Cerilian elf

* Fey humanoid
* Neutral
* Chaotic neutral
* Deep forests
* The Elven Courts
* Various
* Aebrynis
* Sidhelien

The **elves** of Cerilia are a graceful but reclusive race, suspicious of humankind. Early in Cerilia's history they contested human settlement of Cerilia's vast forests, and a strong current of ill will towards the human nations still runs strong in the elven woods. There is only one race of Cerilian elves; they call themselves the Sidhelien. The Sidhelien hold court in deep, mist-wreathed vales in the darkest heart of the ancient Cerilian forests.

## Introduction/History

The elves competed with humans for the most beautiful land in Cerilia. At first, the elves thought they could live in mutual enjoyment of the forest, with the humans never invading elven lands and the elves avoiding the humans carefully. It worked for a time, for the presence of the humans drew the attention of the humanoids that constantly raided through the forest. Despite the ferocity of the humanoids, the humans proved to be resourceful enough to stand fast, and eventually the humanoids were beaten back -- and humans began looking to elven lands as places for expansion.

The elves were fiercely resistant to this, for they had fought long and hard to keep their lands from the humanoids. When the humans began to force the elves from their ancestral homes, the elven leaders began the Gheallie Sidhe, or Hunt of the Elves. Elven knights roamed the lands held by the elves, slaying whatever humans they found trespassing in their borders. Woodcutters and peasants gathering firewood were slain as brutally as the warriors would-be kings sent to conquer the elven realms. It was all-out war between the two races. The elves had the advantage of skill with many elven warriors having centuries of battle experience however the elves were pushed back year after year. All human records agree that this was because of an element that the elves had never seen before -- priestly magic. The elves could call upon the forces inherent in wood and water, field and air, but had never worshiped deities and thus couldn't understand this new source of power. The priests were the deciding force against the elven expertise in magic and combat; the gods favored humans to such an extent that the elves found themselves practically powerless.

The elves of Cerilia are not the run-of-the-mill elves that most players might expect. These elves, though civilized enough that their music can bring tears to the eyes of even the roughest forester, also have a core of savagery that permeates their being. Having lived with the brutal humanoids for thousands of years, the elves have had to learn to deal harshly with those who oppose them. Besides, they've watched everything they built over the past millennia come crashing down around them with the arrival of the humans such a short time (about two elven generations) ago.

As such, they harbor deep hatreds in their collective breast for those who've dispossessed them. This extends to humans or humanoids, or whoever stands in the way of the elven dominion. However, there are elves who take a more rational view to the whole thing, seeing the humans as the next step and a needed catalyst for change. These elves look to the humans for ways to improve the elven kingdoms, to teach the elves the realities of living in modern Cerilia.

## Description

Elves stand as tall as humans, but they're far more slender and graceful. Most average between 5-1/2 and 6 feet in height, but weigh only 120 to 140 pounds. They are pale, with fair skin and dark hair, and their features are exquisitely formed. Elves possess an unearthly beauty, and their perfect voices can hold a mortal spellbound. Unfortunately, many elves are too conscious of their superiority and treat others with coldness or condescension.

Cerilian elves are creatures of faerie and starlight, gifted with immortality and powers of mind and body beyond those of humankind. They're neither a force for good nor a force for evil; an elven wood can be deadly perilous for human travelers, but even more so for goblins or gnolls. The elven heart is unfathomable to mortals; they're moved to wild delight, dark melancholy, or burning rage with the only the slightest of causes. More than anything else, elves are unpredictable, doing what pleases them from one moment to the next.

Elves resist aging and normal disease -- only magical diseases such as lycanthropy or mummy rot can harm them. They have no infravision or ability to see in total darkness, but instead can see by starlight or moonlight as well as a human sees by daylight.
Elves don't need to sleep, but they can become physically exhausted and must rest quietly, studying spells or standing watch, for about as long as a human needs to sleep. Cerilian elves can move over heavy snow, soft sand, or a mountainside as easily as a human walks across a level surface. The natural world in fact impedes elves little, few require protection from the rigors of their native lands, natural creatures generally pass elves by and the elves in general seem part of the land rather than simply inhabitants of it to many human observers.

## Politics and government

The Elven Court has fractured from a single large kingdom into many small ones, just as the human Empire has shattered. Every elven settlement now has its own version of the Elven Court, but none of them can match the glories of the original. Like the humans, the elves hope to reunite the elven lands to recapture the beauty and grace of the past.

The type of elven ruler varies from court to court, depending on what the elves of that nation value. The elves of Tuarhievel favor warriors, while those of the Sielwode prefer mages as their leader. Of course, each court prefers its type of leader over all others. If elves are to reconcile, they must first set aside their differences in taste.

Although elves have kings and queens who appear, to the eyes of the human tribes like the rulers of human realms, it would be a mistake to assume that elven governance has more than a superficial resemblance to that of one of the human tribes. For a start elves pay almost no heed to the hereditary principle - although in some realms it is not uncommon for a child of the former ruler to succeed them to the throne this is more do to the child being interested in the role or having served their parent closely than any right of succession - the elves would not be surprised if another became ruler. This is hardly surprising when it is realized that some elves have ruled for longer than human history - Tuar ruled the elves of the Aelvinnwode for at least three millennia and the legendary Sidhe Braelachheim ruled before her for over thirteen millennia.

Perhaps the truest difference between a human and an elven ruler lies in the simple phrase 'a human king is obeyed because he is king, an elven king is king because he is obeyed'. A human ignored by his people would have legal rights to enforce his laws, an elven king would simply not be king. That said the intense disinterest of most elves in governance means that in practice elven rulers have substantial, often entirely unchecked power - their followers trust that the rare orders of the crown are valid and should be followed unless blatantly corrupt. Elven rulers tend to see rulership as a burden, for they like most elves dislike responsibility for others and share the general elven attitude of incomprehension towards the desire to accumulate wealth.

## Elven lands

Elves live in Cerilia's remaining deep forests. Once they controlled most of the continent, but today their realms are but shadows of the great Elven Court of old. Elven rulers vary from court to court, depending on the values of the elves of that nation. Some are benevolent and wise, others are violent and rash, while yet others are filled with hate and loathing for the lesser races. An elven wood can be a most perilous place for human travelers, but even more so for goblins and other dark creatures.

## Religion

Cerilian elves do not worship gods as other races do, indeed the concept of worshiping another is incomprehensible to them, admire or respect certainly but worship? Subservience is foreign to elven nature and the absolute surrender to another's will inherent in worship is anathema to them. Instead elves have an ancient and complex connection with nature and the mystic forces of the land. Each and every elf can instinctively sense the state of land and its magical flows. Another factor mitigating against elven worship is their extreme longevity - many elves live that fought at Deismaar and those who remember the birth of the new gods rarely understand why these eminently mortal beings are worthy of such obedience as they seem to demand from their followers.

## Language

Elves speak Sidhelien as their racial language. Because of their long lives, the elven language remains relatively unchanged; no dialects of any kind are known to exist. Many elves speak the various languages of humankind and the dark tongues of goblins are especially common - it pays to know ones enemies. Sidhelien is notoriously difficult to learn, often requiring years to master even the basics.

## Adventurers

Elves take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Many young elves are overcome by an irresistible urge to travel the world beyond the elven forests. Most remain apart from the human world, moving from one place to another, always observing but rarely making contact with the folk they meet. Elves must also be wary, for many humans are distrustful of elves, indeed many humans would call it a great deed if they slew an elf.

## Credits

* The entirety of this article comes directly from Birthright.net. The article can be viewed here.
* The artwork on this article is unofficial.
	+ The current profile picture was created by an unknown artist.