Ice Elves

"The Winter is a time of recovery and preparation, it the vital season of change and reform.."

The Ice Elves are a type of elf blessed by the god Apricitea in the harsh tundra of Thettera in the Boreal Kingdom.

## Common phenotypes

**Hair Pigments**

*Silver, Gray, White, Blue*

**Skin Pigments**

*Pale Blue,White, dark brown,*

**Lifespan**

*Ice Elves live to be 800-1,400  years of age, much longer than most races of Elves do.*

**Height**

**Male: 7’0-7’3**

**Female: 6’3 - 6’6.**

**Weight**

**TBA**

**Eye Colour**

*White, Grey, Pale Blue, Gold, Purple*

## Anatomy, Appearance and Behavior

Adult Male Ice Elves are around 7’0-7’3. Females are around 6’3 - 6’6. They usually have blue/whitish eyes, and longer ears than your average elf.

The mutation caused them to adapt to the tundra, and being born there caused their blood to develop into a dark blue color, this makes them unique and rare as no other Elves are known to have said blood color. Ice Elves with dark blue blood are pureblooded, meaning both of their parents are Hyakki. The few elves that possess said trait are considered royal ice elves.

## Orgins and History

According to history, the Ice Elves derived from the Elven Migrations, but instead of settling, they kept looking for land and arrived in In Terra Gloria. As generations passed in the Tundra they took residence in, they started to mutate due to their surroundings, gaining

Longer limbs,  white eyes, silver hair, stronger lungs, and resistance to frostbite. Their blood, unlike other elves, is a dark blue.

Over time, the Ice Elf tribes of Gloria reunited to form the kingdom of Wintertide, where they ruled most of the tundra of the northwest of Terra Gloria. Evidence shows that throughout time, other races such as dwarves, orcs and humans joined, slowly making the kingdom diverse. Eventually, the beginning Ice Elf tribes became nobles, under families such as the prominent Boreas family, who, through a vote through the citizens, became the ruling royal family.

This did not last long though, as the kingdom was split apart through feuds of the tribes. Each tribe had citizen backing, and they began the Cold Civil War. Through this war, the population was cut down to a fifth of what it used to be, destroying the Wintertide Kingdom and leaving the Ice Elves scattered.

## Religion

“where only ice and death exist. They fought against the harsh weather, but it was too great for them and they froze in solid ice.  Apricitea took pity on them and out of the ice that froze them he carved the most beautiful and perfect creature, the perfection of art. His tears and mighty cape were as warm as the hottest day and the ice melted away from the second travelers. His  tears warmed their blood, turning it blue, and the cold no longer harmed them. And they were created…”

Nearly all Ice Elves are followers of  Apricitainea the belief that the god Apricitea  worship Apricitea, the Queen of Ice. He is a creation god, god of snow, wisdom, children, and nature.

The connection to their god can be seen in their architecture, culture, and art all around ice elf settlements.  Other Ice Elves believe in Astralism, the belief that every star in the sky is a god standing upon the Astral Plane watching them, judging them fit for the afterlife or not. It is said that if a ritual is followed, an elf may be purified under the astral plane and returned to the cradle, but most history of this was lost to time in the Amarion Civil War. Many of these elves still practice many other religions as well.

## Culture

Ice elves live in large cities conjured or carved out of the ice and mountains they live in. They focus more on individual rights within their society instead of the nation as a whole. Because of this, they don't commonly leave their homes in search of greater power for their nation, and rarely go to war. While they don't favor war themselves, they understand the need to protect themselves and usually have a large number of ice golems patrolling their cities as a sort of automated guard. Their society believes in order as well as personal freedom and as such are mostly neutral goods.