Elven Collectivism

The Elves of Omne view the worship of gods as foolish. It’s not that elves don’t believe in the gods — far from it — but rather, they do not view the divine beings of the outer planes as forces worth their devotion. Instead, the elves give fealty to the great source of energies they come from; collective spirits. The most widely worshipped were known as Korkea the High Spirit, Metsä the One Forest, and Märkiviä, the Festering Wound. All high elves are born from the energy of Korkea, and when they die, it is to the same energy that they return. The same relationship is shared between Metsä and the wood elves, and Märkiviä with the Drow.

Long ago, when the high elves existed as the only elven species, the worship of Korkeä was required among the species. There was a fear that, if all elves did not submit to the reincarnation cycle, the energy of Korkeä would slowly disperse, leaving all elves trapped in the outer planes, wandering without bodies or purpose. However, this fear was not shared among all elves; a small group of elves rebelled against the idea that one collective must be shared.

The radicalists that would later evolve into the wood elves believed that, as opposed to striving for a connection to astral energy, elves should seek connection to life on Omne instead. Originally thought fanatics, the proto-wood elves eventually achieved their wish. Through heavy meditation in deep woods, they separated their souls from the Korkea Collective, forming a new collective: Metsä, the One Forest.

Seeing the success of the wood elves, another cult of high elves had similar ideas. Because association with demons was forbidden in high elven culture, elves that practiced dark magic believed that separating themselves from Korkea would grant them great power, and so the race that would become the Drow wedged their own souls away from the collective using black magic rituals. Unfortunately, in their efforts to separate themselves from one collective, they created a new one: Märkiviä, the Festering Wound

Different cultures have different views on inter-species breeding, and how half-elves connect to the collectives. The majority of high elves believe that the creation of a half-elf siphons part of Korkea, never to be returned. Wood elves tend to disagree, believing that half-elves add new souls to the collective of Metsä. Finally, most Drow believe half-elves to be an incursion on their spirit Märkiviä, and seek to trap their souls before they can die and return to the Festering Wound.

Other Collective Spirits exist in addition to the three: sea elves connect to Meri, the Great Sea. Avariel, or winged elves, connect to Taivas, the Endless Sky. The Eladrin function slightly differently, with their souls connecting not to a spirit, but rather to the energies of the Feywild itself. Some Eladrin scholars believe they may be reborn as pixies or other Feywild creatures, and that all Feywlid natives share the same collective.