High Elves
"With great power comes great responsibility" - said no high elf ever, apparently
High Elves have the most magical potential of any of their kin and any of the other races, whether they utilize that potential is another matter. High elves can live for at around 750 years, though the oldest recorded elf is a High elf named Taeleon who lived to 1005. This combination of a high magical potential and a long life span means that High elven spellcasters are some of the most renowned in all the realm, often having centuries of experience to hone their skills. These same abilities, however, lead the High elves into extreme conservatism and arrogance causing their societies to have changed little in the last few millennium. High Elven children are rare, and their overall fertility is quite low, but their lack of wars and extreme lifespan mean that their population tends to grow in a very slow, yet steady, manner. In the past eras High Elves have been premier colonizers alongside Gnomes and Telrai, but as technology and the populations of the other races begin to grow the elves have begun to lose their edge in this regard. Still, the legacy of elvish migration and colonization has fundamentally changed continents like An’seidna*. High Elves are the closest to primordial elves because after the Twin Disasters of Salazuir, they remained confident in the power of magic, and even turned towards further magical use. After hearing of the destruction of Salazuir, the High Elves on Cet’aenn and Ærellion became convinced that their magic use was the only thing that safe them from the destruction wrought on their homeland. As their ancient technology began to fail, the High Elves turned more and more towards magic in order to compensate for their weakness.
This naturally led to mages being favored in society as their very way of life became dependent upon mages. However, this wasn't enough for the elves. In [tbd], The First Conference of Eight was convened. This conference, whose name came from the eight primary nations at this time, decreed that from that point on only elves were allowed to live in their realms. Half-breeds were expelled and although this was not supposed to be a cruel affair, many took advantage of the chaos to commit crime and riot, blaming it on half-breeds. These riots were most prevalent in the coastal towns, which saw influxes of refugees boarding ships to leave the continent. Following this event, the High Elven states became even more xenophobic and authoritarian, paranoid to the extreme. Soon, only mages were trusted, which led to exodus from many of those who were not as powerful magically. Most of these followed the grandiose promises of Lord Oleandrellos and founded Oleandron. Some remained and helped the Illeusar family conquer and civilize the hobgoblin tribes. Still more simply went south into Hymar. With their lower classes decimated by this migration over time, the elite mages no longer had anyone to run the basics of the realms, leading to societal decline. The kingdoms, which could no longer be governed effectively, were also struck by waves of Feykin who fed on magic, leading to the resurgence of these creatures, which had been confined to a small area for thousands of years after the arrival of the Elves. Indeed, this is why the proud lands have long since devolved into tribes and city states. The best part? Magical aptitude didn't even rise that much, really. Since all High Elves have inherant magic, "lessers" leaving didn't suddenly lead to more savants, as the rate remained the same. (TLDR; Eugenics doesn't work)
With such long lives, high elves have traditionally placed a large emphasis on specialization. While the most renowned and common specialization has historically been in the magical arts, high elven craftsmen have created some of the greatest architectural and philosophical advances in the past. High elven mage-smiths have crafted some of the finest magical weapons which stand the test of time and remain in use by descendants. Such weapons helped their armies conquer much of the lands they now control, but as new advanced weapons are developed their use has been decreasing. On the other end of craftsmanship, high elven architecture is very prominent on the continent of Telgren as a relic of the Empire of Oleandron. Though long gone, much of the surviving architecture of the period is attempted to be emulated by the various human successor states, and elven architects are highly prized. Still, not all high elves have aspired to develop and build empires and kingdom. The magical forests of Ærellion provide all the goods needed for tribes of elves to exploit without significant effort, allowing them to focus on magical pursuits.
*mainly colonized by half-elves
High Elves have the most magical potential of any of their kin and any of the other races, whether they utilize that potential is another matter. High elves can live for at around 750 years, though the oldest recorded elf is a High elf named Taeleon who lived to 1005. This combination of a high magical potential and a long life span means that High elven spellcasters are some of the most renowned in all the realm, often having centuries of experience to hone their skills. These same abilities, however, lead the High elves into extreme conservatism and arrogance causing their societies to have changed little in the last few millennium. High Elven children are rare, and their overall fertility is quite low, but their lack of wars and extreme lifespan mean that their population tends to grow in a very slow, yet steady, manner. In the past eras High Elves have been premier colonizers alongside Gnomes and Telrai, but as technology and the populations of the other races begin to grow the elves have begun to lose their edge in this regard. Still, the legacy of elvish migration and colonization has fundamentally changed continents like An’seidna*. High Elves are the closest to primordial elves because after the Twin Disasters of Salazuir, they remained confident in the power of magic, and even turned towards further magical use. After hearing of the destruction of Salazuir, the High Elves on Cet’aenn and Ærellion became convinced that their magic use was the only thing that safe them from the destruction wrought on their homeland. As their ancient technology began to fail, the High Elves turned more and more towards magic in order to compensate for their weakness.
This naturally led to mages being favored in society as their very way of life became dependent upon mages. However, this wasn't enough for the elves. In [tbd], The First Conference of Eight was convened. This conference, whose name came from the eight primary nations at this time, decreed that from that point on only elves were allowed to live in their realms. Half-breeds were expelled and although this was not supposed to be a cruel affair, many took advantage of the chaos to commit crime and riot, blaming it on half-breeds. These riots were most prevalent in the coastal towns, which saw influxes of refugees boarding ships to leave the continent. Following this event, the High Elven states became even more xenophobic and authoritarian, paranoid to the extreme. Soon, only mages were trusted, which led to exodus from many of those who were not as powerful magically. Most of these followed the grandiose promises of Lord Oleandrellos and founded Oleandron. Some remained and helped the Illeusar family conquer and civilize the hobgoblin tribes. Still more simply went south into Hymar. With their lower classes decimated by this migration over time, the elite mages no longer had anyone to run the basics of the realms, leading to societal decline. The kingdoms, which could no longer be governed effectively, were also struck by waves of Feykin who fed on magic, leading to the resurgence of these creatures, which had been confined to a small area for thousands of years after the arrival of the Elves. Indeed, this is why the proud lands have long since devolved into tribes and city states. The best part? Magical aptitude didn't even rise that much, really. Since all High Elves have inherant magic, "lessers" leaving didn't suddenly lead to more savants, as the rate remained the same. (TLDR; Eugenics doesn't work)
With such long lives, high elves have traditionally placed a large emphasis on specialization. While the most renowned and common specialization has historically been in the magical arts, high elven craftsmen have created some of the greatest architectural and philosophical advances in the past. High elven mage-smiths have crafted some of the finest magical weapons which stand the test of time and remain in use by descendants. Such weapons helped their armies conquer much of the lands they now control, but as new advanced weapons are developed their use has been decreasing. On the other end of craftsmanship, high elven architecture is very prominent on the continent of Telgren as a relic of the Empire of Oleandron. Though long gone, much of the surviving architecture of the period is attempted to be emulated by the various human successor states, and elven architects are highly prized. Still, not all high elves have aspired to develop and build empires and kingdom. The magical forests of Ærellion provide all the goods needed for tribes of elves to exploit without significant effort, allowing them to focus on magical pursuits.
*mainly colonized by half-elves
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Elves have pregnancy that lasts about a year. Elven children are born slightly less developed than humans because the thinner bone structure of elves tends to constrain growth during pregnancy somewhat.
Growth Rate & Stages
High elves consider childhood to last from birth to age 40, and childhood is considered a time when elves grow three of their four attributes, magic, mind, and body.
After being born, the first 10 years of an elf's development see rapid growth in mental ability, but lesser magical and physical changes. During this phase an elf appears to be about half the age of what a human child would be, but retains the same intelligence as well as learning to control basic magic.
Around age 10 an elf's magical potential slows down somewhat, its body continues to develop slowly, and its brain develops even faster. This phase lasts until age 22. By this point an elf would look 10-11, but would have a completely developed brain (for a human, at least). However, elves are not done developing.
Around age 22, an elf begins going through puberty and therefore hormones change. This prompts their brains to develop far slower but their bodies begin to catch up, this process usually lasting until age 30. During this time their magic also begins to develop again, but not to the extent of the following phase.
From ages 30-40, an elf finishes their brain growth and sees a massive upswing in magical potential. Before this point elves are relatively similar to humans in terms of magical ability, but by age 40 an elf has usually about doubled their magical ability compared to age 30. Also in the early part of this phase, the final few puberty changes occur.
After being born, the first 10 years of an elf's development see rapid growth in mental ability, but lesser magical and physical changes. During this phase an elf appears to be about half the age of what a human child would be, but retains the same intelligence as well as learning to control basic magic.
Around age 10 an elf's magical potential slows down somewhat, its body continues to develop slowly, and its brain develops even faster. This phase lasts until age 22. By this point an elf would look 10-11, but would have a completely developed brain (for a human, at least). However, elves are not done developing.
Around age 22, an elf begins going through puberty and therefore hormones change. This prompts their brains to develop far slower but their bodies begin to catch up, this process usually lasting until age 30. During this time their magic also begins to develop again, but not to the extent of the following phase.
From ages 30-40, an elf finishes their brain growth and sees a massive upswing in magical potential. Before this point elves are relatively similar to humans in terms of magical ability, but by age 40 an elf has usually about doubled their magical ability compared to age 30. Also in the early part of this phase, the final few puberty changes occur.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
The Elven peoples all have very long collective memories due to their lifespans, which is greatly extended in the High Elves. The long history and delicate memories of various famous forefathers has greatly influenced the development of High Elven naming traditions, as have their generally equal gender structure and typically decentralized nature of governance. Typically, as is observed in Humans, High Elves have more names the greater status they possess, but they tend to have far more names even among the lowest of the low.
High Elves usually possess 3 first names. The first of these names is their birth name, which is given by their parents upon birth. However, upon assuming adulthood, the elf will select another name by which everyone will thereafter call them. Although their birth name is kept, its position is supersceded as a personal name, and is usually only used by close friends and family or by other elves seeking to disrespectfully call an adult a child or childlike. An elf's chosen name typically reflects who they are or what they plan to do in life, and is usually longer than a simple birth name. However, High Elves traditionally also have a third first name, known as their secret name or Star Name. This name is known only to the closest people in an elf's life, which varies depending on the era. For many years, this name was only told to one's partner in life, and only revealed as a proposal for marriage, but recently this has changed, with it being popular to convey this name to others who are greatly trusted as well, or to children to express love and trust. However, some groups of ultraconservatives still prefer the heightened secrecy. Leaking somebody's secret name is considered a grave sin, as it is traditionally said to lay bare their soul and leave them vulnerable to dark magic. The punishment for doing so is usually death. Although this practice of secret names is known outside of High Elven lands, it's rare for outsiders to truly grasp how such names work, as their creation is hidden from most. Typically, the name is divined by a blind seer (either naturally or with heavy cloths around their face) in the presence of the new adult.
High Elven last names are just as complex as their first names. This is because their last names are typically intended to honor their parents, their clan, and other of import. High Elves may have anywhere from 1 to 6 last names, but usually they do not go over 6. One of these names, the very final, is that of their clan. Clan names are very ancient and their meaning is no longer understood even among the sages and wise folk of the elves, with some speculating that they may be based on the Divine Language (they aren't). To bear a clan name is to stand within a wide network of allies, so to speak. In the magical woods of Ærellion, such clans largely still hold sway as independent polities, with federations of clans also being known and city states typically consisting of the surrounding clans in their own quarters of the city Aside from royalty, such clans unsually prefer intermarrying amongst themselves and not with others. However, outside of this region, the clans are largely symbolic, and clan intermarriage is common. In the case of clan intermarriage, usually the child can choose to bear the names of one or both clans, or they may spurn both and claim the last name of belonging to no clan [tbd actual name]. This is to differentiate from those who have been banished and can therefore not claim a clan even if they wanted to. Adult elves are free to change such last names at will, except the banished. You may also note that this could quickly spiral out of control if elves with two clans each marry and their child continues the cycle, but such excessive naming is typically not done. If an elf feels equally close to more than two clans, do they really feel strongly towards any clan at all? Likely not, though it does occasionally happen. Besides this one or two name ending, High Elves usually take the descendent or respect forms of the names of their closest mentors, whether this be parents or teachers. One notable exception is that many aristocrats prefer to use only the names of ancestors, as a way of stating that they are not beholden to any outsiders.
All High Elves named within the Eighth Realm are referred to with merely their adult first name and their clan name unless otherwise stated. For the High Elves of Telgren, their clan names reflect their reorganization of clans around the initial settlements and not their original names.
High Elves usually possess 3 first names. The first of these names is their birth name, which is given by their parents upon birth. However, upon assuming adulthood, the elf will select another name by which everyone will thereafter call them. Although their birth name is kept, its position is supersceded as a personal name, and is usually only used by close friends and family or by other elves seeking to disrespectfully call an adult a child or childlike. An elf's chosen name typically reflects who they are or what they plan to do in life, and is usually longer than a simple birth name. However, High Elves traditionally also have a third first name, known as their secret name or Star Name. This name is known only to the closest people in an elf's life, which varies depending on the era. For many years, this name was only told to one's partner in life, and only revealed as a proposal for marriage, but recently this has changed, with it being popular to convey this name to others who are greatly trusted as well, or to children to express love and trust. However, some groups of ultraconservatives still prefer the heightened secrecy. Leaking somebody's secret name is considered a grave sin, as it is traditionally said to lay bare their soul and leave them vulnerable to dark magic. The punishment for doing so is usually death. Although this practice of secret names is known outside of High Elven lands, it's rare for outsiders to truly grasp how such names work, as their creation is hidden from most. Typically, the name is divined by a blind seer (either naturally or with heavy cloths around their face) in the presence of the new adult.
High Elven last names are just as complex as their first names. This is because their last names are typically intended to honor their parents, their clan, and other of import. High Elves may have anywhere from 1 to 6 last names, but usually they do not go over 6. One of these names, the very final, is that of their clan. Clan names are very ancient and their meaning is no longer understood even among the sages and wise folk of the elves, with some speculating that they may be based on the Divine Language (they aren't). To bear a clan name is to stand within a wide network of allies, so to speak. In the magical woods of Ærellion, such clans largely still hold sway as independent polities, with federations of clans also being known and city states typically consisting of the surrounding clans in their own quarters of the city Aside from royalty, such clans unsually prefer intermarrying amongst themselves and not with others. However, outside of this region, the clans are largely symbolic, and clan intermarriage is common. In the case of clan intermarriage, usually the child can choose to bear the names of one or both clans, or they may spurn both and claim the last name of belonging to no clan [tbd actual name]. This is to differentiate from those who have been banished and can therefore not claim a clan even if they wanted to. Adult elves are free to change such last names at will, except the banished. You may also note that this could quickly spiral out of control if elves with two clans each marry and their child continues the cycle, but such excessive naming is typically not done. If an elf feels equally close to more than two clans, do they really feel strongly towards any clan at all? Likely not, though it does occasionally happen. Besides this one or two name ending, High Elves usually take the descendent or respect forms of the names of their closest mentors, whether this be parents or teachers. One notable exception is that many aristocrats prefer to use only the names of ancestors, as a way of stating that they are not beholden to any outsiders.
All High Elves named within the Eighth Realm are referred to with merely their adult first name and their clan name unless otherwise stated. For the High Elves of Telgren, their clan names reflect their reorganization of clans around the initial settlements and not their original names.
Lifespan
750 years
Average Height
6'4
Related Organizations
- Blazeology
- East Oleandron
- Empire of Oleandron
- Enclave of Cianheart
- Enclave of Illumendell
- Fremgraviate of Alianem
- Grand Duchy of Bahran
- Hymarian Pantheon
- Khanate of Clesentia
- Kingdom of Fraspika
- Kingdom of Sunþiruda
- Kingdom of Widuþia
- Republic of Aulienall
- Sisters of Melthena
- South Fraspika
- West Oleandron
Extreme
Physical Strength
Above Average
Societal Organization
Prodigious
Birth Rate
Miniscule
Lifespan Classification
Prodigious
Technological Progress
Above Average
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