Elf, Shin'a'in

Appearance

Bronzed, weathered skin with black hair and black hair. Plains elves who raise horses. While they will occasionally sell saddle horses to Outlanders, the battlemares almost never leave the plains, and never beneath anyone other than a Shin’a’in. They split from the Tayledras at the end of the War of the Mad. Obsessed with Tea

Average Characteristics

• Age: Matures similar to humans, but the average life span is 300 years.
• Size: Heights range from under 5ft to over 6ft. Most have slender to muscular builds
• Language: Elvish (Shin’a’in)

Locations

They roam the Plains of Va’dovasin, each clan a nomadic camp that travels to find grazing land for their horses.

Clans

• Liha'irden - Clan of the Racing Deer
• Pretera'sedrin - Clan of the Grass-cat
• Tale'sedrin - Clan of the Stooping Hawk
• Vuy’she'edras - Clan of the Wolf

History

During the Age of Expansion, several clans of elves chose to leave what they saw as the decadence of the Bur'aiel empire. Finding new homes in the Green Wood and the wilderness beyond the Summerburg Mts, they attempted to make new lives for themselves. But it was not to be....when Ollamaas' forces began rolling out over the Tamed Lands, the elves were one of the first races to answer the call.

In the aftermath, the remaining elves, now calling themselves the Kaled'a'in to differenciate themselves from the Elf, Aiel and Elf, Bur'an, withdrew into the wilderness of the west. For a generation, things seemed quiet and the elves watched the humans and other races spread out throughout Ellebore. When Kelveren began his conquest, he moved to crush the elves first. Already weakened by their losses in the earlier war, the Kaled'a'in fled into the south, seeking Whyril's protection.

Near the end of the War of the Mad, when it was clear that Whyril was going to lose, he began quietly evacuating civilians and support troops, sending them to far off places through his standing portals. The Kaled'a'in were the last to go, knowing that Whyril would not leave. When the artificer mage was poisoned and the failsafe was discovered, the elves scrambled to escape.

Tumbling through the first gate the ten clans of the Kaled'a'in found themselves in a relay camp. Whyril had feared that the resulting explosion from his tower would be too powerful and so he had sent another gate that would take them across the remaining length of Ellebore. The camp itself was empty, except for two dozen gryphons (all that remained of Whyril's magnificent creations).

Knowing they had little time, most of the elves did little more than shout at the gryphons that it was time to run and then dive through the second portal. Then without warning, the world exploded! The combined explosions of both strongholds proved to be more powerful than even Whyril's wildest dreams. But it was the shockwave that ripped through the weave that did the most damage.

Even here on the opposite side of the continent it could be felt and the storms uprooted many trees and started a number of fires. When the initial blast was over it was clear that something had gone terribly wrong. Only nine of the clans had made it through the second portal. k'Leshia was lost.

Turning to the more immediate problem, the elves rushed to deal with the fires nearby. Encountering a number of Humblefolk who were also trying to stop the fires. That was when they discovered the problem with magic. Spells would either not work entirely, produce some other result entirely, or just blow up in their faces. Those of a more druidic or nature focused craft proved to be of most use. The occasional wave of magical force that echoed from the Cataclysm also hampered many of the mages' skills.

Eventually the fires were put out, at the cost of many lives. The Humblefolk proved friendly but cautious. Some of that caution eased when they saw some of the allies of these Kaled'a'in; the Hertasi, the Trevardi, and the Dyrall. Unsure of what do to next, the elves made a camp here on the edge of the forest.

For a moon the elves sheltered in place. As the storms began to dissipate, the Kaled’a’in began to fight amongst themselves as to what they would do. Half wanted nothing more to do with magic and the others were convinced. Before things came to blows, the DrumRiders of all the clans called on their goddess Kal'enel for an answer.

She answered and brought two solutions. To those who wished to keep magic, she offered to give them knowledge and the ability to make their magic work again. In exchange She demanded an oath to cleanse the lands and protect the innocent.

To the ones who rejected magic, she offered the plains. She would cleanse the lands and make them safe. In exchange the clans now calling themselves the Shin’a’in (Children of the Horse) must swear off the use of all magic save that employed by the DrumRiders. They accepted and taking the horses they had been breeding departed for their new home. Finding the plains beautiful and vast, the clans spread out and found peace as nomads although they never forgot what had been lost

Culture

Culture and cultural heritage

The Shin'a'in are known for their high-quality horses. They breed a variety of saddle, trail and war horses. The best of each remain under guard on the Plains, where they contribute to the breeding programs. The culls may be sold out of the Clans, which is a major source of income for the Shin'a'in. However, they are very picky about who they sell their horses to.
In Shin'a'in culture, horses are considered part of the family. They are actually referred to as children of the Clan. The Shin'a'in will ignore all financial considerations in favor of placing one of their "children" in a good home.
Nomad clans that travel throughout the Plains, although they were often in communication with one another and will gather for special occasions.
All Shin’a’in may call upon the goddess and god whenever they like, but two groups made it a calling.

• The DrumRiders are basically shamans who have visions, perform some healing magics, and can speak directly to servants of the divine or even Dar’rael or Kal’enel if the need is great.
• The other branch of religious service is the Swordsworn. These warriors are sworn to the God and Goddess of the South Wind, the Flame-Eyed and Star-Eyed in their aspects as Guardian and Warrior. Though mostly they serve as fighters, they are also priests, and have religious roles to fulfill.