Races of Theril: The Elves

Elf

Scholars debate whether the elves hold claim to the title of second born of mortal races, though this does not stop them from claiming so. Dragons had long fought the dwarves before the first elves walked the forests, but the dragonkin and elves appeared at about the same time.

Sentinels of The Woods.

The elves were created by Nyph from her farthes prized trees. They were a gift to him; guardians of his great woods and sacred forests. Mysth took interest in her daughter’s creations, and blessed them with a high sensitivity to the ebbs and flow of power. Their forms are quite dynamic, changed by the nature of the ambient magic. Elves steeped in the powers of the forests remain mostly unchanged, standing around and after above six feet tall. With lithe forms. Their skin resembling that of bark in coloration with hair in shades of green. Those steeped in the more arcane sources tend to be shorter by about a foot, with a stunning variety of pigmentation. All elves share a common feature, pupilless white eyes that glow with latent power.

Divided by Power.

There was once a time where there was only one kind of elf; those created to guard Arbus’ creations. But there would be a schism in elfdom between those who would keep their divine purpose and those who desired mastery over Mysth’s gift. In the first great schism those elves who had forsaken their ancestral bonds were forced out of the forests and had to find new places to make their homes. The exiles built their cities on well springs of arcane power, where ley lines intersect and arcane pools could be established. Each city was attuned to different arcane sources and warped the occupying elves in different ways. These communities became very insular, and became further fragmented and splintered. Several of these communities had the misfortune of building their cities above wellsprings of malignance, more so than other races this rapidly transformed the elves into something entirely new. They’re corruption caused further fracturing among the arcane elves as the Fallen were universally hated by the Arcane and the Guardians, but also further drove the Arcane and Guardians further apart as the guardian saw the fallen as the inevitable fate of all those who forsook their true purpose.

Masters of Magic

Even if the Guardian elves deny their innate connection with it, every elf has the potential to be a highly capable mage. Their longevity and heighten awareness are both a result of their natural attunement to Mysth’s weave.Elves see the natural ebb and flow of magic in the land as clearly as a human would see the flow of a river. It was the elves who first learnt of Mysth’s weave, and first mastered the arcane arts, a fact that elven mages often used to boast their superiority over other races. The lose of magic and the resulting Soul Plague gutted most elven communities, but did have a strange effect on the equilibrium of power. With many feeling the loss of magic too strong joining the Fallen bolstering the ranks of the once hated kin. On old Theris each of the three elven factions have roughly equal power, forcing the Guardians and Arcane elves to reconsider old prejudices.

Guardians of Nature

All Elves share a powerful connection with nature, though they choose to express this in different ways. The guardian Elves feel compelled to live among nature, preserving it’s natural form corruption and change. The Arcane elves also feel compelled to live in unity with nature but instead of leaving it as it were they sculpt nature into forms of beauty that they appreciate. To the Arcane elves the Guardians seem backwards, but to the Guardians the Arcane are seen as corruptors of what they should preserve. The Fallen have no particular connection with nature, all they care about is the nature of the power they feed on.

Formality even among Friends

Elven society is highly structured and complex, but most confusing o outsiders is the strange way they are obsessively formal at all times. In the elven language there is a bewildering array of honorifics and augmentations to words depending on relative stations. It is impossible to translate these into common, but the rigours and structure of this conversational formality still transfer over. Elves are often described as somewhat cold our distant even to close friends. Elves raised outside of elven communities through, or in the more liberal community of Telor Val almost oppose this stereotype, tending towards being incredibly relaxed even compared to members of other races and are considered excellent company by most.

The Long Discovery

An elf is not considered responsible enough to have children and be involved in the running of an elven community until they have lived for about a century, this is despite reaching physical maturity at a similar age to humans. The additional 80 years are spent in a process known as the Long Discovery. Though Elves are highly ordered, they also possess a strong sense of individualism, this is resolved by each elf finding their own order during their long discovery. The 80 years are filled with self directed study, a sampling of a wide variety of possible lives they could live and of course the ordeal of truly mastering the elven language and ways. When they feel they have discovered themselves they cast of the mantle of child by replacing the name their parents gave them with a name more suited to whom they have chosen to be and join the ranks of adult elves. From there an elf would expect to see at least another seven centuries unless tragedy strikes them down in their prime. They show no signs of age, but their age can be inferred by how they hold themselves in conversation and the levels of respect offered to them and they offer to others.

Divided in Worship

As with most traditions with the elves, they practice of worship is split along power divisions. The Guardians worship the Natural Trifecta of Arbus, Pearn and Nyph whereas the Arcane elves the Mysterious Trifecta of Mysth, Selus and Nyph. Though the two both worship Nyph they’re worship is vastly different, and they disagree on a number of finer points about her divinity.

Spirits of Magic

Elven souls are almost entirely imbued crafted from arcane power. This is made manifest by their mutability by ambient magic as well as being the source of their longevity and darkvision. This grants an innate ability for magic use, both arcane and divine.

The Flowery Tongue

The elven language is a difficult language to learn and master. Each word having different pronunciations depending on subject, tense and honourific being applied to the word. Non elves can get a grasp of the basics of the language but will often use far too many words, and not apply honourifics correctly. As each word contains a large amount of information, their communication often seems stark to those unable to fully understand. The elven language is flowing and pleasing to the ear, bards often favour the tongue for the immense amount of meaning that can be built into works using the language.

Elven Communities

The Elves of Old Theris have the majority of their populations focused in compact communities, all of which share particular outlooks. Owing to their highly mutable forms, theses communities also often share particular appearances.

Telair Viael. It was once named Mehil Selil or ‘Where the Trees Roam Among Mortals’, the forest was renamed to represent its current status, ‘The Last of the Great Woods’ and the stronghold for the remaining Guardian Elves. As the bastion of the Guardians, Telair Viael is a sanctuary for nature, it’s occupants growing quite insular since the Breaking.

Masyth Selmani. As implied by it’s name ‘The Place Where the Stars are Here’ has a strong connection with Mysth and the Stars. The elves of this city have glistening skin in pale purple colours, their hair tends to be coppery and their eyes burn with pinks and pale purples. Natives to the city are Masath, or Star Elves in the common tongue. Before the breaking the population was dominated by powerful spellcasters and astronomers, but with the breaking and the soul plague which ravaged the city almost destroyed the city. Now a member of the loose alliance of cities known as the Burning Coast, Masyth Salmani holds the largest repository of arcane knowledge, including the famed Well of Knowledge, a pool of arcane power that contains the knowledge of spells stored in the form of arcane liquid.

Spatirl Scelsula. The most isolated of the elven cities, ‘The Moons Face in the Lands’ was built upon ley lines connected to Selus in what is now known as Phernia. The Scalsala, or Moon Elves to in common have skin like blue silver, silvery hair and eyes burning with a bright blue. The city once housed the Great Calander, a scroll created by the Demi-Elf Greya which contained the name of all the years. Before Spatil Scelsula joined the Phernian Empire a band of rebels stole the scroll and took it to Telor Val, saving it from the destruction it would have surely faced. MAny of the new generation of Moon Elves have taken up the Antithiotic practices of the Phernians, causing ample tension between the still reticent older generations and the other members of the empire.

Corpol Sarin. The histoty of ‘The Malignance for which we Fell’ has been trying. Located quite close to Masyth Selmani, Corpol Sarin was left more or less untouched by the soul plague owing to the occupants close connection to Malignance. Natives to the city and their kin, the Carpal or Fallen Elves, were once loathed by their Arcane and Guardian Kin, but their continued access to power allowed them to some what thrive after the breaking. Corpol Sarin has taken control of a number of cities on the burning coast, establishing something of a faction for malignant races in the region, bringing them into conflict with other powers on the coast, and gathering the ire of guardian elf communities close to the forests edge. There aggression at this time has been limited only to currently abandoned cities and towns and no one has prevented their actions, as the armies of Corpol Sarin are the only forces that have mages at this time.

Telor Val. Before the breaking of the world, a small community of elves were established between the cities of Masyth Selmani, Corpol Sarin and the edge of the Great Woods. The name of the town is also it’s mission, ‘Our Unity’ or perhaps ‘Elven Unity’ as the word could mean either depending on context is a city established in an attempt to bring together the disparate elves. The town was built away from any ley lines, which allowed it/s occupants to retain the features of the homes. Telor Val also became the home of a generation of orphaned Drow before the breaking, showing a true commitment to their mission. After the breaking Telor Val has become the home of Elves whose homelands are no more, and even supports a small population of Fallen Elves.

Peloth Tsalmair. Once in the heartlands of Old Theris, ‘The Intersection of the Sun’s Rays’ now occupies an island in the Shallow Sea. The natives, known as Palath or Sun Elves in the Common tongue, are among the taller of the arcane elves, With dazzling golden skin and hair like bronze, eyes burning a bright yellow. Peloth Tsalmair was built reaching for the sun, which saved the city from total annihilation when the land became sea. The lower levels of the spires are now flooded, but travel is still possible in the city by boat. The town's most obvious feature, Sunstone, provides bright illumination which can be seen all throughout the shallow sea, assisting with navigation.

Elf Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood at around the age of 100 and can expect to see the end of their 8th century.

Alignment. Elves believe that individuality is the greatest good. Each elf forges their own path in the world and it is the role of others to pursue their own paths without inhibiting others. This may seem in contrast to their strong sense of order, but within their society this is resolved simply: It is the obligation of each Elf to find the order which binds their life. They see destruction as inherently wrong, but are also not prone to letting things that are harmful persist. The Fallen Elves are a subversion of these norms; forming highly regimented societies with very little structure in each life, They see destruction as perfectly natural, but also know that not everything should be subject to oblivion.

Size. Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall, with slender builds. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. Accustomed to twilight forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.

Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Blessings of Nyph. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic cannot put you to sleep.

Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Languages. You can speak, read and write Common and Elvish.

Arcane Elf

The arcane elves are the most visually diverse of all elfdom. They are among the shortest of their kin, but are often considered the more stunning to behold. Their skin and hair take on an almost metallic appearance, possessing sheen and lustre akin to precious metals, their eyes burn brightly in a multitude of hues depending on the power source that infuses their form.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Chosen of Mysth. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizards spell list. Intelligence is your spell casting ability for it.

Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.

Guardian Elf

The guardian elves are known to be quite stand offish towards their ‘corrupted’ kin, the once proud guardians of the world's forests are now contained to a single wood which they keep fervently. Tallest of the elves, with skin coloured similar to the bark of trees, but with a glossy sheen and hair the colour of leaves of every season. Their eyes burn with the same green light that their ancestors possessed when elves first walked the earth.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Children of Arbus. Whenever you make an Wisdom (Nature) check related to forests or woodlands, you are considered proficient in the Nature skill and add double your proficiency bonus to the check, instead of your normal proficiency bonus.

Sylvan Speed. Your base walking speed is increased to 35 feet instead of 30 feet.

Fallen Elf

Those elves that built their cities around malignant ley lines became the Fallen. On average taller than Arcane Elves, but shorter than Guardians. The Malignant have skin akin in colouration to some humans, though often paler than their human counterparts, and hair of blondes and reds. The eyes of a Fallen makes clear their corruption, burning with the sickly purple of Malignance.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.

Malign Power. You know a cantrip of your choice from the Warlock spell list. Charisma is your spell casting ability for them.

Tainted Arcana. You know the thaumaturgy cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the detect magic spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the arcanist's magic aura spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Power Addiction. Unless you have cast or have been targeted by a spell since you last took a short or long rest, you do not gain the benefits of a short or long rest.

Malignant. When making  Charisma (Deception), Charisma (Persuasion) or Charisma (Performance) checks against creatures without this trait you do not add your proficiency bonus.