Sand Elves

*a lexica entry by Erling Feuergeist*

**Alternate Names:** Sand Dwellers, Reborn, Desert Elves

**Relations:** Origins of the Glas Elves, rumored to be distant relatives of Sun Elves and therefor Fire Elves and Light Elves.

There aren’t many living beings in the desert of Ara To’om, but amongst those few, the Sand Elves are the ones who thrive the most. While under the constant pressure of resource scarcity, they managed to overcome such difficulties by weaving the sand itself into hard, rigid structures, currently populating the desert, building themselves from the ground up into a prosperous nation.

Highly religious, they follow the faith of Kleera - the ever living goddess of death and rebirth, whose influence is inbuilt deeply into their everyday lives. Some believe her to be the Day itself with its never ending cycle, but no one can know for sure.

## General appearance

The overwhelming majority of the Sand Elves have darker skin, in variations between obsidian to dark mahogany, although the lighter skin tones are also present in those bloodlines that lived on the outskirts of Ara To’om. Amidst those, they have distinct, bird-like facial features, portraying sharp, angular lines of the jaw and eyes in darker tones of wood.

Amongst the jewelry and fabrics, the most preferred ones would be sand and silk. The art of sand weaving has allowed to create the most intricate of ornaments and although the craft itself needs decades to be mastered, the abundance of sand makes it one of the most low-resource techniques to study. In the process of refining and weaving the sand itself, rubies are encrusted into it, locking them permanently into endless loops of sand.

Especially male Sand Elves prefer bright colors in their appearance. The closeness and tight bonds with Kleera has made them adopt her elegant nature, leading to popularization of feathers and vibrance, both in outfits, hair garments, and makeup.

**Average life span:** 320 to 340 years (rare due to harsh living conditions)

**Average height:** m 172cm/5.6ft ; f 168cm/5.5ft

## Characteristics

The behavior of Sand Elves is, for the most part, determined by their standing in society, and their wealth. Those who have a more convenient access to basic resources covering daily needs, such as food and clothing, are quick to welcome strangers with wide open arms, sharing and flaunting their wealth. However, they are harsh and almost hostile towards less fortunate Sand Elves, which possibly roots in the need to protect property and privacy.

Within the poorer regions, Sand Elves stick together with others of their kin, but they are skeptical whenever a stranger approaches, and will shut all doors before them. The only Sand Elves beloved by all groups are the priests, who tend to be curious, flirtatious, welcoming to strangers, and yet, still somewhat exclusive, unapologetically preferring their own kin over other Elven species.

Mixed examples of traits people assign to Sand Elves are: Argumentative, attentive, busy, charismatic, clever, confident, decisive, diligent, enthusiastic, fierce, flirtatious, hardy, haughty, humorous, imaginative, intrepid, persistent, sly, whimsical, witty

## Attributes

**Benefits:**

* sand +++
* dry heat ++
* warmth +
* sunlight +

**Weaknesses:**

* ice - - -
* thin air - -
* heights -
* cold -

## Magic

Whereas sand weaving is an art that most Sand Elves perform based on simple Elemental Energy Manipulation, more accomplished sand weavers bring in very specific Earth Magic and Desert Magic. Aside from these well known talents and Elven Magic, Sand Elves are in fact capable of a vast variety of magical arts, the most popular being Tattoo Magic, Thermal Manipulation, Heat Magic, and Solar Magic. Using the heated air, many Sand Elves create stunning visuals with Illusionary Arts.

Among the religious practitioners, especially priests of Kleera, Sand Elves specialize in Ritual Magic, Lust Magic, and even Sex Magic.