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Old 12-07-2017, 11:14 AM   #11
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

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Originally Posted by Icelander View Post

Duergar is a Northern English name for Dvergar, the Norse dwarves. I agree that Svartálfar is more or less synonomous with it, but tröll ('trolls') are an entirely different folkloric creature.
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As I understand it, "troll" was a generic term for "otherwise unclassified physical supernatural being".
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Old 12-07-2017, 11:24 AM   #12
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

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As I understand it, "troll" was a generic term for "otherwise unclassified physical supernatural being".
"Hér merkir tröll eftir sinni náttúru anda óhreina, uppvakta drauga, evocatos manes, immundos spiritus et spectra omnis generis."

The Icelandic first part loosely translates as: "Here, the meaning of 'tröll' is by its nature filthy spirits, awakened ghosts..."
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Old 12-07-2017, 01:19 PM   #13
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"Monsters" of various flavors were typically considered to be either a direct work of Satan or descendents of Lilith. Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings would probably be considered deformed humans at best, implying they (or their parents) have some degree of wickedness to them and are best avoided. Depending on how extreme the ear shapes are, elves may be able to pass as humans fairly readily - plenty of depictions of elves have them with ears that aren't that much different from human. Indeed, the difference isn't much more extreme there than what you see in humans when it comes to attached vs free earlobes. If you're talking typical anime-style elf ears, on the other hand, they may similarly be seen as deformed humans, although with the rest of them being rather attractive they may be seen as demons wearing a fair disguise.

Cat-Folk and anything less human than that are likely going to be seen as Evil, however.

As for nephilim, I think those were typically seen as the progenitors of giants - Goliath and his family - who were pretty much all wiped out during or shortly after the time of David. Indeed, most of the older versions of the Bible - including the Latin, as I understand - actually translated "nephilim" and "giants." So I wouldn't expect medieval clergy to associate any of the races (with the possible exception of ogres and other large folk) with them. Medieval Jewish scholars might be able to make a logical leap like that, but I don't think the nephilim were ever really seen in a positive light (see Goliath), so that's not really going to help them out.

EDIT: Muslims might see the various races as types of (or humans interbred with) djinn, which while not necessarily trustworthy aren't outright evil (IIRC, they have comparable free will to humans). "Pagan" people of the medieval time period are probably going to consider them as or as descended from nature spirits of various flavors, depending on the exact nature of that strain of paganism.
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Old 12-07-2017, 01:30 PM   #14
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

I imagine the pagan gods would be considered fallen angels? What about the fairy?
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:00 PM   #15
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I imagine the pagan gods would be considered fallen angels? What about the fairy?
Ugh, this gets a bit more complicated. From what I understand, in some cases the Church turned local gods/spirits/heroes into canonized saints. In others (particularly the bad/evil ones), they'd probably be demons/devils, Satan himself in another guise, or some flavor of monster. Stories of the Faerie would just be treated as more cases of gods/spirits/heroes.

Depending on how secure the Church was, it might even go Old Testament and state the things the pagans believe in simply never existed. I'm referring to a lot of the language from the Old Testament that strongly indicates that gods other than YHWH - the Baals and Ashera, Moloch, etc - were outright powerless, thoughtless, human inventions. I think the Church was more likely to ascribe such inventions to supernatural influence than the Hebrews were, however.
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:13 PM   #16
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Christian Europe is pretty much going to kill everyone and let God sort them out (though they might force the females into sexual slavery). Muslim nations will probably respond less violently (depending on the era), but any nonhuman uninterested in conversion is going to end up enslaved (and many that do convert will receive offers of marriage for their womenfolk). Outside of Christian/Muslim nations, it is going to be quite localized, but the ruling class is going to probably be interested in enslaving the nonhumans (keeping the females for the pleasure of the ruling elites and selling the males as exotics to the highest bidders).
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:27 PM   #17
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

As has been mentioned, the time and location change things a lot.

Also, its been stated these people show up in a 'Town', and THAT will shake things up a lot. Most things big enough that you or I would call them a town rather than a village will be independent from the rulers of the country side (at least at the levels that mattered), rely on immigration to keep their numbers up, and likely be a good deal more welcoming of the strange than the country folk and medieval lords.

The biggest struggle to an outsider showing up among the peasants of europe in 1100 is that no one knows them. In that time period you knew almost everyone you saw from the time you or they were born. Or at least you knew someone that they knew. An outsider who can't give references is assumed to be running from a past, and probably a criminal.

Once you get past that, pointy ears and small stature are small matters. And towns are where you go to get past that.
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:27 PM   #18
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

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Christian Europe is pretty much going to kill everyone and let God sort them out (though they might force the females into sexual slavery).
Regular old slaver (nonsexual) is an option for every non-Christian. But that depends on how they act.

Medieval Europe believed there were men with dogs heads in Africa, so the idea that these funny looking people are still people isn't going to be difficult. If they make a big show of being Christian (or of converting to Christianity) they'd probably escape with being taken to the local noble as entertainment. If they're not Christian and won't convert, being enslaved is possible, but medieval Christian Europe didn't stab everyone who was brown (and therefore probably a Muslim) on sight. They won't be easily mistaken for a nationality any particular country is at war with, so what they're going to be is foreign.

If they're traders, rather than heavily armed crazy DF characters, they'll be treated with suspicion as foreigners, and potentially barred entry from town, but cautiously welcome in a market outside of town.

If they're the usual heavily armed crazy DF characters, they're going to be scary people and it doesn't matter if they're elves, half-ogres, or humans, they're going to be treated as scary people.
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:31 PM   #19
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

The cosmology idea that I have is that there is the Divine and then there are good, evil and neutral supernatural beings. The good ones are angels and servants of the Divine and the evil are the Infernal and the neutral are the pagan gods and neutral angels. The pagan gods interbred with humans to make the Dungeon Fantasy races and also the monsters. They are sort of like the Greek gods who had children with mortals and animals to create monsters and other races of beings like centaurs were descended from Ixion. Do you think this is workable?
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Old 12-07-2017, 02:36 PM   #20
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Default Re: Dungeon Fantasy races in a real world medieval town

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Dwarves, gnomes, and halflings would probably be considered deformed humans at best, implying they (or their parents) have some degree of wickedness to them and are best avoided.
Regular old little people (of the human, not fantasy, kind) were valued as curiosities and entertainers, like anyone else who was exotic in appearance but basically even featured.
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