Presented at the Gowethian Interelven Symposium of Fey-Magic, International Elven Relations, and Elven Craft.
To suggest that the disparate races and sub-races of Elven people are fundamentally the same is to grossly oversimplify the truth of racial genealogy, do a severe disservice to the complications of cultural, regional, and historical context, and, ultimately, pierce the true heart of interelven relations; like bickering siblings, Elven-kind neglect the similarities in their fey blood in favor of competitive posturing. Though the differences in the specific Elven subraces have been thoroughly cataloged, examined, and pontificated upon, and though the examination of these differences have lead to such sterling work as Bertrand, Veniment, and Ironhand (153), little academic exploration has successfully attempted to catalog the rife historical and cultural significance of interelven camaraderie. The last genuine attempt (Dorsin, 451) has been relegated to the dung heap of academic failures and derided, rightfully, as the ill-envisioned, racist tirade it was.
In this treatise, I will lay out, yes, the important variations amongst the Elven subraces, but I will also complicate those differences by examining the rich, shared history of our various peoples. For indeed, the children of the Feywild owe it to themselves, and to the broader sanctity of the Reach at large, to forge connections of understanding and fellowship betwixt all manner of Elven-kind.
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Naming the Subraces
Variations amongst Elven-kind are as extensive as any other of the major races in The Golden Reach (Gardenheim & Shando, 342), though few other races have enforced the severe separation betwixt them like the Feychildren. Regardless, these differences have formed the bedrock of interelven discourse since time immemorial, so it would be remiss of any scholar of merit to so optimistically ignore them. As such, per Gardenheim and Shando (342), most Elves can trace their lineage to four non-discreet categories, whose common names are as follow:
- Wood Elf
- High Elf
- Dark Elf
- Sea Elf
It is vital to note that these categories are
non-discreet; no Elf save those so enamored with their own family lineage to mark it are purely one or another. Over generations, most Elven genealogy has intermingled, creating the wild hearted diaspora we see today. Indeed, in some ways, "the only thing that truly makes an Elf is our shared connection to the Feywild" (Hestin, 590, pg. 252).
For posterity and the purposes of a deeper understanding of context, I will describe these four categories in their cognitively purest forms, however: it is important to understand that these descriptions do not exist in such a pure state in all but the most isolationist of instances.
From the Wilds of Cetan: Wood Elves
"For indeed the Wilds were my home, the home of my people. Though the realms of city and farm life offer comfort and ease, nothing assuages my heart like knowing the deep knowledge of the wood. Nothing eases my anxious malaise like the understanding that my people have forged a life in the most inhospitable lands, looked into the dark underbelly of the wild earth and sought refuge there."
-Nadya Hestin, Wildheart: a Memoir, 590 AA, page 37
The Northern Wilds of Cetan have long been held to be one of the most inhospitable and dangerous forests in the Reach. It comes as no surprise then, that the Elves that used to call those forests home would largely migrate elsewhere, to more hospitable, arable land. The descendants of these ancient Elves are widely referred to as Wood or Wild Elves, sometimes Wilders. Though most Wild Elves have long since left the Northern Wilds of their ancestral namesake, some clans still call those dangerous woods home.
By-and-by, Wood Elves stand somewhat taller than the average elf, and their skintones tend towards darker shades. Some have claimed that Wilder elves are more naturally predisposed towards agility and stealth, and indeed many Wilders with a strong connection to the earth trace fey lineage to the denizens of the Darkwood, allowing them easier access to the feymagic of that realm.
In current day Cetan, most elves trace parts of their lineage back to their ancestors from the Northern Wilds, even though most live in cities, towns, and farms. The stereotypes of Wood Elves as free wheeling, suspicious nomads are the trite example of old High Elven propaganda, largely racist drivel that both delegitimatizes the nomadic roots of Wilders and paints their modern day descendants as listless barbarians.
Indeed, some of the most sterling political minds of our time are Wilders: the champion of Dunekeep, Nepos Sealeaf, who is a chief signatory to the Cetan Concordant and widely regarded as the hero of the Third Divine Argent March, is a proud Wild Elf.
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The Complications of Home: High Elves
"To truly understand the namesake of the High Elves is to understand the history of racism, xenophobia, and self-importance in the Golden Reach. The most magically gifted of the Elves, seeking supremacy, named themselves as such. Though fey ancestry runs powerfully through our veins, we cannot take this as anything other than the luck of birth, not the proclamation of divine right."
-Thyron Oldmoon, Goweth and the World, 634 AA, page 12
As a longtime resident of the nation of Goweth and Master Wizard of the College of Touden, it would be negligent of me to not disclose my own heritage. I come from a long line of proud "High Elves," the common name for the magically adept subrace of Elves from the nation of Goweth in Ibia. Though my people do, by-and-by, have a natural aptitude for the arcane, it is insincere to suggest that this in any way sets us that far apart from our feyborn siblings across the Reach. All of Elven-kind has a connection to the feywild, and therefore an intrinsic connection to the magic of the world. It is wildly self-important to presume that Ibian Elves are in anyway "higher" than those of any other race.
That being said: Ibian Elves stand somewhat shorter on average than other elves, and tend towards stouter bodies and fairer complexions. We largely populate the central plains of Ibia and the nation of Goweth, though Ibian Elves can be found across the Reach.
It is worth noting that part of why Ibian Elves have a history of magical and academic aptitude is because the nation of Goweth has always prized and encouraged schooling. Gowethian education, both academic and arcane, is regarded as some of the best in the Reach. Most of those educated in Goweth can speak multiple languages, and most citizens with the aptitude have some magical capability. This is not so much a natural superiority to other races, then, so much as it is the grooming of a few particular traits over generations by a formal government.
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Dark History to Light: Dark Elves
"What you know about the Drow can be thrown entirely out the window: yes, they are proud, yes, they are severe, but they are not any more disposed towards evil than any other race. A history of seclusion has led to the proliferation of rumors of wanton debauchery and discord about the Drow. It should be asked though: what race can claim such purity? How much warfare has plagued nations of supposedly more peaceful and higher-minded races?"
-Desmond Trine, The Newest Elf, 389 AA, page 85
Dark Elves, or "Drow," are in some ways the freshest face to the national stage of interelven relations. The Drow, for generations, lived underground in the twisting, dangerous caverns of the Underdark. Above ground, wild rumors about our subterranean cousins rampantly multiplied: it was long thought that Drow ate their young in obscene displays to the old spider god of evil Lolth, that they would raid the surface races to sacrifice innocents and virgins in magical rituals, and that they had no eyes. Though the old subterranean cultures were notably violent, a rich arcane and religious tradition was founded in those dark caverns.
What lead the Drow to return to the surface is largely lost to history, save for a few oral traditions. Some families purport that a great war sent some Drow clans above grounds several thousand years ago, while some claim that the Underdark finally became to inhospitable for the Elves. Regardless, the Drow now live across Cetan and Ibia in small enclaves. Though some live in larger population centers, the racism and xenophobia they have long been subject to discourages most from living among other surface races.
Dark Elves stand taller than High Elves and shorter than Wood Elves, and they demonstrate a natural magical aptitude that rivals even the High Elves of Ibia. They demonstrate incredible nocturnal vision, a byproduct of their long history underground. Sunlight sensitivity is common among Drow, though few but the oldest are as sensitive as their underground ancestors.
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Treading Ancient Water: Sea Elves
"They were reticent to speak with me, but once I came aground and made a show of diplomacy, I was welcomed into the small shanty village. The elves were dark skinned and tattooed, long dark hair twisted into abstract and detailed braids. They didn't speak common, but my paltry Elven allowed me to negotiate for supplies and learn a thing or two about their community. This I learned acutely: I was welcome for a short time with as much hospitality as the Sea Elves could muster, but I would be expected to leave after a day. I knew that if I lingered, I eventually wouldn't be given a choice."
-Noris Underwood, The Last Voyage, 134 PA, page 58
Sea Elves are the most isolated of the subraces, and communes and villages are rare this side of the Moseen Ocean. Early accounts were scarce prior to the Astorian Ascension, but as trade between Ibia and Cetan exploded during the second era, sea travel took voyagers to obscure islands across the oceans.
Underwood's
The Last Voyage (134 PA) in particular describes some of the first encounters Ibian travelers had with the secluded Sea Elf nation of Anun. A small island by Ibian standards, the nation nonetheless has a rich culture of its own.
The Sea Elves of Anun, also called Anurians, are the tallest of the elves, and the darkest skinned. It is common for Anurians to carve or ink detailed tattoos into their skin, and many of these have religious or magical purposes. Because of their intense connection to the seas of the feywild, Anurians are incredible swimmers and can hold their breath almost indefinitely.
Though they seldom travel far beyond their shores, recent centuries have seen a boom of activity with the Sea Elf nation of Anun and Ibia. With continued compassion and understanding, these ties will only be further strengthened.
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