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Tags: Steampunk, Victorian, Science, Airship, Anachronism 

Reply Supernatural Steampunk (tales of ghosts & magic)
Elves, Steampunk, and Art Nouveau?

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Elcia

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 11:22 am


I have been wondering how to work my little elf character here, Elcia, properly into the Steampunk world.

So my question to all of you more experienced Steampunk folk is How would you add elves to a Steampunk world? What roles would they play? What do you think their reaction to it all would be?
Wonder or the more likely horror?
Is there stuff out there I could read/look into that I could use for inspiration?

And as a side thought, given how Art Nouveau is all about organic forms would not the elves be into that movement? One of our guild mates is writing about goblins founding the Industrial Revolution. I could see elves starting this movement.
PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 3:04 pm


Steampunk is whatever you construct it to be. It is the empire of your own imagination, and I at least, am in no position to criticize the imaginer.

But more directly to topic: if vampires can be put into a steampunk situation, why not elves?

I think what an "elf" constitutes needs to be reimagined as it must somehow be reasoned within the context of Steampunk itself, but that doesnt mean that some notion of "elf-ness" needs to be totally different from other writers such as, say, JK Rowling or (perhaps more relevantly) Tolkien.

Sidnay


Freedom the wolf

PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 6:18 pm


elves would be my some thought, biomancers of some sort. Crafting and molding flesh and bone to new forms
PostPosted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 6:32 pm


Depends what *you* mean by elves? Are they just like humans only physically different?
Or, are they the more stereotypical nature loving types? Because we may assume they might take exception to all of these machines and pollution and that.
I think Arcanum does an interesting job of meshing the fantasy races into the steampunk setting.

But as has already been pointed out, it's your world, what do you think? Your identification of art nouveau makes for some interesting thoughts into how elves could fit into industrial society.

Annie Anthrax


Freedom the wolf

PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 3:27 pm


Ohhh, recently dug through a old binder of a short D&D Spelljammer campaign I did a while back. Apart from the traditional elves I made two forms of elves from different planets.One was more flintlock and steam while the other was Biomancer's and grafters.

The Biomancers tend to play with groundlings(non-spelljammers) ecosystem, and often create towers from cytoplast and bone like structures made from alchemical materials.Along with their own host of created creatures from over a dozen worlds.The helm of their ships were often the kind that would draw life force from the crew or in their case, a host of replenishable spawns or beasts.Theyre spelljammers are ften created from only the best materials.

The elves who use steam and flintlock were varied by color depending on where they worked on the spelljammer though most look the same except those who worked in the bowls, they were more tan due to heat. They loved brass, wood, and the 'reliable' technology of tinker gnomes. They often had tinker gnomes aboard as support for the Helm and boilers and furnaces. They combined both aspects of nature and technology.

I have a few other homebrewed varieties around here some where too...including a spire hunter creature created by the bio-elves.
PostPosted: Tue Apr 20, 2010 4:11 pm


It's important to consider going way outside the stereotypes.

For example, elves could be defined as more of an artistic species. Or, magical. They needn't necessarily be tied to nature too strongly - or they could be tied to it in another way. They might, for example, be partial Energy-beings, sort of fleshly representatives of specific Elemental planes. Lightning, Fire, (both of which would give you the option of directly powering your devices) etc.

I've actually added some fantastic elements to this myself; My character, Albain, hails from an ancient civilization on the moon, which had already reached a level of technology that tread along Cyberpunk-ish lines in terms of aesthetics, but was actually essentially Magitech.

Due to his nature he can't make these items every day anymore; He can only do so on the days of specific lunar events (excepting Lunar Eclipses, in which he loses any supernatural ability at all), because his magic is closely tied to the moon, and as such he can't use it very often now that he's an Earth-dweller.

And he has a lot of reason not to return TO the moon, but I won't get into that.

But, you can certainly get very creative when you try to add fantastical elements to gaslight sci-fi.

Sanguine Countenance


Elcia

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 21, 2010 9:15 am


Thanks everyone this is giving me a lot of food for thought.
I have a very very basic storyline muling around in my head for a Steampunk inspired story and since it takes place on another planet the idea of making them an alien race humans have titled (because we just have to name everything in a way we understand) "elves" would work nicely.
PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 12:22 pm


That's actually a pretty cool idea.

I think the Art Nouveau idea works well too.

KaelemGaen


Tanzaria

PostPosted: Thu Apr 29, 2010 2:43 pm


Annie Anthrax
Depends what *you* mean by elves? Are they just like humans only physically different?
Or, are they the more stereotypical nature loving types? Because we may assume they might take exception to all of these machines and pollution and that.
I think Arcanum does an interesting job of meshing the fantasy races into the steampunk setting.

But as has already been pointed out, it's your world, what do you think? Your identification of art nouveau makes for some interesting thoughts into how elves could fit into industrial society.


This right here.

In Arcanum the elves are the usual magic using, beautiful long lived race that everyone knows. As human cities expanded and grew their forests were cut down/otherwise destroyed, and so the elves at present are living what is pretty much a large treehouse-city in a forest away over a mountain range, well out of the human's range. Some live in the cities, but most avoid it because magic interferes with technology and vice versa. Mages are not particularly trusted, especially in Tarant (which is the main technologically inclined city in Arcanum). A mage ends up causing a train to crash during the story by using a powerful spell while on board, distorting the laws of nature the train needs/uses/follows to function.

All sorts of races can fit into steampunk. You just need to think about the implications of putting them there.
PostPosted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:02 pm


I absolutely adore art nouveau, it's my favorite style of art (Alphonse Mucha being my favourite artist).

lucifer eats pizza

Feral Phantom

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Supernatural Steampunk (tales of ghosts & magic)

 
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