mere insults and innuendo, would he have had the drive and ability to conquer an empire in fire and steel, much less ascend to godhood?

Whether Iuz is a Dark Lord because of his nature, or because of how he was nurtured, is a question that even the Lord of Pain himself may not be able to answer.

 

[haakon1]

If you look at history, most barbarian hordes of note rise up, go on a rampage, then get either civilized or beaten back into the wilderlands from which they emerged and become quieted down...

Only to emerge again a few decades later, under a new unifying warlord.

That's why I've got my eye on them Norwegians . . . they've been quiet for too long, trying to lull us all into a false sense of security with no raids for a millennium. Watch out, England!

 

[haakon1]

About Iuz, I've got an interesting variant on his sister, Drelnza, going on.

IMC, she was her mother's chief general, but she rebelled and lead the Perrenlanders to near-freedom, attacking the Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth. But her mom, Iggwilv, had her attacked/seduced by a vampire (probably the same one staked in the Sunless Citadel, IMC) and turned evil, turning on the rebels and earning a huge reputation for evilly tricking them.

The PC's, when they did the Lost Caverns, somehow saved her mortal soul, trying to rescue her from being a vampire. I forget what they did -- turn her to stone, defrost her, and use a Resurrection scroll, perhaps? Whatever it was, we were doing AD&D, and I said fine, she's back to human. They let her go, and she's off being good again, somewhere -- most likely against brother Iuz.

I'm not sure if there's a cliche there, but I suspect there is, since I got some of these ideas from Sorcia in "Willow".

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

That's why I've got my eye on them Norwegians . . . they've been quiet for too long, trying to lull us all into a false sense of security with no raids for a millennium. Watch out, England!

You're kidding, right? They're HEEEEeeeerre!

Dudes with ancestries traceable back to all those Viking offshoots have taken over the NHL!

 

[Afrodyte]

To address the topic at hand, I've had some time to think about things. Since I'm not too tired to formulate a coherent response, I'll attempt to do so now.

I'll address some of the larger cliches mentioned on the blog I linked to earlier.

EUROCENTRISM
This is a big one for me, for obvious reasons. It's been done to death (and then had raise dead cast on it repeatedly) and doesn't reflect the multicultural reality I live in. Even Middle-earth, that bastion of worldbuilding, has more diversity. However, most people who imitate Tolkien don't exactly flatter him with their attempts.

In any case, an idea I've been playing with is having the default cultural context be Native American, particularly Algonquin and Iroquois. There would be tribes and territories, perhaps even powerful city-states, but no kingdoms. Think Pathfinder (the movie, without the Mandatory White Protagonist). However, I won't simply reverse the cliche and make Europeans the "uncouth savages." I prefer putting non-humans in that role.

Speaking of non-humans, that goes to my next idea.

RACIAL DETERMINISM
I don't mind different races (as in human, elf, dwarf, etc.) having unique traits. I don't mind them being more capable than humans. I also don't mind them being exaggerations of various facets of humanity. What I do mind is when race is the same as personality. If I have to play a dwarf as a surly, ax-wielding Scotsman to play it "correctly," I get annoyed. However, playing a dwarf as the embodiment of the pursuit of excellence is cool. Elves as innately good and wise are dull. Elves as the incarnation of nobility (of stature, not class or moral worth) is cool. Orcs similar to Disney's Gargoyles are cool. Mindless minions get on my nerves. And so on and so forth.

CHOSEN ONE SYNDROME
Simply put, I wouldn't do prophecies at all. In fact, I lean toward people "editing" history after the fact to make it seem like fate had a hand in things.

EPIC
See what I said about Eurocentric. Without empires and kingdoms and such, it's easy to avoid making everything about the Fate of the World. Although the scale is bigger, in play it's actually quite limiting since it's pretty hard to find something worthwhile to do after the Big Event. I'm more interested stories about characters seeking to improve their own little corner of the world. It strikes me as more personal and (dare I say it) realistic.

 

[Dlsharrock]

Even Middle-earth, that bastion of worldbuilding, has more diversity. However, most people who imitate Tolkien don't exactly flatter him with their attempts.

All the more ironic since Middle-Earth is Europe

Some other parts rarely specifically touched in the fantasy milieu:

- Hawaiin (forget the flower necklaces and Hawaii Five-o music. Hawaii is a rich culture with intriguing history well worth a look if you're after inspiration)
- Northern Eurasia (I wrote a Soviet based setting but haven't had a chance to play it yet. No, not some kind of modern communist hell, and not viking based, but centred around the post Byzantine era of Slavs and feudality. It's medieval in theme but with glorious palacial architecture (note I avoided the 'c' word) juxtaposed by the poverty of the masses. Wars with the Golden Horde (Mongolians) and a variety of monsters based on old Slavic fairy tales. Lots of wolves, shaggy haired white bears and so on.)
- Modern America (in a fantasy setting! Might be a bit close to the knuckle for me to conjecture, being a filthy foreigner, but I'd like to know how an American world-builder would allocate the various Elf races, orc kingdoms and so on. Suggestion: gnomes at the heart of Wall Street?)
- Aboriginal (surprising for me, this, as the Aborigines have some pretty scary monsters in built into their mythologies).

 

[Afrodyte]

I had another brilliant idea I wanted to add, but I forgot what it was. :-(

 

[Clavis]

...
Some other parts rarely specifically touched in the fantasy milieu:...
- Modern America (in a fantasy setting! Might be a bit close to the knuckle for me to conjecture, being a filthy foreigner, but I'd like to know how an American world-builder would allocate the various Elf races, orc kingdoms and so on. Suggestion: gnomes at the heart of Wall Street?)....

In my current campaign, Halfling culture (at least in the northern lands) is a parody of American Redneck culture. I figured since Tolkien intended Hobbits as an ode to stereotypical English country dwellers, I'd make my Halflings into a bad stereotype of American country dwellers... So Halfling wear mullets, eat deep-fried everything, make moonshine, steal from outsiders, and inhabit Shires presided over by fat, corrupt sheriffs. Their religion is based around charismatic preachers who hold revival meetings in tents, where Halflings speak in tongues, experience faith healing, and give testimonials about how accepting Jerebus as their Lord and Savior delivered them from a life of sin.

My Gnomes have a vaguely Jewish culture. They are prominent bankers, lawyers and technicians who strongly value learning and good humor, but are the subject of vicious rumors stating that they control everything and are plotting to take over all human nations. Which is funny, because of all the races, only the Gnomes are really trying to make things better for everybody. Hence, everyone else thinks they're conspiring.

My Elves are a a satire on the 60s Haight-Ashbury hippies as they really were: promiscuous creatures who never know who their fathers are, who spend most of their time stoned, and who make their livings playing music, selling drugs, and prostituting themselves. More near-immortal teenagers who never need to grow up than Tolkien's near-angels. And of course, I use contemporary Goth and FemDom BDSM culture as the models for my Drow.

 

[hong]

Related theme: what have folks done with "The Dark Lord on his Dark Throne" trope?

Give the throne a flush mechanism.

 

[Dlsharrock]

I use contemporary Goth and FemDom BDSM culture as the models for my Drow.

Please tell me the dwarfs are all Hell's Angel bikers, easy riding in their horned helmets and leather studded armour!