Eldari

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The Eldari are the descendants of ancient humans that fled to the Faewyld during the beginning of the Daemon Wars. Like many early tribes, the Eldari fled the horrors of an imminent threat only to wind up with a whole new set of problems. For the Eldari, the Faewyld would have been a slow poison where their ancestors slowly fell into hysteria and madness, were it not for a fortuitous meeting with a sympathetic member of the Court of Stars.
The result was the Solstice Covenant, both a political treaty as well as a magical ritual where the Archefae of the Court of Starts imbued these humans with the ability to survive in Faewyld, and welcomed them under the protection of the Court. For millenia since, these new peoples, known as Eldari, worked to build their own civilization in the primeval forests of the Faewyld, with mixed success.
Eventually, some Eldari sought to return and aid those mortals still fighting for their existence, leaving their kin in Fae. This created the first of many schisms, fracturing the bonds between the Eldari as many groups began seeking their own paths of independence. Since that first schism, this pattern of diaspora and migration has been a tradition for many eldari. While such nations such as Drossus Soverignty, Republic of Scietti, or the Quel'ta Confederacy have served to provide a haven for many Eldari in Rynn, it is rare for those same Eldari to admit such places feel like home. Unsurprisingly, many Eldari are fond of venturing out beyond their lands, and finding comfort in the journeys and interactions with others.

Morphology

The nature of the Faewyld has imparted several key differences between the Eldari and their Human counterparts. Most iconic are their tall, thin frames and pointed ears. While many endari often have pale skin and hair, this trait does not appear to be uniform across families as it is in humans. Colorings ranging from deep purple, green, and gold can be found along with more traditional tan and brown coverings. Unlike most human pairings, these displays occur in new children at the same rate deviations in hair and eye color do, indicating that such a trait can re-emerge even after several generations of pairing.
Their most envious trait is their apparent youthful appearance well into adulthood and their elderly years. By most accounts, Eldari rarely display signs of aging beyond that of a 40 year-old human. The only reliable indicator of an Elf's age is the vivacity of their eyes and iris - a pale or opaque eye is a reliable indicator of maturity.
The general term of Eldari refers to the collective whole of people who descended from the Solstice Covenant. Afterward, the Mysran Schism outlined a clear distinction between those who remained in the Faewyld (The Eladrin), those who remained in the Underdark (Drosni), and those who returned to mortal Rynn (The Eleiri).
The subdivision amongst the Eladrin is poorly understood, but they are generally associated with their ancestral cities, such as Astrazalian or Mithrindain. In contrast, most Eleiri are traditionally known by their national ancestry, such as Scietti, Quel'ta

Culture

Courtly Fetishes

According to folklore and historic accounts, the Solstice Covenant was remanded to the care of the various courts of the Faewyld, each holding sway over its own domain. As these domains are defined by their spiritual traits as much as their physical ones, many Eldari hold some level of superstition about the relationship between their past lives and their patron court.
It is not uncommon for Eldari to, upon first meeting, inquire about the nature of one's court lineage. Many elves presume much about the personality or actions another will take based on their ancestry. A casual discussion of the archetypal relationships between courts, or the cliches of certain fae can often be heard in the small talk between Eldari nobles and commoners alike.
While most try not to let the knowledge of anothers' ancestry prejudice them, more obsessive or bigoted Eldari may go as far as socially castigate or avoid such individuals they deem to be taboo. Such perspectives are generally regarded as extreme; nonetheless they persist within some influential and common Eldari across Rynn.
In some ways, the history of the Eldari is longer than that of their contemporaries, due to the temporal nature of the Faewyld itself. While there are sparse details for much of their early histories, a few key stories have been distilled from many oral and written Eldari historians of the years.

Trancing

The Covenant yielded some unexpected changes alongside those of physicality and magical affinities. When the first children of the Eldari were born, their eyes held far too much knowledge for that of an infant. As Eldari souls no longer passed into the Astral Sea, whatever process they underwent within fey hands left past memories still intact--albeit inconsistent and varied. This came to be known as Nyatai, or the "Soul Braid"; a weaving of the fragments of many souls and many memories reformed once more into the singular soul that possesses a body.
Once the Eldari gathered what was happening--and indeed, what would continue to happen--a method was developed to help learn and maintain a means of separating one’s own memories from those of past lives. We call this practice 'Trancing', whereby Eldari engage in a meditation where they focus on controlling and organizing their memories, learning to separate those past lives from their own life.
Due to the existence of the Nyatai, Eldari children are often considered especially precocious, unusual, and perhaps even outright unsettling to outsiders. During the early years, they are incapable of properly distancing themselves from the influence of memories not their own and prone to shift personalities and behaviors with little warning.
With proper teaching from an early age, they gain a measure of discipline and focus to control their Soul Braid, though the nature of this development varies based on culture. Any parent who neglected to instruct their child in the art of trancing would be reviled, as such act would be considered an abandonment of their responsibilities.
In the rare instances where an Eldari, or more commonly a half-elf, grow up without a proper education in Trancing, they often mature more slowly. In some circumstances, a young Eldari may re-learn trancing from a past life, allowing them self discipline. Those that don't often develop one or more mental conditions that make them unstable in polite society, and often regarded as a threat by those they encounter. Because half-elves still require sleep, their subconscious helps process the differing memories more easily without trancing (though half-elves may learn to trance as well).

Stress and Relapse

While most adults are considered to be in full control of their personality and actions, occasional periods of severe stress or trauma can trigger a relapse and cause memories from an Eldari to flood their mind, overwhelming them for some periods of time. Sometimes called Unraveling, an Eldari may appear distracted or respond to voices no one else can hear. In the worse cases, Soul Storms can cause Eldari to become temporarily catatonic, or even allow such memories to gain dominance over the individual, for a time. There are even stories of Eldari who, upon witnessing a great evil or suffer some untold horror, become permanently broken and only the fragments of a few past lives can hold the body together.

The Eiriol

Commonly known as 'The Disciples' by most outsiders, The Eiriol (translates more accurately as 'Advocate') were the seven prime leaders of Eldari diaspora out of the Faewyld. Some theologians may also include the Seven's immediate acolytes and trusted accomplices as also deserving of the title, though this practice is not usually respected outside academic circles.
Much of the history of the Eiriol is detailed extensively in the The Path of Seven‌, though their journey is also bound up with several other cultures over the centuries they wandered Rynn after their re-emergence. Considered by most Eldari to be demigods of one shape or another, their mythology is a defining feature of most of Eldari society.

History

The Solstice Covenant

see also: the Primal Union or Graceful Domestication
Widely considered to be the founding myth of the Eldari people, the Solstice Covenant is by most accounts both a political agreement as well as a magical ritual both. After the first meeting between Aslyan and Kyrna, the remnants of the lost city were given permission to send a delegation to meet with the Fae'n Court. While the exact structure of the Court of Stars is sill poorly understood, what is known is that they can be considered the most influential and powerful force in the Faewyld. Through the numerous historical and poetic stories surrounding this meeting, the central agreement that was made between the then Ur-humans and the Court was a trade.
In exchange for a powerful enchantment to protect the human population against the ambient nature of the Faewyld, as well as a general understanding of cooperation, the Court would gain control of the humans' mortal souls upon their death. Furthermore, this agreement would apply not only to those living humans, but to their descendants in perpetuity. Under this agreement, the mortal souls will not return to the Astral Sea, but instead will remain under the control of the Court to be used, modified, or returned as they see fit.
Once formed, this agreement was then dispersed among the differing courts, such as Revelry and Gloaming, to uphold and attend henceforth. The complicated relations between the court fae and their servants only compounds on the potential problems faced by the newly formed Eldari, and how they navigate the social world of the Faewyld.
Despite centuries of research and theological inquiry, the reach of this power remains a mystery, but what is known is that the effect has remade those humans into something much different. While the fae has granted the Eldari their pointy ears and youthful appearance, it is their extensive memories and aura of wisdom that most define the Eldari. The general trait of trancing and access to lives past is considered to be a direct result of this covenant. Much of what we know about Eldari history is a testament to these past lives, and the only people more covetous of those stories besides historians, are the Eldari themselves.
Separated from the Astral Cycle, the Eldari both enhanced themselves, and their Fae lords by a measurable degree, and that change has certainly kept them at arms length since their return to Rynn, despite all attempts at cooperation. While the accusations of possession by many in the empire are likely unfounded, one cannot help but wonder what hold the Court of Stars hold over the Eldari as a whole, and if there is some latent torment that still awaits.
~ Excerpt from the "Advisor's Journal, Consultations with the Emperor." by Kilian Fischer.
‌ Original quotes by Caecia Tanu Ruomei, Imperial Chronicler

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Humans

Genetic Descendants

• Gjinn

Origin/Ancestry

Echinder

Related Organizations

• Drossus
• Drossus Peerage
• Iloelthisme