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Klas
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Elven procreation

Sun 18 Mar 2018, 22:36

I was a bit surprised to see that elves seem to have it both ways: Have sex or split off a bit of yourself. However, a more careful reading doesn't actually reveal that they procreated with humans by intercourse. They certainly seem to have the ability to "influence" beings into existence by more subtle means. How does this actually work?
 
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Eldhierta
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Re: Elven procreation

Sun 18 Mar 2018, 23:04

I was a bit surprised to see that elves seem to have it both ways: Have sex or split off a bit of yourself. However, a more careful reading doesn't actually reveal that they procreated with humans by intercourse. They certainly seem to have the ability to "influence" beings into existence by more subtle means. How does this actually work?
As I read it, half-elves stem from the carnal union of humans and elves while "pure" elves only come into existence through a ritual where the ruby of an elder elf is ritually sundered, creating a multitude of new elves from the shards. Don't know how it works in "reality" though, can female elves become pregnant or are all half-elves born from human females who have comingled with male/female elves? And if elves only truly procreate through ritual sundering, why are they even gendered?
 
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Brior
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Re: Elven procreation

Mon 19 Mar 2018, 11:29

My thought on the procreation of elves:

Full-blooded elves are created from ruby shards or fallen as rubies from the sky as noted (this might happen again – perhaps at a certain phase when the ”Red wanderer” passes in the sky. Such an event might even be the start of a new adventure: These new elves might be not totally compatible with current states in Ravenland and might even claim they are sent as replacements since the current elves have deviated. The newcomers might suggest that existing elves should have their rubies smashed – not out of hatred but since they are flawed, which would be obvious to them if they hadn't degenerated)

Procreation of full-blooded elves wasn't really the issue though.

Concerning half elves, I picture that they indeed are results from carnal union with humans. The elves mostly do this out of curiosity or as an art project or out of other reasons, some probably inexplicable to humans. As I see it, elves freely can choose gender and generate bodies accordingly, including female bodies able to carry children – again out of curiosity. This can't be done overnight but probably takes some time – their mental framework probably has to be adjusted as well as their bodies. They probably choose to be male/female/sexless out of esthetic reasons, curiosity or to better understand other kins of the world – they are after all here to help life along. (A sexless elf appears in the adventure site ”Eye of the Rose” and also the elven god Clay is sexless).

Another interesting (?) adventure idea: perhaps two full-blooded elves out of curiosity decide to produce offspring through intercourse and the result turns out to be an abomination, abhorred by all elves. The child could be a fair skinned version of Frankensteins monster that doesn't understand why everybody hates it and turns dark as a result. Perhaps it has certain unique abilities?
 
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Klas
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Re: Elven procreation

Mon 19 Mar 2018, 21:21

Mmm, bio-hacking could and should go plenty wrong once in a while.

This makes me think of some post-scarcity sci-fi settings where the dominant species habitually re-engineer themselves for fun as much as anything else. It's a useful pool of inspiration that can readily be adapted to fantasy.
 
Gråheden
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Re: Elven procreation

Tue 22 May 2018, 01:18

If an elf can live for so long and probebly chainges form out of change and astetic preference, why do thay have distinctive names for men and wemen?
Just seems odd from a cultural perspective.
 
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Klas
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Re: Elven procreation

Tue 22 May 2018, 08:31

If an elf can live for so long and probebly chainges form out of change and astetic preference, why do thay have distinctive names for men and wemen?
Just seems odd from a cultural perspective.
+1. Their multiplicity of gender/form/etc should be reflected in their names.
 
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Brior
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Re: Elven procreation

Tue 22 May 2018, 12:37

If an elf can live for so long and probebly chainges form out of change and astetic preference, why do thay have distinctive names for men and wemen?
Just seems odd from a cultural perspective.
You have a point, but if elves do change into distinct male / female form for some reason (identity thing / cultural or sexual tradition etc)  this might also be reflected in the choice of names.
This said elves might of course be sexless or hermaphroditic och something altogether different, so it might be a good idea to have sexless names as a third category. I'll be happy to submit some suggestions if FL so desires. There is already a sexless elf called Mergolene in one adventure.
 
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King_Kull
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Re: Elven procreation

Wed 23 May 2018, 06:57

Sexless names could be one possibility - or they change their name when they changer their sex. Because they change their sex not out of a whim, or? There have to be a reason why they are doing it. And to reflect the change they also change their name.
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Brior
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Re: Elven procreation

Wed 23 May 2018, 06:59

Sexless names could be one possibility - or they change their name when they changer their sex. Because they change their sex not out of a whim, or? There have to be a reason why they are doing it. And to reflect the change they also change their name.
That's how I look at it as well. Names are not given forever but taken for some time (which might be a very long time to humans). Whims might well be one out of several reasons to change sex though.
 
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King_Kull
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Re: Elven procreation

Wed 23 May 2018, 07:05

Sexless names could be one possibility - or they change their name when they changer their sex. Because they change their sex not out of a whim, or? There have to be a reason why they are doing it. And to reflect the change they also change their name.
That's how I look at it as well. Names are not given forever but taken for some time (which might be a very long time to humans). Whims might well be one out of several reasons to change sex though.
Ok, they are Elven and therefore whims are a reason :)
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