High Elves

"With great power comes great responsibility" - said no high elf ever, apparently

"Have you heard of the High Elves" - anonymous

High Elves, known as Altherin to other elves, are an elven subrace defined as much by their ambition and grace as they are for their hubris and arrogance. The split in nomenclature reflects the views on High Elves amongst different peoples, as the term High Elf reflects the values the High Elves wish to project; enlightenment, honor, and nobility. However, the original name for their people, Altherin, actually means "people of the land" or "common folk", depending on the translation. This reflects their origin as humble colonists and administrators for the ancient, long-defunct, Elven Empire of Salazuir. The High Elves are those that stayed closest to the traditions of this Empire, and they believe that this places them first among the elves, something the other subraces detest, and is never brought up in polite conversation.

Technically, the High Elves are made up of three closely related subgroups rather than one, but owing to their similarity in manner, culture, and physical features, the three are generally considered as one. Unlike the other elven subraces, who either diverged from the empire before its collapse or who were formed from a small, insular group, the High Elves remained in what were once the main Elven colonies- An'seidna, Ærellion, and Cet'aenn. Hence, the High Elves are closest to the original Elven race before its dispersion into many divided groups. This manifests itself in several ways, most notably their long lifespan- generally only dying after 750 years, the most of any elven subrace. However, the oldest known High Elf was a man named Taelon who lived to 1005 years before his death. High elves have also maintained the most poweful magical abilities of any elven subrace, as after the fall of the Empire they turned to magic to replace technology, leading to their spellcasters being renowned throughout the realm for their skillful application and deep understanding of magic.

Despite their long lifespan and powerful magical ability, the high elves are hamstrung by a number of issues which have prevented them from dominating the realm. Some of these date back all the way to the fall of Salazuir, and others have evolved naturally. Instead of hearing of The Destruction of Salazuir and reflecting on their overuse of magic and technology to dominate others, the High Elves simply turned to magic to supplant technology. They did not seek to build a new legacy, reconcile with those around them, or even work with other elven groups, but instead decided that doubling down on magic would replace the collapse of their technology. To be fair, it is sure that this trend had been developing for years before Salazuir's collapse, as the colonial population that would later become the high elves dealt with declining technology before the collapse. However, considering that the fall of Salazuir occured due to a gigantic spell which went incredibly wrong, doubling down on magic is just one of many examples of high elven arrogance. This arrogance also manifests itself in the reactionary attitude of the high elves, whose societies have failed to adopt new innovations and institutions which has left them behind races such as gnomes, a people which had yet to develop agriculture when the Elves were dominating multiple continents, yet who now control much of the world's major trade routes and lead the world in exciting new fields of magic. Although the High Elves are certainly not as far behind as primitive or tribal races, their slow speed of technological innovation does not seem at all productive in this new age of rapid discovery.

Even as the high elves can be rightfully criticized for their issues, so too must their incredible accomplishments be recognized. High elves remain one of the premier races of the Eighth Realm, known for their specialized skills and amazing accomplishments. As such a long-lived race, high elves can oversee grand projects that would ordinarily take many lifetimes in just one, ushering in stability and consistent leadership rivaled by few. From writing to architecture and smithing to philosophy, high elves have long been recognized as the premier experts. Masters at their crafts may have spent over five centuries honing their skills and perfecting their masterpieces, and when high elves set their minds to a grandiose project, few can compete. High elven mage-smiths have a tradition tens of thousands of years old, and the mighty weapons they produce have stood the test of time and remained impeccable even today, allowing even no-magic or low-magic high elves to fight with the benefit of spells. Their architctural style, famed for its flowing, white marble and organic look, has been emulated a thousand times over by other races, yet none have come close to elven work aside from the dwarves, who rarely build in the elven style due to cultural differences, anyways. Many high elves have even managed to enspell forests to such a degree that they can grow nearly every material under the sun from trees, or manipulate forests in such a manner that they form natural homes and furniture in still-living wood. High Elven goods are renowned far and wide for their perfection and beauty, and fetch outrageous prices in much of the world.

There have been many theories on why high elves developed such an arrogant and isolationist culture. Some would say that the high elven craftsmanship and abilities place them well above other races, while others would say their overreliance on magic has corrupted them to the core. Followers of the latter theory would point to the example of the Empire of Oleandron, formed by elven dissidents exiled from Ærellion. The elves who stayed away from magical woods and tried to work with their neighbors have become valued parts of the continent, while those who holed themselves up in the Cianwood have become radically isolationist and discriminatory. Perhaps magic calls to the high elves in such a way that they find it difficult to stop the excesses; a racial predisposition to addiction, in a sense. Or perhaps the high elves are merely so used to living privileged lives that equality feels like oppression. Perhaps the world will never know.

Another example of the dark side of the high elves lies in the circumstances that birthed Oleandron itself. This began with the Council of Eight, called in tbd. This conference, whose name came from the eight primary nations at this time, decreed that from that point on only elves were allowed to live in their realms. Half-breeds were expelled and although this was not supposed to be a cruel affair, many took advantage of the chaos to commit crime and riot, blaming it on half-breeds. These riots were most prevalent in the coastal towns, which saw influxes of refugees boarding ships to leave the continent. Following this event, the High Elven states became even more xenophobic and authoritarian, paranoid to the extreme. Soon, only mages were trusted, which led to exodus from many of those who were not as powerful magically. Most of these followed the grandiose promises of Lord Oleandrellos and founded Oleandron. Some remained and helped the Illeusar family conquer and civilize the hobgoblin tribes. Still more simply went south into Hymar. With their lower classes decimated by this migration over time, the elite mages no longer had anyone to run the basics of the realms, leading to societal decline. The kingdoms, which could no longer be governed effectively, were also struck by waves of Feykin who fed on magic, leading to the resurgence of these creatures, which had been confined to a small area for thousands of years after the arrival of the Elves. Indeed, this is why the proud lands have long since devolved into tribes and city states. This eugenics approach also failed to cause an uptick in mage power, as magical potential does not flow via a simple-to-control gene.