The development of OPERATION FERGUS continues today as we look at the foundation civilizations. We have an idea of what we need based on the stories we have determined, so a quick recap if you’re jumping in:
The elves (yet to be renamed) were the first people. Before the Age of Dreaming, Edras, God of Lore, had inflicted the gloaming upon them so that they would forget most of their immortal years, only ever remembering the last ten or so, to keep them from being driven into despair and madness. We’ll be deriving the details of their civilization based on that story. They don’t exactly have an organized civilization, as the Gloaming keeps them from building much in the long term.
Humanity was created later, by the three gods, Devra, Ciaru, and Arakir. This was the Age of Awakening and the foundation of the first great cities. Each god inspired one city at first, and the civilizations spread from there. These three cities will be the primary source of politics and civilization-building as we know them.
The small folk and the lizard folk were created, respectively, by the gods Boma and Zamus. The Little folk were intended to live wherever they could and not require a lot of land-restructuring, so it is a civilization more like the dreaming age; no major construction of empire-building. The lizardfolk are the exact opposite, but were intended to be highly adaptable conquerors, not builders or farmers. They were basically brought about and then moved straight into taking over human lands, so we’ll deal with both of these later and focus on the elves for now.
The Age of Dreaming
Elves are essentially enhanced humans. They are immortal, physically beautiful, unhindered by many human weaknesses. They probably need to sleep and eat much less, and they have a lot of natural skill. However, they were never really intended for combat or labor, so they are not physically powerful or imposing. They have keen senses and learn quickly. Because of the Gloaming, they have no long term memory; remembering no events more than ten years in the past.
As such, they can be very childlike. They are always eager to learn, even if it is something they’ve already learned a hundred times before.
Edras is known as the god of lore, but his original purpose was providing resources for self-education. He is a very hands-on-deity, looking after and teaching the elves. This is out of duty, for he knows that they made the gods, and out of guilt for inflicting the gloaming upon them as the only way to save them.
An Unstructured Society
So what does that civilization look like? First, the elves are probably nomadic. No room for tradition or legacy, nothing is ever handed down. They would not be big on permanent structures and have no interest at all in monumental structures.
The probably reproduce rarely and slowly, being immortal, they’d have to be almost asexual. Any pairings would have to be guided by Edras who would keep track of lineages to prevent incestuous pairings. Maybe there is even a way they can do that themselves? Like every pairing creates a mark that is passed down? A genetic tattoo would be well within the bounds of the Ancients’ technological capabilities, and the idea of the Elves being marked with symbols over their body is interesting.
Edras would probably discourage familial bonds, and long term relationships. I would assume they do happen, but it creates difficulty when one may die, and another would not want to forget, and may create a record. Records would be taboo. Writing can happen, but the instincts instilled into the culture would be never to sign a name, never to record events, but maybe poetry, notes…. hmm… should elves maybe not have written language at all? That is an interesting thought, too.
Edras would have divided the regions in which they wandered into ‘classrooms’. Like, there would be elves who live in the forest, and elves who live on the sea as sailors, probably elves who live in the caverns. There might be elves who live in more of a library/monastery city at some point, but those might be after humans arrive. Those elves would be fighting against the Gloaming and refusing to obey Edras.
So to sum up: The elves in the Age of Dreaming were nomadic, innocent, and often loners, forming no long-term bonds, having no families, but perhaps seeing all other elves as family. They’d not differentiate at all between family and friend. They are slow to built attachment and quick to walk away, wander off and follow a different path. They probably don’t have much of a sense of linear time. They build and craft for fun, but rarely things that last. Written words are taboo (except for the inherited symbols on their bodies), and they keep no records or journals. And stories would be passed down as oral traditions exclusively. Their names are probably whatever they feel like being called at the time.
The only problem this creates is that I need a mechanism for Edras to teach them that doesn’t involve text.
The Age of Awakening
The conflict this creates is that when humans enter the scene, building what we would consider a “normal” civilization, the elves who encounter them get dragged out of that reverie state, and into a world where they are missing what humans so easily obtain: long term memories, relationships, written language, impressive construction… families. This would drive the creation of that monastery/library. Edras wouldn’t mind too much, as whatever happens (as long as they survive) ten years after the end of that rebellion, they’ll be back as they were, under his guidance.
That elven library would be their major focal point during the first age that humanity in it’s base-state walks the earth, but lets go back to explore the dreaming just a bit more.
The Great Classroom
Having thought about it a bit, I am reminded that one of the missing elements of the gods might come into play, which is: Their Servants.
Remembering that the Gods are originally very powerful society-managing AI computers, they would have drones and constructs, possibly even sentient creatures which are made to be their hands and representatives out in the world. One could think of them as each god having their own kinds of “angels”, which could take many different forms depending on their intended function.
So of course, Edras would need either servants, or contact-points by which to educate the elves, since he can’t use text. Perhaps some kind of “Teaching Stones” which appear and can communicate their education. Edras might have other servants, but I like this idea. I’m picturing a large rounded conical structure with carvings, some kind of image of a face maybe. The elves would gather around to learn what it had to teach.
From the sci-fi perspective, it is probably reaching out to some kind of implant for the communication, so it speaks silently, and only an elf could hear it. This raises a new question about how the new elf children, rare though they be, would get the necessary modifications to make them truly elvish.
I see there being two options: Either the modifications are biomechanical, and can, in fact, be passed down genetically through birth, or another of Edras’ servants would perform the necessary procedures when they were very young. Considering the possibilities, I think I prefer the first solution. This allows for rare but occasional mutations, like an elf who cannot hear the teaching stones because some mutation has rendered their internal-receiver-antenna inoperable.
Shaping Their World
I don’t imagine that Edras would have given the elves magical powers, but he might have brought forth some beings for them to appreciate and make use of. Maybe even using their own minds for inspiration.
This is in preparation for another post I’ll be making, in regards to what kinds of animals and creatures populate these worlds. What would the elves have dreamed up? Creatures from this era would likely be harmless, engaging, appealing to children. Of course, the story/game takes place after these things might have gone rogue and no longer be so friendly, but just throwing a few ideas out there…
Unicorns, Phoenix, Will o’ the wisps, Mimic Birds (I’ve got plans for these later), various other whimsical/beautiful creatures. It’s a start, anyway.
Naming
When I think of the name, I have to consider who exactly is doing the naming. They wouldn’t need a name in the Age of Dreaming, they were just the only humans around. Edras might have called them “children” or “Students” or “pupils” so maybe the name has been warped from one of those words. This might be what they call themselves.
When humans came onto the scene, of course, they would have encountered and named these beings immediately. Or perhaps it was the other gods at first who wanted something by which to differentiate them from their new “original recipe” humans. Edras, the god of lore, but also the AI Secretary of Academic Resources, might have offered the name “Letheans”.
This something of a joke, inspired by the mythological river “Lethe”, drinking from which would cause memory loss. I’m not sure I’ll keep it, but it is as good as anything else for now.
CONCLUSION
So this brainstorm has helped me develop the actual specifics of my pseudo-elf race. Because of their unusual sci-fi oriented origin, I can find all these ways in which they are similar to traditional (call them Tolkienesque) elves, and the ways in which they are unique, and make them my own thing and more than just a transplanted analogue.
And with this foundation in existence, I can begin building into The Age of Awakening.
As always, your comments and thoughts are muchly appreciated.
See you next world!
—Charles
