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Race of Matyr - The Elves

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The Races of Matyr


The Elves

Elves, also called Sylvs, Sylphs, Sylvaren, Elvenkind, and frequently referred to as 'The Quick Folk' by some Elven scholars, were among the first (if not the first) to colonize the continent of Altherys during the First Era and have since spread across to its many nations and territories where they live in relative peace.  Their lives have been one initially of constant turmoil and abandonment, being driven from one homeland to the next, though now since the Second Era they have entrenched themselves within their new homes with the intent to stay.  While the hot-blooded race of Men continues to change, the cold-hearted race of Dwarves continue to mine and crave for what was lost, the evil-minded race of Goblins continue to pillage, and the tragic race of Beastfolk continue to be driven out, the Elves continue their own ancient traditions as the eldest and wisest of the five races.
Elves come in a wide array of races, colors, and traditions, each almost as different as the last, though most Elves all keep to various creeds and codes as a result of their extended lifespans.  Whereas a human would be lucky to live past sixty and is considered ancient at a hundred years, an Elf will live more than twice as long and be considered relatively young for his age.  This increased lifespan comes at a cost, however, for though the Elves can live for many years their fertility rate is nearly half as potent as that of other races.
The term, "Knife-Ears," tends to be a very rude slang directed at Elves, particularly Half-Elves, usually used by humans or goblins.

Etymology
The term Sylvaren in the Elven tongue literally means "Wanderer."  It usually refers to the fact that all Elves are descended from the first High Elven exiles and colonists that came across the land bridge after the First Kin War before or during the beginning of the First Era.  However, since High Elves are usually included in the name Sylvaren, it may also be a reference to the legend regarding the High Elves' and their origins.  Elves tend to use the term Sylv or Sylph in the same way humans tend to use the term 'men.'  In the Elven tongue, Sylv is usually referred as male, while Sylvé is female.

Physiology
Physically it is easy to tell Elves from Humans apart, although they are the closest match to humans on a physical level; more so than even the gruff Dwarves.  Elves and humans share a similar height, with Elves being only slightly shorter on average depending on their race.  Their skin tones have a much greater variety, ranging from a pale gray color to variations of copper, aquamarine, dark brown, and even darker blues in the case of the Drow.  Their faces are always angular with pointed chins and tight cheekbones, slightly slanted eyes, and their characteristic knife-like ears.  Elves of both sexes tend to grow their hair longer with the females in particular weaving their hair in great lengths; besides their eyebrows Elves do not grow hair or fur on their body, and so it is impossible for a male elf to grow a beard (though some, such as the Drow and the Wood Elves, can grow small yet pronounced amounts of mustache hair and goatees).
Elves tend to have an impressive affinity to magic.  They claim this is due to their ancient heritage, as the High Elven ancestors once dwelt in a plane of incredible magical prowess, one where the native Elves were said to have divine-like powers.  Regardless if this is true it is no secret that most Elves carry the gift of magical affinity, in fact it is considered to be an uncommon and prized trait for an Elf to be born without the magic touch.  Since many Elven cultures hold strict and rigorous isolation and dis-attachment from worldly emotions due to their magical prowess, having available soldiers to help defend their homes is often hard to come by.  It is believed that their magical prowess is what gives the Elves their added lifespan, though it almost certainly lowers their fertility rate as well, given that magic tends to mess with the reproductive cycle of most mortals.
Elven lifespans tend to be impressive compared to the other races.  A human would be lucky to see his 60th nameday, and a Dwarf at about 220 is considered to be on the cusp of being ancient, but an Elf on average can outlive both in his one lifetime and still be in his youth.  The youngest lived Elves can live to be in their 200's, though the longest lived has been recorded at almost a thousand years of age.  Rarely, however, do Elves ever get to live this long due to the hazards of life and the misfortune of having many enemies, but when they get old enough they often have had the experience to face over several lifetimes' worth of foes in their path, thus increasing their chances of survival.  This often makes the older lived of their kind look upon the races of men in contempt, seeing them as little more than children akin to the Beastfolk of old Altherys and the Goblins from under the ground.  This is why some Elves can make good relations with Dwarves, though they rarely bother doing so due to their shared history of grudges between one another.

Origin
The true origins of all Elvenkind is now lost to us, though it is generally agreed that all Altherys-dwelling Elves are descended from a race called the High Elves (Sylvordain "Wandering Noble").  The High Elves came from a continent far to the south of Altherys, referred to by the Elves as the Undying Lands, which they left via a land bridge sometime during the beginning of the First Era.  The Elves claim that those who left the Undying Lands were the losers of a bloody civil war, called the First Kin War, which had nearly halved their race by its end.  These wanderers would steadily drift their way northward into the continent; establishing minor kingdoms and holdings throughout the-then Beastfolk controlled Altherys, which would later grow throughout the First Era.  The exiles' numbers flourished and grew roughly until the number of pilgrims stopped coming after the War of the Scaled Ones, which was a war between the elusive Swamp Elves and the Zharr.  This war saw the breaking of the land bridge and the forming of the Fracture in its place, thus isolating Elvenkind on Altherys and permanently cutting them off from their ancient homeland.
Most Elves believe that they were exiles long before they came to the Undying Lands; that their original homeland wasn't even on the world of Matyr at all.  Their legends speak of how the ancient elves once dwelt in a world of green woods and silver skies, and how they ruled over it all as mage kings.  But, due to their pride and their lust for power, they were cast out by their creator, the Green Mother, and were left to dwell on their own in one of the many continents of Matyr.  This continent, now the Undying Lands, was named after the first Elves who arrived there who were said to have been ageless.
Ever since their arrival on Altherys, Elves have diversified greatly from their initial proto-race origins.  Very little proof exists that the High Elves were real, or at the very least are still around, though each Elf race shows clear shared distinctions in their culture and appearance to one another that suggests a common background.  Typically Gray Elves are the go-to when it comes to looking for references to ancient High-Elven culture, as they have changed little since their arrival on Altherys during the First Era.

Altherys Elven Races
Altherys has several races of Elves that call it home, and who have called it home ever since the First Era when they passed north from the Undying Lands.  Almost all of these are descended from the same ancestral race and have adapted almost perfectly to their respective environments.  Some of the old groups of these races have died out, though a large group of them still exist within Altherys proper.
Wood Elves
Wood Elves are the most common of the Elf races currently on Altherys, numbering in their thousands, and largely exist in various wooded realms of their own such as in the Duskwood in Aredain or within the depths of Gladrevayl, or Ebonwood, in the northeast.  Though they once ruled much greater kingdoms, these have fallen into decline since the aftermath of the Third Kin War and the closing of the First Era.  As such many tend to be less cultured than their brethren and are far more attuned to nature and the elements.  Wood Elves tend to have copper-colored skin and dark hair, brown or green in color, though rarely some can be born with dull blonde hair.  Many choose to become rangers and aid human kingdoms who hold rangers in high esteem.
Gray Elves
Named after their strikingly pale-gray skin color, the Gray Elves are most akin to their ancient High Elf ancestors, and like them they tend to be very xenophobic and isolationist in nature.  Despite this they have the shortest life span of any Elf with a maximum estimate of 250 years.  Gray Elves tend to live within the mountain ranges within Altherys, particularly in the Remes' Crown and Roof of the World mountain ranges, though they are most commonly found in the various ranges that dot the region of Fryslon, such as the Ironbound Mountains.  They have pale gray skin and silver-blonde hair of various shades, and their eye color tends to range from grays to blues to very pale gray-greens.  They are the tallest of the elves and can match the height of a grown man.  Not much else is known about them or permitted from leaving their homelands.  They are also one of the least common groups of Elves, with their numbers having dwindled greatly since the coming of the Dwarves, who have competed with them for lands and territory.
Sand Elves
Dwelling within the Kaframil Desert, the Sand Elves are statistically perhaps the least common of the Elves of Altherys, though once their numbers were much greater.  Having once been the victims and losers of the Second Kin War, the Sand Elves lost their ancient kingdom in a bloody conflict against the Wood Elves to the north in Gladrevayl; the land known by humans as the Ebonwood.  Before that they once held great palaces within the various oases in the desert, though now they are wanderers who travel the desert as nomads.  Occasionally they trade with other desert dwellers such as the Ulmrozi humans and the Copper Dwarves, though they mostly keep away from outsiders; especially other Elves.  Though considered to be among the 'good' races of Elves, Sand Elves are among the few who still practice the old traditions of slavery openly.  They tend to have darker skin color akin to the dark skin tone of the Ulmrozi and the Baerahln, with hair that ranges in different shades of blonde.
Drow
Among one of the longer-lived of the Elven races, the Drow reside almost exclusively beneath Drogoroth; the vast glacier to the east of Fryslon and to the northeast of Aredain, nestled between three branches of the Roof of the World mountain range.  Drow are infamous for their treachery and deceit, and tend to be considered as the only evil race of Elves native to Altherys.  They can live for roughly 700-800 years of age on average, though their fertility rate is likewise poorer than most.  They are commonly called Drow after a bastardization of the word durow, or durohw, which is Elven for traitor.  Drow tend to have dark skin that takes on an unhealthily cold, blue shade, and almost all have white hair.  They are among the few of their kind that can have facial hair, and men often sport mustaches and goatees in their older age.
Seeing as I have been taking forever at updating that story whose prologue piece I have posted a while back, I thought that I might as well give you guys some snippets of lore that I've been working on.  This in particular talks about the Elves, one of the 'Five Races' native to the continent of Altherys; specifically it talks about their origins, physiology, and some background information on the four most common variants that can be found on the continent.

Elves in this universe were greatly inspired by the traditional high elves of other high fantasy stories, of which Tolkien's Silmarillion pretty much laid the groundwork that other stories built upon.  A common theme that one can find in many stories about High Elves in particular is one that talks about being driven from or abandoning their homeland (High Elves from Warcraft, Eladrin from Forgotten Realms, Elves in general in Pathfinder, and so on), while another is one that speaks of how they once ruled vast empires but are largely in the decline due to being outcompeted by other races (The Elves in Lord of the Rings pretty much fit this bill, along with the Elven races from the Elder Scrolls series of games).  And just like these, Elves have a secret history, one that not even they are aware of (though I won't tell what it is, because spoilers).

I didn't want to post the entire document I made of the Elves, mostly because I want to keep some things to myself until I'm ready for it to become public or until I feel like I'm finished, so despite Elves having several derivative races such as Half-Elves, as well as information on the old Elven races of the past, I decided just to keep it geared towards the main four ethnic groups of Elves.  There's a lot that I have omitted, such as details on their language and their culture, but I feel like that'd be something I can save for another lore snippet.  I intend to post snippets on the other four races as well, so if you are interested be sure to keep an eye out for those!

-Kerian

(Matyr, Altherys, and related materials (c) to Will Phipps/Kerian-halcyon)
© 2016 - 2024 Kerian-halcyon
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