Val'res

Cave Elves of the Eastern Hills

The Val'res are elves, despite bearing the least resemblance to their cousins out of all the elven races. Countless centuries living in caves and warrens just beneath the surface has changed their physiology greatly from the elven norm. Their height is somewhere between that of a dwarf and that of other elves, standing somewhere between four and five feet tall, and with a wiry build that leaves them looking muscled almost to the point of caricature in comparison to other elves. Their skin is the milky, translucent tone of a cavefish. If a person squints and stares to the point of being impolite, it almost seems possible to actually see the muscles beneath their skin. Their name means "The People Below." The Val'res aren't a completely subterranean race, living mostly in caves in the side of hills, and warrens near to the surface. They perform most of their surface business at night, namely trade with the Mii'res of the Skymirror Sea and the barge-towns along the Rhi'vul and Ser'vul rivers. The Val'res maintain strong alliances with both the Mii'res and the Svirnoi gnomes, both out of strong respect for each other's culture, but also out of a shared convenience of only being able to surface at night. People of the barge-towns find them trustworthy and friendly, but a bit creepy. This is because of their appearance, because of their odd, halting way of speaking Common and their tendency to constantly be looking around as if the sky is going to devour them at any moment. The Val'res live in an environment where the earth itself can deceive you, and those deceptions can kill you, causing a seemingly strong tunnel to collapse, or a rock to fall from a ceiling. As a result, their culture puts a strong emphasis on honesty, and worship of Moatilliata is prevalent.