The Daridun

The Daridun is the name given to the long-lived, majestic, and wise elves of Uriel. In their own language they refer to themselves as the Alaquenya. (Q. "Guardians of the light")

## Physical Characteristics

**Build**: Tall but slender by Mannish standards. They are particularly known for their near perfect symmetry, which makes them especially physically appealling.

**Coloring**: The Alaquenya feature darker complexions, with olive toned skin and black hair. Eyes are usually light brown to black. Every so often one of these elves are born with light brown hair, and blondes are very rare.

**Endurance**: Superhuman. Elves do not need sleep, and can travel at a fast run for 72 hours before they need to stop and rest. They can surive for days on one mouthful of bread and water.

**Height**: Males average 6' 4" tall and weigh 170 pounds. Women averafe 5' 8" and weigh 120 pounds.

**Lifespan**: Theoretically eternal. Elves can only die by violence or losing the will to live.

**Resistance**: Incredible. They are completely immune to fatigue poisons, the ravages of age, poisons, and diseases. They cannot generally get drunk on anything less than three gallons of an alcoholic beverage.

**Special Abilities**: The Daridun have incredible senses of sight and hearing. They have perfect 3d color vision in the dark, even in total darkness. They can hear the sounds of bare feet on a stone floor at 60 feet. Because they're hearing is so acute and they are perfect attuned to the environment it is almost impossible to take a Daridun by surprise.

Like all elves, they do not scar. They have perfect balance and cannot stumble or trip. They are capable of running across widths as narrow as a tightrope without fear of falling.

## Culture

**Lifestyle**: The Daridun prefer to dwell in thick trees, where they make beautiful towns and cities out of stone. During the day they tend to daily routines of hunting and collecting foodstuffs, patrolling their woods for intruders, bathing, cooking, and cleaning. By night they lend themselves wholly to the arts with songs, recitations of poetry, and telling stories.

They spend a lot of time day and night fashioning jewlry and jewelry settings, polishing diamonds and other precious stomes, and working in the smithies to create weapons and armor that are as beautiful as they are deadly. The most favored weapon among the Daridun, and Disciplined everywhere, is the Lath-Lombra (Q. Starlight blade"). This weapon features a decorative and bejewelers almost S shaped haft that's three feet long. On each end of the haft is a foot long blade: the fore-blade is straight and has a sharp point for thrusting, the rear end has a scythe blade 1 and 1/2 foot long for chopping and sweeping cuts. It is a difficult weapon to learn, and masters have been seen to weild the weapon one handed.

**Clothing and Decoration**: The Daridun are fond of linen clothing. Men commonly wear linen trousers and tunics with beautiful filligree and cloaks, women tends to wear flowing gowns. Both sexes are fond of jewelry and wear it often and like to braid their hair in intricate designs, accessorized with tiaras and gem weaves.

**Fears and Inabilities**: The Daridun face every threat or enemy with perfect calm, so it's difficult to tell when they're afraid. Above all the Daridun fear corruption. They have seen what kind of monsters lust, greed, and hate can make in their former racial members, whom fell to darkness and were twisted into the grotesque orcs. They will not have anything to do with anyone, any object, or any place deemed corrupt.

**Marriage Pattern**: Monogamous and for life, the line is traced through the male. The emotional bond form,ed between spouses is almost magical. A married pair can exchange emotions and mental imagry; it's not telepathy per se but darn close to it. Loss of the spouse is almost certainly a death knell. When the spouse chooses to leave the world or dies in battle, the remaining spouse is instantly aware of it. Bereft of what essentially was a part of themselves, the spouse will lose the will to leave and leave the world within a handful of weeks of the spouse's end. There is no divorce among the Daridun. They do notforsake their marriage vows or have illicit affairs and the idea of domestic abuse is abhorrent to them. They sometimes marry Men or Udun. Such unions may produce the Children of October, a very rare half-elf.

**Religion**: The Daridun are a very intensely spiritual people, but no particularly religious. They don't see the Ulvatar as things to be worshiped as much as they do people to be treated as advisors. Some of the Daridun are old enough to remember when the Ulvatar walked the earth in human shape, and sing many songs of these times. They are particularly fond of the Ulvatar Lorien, who created them and danced with them under the stars. They see religion as something used among the "less fortunate', as an emotional crutch to get through life.

## Other Factors

**Demeanor:** Quiet, introspective, thoughtful, unfailingly polite, and yet with a certain air about them that make them seem somehow arrogant. They are not a people giving to smile and laughter very often.

**Language:** Among themselves, the elves speak the ancient language of Quendi, the very first spoken and written language. It's a beautiful language that to the hear sounds lyrical and melodious. Quendi is the second largest language spoken in the Kinship. Many Daridun will not speak any other language unless entertaining visitors or trading. All Daridun learn Dunnish.

**Other Names:** To themselves they are the Alaquenya and their deep down racial cousins, the Urudun, are the Moriquenya. They are known as The Shining Host, The Great Ones, the Elders, and, simply, elves.

**Restrictions on Professions**: They produce no Untouchables.

Common Vocations: Playwright, singer, musician, scribe, noble, navigator, performer, jeweler.