Elvani
The Elvani (el-VA-nee) were an ancient people descended from the few Children of Ména who were brought back to Arkhea by the Holy Sentinels in the Age of Spirits. After the fall of Ulé and Ména, the angelic Sentinels sought to carry out the orginal charge they received from God to serve and protect humanity. The Sentinals brought normal humans from Epieros to the ancestral land of Arkhea forming a new community around their original matriarch, the legendary fae ancestor known as Elva (one of the original daughters of Ména).
Like Enoch of our realworld Biblical tradition, Elva received special education and enhanced natural abilities by the faithful ancient Janniri -- those often referred to as the Noble Faeries. Elva was taught the secrets of The Ether and given an inherent ability to use active and passive etherea. By this means she became able to produce miraculous and wonderful effects, drawing upon the natural power inherent in nature.
All of Elva's descendants received the blessing of this ethereal enhancement. Due to their proximity to the Celestial Falls in Arkhea in the days before the Cataclysm and their training by the Sentinels, these ordinary humans were transformed in body and mind by their exposure to intense ethereal power, which greatly extended their lifespans, effectively making them immortal.
Elva's descendants came to be referred to as the the Elvani -- i.e. "The Children of Elva" -- even though they, too, were also Children on Ména (like all other human beings in the world). Though they retained the basic form of humanity, the Elvani appeared as healthy and beautiful figures of human perfection. However, their ethereal enhancement gave them powers and abilities well-beyond those of ordinary human beings. Due to this distinction, the Children of Elvá are often classified as a different species from the Children of Ména.
The Elvá possess unlimited Ultravision, Empathy, and the ability to rest in Reverie. But the single most significant Elváen trait is their regenerative ability, and the incredible longevity it provides them. Elvá do not age in the normal sense of the word, and they quickly recover from most injury. True Elvá recover one lost injury point per minute, even when brought below zero IP. This regeneration eliminates normal scars and disfigurement, and even allows for the re-growth of lost limbs. Though fire damage does not regenerate at this quickened rate, it nevertheless leaves no traces when it does heal.
Ancient Elvani History
After The Doomed Ascent, and the exile of the first parents from Elvala, the Janniri struggled to understand their purpose in Arkhea, if not to serve and guide the children that God had created. They squabbled among themselves for preeminence. But as the Janniri began to spread out from Arkhea and discovered the children of Ména lived and thrived in greater Aerith, some sought to fulfill their created purpose by bringing some children Ména back to Elvalar. These Elvari were trained in the etherea arts, and benefitted from the instruction of the Sentinels. Over time, the very presence of the Source altered and enhanced their physical characteristics, providing long life and an innate ability to control active etherea. Just prior to the Great Cataclysm, many of the Elvari were sent to safety in Fae'ri, where they survived the destruction of Arkhea.
As a group, true Elvani society existed only prior to the Great Cataclysm. Elvani explorers spread out from Arkhea along the primary Ley Lines, travelling across the world and interacting with human cultures that (at the time) were far more primitive. Their great ethereal power -- and seemingly immortal existence -- set them apart from all other people in the world. For this reason, the Elvá often appeared to the Children of Ména as divine or angelic beings.
The Elvá helped to found and teach the earliest civilizations in the world. More than any human culture, the ethereal sciences were interwoven into their everyday lives, and all the Elvá had inborn etherical ability. The few direct descendants of the Elvá who survived destruction of their culture and continued in the world, came to be referred to as the Eldar Fae (ancestors of the many Fae subcultures of latter ages).
Descendants of the Elvani
The few Elvaen survivors of the Cataclysm were protected on the Isle of Faeri from the ravages of the Traullish plague, which affect many creatures accross the world. Sequestered on Faeri, few children were born to them. They did, on occasion, intermarry with those of other cultures, but with each generation their lifespans shortened, and they lost much of their extrordinary regenerative ability. These latter descendants of the Elvani came to be referred to as the "Fae" (i.e. the fair ones). Unlike other Children of Ména, they continued to have an innate ethereal capacity. Those of Fae blood possess the natural ability to harness active ethereal forces.
In later Ages, the lifespan of the Fae still exceeds that of other human races; some Eldar Fae have lived for more than a thousand years. Their original homeland continues to be the island of Faeri, on the eastern end of the Midrun Sea, off-limit to outsiders. By means of windsteeds and grefyn mounts, however, the Fae have travelled the world, establishing enclaves in scretive and secluded areas, but not far from the dwelling places of the ancient Ména, whom they often treated with paternal condescention as estranged cousins.
Elva, Daughter of Ména
Noble Elvani Princess
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