Lin Malion

Feminine names often represent the elegant, fluid beauty of the Maiden, the water, and the Elven Spirit.

Masculine names often acknowledge that to protect beauty, a certain amount of grounded strength is necessary.

Given the Lin Malion's deep connection to the water, to nature, and to Mauri and Athair, many of the family names are rich in symbolism. These include:

• Elven Translations of Natural Phenomena
• Examples:
• Rylin - "River's Water"
• Sneha (Partially) - "Ice Fist"
• Cuanaur - "Winter's Cold"
• Faerkey - "Through the Seas"
• Founding Ancestors Traits, Deeds, Virtues
• Examples:
• Maricear - "Elven Imagination"
• Geographic Markers

Water Elves have sought to keep the Ancient Elven language alive and speak a formalized version of it when necessary, but like many Elven cultures, the common tongue has become dominant.

Core Shared Values (The Philosophy of the Flow)

Fluidity and Adaptability

Principle: Time continues to march onwards, regardless of how much you try to resist it. The best that you can do is be prepared and flow around the obstacles that come your way.

Cultural Manifestation - Egalitarianism: Roles in society are based largely on "currents" (talents) rather than rigid gender or social structures. This enables the Elves to adapt fluidly to their surroundings, both individually and collectively.

Water has no fixed shape, it adapts to whatever container or terrain currently holds it. When one faces difficulty or conflict, you do not necessarily need to stand rigid like a stone wall, often moving out of the way is the better option. This allows you to neutralize the issue like water flowing around a rock. By temporalily yielding, you are better able to take control of a situation and then unleash a powerful, thought-out response, like a wave crashing against the shore. Like water you can find the path of least resistance, or wear down even the strongest adamant.

— --Mauri

Self-Mastery and Balance

Principle: Inner peace, inner balance, is the foundation of your strength. How can you expect to control anything around you if you have no control over yourself?

Cultural Manifestation - Guilt-Innocence Culture: The worst transgression is losing one's inner balance, leading to guilt and spiritual dissonance.

Purity and Clarity

Principle: Water must be clear to reflect the truth. You should always seek honesty in yourself and others.

Cultural Manifestation - The Pool of Revelations: This is a rite of passage for young Elves, requesting them to confront their true, unadorned inner self.

Water comes in a variety of forms, yet still moves naturally. There is no one-size-fits-all solution to how an individual can naturally move; they must determine this for themselves. All actions can be a form of meditation, regardless of whether they are static or not, or whether they require you to sit still or not. An Elf's slow deliberate movements require a high degree of concentration and mindfulness in whatever they are doing. The physical act of moving becomes a direct pathway to mental and spiritual cultivation.

— --Mauri

Interconnectedness

Principle: All streams meet in the ocean; the fate of the individual is tied to the whole.

Cultural Manifestation - Shared child-rearing and the collective, ongoing effort to facilitate the Maiden's return.

All water eventually meets. A rain drop fails from the sky at Rillan Aur and then runs down the hill into the waters of Rillan Aur, then it flows for several hundred miles down the Envalcir River before joining with the vast ocean. Eventually the hot sun will cause water to evaporate where it rejoins the moisture in the air, and with the right set of circumstances, once again becomes a rain drop that repeats the process. All life similar follows a delicate balance using complex ecosystems that we have barely begun to understand.

— --Auralon Rylin I

There is a deep connection between all living things, and we depend on the delicate balance of the ecosystems and the biosphere that nourishes us from birth to death. Even the lines between combat, meditation, and daily life blur, all part of a single, unified, and interconnected river of fate that we are defining day by day.

Reflection & Introspection

Principle: Sometimes the quiet pool holds the deepest truths, sometimes it is the most violent of rainstorms. What matters is that you listen.
Cultural Manifestation: Principles of the Water Types
1. A Calm Reflective Pond: Water can be still and calm, valuing inner peace and wisdom gained through quiet contemplation.
2. A Flowing River: Water can be a gentle flowing river, finding peace in simple routine motions as one flows through the day
3. A Rapid River: Sometimes, Water can be filled with rapids, and peace and wisdom are best found with learning to move through the actions of the day rather than waiting.
4. A Moving Ocean: Even calm oceans are beset by constant waves, yet find peace despite that.

Water comes in a variety of forms, yet still moves naturally. There is no one size fits all solution to how an individual can naturally move; they must determine this for themselves. All actions can be a form of mediation, regardless of whether they are static or not, or whether they require stillness or action. An Elf's slow deliberate movements can require a high degree of concentrationa nd mindfulness in whatever they are doing, regardless of whether it is mental or physical movement. The very act of moving becomes a direct pathway to mental and spiritual cultivation.

Resilience & Endurance

Principle: Like Ice, Endure; like the current, persist.

Life, death, seasons, emotions – all are seen as part of a continuous flow. They might have a strong sense of destiny or the ebb and flow of fate. Eldux was created with a purpose that will one day be fulfilled, and each Elf will get to see creation brought to its fruition. They just need to stand in the meantime.

Respecting Stillness

Reflection and Introspection come in many forms, and it is considered rude to interrupt one who is in deep contemplation or deeply engrossed in a task without reason.

A Smooth Current

In social gatherings, conversation is meant to flow like a river. It is impolite to interrupt one another, which cuts off the current in the middle of a stream. Instead, one should await a natural pause to offer a divergence in the stream, thus allowing the conversation to flow like a smooth current.

Clear Gifts

It is better to give something with a symbolic meaning, rather than focusing on its monetary value. To give a piece of art that is unclear or a stone that is unpolished is considered thoughtless. A proper gift should always be a reflection of clarity and honest intention.

Personal Space is a Sacred Pool

The area around oneself is one's 'sacred pool' or one's personal space. Entering this space without permission is akin to trespassing on sacred ground. Physical touch is not as common among the Lin Malion as in other cultures. It is a sign of deep trust. An appropriate breach of personal space is always gentle and respectful, rather than grabbing or being forceful. Thus, a common greeting is a gentle shake while gripping one's forearms, a brief connection that acknowledges the other person without disrupting their space.

Flowing or breathable fabrics are common, particularly amongst those who live on the coast. Clothes are often in blues, greens, grays, or whites.

Like many Elves, the water elves believe in cultivating inner and outer beauty.

Integrated with Water: Built into cliffs overlooking oceans, on floating islands, within massive coral reefs, or even partially submerged structures. They might live in symbiotic relationship with colossal aquatic creatures.

Fluid Architecture: Buildings might appear organic, flowing, and free of sharp angles. Materials could include magically hardened water, sculpted coral, iridescent shells, smooth river stones, and translucent membranes.

Hidden & Protected: Access might involve navigating underwater currents, secret passages, or magical mists.

Light & Reflection: Homes would be designed to maximize the play of light on water, creating shimmering effects and diffuse illumination.

While the Maiden teaches respect for life, she also teaches respect for the balance. Eating meat, whether from a cow, a deer, or a fish, is allowed, but the Elves should not be wasteful. Thus, many dishes have been invented to utilize as much of the animal as possible.

Due to being on the coast, surrounded by a vast taiga forest, much of their diets emphasize seafood and what can be farmed in limited space.

The Tideflow Discipline

The Festival of the Blue Moon

Creation of Eldux

The First Crossing

The First Waterstone

The Eleven

The Ice Fist

Aura Rylin

Gweala Sneha

Aenlin Rylin

Auradir Rylin

Beauty is not a rigid standard of perfection, but rather it reflects the fluid, ever-changing nature of the water. Their ideals of beauty prioritize reflections of grace, adaptability, and the depth of the water itself.

Fluidity of Form and Movement

A beautiful elf moves with natural, flowing grace, not with moves that are jerky or abrupt. Their posture is relaxed, and their gestures are as effortless as a current. With clothing, it is often designed to drape and flow with the body. Their hair is often styled to mimic waves or ocean currents, or left to cascade down freely.

Inner Luminosity and Clear Reflection

An Elf that is ready to confront their inner storms and find balance has eyes that reflect a clarity and depth that hints at an open, serene, and introspective spirit. This is why the eyes are considered the most beautiful feature among the Lin Malion since they are windows to the soul and reflections of the mind.

The Beauty of Intricate Natural Forms

Rather than seeking symmetrical perfection or other artificial means, the Lin Malion appreciate the unique and intricate beauty found in nature. Sometimes beauty is not found in nature, but it is earned through gaining appreciation or helping the environment flourish.

An individual's value and role in society are based on their innate talents, emotional balance, and personal resonance, not on their gender. It took the nurturing wisdom of the Maiden and the powerful foundation creation of the Father to create the Elves, and both are honored and respected among the Lin Malion. Their duality reinforces the idea that all aspects of one's being, regardless of gender, are necessary for balance.

An Elf's path is determined by their 'current' or how their story unfolds down the river of fate.

• The Healer's Current: The ability to mend is a manifestation of Athair's quiet strength and the Maiden's gentle touch and wisdom. Both are needed to be an effective healer. An Elf with a talent for empathy and a soothing presence would be able to pursue medicine regardless of gender.
• The Warrior's Current: It was Kelener's strength that allowed him to protect his siblings, and it was Mauri's strategy that helped her brother weave the right path. An elf with a powerful will, a deep understanding of strategy, and most importantly, love, can become a great warrior.
• The Lorekeeper's Current: Wisdom and Knowledge belong to everyone, that much was made clear by Mauri the Maiden from the very beginning. Those with a gift for memory have always been welcome to study history and lore, thus ensuring that knowledge is never lost.

Courtship is, ideally, a journey of mutual discovery. It is a sacred flow where two individuals learn to harmonize their inner currents. This is why courtship does not begin for the Lin Malion until the age of 25; by this point, they have had to confront their hopes, their fears, and their inner selves at the Pool of Revelations and thus can begin to consider how another's current will interact with their own. Marriage is meant to be a life-long commitment, which means a great deal for a species likely to live between 500 to 1,000 years. Thus, courtships can often last up to a decade before they are sealed.

Betrothals

It is traditional for the male Elf to carve a unique necklace for his intended out of a pure waterstone. The pattern should vary from couple to couple, and whether it is a common symbol, a distinctive image, or even a phrase, it should be important to the couple in question. One example is when Ulric Stormcrow, despite being a human, followed this custom by preventing Avena Rylin with a waterstone that he carved two rivers into, each beginning from their family crest and then meeting in the middle.

Water Tribe
Elemental Elves
The Elemental Freeholds