Elves
Elves, or Alfaren, how they usually call themselves, are a humanoid race - one of the eldest races of Mriyar, that can be found in bigger or smaller numbers all across Mriyar. There are different subraces of elves in modern times, not to mention the cross-breeds, and they have a major presence in Silfurskogur Lands, in Sarmarian Republic, Rosidor Empire and the Underground.
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Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, 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. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
Star cartographer. You are proficient in Survival in night time, when you can see at least some stars.
Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Extra Language. You can read, speak, and write one additional language of your choice.
Ability Score Bonus: Your Charisma score increases by 1.
Sunlight Sensitivity: You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Perception checks that rely on sight when you or whatever you are trying to perceive/attack is in direct sunlight.
Superior Darkvision: Whereas other elves can see in dim light as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light, within 60 feet, you can do the same within 120 feet.
Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.
Underground Magic: You know the Dancing Lights cantrip. If you reach 3rd level, you can cast Faerie Fire once per day. At 5th level, you can cast Darkness once per day. Their spellcasting ability for these spells is Charisma.
Exceptions to some rules are dark elves, which for decades lived on the surface. They much better tolerate sunlight, but their eyes have lost the ability to see perfectly in the darkness.
Heimalstjornualf - capital of the old Silfurskogur Kingdom, and the centre of modern life of Silfurskogur citizens. It's one of the oldest cities on the continent, having been build back in the 2000 ER. As a home to Silfurkogur Royal family, it is a centre of political and royal stage, and many of diplomatic pacts were concluded inside the large palace complex, a gem of elven architecture - Stjornugarthur Palace.
Dvinandun - important scientific and religious city, that managed to avoid most of the destructions caused by Magior, keep most of its artefacts and buildings safe. Nowadays, Dvinandun serves as a centre of research into the curse that plagues Silfurskogur Lands, working on possible solutions of the problems in Alfagras Woods and developing new applications for Alatrian stones and powder.
Kopavogur - a big port town, that often serves as an intermediate stop for passing merchant ships. The coldest town of Silfurskogur mainly focuses on fishing and woodworking, though in recent years they joined on mining of alatria on Leviathan Tooth's island. Kopavogur is known for a quite unusual, yet exciting sight - every spring it's shores become a place of stay and rest for hundreds of seals and their pups.
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Appearance
Most of the elves have slender, graceful builds, with, at first sight, delicate skin and a wider, expressive eyes. Their faces have much more defined and sharper cheekbones. For the ground elves, their skin is very similar in colour to that of humans, while underground elves have dark skin, which varies between shades of gray, purple and blue, as well as how much dark pigment there is. Some underground elves have a lighter obsidian skin color, others darker. Each elf has a special mark (or marks) on their skin, either of brighter or darker shade, than their skin - in most cases the marks take form of lines or radial shapes, most often they are positioned symetrically on the body.
The colour of their eyes can vary, with vibrant green, blue and gold being the most common colours for ground elves, and red, purple, blue and silver for underground elves. In addition, their eyeballs are of the same colour as their irises, although slightly brighter in comparison.
Most elves have a naturally coloured hair, with black, brown, blond and different shades of red being the most common. In some cases elves dye their hair in other colors with fungal and mineral dyes. It is customary among elves to grow their hair as long as possible and then braid it, not only as a religious practice but also from a practical standpoint. The thinner are the braids - the more mature is the elf. All elves age gracefully - they reach full maturity at around 100 years and up to 200 years it's hard to discern how old is the elf.
With each new generation of elves the overall longevity has been getting shorter, which is believed to be due to specific and mysterious blood disease that affects only elves. In comparison with the last years of Era of Rebirth, when elves could live up to 900 hundred years, nowadays the lifespan of a healthy elf lasts up to 400 years at best
Traits and Abilities
The traits and abilities that are shared by all elves are as follows:[1]
Different subraces have additional traits and abilities.
Star Elves
High Elves
Dark Elves
History
Lunar Discord
The information about the split in the elven society is known only from the official records of the Silfurskogur Lands and the underground libraries of the dark elves Empire. Moreover, the testimonies are quite different, but the fact that the split began with a quarrel between different groups of elves, those who supported magic and those who were against it, is an integral part of this legend.
From the Silfurskogur chronicles:
Back when the Alfaren people lived under the same banner and were only settling in new lands, other deities of the Creator Pantheon turned to their divine leaders, 3 sisters known as the Night Mother, the Morning Star and the Moon Lady, hoping to create close ties between the Alfars and other peoples. Although their cultures and views were very different from those of the short-living races, Alfaren leaders agreed to the proposed alliances.Work_In_Progress
Some of the Alphars, who favored forests, nature, and activities such as hunting and farming, easily found common ground with the primitive races. But those who preferred things beyond the ordinary understanding, made no attempts in building friendly relationships with other races, greeting foreigners with apprehension and distrust. They called themselves Dakiralfs.
Their lives were much more esoteric and strange to the human eyes. They mendled with magic and forces not of this world, seeked knowledge in the darkest parts from the beyond, disregarding any signs and warnings, that this will bring only chaos. As Dakiralfs learned more of their arcane arts, they became bolder in their use of magic, prioritizing their own selfish desires to the safety of lands and people - and their distrust for other races was enough of a reason for them to use newfound magic skills out in the open. Humans rightfully were fearful of these magics, as at that time none of them knew how to feel the magic, let alone wield it - and Dakiralfs had no desire to share their knowledge with the world, feeling as only they were entitled to it. Even though Humans were patient and ready to wait until Dakiralfs built trust and understanding with them, the Dakiralfs had no desire to change, to open themselves to new aliences, to understanding. These differences of views led to many conflicts and it seemed there would be no end to them.
Not once did the Dakiralfs try to convince their Alfaren bretheren to cut all of the ties with other races, completely seperate themselves from the rest of the world and retain the purity of their kind and culture, but no Alfaren believed in such viewes.
After years of this fragile coexistence, the Dakiralf's disdain for Humans made itself known in full. For years they've been secretly using their magics on Humans, threating them no better than testing subjects, but one day they crossed the line more than ever, leading to horrible losses among Humans. Driven by grief and sorrow, the human tribes attacked the Dakiralfaren settlement, leaving many dead on both sides.
As if this bloodshed wasn't enough, the Dakiarlfs wanted Humans to be punished. They gathered all Alfars, calling everyone to turn to violence and revenge, yet other Alfars were horrified by the bloodlust of their bretheren. Then, the Morning Star appealed to the compassion of Dakiralfs, trying to let them see how much suffering already spilled into the world. She called them to put an end to the deaths, It seemed that Dakiralfs saw the evil of their ways, and they bowed their heads to Star's wisdom, letting go of the hatred and putting their brothers and sisters at ease.
Yet all of it was just a ruse.
Secretly, Dakiralfs called for the Night Mother's interference, letting all of their resentment and hate guide their prayers. Answering the calls of her children, the Night Mother granted the magical gifts in the hands of her followers, giving them a way to fullfil their plans of vengence. Under cover of the night, the Dakiralfs made their way into the Human settlements, leaving destruction and death with their own hands.
Children and their parents, old and young - no one survived in the wake of Dakiralfs. It was a terrific tragedy, that left everyone horrified and grieving. When the Humans came with the justifing accusations against the Dakiralfs, the murderers stood their ground, stating that there could be no peace between their worlds. With aching heart, the Morning Star tried to open their eyes to the atrocities they've commited, yet again and again the Dakiralfs fought back against her pleas, snapping as wild animals on any Alfar who dared to approach them. Even the gentle dream-like touch of the Moon Lady couldn't soothe that fire that raged inside them.
And then, the Morning Star senced it - the chaos that flowed in their veins, poisoning their perception of reality. She reached out, determined to calm that darkness with her star light. But as she did, the Night Mother, her dearest sister, appeared right beside her, dragging her away from the blinded by chaos Dakiralfs, covering them inside her shadows. The Night Mother's face was distorted by anger and fury, as she screamed "Do not touch that void", as she reged "Do not damage that gift". No matter how hard the Morning Star tried to convice her, that that was the root of all their problems, the Night Mother did not listen, instead directing her anger on Humans and their kin. And when the emotions reached its peak, when it seemed that Dakiralfs and the Night Mother were ready to pounce on foreneigrs, the Morning Star, alongside other Alfars, stepped forward, facing their bretheren and daring them to attack. The Moon Lady begged both sides to stop, but all fell on deaf ears - the Night Mother scowled and stricked first.
In the darkest of times, known to Alfar, the war between their people raged on and on, driven by anger, hatred and evil, that for years grew inside Dakiralfs and the Night Mother. Many cities and shrines were burned, many families were broken. And then in the heat of battle, the Morning Star got the upper hand of her sister, yet she couldn't find it in herself to take her life - a pure love, that the Night Mother had no issue to exploit it. She tricked the Morning Star at that moment, and when it seemed that the Night Mother was ready to lay the finishing blow to the Morning Star, when she held her on the edge of the blade, the Moon Lady, used her divine power on the Night Mother, staining the holy moon Rudatül with the divine blood.
After that, wounded and tired from long years of battles, the two sides signed a fragile truce. Yet, when the Dakiralfs were faced with the demand to stop using chaos for their own gain, they turned away and left the surface all together, cutting any ties with their kin - the Night Mother made sure, to cover their tracks.
Only the red moon Rudatül remained as a reminder of the war between the Alfars and sisters, once a year covering the moon Hores and enveloping the world in its red glow.
Society
Elves are considered to be one of the elder races of Mriyar, as the history of their race dates back to ancient times, in the creation of world by Creators. Throughout the years they were part of most events in Mriyar history, shaping the world alongside other races.
Around 4th century ES, elven race started suffering from unexplainable affliction or mutation, that drastically lowered the birthrate of pure-blooded elves and shortened their overall lifespan - in past centuries many elven man were found to be infertile and women either couldn't bear children or died during childbirth. All of this made a rare birth of pure-blooded elven child a cause for celebration.
All elves are born with unique skin pigmentation, that are believed to be a gift from their goddesses and a sign of destiny. The pigmentation is of either darker or lighter skintone, in a shape of a line, circle, sometimes other geometric shapes and in rare cases - symbols. In most cases these pigmentations are symmetrical and can mark any part of the body, though there are cases when the pigmentation have been found only on one side of the body.
Depending on the type and placement of such markings, elves bestoved different meaning to them, attaching different fields of work to these marks and covering them with additional tattoos. As such, thin marks on face speak of intellectual and spiritual fields of work; markings on arms point towards physical work; markings on neck are connected to educational, civic activieties and often they are present on those, who occupy administrative positions and are leaders in specific fields.
A combination of tattoos on different body parts, as well as their shape, indicate specific professions that the leves may occupy. For example, wide tattoos on face and neck indicate that the elf is part of the clergy, most often as a priest. Thin patterns on face and arms indicate that elf is nature caretaker, either as a ranger or druid.
Combination of tattoos on face, neck and collarbone, with accompanying symbols of one of the elven goddesses, indicates that the elf is part of ruling dynasty.
Elves have the most prevalent presence in Silfurskogur, Sarmaria, Rosidor and Underground.
Silfurskogur society
By many elves, Silfurskogur lands are considered the cradle of elvenkind. This is the land, where the ancient elves settled down after the events of Lunar Discord, ruination of their Kingdom and division into different subspecies. Over the centuries, Silfurskogur suffered through different events, that led to modern time, where the land is extremely dangerous and brimming with energies of Chaos. However, many elves remained on the land, that they called homeland for centuries, trying to cleanse it and bring back to its glory. Silfurskogur elven society considers themselves the truest of believers in the old ways, the guardians of their history and kind. In many ways, they preserved an incredible amount of ancient traditions, arts, techniques and beliefs, quite deservedly making them one of the oldest societies on both continents. They can be seen old-fashioned in the eyes of many, but they consider that a fair price for the knowledge of the past. Silfurskogur society ever since its establishment has been ruled by the Circle of Elders and the royal family. Nobility and old family ties plays a huge role in the inner sphere of the society, as the privileges and duties are distributed among classes. Elves from different classes usually do not form families, but there are exceptions to this rule. The dominant churches of Silfurskogur society are of all three elven goddesses, also known as Himnarath (Celestial Council) - Zorya, Mokosh, Nicha.
Stjornflar society
Stjornflar is a group, or rather a wandering caravan, of elves, that follow the Way of Stars - a series of relatively new Morning Star's teachings, which claim that only through wandering and searching all over the world can elves find their native land, Undirstjarna, that they abandoned after the Lunar Discord. Stjornflar caravan majorly consists of wood elves, with a small groups of half-elves and high elves. The caravan never stays for long in one place, always searching for hints of the location of their destination, be it by getting access to libraries, or searching old ruins. The caravan was made out of a group of refugees, that escaped Alfagras Woods, when the lands were put under terrible influence of chaotic energies and magic by magisters of Magior Empire, around the beginning of 6th century. Stjornflar broke any contact with their remaining brethren in Heimalsjournualf, that decided to stay back, abiding by old traditions, and try to live in the cursed lands, hoping to find a way to cleanse it, even if the task proves to be rather hopeless; Stjornflar stays away from the high elves of Rosidor Empire as well, as either group doesn't keep any warm feelings towards each other, ever since the times of Magior Empire. Even though the elder members of the caravan are set on finding "the promised land", many of the younger elves, or those who joined the caravan later, over the centuries got used to the wandering lifestyle and now do it as a way of honouring Zorya and her teachings, as well as finding joy in constant travelling over the ever-changing lands of Saarma and Artan continents. Due to their travelling lifestyle, they don't get used to things, expecting constant change as an integral part of life. The older elves act as Elders, and they are the ones to decide the directions and serve as leaders to the caravan. Younger members are raised jointly by older elves, which builds much stronger bonds among caravan members.
Rosidor society
Rosidor elven society mostly consists of high elves, that settled in central part of Artan separately from their elven brethren back in times after Lunar Discord. High elves gained most of their influence back in the Magior Empire, as many of them managed to achieve high positions in society thanks to their inherited gifts of magic. The same happened under the rule of the Rosidor Empire, where many old elven families obtained the titles of nobility and became the leading force behind the research into possibilities of arcana. Nowadays, a lot of Rosidor elves are nobles, and those who aren't are part of the low-class, or even slaves. For a Rosidor pure-blood elf to be in lower class, means they are an outcast, have some sort of disability or acted against the interests of the Empire, which, surprisingly is a rather high number of elves - over the years, under the rule of many Rosidor monarchs, a large number of elves that didn't mange to gather favors from the crown with their magical talents, were persecuted, enslaved or outright cleansed as part of the years of "purification".
Nowadays the high elven families of Rosidor are considered the most progressive of their race, doing their best to keep up with the times and progress. High elven families are similar to that of human families in the way they raise children, though unlike humans, elven families have only one offspring (rarely 2). The cross breading with other races is rarer, than in Sarmaria, and more frowned upon, but it still happens. The most influential religion among these elves is the church of Veles, though some older families can be found secretly worshipping the Dreamweaver, the Morning Star or even the Night Mother.
Underground society
An important aspect of drow society is their matriarchal system. The head of the Empire is always without exception a woman, the Matriarch, and among her advisers can, though rarely, be men. In very rare cases, men are allowed to be the mayor or head of the aristocratic house, but this requires passing one of the Rites of Nicha, to seek her blessing - given that the mortality rate of these Rites is really high, there are not that many daredevils.
The main principle of the society of dark elves is the survival of the stronger. Because of this, at the roots of the Empire, the dark elves adopted the caste system, instead of trusting the "Destiny markings" on their bodies.
The castes are as follows:
- Meistavefur ("Masters of The Spiderweb") - is a caste of governance and administration, all leaders of the Empire, city leaders, leaders of the aristocratic houses and councils belong to this caste.
- Valisnir ("Chosen of the Nicha") - is a caste of religion, church of the Night Mother.
- Hressugur ("Sharp mind") - is a caste of intelligence, secret services and science.
- Bardavers ("Fighters of the Spiderweb") - is a caste of military and ranger forces. All members of the society undergo military training, without exception, but only suitable ones remain in the permanent service of the military caste.
- Obsidendur ("Obsidian Hands") - is a caste of workers, servants, merchants and traders
- Ohreiblos ("Foul blood") - is a caste of slaves and outcasts. Anyone who breaks serious laws or is caught spreading blasphemy is exiled to this caste.
by Felixora
The caste assignment takes place at an early age. Children under 10 years old live with their biological parents. After that, they are removed from their families and sent to Communes - residences near Academies, where priests and priestesses make them lose their memory and after that children live together for the next 60 years.
Control over them is superficial, allowing them to build their own social division among themselves. At the end of their life in the Communes, the strongest are elected as the leaders of their groups, promoted to more prestigious roles, while the weak are assigned to less prestigious roles in the caste system. After graduation, a citywide selection takes place, where aristocratic houses and influential nobles select new members for their houses. Thus, these children join new families, swearing allegiance to them. Those who are not chosen by anyone are sent to the borders of the city, to poor areas.
While it is possible to change your caste for a higher one, after the drow graduated from the Commune, it can be done only with the approval of at least 3 members of the caste they are aiming for. And considering that not many drow from the higher castes want to see more opponents for prestige positions in their ranks - that happens quite rarely.
Children of the influential families are rare exceptions to this practice.
Places
- Undirantur - the capital of the Dark Elves Empire.
- Skelfros - city located in the underground tunnels near the northern border of Silfurskogur Kingdom. Location in some places has freezing temperatures.
- Gylltbraut - a main trading city of the Empire, located on the intersection of many Underground paths.
- Gleymllir - a mining city, mostly infamous by its large slave trading market.
- Fusundlyosh- one of the most open to the outsiders drow city in the Underworld.
- Duptothuwatn - port city on the shore of the Underground sea.
Trivia
- The idea for caste culture was adopted from Spellforce portrayal of the dark elves.
- A lot of names have been directly or with changes taken from Icelandic language. (ex. Undirantur - Undirheimur demantur - Underworld diamond)
Links
Biological Information
| Type | Humanoid |
| Parent race | Elf |
| Vision | Superior (ground elves),
Superior Darkvision, but poor vision in direct sunlight. (underground elves) The Sarmarian Drow have simple darkvision and are used to the sunlight due to decades of living on the surface. |
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Physical Characteristics
| Size | Medium |
| Lifespan | around 400-800 years
(depends on generation) |
| Average height | 152–175 cm |
| Average weight | 45–72 kg |
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Sociocultural Information
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