The Elders were an ancient and powerful humanoid species in one of the 10,000 Drafts. They were equivalent to the Gods or the Infinite of other Drafts, to the role played by the Firmament in the finished 10,000 Dawns, and to that played by the Time Lords in the Totality.
History[]
The Elders originally ruled their universe from the sidelines, but were all dreadfully bored of their own power. At least one of their number, the Tourist, decided to leave to adventure throughout her universe, visiting “dangerous places” for the thrill of it. Eventually, the Tourist realised she existed in an unfinished world created by a superior power, which led her to break out of it and into the 10,000 Dawns aboard the Black Pyramid, her ship. (PROSE: The Forgotten Heroines of 10,000 Dawns Big Takeover!)
During one of their adventures as a duo, the Tourist and Ashlyn Oswin were driven to destroy the Elders for the sake of the rest of reality. However, Ashlyn seemed to believe they could easily come back, much as the Superiors had returned to the Totality. (PROSE: Go On, Toddle Along)
Behind the scenes[]
The Elders were indeed an earlier form of the concept which became the Firmament, developed by James Wylder in the early days of the 10,000 Dawns project.