tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post6527207959239263482..comments2011-04-29T17:19:12.337-07:00Comments on Ego Poisoning: Lockout: Cultural Overview 1- The Silken KingdomsSethhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09885180647559392840noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-86885313439110326582010-10-26T10:15:06.814-07:002010-10-26T10:15:06.814-07:00Ah... this is starting to make much more sense. I ...Ah... this is starting to make much more sense. I think my confusion stemmed from the part of the half-elf entry that reads "Other bloodlines, such as some Tiefling families and all Genasi, only produce a Half-Elf if the individual has undergone the necessary covenant; otherwise their child is simply an Eladrin." That made it sound like you were never quite sure if your kid would pop out a half-elf or a pure eladrin, which made the whole hatred of half-elves seem a bit arbitrary. But if eladrin only come from pure eladrin unions, while other bloodlines breed true or don't breed at all, and half-elves are the result of mixing a bloodline with an eladrin, everything makes more sense again. And suddenly, the idea of what is loathsome about half-elves starts to make more sense. It would be similar to if every once in a while parents popped out Neanderthal babies in today's world, a glaring throwback showing the unsophisticated savagery from which we emerged. You might not hate the baby itself, but you'd certainly despise what it represents, and consider yourself superior to it... <br /><br />Yes yes, all of this makes sense now, quite nice!Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04681396434922245496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-41714572600942300482010-10-25T19:11:44.352-07:002010-10-25T19:11:44.352-07:00They'd love an answer to that too. Their best ...They'd love an answer to that too. Their best understanding is that the already altered essence of the Eladrin is less than stable. This quality is what allows the race to further modify itself into Tieflings, Genasi, Deva, and Changelings-- and is responsible for the Gith, who represent a very early (and thus now set in stone) veering in that evolutionary path. However, this same instability effectively cancels itself out when bred back into itself. What's left over, a half-elf, is unquestionably (from their perspective) less than an eladrin, and certainly does not reach the heights of the other bloodlines.<br /><br />The prevalence of half-elves (who aren't really Eladric, in that they lack the arcane traits and other abilities) is an uncomfortable reminder for the Kingdom of what they though they'd left behind. Since the society prides itself on its rarified intellect and philosophy they don't, say, leave the babies out to perish from exposure or sanction them...but many members of the society would probably love to.<br /><br />I think what would help you conceptualize this is to remember that the baseline image in their minds is <i>not</i> Eladrin, it's Elves. Every Eladrin rests comfortably on a long and storied history of arcane innovation and cultural sophistication. Since the areas outside their cities are things like eternal blizzards of acidic snow, or lakes of liquid lightning full of half-formed sludge zombies, they're not only grateful for that innovation, they're <i>reliant</i> on it.<br /><br />The only unions that produce Eladrin are the union of two Eladrin, as mentioned in the racial descriptions. Eladrin's ability to provide the base material for elevation into even more varied specialists (Tieflings, Deva, etc) is one of their greatest contributions to the society as a whole; of course, as long-lived hyper intelligent creatures, they're useful on their own as well.<br /><br />A half-elf who manifests a strong bloodline (ie, swaps Dilettante for a racial) is probably more likely to take after that parent; and half-elves who excel in their studies or the like are probably going to be recruited by the Deva or Changelings. But a half-elf who has no strong bloodline showing and does none of these things is, basically, an elf. And elves (at least in this world) aren't known for their incredible magical contributions over the last several thousand years. So when an eladrin burgher on his way to the magical printing-press he runs spies a half-elf adolescent strapping a sword to his waist before he goes out to work the walls as a guard, the burgher is thinking <i>"Thank the sigils and stars that there aren't more of <b>those</b> in my city, because if there were I'm sure we'd be drowning in the sentient mudflow outside by evening."</i> Half-elves are a reminder of how far the Silken Kingdom has progressed as a society, but they're also somewhat ominous, as each one can be viewed as a net drain on that same society.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09885180647559392840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-29864566502035420822010-10-25T18:44:11.618-07:002010-10-25T18:44:11.618-07:00The arcane "evolved" nature of Eladrin i...The arcane "evolved" nature of Eladrin is cool, and does a good job of making them seem distinct from elves. <br /><br />I'm still unclear though... "half-elves" are the offspring of eladrin and eladrin bloodlines, correct? Not the offspring of "elves" and something else (at least not outside the Tran Empire). So again... I don't understand how an Eladrin is different from a Silk Kingdoms half-elf. Why do some unions result in Eladrin children, who can remain bloodline free with no stigma, and others result in "half-elves" who are expected to pick a bloodline or be despised?Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04681396434922245496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-26785565761804173122010-10-24T23:14:09.570-07:002010-10-24T23:14:09.570-07:00Sidenote: Your example in the second to last parag...Sidenote: Your example in the second to last paragraph was the eladrin child of a deva; since deva can't reproduce after the change and they suddenly have a lot of other personalities clashing in their heads, a deva parent might not even recognize a child it had before undergoing the transformation. It's something of a distinct bloodline in this sense, like Changelings, in that offspring may well imagine that their parent has undergone the change, but they won't necessarily ever see them again or recognize them if they do.<br /><br />Side-sidenote: I rechecked and, actually, Half-Elves are the <i>only</i> race in the Kingdoms who can't boost their int, since both constructs have that as an option or requirement.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09885180647559392840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-24445918701446081562010-10-24T23:12:59.878-07:002010-10-24T23:12:59.878-07:00Always happy to be pushed on my flavor!
If I ever...Always happy to be pushed on my flavor!<br /><br />If I ever set a game in the Silken Kingdoms, it would be an opportunity to really highlight how their society is shaped; the racial blurbs alone can't really do that justice, but I'm trying to expend my energies on the Tran since that's where Lockout takes place. The important thing to understand about the Silken Kingdoms, though, is that theirs is a society dominated by magic--magic wielded by extremely long-lived creatures who've mastered their very bodies. Eladrin (and I should probably go back and add this to their description) have no connection to the Feywild whatsoever; their teleportation abilities instead represent their actually breaking their body into pure magical energy and shooting it in the desired direction. They are, in essence and mind, pure arcana.<br /><br />They <i>used</i> to be, well, not that. They used to be elves, and the elven race in the Tran Empire represents protean eladrin who rejected the focus on magical experimentation in favor of a connection with the nature of <i>this</i> world (which also distinguishes them from the Genasi, who prefer to go right to the tap when it comes to harnessing the power of the elements). Pretty much all Silken citzens disdain elves, feeling that they threw away an opportunity for real enlightenment and power to rub sticks together in a forest. The Silken Kingdoms are incredibly advanced and the average standard of living is much higher than those of the Empire or the Calpihate. Magic made this possible...even as it ravaged the areas outside most of the magically warded cities.<br /><br />A half-elf who fails to "better" her situation by signing a pact, undergoing an elemental dedication, or attracting the attention of the Changelings or approval of the Deva is seen in the eyes of Silken society as a degenerate. She has abandoned the path of evolution for one of stagnation. The rules actually tie into this as well: consider that half-elves are the only biological Silken race without the possibility of a stat boost to Int, and then extrapolate what that would mean for their place in society. Certainly they make excellent Sorcerers and Warlocks, but in a culture that has rarified mental pursuits and popularized wizardry and psionics, this would hardly be impressive.<br /><br />So yes, the Kingdoms <i>are</i> a society of personal reinvention and attainment; however, a half-elf who remains a half-elf (even one who uses a bloodline encounter power instead of taking an at-will with Dilettante) is seen by the rest of the culture as a regression back towards that what they're trying to escape (that is, elves themselves). The fact that even eladrin participate in this mockery helps to highlight how the "peasant" class of the Kingdoms still considers itself far above their racial forebears.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09885180647559392840noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8925039489191363193.post-60007878302756929632010-10-24T22:43:08.770-07:002010-10-24T22:43:08.770-07:00Ha ha, this is great! For some reason I was playin...Ha ha, this is great! For some reason I was playing around with the idea of making a Voidsoul nihilist when you first mentioned this campaign, and now here's an opportunity to actually make that a character choice rather than a cliche accident of birth!<br /><br />I don't really understand the half-elf bit though... so the base citizens are eladrin, who all can freely join bloodlines that have profound physical manifestations. Sure, some of these bloodlines are irreversable for those born into them (tieflings), but for the most part the society seems to revolve around measuring an individual by what they make of themself rather than what they are born as. <br /><br />Except half-elves. In a society where two siblings born to the same mother can end up looking completely different as they mature, one with red skin and horns and the other with ice for skin, half-elves for some reason stand out as less-than as a result of mixed heritage? Why would half-elves have any social stigma related with them at all? A half-elf can join all the same bloodlines that a nnormal eladrin can... or can choose not to join any at all the same as an eladrin can. The eladrin child of a deva wouldn't be stigmatized for chosing not to follow their parent's bloodline choice, but half-elves are despised for not following their parents?<br /><br />Maybe I'm just not getting it... it seems like if anything, a culture so prone to personal reinvention would be perfect for half-elves and their dilettante ability. I would have been less surprised if all citizens started out as half-elves (mechanically, though obviously that name would have to change) and could choose to go into Bloodlines like you mentioned, one of which being Eladrin.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04681396434922245496noreply@blogger.com