Majestic Elves
Those who created nature
CW: Mentions of slavery
The early history of the world is shrouded in mystery. No one knows the exact specifics of how the world formed, or what created it. The small bits that are known are dredged and edited to better fit the history given to the population. They would believe that the world was formed millennia before the Era of Dragons began, a result of natural causes and aided by Io's divine power. While this is partially true, it leaves out the significant force that brought about the creation of the natural world in its current state; the Majestic Elves. The Majestic Elves are the progenitor species of elves, traced back throughout thousands of years. Every elf has a distant relation to these ancestors, though the bloodline has all but disappeared. Once a prominent force in the world, even after the Era of Dragons began, they are a fading culture in today's world. Events over the last thousand years have caused them to lead lives of hiding, for fear of being prosecuted for merely existing. This lifestyle has led to the creation of several other ethnicities of Elves, but at its own cost. Without the original heralds of nature, the natural world is beginning to suffer without the rituals of maintenance once routinely performed.
History
The Majestic Elves were one of the original species of humanoids that walked the continents when they were claimed by the wilderness. They originated in the far north of Briggs. From there they migrated south, crossing over the entirety of the continent of Chromaticos until they reached the southern cape. A colony of elves made the journey across the ocean, landing on Metallan's center coastline. After settling down, the colony split into two and spread north and south until the continent was charted. Over the course of these migrations on both continents, small populations of the elves would stay behind to form their own villages and settlements. As other races such as Dragons, Humans, and Giants began to create settlements, the races learned to cooperate and live amongst one another. Each race brought a different force that they utilized to create their cultures; Dragons had access to powerful arcane magic granted to them by the gods, Elves were given access to the natural and divine schools of magic, Giants were creatures of immense strength and craftsmanship, and Humans were versatile, capable of gaining access to any of the other talents natural to their allied races. The cooperation between the four created a utopia, ripe for innovation and advancement. The peaceful environment also led to different ethnicities and even entirely new races being created. At some point, however, the peace was shattered. The races cooperative living crumbled due to a chain of events culminating in a massive war. While level-headed diplomats tried to intervene, nothing was able to stop the conflict. It lasted for several decades, changing the landscape and destroying the cities that the cultures had worked together to create. When the conflict finally ended, the Giants were exiled, the Humans made subservient, and the Dragons hailed themselves as rulers. The Majestic Elves were spared this fate, as they negotiated a deal with the dragons. They would remain free and hold positions of power in the new world. And in exchange they would help rebuild the ruined landscapes that had been destroyed over the war. The elves were divided into Royal Houses based on their family names. Each house's patriarch or matriarch would attend meetings with the Council of Dragons and have a vote to voice their say on matters.
Culture
The Majestic Elves pride themselves on their connection to nature in any form. This connection influences the way that they live, while also granting them a level of their own influence upon the world.Clothing
The clothing of the Majestic Elves is a mix of natural foliage and leather obtained from animals. Natural clothing is the preferred choice for persons involved in scouting or hunting. The foliage used heavily depends on the surround flora; elves from Briggs would use the various arctic flowers and plants woven in with the leaves of trees, while elves from Uzambwe would intertwine cacti into the different plants found around desert oases.The leather and hide clothing were woven by the skilled workers in the villages after hunting parties would return with catch, where it would then be given to non-combatants of the village. The leader of the village would often have a much more intricately designed leather clothing set, woven with animal bones and precious stones found around the locale.
Traditions
The close relationship between nature and the elves was one that had the power to dismantle the world if not properly maintained. In order to avoid such a fate, the elves created numerous rituals that they would follow year after year. Most of these rituals involved a specially appointed elf who bore the responsibility of following the steps to the ritual. The rituals would take place at sacred grounds called Pathos, where each step would be completed.The natural order of the world would collapse without these rituals being performed. Forests would grow out of control, more natural disasters would occur and the seas would rise to swallow the world given enough time.
Religion
The Majestic Elves do not worship the typical deities of Draconia like Bahamut or Tiamat. Instead, they worship their own separate goddess: Lothoraine, The All-Mother. Lothoraine created the elves at the twilight of time by breathing life into the different array of flora that sprouted from the ground. The relationship between the two is what gives the elves their control over nature and their magical abilities.
To pay homage to their goddess, the elves regard the preservation of nature as above everything else besides their rituals. Viewing a sanctimonious act against the world is hailed as taking an oath of retribution against the offender, and elves who do return after fulfilling this oath are hailed as heroes amongst their village.
To pay homage to their goddess, the elves regard the preservation of nature as above everything else besides their rituals. Viewing a sanctimonious act against the world is hailed as taking an oath of retribution against the offender, and elves who do return after fulfilling this oath are hailed as heroes amongst their village.
Lothoraine's symbology is most commonly associated with birds of prey such as eagles, falcons and hawks. But she is usually depicted with eagle-inspired wear.
Relations with Other Races
Originally, the Majestic Elves held amicable relations with the different races they coexisted with. They held a notion of pride over the others due to their role in maintaining the world's integrity, but they did not allow this pride to sully the diplomacy they had created. They tried to spread this pride to their friends, hoping that they would also join together in creating more beautiful landscapes.
Despite their efforts, there was a growing form of animosity between the Elves and Giants. The Giants were naturally destructive due to their size and strength, which often resulted in damage to the Elves' creations. The tensions between the two stayed dormant up until the war that sent the Giants into hiding.
Despite their efforts, there was a growing form of animosity between the Elves and Giants. The Giants were naturally destructive due to their size and strength, which often resulted in damage to the Elves' creations. The tensions between the two stayed dormant up until the war that sent the Giants into hiding.
Exile
After more than 2000 years of living alongside Dragons, the agreement between the two of them was destroyed in the year 2257 EoD. A power-hungry dragon by the name of Ralbas Cinderclaw had begun a rapid ascension to the top of the political sphere in Draconia. Part of his ascension involved stripping the Royal Houses of their power. Fears of the elves rebelling against the Dragons had grown over the course of two millennia, and Ralbas uses this fear to influence the council into the decision of removing the Royal Houses' political status. With the agreement now being nulled, the Elves were just like the lesser races of Draconia. The chaos that ensued in the elven communities was unparalleled. Families gathered their belongings as quickly as they could to retreat into the deep forests. They knew what was to come if they didn't leave as soon as possible. Unfortunately, only the first few families that had advance notice of what was to come were able to safely make it into hiding. Each known village or providence that housed the elves was besieged by the Draconian Military. Those who fought back were slaughtered like animals, a display for the surviving to give themselves up or suffer the same painful death as their loved ones. Those who tried to run were hunted down and enslaved with the rest of their friends that remained. After the initial attacks, squads were sent out with the specific purpose of tracking any stragglers that had managed to escape. The groups that escaped into the deep forests made refuge among the Feywild, creating new villages and even a new capital city. The royal families that were among the refugees restored their status amongst their new community and created the Elven Council. A similar concept to the Council of Dragons, it instead was a committee would vote on measures taken to protect the remaining elf communities that had escaped enslavement. They created the defenses around their section of the forest and enchanted it to keep themselves hidden. Any potential intruder that managed to survive the Feywild's natural defenses would only find themselves forever lost within the winding trees. And so the Majestic Elves faded from public knowledge. From the depths of their refuge they were forced to watch as the landscapes of pristine beauty they had worked for so long to create crumbled. The rituals they swore to uphold were forgotten, lost to time and neglected.
Without the Majestic Elves maintaining their traditions, the natural world began to crumble even further. Villages and cities around Draconia were lost to the elements, leaving only the scattered towns that dot the continents. The one saving grace, if it could be called that, was that the ethnicities such as the Tundra Elves, Forest Elves, and Arid Elves were spared the fate of the Majestics. These groups of elves never had any power in Draconia's political games, as they were viewed as inferior compared to the pure-blood Majestics. These groups of elves were already under the control of Dragons, but avoided the hunting games that dwindled the population of the Majestics.
Mock illustration of a typical Majestic Elf village before their exile
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I'll never forgive them for what they did to our family. I swear upon the family name of Loralar that I will become a Eladrin. I will join the Courts of the Fey and take vengeance upon these dragons. We will restore our honor, Eledric.
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