Wayfarer Elves (half-elves) once numbered among the
Uluandi but refused to leave
Nythlaang when the rest of the Elves did. Enslaved for over a thousand years by the Yuan'ti, the Platinum Crusade liberated many of them during the latter days of the Time of Terror. Once freed these elves sought to reinvent themselves, taking on the name Wayfarers to highlight their exile from their homelands that are still held by the Yuan'ti in the southern jungles.
History
Those that remained on Nythlaang following the exodus of the Uluandi included the elves of the
Principality of Seraline and the elves of the principalities of Ynala and Kerintsa, in the southern
Jungles of Sthalis.
Shortly after the exodus of the Uluandi, the elves who remained on Nythlaang entered a protracted war with the Yuan'ti. The Yuan'ti recognized that without the other principalities to reinforce them each of the remaining principalities were ripe for conquest. The Principalities of Ynala and Kerintsa both fell during the centuries following there Dawn War and the Yuan'ti enslaved their population. During this time they became known by the inhabitants of Seraline as the "Dorenth", the broken. The Dorenth were forbidden the use of tattoos and their artisans were all put to death. Yuan'ti breeding programs also had some unexpected results, such as a decline in elven longevity. Wayfarer elves now only live an average of 120 years, something that the
Tal'dorenth take to be proof of their broken nature.
After almost two millennia of enslavement the Time of Terror started. The conflicts to the north of the Jungle of Sthalis eventually turned in the favour of the Platinum Crusade, well aware that the Yuan'ti were allies of the Dominion of Scales the crusade pushed into the northern portions of the jungle. However the crusade was already greatly diminished, and though it was able to win key victories over the Yuan'ti ti soon became evident that they were fighting a war of attrition they would eventually lose. The Crusade pulled out, liberating as many of the Yuan'ti slaves as they could along the way.
The elves they rescued were greatly changed by their long enslavement. Their features had softened and their culture was all but destroyed. The elves adopted the culture of their rescuers, becoming observers of the Avarian religion and renaming themselves, the Wayfarers. While this name has been adopted into much of human and halfling society, the elves got a reputation for being pariahs, coming as they did with little to know skills that could be applied in the north, away from the jungles. They often turned to begging and so gained the epithet "Pauper Elves."
Wayfarer elves are now part of most human and halfling settlements and fill various roles in the different societies. The derogatory term Pauper is sometimes still used, but one thousand years on they have long since learnt the skills and knowledge to be effective members of their societies.
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