Elves as a Young Race

[Havard]

I think the reason for this can be found in the FFC - there was only one major Elven PC (Menander Ithamis), and the Elves basically acted as Deus Ex Machina to win Castle Blackmoor back, similar to some stuff we see in the Shannara novel series.

I dont think they were a Deus Ex Machina. Rather I suspect that this was a scenario played out. Various players controlled the elves over the years. The idea of using water hoses of holy water to attack the forces of the Egg sure sounds like a player idea!

So, the background for the Elves was not prevalent in the game, except for a very small part.

Well, in true Old School, background is usually more assumed than defined. I like defining things though

Now, when the setting was advanced 30 years for the DA modules, the authors chose to establish that friendship between the Elves and the humans that in the FFC time had been mainly a footnote.

This is not how I read the DA modules at all. Sure there is tension between the races, but Uther's friendship with Menander has renewed the alliance of 30 years earlier.

Also, don't get all defensive when I am not playing along 100%!
Your approach is as valid as mine, or anyone else's.

Glad you noticed that
Actually I wasnt being defensive, but I wanted to steer the discussion away from "what Arneson would have wanted", since that would have taken us nowhere. Also, I wanted to keep it open enough for more people to participate

For further fleshing out your vision of the Elves, here's a hint:

Ringlo Hall is really a Tolkien reference, the Ringlo being the river leading to the city of Edelhond.

http://tolkiengateway.net/wiki/Edhellond

I have gone there in my campaigns, and the MERP stuff on Edelhond is basically what I use for Ringlo Hall.

Cool, I will have to read up more on this. IMC I have described Ringlo Hall similar to Elrond's Hall in Rivendell. I see the Cumasti elves similar to Elrond's elves, while the Westryn are a much more sinister version of the elves of Lorien. Although Galadriel was also fairly scary.

Side note first: I'm not sure the elf schism thing is post Arnesonian. There is an almost identical Elven split in Arneson's write up of Izmer.

Certainly not post Arneson. But I think it goes further back than the Izmer writeup too. The DA modules also hint at strange things happening in the lands of the elves in the west.

back to topic.

Young elves would have an unusual origin and ownership narrative. The elves must feel like newcomers and be a lot less possesive, and that is very different from the usual narrative of the elves being part of the land for eons. There should also be more of a frontier energy to them and a sense of mission that elves typically don't have and maybe a sense of guilt over displacing nature or some earlier inhabitants, much as middle class americans "feel bad" about thier ancestors having cut down the forest and killed the indians, but don't have any intention of moving back to europe.

This is excellent input! This different attitude makes alot of sense, and it would help me make the elves of Blackmoor feel more unique compared to other settings. Probably they would not be too keen to "displace nature" given elven relationship with that particular element, but in general terms I agree with you. Although sort of newcomers (at least by their own standards), the elves have been significantly pushed back mainly by the Egg and would be determined to counter attack once they have regained their strength. There will be no LotR-ish talk of "abandoning these shores".



-Havard