Elph
Elph Traits
Elph characters have a variety of natural traits, due to their upbringing in the wild lands of The Free Cities and their close bond with it's spirits.Ability Score Increase Your dexterity score increases by 2
Extraordinary Balance Life in the Free Cities is often precarious, whether you grew up in the cities of Shoar or Stone, the swamps of the Ghost Wood, or riding the plains on a sailboard, you've learned to keep your balance. You have advantage on checks that involve falling or slipping.
Spiritually Attuned You are in touch with the spirits of nature. Once per day you can call upon nature spirits for help. You must roll a wisdom check to determine how helpful the spirits will be, and this save takes -2 if you are outside of the ancestral bounds of the Elph Nation. This includes the Free Cities of Shore, Stone and Ghostwood.
Elph Weapon Training The Elph Nation was forged in wars, and even today that isn't lost on it's elders. Elph children are trained on a variety of weapons from a young age. Should the time come that the Elph Nation must rise to war again, they will be ready. All Elph are proficient with longswords, shortswords and daggers, as well as quarter staffs, spears, and glaives
Basic Information
Biological Traits
The Elph are tall and lithe. Their hair is long and straight, and is commonly seen in blonde, brown or black. Elph have strikingly bright eyes, in either purple, blue, or yellow. Elph skin ranges from olive in color on the western edges of Shoar, to deep chestnut brown in the depths of the deserts around Stone.
The Elph of The Ghostwood are slightly different from their southern relatives. Not only are they shorter than other Elph, but they tend to be much more pale. Life in The Ghostwood is dark and damp, even when its not raining, the sun rarely penetrates the thick canopy of trees.
Additional Information
Social Structure
The Elph Lords family has ruled the various clans of the Elph and Half Giants, outside of Sky, since the Unification, however individual clan heads maintain power over their clansmen. The Elph Lord is not directly in charge of any of the clans in the Nation, however they reserve the right to remove any clan head from power for any reason. Clans are aggregated under local lords, known as “Gono” which can be translated to “Speak” or “Speaker” in the common tongue. These local lords report to the Elph Lord, rather than each clan head having to communicate with the capital directly.
Before the Free Cities compact, the Gono governed their cities or towns mostly independently, with the endorsement of the Elph Lord. They collected taxes and maintained local armies, and would serve as officers under The Elph Lord in the event of war. There were no written rules on what they could and could not do, but the Gono generally understood their boundaries and taught them to their heirs, however each Elph Lord held a slightly different set of values and would tolerate different things from local lords.
Before the Free Cities Compact, the Elph Lord had little power over the lives of citizens of The Elph Nation, outside of war-time. Each Lord kept a different level of involvement in the politics of the Nation, but in general the Gono ruled uninterrupted.
After the Free Cities were founded, the Gono were still the nobility of the Elph Nation, however they no longer held the same political power. The Gono are still involved in political decisions, and they will still attend delegations with the rest of the Free Cities leaders, but only as trusted advisers. The ultimate power has returned to the Elph Lord and their counsels.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Elph and Giants, and later Half Giants have existed in parallel for many generations, and their languages and traditions have become closely related. Before the arrival of the Elph, the Plains Giants generally named themselves for the spirits of the world, and generally did not have surnames. Giants were given names by their parents that described what they hoped they would become, and the spirits they hoped to guide them.
As the Elph and the Giants, and later the Half Giants, coexisted, their traditions gradually mixed, and most Half Giants adopted Elph surnames, and Elph parents began naming their children after the spirits of their new land, and in a tradition similar to those of the Giants and Half Giants.
Because of the geographic diversity of the Free Cities, both Elph and Half Giant, as well as Giant, names tend to vary depending on region, mostly related to the climate of the area and the spirits which are believed to be most powerful there.
Elph and Half Giants differ from other races in that their family name is presented first, however individuals are often called by their family name, except in their home.
Examples: Naoro Stone Fist, Shia Night Walker, Tanda Ice Breaker
Major Organizations
Elph Millitary
Soldiers of the Elph Nation wield single edged, curved swords, made of metal or ghost wood. They are worn at the side and can be drawn quickly in a cutting motion. Most Elph warriors will wield their swords without a shield or with a small, light shield. Elph soldiers are also trained with long pikes and tall, thin shields that cover approximately half of their bodies. The shields are designed to interlock, allowing a group of Elph spear-men to form a defensive wall against charging enemies. Elph armor consists of many plates and scales, either made of metal or wood, layered over leather or cloth backing. The plates and scales are secured together with thin but strong cords woven of plant fibers. The armor is designed to be light weight and maximize freedom of movement for Elph warriors, as they are expected to range the entire battlefield, and have many other responsibilities including riding on and fighting from the back of sailboards. The marking on Elph armor varies by region, warriors of the Ghostwood tend to paint their armor in darker colors, to blend in with their forest home, however warriors of Shoar and Stone paint their armor with bright colors and symbols to show their clan. Elph armies are typically augmented by archers, the ranks of which are divided into two groups, scouts and levies. Scouts in an Elph army are usually small in number, wearing mostly leather armor to allow for freedom of movement and wielding short bows suited for firing while moving. These are mostly hunters and other woodsman from the various Elph clans. Levies are made up of untrained warriors, their armor is again mostly leather, but with a few plates of wooden armor to make them slightly more resilient. They wield tall, heavy bows that are not suitable for mobile combat, but have much greater range and are much more powerful than a scout bow. These tall war bows were originally designed to fight giants, and are capable of piercing shields and armor.Ghosts
The clans of the ghostwood are known for their elite warriors, in particular the eerie silence with which they fight. A Ghostwood warrior makes no sound during battle, no cries of pain or exertion, no battle cries, they fight in absolute silence and they die in absolute silence. In the Elph tongue, these warriors are known as "N'gonoru", or "silent warriors", in the common tongue they are called "Ghosts". A ghosts silence extends only to battle, even a fellow Elph could not pick a Ghost out of a crowd. In battle, Ghosts wear no markings on their armor to show their rank or title. It is said one does not know they are battling a ghost until they don't hear them.Average Technological Level
The Elph are a contemporary civilization with a technological level similar to that of Humans and Urkaise. Due to the cosmopolitan nature of The Free Cities, Elph technologies like ghost wood and sailboards has intermixed with human technologies like Aisloch engines and railways.
Sailboards
In addition to being known for their elegant artisan goods, the Elph are considered among the finest sailors in the world, both on land and at sea. Much of the center of the continent is covered in flat plains filled with tall grass, and most of the south west is covered in deep sandy deserts. In order to quickly traverse the continent without horses or any other mount, as horses are not native to the continent and were not introduced until the arrival of humans, the Elph developed a practice known as “Sail Boarding”. Using their mastery of sailing combined with their connection with the spirits of the wind, the Elph created devices that can only be described as land-borne sail boats. They range in size from single person boards about the length of an adult Elph with four small wheels and one tall sail, to large multi-sail flat bottomed crafts that can transport multiple people and cargo. On small single person boards, the front wheels and rear wheels are on unconnected axles that to not turn, the axles are fixed, and the board is tilted and bent along with the sail in order to turn or evade. The small boards are fast and agile, during the Trade Wars, Elph soldiers mounted on Sail Boards routinely chased down human horsemen. The axles are fairly easy to remove, as when the boards are used on sand rather than in the plains, they are used without wheels. The larger craft are slower and less agile, their wheels are also on three axles, more like a traditional wagon. The axles shift and the wheels turn in response to the propulsion from the wind.Ghost Wood
Ghost wood is a wood found only in the forest that shares it’s name, and harvested only by the highest artisans of the Elph Nation. The location of ghost wood groves are kept as royal secrets, and only the kings closest servants know how to find the tree, let alone how to harvest it. Ghost wood is harder than steel, and can be sharpened like metal but will never dull. Ghost wood does not rot or burn, and can not rust like metals, meaning a ghost wood blade will stay sharp and straight forever, without any need for maintenance. Ghost wood blades have been known to break, however the Elph insist that this only happens when the spirits protecting the blade are dissatisfied with it’s wielder. Some rumors suggest that the Elph have a secret ritual that keeps the wood from breaking, but none have been able to find any proof. Ghost wood blades are highly prized, especially by outsiders. Though the first Elph King used ghost wood extensively to arm his troops during the Unification, the frequency with which the blades are made has decreased drastically over the years, and many have become broken or lost. At the signing of the Free Cities compact, Crassus and his generals were all presented with a ghost wood blade, as well as the giant lords of Sky.Unique Weapons
One unique weapon wielded originally only by the clans of The Ghostwood is the "ni yashini", sometimes simply called "yashini" or even just "yashi". The full name translates to "little bird", "yashi" meaning bird and "yashio" meaning "to fly". The weapon consists of a semi-circular blade, typically made of metal though rarely ghost wood has been used, and a straight handle, forming the straight edge of the semi-circle. This weapon can be wielded as a sort of dagger, but is most useful as a thrown weapon. A Ghostwood warrior will carry several of these on their belt, opposite of their sword. These weapons are spun through the air like throwing axes, but their curved blades allow them to continue cutting after impact. In their cups, Elph warriors tell tales of yashini shearing directly through an enemy’s limb and continuing through the air to hit a second enemy behind them. Elph of Stone and Shoar share a unique weapon known as a “togichi”, or a “spider knife”. The togichi has a thin, curved knife with a short handle, meant to be used for close in fighting or assassinations. What makes the togichi unique is the thin wire attached to the end of the handle and attached to a ring around the users thumb. The wire can be wrapped around the users palm to secure and hide the blade, or can be wound out the blade can be swung by the wire. Talented Elph knife fighters can weave a togichi through the air and kill without ever touching the handle of the knife.Common Dress Code
Elph fashion varies slightly by region, the Elph of the ghostwood tend to favor darker colors and leather. Because of the rain in the wood, most cloth they wear is treated with bees wax to make it water resistant.
In Shoar, the fashions are more ostentatious. Citizens of the coastal city state wear bright colors and flowing silks. Elph in Shoar tend to wear their hair long, with the women favoring elaborate braids and pinned up styles and the men either wearing their hair long, or in a single long braid.
Elph in Stone and the deserts surrounding it tend to wear brightly colored, short sleeved tunics and flowing pantaloons, often wrapping their heads in scarves or turbans to block the whipping sands. The nights in Stone are unforgiving and cold, so ponchos and long capes are often favored as outerwear.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Elph clans are large groups made up of several families. Elph families are usually closely connected, children will often care for their parents in their later years, and as many as four generations will live together under one roof. Despite this, it is considered a right of passage for Elph children to leave home once they reach adult hood. They will leave their home village or city and try to build their own life in a new city, with the expectation that their fortunes will surpass the previous generation. Usually when an Elph has established their new life, they will either return to their home, enriching their community, or they will send for the rest of their family to join them in their new home.
In a marriage between a male and female Elph, the female typically takes the males family name, however in a marriage between two Elph of the same gender, neither participant will adopt a new family name. Elph family names are considered mostly a function of lineage, so in a marriage without natural born children, their is no reason for one family name to supersede the other.
Should an Elph family adopt an orphan, the orphan will typically keep their original family name, or if they do not have one they will adopt the name of the governing clan of the region in which they were born. Elph orphans can eventually be welcomed in to the clan of their parents, however they must be nominated to do so by a member of the clan other than their adoptive parents. Traditionally, this is only meant to happen when a child has distinguished themselves in some way, and thus would bring honor to the clan, however in practice, children are usually nominated to the clan by their grandparents or siblings and rarely met with resistance. Orphans being rejected from a clan is extremely rare in the modern day.
Common Taboos
The highest tenet of the Elph faith is a respect for nature. To a pious Elph, one of the most disdainful things an Elph, or an outsider in Elph lands, can do is abuse nature or waste resources. Food should not be wasted, and resources should not be harvested if there is no intent to use them.
Elph are expected to be welcoming to strangers. Hospitality is valued and it is said that any stranger can find lodging in an Elph village by simply going door to door, so turning away strangers in need or being openly hostile towards strangers is frowned upon. Young rebellious Elph can be seen in villages and cities being loud and boisterous towards strangers and carrying unbound weapons, though this is more common in large cities.
Traditional Elph frown upon man-made drugs, but are accepting of things like tobacco and alcohol, as they are seen as bounties of nature.
History
Pre-unification
The Elph are one of the dominant races on Shin Ferin. Their nation is confined to the center of the land mass, bordered by the Black Blood wall to the south, the Ghostwood and the Tooloo Tundra to the north west, and the Worlds Scar Mountains to the north east. The Elph were not always native to Shin Ferin, at some point during the time of the Forgotten Empire, the Elph arrived on the west coast, from the sea, and founded the city of Shoar. Any record of the Elph civilization before this were apparently destroyed, however oral traditions persisted. These stories have twisted and changed much throughout the intervening centuries, and are now considered mostly legends. Ancient Elph society was divided into dozens of small clans, allied into several small kingdoms, the largest of those being Ghostwood and Shoar. These kingdoms had no central leadership but the clans mutually agreed to defend each other should they be attacked from without. The Clans of Shoar have been in conflict with the Zerk for most of recorded history, though its difficult to call these sporadic skirmishes a war. The White Zerk usually raided in small war-bands from the sea, striking coastal outposts and fishing villages quickly and not venturing further inland. The only other significant population in the center of the continent were the Plains Giants. The Elph clans and the Plains Giants regularly warred, bred, and traded, which lead to the rise of the Half Giants as a third significant population, and the steady decline of the Plains Giants. The Half Giants possessed magic more powerful than most Elph mages, their strongest mages could perform feats that even High Mages considered impossible. A group of Half Giant and Elph mages who called themselves "Geomancers" took advantage of these strange powers to raise giant stone walls from the desert floor in the south and founded the city of Stone, using their powers and their unique position to establish a trading network between the two major kingdoms and the eastern villages of the Elph. Stone also became a popular way-station for travelers in the desert, and quickly grew into the third largest city on the continent. Shortly after the founding of Stone, the Black Bloods attacked with one of their largest forces in recorded history. The combined forces of the Elph, the Plains Giants and the Half Giants routed the Demon Kings forces fairly easily, marking the first time Giants, Half Giants and Elph had joined forces since the arrival of The Elph. The Geomancers played an important part in this war and with their new found power, Stone became recognized as the third major kingdom of the Elph. At some point after the Black Bloods withdrew to the south, the Elph and the Plains Giants began what would become their largest, and last war. The Half Giants served as a major part of both factions forces, and the Elph eventually pushed most of the Plains Giants out of mainland and into the Worlds Scar Mountains. The end of this war solidified the north eastern borders of the Elph Nation and lead to the founding of the fourth and final major ancient kingdom, Sky.The “Elph Lord” and the Unification
The first individual to call them self “The Elph Lord” was a minor clan leader in Ghostwood. Their clan was the first to discover and craft weapons and armor out of ghost wood, which gave them significant technological advantage over other local clans. The Elph Lord used these powerful new weapons to subjugate the clans of The Ghostwood and unite them under a single banner. This was the first time multiple Elph clans were united under one leader, and the first group that can reasonably be called "The Elph Nation". Once the entirety of the Ghostwood was unified under the banner of the Elph Lord, they declared war on Stone. The Elph Lord lead their armies personal, which was fairly common for clan heads at this time. Though the Ghostwood clans never reached the city of Stone, after less than two weeks of skirmishes and ambushes on desert roads, the Geomancers officially surrendered. They decided a protracted war could lead to the loss of countless lives, and that a united Elph Nation would be better than a broken one. With the combined clans of The Ghostwood and Stone, the Elph Lord turned to Shoar. The city of Shoar was not as fortified or central as Stone, and was composed of a series of interconnected encampments and districts, ruled and defended by different clans. The Siege of Shoar saw little momentum on either side, districts changed hands frequently in quick battles. Neither side was completely unified in their tactics and the presence of so many clans from different areas lead to confusion on the Elph Lords side. Because of the protracted and volatile nature of the siege, moral was low on both sides. Eventually, the clan leaders of Shoar met and voted to officially surrender to the Elph Lord. They met them on the field at dawn, 85 days after the siege had begun. With the major clans of Shoar, Stone and The Ghostwood unified under one banner, the Elph Lord declared them self the ruler of the Elph Nation, and the anointed leader of all Elph, and by extension Half Giants. Shortly after the fall of Shoar and the official founding of the Elph Nation, the Zerk invaded with the largest war party in their nations history. Dozens of ships converged on Shoar, carrying thousands of warriors. The Elph Lord deployed a small fleet of ghost wood ships, the first such ships in history. The ghost wood ships were lighter and more agile than the Zerk long-ships, and strong enough to crush them in a head on collision. Though the Zerk ships significantly outnumbered the Elph, the superior ghost wood ships were able to repel the invasion force. Those ships that landed on the shore met organized resistance for the first time in history and were quickly repelled. Sky was the only one of the four ancient kingdoms that did not submit to the first Elph Lords rule, and for generations after The Unification, Elph Lords attempted to conquer Sky, but non succeeded. The difficult mountain terrain made invading the city state extremely difficult, and the Giant Lords had enlisted a number of powerful Half Giant mages to defend the city and the surrounding mountain passes.The Landing and the Trade Wars
When Humans first arrived in Shin Ferin, the current Elph Lord met them with cautious hospitality. The ships were greeted by armed Elph warriors, but also with food and shelter after their long journey. The Elph Lord offered Crassus and his followers an area of land on the coast, known as The Gift, on which they could settle. However Humans were forbidden from settling outside of The Gift. Merchants would be allowed to travel to the three major cities of the Elph Nation, but would require a permit issued by The Elph Lord. The Humans agreed to the terms of the Elph and used the remains of their ships, as well as resources and tools given to them by the Elph, to build the city that would become known as Haven. Within a generation however, the Humans had outgrown The Gift, and many merchants were traveling throughout Shin Ferin without permits. Humans began building roads and outposts through the plains, sometimes on top of Elph sites of worship. It is not clear who attacked first, but these tensions eventually lead to several attacks on trading posts and holy sites. These skirmishes were the first battle of The Trade Wars. Some historians believe that Crassus, or someone in his cabinet, had orchestrated the beginning of the war personally, as the Humans were able to mobilize an army fairly quickly after word of the first battles reached Haven. The Elph possessed superior numbers, knowledge of the land, and their ghost wood armor and weapons surpassed the Humans steel arms, however the Human soldiers were lead by veterans of the Incursion, and with Thaumaturgic Prosthesis, they were able to return soldiers to combat quickly, even when gravely wounded. The Elph Nation and the Human forces spent most of the war locked in a near stalemate, for every defeat the Humans served the Elph, the Elph snatched a bloody victory. In the last few years of the war, human forces shifted the tide by taking Stone, a city once considered impregnable. Though Stone was a remarkable victory for Humanity, it also represented a stall in the war. Humanity was not used to fighting in the high deserts around Stone, and Crassus now had two capitals to defend. Humanity eventually pulled out of Stone, however before leaving they sacked the city, burning any supplies they couldn’t take with them. Following the withdraw from Stone, the War again changed direction after the battle of Kindwater. Kindwater is renowned as the most confusing battle of The Trade Wars, and ended with both armies retreating, the Elph retreating to the north, towards Haven, and the Humans retreating to the west, through the plains towards Stone and Shoar. After Kindwater, both armies supply lines were cut off and both capitals were under threat. Leaders of both sides mutually decided this was too risky of a situation and peace talks commenced. The Elph Lord and his Gono met with Crassus and his generals in the newly independent city of Kindwater, which was determined to be neutral ground and the terms of the treaty were made and ratified. The Giant lords of Sky sent a small delegation to the talks and agreed to sign the Free Cities Compact, unifying the continent under one faction for the first time since the arrival of the Elph. Under the Treaty of Kindwater and The Free Cities Compact, each of the major signatories was allowed to maintain their own government, provided they adhered to a specific set of rules. Citizens of any of the Free Cities would be able to travel anywhere in the continent and remained unmolested, and no City could infringe on the rights or territory of another. Citizens traveling between Cities would pledge to adhere to the laws of whatever city they were in.Common Myths and Legends
Origin Myths
According to legends, the Elph originate from far to the west of Shoar. It is said that their ancestors walked on water, and lived on a massive floating city. This city is believed to be an island chain of some kind far to the west, but no such land has ever been discovered.Religion and faith
The Elph religion revolves around the spirits of nature, they hold the natural world and the places where these spirits reside in high regard. For spiritually attuned Elph the entire world can be a place of worship, though undeveloped or unpopulated areas are particularly sacred. Despite this, the Elph are highly developed and produce complex architecture and artisan goods, including mining and working metal. Many Elph craftsmen will attempt to commune with spirits that preside over a particular place or material before crafting anything. Some believe this is a way to ensure the crafts are blessed, while others simply observe the rituals out of tradition. Because of this close connection between craftsmanship and spirituality, the artisans of the Elph Nation serve as their priests class. Spirituality is not limited to craftsmen or to priests however, and Elph may commune with spirits for a variety of reasons. Hunters for example begin a hunt with with a ritual to commune with spirits of the land to bless the hunt and ensure abundant prey. The Elph King has a cadre of skilled craftsmen in his palace that double as spiritual advisers, such as his personal weapons smith, his personal armor smith, tailor, and his personal carpenter. One of the conditions of the Free Cities compact was that Elph artisan-priests would be allowed to continue to practice and maintain guild halls in each of The Free Cities, enabling them to serve as spiritual guides and craft masters for Elph residing in the city, as well as supplying high quality goods to the people and merchants. The highest artisans of the Elph Nation are those that work with Ghost Wood. Ghost Wood is a nearly mythical plant that can be found only in the Ghostwood. None but the Ghost Wood smiths and the Elph King and his closest advisers know of the exact location, or even appearance of the Ghost Wood trees.Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Elph are generally friendly towards one another, as well as Giants and Half Giants. Elph frequently marry and breed with Giants and Half Giants. Despite some history, Elph are also mostly friendly towards humans. Humans and Elphs rarely marry or breed, but its not unheard of.
Elph are mostly friendly towards the Zerk, though some are reluctant to trust. The Zerk and Elph historically were enemies, however the Zerk have not raided Elph land since the Battle of Shoar, just after The Unification. Zerk in the free cities are generally treated well, but they are sometimes watched closer by the guards than their Elph neighbors.
Most Elph, though technically their respective nations are at peace, hate the Black Bloods. Even Black Bloods who have left the Empire and moved to the Free Cities are treated as social pariah. Slave Hunters are especially hated. Though citizens of the Free Cities are forbidden from openly attacking or resisting Slave Hunters, they generally do not cooperate easily or happily. While Elph in The Free Cities will cooperate with Slave Hunters, usually only to the extent the law requires. Elph households have been known to harbor or aid runaways, even Zerk or Black Blood runaways.
The Elph are mostly ambivalent towards Urkaise, as they rarely make contact with them, and of all the races they are one of the least suspicious of The Unwaking. The Elph interact with minor races from south of the wall very infrequently, but when they do their attitudes range from ambivalent to friendly, depending on the situation.
Lifespan
150 years
Average Height
2 meters
Average Weight
70 - 95 kilograms
Geographic Distribution
Related Ethnicities
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