Elves and Silt Skimmers

[5 day lifespan]

I do however totally see a C-Elf conning HUMANS to get onto the skimmer, hunt for treasures, then steal all the loot when they get back.  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[Thunkkin]

I do however totally see a C-Elf conning HUMANS to get onto the skimmer, hunt for treasures, then steal all the loot when they get back.  BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

Or maybe c-elves standing on the shore selling "Rent Your Own Skimmer" boat rides.

[Incognito]

Elves don't ride.

This in no way includes skimmers.

Whatever anyone may say - there's no logic to elves not wanting to use skimmers - coz of the simple reason that they cannot traverse the Silt Sea on their own legs.

Skimmers are not live mounts.

Elves are the most practical and pragmatic of races on Zalanthas - and should never be taken lightly or for-granted.

When it comes to survival, or achieving their goals (twisted as those may be), elves might even do the most un-elven of things.

[Eternal Strife]

Elves don't ride.

This in no way includes skimmers.

Whatever anyone may say - there's no logic to elves not wanting to use skimmers - coz of the simple reason that they cannot traverse the Silt Sea on their own legs.

Skimmers are not live mounts.

Elves are the most practical and pragmatic of races on Zalanthas - and should never be taken lightly or for-granted.

I agree.

[Marc]

Great statement Incognito.  Only problem is it clashes directly with Staff's statement that elves do not ride skimmers.  At all.  None.  Nope.  Reconcile!

Edited: To clarify, I'm an actor in a 7up commercial.  What's my motivation?  If there is no underlying cause than are we really to believe that hundreds of thousands of sentient beings all reached the same conclusion (don't ride skimmers!) independently?  Any scientist will tell you that the odds on that are improbable at best.

[Synthesis]

All this talk about what elves should and shouldn't do makes me want to roll up a d-elf, flip the bird to my tribe, join the Byn, ride mounts, buy myself a motherfucking wagon, and start a silt-skimmer crew composed of nothing but half-giants.

So bad.

[Agent_137]

Edited: To clarify, I'm an actor in a 7up commercial.  What's my motivation?  If there is no underlying cause than are we really to believe that hundreds of thousands of sentient beings all reached the same conclusion (don't ride skimmers!) independently?  Any scientist will tell you that the odds on that are improbable at best.

well, ICly, silt skimmers are not a new thing. it would have been decided and reinforced over time.

[Marc]

Yep.  Reinforced how?

I can come up with plenty of specific reasons why individual elves would not ride on a silt skimmer.

Elves do not ride mounts/wagons because of a racial pride in their ability to walk/run any distance better than some dumb animal (erroneously as the code would have it).  This pride (?) is instilled in all elves, d or c, tribed or tribeless.  It is clear, cutndry with an easy to understand explanation.

The skimmer bit is clear, cutndry, however the explanation is lacking.  I'm looking for the reason why ALL elves will not get on a skimmer.  It cannot be environment since there are WAAAAAAAYYYYYY to many different societies in the known world to have grown up in/around not to mention hermits and the like who grow up and live around no one.  Is it an inner-ear thing?  Do elves get uncontrollably nauseous if they are not standing on their own feet?

That's what I'm looking for.  Every explanation that has been shared in this thread has explained why SOME elves will not get on a skimmer.  We have no explanation why EVERY elf would stay off.  To control that many individuals, there has to be something.

I'll also repeat a few of these since no one took a stab:

Will an elf ride a flying mount?
Will an elf allow transportation magicks to be cast on him?  What would an elf do if he suddenly learned he could fly?
Will an elf use a magickal item that instills transportation magick?

Reconcile the above with skimmers, mounts and the elven mindset.  "Because" doesn't work.

[Reiloth]

This decision to make elves unable to ride silt skimmers -seems- arbitrary.

Any explanation from staff on this one, even if brief?

[Synthesis]

This decision to make elves unable to ride silt skimmers -seems- arbitrary.

Any explanation from staff on this one, even if brief?

They probably feel that they need to do it in order to maintain consistency with their previous no-elves-in-wagons ruling.

[jmordetsky]

City elves should just be able to ride.

I can understand the d-elf thing, obviously. City elves wouldn't care at this point.

City elves have awesome thieve-tastic potential but they're fucktardedly unplayable if you want to go anywhere.

The guy who posted "I'm really proud of my inability to run." has it nailed.

fuck-tarded.

[Armaddict]

fucktardedly unplayable if you want to go anywhere.

...I've played it just fine.

[Dalmeth]

They probably feel that they need to do it in order to maintain consistency with their previous no-elves-in-wagons ruling.

Here's a better one :

Elves will never build wagons or silt skimmers.  They might be the most intelligent of the populous races in the Known World, but they're nomadic by nature.  These machines, and they are machines, require a level of industry unmanageable without permanent structures.

That leaves wagons and silt skimmers that were built by human hands.  Do you think elves would feel alright relying on the work of shorties?

I've played with a C-elf combat character in a clan that largely spends its time in the wild.  What did I do with him?  I let him run free where appropriate, and things were great.

[Synthesis]

They probably feel that they need to do it in order to maintain consistency with their previous no-elves-in-wagons ruling.

Here's a better one :

Elves will never build wagons or silt skimmers.  They might be the most intelligent of the populous races in the Known World, but they're nomadic by nature.  These machines, and they are machines, require a level of industry unmanageable without permanent structures.

That leaves wagons and silt skimmers that were built by human hands.  Do you think elves would feel alright relying on the work of shorties?

I've played with a C-elf combat character in a clan that largely spends its time in the wild.  What did I do with him?  I let him run free where appropriate, and things were great.

Permanent structures? Oh...you mean like, uh...the Blackwing Outpost?

[Yam]

They probably feel that they need to do it in order to maintain consistency with their previous no-elves-in-wagons ruling.

Here's a better one :

Elves will never build wagons or silt skimmers.  They might be the most intelligent of the populous races in the Known World, but they're nomadic by nature.  These machines, and they are machines, require a level of industry unmanageable without permanent structures.

That leaves wagons and silt skimmers that were built by human hands.  Do you think elves would feel alright relying on the work of shorties?

I've played with a C-elf combat character in a clan that largely spends its time in the wild.  What did I do with him?  I let him run free where appropriate, and things were great.

Permanent structures? Oh...you mean like, uh...the Blackwing Outpost?

Shhh.

[musashi]

They probably feel that they need to do it in order to maintain consistency with their previous no-elves-in-wagons ruling.

Here's a better one :

Elves will never build wagons or silt skimmers.  They might be the most intelligent of the populous races in the Known World, but they're nomadic by nature.  These machines, and they are machines, require a level of industry unmanageable without permanent structures.

That leaves wagons and silt skimmers that were built by human hands.  Do you think elves would feel alright relying on the work of shorties?

I've played with a C-elf combat character in a clan that largely spends its time in the wild.  What did I do with him?  I let him run free where appropriate, and things were great.

Permanent structures? Oh...you mean like, uh...the Blackwing Outpost?

You made me smile.

[Thunkkin]

C-elves are the Amish of Zalanthas.


The sneaky, point-eared elf, as he leans on his sand-rake, says in allundean,
     "What do ye thinken the round-ears are up to now, Hezekiah?"

The grey-eyed, small-footed elf says nothing, his face impassive as he observes the skimmer on the horizon.

The sneaky, point-eared elf, after a pause, says in allundean,
     "Always rushing about on their infernal machines."

With a grunt of affirmation, the grey-eyed, small-footed elf nods.

The grey-eyed, small-footed elf, speaking at last, says in allundean,
    "Ye may be getten back to your work now, Ezekiel.  Harvesten by itself the spice won't while ye gazen at the round-ears."

[Ourla]

Amish speak like Yoda?   

[Thunkkin]

Amish speak like Yoda?   

Nah, just heavily influenced by medieval German.  My parody is poor, since really, I've never spoken more than a word or two to an amish person.

Example:
http://www.geocities.com/amishgimp/amishphrase.htm

[Incognito]

If the issue was discussed by Staff and the answer was no - I guess there's nothing to debate about.

Althought personally, I'm not too sure of the IC logick behind an entire race excluding an entire portion of the Known World, which may or may not hold great treasure, knowledge and other goodies or badies, just because their "legs" cannot take them there.

Perhaps elves have secret air-balloons that we don't know of, which they use discreetly, to traverse the Silt Sea?

[Eloran]

Permanent structures? Oh...you mean like, uh...the Blackwing Outpost?

Thread over. Synthesis wins.

[jhunter]

I just can't think of a reasonable excuse not to exclude skimmers from the no riding thing for city elves. They don't have an alternative, unless they somehow can walk on the top of the silt or swim in it without dying like everyone else. I could totally see a family of c-elves that run a skimmer, pirating others, etc. Scamming people on trips aboard or hauling cargo.

[Sephiroto]

Think snow shoes.  It's a possabilty.  Maybe...?  Why do you think Stormers wear webbed boots?  They're not physicists but they must have figured out the relationship between increased surface area and bouyancy.  The Silt Sea isn't made of a watery substance.  Skimmers actually roll across the silt, not float, if I'm not mistaken.  As to how they are propelled...I guess I'll find that out ICly....because I'm not considering that they are drawn by domesticated silt-horror, as an argosy might be drawn by mekillots.

Maybe elves -could- manage to transit the Silt Sea on foot.  But, why would they want to?  Why -would- they want to.  The Silt Sea is fecking scary dude.  There's so much Silt you can barely see or beathe, eternal storms, and big scary monsters (silt-horrors).  Elves aren't a stupid race.  If I was an elf I'd probably leave the experimentation to the foolish round-ears and stubborn short-legs.  It's not that I can't ride a skimmer, but I won't.   ...Unless I was a Kuraci elf or a Byn elf assigned on a skimmer escort.

[Yam]

Fortune and glory.

[Synthesis]

Yeah, all this "elves are too smart to go out on the silt sea" makes me laugh, especially since every motherfucking city-elf in the Known World gets the 'steal' skill, which arguably is the dumbest fucking thing you could -possibly- attempt to do, if you're trying to keep your ass safe.