Quote from: Ghost Whistler;379405Dunno, that's too close to 'we created the chaos god, but don't tell anyone' territory. It's a fine idea, but i'd rather something a bit more different.

Ehh, ever see "Babylon 5: Third space"? The ancient vorlons made a terrible mistake about a million years before the series timeframe. That woman channeling a vorlon said, after the others had left "one mistake...out of so many."

So the ancients making a terrible mistake and creating a real horror of a situation is not unique to 40k.

Just went to buy some cheese and came up with this:

Long ago the Star Elves of Arcadia ruled the greater part of the galaxy. Their empire was governed by wisdom and knowledge yet the Arcadians possessed great power. In time they encountered the Adversary: the great enemy Morgul who stole away the power of the elves and ruined their kind to create his own army. War quickly spread as the Arcadians assailed the foul domains of the Adversary. Over long years good fought evil, but eventually Morgul was cast down; his dread form splayed literally across the galaxy scarring a thousand worlds where younger empires had yet to form. Where he fell was born the shadow of darkness that would eventually become the Maleficium.
The Arcadians sought to rebuild, but, as younger races developed, they saw their time was passing and that it would fall to younger races to take their place. The great Pattern was constructed: a vast Wyrd repository (as the humans would understand it) locked under powerful elven rune seals. Into this place the Arcadians departed, storing their history, culture, secrets and even their greatest minds and warriors to be preserved for all of time to come.
These repositories, Pattern Houses, are kept, behind the seals and the most automated security the elves could muster, deep in the ruins of their ancient temples, far across the stars. Their influence is so great that they even touch the deepest parts of the Wyrd and can call to Wyrdspeakers who, in close proximity to a House of the Pattern, can see, as ghostly images, the entities within. Houses of the Pattern are guarded by powerful sentient machine guardians that can house a Wyrd entity from within the Pattern (as has happened when forces of the Maleficium have assaulted Arcadian temples). They are also guarded by the last remaining native descendants of the Arcadians; a select cult that chose to remain to guard these temples and protect the legacy of Arcadia throughout history. These are the Jesters, a unique cult who use ancient Arcadian elixirs to prolong their already considerable lifespans (at the cost of what might be considered their sanity by less advanced races). Warriors without peer, the Jester's loyalty to the preservation of a House of the Pattern and the legacy of his or her kind is beyond reproach. They are melancholic - the last living of their kind. Many who encounter them (and live, which is rare) are struck by their tendency to reverie, as if they are forever hearing or talking to voices only they can perceive. They are part assassin, part Wyrdspeaker, part librarian, and they are all that remains of their kind outside of the Pattern. In their duty Jesters call on many servants, including entities unseen outside of the Arcadian worlds for millenia that they have preserved. it is even rumoured they have servants from other races, altered by the Pattern, to serve it's protection as an agent of the Jesters.

(the wyrd = the great big intergalactic, predominantly human, internet; ie all knowledge. A wyrdspeaker is one who communes with this network. yes this is written in the most cheesy way possible.)

I'd nix the name Jesters (while I think its cool.) Other people may not. I'd work on some more interesting naming devices of your own. I like the idea of a Well of Wyrd (if you want it.) Since Odin gave his eye to the well for all-knowledge..

It might actually have some sense of truth in that a powerful ancient once had his eye removed to plug in via the eye socket to a Wyrd access.

Quote from: Silverlion;379421I'd nix the name Jesters (while I think its cool.) Other people may not. I'd work on some more interesting naming devices of your own. I like the idea of a Well of Wyrd (if you want it.) Since Odin gave his eye to the well for all-knowledge..

It might actually have some sense of truth in that a powerful ancient once had his eye removed to plug in via the eye socket to a Wyrd access.

elves+sf+harlequins=40k, otherwise i'd use that.

doesn't matter for the moment though.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;379426elves+sf+harlequins=40k, otherwise i'd use that.

doesn't matter for the moment though.

Not all space Elves are Harlequins even in WH40K are they?

Quote from: Silverlion;379431Not all space Elves are Harlequins even in WH40K are they?

No, just the use of the term Harlequin. But I think the Jester idea isn't bad.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;379517No, just the use of the term Harlequin. But I think the Jester idea isn't bad.

What about some slight of hand? Use the word Mistral (A cold wind) but it is also suggestive of minstrel in a psycho-linguist way.  You create something new by making them different enough, but still can kind of see the source?

Thanks, as ever, for the input but I think I'm through my desperately trying to rip off 40k phase. There's something about this big, enduring, i suppose mainstream, IP's that appeals to me. I could say the same thing about Shadowrun - the more ridiculous and shallow the better.

But for now I don't think this is going to work, in fact I'm not even sure it works for FFG either, at least for me. So I shall file these ideas away for later use.

Quote from: Ghost Whistler;379273Because I have nothing.

I want to create a race of sci fi elves. But I got nothing, other than 'fair skinned, pointed ears, long fine hair'; the usual.

This is not good.

Weighing in late, I know, but I've got two words for you:

Gloranthan elves.

I've just discovered Glorantha, and sounds like the Aldryami might be what you're looking for. In fact, between the plant-elves and the robo-dwarves, I've seriously considered a sword-and-planet Runequest game using Gloranthan races.