Aquatic Elves

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== Alu’Tel’Quessir ==
=== Creation Myth ===
Long ago, Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow sought to create the first Elves. The first Elf that they created with their magic fit all of their prerequisites, except for one major flaw: it could not use magic. Deeming their experiment a failure, the Elven King and Queen cast their creation into the depths of the Plane of Water. Deep Sashelas discovered the creature, and adopted it as his own, looking past the fact that it could not utilize magic. Using his own powers, he helped the creature adapt to the sea, so that he and it could be together forever, creating the first Aquatic Elf. Seeing how Deep Sashelas loved what they had cast aside as garbage, the two relented, and came to love the Aquatic Elves. The Aquatic Elves forgave Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow, and would love them, but first and primary in their hearts was their savior and adopted father, Deep Sashelas.
=== Outlook===
Aquatic Elves are as aloof as any other Elven subrace, though they still see value in alliance and trade with other N’Tel’Quessir races. The Alu’Tel’Quessir are generally isolated from other Elves, for obvious reasons, but still share many cultural values. Community, in any form, is important, as are alliances, as the seas are a dangerous place. They see the arrogance and divisiveness of other Elven subraces as be detrimental to their continued survival as a race, and as such, make their best efforts to not emulate such behavior.
While individuals share a sense of community, they are fiercely independent and free willed. Like the tides and currents, their interests drift and wander. As such, Aquatic Elven society prizes the ability to freely move, both literally and metaphorically.
=== Description===
Aquatic Elves are taller and skinnier than other Elves, with males averaging six feet, and females averaging five feet and nine inches. Their limbs are heavily muscled, and their fingers and toes webbed. Aquatic Elves sport gills that run down both sides of their neck, down to their collarbone and ribcages.
Skin tones range from deep green to light blue, and individuals often have patches or stripes of other colors as well. Eye colors range the entire spectrum, for both males and females. The hair of Aquatic Elves is stringy, much like seaweed, and ranges in color from black to light green.
Individuals wear clothing made of various underwater plants and materials, such as clamshells or fish hides. Many forgo clothing completely, frolicking in the nude. Because it affects their ability to live, clothing is made to be light, and not impede their ability to swim.
=== Aquatic Elf Characters===
Because magic is virtually unheard of in their society, Aquatic Elves tend toward more martial classes than those of magic. Most become Fighters or Rangers, due to the presence of evil aquatic races that they find themselves at odds with. The wandering and flighty paths of the Bard and the Rogue also appeal to Sea Elves.
Favored Class
Fighter is the favored class of the Aquatic Elves. Considering the sheer number of evil denizens of the deep, fighting skills are valued. Sea Elf Fighters tend to specialize in speed and melee combat over the stealth and archery.
Prestige Classes
Some Aquatic Elves choose to become Sashelan Aquarians, to help defend their homes from threats that extend even past the shoreline.
=== Aquatic Elf Society===
Aquatic Elf society is structured into a loose feudal system, where the nobility follows a patriarchal inheritance structure. Most political power falls upon the eldest male child of a ruling family. Despite all of this, women still exercise a good degree of influence in Aquatic Elf society, and power is not vastly divided based on sex.
The Sea Elves also form very close-knit communities and relationships with each other. In the eyes of the Alu'Tel'Quessir, community means survival. Every resident or family in an Aquatic Elven community has a dwelling for themselves, or their family. However, society dictates that personal property is nonexistent, and that property belongs to the entire community. When one is in need of an item, they are usually welcome to use whatever tool or object is needed that is in the possession of another. However, this idea of communal property doesn’t include those that are not Aquatic Elves, even if they live in an Alu’Tel’Quessir settlement.
The deemphasis on personal property has resulted in a Sea Elven culture in which most live simply with what they can carry on them at any given time. Aquatic Elves are not materialistic in the least, in most cases. Things, such as clothing, or homes, are meant to be utilitarian instead of showy and flashy status symbols.
=== Language and Literacy ===
Aquatic Elves speak their own dialect of Elven, which is influenced by the Aquan language. It does not differ enough from mainstream Elven, however, to not be understandable by those who speak the language. It borrows only a few words and phrases from Aquan, while retaining most Elven, including the Espruar alphabet. Because of the similarities between their dialect of Elven and Aquan, most Aquatic Elves are also proficient in speaking Aquan, though fewer are proficient in writing in the language because of the different alphabet that Aquan uses.
=== Aquatic Elf Magic and Lore===
Aquatic Elves are wholly unable to utilize magic, be it arcane or divine, because of innate reasons. Over the course of the millennia, individuals have been born that did indeed have the ability to harness it, but for the most part, Aquatic Elven life exists without the utilization of magic. That is not to say that Aquatic Elven communities don’t have access to magical items, or magical effects. They are forced to import such things, however, since they cannot create them on their own.
Spells and Spellcasting
Because Sea Elves cannot use magic, magical traditions have never developed among them. Rare exceptions of Aquatic Elves using magic exist, but such individuals invariably learn magic in the traditions of the Merfolk, or the Triton.
Aquatic Elf Magic Items
While the Alu’Tel’Quessir are not fearful of magic, and are quite curious about it, magical items are very uncommon in Aquatic Elf society because of their inability to use magic themselves. The fact that it is difficult to produce magical items that can easily be adapted for underwater use further dissuade the Sea Elves from experimenting with magic. The majority of magical items that are used by Aquatic Elf communities are imported from Merfolk and Triton.
=== Aquatic Elf Deities and Religion===
Like other Elves, the Aquatic Elves recognize and pay homage to Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow, the King and Queen of the Elves. Despite this, however, they venerate Deep Sashelas with a dedication and love that by far bypasses the love and dedication they show Corellon Larethian and Sehanine Moonbow. According to their myths, Deep Sashelas rescued the Sea Elves from the depths of the Plane of Water when they were abandoned there, and provided for them all the tools they would need to survive under the sea.
Aquatic Elves do not worship ceremonially, but rather, give prayers whenever and whenever. Temples dedicated to Deep Sashelas and the other members of the Seldarine exist, but the small shrines that dot the ocean floor that are visited by travelers oftentimes get more traffic.
=== Relations with Other Races===
Aquatic Elves remain somewhat isolated from other races, including fellow Elves, because of their inability to live above the sea for long periods of time. When necessary, they interact with others races, but most keep to themselves when possible. The Sea Elves do understand the value of alliances and trade, however. Their curiosity of land-walking surface races and their drive to learn about them is matched only by their caution and hesitance to deal with these same groups.
Beneath the waves, Aquatic Elves are normally on good terms with Merfolk, Tritons, and other goodly folk living under the sea. Unfortunately, they have just as many enemies as they have friends. Sahuagin, known as ‘Sea Devils’ are especially hated by the Sea Elves. Merrow, Aquatic Trolls, are also enemies, and are seen much like other Elves see Orcs and Goblin.
=== Aquatic Elf Equipment===
The environment of the Aquatic Elves dictates what kind of equipment is used and what is preferred. Metal tools of any kind are rare, because most are undoubtedly susceptible to corrosion that comes when in contact with saltwater for prolonged periods of time. An exception to this near universal rule is gold, which is used by the Sea Elves to fashion jewelry, and is used with trade.
Forging metals beneath the waves is practically impossible, so any metal that is used by the Sea Elves must be beat into shape by hand. Because of this, they have mastered this technique, and are capable of crafting beautiful jewelry from gold, which is very malleable. Most mundane items are produced using materials that are readily available underwater, such as stone, coral, or shells. Many times, shipwrecks are scavenged to obtain materials.
Aquatic Elves also use potion bladders instead of vials. Drinking potions from vials would be rather difficult beneath the waves, so pastes and unguents are used in place of liquids. Aquatic Elven alchemists have perfected the art of turning liquids, such as magical potions, into pastes, jellies, and unguents.
Arms and Armor
The weapons and armors used by the Aquatic Elves are, as most things, chosen with consideration of their environment in mind. Most weapons that are common on land are relatively useless underwater. Most slashing weapons used under the water become slow and ungainly. Because of their environment, Sea Elves use weapons that pierce almost exclusively. Tridents, spears, darts and thrusting daggers are the favored arms of the Alu’Tel’Quessir.
Weighted nets are also used, and the Sea Elves have perfected methods to throw these nets underwater in ways that resemble manta rays or octopi- they drift and unfold while in motion. Aquatic Elven weaponsmiths have also have also developed a unique bow that can fire underwater, unlike ordinary bows. Aquatic longbows lack the range of normal longbows, but as ranged weapons under the sea go, they are second to none.
Without metal, the materials used to make weapons are usually more fragile, but are still easy to use in the construction of these weapons. The Aquatic Elves are known to use bone, narwhal horns, and even coral to build their weapons.
Armor, on the other hand, is rarely used at all. It hinders their mobility, and most metals wouldn’t survive very long being submerged in the water for such excessive amounts of time. Shields, the most common form of armor, are usually made from shells, stone, bone, and coral. Although they generally discourage the use of armor, there are a few alternatives that some Aquatic Elves utilize. These include sharkskin armor and chitin armor. Sharkskin armor is, for all purposes, similar to leather armor. Almost all Aquatic Elves find the thought of wearing sharkskin abhorrent, as sharks are widely hated in mainstream Sea Elf society, however. Chitin armor is made from the shells of giant crabs, lobsters, and other crustaceans. It still hinders the movement of the extremely agile Aquatic Elves, but not as much as metal armor would.
Animals and Pets
Aquatic Elves have a strong affinity for dolphins and porpoises. Most Sea Elven communities utilize the services of several of such creatures. They normally serve as guardians, messengers, and personal companions. Sea lions are sometimes trained to be guardians too, especially in hazardous areas such as those inhabited by Sahuagin.
The Alu’Tel’Quessir also have great respect for whales, although their migratory patterns and sheer size prevent them from becoming permanent companions or guardians. Many Aquatic Elf communities are even situated alongside whale migration routes, as to afford the protection of these massive mammals, and sometimes, young Aquatic Elves even leave home for a year or so, so that they may travel with a pod of whales.
The killing or hunting of any of the above mentioned creatures is absolutely appalling to all Sea Elves, for not only do they believe that no one should ever slay any animal larger than oneself for food, but also that whales and dolphins are sentient and intelligent creatures and are seen as friends to the Alu’Tel’Quessir.
One animal that Aquatic Elves despise, however, are sharks. Sharks are seen as unnatural monsters by many Sea Elves, and it is even said that sharks like the taste of Sea Elves. Whether or not this claim is true, however, is something I do not know. In the minds of Aquatic Elves, considering the Sahuagin affinity for sharks, it is only logical that the fish are tainted by the Sea Devils. The evil god of the Sahuagin, Sekolah, even takes the guise of a shark. One need not be overly wise to draw a connection.
=== Abilities and Racial Features===
+2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence
Aquatic Subtype
Swim speed of 40 feet
Gills: Aquatic Elves can survive out of the water for 1 hour per point of Constitution (after that, refer to the suffocation rules)
Superior Low-Light Vision: Aquatic Elves can see four times as far as a Human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of low illumination.
Dead to Magic: Aquatic Elves cannot cast arcane or divine magic, prohibiting them from taking levels in any classes that grant an arcane magic/divine magic progression. This phenomenon has also bestowed upon the Aquatic Elves a natural Spell Resistance of 5. Favored Class: Fighter. This trait replaces the high elf’s favored class.