Elvasha

Our ancestors were considered the greatest of our people as they had achieved much in their lifetime, peace, prosperity, and immortality. Yet they let their pride and ignorance lead to their downfall, and now we live in their shadow with only a glimpse of what we once had and will never achieve again. - Elean'ra Shura

The Elvasha, known as the Revered Elves, were a highly advanced society that existed thousands of years ago that ruled over the entirety of Western Lands under the Unified Elven Empire and headed an alliance of the other races that lived in the west during its existence. Their society built great wonders and advancements that pale compared to advancements in the modern world. However, their culture would come burning down with the arrival of the Beastmen, with their society and culture almost being destroyed. Despite advanced society, they were no match for the beastly might of the Beastmen, and the survivors would be forced to flee across the sea to the Continent of Dageth where their culture would degrade with the War of Light and Dark and the Awakening that would create a schism throughout their entire race with little to no remnants of their former glory and achievements remaining.

Forgotten History

Not much is known about the old Elves and their great empire that once existed, only that it existed for thousands of years unopposed and lived in relative peace for a long time, or so the stories go. Their ancestors kept much of it alive through oral traditions and later written down as very few documents exist that survived the voyage to Dageth. Very little survived the wars and the Great Elven Schism that scattered the Elves across the continent. Those left were just bits and pieces that were hard to keep together at that time, leaving only a fraction of what was lost to be even learned by those looking at it. With very few ideas of how their tradition and daily life word after the last of their culture died off, many of their descendants of the other Elven races have been trying to reclaim their knowledge as their birthright.

Naming Traditions

Masculine names

Taenaran, Lyari, Eldaerenth

Unisex names

Ava, Tanelia, Kali

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Elusah : The ancient language of Elves that was said to have sounded like singing rather than a language, now it has become a dead language with very few being able to read it or speak it.

Culture and cultural heritage

Elven Supremacy: Though their skill and and ingenuity the Elves would become the dominant power that existed in the Western Lands with few that could oppose them and their rule. Rather than forcing the submission of the other races that raised in their empire they instead extended a open hand to allow them to work within their empire and strive to keep the peace.
United People: The Elvasha were considered the last of the pure Elves to exist during their time in the world, they were one race that existed and lived in harmony with one another with war and struggle being none existant withing their culture. They united under one cause and strived to perfect themselves and their people creating an paradise.
Beings of Perfection: They were said to be the perfect beings as if they were gods and were masters of many studies and crafts to expand their empire further. Even being able to achieve immortality to enjoy their labors and rule over the other race that existed across the Western Lands.
Magicless: Despite their advanced society and culture, they could not perform any magic of their own and used their practical knowledge to achieve their limits. Many have debated why this happened, from giving it up for immortality to the Fae restricting their access to it with their powers over magic. They would not be able to achieve it until they reached Dageth and eventually destroyed their culture in the war that followed.

Average technological level

The Elvasha was considered one of the greatest civilizations to ever exist for their time, predating most Human civilizations. While much of what they had achieved has been lost with few records being found, ruins that remain, despite being thousands of years old, remain in good condition. Their design and building materials they are made of are magnificent to behold. Only the tales of great cites of stone and their many wonders are all that remain. They were also known for their excellent skills in astronomy, being able to predict when heavenly bodies would more in place and use the stars to travel in the right direction by land and sea.

Common Dress code

Clothing was often layered by both genders and made from fine materials with jewelry. How their clothing defined their status, and daily life is mostly a mystery. Both are considered more of a spiritual aspect of their culture as not much bare skin was shown, and they might see too much skin as a sign of indecency. However, women were allowed to show a little more than men, most likely to show their beauty.

Art & Architecture

Only ruins exist that the Elvasha built, and they are still considered otherworld and utterly different from any Human designs that have been built to date. But they have still been considered some of the most breathtaking things by many who see them, no matter how run-down they are. Often standing with a white stone that has yet to lose its glow as the sun and moon's lights reflect off it. The stone is not natural but artificially built with a mixture that is all but forgotten, but it remains a marker to all the Elvish ruins across the west. These ruins range from small temples to large citadels that hold the remains of a once great people.
However, some of their art survived as well, as wall carvings and idols have been found in ruins, often depicting themselves and animals or historical events that have lost their meaning. But what stands out is their depictions of the sun and moon, often representing their gods in some way, shape, or form that seemed central to their culture.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Celestial Events: The Elvahsa had various ceremonies that involved all celestial things. From solstices to eclipses, they would use these times to honor their gods and remain in their good graces. Along with celebrating their lives or even the day of one birth with them.

Common Myths and Legends

Birth of the Moon : The story of how the moon was created and shared the sky with the sun to chase away the darkness.

Major organizations

Unified Elven Empire: It was considered one of the greatest empire that time had forgotten and the height of Elvish power in the Western Lands before it all came crashing down.

Race: Elves
Origin: Unknown
Faith: Sun and Moon
Timeline: Known History of the Elvasha

Diverged ethnicities

• Eldarthi
• Elvaresi
• Matrasu
• Vilnerian

Languages spoken

• Elusah

Related Locations

• Western Lands

Values

Purity : Form what has been deciphered, they greatly cared about the purity of their people physically and spiritually that they held in the highest regard. Often following a series of traditions and customs that allowed them to remain so. Though many of these customs are held in secret and outsiders are forbidden to know of them, the reason for this is unknown.
Faith: The Elvasha were considered very religious when it came to their gods as they extensively followed the celestial bodies of the sun, moon, and all others found along the sky. Much of their civilization is centered around them, and their history seems to be significantly intertwined. Many places seemed to have temples and art to show dedication to them as much as possible. However, the extent of this faith has been debated as they seemed to be tolerant of other faith. But they said to hold all of their sacred texts in high regard and any prophecies that may come with them from them or their religious leaders.
Peace: Despite their large and expansive empire, Elves of this culture significantly cherished the peace that existed within their land, and to avoid conflict, they allowed compromise and treaties to allow it to last. They often had friendly relationships with many of the races and ensured that they enjoyed peace through diplomatic exchanges.
Knowledge: The Elvasha sought to learn all they could learn about the world around them and what they could use to better their lives. With it being said, they once had great libraries to hold this knowledge and studied all the sciences they could achieve. It is even said that they could travel great distances using great machines that allowed them to travel across.
Unity: The Elvasha's greatest power came from the bonds they held with one another as they sought to improve their way of life as a whole rather than seeking individual desires. Often being a solid collective with no place for individual wants and needs would eventually see civilization come undone. Doing so allowed them to achieve many goals that allowed their people to flourish.

Taboos

Individuality: The idea of individuality was nonexistent in Elvasha culture as they sought to improve their people. Individuals having power over their collect could significantly alter how their society is run and lead to consequences that could lead to disaster. All were taught rules to follow, and no one could deviate from them. As though dangerous things were not allowed to spread or divisions would soon be found.
Violence: None would ever use violence to achieve goals in their culture, with none of it being tolerated. Those who committed violent acts would be severely punished for it and would not commit such acts on other races unless provoked or defended themselves. While they did have armies, they were more of a force for keeping the peace rather than for conquest and repressing any who would challenge their rule.
Chaos: They were highly dedicated to preserving order in all things and did their best to avoid the coming of chaos should it ever come. It was considered the great enemy to them as it caused nothing but pain and suffering in its wake. Often ensure that laws and countermeasures were made to avoid such events and the unpredictability that came with them.