Elvenkyne
Sophontic Faefolk
Ancient Outlanders
The Elvenkyne, or Elves as they are most commonly known, are made of the bloodlines descending from the venerable Eld. These Elves originate from the far-flung continent of Eldavar before they crossed the Endless Ocean to settle on Solith's easternmost shores. This slender race of sharp-eared, strong-willed humanoids rose to dominate the wildlands of Los'Mozakas until rot and ruin befell their people. Rather than face their annihilation as pestilence and ruin toppled their grand works, the progenitor Elves chose to cross The Wyld's cursed jungles. They endured the warping effects of its malignant miasma, which stripped the Elves of their grandeur. Today, many Elvenkyne strive to preserve what little remains of their shattered culture and dream of the stability lost by their Eld ancestors.
Elvenkyne History
The Elvenkyne arrived on the continent of Solith millennia ago as the fabled Eld, who warped and twisted the land to fit their whims and wills. The Eld sorcerers of yore constructed cyclopean monuments to their greatness, perverting the natural world and erecting the foundations of Elven civilization that continue to stand to this day. Their rise to dominance over Los'Mozakas is an achievement only rivaled by the First Men's conquest of Haven and the Udirkith's vast Moorwald empire. If not for the disaster that befell the Eld, Elves would have never crossed The Wyld and would have happily remained the lords of their isolated paradise. Yet when Solith's lifeblood poured forth from the earth to scorch the land and choke the sky in ash, the Eld could only watch in horror as war and pestilence toppled their mightiest gods and brought an end to their marvels.
Faced with their annihilation, the Eld journeyed across The Wyld, braving the warping energies of its maddening miasma in the vain hope that they would survive untouched. The Elvenkyne were born within this cursed jungle, as corruption devoured them and their rich culture. Though they were once known to live to see as much as five centuries, modern Elves rarely live into their third century. The oldest living elf today is believed by the Geneology Houses' estimations, to be no more than thee-hundred and twenty-six years old. Even the greatest among them would fall to the temptations of The Wyld's as Narti did when she betrayed her people and became the Wyldqueen.
Though littlehistory survived through the last years of their harrowing exodus, nearly all Elves recognize The Wyld as a den of vile evil and corrupting power. After Narti fell to the jungle's corruption, she fervently pursued the genocide of all Elves that would not bow before her. Though she allowed the Peak Elves to emerge relatively unscathed into Haven, she butchered those that remained trapped within her jungle. In contrast, her loyal brood of Wyld Elves thrived under her rule and now seek to spread The Wyld's influence beyond its borders. Those who survived Narti's massacres and clawed their way into Haven became the Briar Elves that now vigilantly guard against the cursed jungle. They constructed the massive fortresses of Wyldkeep from which they wage a neverending crusade to contain The Wyld and its wretched Wyldqueen. Meanwhile, the bigoted Peak Elves plot from within their capital city of Ravenpeak as they seek to bring back the Eld's long-lost greatness and the supremacy of the Elves. Though lost after the disappearance of their patron god Ram, they now find a new place in the world under the guidance of Lord Tennant.
General Information
Lifespan
Between 200 and 300 years old.
Average Height
Between 6 and 8 feet tall.
Average Weight
Between 80 and 120 pounds.
Related Ethnicities
Magically Gifted
All of the Elvenkyne, regardless of their lineage, have a natural propensity towards at least one form of magic. This gift manifests as an otherworldly ability to learn and master the manipulation of The Glow, manifestations of Primal Energies, or the sculpting of Thaumaturgic Miracles. Elven spellweavers, druids, magi, shamans, chantors, and thaumaturgists are among the most skilled and well-practiced casters on the continent. Only the Udirkith's mastery over artifice has ever rivaled the inborn skill of the Elves.
The Elven Gods
Narti holds a unique position in Elven culture and society as one of only two surviving divines of the original Elven pantheon. She is one of the oldest living creatures on Solith and is ardently worshiped by the Wyld Elves, openly condemned by the Briar Elves, and begrudgingly tolerated by the Peak Elves. While Oul, mistress of beasts, has managed to find widespread acceptance among the Beastfolk of the Gorgewald Forest and shows little interest in her complete alienation from Elven society.
Highborn Arcanists
The Peak Elves were the first of the Elvenkyne to emerge from The Wyld into Haven, declaring themselves to be the reborn Eld. These haughty Elves believe themselves to be not just the pinnacle of the Elvenkyne but of all sophontic life on the continent, a fact they are all too eager to share. Under Ram's careful supervision, these Elves became one of the dominant species on Haven as they created the domineering capital of Ravenpeak. The pale Elves have ruled the city since its founding from their opulent noble estates, and sculpted a society in which noble bloodlines, deceitful politics, and arcane prowess rule above all. With Ram's disappearance and The Rebirth of Lady Death's, the Peak Elves now struggle to find their own path in this new world alongside their new patron Lord Tennant.
Woodland Ritualists
The Briar Elves were the second of the Elvenkyne to materialize from the cursed eaves of The Wyld. They make up the largest group of Elves on the continent and are found throughout the land within secluded communes or sheltered within the fortress-city of Wyldkeep. Here, they wage a perpetual war against The Wyld and its loathed Wyldqueen, Narti. These rugged Elves scorn the use of The Glow and prefer their rustic, druidic lifestyles to the bustling world of their corrupted city-born cousins. They have become renowned for their inhuman speed, graceful agility, and intrinsic connection with the natural world. For centuries their society has clung to the rituals passed down from their Eld ancestors and closely guard them for they are all that remains of their traumatic history.
Crazed Cannibals
The Wyld Elves are the reviled Elvenkyne bound by madness to The Wyld and its woeful Wyldqueen. They are feared and loathed across Haven as the footsoldiers of Narti's Brood, which wages a neverending war against Wyldkeep as apart of the cursed jungles struggle to consume all sophontic life on the continent. The hatred shared between these Elves and the rest of the Elvenkyne rivals even that of the First Men and the Udrithi Empire, for only these carnivorous Elves chose to fall to the corruption of The Wyld. They remain trapped in their accursed wood by their mortal enemy, the Briar Elves, and have been so warped by madness they are now unreckognizable monsters, whose feral nature sees them indiscriminately kill for both simple pleasure and the taste of fresh meat.
Description
Where Humanity is best known for its vast diversity in appearance, the Elvenkyne are notorious for their lack thereof. Their lithe builds and iconic pointed ears only accentuate the remarkable resemblance shared by nearly all Elven subspecies. Though upon closer examination, numerous discrepancies arise between different Elvenkyne from the subtle differences in their unmistakably sharp ears to the more apparent distinctions in their skin tones and hair colors. The easiest distinction made between Elves is often how they dress, as each holds a unique and iconic style. The Peak Elves of Ravenpeak serve as the center for all noble fashion in Haven, creating elegant gowns and sharp suits out of exotic materials collected from across the continent. Where their city-born kin are known for starting trends among the affluent and wealthy, the more rustic Briar Elves are famous for the beautiful clothes they produce from only what they can find in the natural world. In Wyldkeep, this naturalist fashion takes the form of durable earth-colored clothing woven from delicate tree fibers and cloaks made from flexible rubber leaves. In contrast, the Wyld Elves' grisly attire is far from what any sane person would consider beautiful as almost all their clothes are made entirely out of the flesh and bones harvested from other unlucky sophonts.
Yet even the wildest of Elves are often considered to be among the fairest and most alluring sophonts in the civilized world due to their pure elegance and innate otherworldly beauty. An Elf's movements give them the appearance of being made of nothing more than wind or water, moving through the world like smoke on a breeze or a clouds' fleeting shadow. Today, Elves are used as the most traditional depictions of natural beauty and serve as the quintessential mold for images of eternal grace. Their towering stature also crowns them as the tallest of the dominant sophonts on Haven, competing for the title only with the original First Men and the most primal of Beastfolk.
Pointed Ears and Bright Eyes.
The two most identifiable traits of the Elvenkyne are their vibrant colored eyes and their sharply pointed ears. Whether the deep crimson of an elder Peak Elf's or the vivid emerald of a Briar Elf's woodsmen, all Elves have an undeniable and otherworldly beauty to their piercing gaze. Even a Wyld Elf's murky amber eyes have a depth and brilliance that whispers of the sophontic soul hidden within. Only their long and distinctive spear-like ears are more iconic than their piercing eyes.
That is some slick CSS going on with the images that become text :D A well written and pretty interesting twist on Elves - they read more as antagonists than you'd usually get from fantasy settings. Awesome stuff :D
Creator of Araea, Megacorpolis, and many others.