Peak Elf
Playable Sophont
Plotting Arcanists
The Peak Elves of Haven were the first Elvenkyne to emerge from The Wyld following the Eld's exodus from the far eastern coast of Solith, known as Los'Mozakas. They appeared as a vast, pale-skinned horde of desperate refugees that had barely survived their trip through the cursed jungle. These self-declared reborn Eld went on to settle the easternmost of the Twin Peaks under Ram's protection and guidance. Under the careful tutelage of the God of Harvests and Lord of Plots, the Peak Elves rose to prominence as Ravenpeak's ruling elite. They sculpted their ideal society in which blood, deceit, and arcane prowess ruled above all. The disappearance of their patron Ram has shaken the very foundations of their community, and Lord Tennant has risen to take control of the Raven Capital in his absence.
Peak Elf History
The history of the Peak Elves begins at The Wyld's edge, unlike most other Elvenkyne who mark the cursed jungle's dapths as the birthplace of their cultures. Little is known as to precisely why Narti allowed these Elves to venture out of The Wyld while simultaneously butchering and subjugating the likes of the Briar Elves and Wyld Elves. Their migratory horde of pale-skinned Elves was simply allowed to emerged one day from that leafy abyss terrified and lost, as the once-grand Eld had been stripped of their identity and left like newborn lambs at the edge of the deranged woodland. These newborn Peak Elves shared the same instinctual eloquence, graceful ease, and even the same natural magical talent as their Eld ancestors. Yet, these Elves were not the god-like sorcerers of yore, but instead, were merely battered mortals seeking shelter from the torturous thicket. When Ram came to their vast convoy and offered them the safety of his mountain, the Peak Elves eagerly accepted his proposal, and in exchange, they embraced the harvest lord as their new god. On the slopes of the Twin Peaks' Raven Mountain, they made their home like a seedling finally allowed to stretch its roots, thus blossoming into a mighty and ancient oak.
When the Peak Elves constructed the capital of Ravenpeak, they used what few arcane secrets of the Eld that had survived their exodus to directly mold the city from the rock and stone of the Raven Mountain. This strange effect can still be seen today in the city's oldest and most important structures, where the buildings quite literally sprout from the earth as if it was perfectly natural for stone to reach up and grow into sturdy walls, delicate arches, and elaborate reliefs. The beautiful works of Ravenpeak's expert arcanists rival even that of the Eld's ancient marvels and far surpass the paltry works of any mundane master. Thus they gave birth to a city of pure opulence and flaunted wealth wherein the Peak Elves ruled as the noble-born upper echelon of its society.
These Elves have dominated their city for centuries and, in turn, were ruled by Ram's careful manipulations. Thus these Elvenkyne were molded into a rich culture of political spies, plotting nobility, and skillful arcanists. In tandem, the church and state worked to control the civilian population by steering public opinion and punishing dissenters harshly. The Elves that did not govern the people worked to policed them as the commanders of the Steelforged Legion that continues to instill law and order in the Raven City today. In the wake of Ram's disappearance, the Peak Elves have struggled to maintain their vice-like hold over the civilian population as the Raven Court houses once more look to consume one another. Only the strong hand of Lord Tennant and his concise goals for the city's future have kept these Elves from turning its streets into a warzone.
General Information
Genetic Ancestor(s)
Origin/Ancestry
Lifespan
Around 200 years old, reaching maturity at 25.
Average Height
7 to 8 feet tall.
Average Weight
80 to 100 pounds.
Naming Schemes
Peak Elves have three names: a birth name; a heart name, which is taboo to ever speak aloud and guarded closely; and lastly a family name, prominently denoting their ancestry with pride. Most of these unisex, polysyllabic names contain some internal rhyme or pattern that gives them their graceful flow. Their names are things of subtle beauty with near countless hidden meanings in their native High Elvish, and many are passed down from parent to child. Names are a matter of Peak Elven pride as they represent both ancestry, status, and identity; therefore, no one should disregard when one makes a binding Oath of Names.
High Elvish
High Elvish is the preferred tongue of the Peak Elves and is rarely ever taught to non-Elves. Its subtle, flowing form can be extremely difficult to decipher and full of countless hidden intricacies.
Description
The Peak Elves are stoic figures with their aristocratic demeanor and imperial features. The sharp, angular features common to all Elvenkyne are even more pronounced among these Elves and only serves to reinforce their highborn bearing. They commonly dress in elaborate attire, befitting their highborn status, from the elegant gowns of court ladies to the affluent manor owners' sharp suits. They pride themselves on the exotic and exorbitantly expensive materials sourced from across the continent to create their noble dress. Like Briar Elves, all Peak Elves bare a striking resemblance to one another, as an apparent result of their limited population constrained by an even more limiting birth rate paired with their stringent cultural expectations.
Among the Elves, Peak Elves are both the tallest and the slightest of stature; and while their slim forms certainly tower over most people, they are deceptively light. Their pronounced blade-shaped ears are known for being particularly long and elegantly curved like strange scimitars. The pale skin that gives them the likeness of bloodless corpses or porcelain dolls is never what you would consider a natural skin tone. Their hair is always a well-maintained shimmering sheet of silky, gossamer hair rarely in shades rarely darker than a pale grey. Contrasting beside their sallow skin and silvery hair, the eyes of all Peak Elves begin as a rosy pink before darkening with age to a deep and vibrant crimson that seems to pierce the very soul. This gradual change in eye color is so reliable that the Genealogy Houses still use it today in the approximation of Peak Elf ages.
Magic and Nobility
When creating a Peak Elf, remember that each is born with an innate magical talent, causing their people to be flush with both amateur and professional spellcasters. None reach adulthood without obtaining at least some magical know-how, which they flaunt as the badge of their pedigree and social status. Alongside this magical gift, all Peak Elves are born with at least some relation to one or more of Ravenpeak's ruling noble houses. Who is your family? What are they most known for?
Society
Peak Elf society begins and ends in Ravenpeak, where these Elves live privileged lives as the social elite. The cutthroat world of the Raven Court teaches all Peak Elves the art of manipulation and deceit at a young age. Their conniving nature has become legendary across Haven and deals with Peak Elves are now well-known to always be more than what they first appear. These Elves have no qualms with twisting the truth and manipulating others to further their own goals. Whether working towards a common cause or for their own personal gain, many have developed a ruthlessness for success. A fact only aided by their belief that they are the epitome of civilized culture, social grace, arcane prowess, and even sophontic life itself. Their arrogance is so great that these Elves often dismiss other cultures as inferior, while they fanatically assimilate or annihilate the few cultures deemed valuable or threatening to them. Their closest kin, the Briar Elves, are viewed as pitiable savages in Peak Elf society and believed to have been too far warped by The Wyld to ever reassimilate with their highborn mountain kin. Briar Elves now serve as nothing more than the butt of cruel jokes, and an unspoken understanding has settled between the Elves of the wood and the Elves of the peaks: Stay in your woodland burrows, we don't want you.
Meanwhile, their ruthless pursuit of magical progress rivals even that of Seawatch, and to this day, they adamantly declare their noble-born spellweavers to be the greatest in the civilized lands. Peak Elf adventurers, often these same spellcasters, are no oddity among their people as many young souls chase fantasies of status and glory in the profession. These adventuring Elves are almost always less than a century old, dreadfully inexperienced, and estranged from their sheltering families. During their adventures, these Elves find their beliefs challenged and even broken, and all can agree that those who leave Ravenpeak never return the same. Upon reaching their second century of life, their families expect them to abandon their childish pursuits in favor of the noble art of statecraft, or risk being viewed as poorly as their Briar Elf kin.
The Raven Court
On the highest tiers of Ravenpeak, in the opulent mansions and colossal spires of the noble elite, the Peak Elves live a privileged life of ease and plenty. From their polished stone estates, they rule the Raven City with an iron fist and plot for power and influence both within the city and without. All living Peak Elves have at least some relation to one or more of the major ruling houses of the Raven Court and some may find their distant cousins eager to demand favors of their family.
Comments
Author's Notes
Peak Elf names are loosely based around Polynesian names, primarily Samoan, Hawaiian, and Tahitian ones if I could find ones I liked. Many were subtly changed in some cases to fit the theme I was going for and as with Blackhill Dwarves, these names avoided accent marks for the sake of my sanity.