Elves Archive

Igniting their Spark; Dancing with Dragons

"Sure, our stories are separated by both blood and time. But I have shared songs with many Knights, and I have shared glory with many Valkyr, all of whom I love and would give my life for. Does that not make them my kin?"

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S

he sat against the tree with crossed legs, carefully, as to not spill her tea or books in the process. Today, the forest was particularly nice. Sunlight poured through the gaps in the leaves and a calm breeze carried the scent of pine through the air. Although she was there to catch up on her studies she couldn't help but admire, all while sipping her tea whenever she remembered its existence. So when she noticed the squirrel resting on her tail she decided that the books could wait. On a day like today, there was simply too much to love about the life around her.

He knew he had found the Demon when its screech pierced the night like a chorus of eternal suffering. But it was not the scream that made his heart drop. It was the sight of both the child who failed to hide in time, and the beast barreling towards them. There was no time to think, no time to

wait for help, and no time to hesitate. It was pure instinct that gripped his blade, and not even a second had passed before the demon was engulfed in a raging inferno. In that moment, he knew he would rather die than let this child come to harm, his passion fueled the flames.

Incense and alcohol all but dominated the air as the parade wormed its way through streets like rivers of blues, reds, and pastels. With a crowd like this, nightfall would surely beat them to the Shrine. The Lotus Festival had finally begun, and the city of Shinzo was in an uproar. Fireworks were lit, songs were sung, and no small amount of wine was downed in preparation for the long night ahead. It wouldn't be long before the lanterns were lit, filling the sky with symbols of blooming flowers, fireflies, stars, and the dragons who called them family. A distant memory that will never die.

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Elves are half-dragon half-fae who were the first to live in this world among
The Elder Dragons, whose memory they're devoted to keeping alive. With the art of Wildshaping, they protect the life in Oniran from beasts not of this world.

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A Draconic Bloodline

To many, the origin of Elves is a love story. One between dragon and fae when the world was still in its infancy. They say their bond was unbreakable, and with Ethleone's blessing, the first Elf emerged from the Shrine in which they met. A symbol of their unity. She was much closer to fae than dragon, a humanoid with a tail as long as she was tall and covered in white scales that shone like starlight. They named her Edene, a word that Elves now describe as an unbreakable bond.

As the Elves grew in number and experience the Shrine would become the foundation of what is now the city of Shinzo, for a time, they lived in peace with dragons, fae, and the world around them. But all good things must eventually come to an end. With their work finally finished, the dragons left this world, whether they died out or simply faded into stardust is lost to time. But a common belief in Shinzo is that the souls of the 5 Elders are what decorate the night sky, and when the time of an Elf has come, they'll join them amongst the stars.

Love for All Things

Love is a feeling deeply imbedded in Elven culture. While most would assume from their history that it's regarded as sacred or that Elves would be extremely selective with how they express it, the truth is actually the complete opposite.

Elves are extremely open with what they love and the ways in which they express it are pretty broad. For example, they have a collection of words and phrases used for describing different kinds of love, whether it be towards friends, partners, places, ideas, or just life itself. Edene is the most important of them.

A Life Lived Wild and Free

Generally speaking, Elves are wild, impulsive, and value personal freedom above most things. Some would even describe them as chaotic. But don't let their nature deter you, for most, it all comes from a place of passion and wanderlust. They wear their hearts on their sleeves.

It's not often that an Elf will stick to just one thing for any significant amount of time. They're easy to move from one passion to another and it's often what drives some of them to adventure. But if they do find what calls to them, you can trust that they'll strive for an absolute mastery of the craft.

A Proud Heritage

For obvious reasons, Elves find themselves in a rather unique role compared to that of Knights and Valkyr. If there's one thing to take away from their culture, it's their willingness to keep the memory of dragons alive. To be completely honest, some would describe it as obsessive. All you'd have to do is visit a city like Shinzo to see the gratuitous amount of draconic imagery and reference. As if just the idea of dragons has bled into almost every single aspect of their lives to the point where it's actually kind of endearing. This is a generalization, of course, but at its core there's one simple truth.

Elves are proud of where they came from, and they wish to share it with the world.

"I've met my fair share of adventurers at the tavern, a lot of whom are Elves eager to see the world! There's one theme I've picked up from their stories that I particularly adore:

'If an Elf so much as likes you, they'll stick by you 'til the world ends twice over.
But if an Elf calls you their Edene, not even a god can separate you.'"

— Story

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Comfort and Aesthetic

You might've noticed that their draconic features don't exactly sprout up in the most convenient places. Since it's especially common for their spines to show up on the shoulders, forearms, legs, and back, Elven clothing is generally very light, flowy, and prioritizes comfort.

A theme you'll see often is large amounts of fabric draped across their bodies with little more than a sash to keep it in place. But at the same time, many prefer to just leave parts of their body exposed. With Elves, there's no distinction between casual and formal wear. Or at least, not anymore.

The most common types of clothing in Elven cities are thin robes made of silk or cloth worn over top like a coat. Most of the time they will have unique and colorful designs that, when paired with large sleeves draped over the arms, have a draconic-like aesthetic.

Dragonkin Masks

Aside from the cloth or silk, masks like these are also popular. Originally their usage was more traditional or ritualistic since their designs were meant to mimic a number of animals and spirits found in the wild, some more mystical and otherworldly than others.

Nowadays it's much more akin to a motif of Elven culture. The craftsfolk who make them are highly respected and, should you ever visit an Elven city, you'll likely see them worn everywhere!

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"Ever since the Elder Dragons left this world, Demons have hunted their creations. However, the Elves knew that what is created with magic must be slain with magic."

A Dance Against Demons

To put it simply, Elves are perpetually locked in a conflict with Demons. Despite this, for a variety of different reasons, it's generally unknown to most who aren't familiar with Elves in the first place. It began soon after the last dragon passed; the sudden power imbalance in the world lead to rifts of unstable magic opening and closing at random. It's not often, but creatures that interact with these rifts quickly become Demons.

As a defense, they developed the Wildshaping technique as a way to mimic Draconic magic to the best of their ability. It allows the user to use both body and blade to form Runes for casting spells. From an outsider's perspective, someone of great skill can make the technique seem like a dance. Because of this, it's regarded as an art form. A Dance with the Dragons.

There's a popular phrase for when someone first learns, "Stellari kun Hibana", which means "Igniting your Spark".

Demons

Demons are creatures corrupted by a tainted magic, completely unrecognizable from what they once were. Once born, they're mindlessly drawn to strong sources of magic with one goal, to destroy it.

There's no limit to what demons look like, but it's usually obvious when you see one given it doesn't find you first. A monstrous being surrounded by a thick, black aura that seems to glitch and morph as if it's existence isn't meant to be. Any life around them will begin to wither and die until the demon leaves, making the act of tracking them extremely difficult.

From the moment they're born they begin wandering towards whatever source of magic feels the strongest. Which means they will always be wandering towards Elves. Those who learn and use Shaping to hunt these Demons are called Samurai.

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Stories Under Stars

"This world has no Gods, or Deities, nor the Pantheons in which they'd reside,
there are only people. People who made a difference, whose stories were lived, told,
sung, and passed into legend."

— Vokuma

Oniran      Elves Archive

^{Reading Time: 10 min. (1960 words)}

Some Music

Table of Contents

Origin

• Eyes(Sidebar)

• Anatomy(Sidebar)

• Age(Sidebar)

Culture

• Naming(Sidebar)

• Clothing

• Masks

Wildshaping

• Demons

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Origin/Ancestry

Draconic

Lifespan

100 - 150 years

Average Height

5.5 ft - 7 ft

Average Weight

130 - 170lbs

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Elves' skin are a range of flesh tones and their bodies are covered in scales and spines that show up from birth. Although these scales can have a variety of colors, it's completely random.

Facial Characteristics

Aside from scales, most have at least one horn that grow in a variety of different shapes, sizes, and even species! The horns are influenced most by the environment, an Elf living in the forest might grow antlers, an Elf on the shore can grow coral, and an Elf in the mountains can grow ram horns.

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Their eyes are a vibrant mix of colors, sometimes resembling a pool of magic, and the pupils within adopt a variety of different shapes.

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Anatomy

An Elf's body is more human than it is dragon, but the mix is still extremely prominent. All Elves are born with scales, horns, and tails.

This can change should an Elf learn Shaping, the stronger they become the closer they get to the Dragons, and they'll begin to grow more draconic features. This ability is unique to Elves.

Despite the cultural significance of Shaping, however, a majority of Elves don't actually practice it. Or, at least, not as much as a Samurai would. Reaching that point would require years upon years of absolute mastery.

Age

Elves reach maturity and are considered adults in their late twenties, by then any draconic features they've grown are pretty much set in stone.

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Naming

I'll be completely honest with you, Chief. I can't for the life of me come up with a description of how I name Elves without breaking the 4th wall. Whenever I come up with Elven names it's just me trying to combine Japanese names with Draconic sounding words and vice versa. Some names/words will have harsh sounding syllables and some will sound as smooth as butter, depends on how weeb I'm feeling.

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Cultural mingling with Knights also lead to an innovation with how masks are used. In addition to Wildshaping, it's not uncommon to see Samurai using Dragonkin Masks charged with spells much like Knights and their Runic Gear.

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"Not all who wander are lost, Tank. Sometimes I'm just really fucking drunk."

— Vokuma

Vokuma

Vokuma is a cocky and charismatic vagabond who spends every waking moment on the road. The man has no home, last name, or big overarching goal, and if you were to ask him where he's from he'd say "Oniran". He's a simple man with a simple plan, travel the world and see what it has to offer.

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Related Sauce

Master Jontaro

Jon

       

While I would love to go on an adventure, writing them is enough for me.

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