Elves

It's easy to spot an elf in the crowd; the ebon black skin, the white hair, the pupil-less eyes. Those few who keep track of history know these elves as traitors to their kind, and heroes to everyone else. The rest simply know them as beautiful, kind, but often aloof fellows often venturing out into the dangerous wilds in search of who-knows-what.

The elves of Aramanth have adopted the world as their new home, and with their exceedingly long lives many have dedicated themselves to improving it--or at least undoing the damage one by their spurned brethren.

Most elves strive towards good. This may be due to the same morality that led them to betray their empire and their god-empress, or it may be an attempt to keep at bay any remaining hold their former lord and mistress had over their minds and souls.

Alternate Rules

The vast majority of elves left on Aramanth are the dissident elves, who bear black skin and white eyes They use the rules for Drow in the PHB except as noted below. If there were any elves still loyal to Novagleam and its God-Empress, they would use the rules for High Elves in the PHB except as noted below. There are no Wood Elves on Aramanth.

• Drow
• Superior Darkvision. Replace with normal Darkvision.
• Sunlight Sensitivity. Remove.
• Drow Magic. Replace with Lingering Sorcery. The God-Empress may have spurned you, burning out her influence from your mind and soul in an act of revenge, but some of the sorcery she gifted her children remains. You know one Cantrip of your choice from the sorcerer spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
• High Elves
• Cantrip. Replace with Blessing of the Empress. Vou know the prestidigitation cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the charm person spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the crown of madness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Faded Essence. The severing of the Voidgates has weakened your connection to your empire and your God-Empress. This has resulted in an unexpected tweaking towards certain residual effects of tek. Any saving throw to resist effects produced by wastelands or to resist mutations is done at a disadvantage.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

Despite their separation from their homeland and culture, elves still hold many elven ideals of phyisical beauty. They are attracted to lithe elegance and subtle grace. There is minimal dimorphism between genders, and the traits found alluring are the same for all.

Average Technological Level

Most elves bear some latent skill in the innate sorcery honed on the worlds of their now lost empire. Magic and lore dealing with the Deep Field (Wizardry and Psionics) are less common.

History

For millennia, elves were little more than tales; ghost stories of people kidnapped or ensorcelled or had some other form of mischief done upon them. They remained in their fortified enclaves where they watched, and studied, and planned, all in the service of their grand empire Novagleam, and its God-Empress Lorastraiya.
When they finally invaded through massive portals connected to their homeworlds, it sparked the Voidgate War, a conflict that spanned all of Armanth and stretched on for over three hundred years. During this time parts of the world lay under the elves' capricious rule for generations. The elves, who each shared a mental link with their immortal god-empress, were spurred to acts of cruelty and depravity in the pursuit of power, pleasure, and sport.
When the war turned, it was due in no small part to the elves who had rebelled against their empire and their god. Many had lived their entire lives on Aramanth but their inability to feel pain or empathize prevented them from feeling anything for the inhabitants of Aramanth. It was the act of a Hierojule, an angelic being in service to the Exultist Pancreator, who gifted an elf named Faliara with the ability to feel pain and understand for the first time what her people had done not just to Aramanth, but a hundred other worlds. She took this gift and with the Hierojule's miracle passed it to many of her brethren who joined her in taking up the fight with the people of Aramanth. Together they purged the god-empress' honeyed voice from their minds and helped freed those who had been subjugated.
When the war finally ended, and the gates destroyed, Aramanth's was left scarred, with both Imperial and Shunned elves upon its surface. The shunned elves joined their compatriots from the war and began rebuilding as best they could. The imperial elves, finding themselves stranded on the world they tried to conquer, sometimes found societies to accept them, but just as often faded into the darkest reaches of the world, continually seeking the now silenced voice of their god and mistress.
Whatever form they had once taken, the elves had long since used their fleshweaving magic to alter themselves to their, or at least the god-empress', whim. They are tall and slender and incredibly long-lived. Most shunned elves bear dark black skin, while most Imperials bear pale silver or gold, though this is not universal.

Lifespan

750 years

Average Height

6"2'

Average Weight

150 lbs