Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 gnomemaster Feb 07, 2009 16:05:21	So I have been cooking up something interesting for a while. I want to do a version of Wild Elves that no one really has before for my Emerald Islands Campaign setting. So I have been working on what I'm calling "The Elves of the Summer Court". They are strongly influenced by the Mayan and Aztec cultures. I was actually inspired a lot when I was down in Cancun over winter break. I just found their art and weaponry amazing, and most elves are based on Tolkien. So here's what I'm thinking: I want my Elf warriors to look like that guy. They will probably be big into sacrifices, war, farming, huge temples, and astrology. Any other thoughts? And as a citation, the picture is of the warrior Zero Wolf from Mel Gibson's Apocalypto.
#2 fenrir7139 Feb 07, 2009 16:18:55	I have a similar concept going for my campaign; the elves in mine are more like the natives of the Great Plains, though. Anyway, I think any native culture of the americas would be good for elves.
#3 gnomemaster Feb 07, 2009 16:24:08	Elven Names Now, I am a big fan of using a name that is a kenning, or two words put together that poetically describe one word. They are used in Beowulf often (replacing the word "sword" with the compound "Wound-Hoe"). You might also see it a lot in some Native American names (Sitting Bull, Running Deer). I'm thinking that the elves will have two names. One is a nickname (in english) the other is their true name (in the wild elf language). There's no specific purpose to the true name, just that most family members will refer to them by that name, or a priest may use that name, but they might give their nick names to outsiders (such as humans who have trouble pronouncing wild elf words) Elven Male Names I want these names to sound very aggressive, not soft at all. Jaguar Paw Moon Bird Flint Sky Spear Owl Sword King Elven Female Names I want these names to be less aggressive, very soft and feminine. Moon Petal Earth Keeper Shade Bringer Water Bearer Medicine Artist The names might even have a little bit to do with what they do for a living. A wizard might call himself Water Weaver, a warrior might call himself Sword Bearer, and a Priest might humbly call himself Blade of Tuxelchac.
#4 gnomemaster Feb 07, 2009 16:26:04	I agree, I just love how that guy looks though. Muddy, bloody, with an axe head made of Jade. His body covered in Tattoos and Piercings. I think there's a lot to like there. My campaign is also a lot about the interaction between the Wild Elves who live in a "New World" series of islands, and the Human Empire who lives in the "Old World" in the East.
#5 Reg06 Feb 07, 2009 16:27:23	Whatever you do, don't make them Mayans (or Incans, or Aztecs) with pointy ears. Maybe it's just me, but taking a historical culture and putting a fantasy race in it always come off as lame, and uninspired. I know the roots of most fantasy races are historical. If you want MesoAmerican elves, just look to them for inspiration. Place the elves in a temperate forest rather than a rain forest, or put them on the steppes, restrict them to pre-metal technology (I think plains Indian war clubs look far more bad ass and intimidating than mauls or mordenkrads, and my barbarian uses one, even though he wears metal armor) and use the bits of MesoAmerican culture you find the coolest. A straight rip from MesoAmerican culture won't be satisfying.
#6 gnomemaster Feb 07, 2009 17:30:08	You're right. I mean I'm not going to have the elves worshipping Quetzacotl or anything. Here are my notes on the Elves, and hopefully that will put things into perspective. There you can clearly see Tal Huan, the Monkey Death God and patron of the Monkey Tribe. You can also see the pyramid steppe shape of the wild elf plane of the dead. Each level bears fortresses of different gods and their servants. (this is why the pyramids of the elves are hollow, because they are maps of the cosmos.
#7 Lord_Ventnor Feb 07, 2009 18:34:09	I think the PHBII will be a big boon for this idea, with the release if the Primal Classes. I mean, this just screams "Primal Spirits" to me. Plus, who wouldn't love a berserking, half-naked Greataxe-swinging Elven Barbarian?