"Elves as a playable race", how does it fit in New Britannia lore?

What's cookie cutter is the assumption that these elves will be the elves from other stories

Maybe Tracy and Richard are the ones using their imaginations properly here ...?

 

People really want elves around here eh? I can't really say I am surprised considering the lack of real PvP and WoW-like future this game apparently has. So I'd say they fit in perfectly with the background of this game.

what about dwarves? Eh probably too tough for HoA.

 

If they've made such an original version of elves that they have nothing in common with the generic elves we've know from countless fantasy stories... why calling them elves in the first place rather than daring to be trully original ?

-Sergorn

 

Hell yeah id play a Dwarf!!!

 

Other than a color of uniform or checking to see which side anyone's on just won't work well for battle... we must have elven ears to distinguish who's who and who's fighting who... Elves would be great for conflicts.
~Time Lord~

 

Elves or any race added should have a unique color in name to help separate but not so much that a guild or party member is slapped with a Elf tag or Human tag . I want to say it shows faction ......... without saying Faction .

 

ok be an orc but make sure they look cool

 

I don't have a problem with elves being in the game; I have a problem with you being able to inhabit an elven body. If the body of an Avatar is so mutable that you can look like an elf, then you should be able to look like anything else you might want. Even then, you are dealing with "human mind in an alien body" syndrome, rather than actually playing a specific race, so things like affinity should not be a part of it.

I would really need to know how the lore is going to handle this before being able to back this goal. Right now... its doesn't seem to. Even Lord British's quotes are about why elves can be part of the world, not why players could possibly be elves, which is not the same kettle of fish.

 

^ All of this discussion, while interesting, is probably for naught anyway. There's no way it's going to reach that ridiculous goal of $300,000

 

I stayed away for a couple of days to avoid posting the grumpy responses that I wanted to after reading some of these replies... But this is one that I think I can respond to rationally!

This is what I have the problem with. I don't really object to there being something in the world called 'elves', although I wish they had chosen not to call them that. I just want to know how they can justify being able to play as an elf, given the lore that we know of so far - it just doesn't seem to fit. (I'm not against 'people playing elves' in general - I sometimes play one myself - I'm against the idea of people playing elves in this game for various reasons.)

Maybe there's a bunch more stuff in the story that would explain it, and we just haven't seen it yet. But if that's lore that will only come out through playing the in-game story, then I don't think anyone should be able to create an elf PC until after they've completed that story with a human character.

Someone mentioned 'other elves' that had gone into hiding in the distant past or something like that - perhaps the story of these elves will explain how an Avatar could be one. But that seems to be something that was either posted in an obscure place or is/was being discussed in Dev+. If any of that is publicly available, I'd love a link to it!

 

Here you go, Karrolanth. Remember the story sneak peeks they included in the weekly updates before they started releasing the chapters of Blade of the Avatar? Not the section that I have highlighted.


Story Sneak Peek [#3 and 'The Oracle']
Welcome again, traveller. I am Arabella, and I have been sent to guide you…
Earlier, I described to you the choice you face initially; which path to take in your journey into the lands of New Britannia. Now, I will endeavor to shine some light on those choices, and the impact upon you and those you will meet. The first, your possible pathways among the seekers of Truth.
Among the truths you will learn is that much of our knowledge of the land of New Britannia is lost to the ages. The survivors of the Cataclysm four centuries past have settled in the land we call “Novia”, a large island which, while bearing the scars of that time, still harbors enough life to support our people. And others, as well… many of which you will meet on your travels. The Vertas people that live in the Forsaken Vale, for example, a new race borne of the Cataclysm which we have grown to call “elves”; Lord British has told me this may be reference to a long-distant legend that the people of Novia have since forgotten. The Vertas elves for their part are like men, but different… different enough. They struggle to live alongside the rest of us, but where a man might burn with emotional fire, an elf will be cold, distant. They worship history, knowledge and truth, and those who wish to learn the wisdom they hold would do well to discover the ways of these people. It is certain you will encounter them on your way.
The elves are not the only new race you may encounter, traveller. The lands of the southwest are rich and full of life, and that is rare in Novia. Men and mythical creatures mix throughout, and that brings conflict, as it always does. As our numbers recover from the Cataclysm, the settlements of various races meet, and begin to argue about land and water and right and wrong and truth and lies. Peace lies on a fine edge; it is an edge you may have to walk along. And always the Fomorians, remnants from the Dark Armies of wars past threaten; from their strongholds in Blackblade Pass they often strike looking for prey.
You will see many wonders on your path, traveler; the fauns of Midmaer and the barrens of Quel, the sailors who brave the Bay of Storms (whose name is well earned) seeking to take travellers to the legendary lands of Elysium, where lies the halls of Artifice. There, your destiny will take you, traveller, though it will challenge you in ways you do not yet expect.
This, then, will be one of the challenges facing you as prophesied – the journey of Truth. Will it be the Truth you wish to find? Or will it be the Truth that you wish would be? Or, will you see the Truth as it truly is? The choice will be yours…


That passage suggests that "real" elves once roamed the land, but have not been seen in a very long time. New Britannians called these these Obsidian created Vertas abominations "elves" because their physical appearance reminded them of the ones who vanished long ago...Of course, they never mention where the "real" elves actually went

 

I have to agree with you. I am interested to see what the hobbit hole looks like. I might just put that on my keep lot so I can have a farm and my herd can roam.

 

Hmm. Thank you - I have read that before, and I took it to refer to the 'mutant elves'. Even if not the ones created by the Obsidians, though, it still sounds like these are a kind of mutated creature caused by whatever effects the Fall had. Perhaps they became known as elves because of previous Avatars who'd visited from Earth long ago and recounted their own legends and tales of pointy-eared people?

I'm not convinced, but even if this does allow a lore-related way to play an elf it still feels like something that shouldn't be allowed until after playing through the storyline as a human and discovering the story of the Vertas people from the other side.

 

No @Oakwind, this one is cool



After having to wade through 11 pages of pretty elf pics to catch up, i am hereby balancing this thread with my favorite improbable race combo of the day - the orc paladin.

Just let the $300k pay for 1-3 races , each a counterpoint to the other, then watch the money roll in.

 

I like this

Cool pic. I also like this one too


Here is a Orc but not so lucky

I wonder if this armour would look good on an orc but oversized.

 

So as not to completely derail
the thread , races will encourage like minded people to clump together and this will encourage consistent architecture and cultural stylistics. Elves will be woodland with graceful and organic settlements. Dwarves (if any) will be underground wih strong but beautiful stonehouses.

People playing orcs are likely to push into risky areas. The type where you have breakfast , walk out for a stroll , chop up a few zombies , get some firewood , chop up more zombies on the way back then have coffee or the orcish equivalent thereof .

Strength in diversity

 

It's magic! *sniff*

 

After seeing the Pax Lair mayor's video of the old Pax Lair metropolis on Ultima Online, I realized that the Orc players there have adopted Tolkien's bloodthirsty & feral Orc race who are basically a corrupted form of Elves ( Morgoth's doing ).

The persona of the Orc race I had in mind is more inline with David Weber's hradani in the Oath of Swords series :



Above is the cover of the first book & it's free on the Amazon Kindle store.

Weber's premise is that the root stock of all races are humans - and only humans can be wizards. All the rest , Elves /Dwarves/Hradani, have basically specialized. Dwarve mystics for example can shape stone with their minds, it's a racial gift. Elves have immortality. Hradani have a direct connection with the magic field and have incredible stamina, endurance , strength and healing because of it.

I"m bringing up the hradani as a template for Orcs because the dark wizards in Weber's universe attempted to corrupt them irreversibly by giving them the Rage in order to transform them into mindless , berzerk slaves (the Hradani were the most peaceful & rational race before this). Over time, the hradani learned to control the Rage , using it more as a tool though throwbacks to their dark ages still existed.

I have no interest in one dimensional races who are basically just villains and who have the mental complexity of a gnat ( eg. See Cow, Kill etc etc etc). The hradani for example have no tolerance for weakness, but since everyone is basically very strong - special emphasis is placed on mental strength, courage and firmness of purpose. Hradani women btw are not subject to the Rage and are specially valued as diplomats ,counsellors, judges and have a high place in political society. For this reason the hradani have zero tolerance for ****, these incidents are very rare and the punishment is very severe and final no matter who you are.

Good book btw, light reading but does have depth. Very good read after a hard & trying day

 

And Now for Dwarves!!!!!!


<--- the most important Dwarf!
lol had to add them

 

Bring on the Dwarves!