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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
 Posted - 04 Mar 2006 : 17:37:00
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What would be a derogatory term against an elf, halfling or dwarf?
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Kajehase
Great Reader
Sweden
2104 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2006 : 18:14:46
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| The classic slur against elves would be "pointy-ears." |
There is a rumour going around that I have found god. I think is unlikely because I have enough difficulty finding my keys, and there is empirical evidence that they exist.
Terry Pratchett |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2006 : 18:18:14
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Dragons, hmmm. Something about "son of a lizard", or other slurs belittling their draconic stature.
I can't remember the exact phrasing I've heard, but something similar.
Ok not sure why I said dragons there, you didn't even ask for that lol. Oh well I'll leave it in.
References to a Dwarfs lineage (or lack of it), his beard (or lack of it) and loyalty (or lack of it) will never go down too well :)
Halflings seem fairly easy going, and perhaps harder to insult. I don't imagine they'd take too kindly to being called gnomes (and vice-versa, though perhaps in the same way a japanese person would resent being called chinese).
Also I know they're not the same, but the Kender go absolutely nuts if they get called thieves, or more specifically "Cut-purse", which really enrages them |
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Sarta
Senior Scribe
USA
505 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2006 : 18:25:51
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You looking for one catch-all word that will encompass all three races or one for each?
I know from one of my campaigns, we had a character with a huge small man's complex who constantly insulted folks in his day to day conversation. Borrowing from his lexicon:
Elf -- nancy-boy, sissy-boy, girly-man, sweet-cheeks, tree-hugger, fancy-pants, and Betsy (referring to male elves)
Halfling -- little-man, midget, runt, knee-biter, and Betsy (referring to a male halfling)
Dwarf -- stumpy, runt, knuckle-dragger, and Betsy (referring to a male dwarf).
Needless to say, a lot of folks were called Betsy in that campaign. |
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tauster
Senior Scribe
Germany
399 Posts |
Posted - 04 Mar 2006 : 18:59:22
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dwarves and gnomes might be called "stone-head".
edit:
I just found out that "stonehead" already has meaning in english language...
being a german, things like that are sometimes easily overseen.
urban dictionary(1) is one of the most useful links for stuff like that.
(1) http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=stonehead |
Edited by - tauster on 04 Mar 2006 19:02:44 |
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warlockco
Master of Realmslore
USA
1695 Posts |
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Scot Storm
Acolyte
29 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 01:05:35
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I think you could call a Sylvanesti elf a Qualenisti or Sylvanesti Elf a Drow. As far as the the Dwarf you could remark on the quality of his skillmanship or lack of it. As far as the halfing I figure insulting his size or lack of money could insult him.
Storm |
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Scot Storm
Acolyte
29 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 01:31:24
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Even though the elves have different skin color.
Storm |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 01:35:23
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quote:
Originally posted by Scot Storm
I think you could call a Sylvanesti elf a Qualenisti or Sylvanesti Elf a Drow.
While that is true... it really would be only applicable on Krynn since Sylvanesti and Qualinesti elves aren't primarily Realms races.
And while calling a Sylvanesti elf a drow could be just as insulting as calling a Realms gold elf a drow... note that the reference to the drow in both examples refer to something very different. Drow in DL are simply elves (almost always Sylvanesti) who have fallen "out of the light" so to speak and are not one with the worship of Paladine -- resulting in banishment from the forest kingdom. Drow in the Realms on the other hand are represented far differently.
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Edited by - The Sage on 05 Mar 2006 01:37:46 |
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Khondar
Acolyte
USA
33 Posts |
Posted - 05 Mar 2006 : 23:52:13
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Here are a few you can toss at your not-so-favorite dwarf:
dainty
fish-catching
milk-drinking
goblin/orc/troll-friend
goblin/orc/troll-spawn
tool-snatching
perfumed
elf-kissing
pixie
willow-waisted
poetry-reading
snotling-fondler
crybaby
oathbreaker
tree-climbing
troll-barf
pointy-earned
hanky-waving
beard-shaving
sissy
95% effective at offending your dwarven neighbors.
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ksu_bond
Learned Scribe
New Zealand
214 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 01:10:30
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Dwarf - calling them or some how inferring that they are a gnome, orc, goblin, elf, or duergar. Also, anything that calls into question the length of their beard (short beard), strength, pride/honor, height, or age.
Sun Elf - simply calling them or referring to their heritage as being anything other than Sun Elven.
Wood Elf - calling them or some how inferring that they are a Sun Elf (though this could also be used for all non Sun Elves, depending on how they view their cousins)
Surface Elf - any reference to being Drow
Now for Halflings and Wild Elves, I've never really heard anything specific but some inferences can be made. Such as Halflings typically enjoy playing pranks of dwarves due to their dour moods, so to call a Halfling that would infer that they are dwarf-like I'm sure wouldn't be taken as a compliment. Similarly, Wild Elves avoid civilization and inferring that they are some how civilized would probly work, assuming of course you came across one and weren't killed for traspassing/defiling their pristine woodland. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 01:36:37
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An insult Dragons was to call them WORM instead of Wyrm
One of Laerals Daughter in the Evermeet novel calls a surface Elf an Albino Drow
Viconia (The Drow chick from the BG games) calls non Drow Iblith which translate as Offal, excretment or carrion |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Conlon
Learned Scribe
Canada
132 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 02:53:18
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| I was playing an elf once and a fellow party member adressed him scornfully as "Leaf Licker". Man, was I mad....I think I could only come up with "Rock Bottom" for his dwarven cleric. Weak, I know, but I was in no state for witty repartee after that Leaf Licker comment... |
My hopes are ashes, my dreams are dust. All my intentions mean nothing unless they are followed by action. |
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RodOdom
Senior Scribe
USA
509 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 03:03:39
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| These are great ! thank you, all. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 03:57:04
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| I seem to recall some Elf vs Dwarf insults in Elfsong |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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Shadovar
Senior Scribe
785 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 07:01:45
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Against an orc, insult him by saying his heart is the equivalent of a goblin's heart.(It means the orc is as cowardly as a goblin.)
Against an dragon, compare him to a lesser smaller race which dragons tend to hold themselves as superior over(like compare the wrym to the weakest of the smaller races) or call it a "slanted-eye worm/lizard" or "You are not a true spirited wyrm but you heart is from one of the cowardly smaller races." (Something that was mentioned during my fellow's campaign.)
Against an most elves, say they resemble hobgoblins or goblins because they have pointy ears that look similar to a goblin. "You look like a goblin, elf. Your ears are not elven but an imitation of a goblin's ears."
Against a dwarf, insult their honor and bravery. Use common terms like "cowardly shorty" or "orc feet-licker" or "goblin-hearted dwarf" or "you have no darkvision because you do not have goblin blood or say dwarf blood doesn't flow in your veins, instead it is the blood of a goblin instead."(the worst insult to a dwarf)
Against a halfling, call him/her a "sneaky hole-seeking rat" or "squat doll as they shorter than a dwarf and not thick-frame like most" |
We have fostered trust, recruited loyalty, and gathered the faithful. We have trained thousands. Our legions can cover the land, fill the sky and travel through the darkness. We can hunt any and all that would deny our heritage. Now is our time, now is the time of the Dark Reign(Rain) of the Empire of Shadows.
- High Prince Telemont Tanthul, Lord Shadow
In a speech given to the citizens of Shade Enclave
At the celebration of the Shinantra Battle victory when he revealed that he was THE Lord Shadow of legend. |
Edited by - Shadovar on 06 Mar 2006 07:05:51 |
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silvermage
Seeker
77 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 07:11:20
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Insult a gold elf by reminding him of the gold elves of the failure of Aryvaandar Empire, they often fume at such insults as this is the last thing they want to hear.
A moon elf is generally pale, can call him an "white-powdered dandy."
A dwarf can be insulted by saying "your whole clan is nothing more than being comprised of goblin-fathered dwarves."
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khorne
Master of Realmslore
Finland
1073 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 11:04:50
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| Dragon: spawn of a kobold. That ought to infuriate any wyrm. |
If I were a ranger, I would pick NDA for my favorite enemy |
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Jindael
Senior Scribe
USA
357 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 12:47:23
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| Back in the first days of 3ed, a friend of mine made a dwarven druid. Another friend was playing a dwarven fighter. The fighter, a staunch lawful good dwarf with strong clan traditions, constantly referred to the druid as “Fleabeard”. |
"You don't have a Soul. You are a Soul. You have a body."
-- C.S. Lewis |
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Kazzaroth
Learned Scribe
Finland
104 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 21:52:45
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| Call moon elf a 'Grey elf' and you make them literally pissed off. I swear I found this referance somewhere in FR books that grey elf term is grave insult to a moon elf and used mostly by sun elves towards moon elf. |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36965 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 23:15:56
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quote:
Originally posted by Kazzaroth
Call moon elf a 'Grey elf' and you make them literally pissed off. I swear I found this referance somewhere in FR books that grey elf term is grave insult to a moon elf and used mostly by sun elves towards moon elf.
Early on in Elfshadow, Arilyn was a bit offended when a human looked at her and said "You're a gray, aren't you?" I believe the human was Sratish (sp?), and he was giving her info to get into Darkhold. |
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Kaladorm
Master of Realmslore
United Kingdom
1176 Posts |
Posted - 06 Mar 2006 : 23:48:28
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quote:
Originally posted by silvermage
Insult a gold elf by reminding him of the gold elves of the failure of Aryvaandar Empire, they often fume at such insults as this is the last thing they want to hear.
A moon elf is generally pale, can call him an "white-powdered dandy."
A dwarf can be insulted by saying "your whole clan is nothing more than being comprised of goblin-fathered dwarves."
Quote from The Summoning by Troy Denning
quote:
"...you should know what happens when elves and humans mix," the high mage replied. "How long ago was it that Myth Drannor fell?"
"More recently than Aryvandar," Khelben shot back. "And you can hardly blame humans for that."
The gibe drew an angry snarl from Ryence and a black glare from Bladuid. No elf - especially no Gold elf - liked to be reminded of how the Crown Wars had shattered the golden age of elven civilization
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Hoondatha
Great Reader
USA
2450 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 01:31:45
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Gee, finally something worthwhile comes out of that series... I'm mildly amazed.
Getting at least somewhat on topic, trying calling a dwarf a "halfer" (yes, it's from Shadowrun, but I still like it). |
Doggedly converting 3e back to what D&D should be...
Sigh... And now 4e as well. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 01:46:02
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| Elminster makes a similar comment in Elminster in Myth Drannor |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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The Sage
Procrastinator Most High
Australia
31799 Posts |
Posted - 07 Mar 2006 : 04:55:49
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
quote:
Originally posted by Kazzaroth
Call moon elf a 'Grey elf' and you make them literally pissed off. I swear I found this referance somewhere in FR books that grey elf term is grave insult to a moon elf and used mostly by sun elves towards moon elf.
Early on in Elfshadow, Arilyn was a bit offended when a human looked at her and said "You're a gray, aren't you?" I believe the human was Sratish (sp?), and he was giving her info to get into Darkhold.
Indeed... from my novel notes -- "Gray Elf" was a derogatory term used by a human or dwarf and a deadly insult from the lip of another elf. It is normally associated with moon elves only.
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Scribe for the Candlekeep Compendium -- Volume IX now available (Oct 2007)
"So Saith Ed" -- the collected Candlekeep replies of Ed Greenwood
Zhoth'ilam Folio -- The Electronic Misadventures of a Rambling Sage |
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Artalis
Senior Scribe
USA
444 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2006 : 17:47:17
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This is because the translation of "Gray" from common to elven means "colorless" or "lackluster, having no beauty or worth"
Gray and Silver are entirely different things to elves especially Moon Elves. A nice bit of culture there.
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Artalis
Email
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Edited by - Artalis on 20 Apr 2006 17:48:09 |
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BlackAce
Senior Scribe
United Kingdom
358 Posts |
Posted - 20 Apr 2006 : 20:08:30
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A few I've heard over the years:
"Been worshiping Lolth recently?" - Said when elven cleric of Hanali lost her temper.
"Oh shut up, you short-arsed rock-walloper!" - said to a Dwarf NPC by a halfling PC of all people.
"Dwork!" - The best comeback ever by one of my players, after being extoted by a Dwarf.
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stormcrow1618
Acolyte
12 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 10:14:33
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quote:
Originally posted by BlackAce
A few I've heard over the years:
"Been worshiping Lolth recently?" - Said when elven cleric of Hanali lost her temper.
"Oh shut up, you short-arsed rock-walloper!" - said to a Dwarf NPC by a halfling PC of all people.
"Dwork!" - The best comeback ever by one of my players, after being extoted by a Dwarf.
Somewhat off-topic, but "Dwork!" reminded me...
Have you ever played Midnight? They've got dworgs, which the most awesome halfbreed race, generally the result of orc hordes raiding dwarf clans and raping their women. Oh man, what a race they are. I once played a dworg barbarian named Zorg. The race is just ridiculous, but fun as HELL. "ZORG SMASH!" was an oft heard phrase moments before many Legates met their doom. Dumb as a puddle of puke, though.
Of course, to my knowledge this fusion isn't canonically possible in FR, but I might just throw some dworg NPCs into my campaign for kicks.
They also had elflings, which were a halfling/elf union, and I think one involving gnomes and some other race. Some pretty neato stuff. :P |
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gribble_the_munchkin
Acolyte
United Kingdom
18 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 14:07:23
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In a recent session my goody-two-shoes Sun Elf called another Elf a Vyshaanti. That got a suitably indignant response.
For the record it was because the other elf was trying to cover up the horrific murder and torture of lots of lesser nobility by my characters father and brother (closet evil necromancer types). She had wanted to conceal their crime to ensure that the elven inhabitants of Waterdeep could save face. My character had instead been of the opinion that they deserved to be arrested and tried for their crimes.
Thinking about it the worst possible insults to an Elf would probably be Vyshaan, Dhaerow and such like. Shameful reminders of the Elven peoples darkest moments. |
"We are sorry, you have reached an imaginary number, please rotate your phone 90 degrees and try again" |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 14:47:31
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| Wasn't there a dwarven insult table in one of the older Dragon issues? 240 something maybe? |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36965 Posts |
Posted - 08 Sep 2006 : 17:22:03
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quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
Wasn't there a dwarven insult table in one of the older Dragon issues? 240 something maybe?
The "Dwarven Insult Generator" is on page 88 of issue 245, as part of the "Best Behavior" article by Christopher Perkins. I had to hit The DragonDex to find it.  |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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Slur words against fantasy races
