Ferwen Lómenthail

 

Born & Raised

  Crystalmist Mountains: Home to the Snow Elves, an aloof and reclusive people who inhabit the snow-covered peaks. They have withdrawn from both elven and human societies and live in isolation, making them a mysterious and elusive presence in the Flanaess.   House of the Shooting Star  

Blade Song

 

Snow Leopard Style - Claws of Winter

  Ferwen was taught Blade Singing in the Snow Leopard Style, also known as the Claws of Winter. This distinctive form of elven swordplay blends the graceful fluidity of dance with the primal precision of a winter predator. Each movement flows into the next, turning combat into an elegant, deadly performance where Ferwen’s scimitar and dagger become extensions of her will.   In battle, her weapons move in coordinated arcs, weaving a mesmerizing pattern through the air, while she channels her focus to defend and strike with chilling accuracy. Her footwork echoes the agile, silent steps of a snow leopard—swift, deliberate, and attuned to her environment. Whether on snow or stone, she adjusts seamlessly to her terrain, each step embodying her snowy mountain upbringing.   Observers often describe her fighting as both fierce and beautiful: a dance of frost and steel, where her blade sings in harmony with the cold silence of winter. The artistry and discipline of her elven heritage are woven into every motion, making her combat as captivating as it is deadly.  

The Snow Elves

 

Chilling appearances

  The appearance of the snow elves has perhaps given the other elven races reason to doubt heir lineage as being truly pure. They are the shortest lived of the elves, with average lifespans of 750 years (900 being incredibly ancient). Additionally, snow elves are the tallest of the elven races and generally tower above humans. Females occasionally reach 6'4", and it is not unknown for males to have grown to 7'. While very thin, snow elves are extremely wiry and tough individuals. Snow-elf PCs gain one point to both dexterity and constitution, but lose two points of charisma when dealing with all races but their own due to haughtiness and disdain of lowland society. Snow elves have light brown or tan skin, white or pale blond hair, and silver eyes. They strongly favor white clothing and bone jewelry, trading for silver from valley elves. Snow elves could best be described as neutral with insufferably arrogant tendencies. With the exception of the valley elves—whom they tolerate and occasionally befriend — snow elves actively dislike all races other than their own, and they go out of their way to make that fact known if given the opportunity. Drow incite a kind of madness in snow elves, and only overwhelming odds will prevent a snow elf from attacking any drow or drow ally.  

An Icy History

  Most closely related to their only ally, the valley elves, snow elves are an aloof people. Accepted by neither elves nor men, they have simply withdrawn from both and carried on their lives. They inhabit the snow-covered Crystalmist Mountains, but might be found in similar areas elsewhere in the Flanaess. The rift between the snow elves and their cousins stems from the same wars that drove the drow underground. The snow elves were deceived into allowing passage (for a large profit) of the drow through a mountain pass they controlled, not knowing — so they claimed — that the drow were serving Lolth and had recently declared war on their cousin elves. While never formally condemned by their relatives, the snow elves have been universally shunned by them ever since. Valley elves, themselves largely disliked by others, tolerate snow elves perhaps because each views the other as sharing a similar plight—neither race is considered "true elves" by their cousins. Mankind's quarrels with the snow elves also stem from twilit history. The snow elves were ever taller and more haughty than other elves — or even men — and they sought once to dominate or destroy the men who entered their mountain valleys and homes, earning forever the hatred of the more numerous race. During their ages of seclusion, snow elves have focused their studies on fields that would aid their survival in the harsh environment in which they are fated to dwell. Thus magic, particularly the magic of cold, has waxed while clerical studies have waned. Druids and rangers have become prominent. All the while, snow elves have become more reclusive and secretive as lowland societies have grown unaware and indifferent. Indeed, the snow elves might be a dying race.  

The Cold Clans

  Dwelling in tight-knit, extremely isolationist families or clans of 3-30 members, snow elves are very territorial and hostile toward trespassers. These clans live in small villages consisting of 2-10 dome-shaped huts of woven trees, covered with furs and skins and packed on the outside with snow. Such villages house members of one clan only and lie generally near the center of that clan's territory. Territories average two square miles in size for each member of a clan's village. Communities numbering more than 30 undergo a branching off, wherein two or more family groups pack their belongings in early spring and set out in search of new territory. This prevents overpopulation and starvation in a rugged environment that offers no bountiful harvests for large communities. Such branching off is now a rare event.   Snow elves have no ability to work metal — no small surprise as they use but dislike fire — and disdain all metal armor, including studded leather and even elven chain. They prefer to wear leather, skins, or their own special garb. Snow elves are renowned for their ability to manufacture a strong and beautiful type of armor from the hide of the white dragon. The valley elves will occasionally own a set of this armor as they are the snow elves' connection to the outside world, giving them metal weapons and tools, and certain alchemical products. Magical suits are known to exist, though they are obviously very rare. Snow-elven clans, while not at all interdependent, will not hesitate to aid one another in repelling invaders or raiding high-altitude settlements. Clans often come together in spring and fall for various festivals and religious holidays. A snow elf will never turn another of his kind away empty-handed, although the proud snow elf only rarely admits the need of another's assistance. Though a snow-elf PC will, of course, travel as he likes, a snow-elf NPC will seldom be encountered below the snow line. Occasionally, their clans will dwell for brief periods just below the tree line in the dead of winter. Snow elves will never be encountered in a city, and they go into the foothills or lowlands only on urgent clan business or to raid for food.  

Matters of Worship

  Snow-elven religion centers around their secluded druidic shrines. These holy places, tucked in the wildest and most remote nooks and crannies of the mountains, house elven druids of the highest levels. The shrines are reportedly places of great power, and each is headed by a druid of no less than 11th level, assisted by one 8th-level "assistant," three 7th-level "attendants," four 5th-level "caretakers," and a host of 2-20 lesser druids and servants. Druidic spells cast from these areas are reported to be of double strength and duration. It is also rumored that the shrines gain this special power by being located in areas of "elemental weakness" — a misgiven name, for these houses of worship are centered on fissures between the Prime Material plane and one or more of the various elemental and para-elemental planes, particularly those of Earth, Air, and Ice. The elven druids of the shrines, dwelling as they have in such close proximity to the elements over the ages, have developed heightened powers in summoning and controlling elementals and para-elementals while near their shrines or homes. This talent applies only to NPC snow elves, because it is a skill gained individually and requires decades (at least) of study and association. Despite the elves' familiarity with fire, this element remains distasteful to even the most powerful snow-elven druids. The shrines are considered by all snow elves to be extremely holy areas and will be aggressively defended. Most often, these shrines are dedicated to Tarsellis Meunniduin (a lesser elven deity), though a few are said to honor other gods. Tarsellis Meunniduin is the chief deity of the snow elves. They, in fact, explain away some of their differences to their elven kin as due to their being direct descendants of his (such is the haughtiness of the snow elf). While most scholars of elven lore remain rather skeptical on this point, Tarsellis does not seem displeased with his "children's" dedicated worship.   In the Frost and the Snow by David S. Reimer, Dragon Magazine #155, March 1990