The Qualinesti

Qualimor is the Seat of the Elven King and Queen in the great unspoilt forest (the Galentaur) that lies between Zobeck, The Dragon Coast, the Lake of Bones and The Festering Marshes.
The High Elves, or The Qualinesti, are a proud and graceful people with a history far more ancient than that of mankind. They are said to live for centuries (with some "Immortal" Elves reaching a thousand years old or more), and do not allow trespassers into their enchanted realm.
It is known that rule of the Qualinesti is split between King and Queen. The Summer King, King Eoneril Ostoroth, rules from Mirtul (first month of High Summer) to Eleint (last month of Late Summer). The Winter Queen, Queen Caerdonelle Mystra, rules from Marpenoth to Tarsakh. The King is rumoured to be aloof and distant, even for a High Elf, whereas the Queen (who uses her Pool of Radiance, or Aelinbril, to divine the future) has a reputation as sorrowful and wise. But both can be brutal and xenophobic, preferring to keep the Qualinesti isolated from events in the world of mortal men.
The Rangers of Qualimor, led by King Eoneril's nephew, Beleriath Vaethrann, keep the borders of the forest secure and remorselessly hunt down any monster or aberration that strays into their domain. For many years the Elves have been in conflict with the Urzin Orcs of the swamps to the North, and history records that they were responsible for the repulsion of the Empire of Ghouls from The Dragon Coast many centuries ago (circa 525 NE).
The High Elves are known for their skill with arcane magic (some say they were the first to harness it), for their prowess with a bow and for their affinity to the natural world. They are accomplished musicians and artists, and throughout the year the forest sings with celebration as they seem to move from one extended festival to the next. At the same time, they can be serious and mysterious, even sinister and fearsome when the occasion demands it.
Qualimor itself is located in a vast sinkhole in a part of the forest that is otherwise devoid of landmarks. Those few who have visited have never been able to find it again. The city's architecture is carved into the limestone of the sinkhole and its adjacent caverns. A large lake teems with life and the Elves use boats and kayaks as well as natural rock platforms and suspended rope bridges to traverse the city. Many ride horses and keep wolves, and the King has been seen astride a great elk replete with barding and heraldry. The sinkhole is often filled with soft, soaring voices of Elven choirs that are said to be capable of moving a Dwarf to tears.
The River Argent, which the Elves call Laureduin, lies not far from the Morgrod (the sinkhole), but it is one of the river’s tributaries that flows through the cavern network. These caves are threaded with interlinking tunnels, some of which dive deep down beneath the earth and into the labyrinthine network of the Underdark, where can be found Duergar and worse. Some say the Dark Elves, or Drow, who also inhabit this region, are the result of the High Elves’ inadvised experiments in Shadowmancy. Others say these resulted in the coldhearted ancestry of The Shadow Fey, whose realms lie not beneath the earth but in the umbra of our own world in a parallel dimension of shadows.
There are other smaller Elven settlements in the forest, most of which are suspended tree communities much like those of the Hidden City of the Gnomes in The Old Margreve Forest, which itself was once populated by Elves. Others are sculpted troglodyte caves hewn expertly into the rocky sides of the natural gorges and canyons that wind through the forest.
The Elven diet is mostly vegetarian, although fish is consumed on feast days. Their clothes are finely woven and intricately embroidered. Elven smiths are renowned for their superb craftsmanship of folded swords and light mithral armour. Much of the metal, spice and cloth they use is imported from foreign lands to the south and east.
Perhaps due to their long-lived nature, their pace of life is slow, but few can match the agile reactions of an Elf when speed is of the essence. Their closest allies are the Treants (Onodrim) of the Galentaur, with whom deep conversations have sometimes been known to last for decades. It is thought that the Elves also have a mutual relationship with the Myconids of the Underdark, although this remains unconfirmed.
The Elves are a devout folk who spend many hours sitting or walking in meditation and performing complex prayer rituals. Their major deities, known as the Eldarin, include Selune, Silvanus, Yarila and Porevihd. They speak Qualilambe, which is closely related to the tongue of the Wild Elves (Wood Elves) of Kagonost, except it is spoken less gutterally, with a softer throat and a more melodic tone. The two tribes of Elves can understand basic communication, although with some difficulty. Some recognisable phrases include:
Utulien - I have arrived
Maruvan - I will abide
Nai - may it be
Nan - I am
Nen - I was
Nalye - thou art
Nelye - thou wert
Nelmet - we were
Nuvan - I will be
Nuvalmet - we will be
Nuvalye - thou wilt be
Vanimelda - departing friend
Ia - abyss
Yavie - Autumn
Dagnir - battle
Ele - behold!
Luva - bow
Agar - blood
Aman - blessed
Enteluva - shall come again
Grod - cave
Nost - city
Collo - cloak
Nalon - I cry
Dur / Mor - dark
Amarth - doom
Arda - earth
Mar / Mor - dwelling
Anariel - daughter of the sun
Nogothrim - Dwarfs
Gaurhoth - demons
Thoron - eagle
Quali - high, enlightened, magical
Amarth - doom
Elendil - Elf-friend
Onodrim - Treants
Quelle - fading
Lanta - fall
Mereth - feasting
Merethrond - feast hall
Lote - flower
Taure - forest
Orch - orc / goblin
Laure - golden
Bril - glittering
Beleth - fading
Daedelos - fear
Galen - green
Noldothrond - halls of knowledge
Daro - halt!
Perian - halfling
Mithas - haven
Ore - heart / mind
Unque - hollow
Angren - iron
Tol - island
Tar - King
Hiril - lady
Cal - light
Lasto - listen!
Adan - man
Curunir - man of skill
Hisie - mist
Vanwa - lost
Isil - moon
Amon / Ered - mountain
Fornost - northern city
Noro - ride!
Tier - road
Aear - ocean
Edro - open!
Edron - I open
Edren - I opened
Waith / Nesti - people
Aelin - pool
Elda - those risen to the stars
Tari - Queen
Duin - river
Arda - realm
Conanar - year
Mystra - seer, devout
Pedo - speak!
Vilya - sky
Snaga -slave
Silme - starlight
Laire - summer
Gormegil - sword of horror
Lambe - tongue
Barad - tower
Ywalme - torment
Ornendil - tree-friend
Torog - troll
Laituvalmet - we will praise
Laite - praise!
Linnathon - we will chant
Lembas - bread
Ehtele - well (of water)
Dru / Kago - wild
Rama - wing
Hrive - winter
Noldo - wise
Draug - wolf
Talan - wooden platform
Yanta - bridge
Loende - midsummer
Tiro - watch!
Quendi - Elf
Esse - in
Ello - from / of
Mbando - prison
Hloke - serpent / dragon

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