High Elves

The High Elves were once a grand and powerful peoples, with a large tradition and culture which only had threats of Drow as their worries. When the Fifth Horseman, The Horseman of Final Death, came to Chronus, this all changed. Their trees which they once held deep care for had been burnt to naught but ash, their homes which took multiple decades to create smashed into bits, and their people left weak and history destroyed. They were then taken advantage of by the Drow which saw this weakness, and they were reduced to only a few hundred nomadic High Elves left, with some of the theological leaders having their soul be infused with some of the few remaining trees to become Treants, which is viewed as ascension in their eyes.
They now roam, reduced to but an insignificant spec in the eyes of Etera, seeking to reclaim that damaged and lost glory.

### **Physical Description**

The High Elves are incredibly similar to their common ancestor, the Elves. There is a core difference, however, that distinguishes them aside from their cultures. A standard elf has an average height and weight comparable to a human, though a little taller and thinner. A high elf will be incredibly tall, scraping against 8 feet in height, and lanky as a result, despite weighing the same as most elves.

**Random High Elf Starting Ages and Aging Ages.**

**Table: Random Height and Weight**

 Female

### **Society**

The High Elves were once the proud people of Shorewood, but now have been reduced to nomadic wanderers. They scour across the forests of Etera in search for resources, moving when they have gotten all they can without harming the environment without also offering an equivalent boon to it, like planting a tree for each cut down, though cutting down trees is a difficult act. Each time they must do it, tears are near universally spread across the few high elves there are, as the tree is the symbol of their people.

They used to have a plentiful array of religions, but now the few high elves that remain near universally devote themselves to Willow, the goddess of community and the natural world, viewing her domains as complimentary to them, and praying for fecundity each day in the hopes she grants them a way to rebuild their once great culture.

The way they go about creating or doing anything is a long and perfectionist process. They will never half-ass or take shortcuts, preferring to use extreme devotion to details when doing even the most minor of things. What may take a normal elf ten years, will have taken a high elf fifty, but the result is truly beautiful, all the extra effort not going to waste, especially on goods created of Mithril. When in the hands of a high elven craftsman, Mithril is as flexible as water, and becomes whatever he imagines near perfectly, and if it isn't then it is constantly re-done until it is perfection.

The age one lives to is of the upmost importance to the high elves, hence the hatred of those who cannot live as long as them, as well as ancient enemies. This is also the reason for their reverence of the tree, for the ones that were within Shorewood lived thousands of years, surpassing the high elves, and impressing them to the point of a devotion to them. They hold a tree as highly as a high elf's life, and if one cuts one down without proper compensation to nature and a large weeping, it is viewed as murder.

### **History**

The High Elves began thousands of years ago, originating as a mutation to the elves bloodline. They were small in number, but all seemed to age at an even slower rate that the elves which birthed them, living past their forefathers and even younger siblings by centuries. The elves noticed this, and decided to gather up all who fit the description of the high elves, lanky and nearly sempiternal, and then watched to see what they would create, and if it would differ from them, and that this was truly a new race, or simply just a bizarre coincidence.

They noticed, and their lineage noticed, that the high elves had begun a rather slow construction of a kingdom, a plethora of years went by, until in the land they set the mutated elves became the kingdom of "Shorewood". It was a mystical place of pure beauty, unrivaled by most other lands on Etera. But, the people who resided within it, grew quickly egotistical, viewing themselves as superior beings due to their long lives and grand architecture. They declined the assistance of the elves, who had been giving resources to Shorewood, due to believing they were set, which turned out to be true. This only grew their enormous arrogance and belief in their self superiority, to the point they outlawed any race aside from the new high elves from becoming a citizen, which was the start of their downfall.

The population had heavily been reduced, in combination due to the large amount of immigrants lost, but also the drow who had noticed and took advantage, raiding and pillaging the now medium sized community. This lead to a quick enforcement of military service, where every high elf upon reaching the age of 219 would begin their decade long training and three decade era of service. They were formidable warriors, able to take on ten to fifteen drow at once, and it turned the decimation into a stalemate, where neither the drow nor the high elves could fully defeat the other without heavy casualties, leading to a large spread of small scale skirmishes occurring in both Shorewood and drow territories. This all changed, however, with the Fifth Horseman's arrival.

When he came a sickness spread through the high elves, killing the already somewhat small kingdom's numbers off. It also gave the perfect opportunity for the drow to strike. They marched in with a full army, and decimated the ancient buildings of the high elves, destroying all they had made, including burning down the libraries. But worst of all, they had burnt the trees to ash, and salted the land so no tree could ever grow again. It was truly dire, and they had to leave Shorewood. One of the high elves, Lyahanaec Athisiyes, a priest for a tiny community of worshipers for the recently ascended Willow, had decided to find one of the few trees untouched and to fuse his soul with it, becoming a large treant. He served as a beacon of hope to the hundreds of high elves that remained, as they ran off far, far away.

Eventually they found a place to rest, and Lyahanaec realised that all who came with him were all there were left. He, and seven hundred and twenty others, were the last high elves. He prayed aloud to Willow for a blessing to allow them to repopulate their community, for they normally spent ten years for each child, and the others joined in, belting praises and demands for a way to regain their lost lives. It had not been answered, for it still was a decade for each newborn.

They now live in the forests across Etera in a nomadic life style, reminiscing about the glory days of their people, and hoping one day they had enough members of their race for their prayers for their community's rekindling to be loud enough to be heard by the World-Mother.

### **Relations**

Most commonly, the High Elves hold onto a great xenophobia, harbouring hatred for most races aside from the High Elves, though this is reduced out of necessity. They will not directly show it, but will whisper behind their backs and mock those they view lesser, which is most every other race, excluding the humans who choose to take a high elf as their partner, for they are incredibly low on population and need every child born they can get. As a result, half-high elves are treated with equal respect as a normal high elf.

They have extreme hatred for dwarfs and orcs, however, due to their long traditions and histories with these two groups. While a high elf may not wish to work or even talk to a dwarf, they view orcs as rabid animals, but ones they cannot put down due to the chance of even a single life being lost. Half-orcs are pitied, since they are always assume to be the spawn of non-consensual means, instead of a loving orc and human, even when the latter is true.

### **Alignment and Religion**

As stated before, Willow is nearly ubiquitously their deity of choice, though the rare high elf here and there worships a differing one, to the dismay, but not anger, of the rest of them, for they simply lack the numbers to put such punishment for not following the established religion. They hold a very traditionalist view on everything, thinking that constant advancement is the root cause of many issues.

## **Racial Traits (14 RP)**

All High Elves gain the following racial traits:

## **Subraces**

### Half-High Elf

Those of combined human and high elven descent are more universal in their gifts, instead of purely becoming greatly intelligent, though have a shorter life span as a result of their human halves. High Elves with this subrace lose their original ability score penalties and bonuses and instead gains this

* Human Heritage: Half-High Elves gain a +2 to any ability score of their choice, and their type changes from Humanoid (Elf), to Humanoid (Elf, Human) and all age categories (Adulthood, Middle Age, Venerable, etc.) are reduced by 1/2
* Dual Minded: Members of this race gain a +2 bonus on all Will saving throws.

### Tree-Kin Apprentice

Those of heavy religious following, including members of the church, all hold the idea of becoming a Tree as a state of apotheosis. Tree-Kin Apprentices are those who have begun their long and harrowing journey to a permanent Treant transformation, and begin to resemble mannequins made of wood at this stage. High Elves with this subrace lose Elven Immunities and Skill Bonus (Craft), and instead gains this

* Bond to the Land: Members of this race gain +2 Dodge AC while within Forests. Also their type changes from Humanoid (Elf) to Humanoid (Elf, Plant), but they do not gain any of the traits associated with the Plant type.
* Natural Armour: Members of this race gain +1 Natural Armour.

## **Alternate Racial Traits**

**Arcane Dilettante:** A High Elf who takes interest in any craft will devote months to it, even if it just a passing interest. This includes arcane magic, and a High Elf even slightly interested in the magister's arts will learn a few spells. Those who take this trait lose Skill Bonus (Craft), and instead gain Magic Missile and Shield as Spell Like Abilities which they can use each once per day with a Caster Level equal to their Hit Dice.

## **Favored Class Options**

The following favored class options are available to all characters of this race who have the listed favored class, and unless otherwise stated, the bonus applies each time you select the favored class reward.

* **Arcanist:** +1/4 Caster Level when using the Counterspell Exploit and all based on it.
* **Barbarian:** +1/4 to the armour bonus of hide or bone armour the Barbarian wears that he crafted himself.
* **Bard:** +1/2 to the Bard's Bardic Knowledge
* **Bloodrager:** +1/4 to the armour bonus of hide or bone armour the Bloodrager wears that he crafted himself.
* **Brawler:** +1/4 bonus to hit on Attacks of Opportunity.
* **Cavalier:** +1/2 to the armour bonus of your horse's armour if the Cavalier crafted it himself
* **Cleric:** Add +1/2 to the Cleric's Channeled Energy total when healing creatures of the animal, fey, and plant types.
* **Druid:** Add a +1/2 bonus on concentration checks. This bonus doubles in a forest or swamp terrain.
* **Fighter:** +1/3 additional damage against targets of the (Dwarf) or (Orc) subtypes.
* **Hunter:** Choose any weapon with “elven” in its name. Gain a +1 bonus on critical hit confirmation rolls made while using that type of weapon against creatures with the (Dwarf) or (Orc) subtypes. (maximum bonus +10). This bonus does not stack with those gained through Critical Focus and similar effects.
* **Psychic:** Increase the total number of points in the psychic’s phrenic pool by 1/3 point.
* **Spiritualist:** The spiritualist’s phantom gains 1/5 of a bonus Item Creation feat. The phantom must meet all prerequisites of the selected feat, though it uses your caster levels instead of it.
* **Sorcerer:** Add one spell known from the sorcerer spell list with the [Force] Descriptor. This spell must be equal to or less than the highest spell level you can cast.
* **Wizard:** Add one spell from the wizard spell list to the wizard’s spellbook with the [Force] Descriptor. This spell must be equal to or less than the highest spell level you can cast.
* **Elementalist:** Add +1/2 to the damage rolls the elementalist makes with destructive blasts against an opponent with the (Dwarf) or (Orc) subtypes.
* **Fey Adept:** Increase the duration of all illusions by 1/4 of a round.
* **Incanter:** +1/6 of an Item Creation feat
* **Mageknight:** Gain +1/4 of a Mystic Combat which requires marked. Before level 7 this has no effect, but at level 7 you would gain all the Mystic Combats you would've had you had Marked when you got them.
* **Soul Weaver:** Gain +1/4 of a new soul you may summon per day for your bound nexus.
* **Thaumaturge:** +1/6 to forbidden lore (or similar ability) bonus when using the Creation sphere.