Slowly, these communities reached out to their kin among the High Elf Fleets and then the Dark Elves. Yet, many Elves did not find themselves at home with either of them. Just as they had with other hosts, they kept their distance and provided their services at a fair rate. Some found a permanent home amongst these Elven factions, but most eventually moved on, just as they had with other factions. The Elves who continued to move on became known as the Elven Jesters, as they often presented themselves primarily as entertainers, rather than mercenaries or traders.
These Jester bands have been on the move throughout the Sirius Sector ever since losing their former worlds. They believe that to remain too long in one place would allow them to get comfortable and dull their abilities until eventually they could no longer be of use. Instead, they are constantly seeking new knowledge, skills and stories to build on their own, and this variety of skills makes their services highly sought after by outsiders.
How will you find your way in the Sirius Sector?
History
The Flight of the Elves
Not all the Elves who escaped were High Elven Nobles or members of the gangs who would form the Dark Elves. Some were away from the Elven worlds or escaped on their own. These Elves often found refuge with neighbouring species.
A New Order
When the Elven Empire fell, some Elves saw it as an omen from their gods and vowed to renounce the idea of ruling over others or owning land. Over time, these survivors came together to build small communities. While some worlds welcomed the refugees, others viewed them with distrust, fearing that they might draw the wrath of the Robots or be allies of Dark Elf Raiders. The survivors struggled to prove their worth to factions in order to be accepted as guests rather than seen as vagrants.
Tricks of the Trade
They worked together to teach each other new skills and pass on the ancient songs and stories of their lost homeworld. They soon became known as capable artists, mechanics, entertainers and warriors in equal measure. These Elves worked hard to make themselves indispensable and valuable to their hosts, at least long enough to find their next home.
Reunion
Once they established contact with the High Elf Fleets and then the Dark Elves, many of the Elven refugees sought them out and visited them. Many did not find themselves at home with these other Elven factions, however. Just as they had with other hosts, they kept their distance and provided their services at a fair rate. Some found a permanent home among these other factions, but most would eventually move on.
Jesters
The Elven Jesters came about as the Elves who embraced neither the Dark Elf Raiders nor the High Elf Fleets, gradually forming their own identity. They introduced themselves as Jesters in order to present themselves primarily as entertainers rather than mercenaries, spies, criminals, or something dangerous.
Timeline
- 4251 BRC - Elven Empire reaches its greatest territorial extent
- 2491 BRC - Age of Robotics
- 0 - The Collapse
- 8 ARC - Formation of first Jester community
- 18 ARC - The first great Jester performance
Society
Bands of Elven Jesters are constantly on the move throughout the Sirius sector. They believe that to remain too long in one place would allow them to get comfortable and dull their abilities until eventually they could no longer be of use. Instead, they are constantly seeking out new knowledge, skills and stories to build on their own. This variety of skills makes their services greatly sought after by a number of other factions.
Pilgrims
The Elven Jesters follow complex routes through the cosmos, half entertainers and half pilgrims. Wherever they stop, they put on amazing spectacles from Elven tradition that are renowned across the Sector. When a troupe stops somewhere, a Jester might leave his comrades to become an apprentice with a local master, learning a new craft until the troupe comes back to this planet years later.
Membership
One is not born a Jester; rather, it is a calling. Those born to Jester parents must earn their eventual place within the society through honing a skill that they can bring back to their community. Some may choose to abandon their ancestral ways and settle within a society, but most do follow the path of their parents.
New members also come from outside to join the community, typically Elves but members from other species have been accepted.
Still, they are vanishingly few on a galactic scale; the largest troupe ever recorded amounted to less than a thousand members.
Freedom
The Jesters highly value individual freedom and personal liberty. While they usually obey the laws of their host as a matter of practicality and respect, they have been known to bend or even break them when they feel that they have cause to do so. Others may view them with mistrust because of their drive towards independence. Many of their members have been accused of being smugglers and thieves by distrustful locals. Jesters deny these accusations bitterly, insisting that they will only take what they are given through a fair deal. They are very difficult to track down, and the best way to find them is to acquire something they want and wait for them to come to you.
The Art of War
As the Jesters strive to make their existence itself a spectacle worth watching, they will fight in strange manners, taking risks and making flashy moves. But they are very cunning fighters, and what appears to be a nonsensical tactic can often turn out to be a complex strategy. They will not hesitate to use every means available to them to win, including traps or ambushes. They will not hesitate to retreat if the tide turns against them either, preferring the ability to live another day over dying for the sake of some abstract cause.
The Radiance
The Elven Jesters recognise that the Radiance's nature is unknown and tend to view it as something unhealthy to think about. A taboo exists around the topic, leading it to be referred to by a number of euphemisms, most notably as Meduila Duana, which means "The Last Puzzle": something to be figured out later. Those who do venture close have been noted as being particularly prone to manic moods and hallucinations, often throwing themselves into a persona or fictional character; some survivors have later claimed that this served as a form of mental defence.
Language
The Elven Jesters tend to speak the High Elven language but pepper it with slang and jargon borrowed from the Dark Elf Raiders as well as any number of other species which have become popularised and spread.
Most Elven Jesters eschew surnames as a symbolic means of separating themselves from their past ties, though this is not universal. Most have High Elven names, which are considered to be the standard, but some adopt the Raider dialect for their names; it is particularly common among recruits from the High Elf Fleets who seek to distance themselves from their past. Nicknames are common as well, though these tend to emphasise creativity or skill rather than the more ominous names of their Raider counterparts.
Example Names
Male Names
- Valtiniun "The Riddle"
- Fiodonuan Nualaninius
- Ornanam "The Questor"
Female Names
- Nuatrala "The Artisan"
- Liarunuila
- Grakromue Vuinevanas
Note that characters are usually referred to by their personal name (in italics).
Trivia
Proverbs
- "Sing, act or kill, but be good at it."
- "Jesters always get the last laugh."
- "Venture through the stars, capture their shine and make it yours."
- "To stop dancing is to stop breathing."
- "War is the cruellest, most gripping play."
