Elf

The elves of Dualos were believed to have once been immortal, however that has not been the case for them for at least thousands of years. These immortal elves of the past are known as the E'Theet amongst all elves. Regardless of their history they are now divided into distinct cultures, known commonly by the terrains each is known to inhabit. Most elves live exclusively among their own kind, with a few exceptions. Einn'Sem are elves who for their crimes have been exiled from their homes, since elves are loathed to kill even the most evil of their own kind where it can be helped. These elves may only return to their people when they have performed a great service, the greater their crime the greater the service required. Members of organisations like the Ec'Barn often send agents in the world on missions as to further their goals, something which is more rarely replicated by the leaders of elven society.

## Religion

All races of elves share a set of gods and religious practices, though some are more relevant to one or the other. Individuals tend to have one god that they favour, though they'll petition other gods as needed and give thanks any of the gods shines upon them. Most elven cultures tend towards multiple gods, although the Sro'Theet are unique in worshipping a single god.

### Aed, God of the Sun

(LG) Father of the Dah'Theet and the deliverer of justice and mercy. Of all the elven gods, his followers are the most inclined to promote positive relations with other races, and seek to promote diplomacy over war. His domains are light and arcana.

### Eriu, Goddess of Vengeance

(LN) Seen by many as the defender of elves and deliverer of retribution. Those that follow Eriu tend to be distrustful of any non-elves, and seek to protect any elf regardless of their individual heritage. She is often seen as a patron of half-elves to seek to claim their elvish heritage and is particularly favoured by the Koi'Theet. Her domains are war and light.

### Cian, God of the Hunt

(CN) The feral aspect of the Wul'Theet, he is also the chosen god of many lycanthropes, even ones of non-elven heritage. They accredit him with being the source of the 'gift', though his typical followers contest this idea avidly. His domains are war and nature.

### Beira, Goddess of the Moon

(CG) Considered the nurturing aspect of the Wul'Theet she promotes harmony in all aspects of life. She teaches that people should work with and around the forces of nature, and that one should change themselves rather than change their environment. Her domains are nature and life.

### Delbaeth, God of Judgement

(NG) A supporter of fairness and compassion, Delbaeth requires all be heard and that the truth be fought for. He also serves as the only god worshipped by the Sro'Theet, although they are much more dogmatic in their worship of him, and more creative in their interpretations of his teachings, than other elves. His domains are knowledge and tempest.

### Niam, Goddess of Illusions

(CG) Known by some as the Lady of Children, she is known to bring harmless mischief in order to both give joy and make people question. Followers of her believe that not taking things for granted and questioning the things around them are the keys to finding ones way to happiness. Her domains are arcana and trickery.

### Tethra, God of Gardens

(N) Father of the forest and all that grows. He is both nurturing to that which is under his care and vengeful to that which seeks to harm it. Few actively worship him but most elves revere and pay him their respects . His domains are nature and tempest.

### Ecne, God of Domination

(LE) Seen as the epitomy of elven supremecism, he encourages subjugation through pain and is the patron of elves who believe that all other races exist only to serve. While Macha drives the passions of the J'Theet, among the dark elves the philosophies of Ecne serve to ensure they survive long enough to bring their vengeance about. His domains are arcana and death.

### Macha, Goddess of Wrath

(NE) The Tormentor of the Weak and mother of the J'Theet. Followers of her believe that the fall of the J'Theet was caused exclusively by other elven cultures, and seek only to bring suffering to all who dwell on the surface. Her domains are war and tempest.

### Finnguala, Goddess of Nightmares

(CE) The Dark Matron thrives on causing despair and strife through lies and cunning. Many believe she seeks to destroy the elven race by corrupting it to the extent it destroys itself, and even amongst the J'Theet she is worshipped only by a silent minority. Her domains are death and trickery.

## Variants

### **High Elves**

Known amongst the elves as Dah'Theet, they are considered the most 'civilised' of the elven races. They live in elegantly sculpted cities filled with a vast array of gardens, fountains and art of all forms.

They pride themselves on being both practical and artistic in their endeavours, and they utilise their gardens as also their main source of food. Their diet is mostly vegetarian, occasionally including small game and poultry, and their eggs, that are found within their gardens. They catch the animals with enchantment and illusion to ensure their prey does not suffer in death. As they are the most prone to populating concentrated cities, and tend not to expand aggressively or face danger, they are the least fertile of the elves.

While they are at heart a gentle people, they are also rigid in their own codes and laws, and are capable fighters and warmages when the need is called for. They have five cities all across Prim, governing themselves within their city states. At the centre of each is a great hall, each with permanent teleportation circles linked to every other city so that the Dah'Theet people are ready to unite at a moment's notice. They used to inhabit another city on Elad, but permanently left and sealed it when an incident with the Koi'Theet almost led to open war.

**Game Mechanics;** For D&D 5e games, use the unaltered High Elf subrace from the Player's Handbook.

### **Dark Elves**

Known by their brethren as J'Theet, meaning the Lost Ones, they are seen to be the most vicious of elves. Long ago exiled to Tericognita for reasons long forgotten, they have adapted to the dangers of that vast labyrinth by becoming one of the most dangerous creatures there. Having the shortest natural lifespan of any elf, they are also the most fertile.

Their art is the ability to turn killing into an artform. Graceful and controlled, keeping face is incredibly important to them both in combat and in more social settings. Living in condensed fortified cities underground, maintaining the decorum of civil behaviour is vital to maintaining the integrity of their society so they keep their political maneuvers discreet. They do not tend to extend this courtesy to other races however, and are more than happily to kill, torture or enslave anyone who isn't J'Theet.

### **Ice Elves**

Known amongst other elves as Fen'Theet, they are one of the hardier elven cultures having adapted to the extremes of cold weather. At a distance they appear to have a light blue skin, but close inspection reveals that ice elves are covered with a short yet dense layer of soft fur that allows them to exist comfortably in freezing conditions. A partially nomadic race they move their settlements as the ice formations they live in shift over the years and carve their simple cities into the ice. They have little time for decorating what they know will only be temporary homes, but have much appreciation for jewellry and other arts that adorn the body.

Fen'Theet are the only elven culture to have regular contact with their Ai'Theet cousins. They have a knack and enthusiasm for sailing, and frequently trade with the ones who live under the seas which they travel. Beyond this they don't have much to do with other elves, as they seldom travel to the warmer climates most elves prefer.

### **Jungle Elves**

Known amongst other elves as Koi'Theet, they are the most warlike of the elven cultures. Living in the Jungles of Elad, they take an almost fanatical interest in the happenings of their neighbours and always find some reason to take up arms against them.

As a culture they take great pride in martial prowess and discipline while holding a strong belief in taking only what you have earned honourably. Their constant conflict with other races leads to heavy losses amongst their kind, which has not only led to a high fertility rate amongst them, but also supplementing their army with half elves of Koi'Theet heritage.

### **Sea Elves**

Known amongst other elves as Ai'Theet, and are one of the most isolated races alongside the Sro'Theet. They differ from their winged cousins however in that they take great delight in having outsider's amongst them as their isolation comes from their environment as opposed to solitary traditions. They live in small towns built at the bottom of seas and oceans, usually amongst coral beds or other unique phenomena. Small soft scales cover their body with gills just below and parallel with their collar bones, and they have webbing on their hands and feet.

All of the Ai'Theet have the ability to communicate with a variety of sea creatures. Their hunters use this to lure fish into their nets and to track down any significant threats in the area. Sea elf warriors use this to talk to dolphins which frequently serve as mounts for the Ai'Theet. They often aid stranded sailors by bringing them to dry land, though they seldom venture above the ocean's surface themselves.

### **Sky Elves**

Known amongst other elves as Sro'Theet, these elves are the most isolated of the elven cultures. They live in the city of Sroteri'Thospis, a series of platforms and structures enchanted to float above the clouds. They are a religious society who worship Dalbaeth exclusively, are are led by their Archcanon. Only the non-Sro'Theet that have distinguished themselves by performing a great service to the sky elves are allowed within their great cities, as they believe the presence of those from outside the city would only encourage their people to stray and promote heresy.

Occasionally these elves send scouting parties to the surface to either obtain items of importance or monitor volatile situations, but otherwise they don't interfere in the affairs of others, even the affairs of other elven cultures. Despite their isolation however they still hold to strong militaristic ideals and traditions, maintaining a dedicated, if small, army.

### **Wood Elves**

Known amongst other elves as Wul'Theet, these ancient people live in small communes spread out among equally ancient forests. These are a reclusive race who try to live in harmony with the natural world.

The are a mostly carnivorous people who believe that one is either predator or prey and seek to be the ultimate hunters. The greatest hunters among them leave their commune to become sentinels of the forest and embrace the most natural form of life. The communes themselves rarely contain more than a score of elves. As with all elves, children are rare as a female elf has a limited time of fertility.

They are both the longest and shortest lived of the elves. Their natural lifespan exceeds that of any of the other elvish branches, yet they are the most likely to not reach their natural lifespan. Their predator instinct often leads them to challenge other creatures and individuals in fearsome duels to test their abilities.