Elves

Overview

Long ago, in the ancient legends, Elves and Man united to free the lands from the Dark Forces that controlled it. It is said that at the same time, they freed the Dwarfs from their slavery to the Dark Ones. However, as the years rolled on, Elves became distant from Man, instead choosing to sail the seas in search of their ancestral homes. Every now and again, Elves would turn up in a city or strange place, looking for clues.

Now, with the Doom of Man upon the lands, Elves have shunned Man. At one time, the ports would be filled with Elvish mariners. Now, few have ever seen an Elvish ship and fewer still have met Elves face to face. None know where they have gone.

There seem to be new sightings of Elves on the frontiers, seeking lost knowledge and information to find their long-lost homelands. In Enonia, there have been several adventuring elves seen, and word that a band of Seekers had been encountered. It could be that the Elves are becoming more bold in their Search for hidden knowledge. In 56AD, an Elven Conclave was held in the port town of Skalfier to decide the next direction of their search. After a group of adventurers turned up information from the Athenum, the elves decided to perform a Search to the lost city of Ramathia.

Origins

During the Search to Ramathia, the Searchers discovered evidence that elves originated beneath the surface of the ocean. A series of carvings found within caves near the volcano on the island illustrated the history. An elven Elder who accompanied the Searchers confirmed the story, revealing that the true origins of elves had been hidden to prevent them from possibly returning.

Elves did originate from an underwater race that live in city-states. These city-states are constantly at war with each other to establish dominance, resolve trade disputes or simply as a form of cultural expression. At a certain point in time, a popular ruler named Sindrill had enough of the conflict and began showing mercy and kindness to others. This made him extremely popular with all but the nobility. A powerful and cruel rival, Nacalmo, rose up to battle Sindrill. Sindrill recognized that the war would enact a terrible price and decided to leave the city-states and set up a new home, far away.

An elf princess and sorceress, Tenyana, had been promised by her father to Nacalmo upon his success against Sindrill, but Tenyana fell in love with Sindrill and fled with him. Nacalmo, embarrassed and angry at what he perceived to be betrayal, pursued Sindrill and his followers, now branded as "rebels."

Tenyana, fearing for Sindrill's life and the lives of the Rebels, created a magical item: the Horn of the Seas. She meant it as a way for Sindrill to let her know where he was, as Tenyana had decided to surrender to Nacalmo, possibly allowing Sindrill to flee in peace. Nacalmo continued to chase Sindrill and finally cornered him into a final battle. Sindrill's forces, with the hidden help of Tenyana, were victorious and the pursuers were nearly wiped out, but Sindrill was gravely wounded. Nacalmo retreated, with Tenyana a prisoner.

Sindrill's plan was to take the elves to land and live there. He believed that the sea elves would not follow, as they traditionally did not care for what was above the waves. Sindrill lived long enough to arrive to the island of Nicoer (the elven word for "city of first landing") but died soon after and was interred with the Horn in secret in the caverns.

Race

Elves closely resemble humans in their appearance. They are lithe but strong. They are fair-skinned with light hair - either blonde or brown. Elves are typically about 5 1/2 feet tall, shorter on average than most humans. Most elves have been to sea many times, so the elder elves will have lines and weathered features from the salt and sun. They range in height/weight and in features - just as there are many types/looks of humans, so too is that true for elves.

Elves are not terribly long lived, the oldest are 130 to 140 years of age. Most live to about 110 - 120.

It has been known that elves and humans can intermingle and have children - the half-elves are typically shunned by both races as a societal norm. They randomly have features of either race.

Elves (like littlelings) do not have a specific religious belief, rather viewing the worship of gods to be some strange madness shared by humans and "other" races. At the same time, they don't discount the power of mind and good intent when witnessing divine power (clerics/druids).

As elves are organized by "ship's crews" (clans), they also populate their lands by clans. Most clans get along just fine, but each clan has their own buildings and lands. Some clans have more lands (bigger ships) than others. Other clans don't own lands ("shipless") and become workers/servants to those who do. Each clan has a standard and will fight to the death to protect that standard (or any official copy of it.)

The Conclave

A set of chosen elf families head to a specific place (usually a port) where they will plan the next search to find their homelands - then set sail. Members of the selected crew travel on land in a symbolic pilgrimage while the rest of the family sail the ship to the selected port. The banners that the pilgrims hoist are family flags that have specific designs on them to indicate the honor of performing the Search. The Conclave is held once every ten years.