The Ionii
"We have come a long way from crouching amongst thorns and living besides beasts. Our roots run deep no longer in wood and dirt but in stone and marble. We live as paragons of the Lordship we were accepted by, enjoying wealth seen by fewer than there are fingers on one's own hand. This is what honour can afford, this is what elves deserve." - a monolouge overheard at a gentleman's club in Gerreach's Blue district.
The Ionii are the elves that assimilated into Gwendorian urban society, and reside in its highest echelons. A virtue of elves is their long lives and graceful manner, both of which were ideal tools for carving out places in high society where longevity and an honourable facade are prized. Soon after the conquest of the Northern Folds, small cliques of elves rose to almost the top of the social pyramid, amassing fortunes rivalling those of the Great Houses. However, this supremacy was shortlived as each clique in turn fell to its own vices of jealousy, infighting or arrogance. So began the pattern seen to this day wherein elves excel in a system dominated by humans- an inferior competitor- and compile great wealth, but fall victim to their own ego or some other twisted flaw. In many ways, the Ionii are simply the most extreme manifestation of their human aristocratic counterparts: driven by greed, undone by greed. As these cycles continued to foil the purely elven cabals, many Ionii realised the impossibility of ever again reigning as an elven clique, and married into the Great Houses, hoping that the community they found would support them, thus cushioning the impact of any financial ruin. Most found homes in the Volkmar family as the tactical and cold demeanour attracted many, while some took root in Gwerrith whose pragmatism and tradition provided a cultural legitimacy to those seeking it.
As it stands now, there are numerous elves and half-elves peppered across the Gwendorian diaspora, with the Ionii representing the urban elite of the elven community, having now established themselves in both Volkmar and Gwerrith. The sight of them is to many a point of interest, but not alarm. Folk are more readily divided by urbanity or local pride than the matter of race when concerning elves. That is to say that Ionii are disliked first for their wealth, and second for their race, while their rural kin are held with suspicion rather than outright hatred. Meanwhile, in urban areas such as Fellockshire, Gerreach and Gwendor, Lord's Redoubt, Ionii elves are quite at home, featuring as cornerstones of administration and commerce.
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Comments