I'm sure most of you are probably confused as hell by the fact that this is getting bumped up, but as I've been working on Phostus, I continued to turn this over in my head. There's just no getting around the fact that as time wore on, I became less thrilled with what was going on with the moonfolk and I've decided to replace them.

The earlier idea that was present was to have the vedalken take their place, but I'm willing to sort of feel out what people's reactions to that would be.
Part of that is the fact that they'd be splashing in a significant way, which isn't something they have a very notable history of doing.
Still, all told, I wanted to see what the forum's reaction might be and possibly collect some data on other possibilities. (And bloody NO, I am not doing the damned cephalids!)

I did consider kor, but I am not terribly sure about them...

So, why would you not want moonfolk, and what would you gain by replacing them with Vedalken?

Partly it's the angel aesthetic because I can gain the vedalken angels getting four arms.
Aside from that, the moonfolk here have a very disconnected nature and no real anchor developed mythologically. They are essentially a new race altogether that I just sort of stapled the name "moonfolk" too without much good cause. Aside from that, the tropical aesthetic developed around them is a bit... peculiar.

In the same fashion though, I want to specify that I'm not wed to the idea of the vedalken. I'd mentioned, albeit in tiny tiny text, that I did consider kor, who although they've been attached pretty hardcore to white, did have blue, and even a brief black appearance. I think the kor would probably be the easiest adaptation of the existing structure, but by the same merit, I'd be fighting expectations to make them white.

Yeah, that seems like a bit of a leap for the blue Kor.

Moonfolk and Vedalken both have the same sort of disconnectedness problem I think... I mean, at the very least Vedalken don't have a super well developed place in Magic. Have you considered just relying on good old merfolk?

Disclaimer: it's been a looong time since I read over the info on this plane closely.

How about Amphins?

(Don't hit me!)

Amphin are on Phostus. Which you would know. IF YOU CAUGHT UP! (haha, but no, take your time)
Mostly, I don't think they fit aesthetically with the world.
I was really trying to keep things from becoming non-monstrous, but a huge portion of this is that the merfolk just... don't really fit with the ascendant angel thing. They would look particularly weird in any way that wouldn't fight expectations. I'm already having to readjust people's expectations with the gorgons so...

Gosh when i imagine vedalkin angels.... the 1985 film "Brazil" comes to mind, and I love that movie.

There are no 4 armed angels in that movie, but there could have been.... there could have been.

Oh, I know...

That's, uh, what I mean...

Since I have Phostus all nice and tucked away now, I'm turning to polishing Ellysium before I sink into my next worldbuilding project. Ellysium has been deferred for so long that I think it's important to finish it out, and that's very notable given the fact that it was very nearly there to begin with.

Ultimately, I have decided to change out the moonfolk for vedalken, which helps tie in some of their aesthetics a bit easier since I can draw a bit more on the roman influence for the Republic. The vedalken have a stateliness to them that lends itself well, and the angel aesthetics for their ascendance plays well with the four arm mutation that hangs around. (Aside from that, I've earmarked the moonfolk for the next project I've been brainstorming about, so... don't want to glut the market.)

In other news for the Atlas, I should really go through and review what all new tech I have available since Theros came out and gave me some things to play with. It helped Janhapuhr after all, so maybe it'll help some other places too.