Castillan Elv

A Race Divided

One of the first major conquests of the Zatalian Empire was that of Castil, the largest lake on the material plane. The native Halfolk put up little resistance back in the dawn of the third era, and the area swiftly became a heartland to the Empire’s power in the east. Here, separated from Cardinalic, the Elvs grew into their own unique culture under the same banner. Over the lifespan of the empire, they became known as Castillans, known for their closer commune with the mystical arts and more placid demeanor. Their eccentricities were tolerated in the Empire due to their status as Elvs and their freedom under the Yarate system, and have been a core territory for thousands of years. Recently, however, following the Burning of Cardinalic and the continuing Domino Rebellions, stirrings of independence have brought forth violent rebellions. Ten years following the War of Scales, the Elvs of North Castil, led by Froalen of the Far Peak, declared their Yarate independent from the Empire, starting a three year conflict in which the Castillans came out on top, although with heavy losses on both sides of the conflict. The east shore only recently declared independence, led by Raquan of Highrock, and the conflict looks to escalate even further in the coming years. Some see this as a natural split, a continuation and result of the dominos falling, while others see it as a betrayal against their own kind.

Wood Shapers

If you were to ask a passerby on the streets of any city on Naufath what the first thing they thought about when you mention a "Castillan" Elv, they would probably tell a tale of beings who, through their natural gifts and skillful majics, could shape trees and bend plants to their will. In reality, it is only a part of the innate majics that Elvs can harness, and it is not entirely natural. Through their long lives and inquisitive nature Elvs have long been studious in the advanced ways of majic, but in Castil it is taught to every child as a skill as essential as fire-starting and cooking. Hand-in-hand with this, the second most likely answer to that question would be their massive presence at sea. The Cherry Armada, the undisputed naval power of the world, was built entirely by Castillan majic, and each ship has at least half a crew of native lake folk and one expert woodshaper aboard. You would be hard pressed to find a port without an Armada ship docked within, and most abroad Castillans can trace their heritage back to a sailor if they look far enough.

Independent Souls

Castillans, far more so than their Zevelen brethren, have a less formal approach to the state and value the individual over authority. That is not to say they are devoid of order, their ships are run as tight as any, but they do not generally have the loyalty nor the fervor that their Empirical ancestors have. These views have only been reinforced with the recent rebellions. Castillans value ingenuity, forward thinking, and initiative, and are prone to travel in their younger years before returning home to settle into a craft. All this said, the average Castillan is seldom ambitious, finding value simply in knowledge, experience, and the refining or their own skills.

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Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition Statistics

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Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity and Wisdom both increase by 2.
Age. Elvs are long lived, but not immune to the effects of aging. Most will live around 900 years, but those who live to a couple thousand are not unheard of.
Size. Your size is Medium. Elvs are about the same size as humans of average, but more often will fall on extreme ends of height (under 5ft or over 6ft).
Speed. Your base walking speed is 40 feet.
Created by Celestials. Your creature type is Humanoid (Celestial).
Elven Grace. You are proficient with Dexterity saving throws and the Perception and Acrobatics skills.
Mystic Meditation. Elvs are inherently able to harness majics of the natural elements, and you have practiced in using this connection to shape wood and use the natural forces of the material plane. You can naturally shapeshift wood and living plant life within a 5ft of you by touching and concentrating on it for 10 minutes. By meditating for an hour, you may store an Evocation or Transmutation cantrip from the Druid or Sorcerer spell list that you may cast using your Wisdom score within 24 hours of the meditation. At the 3rd level, this becomes up to a first level spell of the same schools of majic. You may store a total number of cantrips or spells equal to your proficiency modifier.
Languages. You can speak, read, and write Froalen, a form of Elvish, and speak a form of Seaspeak of your choice. If your Intelligence is 11 or greater, you may also read and write in this form of Seaspeak. In addition, you may speak, read, and write an additional language of your choice if your Intelligence is 14 or greater. However, if your Intelligence is 7 or less, you cannot read or write.

Commonly Called: Lake Elvs, Traitor-kin, Wood Elvs, Cherry Lads.
Commonly Found: Around the Castillan Lakes and throughout Senectus, mostly in the the States of Tederland and the unrecognized Raquans Rebellion, and in what remains of the Yarate of Castil.
Common Names: Evandro, Falasco, Anacleto, Crescenze, Giacombbe, Maddalena, Vignola, Celeste, Fabril, Rapuani.*
_{*Elven names are forbidden to start with "Z" within the Empire, as it is an indicator of status as one within line to the Empirical throne. Even those outside of the Empire still keep to this tradition, as having a false name as such will be potentially confusing or dangerous, as you may be mistaken for royalty. In the cutthroat world of Zatalian royal politics, this is often a death sentence.}