Nytalf Elsa, High Elves

As you approach the elven figure, his graceful and ethereal presence captivates your attention. His delicate features and angular face reflect the timeless beauty often associated with elves. The pale hue of his skin, almost resembling pure white, accentuates his otherworldly appearance.
His hair, reminiscent of silver with gradients of gray and white, shines with a luminosity that defies any notion of age. It cascades in a way that suggests a touch of regality. Adorned in fine robes embellished with arcane symbols, he exudes an air of authority and power. The wood of his staff emits a radiant glow, resonating with latent magical energy. The gemstones that embellish it catch the light, sparkling with an enchanting allure.
As he greets you with a smile, you notice the coolness that accompanies it, not unkind but distant. However, it is his eyes, reminiscent of amethyst stones, that draw you in. They possess an entrancing quality, yet behind their beauty, you detect a profound sadness. A sorrow seems to burden him, a weight he carries upon his slender shoulders as if it were his solemn duty to bear the immense loss that lies within him.
In the midst of this encounter, you cannot help but wonder why other elves at the academy had shunned the opportunity to become his apprentice. The weight of their disinterest and the hushed murmurs from the Te'ra Alflar, hinting at a hidden slur in their tongue, leaves you questioning the reasons behind their actions. Perhaps in time, you will come to understand the truth behind the enigma that this elven figure represents.
A self determined people
The Nytalf Elsa, a branch of the elven people, forged their own path in a time when the memories of slavery under the fey lords still lingered. Unlike their Te'ra Alflar kin who embraced the divine and the power of nature, the Elsa elves chose a different path. They respected both but were wary of allowing gods or spirits to hold power over them, given their history of oppression. Instead, they turned to arcane magic, seeing it as a symbol of their freedom, a force unbound by the will of higher beings.
In the eastern forest valleys, the Elsa elves found their new home. They lived in harmony with the rivers, lakes, and forests, appreciating nature's gifts while also using their knowledge of magic and artifice to shape their environment. The mountains and hills provided them with valuable resources such as pale white stone, gold, and silver, which they used to construct their beautiful homes. The elves chose to accentuate nature rather than dominate it, contrasting with their cousins' preference for a closer connection to the wild.
As their settlements grew, the Elsa elves became known for their architectural marvels, blending their growing arcane power with a deep understanding of physics and design. Each town and city boasted a center of learning, where all arts, whether martial, magical, or otherwise, were given equal respect. The masters of these arts became the ruling council, governing through magic, debate, and reason. Over time, they recognized the importance of divine magic, integrating it into their society and granting recognition to its practitioners.
Education and excellence were highly valued among the Elsa elves. They believed that mastery of any art warranted praise, leadership, and rewards such as titles, land, and power. They centralized their settlements, ensuring prosperity spread throughout their society. There was no poverty or destitution among them, as their magic ensured that no one suffered due to the circumstances of their birth. All were granted the right to pursue their desired education and forge their own destinies.
Proud and passionate, the Nytalf Elsa believed they had cast off the yoke of the Fey Lords and were the masters of their own fate. Their freedom and dedication to individual pursuits were seen as a shining star, a testament to their resilience and determination. They were the Nytalf Elsa, and their fate was theirs to shape as they chose.
Heavy is the Willow Crown
Other Branching's would occur in the years that followed both for us and the Alflar and we strove to remain in contact with our newfound cousins, though we considered ourselves the most true to the elven ideal we would never deny them the freedom to walk their own path. We also continued to keep a peace between us the Dwarves and Gnomes, difficult as it could be at times we at least agreed upon the borders of our realms and that we would settle matters between us fairly. The gnomes were instrumental in bridging the gap between elf and dwarf having a strange ability to understand the elements that made elf and dwarf relations difficult. it would be the return of the Ghoblyns and the start of the Dark-Walker Wars that would change our world forever.
The Ghoblyns return was sudden and brutal, their war beasts and monstrous allies poured out from the caves and badlands they had been banished to for their attempted murder and domination of the first free fey-born and they struck us with a vengeance. The attacks drove many of our cousins to flee and seek protection. Perhaps it was our centralized government or that we had worked so very hard to maintain the trees connection to its branches that they would come to us. The leaders of the elven nations came to an agreement that we had to stand together to survive the vengeance of the Ghoblyn lords. It was also agreed that even with a council of leaders we would need a centralized government and leadership. There were many debates and in the end we and Swart Alflar stood as the most logical choices. The Swart Alflar lost the election to wear the Willow Crown in part due to their harshness and we were given the honor and trust of all our the Branches. Our first empire would be born and the Nytalf Elsa given the privilege of wearing the Willow Crown.
As emperors we took our duty and the trust we were given to heart and we brought centralization, unity and togetherness to our branches allowing them to follow their own path yet while helping to build a greater whole. It was we who forged the greatest alliance this world has ever known to face the endless tide of an evil like the world will never see again. Dwarf, Elf, Gnome and later the Halfling folk all stood with us and after a fashion admired our empire. They to would unite their peoples and we would be an an alliance not just of peoples and lands but hearts and spirits dedicated to freedom and the common good.
When we stood together were became the stones that would shatter the goblin advance. Imagine an army such as ours dwarven steel, elven grace, gnomish cunning and Halfling guile arrayed together to halt the greed and hate of the Ghoblyns. It was together we shone our brightest and stood our strongest and we Nytalf Elsa felt our hearts burst with pride because we had been instrumental in leading our people on this path.
The breaking of the Ghoblyns and their giant allies would usher in what would be a golden age for us and our new found friends. We would topple Eccres the first undead dragon even if at great cost to the Te'ra Alflar. We would turn back the tides of terrible evils and together learn and grow in an age of undreamed of prosperity. While our empire and alliance had be born of a need to survive the great evils of the Ghoblyns it remained strong after our people having found a new faith and respect for us and our ability to lead them. We bore the crown and its responsibilities with dignity and strength it was their trust and our duty and in that golden age before the tarnishing that we were truly our most proud and happy.
Pride before the fall
The Age of Tarnishing, or the Time of Betrayal, was a dark period that brought great shame upon the Nytalf Elsa. Blinded by arrogance and consumed by pride, they failed to recognize the growing bitterness among the Swart Alflar and the erosion of trust within their grand alliance. Relations deteriorated, and former friends became estranged. The Te'ra Alflar were the first to leave, accusing the Nytalf Elsa of becoming the rulers they had once fought against. Dismissing their concerns, the Nytalf Elsa labeled them as barbarians.
The signs of the impending betrayal went unnoticed as other branches began to distance themselves. The ultimate fracture of the alliance occurred between the Nytalf Elsa and the dwarves. Fueled by anger and pride, they declared war when they believed one of their princes had been killed by their former allies. The Borda Elsa were labeled traitors, and reluctantly, the other branches joined the conflict. Thus, the War of Stone and Song commenced.
Blood was shed, and former friends turned enemies. The Nytalf Elsa and their loyalist cousins clashed against the Swart Alflar and Duergar, who had formed their own alliance. In this brutal conflict, elf slew elf, and the Nytalf Elsa watched as people they had vowed to protect fell under the enslavement of the Swart Alflar, who would later become known as the Drow, tapping into their unseelie past.
The war ended with the Nytalf Elsa and the Mountain Dwarves weakened, physically and spiritually. It became evident that the Swart Alflar and Duergar had orchestrated the conflict, taking advantage of the Nytalf Elsa's anger and pride. The aftermath left the Nytalf Elsa with a bitter victory, having banished the Swart Alflar deep underground, a fate similar to what they had once imposed on the Ghoblyns. However, the cost was immense, as the empire crumbled, and the Lotanna Elsa, once their allies, blamed them for everything.
In the wake of their defeat, the Nytalf Elsa retreated to their oldest cities, witnessing nature reclaiming the ruins of their once-mighty empire. They became observers, watching their cousins thrive and forge new paths. As academics and seekers of mastery, they learned the folly of allowing their passions to control them. They practice to never let their emotions rule and carry the shame of their greatest failure. They never forget the consequences of their actions and understand that their destiny is their own responsibility. They must never allow their pride to rule them again, even if it means slaying the Drow or enduring the disdain of the dwarves.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

The Nystalf Esla speak elven in one of the oldest and most exacting versions of the dialect, with a strong preference for honorifics and sentence structure. Famously skilled linguists the Nytalf Elsa approach nearly every language they chose to study with an exacting dedication going so far as to ensure their tone, accent and mannerisms are perfectly attuned to the current spoken tongue. They do however often struggle somewhat with local dialects that have, as they put it, severely degenerated from their root language into an excessive use of slang and colloquialisms.

"We are one people, one tree with many branches that have spread from our roots. Though some branches have fallen and others decay we bloom each with our own colors. The greatest sorrow our people endure was not the fall of the Swart Alflar but that we forgot how beautifuly our cousins bloom and taught them to resent the pride we took in our own flowering" -Elyswn Amberclasp Nytalf Elsa Diplomat
"You think we are cold? Arrogent? Prideful? what do you know of our hearts? What do you know of our pain? We are not proud, we live in shame! We failed them all, we failed the responsability and trust they gave us and innocent blood stained our prideful ancestors hands! If we seem aloof, cold or distant it is because we have learned the folly of allowing our hearts too much power over our minds. Prey you never make our mistakes nor have memories long enough nor hearts strong enough to carry them for an eternity" -Alisdyr "Silver-Mane" Sylvandor Arch Mage of the White Order
"I have spent my life in study, academics and lore were constant companions of my first century but the worst thing they taught me was the guilt, that my people for all our magical understanding, all our martial prowess and beauty were wrong. That we who were the greatest of the elves should be guilty for acts of treason against us the rightful rulers of our kind? Those who preach reunification are right but we must never lower ourselves as equals to dirt-elves below us and those who think sorrow and guilt over treason commited against our once great empire are fools. We deserve to rule as we once did, we who are the truest examples of what it means to be elven!" -Kirlandyr Elven Supremist before her banishment for murder and conspiracy.
We rule our realm but we do so alone
The blood of former friends and family stain the willow trees
My war is over but at what cost?
I walk in empty halls where once many laughed
I see hallow eyes and empty hearts once full of joy
My war is over but at what cost?
Songs of victory become ash upon the wind
The weeping dirges of the dead echo in my heart
My war is over but at what cost?
The cuts of sorrow and grief I would trade for the cut of axe or sword
In victory I find more lamentations then if i had lost
My war is over but at what cost?
-Victory Speach given by Tydrafaewyn Sylvencrown last emporer of the Nytalf Else