Eladrin

The term Eladrin refers to the original elves originally hailing from the Feywild, as well as the descendants of the elves who returned to the Feywild following the events of the Fade. Due to the increased presence of magic within the Feywild, the native Eladrin display a greater affinity for magic than their cousins who reside in the material plane, as evidenced by the average Eladrin's highly malleable physical appearance.
The society of the Eladrin is split into two major factions, each occupying their own hemisphere of the Feywild: the Seelie Court occupies the daylit half of the Feywild and embodies the seasons of spring and summer, while the autumn and winter Eladrin of the Unseelie Court dwell within the plane's moonlit side.

History

The Eladrin are understood to be the "original" elves, native to the plane of existence known as the Feywild. In the Pre-Vancian Era, the Eladrin discovered a means to cross over into other planes of existence, most notably the Prime Material Plane, and by extension the world of Teranuz. By traveling between the two planes, these early Eladrin explorers inadvertedly caused the magic inherent to their native plane to spread to the Prime Material Plane as well, bringing the presence of arcane magic to Teranuz.
Upon discovering the resource-rich continent that would later be known as Crestfall, sub-factions of Eladrin from both the Seelie and Unseelie courts began vying for control of the landmass, eventually escalating into a centuries-long conflict known as the Millennium War.
After the Fade occurred and brought an end to the War, the majority of Eladrin participants on either side withdrew back into the Feywild; however, some members of both the Seelie and Unseelie Eladrin remained in Crestfall, their descendants becoming the High Elves and the Drow, respectively. A third offshoot of the Eladrin, comprised mainly of members of the Seelie Court, chose to abandon the conflict of the war altogether and retreated into the remaining wilderness of Crestfall, becoming the Wood Elves and Desert Elves.

Society and Culture

Despite their malleable forms, the society of the Eladrin appears to be one heavily steeped in cultural stagnation; this is perhaps a consequence of their long lifespans (even by the standards of other elves), resulting in new ideas, trends and cultural norms taking a much longer amount of time to take root than in shorter-lived societies. The current rulers of the Eladrin courts (King Oberon and Queen Titania for the Seelie, and Queen Mab for the Unseelie) have each enjoyed unopposed reigns which have lasted longer than most nations in the Material Plane, and while the two courts continue to exist in ostensible competition with each other, eons of conflict have eroded into petty squabbles, displays of power and wealth, and bickering over magical items serving as little more than status symbols to the elven rulers.
If the Seelie and Unseelie Courts have one thing in common, however, it is their mutual pity and disdain for the denizens of the Twilit Border, the thin circumference of territory located directly between the Seelie and Unseelie domains. Once the territory of the Pallid Elves, the Twilit Border's current occupation by Hags, Changelings and other "undesirable" fey is seen as a continued annoyance for both sides of the Eladrin conflict, especially when it pertains to crossing from one territory into the next for diplomatic purposes.

Diverged ethnicities

• Desert Elves
• Drow
• High Elves
• Pallid Elves
• Wood Elves

Encompassed species

• Elf

Related Locations

• The Feywild