La'shei

"Gray elves, or the La'shei as they were called, held an empire at the same time as Grimhii. In fact, evidence suggests that there were regular apocalyptic wars between the two empires.
"Like seemingly all of the old empires, they operated on a caste system. While it was not a natural part of their lifecycle like the Saurians and not the result of magical experimentation like the Grimlocks or the Cephalopes, it was just as rigid. The La'shei stood at the top of the heap, the ruling class. Beneath them were the Elvenkind.
"With the La'shei on top, there was a bureaucratic priest caste that became the High Elves. The Sea Elves descend from their naval forces, the Blood Elves were their warrior class, and the Wild Elves used to act as pathfinders and scouts. La'shei saw elf blood as sacred, so they never executed their own. For punishment, they sent their criminals down beneath even the deepest caves, where they became something else.
"We don't find as much arcanotech as we do in Grimhii ruins, but we find more Fossilized Spells. It's a safe bet that the La'shei were talented magicians, which strengthens my theory of their connection to the fey.
"What we do find are the friezes, murals, bas reliefs, and sometimes (if we're lucky) paintings. These depict a passionate, decadent culture. Blood sacrifice as entertainment, gladiatorial games, wild orgies sometimes involving hundreds of participants and dozens of species, and lavish feasts that appear to include even other sapient species. I put forward that this is a lesson: Immortality coupled with regular cycles of renewed youth and a predisposition towards ennui make the slide into debauchery inevitable.
"In the end, it would appear that between this wild decadence and their slow reproduction cycles, the La'shei were doomed from the start."
~Head Conservator Wrivock, of The White Tower

Basic Information

Anatomy

La'shei were shorter than modern elves. Judging by what few skeletons have been found, they were between 4'2 and 4'9. In their art, they depict themselves as slate-gray, with large black eyes, white or black hair, and pointed ears that are shorter than a modern elf's.

Genetics and Reproduction

La'shei could reproduce only once per life cycle, and the process appears to be fairly difficult to successfully accomplish.

Growth Rate & Stages

They aged extremely slowly, taking two to five hundred years to attain adulthood. Once they had grown up, they were immortal. They would age, attaining elderly status in one to two thousand years. Once they had begun to deteriorate, a feeling of ennui would overtake them, and they would hibernate for an indeterminate amount of time. As they did so, they would age in reverse, awaking when they had reached the cusp of adulthood once again.

Dietary Needs and Habits

La'shei appear to have made dishes from every edible thing under the sun. Even unpleasant flavors were used, and nothing pushed the boundaries too far except apparently cannibalism. This taboo was relaxed towards the end of their empire, when they began to allow Elvenkind into their cuisine. Up until that point, other "lesser" races were quite literally on the table.

Additional Information

Social Structure

La'shei existed at the top of their social pyramid, with the rest of Elvenkind taking their places in castes beneath them. As the ruling class, they had plenty of time for wild abandon and degeneration.

Facial characteristics

While maintaining the appearance of Elvenkind overall, La'shei had larger eyes, black as pitch, and shorter ears.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

La'shei ruins are found almost exclusively near ancient Ley Lines, and their biggest settlements are near nodes. Additionally, their ruins are highly prevalent in demiplanes on the other side of Bosetors

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

According to recovered accounts from Grimhii ruins, the La'shei could hear so well that they would barely notice the loss of their eyes. They could also apparently see Ley Lines, as evidenced by both recovered accounts and the fact that their ruins almost always appear along them.

Civilization and Culture

Beauty Ideals

La'shei favored the exotic and craved new stimuli, thus beauty standards swung wildly like a pendulum as they sought ever more extreme fare.

History

Aside from the fact that they were regularly at war, not much is known of the actual timeline of La'shei history. It is known that their end followed a long, slow slide into debauchery and decadence.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

La'shei were consistently at war with the Grimlocks, the Saurians, and the Cephalopes. They were either allied with or trade partners with the Titans

EXTINCT

Genetic Descendants

• Elvenkind

Lifespan

Immortal, with a 1000-2000 year cycle punctuated by 200-500 years of dormancy/hybernation

Average Height

4'2 - 4'9

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

La'shei had either black or white hair, and skin that ranged from pale gray to blue or slate.