Snow Elves

Snow elves were created by genmaturgists of Xylian Dominion to serve as eternal border guard, watching over northern power of the Dominion, mainly repelling razor incursions into northern prowinces together with boreal elves. They were to prosecute xylian wars in a place too cold or too snowy for primitive Dominion's warmachines to operate in, fighting against deadly razors warriors (and the cold northern climate), while also serving as slaves in northern mines and gladiators.
They were also settled on southern isles of Dragaria, Rathia and Rynneria, just in case dragon overlords of Kharhil and Tharhil isles ever unified their wartorn domains and tried something funny – like expanding. Unlike continental sea elves, those were much worse in terms of fighting, with the best warriors drawn from there as reinforcements for wars waged in southern Scavia.
They managed to survive Black Iron War with minimal casualties – simply leaving their overlords to die, fleeing to the decimated ruins of former towns scattered throughout the border (considered by Xylian Dominion as a frontline, rather than simple 'border'), from which they returned after the purge of xyls were done. After that, however, they were forced to fight in several Frost Wars against razors, no to mention being decimated by Red Year's aftermath (including black lungs disease and elf pox, not to mention archdaemon Ashbringer rampage). And then humans came...
Snow elves in the Dragaria fell to Draxaria the Redwing during Dragon Wars, briefly reconquered by elven sorcerer-king Rannar Longbow, only to be lost again, this time forever, to Drarek the Incinerator. Over time they lost most of they culture, becoming dragarians of different specie. The continental ones were pushed north, into frozen parts of Scavian Peninsula, by forces of human warlord Mordraad Artherling who created the kingdom of Niflheim on ruins of snow elven kingdom of Vanorlan.
Over time, the elves that fled fell into barbarism. It ended – arguably – when ice elves enforced their power over majority of self-proclaimed sorcerer-kings, with their eldritch magicks used to subjugate remaining razors and beastmen of Scavia, forging Ice Kingdoms under their theocratic rule. Remaining a permanent threat to Imperium, especially its northern border. They also managed to establish a bridgehead in Vanalav on Alvaenan Isles, that, however, was finally brought under power of Alvaenan sorcerer-kings, making it a part of Imperium.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Typical humanoids. Two hands, two legs, one head. However beneath the skin they differ strongly from human, with their entire muscular system overhauled through long and ardurous experimentation of xylian genmaturgists. They were made to be able to work maximally long and well in cold climate, made to work normally even after their 'owner' spend an hour laying in the snow in ambush.
What's more, their lungs are overhauled too, slightly improved with magic to avoid damages caused by breathing too cold air. Snow elves can easily breath even in temperatures around -70, without any risk of damaging anything due to cold air. On the other hand, this tends to cost them a bit of their stamina, making them get tired notably faster than human of similar weight and health. Their bodies temperature is also slightly lower (average 34C), and can go much lower without dying and while still being able to move (they can easily survive 23C, even if not for long).

Biological Traits

As all elves, they are very dependant on level of their blood purity. Mixing with other elven subspecies makes their offsprings genetically inferior, slowly degenerating into low elves, making special traits of their subspecie much weaker with every generation, and lowering their lifespan.

Genetics and Reproduction

Their reproduction is typical for elves. Can have children only with other elves, ogres and very magical beings, for example shapeshifters and high dragons . Pregnancy ranges from 9 to 10 months, depending on level of blood purity.
It is believed that during the last years of Xylian Dominion, its genmaturgists attempted to fix the flaw in their genome by making them less sensitive for low level of nutrition - in cold and barren northern lands - during pregnancy, which caused an astounding number of miscarriages. While it was generally achieved, it wasn't without side effects – their females tend to be apathetic, sleepy and so on during pregnancies, which lowers the number of valuable calories their bodies consume, allowing to redirect more of them for the children in their wombs.
Their aren't uniform in that matter, as not all of them managed to be 'improved' before @Command AI wiped out xyls. What's more, the fix was flawed as well, not only causing some relatively small number of 'sleeping princesses' that practically sleep through their entire pregnancies, being woken up only to eat, but also a tendency for general female population to be slightly more apathetic and physically weaker as a whole. Also some of the introduced genes mutated in a long term, causing slowly growing number of their families to give birth to more females than males, from 2:1 to even 4:1, depending on the intensivity of the problem.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Lack of facial hair with exception of eyebrows. Their skin tends to feel and look rather soft and delicate. Skin light or even pale, hair white, so they are hard to notice when hiding among snow.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Most of them inhabit Ice Kingdoms, which makes them perpetually hateful towards Imperium as a whole and humans especially (although their proimperial cousins are hated nearly equally). The rest – more proimperial – can be met on southern Dragarian Isles, namely Rathia and Rynneria, and on Vanalav in Kingdom of Alvaena.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Sight average but completely resistand to snow blindness. Hearing average as well. Smell nearly nonexistent.

Civilization and Culture

Major Organizations

Ice Kingdoms
Dragarian Hegemony (lower class on southern islands)
Vanalav on Alvaenan Isles
Niflheim (slaves)

Relationship Ideals

Elves generally tend to have very strict, patriarchal societies, but snow elves – especially those from Ice Kingdoms - take this up to eleven due to their extreme living conditions, side effects of Xylian Dominion's genetic modifications and the cruel and tyrannical reign of Ice Elves.
Even in southern, relatively less strict and extremist tribes, female slow elves aren't considered equal to male, literally awarded by their families as concubines for various sorcerer-kings or local persona's of some prominence, with next to no rights. Due to lack of marriage instution they are all considered concubines, that can dismissed whenever their 'husband' pleases. If noone decides to accept them under his roof, they belong to noone, in most cases ending as prostitutes. Or dead. Those that are confirmed infertile unless beautiful end up that way quickly.
It is said that in northern lands the societies are even more extreme, with many considering females as objects, or even a common property, however due to fact that to reach them one has to pass dozens kilometres of deadly lands inhabited by deadly elves, it is imposible to say if that's true, or just an imperial propaganda.
Snow elves from Vanalav are considered most civilized due to imperial and alvaenan influences, with most young paired up according to their own will, although oftenly 'helped' with subtle suggestions of their family. Dragarian elves are somewhat similar, but with bigger number of female elves suddenly taking arms and becoming warriors, sorcered or adventurers, but with bigger pressure for choosing the 'right' partners.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Scavian Speech
Elven Speech, Vanalan Dialect
Elven Speech, Rathian Dialect
Elven Speech, Rynnerian Dialect

Common Taboos

As among most of the elves, they have a taboo about relationships with members of another subspecies. While this does happen, it is generally shunned among most of elven societies, making elves that attempted it in most cases move to other provinces of Imperium.

Created by: Xylian Dominion.
IC: Occurence: Common
IC: Danger: Not Threatened

Lifespan

80-400

Average Height

1.5-1.8

Average Weight

50-80.