Elves

Origins

The elves were created by Althys in the Age of Awakening, the days when Aycia still knew no evil, and all people lived together in harmony. She made them in her image; tall, graceful, almost avian in features. Under Althys’ benevolent rule they dwelt in peace for many years in the Plane of Sky. It was during the second age, known cryptically as the Age of Blood and Shadow, as Omen and his legions waged war upon the land, that Esvelen created the Continent, a safe haven for the peoples of Aycia, away from the dangers of war. Thus, the elves left the Spirit Realm, and decended to Aycia, making their homes amongst the mountains and trees. They built ornate citadels streching skywards of white stone and gems, and used their magic and connection to nature to weave the forests into elaborate halls for their kin. As the elves adapted to life on Aycia, they became slowly changed. Seperated from her Plane, over time they began to lose their connection with Althys, and their magic dwindled. Many of their abilities, like their illusionary wings would be forgotten, lost to time, if it weren't for the few elves older the Continent itself, roaming the lands in solemn solitude as they watch the world change and grow old without them. Over time, the elves dispersed and divided to form diverse and differing cultures. Most notably, the high elves of the north, dwelling amongst the remote northern mountains, the wood elves of the temperate forests and rainforests, and the jungle elves, dwelling deep in the mythic Entheas Jungle.

Subcultures

High Elves

Since the Great War, the high elves are a dwindling race, most of the once great cities now just dust and ruin, the villages long turned to ash. The most famous of the ancient cities was Melendir, now just a crumbling ruin after the Wizard took over. In its prime, it was an entirely self-sufficient city of white quartz and gold, like many of their citadels. The elves of the city were extravagant and resplendent; looking down at everyone with a haughty attitude: as was the trend amongst this culture. Other defining differences between the high elves and the other subcultures include their affinity for the divine magic of old, long thought lost to time. It is said amongst the high elven elders are a few who remember the days before, and with it all its secrets, including the legendary ability to cast the illusionary wings of their ancestors, a secret passed down from generation to generation.

Jungle Elves

The jungle elves in philosophy and values are starkly different to the high elves. Where the high elves put strong emphasis on monogamy and family structure, being highly conservative and valuing small, nuclear family systems, jungle elves have much wider family structures, often polyamorous. Their more weblike system of tree houses connected via rope bridges and woven braches reflects these ideals, the community being tight knit and closely intertwined, in stark contrast to the monolithic structures of high elven citadels. Elves, as immortal beings, rarely have children, and as such, on the occasion a couple should have children, it is a big deal within their respective cultures, but uniquely amongst jungle elves this quickly becomes a community affair. The attitude of jungle elves towards magic differs greatly from that of the high elves, with a much greater emphasis on nature and harmony rather than the gate-kept divine castings. It is regular to find jungle elves morphed into animals of the jungle, running wild through the undergrowth, and soaring high on feathered wing: a blasphemy no high elf would ever dare commit. While they love and respect the natural world around them, they view themselves apart from it: at best it's mentor and guide more than one and the same. Certainly a sentiment their high walls of stone cutting them off from the wider world reflects.

Wood Elves

Wood elves mark the transition between the clashing values of the high and jungle elves. Not quite as haughty as the high elves, but neither as wild as the jungle elves, they live as a bridge between the two very different worlds. Most wood elves live, or at least lived, until their settlements were burned to ash, in small villages amongst or beside the forests, in small houses made of carved wooden and stone bricks, not dissimilar to the human villages of similar climates, if only slightly more defined the elegant than their cruder cottages. The communities were close, and close to nature too, but still a world apart from the interconnected wilds of the deep jungle. Similarly, their attitudes to magic are an amalgamation, bringing elements of ancient and wild together in their craft. Wood elf magic is known for its affinity to plants and trees, their kin having perfected the craft of imbuing musical instruments with the magic of old, and using their music to channel their abilities, appealing to the ancient wisdom of slow growing hardwoods and the fertile earth beneath their feet.