In the case of our group's game (I'm not the DM, I'm the Elan in question). The Elans are only numbering in MAYBE a hundred or so. They're a brand new experiment being used by the Order in an attempt to Create a new purity of Psionics.. In general the Elans have been trained in general knowledge of the world (Equal to what reading the Wanderer's Journal and the Slave Tribes books would give you). And then given missions.
In the case of a certain Elan Kineticist going Thrallherd. He's been sent south and told to choose a City State and do his best to study it's activities, ingratiate himself with the SK in question and go from there waiting for further orders. (All the Elans are also Psionically locked up to hide their true allegiances from almost anything, or so my DM assures me :D )
So far so good, the Elan travelled south. He stopped First at Eldaarch(SP?) That went real well you can imagine, so he went south again. Stopped in Draj but was of the opinion Tek was just too nutty to be dealt with (This is all part of his back story) But in Draj he met his other traveling companions (The rest of the party) and journeyed with them to Tyr.
In Tyr we got swept up in the Zigguraut. (I actually went out of my way to arrange for our group to be captured and enslaved and then went out of our way to ensure we were thrust into the arena). the Freedom adventure went along as normal, though our DM has learned a valuable lesson that some of Freedom's Story hooks don't work if you make Athasian Characters are opposed to heroes. (The whole Noble falling off the wall and Do you help save the noble? Nope, it'd be suicide to fight that many slaves.. etc, etc).
The Fateful day came and the Elan and his Mul Soulknife Bodygaurd/fellow slave ended up in the Pyramid Battle.
Spoilers...
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We fought and took down the Halfgiant/Teleporting Elf duo Right as Rikus threw the Spear. My Elan managed an enormous spot check to note that Kalak didn't die in the attempt but was merely severely wounded. Taking the cue we attacked and subdued Rikkus, killed Neeva. And then presented the Trophy to Kalak (As in our DM's Game Kalak proceded to crush Tithian, Sadira and Agis, though not before they ruined the spell). So currently the Elan is now a Noble of Tyr and at the least in Kalak's neutral graces....
And now I realize I've just tangented off something here.
So yeah, Is this a good fit for an Elan in the world of Athas?
Elans are psionically transformed humans, and I think that they would be agents of the Mind Lords. Well, in my Dark Sun, any way. Elans could also replace the Mind Lords in their current form. Kick out the brains in a jar idea and just use the elans as the Mind Lords of the Last Sea.
Of course, elans being transformed beings to last forever, might find it hard to become an advanced being. But it's possible.
The Order is about pure psionic power. Psionic Power meaning being Psionic 20 level plus. Unless you are able to generate instant 20. level Psionic Elans they are simply too weak minded for the Orders purposes.
Kilamar
Personally I think that Elans and The Order do not fit together.
The Order is about pure psionic power. Psionic Power meaning being Psionic 20 level plus. Unless you are able to generate instant 20. level Psionic Elans they are simply too weak minded for the Orders purposes.
Would be better if the Elans were created as a slave race, or a "master race" that the Order planned to repopulate all of Athas with.
If you want to use the Order/Elan connection that is. ;)
In my game's case, use as Slaves or new Race is in the future, right now they're really just an experiment. Hence there only being a few and all sent to do things to see what pans out.
In my old 2e campaign I had the party encounter a member of the Order during the Green Age (the characters were throw back in time). He had been conducting experiments on creating a master race which he had envisioned to be a cross between a man and a dwarf (a mul, but this was before they were common place). He sired a mul son and began cloning him (one of the PC's later find out that they were actually a clone of this "first mul") .
The irony is that the Order Psion was unaware that his "master race" would be sterile and unable to procreate and continue the bloodline.
Hence there only being a few and all sent to do things to see what pans out.
That is one of the reasons I cannot imagine the Order doing this. These low level Elans would be too weak minded to last long during a Templar Inquisition.
If the Order wanted low level servants, they would have used low level humans dwarfs, etc. for years.
Kilamar
Here is another option on Elans..... (this is what I am using them as in my games.) they were an early expiriment of Rajaat on the metamorphosis/champions..
Lets look at it.
Rajaat only used humans for their capabilities, the elan are only humans.
The Champions were able to heal from damage and resist pretty massive trauma..... the Elans abilities to increase saves and absorb attacks.
Both the Elans and the Champions are effectively immortal.
In Athas both magic and psionics are outgrowths of a single power source, and Rajaat "discovered" magic while studying lifeshaping. (which seems pretty close to the kind of massive genetic level changes going on with elans.)
To be honest that gives me a feeling that the Elans would fit more as early expiriments towards making the Champions, or something Rajaat may have studied to give him the idea for the champions.....
And if you look at the high templar of Dregoth....... he seems an awfull lot like a Elan when you look at him.
just another thought.
--are they from the XPH? NB
What the hell is an elan?
--are they from the XPH? NB
Yes. They're D&D's answer to the trill. To much Star Trek. I'm not a fan of them.
Yes. They're D&D's answer to the trill. To much Star Trek. I'm not a fan of them.
Yay! Trill!In a more serious tone, yes, I could imagine the elan existing on Athas, perhaps as the cast-off creations of the sorcerer-kings.
--but as for the Order, they're all epic-level NPCs, so the elan by themselves don't merit much NB
Yes. They're D&D's answer to the trill. To much Star Trek. I'm not a fan of them.
Elans are born-again christians...er, I mean psionic creatures.
Recipe:
1. Human being.
2. Dash of ceremony and dancing around.
Result: Psionically-modified human, called Elan.
As for trills (Star Trek) and goa'uld (Stargate SG-1), they are symbionts that live in people's bodies, either sharing existence with their host or taking over.
Elans are born-again christians...er, I mean psionic creatures.
Recipe:
1. Human being.
2. Dash of ceremony and dancing around.
Result: Psionically-modified human, called Elan.
As for trills (Star Trek) and goa'uld (Stargate SG-1), they are symbionts that live in people's bodies, either sharing existence with their host or taking over.
Very similiar if you ask me. Replace worm like creature with creature of energy. Same idea.
I don't see the need to change, or add to the races of athas. The villichi have been included in the monsters compendium (first one terrors of tyr) so why not use the elan for them.
For most of the races coming out now they have a place already or simply lump the stranger ones as new race (dromite, zeph, killoren, catfolk, stonechildren, etc).
That's what i'm doing in my campaign and haven't had any problems yet.
Just my 2 bits