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Half-Kender? Really?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Oct 14, 2004 19:18:23 Does anyone else find the concept of a half-kender or specifically the origins thereof to be more than a little gross? I'll try to spare details for the sake of decency but for me, given the child-like nature of kender in both stature and personality, the circumstances of a half-kender's birth strike me as gut-wrenching.
#2
Charles_Phipps
Oct 14, 2004 19:27:13 However, it then occurred to me the question...how do NORMAL kender get born.

It then occurred to me kender do have mindsets of adults. Their behavior is just interpreted as a child's feelings. A half kender might be a short young man constantly trying to figure out how to woo a particular maiden and going through a thousand weird ideas....

I'm reminded of the Rod of Seven Parts where the halflings could be kender, the rogue there is a huge lady's man.

I think we should consider Tasslehoff fairly unique and add Merry and Pippin to the ranks of "more serious" kender even if they are fairly lighthearted.
#3
talinthas
Oct 14, 2004 19:28:01
Does anyone else find the concept of a half-kender or specifically the origins thereof to be more than a little gross? I'll try to spare details for the sake of decency but for me, given the child-like nature of kender in both stature and personality, the circumstances of a half-kender's birth strike me as gut-wrenching.

what? why? dude, you're stretching here. child like doesnt mean 'child'. After all, little kender come from somewhere, so i'd assume that a fully grown kender is not unfamiliar with the concept of reproduction. In the story of tarli half-kender, we are told that his mother didn't tell his father about her ancestry, and let him believe that she was just short.

Elsewhere we are told that kender have incredibly easy pregnancies and births, and as such, aren't all that concerned with the mechanics of it all.

I see no problem with half kender, except from some more conservative groups who would view all half races as abberations, which could be a cool campaign unto itself.
#4
Charles_Phipps
Oct 14, 2004 19:30:00 They're just innocents I suppose, so I imagine they probably have their own adulteries and so forth....I just kind of imagine that the "adult side" of kender is probably rarely touched on.

I sort of see them as pretty free love.
#5
daedavias_dup
Oct 14, 2004 19:42:19 Why is it that whenever people think of a half-kender, they automatically assume that the kender was the mother? What is it about a male kender having a sexual relationship with a human female that seems so wrong? Beyond size problems (trust me, despite what people say, size does matter, especially on an anatomical/physiological level), I can't see why it wouldn't work.

Oh well, I don't find half-kender to be any more weird than half-elves or half-ogres. Beyond the latter case, a lot of these relationships develop from love and caring, and what is wrong with that? People find love in the weirdest places.
#6
zombiegleemax
Oct 14, 2004 21:07:38 Actually, we tend to focus so much on the more amusing antics of Tas and other kender that we forget that they can be, and are, adults in a real way. Rereading Dragons of Autumn Twilight there are some scenes where Tas comes across as seasoned (and very much adult) adventurer.

Certainly many people underestimate kender, assuming that they are just eternal children. But they have managed to build and maintain nations of their own for centuries, and certainly that could not happen if they were as childlike as people credit them with being.

As mentioned, little kender have to come from somewhere. Kender have relationships (and sex) like humans, elves and dwarves do. And there are probably people that find the kender personality immensely appealing. The kender, for their part, may enjoy being desired by humans.
#7
dragontooth
Oct 14, 2004 23:33:39 Well since Kenders are naturally curious. I'm sure they are curious about sex, sex with humans, sex with cows.. oops i mean minotaurs :D
#8
zombiegleemax
Oct 15, 2004 0:27:56 The last character I created was a half-kender. I decided his dad was a weathered afflicted kender who fell in with the horsemen of Khur. Dad was a bit tall for a kender, human mom was petite. She would have been a bit taller but no different than a 5'3 human male marrying a 6' tall woman. At first glance a little unusual but definitely not in the realm of anything inappropriate.

Half-kender are supposed to be rare, but it doesn't take too much imagination to get away from the unpleasant imagery, especially when you have the afflicted option.
#9
ivid
Oct 15, 2004 8:54:50 Mmmmmmmmh By this thread I feel seriously offended!
Mommy always said I was a bit different from the other childs from Hylo, and they always picked on me because my father was an ogre...

Really, there is no idea how any mentally normal mortal being could get hooked up with a KENDER...
My suggestions
1. beer
2. Magic mushrooms
3. necrophilia
#10
zombiegleemax
Oct 15, 2004 9:09:52
what? why? dude, you're stretching here. child like doesnt mean 'child'. After all, little kender come from somewhere, so i'd assume that a fully grown kender is not unfamiliar with the concept of reproduction.

According to The Second Generation, kender believe that children are brought by storks.
#11
Sysane
Oct 15, 2004 9:21:39 I remembered reading a short story about a half-kender that was petitioning to become of KoS. It was a pretty good (if not humorous) tale. Can't remember the name of the novel though.
#12
Dragonhelm
Oct 15, 2004 10:09:07
I remembered reading a short story about a half-kender that was petitioning to become of KoS. It was a pretty good (if not humorous) tale. Can't remember the name of the novel though.

It was called "Kender Stew", and was in The Reign of Istar. The character in the story was Tarli Half-Kender. Tarli shows up again in "No Gods, No Heroes" in The Cataclysm for a brief guest appearance.
#13
nightdruid
Oct 15, 2004 10:26:21 Don't forget Gaye Goldring (I believe that's her name) from Spelljammer.
She was a very prominat character in Maelstrom's Eye where she was the love interest of Teldin Moore. She returned in The Ultimate Helm as an extremely powerful psionicist. She was a really neat character.
#14
Dragonhelm
Oct 15, 2004 10:43:29 Or Scrounger from Brothers in Arms.
#15
zombiegleemax
Oct 15, 2004 19:06:56 I think that half-kender is not that unrealistic. Many people seem never to outgrew their childish behavior and would seem perfectly suited to a kender, and kender have been around long enough that some mixing is bound to take place. Tarli and others are just examples. Master Dugold (The Urkhan vol. II Bertrem's Guide to the War of Souls) is rumored to have both gnome and kender along with his dwarven blood. But, I can see much more mixing especially with the afflicted kender who do not act very kenderish.

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Oct 14, 2004 19:18:23	Does anyone else find the concept of a half-kender or specifically the origins thereof to be more than a little gross? I'll try to spare details for the sake of decency but for me, given the child-like nature of kender in both stature and personality, the circumstances of a half-kender's birth strike me as gut-wrenching.
#2 Charles_Phipps Oct 14, 2004 19:27:13	However, it then occurred to me the question...how do NORMAL kender get born. It then occurred to me kender do have mindsets of adults. Their behavior is just interpreted as a child's feelings. A half kender might be a short young man constantly trying to figure out how to woo a particular maiden and going through a thousand weird ideas.... I'm reminded of the Rod of Seven Parts where the halflings could be kender, the rogue there is a huge lady's man. I think we should consider Tasslehoff fairly unique and add Merry and Pippin to the ranks of "more serious" kender even if they are fairly lighthearted.
#3 talinthas Oct 14, 2004 19:28:01	Does anyone else find the concept of a half-kender or specifically the origins thereof to be more than a little gross? I'll try to spare details for the sake of decency but for me, given the child-like nature of kender in both stature and personality, the circumstances of a half-kender's birth strike me as gut-wrenching. what? why? dude, you're stretching here. child like doesnt mean 'child'. After all, little kender come from somewhere, so i'd assume that a fully grown kender is not unfamiliar with the concept of reproduction. In the story of tarli half-kender, we are told that his mother didn't tell his father about her ancestry, and let him believe that she was just short. Elsewhere we are told that kender have incredibly easy pregnancies and births, and as such, aren't all that concerned with the mechanics of it all. I see no problem with half kender, except from some more conservative groups who would view all half races as abberations, which could be a cool campaign unto itself.
#4 Charles_Phipps Oct 14, 2004 19:30:00	They're just innocents I suppose, so I imagine they probably have their own adulteries and so forth....I just kind of imagine that the "adult side" of kender is probably rarely touched on. I sort of see them as pretty free love.
#5 daedavias_dup Oct 14, 2004 19:42:19	Why is it that whenever people think of a half-kender, they automatically assume that the kender was the mother? What is it about a male kender having a sexual relationship with a human female that seems so wrong? Beyond size problems (trust me, despite what people say, size does matter, especially on an anatomical/physiological level), I can't see why it wouldn't work. Oh well, I don't find half-kender to be any more weird than half-elves or half-ogres. Beyond the latter case, a lot of these relationships develop from love and caring, and what is wrong with that? People find love in the weirdest places.
#6 zombiegleemax Oct 14, 2004 21:07:38	Actually, we tend to focus so much on the more amusing antics of Tas and other kender that we forget that they can be, and are, adults in a real way. Rereading Dragons of Autumn Twilight there are some scenes where Tas comes across as seasoned (and very much adult) adventurer. Certainly many people underestimate kender, assuming that they are just eternal children. But they have managed to build and maintain nations of their own for centuries, and certainly that could not happen if they were as childlike as people credit them with being. As mentioned, little kender have to come from somewhere. Kender have relationships (and sex) like humans, elves and dwarves do. And there are probably people that find the kender personality immensely appealing. The kender, for their part, may enjoy being desired by humans.
#7 dragontooth Oct 14, 2004 23:33:39	Well since Kenders are naturally curious. I'm sure they are curious about sex, sex with humans, sex with cows.. oops i mean minotaurs :D
#8 zombiegleemax Oct 15, 2004 0:27:56	The last character I created was a half-kender. I decided his dad was a weathered afflicted kender who fell in with the horsemen of Khur. Dad was a bit tall for a kender, human mom was petite. She would have been a bit taller but no different than a 5'3 human male marrying a 6' tall woman. At first glance a little unusual but definitely not in the realm of anything inappropriate. Half-kender are supposed to be rare, but it doesn't take too much imagination to get away from the unpleasant imagery, especially when you have the afflicted option.
#9 ivid Oct 15, 2004 8:54:50	Mmmmmmmmh By this thread I feel seriously offended! Mommy always said I was a bit different from the other childs from Hylo, and they always picked on me because my father was an ogre... Really, there is no idea how any mentally normal mortal being could get hooked up with a KENDER... My suggestions 1. beer 2. Magic mushrooms 3. necrophilia
#10 zombiegleemax Oct 15, 2004 9:09:52	what? why? dude, you're stretching here. child like doesnt mean 'child'. After all, little kender come from somewhere, so i'd assume that a fully grown kender is not unfamiliar with the concept of reproduction. According to The Second Generation, kender believe that children are brought by storks.
#11 Sysane Oct 15, 2004 9:21:39	I remembered reading a short story about a half-kender that was petitioning to become of KoS. It was a pretty good (if not humorous) tale. Can't remember the name of the novel though.
#12 Dragonhelm Oct 15, 2004 10:09:07	I remembered reading a short story about a half-kender that was petitioning to become of KoS. It was a pretty good (if not humorous) tale. Can't remember the name of the novel though. It was called "Kender Stew", and was in The Reign of Istar. The character in the story was Tarli Half-Kender. Tarli shows up again in "No Gods, No Heroes" in The Cataclysm for a brief guest appearance.
#13 nightdruid Oct 15, 2004 10:26:21	Don't forget Gaye Goldring (I believe that's her name) from Spelljammer. She was a very prominat character in Maelstrom's Eye where she was the love interest of Teldin Moore. She returned in The Ultimate Helm as an extremely powerful psionicist. She was a really neat character.
#14 Dragonhelm Oct 15, 2004 10:43:29	Or Scrounger from Brothers in Arms.
#15 zombiegleemax Oct 15, 2004 19:06:56	I think that half-kender is not that unrealistic. Many people seem never to outgrew their childish behavior and would seem perfectly suited to a kender, and kender have been around long enough that some mixing is bound to take place. Tarli and others are just examples. Master Dugold (The Urkhan vol. II Bertrem's Guide to the War of Souls) is rumored to have both gnome and kender along with his dwarven blood. But, I can see much more mixing especially with the afflicted kender who do not act very kenderish.