Ancient Elven Empire

For fortune and glory many adventurers brave crumbling ruins in far-away places-- mysterious, mystical places far from where the living dwell. They search for ancient treasures and lost knowledge.
The most famous and lucrative of these places are what remains of the ancient empire of the elves. Scholars pour over dusty tomes on what little remains, and elven maidens still sing mournful songs of what was lost and shall never be seen again.

Structure

As with many other aspects of their society, how the ancient empire organized itself is a mystery. Some ruins are clearly unmatched in their opulence, while others-- although with a lost beauty of their own-- were far more utilitarian. This divide implies some form of social structure, but details are scarce due to the mostly unknown language.
What is known is that the empire was ruled by the Grand Cabal, made of the thirteen most powerful spellcasters in the empire. It is believed by some scholars that the position tended to run in families, but this matter is debated in some scholarly circles.
It is also known that warrior-wizards referred to as swordwizards were also treated with a great deal of respect. It is known through the traditions of the Sentinels of Ivarill-- an organization that preserved some of their traditions-- that they named their swords and treated their weapons with a sort of reverence. Referring to a swordwizard by the name of their weapon was a way of honoring them.
The most honored of all elven mages were changed through magic into the undead baelnorns. They would then have all of eternity to guide their people with the wisdom of the ages. The few remaining baelnorns are one of the only reasons anything at all is known about the Ancient Elven Empire.

Assets

Magic is sometimes said to be woven into the very soul of an elf, but most elves would admit that they are mere children when compared to the elves of the ancient empire. Indeed, those magic items that survived, when their use has been discovered have been known to be very potent.
In addition to relics of tremendous power, the magic they wove was different. It was said rituals could take years or decades, and put anything known to modern mages to shame. It is unknown how much of such stories are legend and how much is fact but the mystique lives on.

History

Elven legend states that they emerged from the Feywild long before Amaun was despoiled by any other civilization. It is said they longed for the vibrant life of their whimsical home, but were instead trapped in the dull and lifeless mundane world to which they emerged. Elven ballads still sing that their ancestors wept for colors they would never see again, that have no names known by mortal man.
These legends go on to say that these elves were determined to make their new home just as magical and vital as their old one. Thus, they developed the natural gifts of magic the Feywild left within them and built their empire through wondrous works the likes of which would never be seen again.
Although the elves were said to be alone, this did not last. According to their own legends, the gnomes came from their distant homeland-- now long lost-- and the dwarves were birthed from the stone of the mountains, themselves. Where the orcs, halflings, and goblins came from has not been recorded even in legend, but inevitably, Amaun became very crowded.
Even through the arrival of the others, the power of the Ancient Elven Empire was unchallenged. This would change with the last new arrival: humans. The story goes that these rebellious folk immediately attacked and so the First Imperial War had begun.
Humanity's numbers were many, and growing fast, but they were no match for the fortifications and superior magic of the elves. They were facing heavy losses but still refused to be defeated when a new development took both sides completely by surprise.
From deep underground, in what would be known as The Warrens, unspeakable horrors emerged, attacking both sides and enslaving the unfortunate survivors to a life of mindless servitude. These monsters would be known as mind flayers and the First Rising had begun.
Even the threat of mutual enslavement was nearly not enough to convince the two peoples to work together. The bad blood was just too great, and at first, both sides believed the other somehow responsible for the invading horrors. This misunderstanding would very nearly lead to total defeat.
The tide didn't fully turn when humans and elves began to fight side by side, but it did buy time. This time was put to good use when the elven empire developed magical constructs, precursors to modern golems. With no minds of their own, they were immune to the terrible psionic powers of the mind flayers. This allowed them to slay the Overbrain and forced the mind flayers to flee to their underground homes.
After both bloody conflicts, both sides had enough of their battles with one another, leading to a peace between them that would last for millennia. Other races would fight, and humans fought with one another, but such things made no difference to the Ancient Elven Empire.
This doesn't mean there wasn't tension, however. The sheer growth of humanity was a matter of grave concern, and even with millennia their struggles were not forgotten. Where once humanity consisted of simple tribesmen, they were now building nations, the most powerful being what would become the Kingdom of Mandia.
What was once tension exploded dramatically into violence when one of the most powerful of the swordwizards, Ansarien Ill'conter competed for the affection of an elven maiden with a human woodsman. When she chose the ranger, he flew into a rage and killed them both on the spot.
His mind broke the rest of the way that day, and he blamed humanity for the death of his "love". He used the dread power of his glaive Dominion to enslave nearby human populations and send them against their fellows. This spiraled into the Second Imperial War.
Since the time of the First Rising, humanity had grown far too powerful and the empire was defeated. For their final act, the Grand Cabal sentenced Ansarien to be imprisoned beneath the earth for all eternity, a punishment that had never before been carried out.

Disbandment

After the imprisonment of Ansarien, the Grand Cabal went into hiding, fearing humans would hunt them down. However, since humanity had their own rebuilding to do, they had no interest in pursuing the remaining elves. Leaving them far from the rest of civilization, mourning their lost glory.
Recent discoveries have revealed that in the final days of the empire a series of portals were created, linking their territory to distant places across the Twin Worlds. The elves colonized these places on an attempt to bring them to heel and one day restore their glory. These colonies were lost, likely due to the Second Rising.

Infrastructure

The Ancient Elven Empire had great cities across Amaun, primarily the continent of Vald. Many of these places are lost to the ages and have fallen into legend. The greatest of these ruined cities is Vil'serenn, the empire's capital, which is even now buried beneath the city of Whiteriver.
Despite the delicately artistic design, the architecture has remained strong, even without magical reinforcement. Still, there are rumors of enchanted cities, untouched by time despite the deaths of all those who once walked their now-abandoned streets.

DISBANDED/DISSOLVED

Before 1st Age - Late 1st Age

Type

Geopolitical, Empire

Alternative Names

The Eldest, The Old Ones

Successor Organization

• Sentinels of Iv'arill

Government System

Magocracy

Notable Members

• Ansarien Ill'conter

Related Species

• Elf