High Elves of Rivendell
“And here in Rivendell there live still some of his chief foes: the Elven-wise, lords of the Eldar from beyond the furthest seas.”
The Sea Calls us Home
Elrond Halfelven founded Imladris, the Last Homely House, in an age of darkness and fear, when all that was good and fair in the world retreated before the growing power of the Enemy. This place has ever been a secret refuge for the High Elves, the eldest and fairest of all Eldar. In Rivendell they have dwelt in peace for many long centuries, but as the Third Age draws to a close, they have come to realise that the songs they sing in the Hall of Fire will soon become sorrowful dirges once more. Remembering past horrors and the ruin brought by the corruption of the Shadow, they lament what the future may bring – though let us not say that they are afraid. The High Elves are fair and tall, proud and powerful. They will not cower before the rising darkness out of the East. Yet the wanderer who comes to Rivendell finds the High Elves to be creatures of contradiction. One moment they are merry and fair, chiding the younger races in song and jest. The next their faces turn grim and their words stern as they speak of the fading of the world. Their long reckoning of the past ages of Middle-earth has taught them to savour each day to the fullest and face each sorrow with majesty and grace. More than any other folk in Middle-earth they know the virtue of hope and the power of shadow.Description
In Rivendell can be found Elves with long, flowing golden locks, silver tresses and hair the colour of the dark shadows of twilight. They are at once venerable and noble as a king, yet hale and hearty as a warrior. They are tall and lithe, yet possess great strength and endurance. All High Elves of Rivendell have one thing in common: their pale faces are ageless, neither old nor young, yet written on them are the memories of both gladness and sorrow.Standard of Living
The halls of Rivendell are filled with all manner of relics and treasure of the olden days, preserved by Elrond and his kin. Although dwindling in number, the High Elves of Imladris still craft beautiful objects and they have little need of anything from beyond their borders. Their culture’s economy is ranked as Prosperous. Bonus Equipment: A grey or slate blue travelling cloak, travelling gear for the current season, a backpack or saddlebags, a belt dagger, boots, 5d6 silver pennies, and choose any two: A grey blanket, a hunting knife, a wineskin, a white jewel on a chain of silver, any artisan’s tools or a musical instrument.High Elf Traits
Your Player-hero has certain traits as a High Elf of Rivendell.- Ability Score Increase — Your Wisdom score increases by 2 and you may increase any two other attributes by 1 each.
- Adventuring Age – 500 to 1000. The High Elves of Rivendell are creatures from another age. They may become adventurers any time after they reach adulthood, although they are unlikely to venture beyond Imladris until they are half a millennia or more old. Even though a starting High Elf is far more ‘experienced’ than those of other cultures, he is still young and weak compared to his elder kin, and so is unlikely to be more than a thousand years old.
- Size – Elves range from 5 to over 6 feet tall, with slender builds. Your size is Medium.
- Speed – Your base walking speed is 30 feet.
- Night Vision — Accustomed to walking under the revered starlight, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light.
- The Eyes of Elves — You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
- Elvish Dreams — Your sleep is not like that of mortals. When you sleep, you can choose to send your mind into an “Elvish Dream” retaining full consciousness of your surroundings and you needn’t close your eyes. Four hours spent in such dreams acts on you as if you had rested an entire night.
- Against the Unseen — High Elves can perceive creatures that dwell in the wraith-world, be they spirits or ghosts, even when they are normally Invisible to the eyes of the living (including Unclad and Invisible Ringwraiths). Additionally, High Elves are immune to the Frightened condition when the source of that condition is an undead creature.
- Elf-wise — You have fought against the Dark Lord for years uncounted, and will continue to strive against the Enemy. You are proficient in Corruption checks. A Corruption check is any Wisdom saving throw that risks 1 or more Shadow points for failure.
- Beset by Woe — High Elves cannot ever truly forget the taint of the Shadow once it has left its mark on their spirit. Whenever you undertake to Heal Corruption, you High Elves of Rivendell immediately lose 1 point of temporary Shadow and gain 1 point of permanent Shadow. You may then make an ability check to remove temporary Shadow points as normal (see page 200 of the Player’s Guide).
- The Tools of War — You have proficiency with daggers, spears, great spears, short swords, long swords, short bows and great bows.
- Subtlety of Craft — You have proficiency in one artisan’s tool of your choice.
- Languages — In addition to Westron (the Common Tongue), you can speak, read and write Sindarin. You also use Quenya, the Ancient Tongue, in song and high matters of lore.
Type
Geopolitical, Settlement
Alternative Names
High Elves
Leader
Controlled Territories
Related Ethnicities
High Elf Names
Most names below belong to important Elves, and should only be used as examples to create new ones (Elven naming conventions are too complicated to summarise here). Male Names: Aegnor, Beleg, Celegorm, Daeron, Fingon, Finrod, Gwindor, Mablung, Maeglin, Orodreth, Saeros. Female Names: Ancalimë, Arwen, Berúthiel, Celebrían, Celebrindal, Elwing, Finduilas, Galadriel, Idril, Nimloth, Nimrodel.Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
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