"As fair, and beautiful as evening stars yet somehow more distant. Swan-like in their grace, yet as fearsome as eagles when pressed. The Elves suffer the curious curse of yawning perfection. The world seems bored of their talents, their wisdom, their magic, and their aloof nature. Sometimes they even appear to have grown tired of themselves. For all their marvels, for all their masterworks, for all the power that they have accumulated throughout the ages their rule on Orr continues to quietly slip through their fingers. One can only speculate why, but the Elves are retreating from the world. They are vanishing. Disappearing from the dramatic movements of history. While their time is certainly not at its end, moreso now than ever before, it appears that their great legacy may one day be forgotten."— Rennian Kaldwell, Historian
In the first eras following the Cataclysm, it was the Elves who ruled the world without dispute. In Dalair the power of the Magisterium and its mages of the Circle of Nine wielded power unimaginable. In Iskandar the Knights of Elysium conquered a land of darkness and drove it screaming into the bellows of the earth so that they might raise shining castles upon the edges of a glittering sea. On the frozen isles of Aardwulf the Woad Elves chained the last of the great clans of giants left in the world in bloody ritual and druidic magic. Across the world, the Elves proved that in the wake of the Cataclysm they alone possessed the skills, the talent, and the power to raise kingdoms, form nations, and rule the vast territories of the still unexplored world.
But the power and conquests of Orr's early history soon cracked and gave way. It trickled from their grasp. It was gifted to, or stolen by others. It was relinquished, or torn from their hands. For all their majesty, for all the great gifts they were bestowed and possessed in those ancient times, it would appear that the one boon they did not inherit was destiny.
The Saturnine Elves still command many seats upon the councils of High Sorcery in the lands of Dalair, and some Elysium Elves still sit upon thrones and oversee dukedoms in the kingdoms of Iskandar, but where once these courts were theirs alone, now they are becoming a minority in the realms that they themselves founded. Many Elves blame Humanity moreso than even the terrible slaughters that were inflicted in their many wars with the realm of Drin and it's Iron King. The dilution of their blood, the copulation of their race with men, and the half-breeds born of it are a matter of some contention to those that are wary of their fleeting power and presence in the world. The Saturnine Elves in particular bear this grudge with some forwardness, while their Elysium cousins seem content to share the world with men, and to their credit, prosper better for it. The Woad, however, have nearly vanished from the world entirely and made it certain that if they cannot rule the land, they will rule the darkness beneath it.
Few can guess what sort of kingdom they have risen in the bellows of the earth. In that terrible place, far from the light of Orr's sun, amongst caverns as deep as continents with their own oil-black, underground seas there is rumor that they are the Woad no longer; and few have ever dared to venture in their footsteps to discover what became of them. The only sign of their precense in modern times are the strange Black Arks that race out of grottos in the sea. Ships as dark as night, with sails made of shadows, that skim across the oceans like an ill wind to the shores of Orr to lay waist and take prisoners. Where those ships return to, none can guess, and what becomes of those kidnapped by those dark corsairs, none choose to imagine.
Appearance & Attitudes
The Elves of Orr are perhaps the most divergent race in terms of their identity. They have splintered more than any other throughout the eras, and the environments, and circumstances in which they have settled have created a multitude of varying descriptors, customs, traditions, and attitudes.
The Elysium Elves
The Elysium, or 'Sun' elves of Orr settled in the coastal lands of Iskandar following the War of the Broken Wand. Their skin is darker in tone, their hair more fair and often blonde, and their eyes have a shape reminiscent of humans. Fitting, for they alone among the Elves find human companionship not just tolerable but quite rewarding. Most Half-Elves in the world of Orr have an Elysium parent. Their mixing of blood with humans have given them a wider range of features than their Saturnine counterparts, and perhaps just keeping their close proximity to them has made the Elysium Elves more expressive and relatable as well. They are generally the most well received among their kind.
Elysium Elves are generally perceived by the other races of Orr as more artistic, more performative, and more socially talented than their cousins. They are also more associated with being practitioners of divine and druidic arcana due mostly in association to their broad presence in the realms of Iskandar. They are also considered more adept in the arts of swordplay due to a cultural investment and affinity for fencing in the Dawn realm as well.
Unlike their Saturnine cousins, Elysium Elves distinguish themselves through clothing rather than jewelry or masks. The colors that they most often wear are family coded. This may be due in large part, again, to their association with Iskandar whose knightly houses bare particular hues and heraldry, or perhaps, the pillars of knighthood lean upon this already established custom of the Elysium Elves. Gold and silver jewelry often does not signify wealth among Elysium Elves, but rather is a display of their affection towards the two prime Endless that the Elysium Elves most often offer their accords; Yasmin (silver), and Kassandir (gold).
The Saturnine Elves
The most ancient, and prolific Elves of the world of Orr are the Saturnine Elves. Founders of the Elder realm, masters of the arts of High Sorcery, and the creators of the Magisterium. No other singular group in all of Orr can be declared as more influential to its history. The Saturnine Elves are known for many reasons throughout all the realms, but perhaps their most anchored fame is that among them rose the savior of mortal kind. While there are no direct records or linkage, it is highly believed among scholars and historians alike that if Rizion, the messianiac figure who brought an end to the Cataclysm by raising the nine spell towers surrounding the Starwell, was indeed a single mortal figure, she was a Saturnine Elf.
The Saturnine Elves are known for their beauty and aloof nature. However, their striking appearance has been regarded in recent eras as both a boon, and a flaw. The features of the Saturnine Elves are considered so immaculate, and so alluring because there is so little variation in their appearance. The other mortal races struggle to tell these Elves apart from one another. The extremely subtle differences in their physical composition, which are glaring to themselves, but are hardly striking to others often creates confusion, especially in matters of diplomacy. This flaw is due in large part to the power that the Saturnine Elves wielded in the early eras and their unwillingness to despoil their bloodlines with anything less than perfection.
As a 'remedy' to their situation, the Saturnine Elves have adopted the use of masks which serve to help the other races of Orr identity them as individuals. The creation of a mask is highly personal, and when a Saturnine Elf chooses to change their mask it often reflects a period of change in their life. While reticent at first to accommodate the lack of perception in others, the use of identifying masks quickly became outstandingly popular. They are now known as "Atrium Masks" or life masks.
Saturnine Elves are also well known for their subtle temperament. Even before they began wearing masks it was difficult for the other races to infer their emotions and meanings. They are incredibly aloof. Even the perking of a single eyebrow is the equivalent of a Saturnine Elf shouting to those who are familiar with their reserved body language.
The Woad Elves
It is very difficult for historians to agree on the exact origins of the Woad Elves and how they reached the difficult areas of the world of Orr that they are known to dwell in. They are an enigma for the ages, and despite the best efforts of many scholars their cultures are still shrouded in great mystery.
Unlike their Elysium or Saturnine cousins, the Woad Elves may share certain ritualistic practices and tenants, but their presence in the world could not be more removed from group to group. The environments that they are found in largely dictate their customs, their practices and their choice of prey. Sometimes referred to simply as 'Wood Elves' the Woad make their homes among the thorn and brackle of the deep wilds. They are far removed from civilization in any modern sense, preferring tribal and nomadic communities.
Their tribes are inherently hostile towards outsiders. The Woad practice Lamb's Blood Magic, the use of resonant innocence derived only through bloody, and macabre ritual. They practice demonology (a sorcery made illegal in nearly all the realms of Orr), and are known for cannibalistic rites.
The Drow
Even more speculative to historians than the Woad Elves, are the nature and ambitions of the Drow. The very word, Drow, is one invented as a placeholder until confirmation of their existence and intent are known.
The few facts that scholars have been able to glean regarding these mysterious raiders and pirates from the depths of the world is that they were once Woad Elves who were forced into the bellows of Orr by inquisitive factions that drove them from their ancestral lands. The Woad Elves do keep some small connection to them, but even they seem to despise whatever methods or inventions belong to the Drow.
Though it is not a matter discussed in any public forum, the Drow have been raiding the shores and the lands of Orr for many centuries. Their attacks are heralded by the coming of a black, moonless sky (an event that happens only twice a year due to Orr's two moons, Nirn and Pherra). Among the bodies that have been felled and recovered from these raids, inquisitors of Iskandar and Dalair have found several tokens associated to the worship of the Endless, Varissia, although it would seem the Drow know them by a different name; Lolth.
The Drow specialize in poisons. Some of the weaponry retrieved from their attacks have been found coated in paralyzation toxins. Their goal, it would appear, is not to murder and pillage, but rather to return to the Underdark with captives. The 'Underdark' itself is a topic of some speculation and debate. There is certainly evidence to suggest it is a very real realm, but the lords of Orr are hesitant to accept the idea that beneath their very feet is an entire subterranean world yet undiscovered.
Because of their striking appearances, the Drow have largely been associated with monsters of the world, rather than Elven descent. Their dark, sometimes pale blue skin, moon-white eyes, and wizened gray hair are sure markers of their lineage. Only an incredibly small handful of Drow have ever ventured to the surface of their own accord, and even they had been quite unwilling to discuss their former lives. There is some belief that the Drow adhere to a matriarchy, and that their worship of Varissia involves symbols of heraldry power related to spiders, and serpents, but beyond that virtually nothing is known with any certainty.
Whether the Drow pose a significant threat to the powers of Orr's surface world, or whether they themselves are struggling to maintain a semblance of power in the bellows of the world is unknown. It is, however, a threat that few in all the realms rightfully know how to address, and the very uncertainty of the matter has begun a call for investigation.
Comments