Aulfin

As the longest lived Elanni race, it is perhaps suitable that the Aulfin are also the most deliberate thinkers. With many centuries to spare, these thoughtful Aestronans tend to spend days or even months considering questions or responses that a Human might grant only a few minutes. Precise and meticulous with their words, an Aulfin rarely speaks unless she has a perfectly articulate statement prepared. This has often lead to misunderstandings, with an Aulfin silently retreating from a conversation with a member of another race without warning. Her companion, believing themselves snubbed, spends the next six months fuming over the slight, only to be approached by the Aulfin who now has her perfect response . . . and is bewildered when she is greeted with protests of grievance. To be friends with an Aulfin, one must understand that conversations last years, not minutes or hours.   Being thoroughly contemplative, the Aulfin are slow to anger or violence and not often known to wage war. Intraracial disputes are almost always solved diplomatically, though the decades such resolutions require have at times been as devastating as outright war. Interactions with other races proceed similarly, provided the other race has the patience to deal with Aulfin's loitering ruminations. Regardless of their penchant for peacefulness, they are not pacifists. In fact, due to their tendency to fixate on skills which interest them, many Aulfin are peerless warriors who have mastered dozens of martial and mystical arts.  

Physical Traits

 

• Aulfin vary in average height and skin tone based on geographic location.
• All Aulfin have distinctively shaped ears. Long and tapered, Aulfin ears are their most notable characteristic. The size and muscular control of their ears grant them enhanced hearing over other Elanni.
• Aulfin have high metabolism and generally possess ectomorphic physiques. Because they consume so much energy, Aulfin diets are usually heavy in fatty meats. Though they can adopt vegetarian diets for religious or other ideological reasons, it is difficult and often detrimental to their health.
• A side effect of high metabolism is a resistance to magic that slows or exhausts them and resistance to poisons, which are metabolized quickly into harmless substances. On the other hand, rapid metabolism of alcohol speeds its deleterious effects, making Aulfin particularly susceptible to both drunkenness and alcohol related disease.

 

Behavioral Traits

 

• Though subrace and living circumstances largely influence Aulfin behavior, there are a few traits which all Aulfin share.
• They are carefully thoughtful. Even a "quick thinking" Aulfin will take much longer to make most decisions than other Elanni.
• They tend to be critics. Though other Elanni are often annoyed by it, the truth is that the Aulfin making the critique has probably thought of her words for decades before voicing them. This doesn't make it less irritating.
• They make lifelong commitments. Professions are pursued until absolute mastery has been achieved. Though an Aulfin rarely abandons her chosen profession (this is considered as shameful as divorce), she will eventually seek to master other interests. Most master two to three skills in their lifetimes.
• Aulfin relationships are eternal. Even betrayal has difficulty breaking an Aulfin's commitment. Aulfin can be counted on to stand by friends and allies when no one else will.
• Though slow to anger, once aroused, Aulfin grudges burn for centuries.
• They are difficult to shock emotionally in any way. Rousing them from their usual neutrality takes a great deal of effort. An Aulfin that actually laughs at a joke will continue to do so for one hundred years. An Aulfin who is traumatized must have experienced intense, prolonged suffering.
• Aulfin cannot tolerate any form of mind or thought control, be it mystic or mundane. This one thing will prompt an immediate, violent response from any Aulfin. They have a deep suspicion of charming spells or potions and go out of their way to destroy such when they find them, even if it means interfering in things which are not their business. They also are known to impulsively join resistance movements against tyrannical governments even when doing so creates diplomatic problems.

 

Naming Conventions

  Aulfin names are more than just unique identifiers by which to differentiate themselves, they carry a great deal of expository information about the individual as well. Most Aulfin are named after their father or mother in the form of son-of or daugther-of in the local dialect. As the child grows and earns experiences their names change to reflect this. Usually naming is a family or even community effort, and often a source of much debate. The older an Aulf gets, the longer their name as it accumulates a narrative of its owner. This is helpful to younger races, as it can identify the age of an aulf upon introduction and therefore avoid embarrasing age-related faux pax.  

Language

  Aulfin language is logographic.

Subraces

  As with any race, there is a great deal of variation among both geographic distributions and individual members of the Aulfin race. They are as influenced by their environment as by their genetics. An Aulfin who lives among Humans will make faster decisions than one who doesn't, and an Aulfin clan or tribe which lives at the top of a mountain will look and act quite differently from those who make their homes deep beneath the ground. In addition, Aulfin possess strong affiliations with cosmic entities and structures which manifest in clearly delineated racial characteristics. The main Aulfin subraces are as follows:  

• Terrene Aulfin
• Sidereal Aulfin
• Argent Aulfin