Court Elves

There are no species universally more highly regarded than the Court Elves. Even though they no longer have sovereign kingdoms of their own, they still hold great power over the regions they call their home. Strewn throughout Siriande are their great houses, 7 in total, vast and deeply rooted institutions. Ranging from academies to trade houses to artisan guilds, a large percentage of the Court Elves are part of the aristocracy.
Court Elves are often thought of as objective, strict but fair individuals, who unlike the (in their eyes) less civilised cousins in the forests and under the mountains, always weigh the facts to come to rational decisions. Due to this inclination towards logic and cold rhetoric they are often viewed as emotionless and heartless. It is in this fashion they also approach anything magical, in a rational and academic fashion, which makes for a large percentage of wizards among their numbers. They view most other forms of magic as dangerous and uncontrollable.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Upon being born children are given a single name by their parents. As a general rule for Court Elf names, the ending is changed to indicate masculinity (ending on a consonant) or femininity (ending on a vowel).
Examples of Child names:

• Arameral
• Anbis
• Cylfaera
• Cylyeira
• Drisxana
• Durfaera
• Galindarai
• Galiniver
• Gyllenna
• Illaxana
• Lesyeira
• Licrian
• Memiris
• Relmorn
• Ulkiries
• Vabynn

Once an Elf reaches maturity they can choose their own name, this chosen name reflects their ambition, chosen trade, or other significant event in their personal history. The same general rule of masculinity (ending in a consonant) and femininity (ending in a vowel) is applied.
Examples of Chosen names:

• Andune (Sunset, evening, going down)
• Cesilqua (Question everything)
• Elenna (Starwards)
• Farale (Hunting)
• Indemma (To appear in a dream)
• Indil (Lily)
• Nahta (To hurt, wound, slay)
• Tancil (Brooch, pin)

As a court elf ages they may take on different names as they enter a new stage of life, they will be added in front of the existing name in the same way that the above chosen names are described.
In most Court Elves the family names hold great importance. Aside from the Otsondóra, there are a great many minor houses that hold on to their family names in the hopes that they may at some point join the ranks of the great houses.

Major Organizations

The most well known Court Elf organisations are collectively known as the Otsondóra, in the common tongue referred to as the seven great houses. Their influence is felt throughout Siriande, with each impacting the larger society in their own way.
The house names are as follows:

• Calmacil
• Eärnur
• Glóredhel
• Ithildin
• Mionilúvë
• Oiolaire
• Tiristya

Common Taboos

While all the different variants of Elves can freely create viable offspring between them, this is frowned upon in Court Elf society. Especially within the great houses, the focus is on keeping their bloodline carefully cultivated. Within this line of thinking it's not odd that the half-elf children, born of human-elf relationships, are usually outcasts of Court Elf society.
When it comes to magic, Court Elves look down on any type of magic that doesn't come from careful and thorough study, as such Sorcerers and Warlocks are shunned by the magically inclined Court Elves.

Lifespan

800 - 900 years

Average Height

170 - 200 cm

Average Weight

45 - 50 Kg