High Elf Diaspora

The high elf diaspora is the dispersion of high elves throughout Dreibach and the Aquatic Kingdoms during the War of Great Sorrow and in the years following, particularly after the fall of Bjália. While some of the high elves of northern Scalados integrated themselves among the wood elves of middle and lower Scalados, resources were strained throughout the kingdom during the decades after the war, and much of the region either struggled to support the refugees or intentionally drove them out to protect their own interests. Some of the displaced elves made their way to parts of the relatively-unaffected Aquatic Kingdoms or the Scalados-allied Free City of Cantonova; others settled in Dreibach, in hopes of acting as ambassadors of sorts to the once-enemy nation.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

In Dreibach and the Aquatic Kingdoms, most diaspora high elves grow up with Common as a first language. However, communities from the high elf diaspora tend to pride themselves on their retention of Elvish. High elven community schools teach both languages in equal measure, and they often hold debates, recitations, and theatrical productions primarily or entirely in Elvish. The Forocommon dialect takes significant influence from the form of Elvish once spoken in Bjália.

Shared customary codes and values

A pair of seemingly opposed yet deeply intertwined beliefs guide the general ethos of the high elf diaspora. First, diaspora communities place a high value on integrating smoothly with the local culture and contributing to the places where they settle. Interracial marriages are welcomed, and half-elves of high elven descent are more common in Belcantas than any other type. That said, there is a strongly held belief across the diaspora that "Bjália will rise again," and that high elven culture will someday regain (or even surpass) the dominant influence it had in the days before the war. Peaceful relations with the other cultures of their new homelands are seen as a key step towards this goal.

Art & Architecture

by Bernard Salomon

High elven faience pottery depicting the Eight Plagues of Dovria.

by Bernard Solomon

High elven faience pottery depicting the Maid of the Mist, a primarily Cantonovan legend.

by TonyNojmanSK

The Church of the Solar Forge, an example of neo-Bjálian architecture in Tygrar.

Historical figures

• Aloïs Ayannos, founder of the Church of the Solar Forge in Tygrar
• Monostatos, second-in-command to Sarastro and overseer of the Order of Sarastro in the years between Sarastro's seclusion and the order's defeat at the Day of Ascension
• Giuseppe Verdini, patriarch of the Verdini Family organized crime dynasty
• Maria Verdini, Giuseppe's powerful and influential daughter, long rumored to be the force behind some of the most influential assassinations in Cantonovan history
• Elvira Laurëlin, heiress of the high elven Laurëlin banking dynasty and current wargrave beholden to Flimandflam
• Alexei Lenka (half-elven), dean of the University of Cypruvalu and member of the Council of Deans
• Vera Trulove (half-elven), formerly a Paladin of Fiend's Bane

Ideals

Gender Ideals

Even when living alongside post-fall societies that adhered to a strict gender binary, high elves of the diaspora continued to recognize gender fluidity, as all elves tend to do. High elf communities in diaspora largely continued the veneration of Corellon Latharien and practiced eyr gender-altering rituals on individuals who desired them. Tenser observed these rituals in their early studies and used some of their principals to develop Tenser's Trueself. In turn, the high elf diaspora of Ettelane were some of the earliest supporters of Tenser's work in particular, and transgender and non-binary rights in general, among human populations.

Major organizations

In locations where large numbers of high elves settled, local organizations have made impressive contributions to the public life of these cities. The Church of the Solar Forge in Tygrar, founded by Aloïs Ayannos, is a major influence on the city's religious and industrial landscape. As a less-savory example, the Verdini Family crime organization—led by Giuseppe Verdini, son of the deposed Lord Mayor of Bjália—controlled the underworld of the city of Cantonova for centuries. With their predilection for leadership and diplomacy, high elves have risen through the ranks of many non-elven institutions; famous contemporary examples include Monostatos of the Order of Sarastro in Breughelland and Elvira Laurëlin of the Council of Wargraves in Cantonova.

Parent ethnicities

• High Elf

Related Organizations

• Church of the Solar Forge

Related Items

• Blades of Story and Song

Related Locations

• Bjália