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Elf Clan Charter
TINIES, MER, DWARVES AND HOBBITS
TINIES
...were invented by Wynx Whiplash, Kage seraph and Noramyr Gullwing. Since that time many
merchants have created various forms of Tinies. Tinies are characterized by three things:
1) Their form
2) Their type
3) Their nature
FORM. Tinies are made by distoring bodies, folding the abdomen, arms, legs feet and hands to make them as small as possible. Special animations are used to enable walking, running and other movement. Tinies are a genre all their own.
TYPE. Tinies can be of several types. While most tend to be small nimals, tinies can also include dwagons, mechs, chibi and a variety of other creatures. Small animals can either be baby in form (such as baby bears, puppies, kittens, piglets etc), they can also be adult small animals such as otter, ferrets, cats, rabbits and more.
NATURE. Tinies are nutz. I mean absolutely, bald-faced, play-in-the-mud looney. Think your "inner child" and then crank that up a few dozen notches.
I could say more about tinies, but I think it best to refer to an article which I'm told is considered fairly definitive of the genre. To learn more about tinies: Tinies for Biggies
MERS
I am by no means the authority on merfolk, but I can relate how they have appeared in Elf Clan.
"Mer" as a term refers generally to half-human, half-fish (generally the top half is human, but that is flexible). The fish part can be scaled, shark, dolphin, whale, octopus, lobster or just about any aquatic creature.
Mer of course live primarily underwater, although in most instances they can magically turn their bottom half human and walk upon the land (they can do so at will, with no difficulty). On land, mer often appear to be fae in form (without the wings), but will almost always bear signs of the sea (green seaweed hair, scales at places on their skin, or sea-themed dress and jewelry). Their skin is quite often pastel blue or green in shade, although such can vary widely.
Most mer have limited magic, mainly in the ability to speak to, understand and command all aquatic creatures. Some however can exercise very intense power over water or anything water / sea / ocean related, exceeding even the Fae and Elven in control of water-based magic. The most powerful of Mer can create a monsoon or tidal wave.
In historical myth, others, such as sirens, are potentially dangerous or even deadly man-eaters (fortunately we have no such in Elf Clan). In Elf Clan all of our mer are easy-going and friendly and often come out on the land to visit with friends. While mer of legend are often nude, Elf Clan mer (in deference to our G rated theme) will always wear at the very least ample sea-shell covering, some even wearing entire corsets or clothing. Elf Clan mer tend to enjoy ornate decoration, especially in their hair.
Mer prefer to live underwater, usually in ornate abodes or even castles. Almost everything in their lives is sea / ocean themed, from their appearance to their jewelry to their property. A mer will tend to have a large clamshell to hold valuables rather than a treasure chest. Their bed will be in a huge oyster or clam shell. Water theme permeates everything mer. Mer tend to be rather rare... mainly due to the nature of our VR environment (most of our members are land based, and we are a rather social group).
So it's a rare individual that chooses to play mer as a primary role... although Eldar Peter Lioncourt has been working overtime to make mer feel more welcome. Still, those who take a mer role will likely find most of their time spent in leg form, on land, with dips into the water only when they can no longer handle the dryness of the air.
DWARVES
In Elf Clan, dwarves are close friends of the Elven (as is the case with the Orcs). Dwarves are pretty much as crude, lewd and rough as the Orcs (within our G rated theme). However they are far more intelligent, being extremely skilled in mining and metalworking. They make the finest swords in creation. A dwarven sword enhanced by Elven magic is a powerful and rare weapon indeed.
Conceptually, the Elven are entranced with Dwarven metalwork, recognizing the skill and beauty. Elves acquire dwarven-mined Mithril silver... the finest metal on the planet (far, far more valuable than gold). As light as dust and far stronger than steel, mithril armor is the choice of Elven leaders. Dwarven steel is no less desired, for while Mithril is scarce and expensive, Dwarven steel is more obtainable. No steel beats Dwarven steel.
Dwarves are short and stout, but not as short as most people think, averaging 4 to 5 ft in height. Dwarves cannot swim (they are too stout to float) and are deathly afraid of water. They wear heavy, thick armor, which to their strong, intertwined muscles is as light as a feather. Dwarves are as strong as an Orc. They do not move quickly, but their movements are precise and full of power. A Dwarf with a battle axe or hammer (their preferred weapons) is a terrifying foe.
Dwarven women have beards, varying as widely as hairstyles vary among other races. Many like to braid their beard hair or decorate it with beads. Dwarven men consider such beards quite lovely; indeed, a woman without a beard to a dwarf is considered more of a girl and not all that attractive. The exception are elven maidens, whom the dwarves find so beautiful as to be astounding. But dwarves view such with the utmost respect... and prefer to stick to their own when choosing a mate. For while Elven have an unearthly beauty, they are considered far too "fragile" to make good Dwarven wives.
Few of our members play a regular dwarf, since they are by nature smaller and less physically appealing to most virtual players. But those who do play dwarves usually do so with incredible detail and richness of character.
Dwarves have very limited magic, but what they have is powerful. They can use magic to fire their forges, to enhance their weapons, and dig their mines. Most other magic they really don't care about, preferring a good, sharp axe to a magic spell when in a fight.
HOBBITS
Hobbits are quite a bit smaller than dwarves, averaging 3 to 4 ft in height, and are not nearly as stout. From a distance a hobbit can be mistaken for a portly child, both in size and features, for their faces tend to look younger than they really are. Hobbits are a wholly unremarkable race, preferring to spend their days in leisure, growing food, eating, growing more food, eating again, smoking pipes, drinking ale, telling tales and sleeping.
Their one claim to fame is the undeniable courage shown in the War of the Rings... in which four selfless Hobbits were responsible for saving all of the other races from the evils of Sauron. For this reason, Hobbits are greatly respected by all the other races, the debt of Frodo and the Fellowship far too great to ever be forgotten. This gave the largely unnoticed hobbits a sense of self-respect, and while they still have no desire for fame outside of their dining halls, they now as a race hold their heads a little higher, and never, ever, deny a young Hobbit the right to explore if he so desires (although they still consider such a bit of foolishness).
As a result we have the occasional Hobbit visit Elf Clan. They usually show up out of nowhere and disappear just as quickly. They are of course most welcome to stay for as long as they wish and even make their home here.
Hobbits have one remarkable trait: they by far set the finest feasts... and they without question make the very best ale in all the lands. No one even comes close to Hobbit ale. That is their true claim to fame and their primary trading material. Even the Orcs will admit that the Hobbits make one fine brew, and because of that saving grace have given their word to no longer bar-b-que Hobbits, for as much as Orcs love the taste of Hobbit, they love the taste of Hobbit ale even more.
(Nevertheless, Orcs have at times been known to make a Hobbit "dummy" out of pig and roast it over a fire... remembering fun times past.)
Hobbits in Elf Clan usually take the role of travelers, sometimes merchants, or sometimes are a temporary role just out of curiosity. They are highly respected in our group, for obvious reasons. Playing a good Hobbit role is challenging, for as with the role of "human" there is no absolutely clear definition. So usually one playing a Hobbit needs to figure out a personality and trade behind the character.
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part 1
part 2
part 3
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