Elves
An Excerpt From The Diversity of Species
"My memory of my time there is fuzzy. I remember working, a lot. Sometimes I cleaned, but usually I served as a butler. Details of that time are like black spots in my memory. Not erased. My mind just seems unwilling to focus on them. One thing sticks out though. My lady's face. Beautiful and yet terrible, with hair the color of dewey grass. Fires of wrath burned constantly behind her eyes. Green, they were. More green than a forest after a long rain. To this day my blood freezes at the sight of emerald and I wonder, can she see me now as she could then? I hope I never find out."Immortal beings of natural beauty and wisdom, elves of Aedeva rarely associate with the lesser species. Most of the world's elves make their home on the continent to the west of Union Bridge, content to remain largely isolationist in relation to the other nations. Few outsiders have ever been further inland than the shores of this continent, and those who have are rarely seen again. Despite their generally isolationist outlook on politics, there is one aspect of foreign relations in which the elves are quite active. Slavery. Throughout the world, elven agents and hired mercenaries known as Snatchers take creatures of all shapes and sizes away from their homes to be sold as property on the western continent. Because of their natural haughtiness, immortality, and enthusiasm for exotic slaves, elves are almost universally despised throughout Aedeva. Many towns will bar entry to approaching elves, or even attempt to execute them on sight. Even elves who oppose slavery must exercise caution in their travels, as the hangman rarely asks for the victim's opinion.
Culture
While there are exceptions, elven culture as a whole has a surprising focus on freedom. Elven governments are a complicated maze of laws and regulations centered around a democratic republic. Within this system, all elves are expected to participate in some way with the law making process. Similarly, all legal disputes between elves or elven organizations are settled in a trial by jury. Due to elves' longevity, these legal disputes can last for decades or even centuries. Because of this, some elven subcultures frequently look to dueling to speed up the process. More often than not, these duels are to first blood, but duels to the death are not unheard of. These duels are not technically legal, but participants will usually sign a contract agreeing to accept the results of the duel as law.Regarding Slavery
From the outside, elven culture is seen as a malicious entity, eager to swoop in and steal untended children, women, and even men to work their farms. The truth of the matter, however, is more nuanced. There are factions in the elven countries that actively oppose the enslavement of other creatures, and the entire topic is the subject of numerous legal debates and cases. Elven slave control techniques are incredibly secretive, even to the point that few elves even know the magic involved. There is no doubt that magic is involved though, as the lucky few slaves to have escaped Alaria or Alastia are quite clearly under the effects of mind altering magic. Former slaves report gaps in their memories and inability to remember details. They may be forced to serve as janitor for thirty years, and not remember what color the floors were, or how many rooms the building had. It is thought that proper therapy, combined with a variety of powerful healing magics, can allow the victims to regain some of their memories over time. However, most freed slaves are content to forget. Those few who do eventually regain their memories often experience psychotic breaks until they can forget certain memories again. Naturally, their propensity for magically enforced slavery has given elves a terrible reputation among the other peoples of the world. Orc followers of The Eternal Assault lead a relentless assault against elven-held Alaria, though none can say if the assault is making progress. With their long lives, the elves defending their shores are masters of combat, having studied for several human lifetimes in the art of warfare. When combined with a seemingly endless legion of enslaved footsoldiers, it is no surprise that the elves have withstood invasion for millennia.Magic
Because of their longevity, elves have a natural propensity for magic. Even relatively young elves are likely to at least dabble in some sort of magical arts, or at least be relatively familiar with the most common magical spells and devices. Within Alaria and Alastia this trend is even more apparent. Due to the pervasiveness of slaves in these nations, the ability to magically command and subdue unruly or unresponsive slaves is an integral part of elven culture. Especially among elves of rank, some skill with charming or domination magic is expected or even required by law. In addition to this, elves on the northern borders of their lands frequently learn to master various battle magics to aid in the defense of their homeland from the Eternal Assault. These elves have no shortage of targets on which to practice their magic, and as such tend to be quite skilled in its usage. Despite their many years to learn and master the magical arts, elves by nature enjoy preservation over innovation. With some exceptions in the field of slave control, the elves rarely invent their own spells, opting instead to master the existing arts, or turn them to unexpected uses.Elven Immortality
Elves are immortal, in that they do not age, sleep, or get sick. This is a well documented fact throughout Aedeva, but also an often misunderstood one. This immortality does not come without a cost. The immortality of the elves comes from their mountain fortresses deep within Alaria. The closer they are to these mountains, the longer they live. Some of the most ancient elves have held positions on the elven high council for upwards of five thousand years. This has led to a surprisingly coherent and straightforward legal system as laws do not need to be reinterpreted with each generation. As elves move further away from the heart of the Alarian mountains, they begin to age. This age is not manifested in wrinkles and greying hair, as in mortals, instead resembling a progression through the seasons that is unique to the elf's native environment. Forest elves' hair and skin often shift into more vibrant colors as they enter their autumn, and darker, subtler colors as they enter their winter. Mountain elves frequently shrink as they age, and are often confused for beautiful halflings in their winter. These changes in their nature, and the references to the four seasons have caused many mortals to confuse aging elves with the eladrin. However, the eladrin are far more in touch with their fae ancestry, and are able to change their seasons consciously. Some scholars believe that elves who live long enough in the mountains are able to transition into life as an eladrin, still an elf but also much more. These claims have yet to be substantiated as none but elves are allowed within the mountains.Religion
Elves as a whole are not a religious people. Most elves' magical abilities are arecane in nature. Those who pursue the druidic arts do so more as a peer or distant relative to nature than as its subordinate. Because of this relationship to magic and their ability to control entire populations of other creatures with mental magic, most elves see the gods as unnecessary or irrelevant. Ironically, this viewpoint extends even to elven "starwatchers", who watch The Stars to divine the future. Those elves who hold to a religion usually follow one of the ancient religions of elves. Most common among these is The Fell. Followers of Ilgradnis still meet in sacred groves to discern their fate and the fate of others.Adventurers
Most elves never leave their homeland, opting instead for a life of immortality. However, there are some who wish to see the rest of the world outside the context of slavery. Those who leave are rarely of high social status, and almost never older than summer. Elves that do decide to leave the western continent usually do so because they are opposed to the ever present slavery of their homeland. Sometimes they leave as part of a mission to smuggle slaves to safety, and other times simply to get away from it all. Occasionally, high ranking elves are sent put on special missions, but more often than not they hire mercenaries for these duties. Regardless of their reason for leaving, elves who travel outside the western continent must exercise caution. There is much hatred in the world for elves, regardless of their actual opinion on slavery.
Lifespan
200 yrs. - Immortal (based on distance from Alarian mountains)
Average Height
5'5" - 6'5"
Related Ethnicities
