Aelferi
Basic Information
Anatomy
While many believe the aelferi are the eldest race to exist across the world, there are no records to support this supposition. Perhaps this belief originated from the otherworldly air they affect, or the deep pools of their black sclera, or even their own insistence that such must be the case. Whatever the case, the aelferi possess almost supernatural abilities that lend credence to their superiority. A superiority that causes others to blame them for the ills and travails they suffered throughout history.
An aelferi can be recognized by the mere sight of them. Long, pointed ears catch the faintest sounds with immaculate precision. One aelferi may wander a room blindfolded, guided merely by ambiant sounds. Their unique eyes likewise are adapted to darkness, piercing the gloom with better-than-typical accuracy. With bright irises that gleam in dim light and pitch-black sclera, the aelferi gaze has an inhuman quality that marks them as otherworldly beings.
Extrasensory Capabilities
Perhaps their innate magic increases the sensitivity of the aelferi as well. It is long posited that they bear a sixth sense that can detect things corrupted by evil. Some who have studied this phenomenom have described a sense of time slowing, as well as a malignant presence filling the air with a foreboding feeling. Whether this is true of anything touched by dark powers or just artifacts twisted by such evil has not been proven, nor will it likely be definitively confirmed. No one has likewise been able to find evidence that the inverse exists: that a being radiating good can likewise be sensed.Biological Traits
Magic flows throughout the world, binding living things to one another. Yet the aelferi are the only beings that have an intrinsic connection to this power. It permeates their blood and grants them access to abilities that make them the envy of the known world. Whereas animancers must struggle to access magic, undertaking painstaking rituals to achieve the same connection, the aelferi may naturally reap the benefits of their blood.
The effect is quite remarkable. Aelferi heal from injuries at a miraculous rate - a concussion or other internal wound, for instance, would result in a mere human being laid up for several days; an aelferi, on the other hand, might recover most of their faculties within a matter of hours, with a full recovery within the day. This trait too is noticed in animancers who secure a permanent bond to magic, yet their recoveries are tied only to wounds they inflict to utilize their art. This miraculous recovery often extends the divide between aelferi and other ancestries, however, causing more strife and fear when it is observed.
Civilization and Culture
Average Technological Level
In the Golden Age of Ascension, the aelferi led all of mortalkind in discovering technological marvels. From the enchanted glassworks of vernari to engineering marvels such as the gear clock (both discovered and perfected by the famed Lyronis Arvendi), aelferi technological and magical feats stunned and excited the world. The properties of aurichalis ore in particular was viewed as a marvel, and aelferi smiths guarded this secret jealously from any who sought to pry into them.
The years following the Golden Age of Ascension, known as the Era of Ruin, resulted in the loss of nearly all of these secrets. A few have resurged, such as the refinement of aurichalis, although many of the secrets and their meanings have faded from memory. Although this may be a natural loss due to failing to pass skills on to later generations, many posit this may instead be due to fear that other ancestries will destroy the final vestiges of aelferi culture if any individuals seem about to rise like Grishtar did.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
No one knows precisely when the aelferi became feared and hated throughout the world. Most attribute this quirk to the high-and-mighty attitude of most aelferi. Others point to the legends of Grishtar, an aelferi who challenged the gods and tore the land asunder. Yet all agree that stigma swirls around these mortals. "Night-eye," "black-sighted," "blade-ear"—these familiar insults follow aelferi wherever they journey. Yet the proud culture of these mortals endures, and the aelferi seem to have developed a thick skin regarding such slurs.
Common Taboos
Surprisingly, few aelferi in the modern age pursue control over magic despite their propsensity for it. Whether this results from guilt over the rise of the terrifying Grishtar or lack of desire, most eschew the use of powers that extend beyond their physical capabilities. Their focus instead on re-discovering ancient crafts that have been lost in the centuries of turmoil across Taermidra, hoping that this will rekindle the golden age that came before the ice age.
Lifespan
100-250 years
Average Height
4'8" - 6'5"
Average Weight
95 - 190
Average Physique
Lean and muscular; obesity is rare
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