Marsh Elf

To the high elves, they are little more than muscle, a natural resource to be harnessed and put to work. To the Dwarves they are a sign of good fortune, to be welcomed and treated as honoured guests. To humans, they are a nuisance. But to any that takes the time to get to know a marsh elf, that drops the prejudice surrounding the diminutive race, they will find a warm and welcoming people.

Marsh elves often live in tight-knit tribes where every member does whatever they can to support the others. Those with the misfortune to be outside marsh elf society, either through being an Ootren (the practice of forced exile) or some other calamity, will seek to recreate the tribe, drawing to them any seeking a group.

They are storytellers and avid listeners, ready to share all they know and store everything they're told inside their prodigious memories. Without them, Nostvary would be a darker place, but still many seek to extinguish their light.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Marsh elves are highly social, seeing the survival of the tribe as more important than their own. Many see the practice of naming a child 'ootren' as a future exile as barbaric but to a people often on the brink of starvation, it is seen as an honourable sacrifice. The child grows up knowing that they will leave when they are deemed of age and they are prepared for the journey ahead of them.

Uses, Products & Exploitation

The university in Nesher conducted a study of the marsh elf population and estimated that more than half of all marsh elves in Nostvary are kept in a state of slavery. To reach this conclusion they conducted interviews and delved into the archives held by regional governments. In the process, a history of the marsh elves was written detailing the horrific treatment so many had suffered but it was deemed too inflammatory and all copies confiscated. The imperial court, reluctant to anger their High Elf allies, ordered that the study be buried and those involved dissuaded from further examination of the subject.

Facial characteristics

Marsh elves have pointed ears, a characteristic they share with the high elves and which was seen as enough to link them. In fact, they aren't related. Marsh elves are a unique race with their own ancestry but the high elves like to claim them as distant cousins. The sharpness of the point varies, especially with age but all have a slight elongation. The noses are also larger, at least on their small faces. This has led some dwarven academics to posit a shared past something that many marsh elves like the sound of especially since the Dwarves hold them in high regard. Marsh elves are the only non-dwarves allowed to enter their burrows where they are welcomed as family and never mistreated.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Marsh elves are indigenous to The Thousand Lakes region but have spread across most of Nostvary through natural migration but also forced resettlement. The one exception is Talidar. A royal decree ordering that all marsh elves found within the borders be either expelled or executed has lasted for hundreds of years and has left the entire region empty of an important race. The king in Arshen attempted a similar pogrom but due to the impenetrable nature of the thousand lakes, the marsh elves have not only managed to survive but also to maintain their traditions. The largest concentration of marsh elves can be found in The Jennarian Desert mainly focused around The Black Mesa where the high elves maintain a large slave population greater than their own but free marsh elves roam the sands in tribal groups. These tribes travel far and wide making camps in the oasis and the many caves that pepper the exposed rocks.

Average Intelligence

High. There are few people that are as adaptable as a marsh elf. They learn from a young age how to survive in some of the most hostile environments imaginable but not just that, they are taught to venerate the world around them, to learn its secrets and share them widely.  Marsh elves lack written records but they have a strong oral tradition, sharing histories and stories where ever they meet. This is the reason why tribes separated by mountain ranges and thousands of miles will still have a strong cultural similarity, with shared mythology. Many see their lack of numeracy as a sign of low intelligence but to a marsh elf numbers rarely matter. Food is shared so there is either enough or there isn't. They treat money the same, spreading it around until all have what they need. To a marsh elf all that matters is the survival of the tribe.

Symbiotic and Parasitic organisms

It can be said that the high elves are a parasitic species since their entire way of life would be impossible if it wasn't for their marsh elf slaves. Both the Jurati and The Black Mesa would starve without them.

Civilization and Culture

Historical Figures

• Neah'tor 
• Leon of The Red Fang
• Eva, companion of the herald, friend of the fox, liberator of the slaves

Lifespan

75 years but due to human and elven pressure the average lifespan is closer to 35.

Average Height

3'11"

Average Physique

Despite their size, marsh elves are exceedingly strong, a characteristic that those seeking to enslave them value above all others. They are natural acrobats and think nothing of scaling a cliff or climbing a tree.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Due to the wide migration patterns, there is rarely a dominant skin tone in any tribal group.

Geographic Distribution

• The Jennarian Desert
• The Thousand Lakes

Related Organizations

• The Red Fang