Setting FAQ

When is EF set?

The Present. EF takes place in real time, so if the date in the real world is August 8th, that's also usually the date in Elysia. Elysians do use their own calendars, of course, but this doesn't affect anything out-of-character.

Generally, the time & date stamp on a topic is assumed to be the in-character time in the thread (so if you post a thread on January 1st, the events in that thread are assumed to take place on January 1st no matter how long the thread takes to complete) unless you specifically state otherwise in an out-of-character note in the first post or topic description.

While back-dating (using an out-of-character note to set the thread at some point before the real-time date) and forward-dating (using an out-of-character note to set the thread at some point after the real-time date) posts is acceptable, we don't recommend the latter unless you know what you're doing, and we discourage anything over a month either way. (It just gets too sticky otherwise.)

EF also allows "fluid" or "liquid" time, which means that you can be in multiple threads simultaneously. Your character, however, can't be in two places at once, so make sure you keep your timelines straight.

What races are available in EF?

There are seven playable races in EF: The winged Anyeli, the dragon-descended 'Vari, the beautiful Nymphs, the shapeshifting Therians, the bloodlusting Vampires, the demonic Zanaryans, and… plain old Humans (restricted).

You can find out more about each of the Elysian here or on their individual profiles.

How do the races interact?

For the most part, they get on just fine. There have been the occasional wars and the usual political flexings, but Xanth intended Elysia to be a paradise and has done her level best to maintain the peace, at least on the surface.

Underlying prejudices are slow to die, however, especially when so many of the population are so long-lived, so conflict is bound to happen. Therians have a particular dislike for Vampires, a subconscious remnant of the Hind. The 'Vari consider themselves wiser and more civilised than all the other races put together, and are in turn viewed as prideful and conceited. The Zanaryans maintain a deep-seated bitterness towards the Anyeli from an age-old jealousy over how easily the first 'angels' were accepted among humans, while they themselves are sometimes seen as dirty and secretive. Many of the races tend to view Therians as little more than talking animals, and not one of the races is comfortable sharing breathing space with the Vampires.

But, for the most part, they get on just fine. ;)

Where can I find information about the realms?

The Places database has links to all the pages about places in our setting, including the realms, regions and towns.

Where can I find information about the Elysian regions?

The Places database has links to all the pages about places in our setting, including the Realms, Regions and Towns.

Is there a map of Elysia?

Yes, it's on the Elysia page in the overview. (Click here to be transported directly to it.)

How do characters travel between worlds?

By portal, mostly, or teleportation if they're able. However, there are limitations on who can go where (for instance, only Zanaryans can enter Zanarya).

How do portals work?

You can find out more about the portal nexus here, and other transportation types here.

What world has the most roleplay potential?

Elysia. It's the last of the realms Xanth created but is the home of the vast majority of the population (discounting humans). There are also some restrictions on the other realms, such as Zanarya only being accessible by Zanaryans, so you'll find most of the threads happen in Elysia. It's a world as large as Earth, though, and just as varied in terms of terrain, climate and culture, so it's pretty open.

What town has the most roleplay potential?

Alexshire, if only because it's the most established. (It's also at the heart of the portal nexus so is the most easily accessible.) However, Espur is also easily accessible with its own portal, and offers a different experience as a bustling port town.

What gods are there?

EF has one main deity, Xanth, who created all the Known Realms except Earth. She comes from a people and a place called the Tanakheim, and these are all powerful beings just like her (if not even more powerful). A couple of these Tanakheim have popped in to visit Xanth in the past, and she maintains a tenuous peace with a neighbouring god called Dananka, but Elysians don't know this.

There are also many other religions across the Known Realms, including ones that have translated through the portals such as Christianity, and ones that are unique to the Xanthian races, but these are much less common than the belief in Xanth herself. That's not to say all Elysians believe in her, or that those who do actually worship her. In fact the Priesthood of Xanth is only recently getting back on its feet after a long and conspicuous absence, so only one of her statues has survived the millennia of neglect.

Xanth interacts with people? That's so cool! How can I get her to notice my character, too?

If you'd like to roleplay with Xanth, you can contact her player, Emma, by private message to request a thread, or discuss it in the shoutbox. It's really that simple, and sometimes she pops into threads of her own volition, too. :)

We can't guarantee what condition your character will be in after their visit, though. (:

What is a Sanctuary?

Sanctuaries are individual areas that belong to a specific race. These areas may be small enclaves like the Rowan Caverns, or entire planets like Zanarya, and usually have their own government, laws and customs. In the past, sanctuaries were closed to everyone except members of the species who lived there, but in recent times some have opened the proverbial gates to strangers.

Many of the rituals and rites your character goes through will be performed in their sanctuary. However, the term is not used as often as it used to be as these places and their roles have all evolved.

Does everything have to be approved beforehand, or can I introduce new things into the world on my own?

Not everything has to be approved, no. Small things, like the village your character was born in, or recipes they've learned to cook, are fine as long as they fit the setting (and as long as they're original). Obviously, I do reserve the right to ask you to edit if I think what you've made up doesn't fit EF, but otherwise you're fine to make things up as you go.

Big things are another matter, however, and do need to be approved before they feature in your roleplay threads. This includes plants, creatures, significant historical events and figures, and things of that ilk. The creation of new regions, realms and sentient races is also reserved purely for official events and can only be done by the admins.

Please note that if you do create things for roleplay purposes, we do ask that you then add them to the wiki so that others can share your creation and use it in their own roleplays if they choose. The big things must be added to the wiki and approved before they can be used in roleplay (so no making up creatures on the fly, I'm afraid).

Can I create my own race?

No, EF has only the Seven Races to play with. You can submit new creatures for the bestiary, however. :)

I have a great idea for a creature! I've been roleplaying here for a while, so can I just put it in an RP?

No, all new creatures (and plants) must be submitted officially and approved by an administrator before it can be roleplayed.

Please make sure you read our submissions page and use the appropriate templates when creating new pages on the wiki.

Can I create my own location?

Yes! There's no way we can describe each and every street or even all of the towns within the Elysian Fields so we encourage our members to get creative. Please keep the EF setting in mind when you're thinking up new places and check with the administrators if you're not sure, but we welcome new ideas. :)

However, you may not create new realms or regions, only the smaller locales within pre-existing regions (eg. the Dardanian town where your character grew up, or the Nubian farm their parents own).

Please make sure you read our submissions page and use the appropriate templates when creating new pages on the wiki.

What race has the most roleplay potential?

Really, you can get on well with any of them, but ultimately it depends on the type of roleplay you want. For instance, Nymphs are forbidden to use physical violence and are pacifists, so if you want a combatant then they're not your best choice. Conversely, members of the Rutilus Sept are trained in combat from the moment they successfully join their Sept, so they ideal for combat scenarios.

If you read the racial profiles, you can get to know their cultures and trends and then go from there. As well, there are always exceptions, so as long as you can justify (through background and personality in their profile as well as later roleplay) your character's actions, then all of the playable races have masses of potential. :)

What is the level of technology in Elysia?

The Technology page answers this question in greater detail, as well as listing certain Elysian-specific technologies that your character will likely deal with every day. However, the shortest answer is to say that the non-Earth realms are fairly medieval in terms of what technologies they have. They use mount-drawn carts instead of cars, there are no trains or aeroplanes; no silicon chips or power stations. Everything they use is organic, and nor is anything mass produced so the focus is on small, cottage-style industries and family-run businesses rather than massive conglomerates or department stores.

It's important to note as well that anything remotely pollutive or destructive on a grand scale will stop working the second it passes through a portal, and very few Elysians are interested in inventing such.

How rare are books in Elysia?

Quite rare. The majority are hand-scribed, in fact, and even though printing presses exist in Elysia, they're at a level of technology that makes mass production of books difficult. For that reason, there are only three libraries in the whole of Elysia (in New Alexandria, the Cloud Palace and a smaller one in Espur), and book shops are also fairly rare (not to mention quite expensive).

That said, information is available on Elysia's CORWW, which is their equivalent of the internet. Most knowledge, however, is passed down person-to-person on a face-to-face basis, so Elysians don't often have need of books anyway.

How big can shops get in Elysia?

Not very. All businesses in Elysia are family-owned and -operated, with trades and crafts being passed down through apprenticeships. Even when they do hire in non-relatives, they just don't have the technology to mass produce on a grand enough scale to build a mercantile empire, so businesses and shops remain quite small (by which I mean they don't normally require more than a couple of rooms - if that - to hold their stock).

What languages do Elysians speak?

It depends on the species and where they live, but there are several different languages as outlined below. I've put in [brackets] what we've based these languages on out-of-character so you can use matching resources to name your characters and so on — but these are purely for OOC purposes because Earth languages are extremely rare in Elysia.

• Elysian is the "common tongue" spoken mostly on eastern Elysia. Dardanos has its own dialect and accents can vary from town to town. [English (urban); Scottish, Irish (rural)]
• The dominant language throughout the mountains is Anyeli (which is no surprise since the mountains belong to their Empire). However, Anyeli also commonly speak Elysian and/or Sylvan. [(Ancient, Classical, Modern) Greek]
• Nymphs and Therians usually speak Sylvan. Some communes and clans refuse to have anything to do with city folk so will actively avoid learning to speak anything else, while others are more friendly and will learn the most common local dialect (so if they live in the mountains, they'd most likely learn Anyeli, whereas if they lived in Daire, they'd probably speak Elysian). [(Ancient, Classical, Modern) Greek]
• Vampires keep their original language, so it depends what their original species was. They may also learn other languages after their infection to better fit in to their local environment, but that would depend on where they wish to live.
• Zanaryans have their own language, Zanaryan. Those who never leave their home realm have no reason to speak anything else, but they will learn Elysian, at the very least, if they have plans to live there. [Arabic, Iranian, Khazakh]
• Dracovarians have a complicated linguistic history. The majority of those who remained on Earth speak French as their primary language, while those who migrated to Elysia speak mostly Elysian. (Again, it depends on where exactly they lived.) Both still use Latin as the official language for rituals. (Although there is a movement toward adopting a simplified version of Draconic for such rituals, the majority still use Latin.)

The Dracovari are the only species that will learn a language just for the sake of it, so it's unusual for Elysians to be fluent in languages they don't use in daily life. That said, they can be multilingual, if only to pick up a few words here and there.