Elves
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Contents
Elves are humanoid beings present on many worlds. They have delicate, slender bodies, big expressive eyes, and their graceful and fragile features are generally considered extraordinarily beautiful. Male elves are slightly taller than females, with darker hair and eyes. Their most typical traits are their long pointed ears and high cheekbones. It's interesting to note that long ears are considered a seductive trait among elves in Felarya, while other races would pay little attention to it. An elf calling another "Short-ears" can be pretty offensive, and an otherwise perfectly gorgeous elf lady could feel depressed and down because of the shortness of hers! A deeply individualistic race, elves can easily be seen as egoistical and rather vain. They constantly try to improve themselves in every domain possible and love to show it off to others, often through competitions. They love nature and beautiful things, expressing themselves in the arts of drawing, music, and literature. They rarely mix with other races, considering them to be inferior (and short-eared), which in turn gives them a reputation as haughty and disdainful stuck-ups.
Elves are numerous in the nothern parts of Felarya and come under many different species, sizes and groups. Some are used to living among humans in cities like Negav, and would last no more than a few minutes in the jungle, while others are very used to living in the wilderness, using their natural abilities, reflexes and deep bond with nature to survive and thrive there. Elven settlements in the wilderness are usually pretty difficult to find, being either built high in the trees, or covered by illusions of some sort. Elves are usually excellent magic users, have incredible reflexes, and their proficiency with ranged weapons is legendary. They are less skilled than nemesises with bows though, but you'd be better advised to not make that observation in front of them !
On Felarya, the size of an elf varies a lot : some are human-sized (though slightly taller), while others can easily reach 100 feet. The theory is that, because of their receptiveness to magic, some elves become infused with the magic of the soil and get a growth spurt that allows them to reach a giant size. It's also assumed some giant elves are created by magic means, growing from a human-sized individual to a giant, through some rituals, such as the Tajyms Khajals. Depending on that, elves can be both prey and predator. Smaller elves find themselves confronted with a big problem: they taste incredibly good and once a predator has eaten one, it will usually try to catch others. On the other hand, larger elves, such as the scarlet ones, make frighteningly efficient hunters because of their heightened vision and hearing, and their lightning quick reflexes. It is to be noted that, for a giant elf, eating another smaller one, no matter their species, is something very hard to ever conceive. This could happen but it would be very rare. Another interesting trait of Felaryan elves is their high adaptability to their environment. Over the course of just several decades, a species will start to develop physical attributes and abilities in order to fit in better. For instance, it is believed it took less than a century for Tajyms to evolve from normal elves to their current state.
Culture
Known Elves
Elven Tribes
Aloes Tribe
A small tribe of giant elves living in the northern part of the Prayaga island. Their skin is pale, often with a slight yellowish or bronze hue to it. Aloes elves love music, arts and the simple pleasures life has to offer. They are rather peaceful, though rather distant, mostly keeping to themselves. Living in their island isolated them, leaving them with little contact with other races, and they like it this way. They make an exception to this rule when it comes to hunting though, and any captured adventurer will have high chances to end up as a light snack. Aloes elves have very little regard for smaller races that they entirely see as food, and will, most likely, pay no attention at all at what their prey have to say. The exception are Rosic nekos, who appear to fascinate them. The Aloes architecture is interesting, merging very well with the nature, while keeping a distinct feel to it, with gracious arabesques formed by vines. Their village looks like a well tended and lush garden.
Kadyns
A large tribe of human-sized elves living in the Lake of souls. Kadyns were originally from the north of the continent, but they moved south over the course of history to finally establish themselves in the Oloonde region. They usually have pale blond or white hair, pale eyes and a slighlty tanned skin A highly spiritual people, they worship the usual elven Pantheon plus several divinities of their own, including Sedrin, a powerful Kachydon and god of the lake. He is not so much a protector than a source of wisdom to them however, and Kadyns relies more on their impregnable location as well as their excellent art of divination to ward of predators and other dangers. They became excellent rilmanidons riders as well, patrolling the waters with remarkable efficiency and keeping tabs on anything happening in their domain. Kadyns are a contemplative and serene people, practicing long daily meditations and mental exercises in order to refresh their body and mind. For some reasons, Kadyns believe that every souls on Felarya eventually find their ways to Kalichidhen and from there, journey to the afterlife. Should their sanctuary be destroyed, no souls would be able to depart from Felarya anymore, leading to a terrible disaster. Most archmages in Negav dismiss this theory as ludicrous and a mere superstition though.
Majuras
Majuras are a reclusive community of elves essentially found in Deeper Felarya and further north in uncharted parts of the continent. Most of them are human-sized, and they tend to be slightly taller and more slender than the rest of their kin, with pale skin and seemingly fragile and delicate bodies. Their most remarkable trait is the slight radiance emanating from their bodies. They can modulate it to a blinding light if they need to, but only for a short amount of time. Majuras form a discreet and mysterious lot, keeping to themselves as much as possible. They tend to live underground, among the roots of the huge trees growing in the region. Because of their proficiency at transmutation and geomancy magic, Majuras have no problem making a home for themselves by carving tunnels beneath the surface. They are also known for their divination abilities, entering long trances that allow them to seek answers in the future. Majuras are patient, cautious and pragmatic, and are seen by other elves as stern and solemn keepers of knowledge and wisdom, watching over many secrets and steadily keeping track and archiving their people's history. Gaining access to this vast wealth of knowledge is not easy however, as the Majuras will only allow those they deem worthy. Majuras are a highly spiritual species, adept at magic and meditation, but they also take great interest in science, astronomy, and studying various aspects of Felarya and its nature. To them, Knowledge is power, and to be ignorant is the most terrible form of weakness. Majuras attach beads into their long hair at each of their anniversaries. Elder members with beads-covered hair are highly revered by their younger peers.
Tajyms
Tajyms are a water-breathing species of elves, living in the east of the continent, past Prayaga island and around the shoreline of the region. They tend to have dark greenish-skins, long flowing hair and fins on their limbs. They are excellent swimmers, not quite able to challenge a mermaid of their size in term of raw speed, but they are very agile in water, able to make sharp turns and perform graceful figures. Tajyms are human-sized, save for a few exceptions. For mysterious reasons, perhaps some secret rituals or obscure magic, a "choosen one" will be periodically revealed among Tajym children. The young Tajym then experience a very rapid growth over the next few months, until they reach a giant size and become a "Khajal", essentially the guardian of their tribe, protecting it from predators and other threats. It's interesting to note that the Khajal is never the leader, usually remaining humbly in service of the tribe, taking their new rank as a great honor bestowed upon them. In return, the tribe treat the Khajal with great respect, feeding them captured prey and showing warm affection. Many Tajyms master a powerful elemental magic, obviously focused on controlling water. They are a mercantile race and skilled merchants, loving to engage in trading with other species, and generally considered less haughty than most of their land-dwelling cousins.
Elven Sub-species
- Credits to Elportero for the full belly creativity idea.
