Valaraith

A Legacy of Beauty and Ambition

The largest of the three tribes to emerge from Mindonessë was the Valaraith. Comprising about 8,500 Elves, the Valaraith claimed the fertile river plains of Eärmithalas and the city of Celebrendor as their home. Here, they could easily access food and other resources, allowing them to devote much of their time to study and advancement in many areas. The Valaraith were renowned for their wisdom, ingenuity, and ambition, and they would go on to become the dominant faction among the Elves for centuries to come.   Through their mastery of Lírilindë, they were able to create great works of art, architecture, and beautiful gardens to celebrate the wonders of nature. In architecture, their greatest work was the city of Lirionostarë. It was a marvel of Elvish design, crafted from the very fabric of magic and imbued with the essence of the surrounding landscape. A city of ethereal beauty, it was renowned for its grand palaces, soaring towers, and harmonious integration with nature—its river’s song echoing through tree-lined boulevards and graceful arches.  

Triumph and Tragedy

The Valaraith always pursued new possibilities for their magic, and after the discovery of Ciryathanor, the Jewel of Power, there were few limits to what they could achieve. Aruinorë, Seeing From Afar, and Táriporti, Doors to the Planes, were among their greatest achievements—but also the source of their greatest sorrow, when a portal to a hostile world-plane unleashed malevolent spirits upon the land.   Following I Carn Enyar, The First War, they became more aware of the dangers their discoveries posed. Though they pressed forward, it was with more caution—until the disastrous events of I Carn Ernil, The Second War. Only then did the Valaraith fully understand that their ambitions threatened not only their way of life but the fate of the world itself.   In the Namáriëa Elenathor, the Valaraith chose a different path. They relinquished their role as the primary force among the Elves and turned to the teachings of the Lómëanor. No longer striving to bend the world to their will, they sought instead to live in harmony with it—on nature’s terms, not their own.