|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 4:16 pm
By what measure are these dwarves 'norse' - where would I find reference to differentiate 'norse dwarves' from 'tolkien dwarves' which is what I assume you mean by traditional...
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Nov 03, 2008 7:21 am
By traditional I mean the short, stocky dwarf, which would include Tolkien's dwarves, yes. There's Wikipedia, of course. To cite a hopefully more reliable source, there's this summary from Encyclopedia of Religion. Of course, there's been speculation that the Norse Dwarves were in fact humans the Norse met as they travelled south, seen as "non-human" because they were so different. They discuss that in this topic. Anyhow, I'm going with that they're mythological creations, although not as possible dark elves. I already have an elven race sometimes referred to as dark elves because of their nature and the dark skin some of them have.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 9:19 am
I have 7 races, a catch-all-category, and Dragons.
Ruling Races:
Humans -- with more kingdoms than they can handle because they breed like rabbits. >_<
Elves -- Frost, Rain, and Mist elf kingdoms
Dwarves -- Norther/Silver dwarves and Southern/Gold dwarves
Gobilns--only one semi-kingdom in the swamp of Ur.
Wandering Races: (all with tribal hierarchy)
Centaurs
Harpies
Mermaids
Catch-All: Sprites! Includes
fairies
gnomes
gremlins
dryads
nyads
kelpies
selkies
minotaurs
griffins
hippogrifs
hippocamps
basilisks
...and other monsters and regional spirits.
Dragons are kind of like arch-angels or demi-gods. No one really worships them or prays to them, but being in the presence of a dragon is a very spiritual experience because their very presence compels the truth from all bystanders.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 1:15 pm
I never thought of Dragons being quite like that. The idea is a really interesting one though. They're not like that in my world, but I do like the idea.
I have various races in my world, many of what you have there, but I've also introduced various sub-species within those as well. Different types of fairies etc.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Mar 22, 2009 2:10 pm
Dragons in my story are pretty cool, because in the presence of an adult, one cannot even lie to themselves, which makes for some interesting angst. Since my dwarves work so closely with dragons (dragon fire being the only thing hot enough to forge Stormstone) my dwarves are very blunt and honest by nature. ^_^
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Mar 23, 2009 2:53 pm
You'll have to explain Stormstone (if you want to) in the thread "the Forging of Enchanted Weapons and Armour" thread in the Arcane Academy.
Sounds intriguing.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Mar 24, 2009 4:41 pm
Wow Scarlet, you sure do have some awesome dragons in that story of yers. 3nodding
And yes, like Mel says, you should definitely tell us more about that Stormstone but, only if you think it's not gonna endanger yer work in any way.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Apr 12, 2009 11:37 am
I'm also having a lot of fun developing my elves. I'm currently working on the Frost Elves, who ride mammoths and woolly rhinos. My elves can be a bit snobbish (understatement) because they're so old and have already seen it all. Also, elves lack imagination, so there's not much revolution in their culture. They reproduce in times of great stress and emotional turmoil, the kind that usually reflects a war or natural disaster, so that after the crisis is over, there's a new crop of young elves to replace any that were lost.
They're fun to tease!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 16, 2009 4:43 pm
And you should. They really sound very interesting. I just hope a lot of people will say that of mine but I don't know when I'll make my stories a reality. That's the sad part for me... sad
Say, I haven't seen you around the other sub-forums. You must be really busy, huh?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 8:53 am
My family just finished moving, so we're still unpacking. And I work full time. So I don't have a lot of personal time to do whatever. ^_^
I've noticed that beginning authors usually do one of two things with various races: 1) they stick with familiar names like Dwarves, Elves, etc and either fill in their own details to make them unique; or 2) they create new names for the races and then have to do more explanation about who and what these new creatures are.
With that in mind, which is preferable from a reader standpoint? And which do you prefer to write about?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 10:44 am
I'd stick with the names they're already given, but perhaps just alter some of their tendencies a bit. Someone I know online says an elf is not an elf unless it is superior to humans and other races, and has pointed ears.
Ok, well, pointed ears is what elves have. So that's an established feature of them. However, why MUST they be superior to humans and other races? I won't go into much detail here as this is the general fantasy races thread and there's another specifically about elves, but I believe they're usually thought of that way because they've been envisioned as a type of enchanted being within the Fey family. Not in all cases, but in some they are.
If the race has a different name but the same description, I think I'd be thinking "right, so they're basically elves" or I'd be frustrated in thinking "well are they meant to be elves with a different name or another race entirely?" So if you're going to have elves, I'd say call them elves. If you're going to give a different name to a race, have them as a different race entirely.
I have a new race in my world, and I am in the process of giving them particular characteristics which I hate tell you I'm not going to discuss.
They have a different name of course though because they're new. ^_^'
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 07, 2009 5:05 pm
That's too bad Scarlet, but I understand why you can't be here often.
You know, I don't really mind if it's one way or the other but I gotta agree with Mel on the thing about calling them what they are. I mean, we are so used to a certain name for a race that if you are going to write about a certain race and give them another name (while essentially staying the same) then might as well keep the original name.
I have made at least one new race on one of my stories and it's unlike anything I've seen so far. 3nodding
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat May 09, 2009 2:03 pm
This might sound weird, but i don't like to ALWAYS (notice always) use normal creatures. I try to come up with my own and one of them is messed up! It's a creature that is made up of the spirits of humans and monsters, giving it that mutated human feel to it, but can only live one night and after that they die. It later turned out that they escaped under ground and started to evolve into more human like creatures. Still grotesque and all, but could live longer.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 15, 2009 2:39 pm
Really? That kinda sounds like a description for the ectoplasm on some games I've played. What kind of shape do they have anyway? neutral
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
