Pale Elves

The Pale Elves did not always go by this name - they used to be call the High Elves, and they held a mighty civilization led by lords and ladies, each of which held warriors that protected their land the farmers and winemakers. High Elven society revolved around luxury and politics, and though history has lost the names and locations of the once towering High Elven cities, they boasted a culture that admired art and the finer aspects of life. They recognized, too, their lower echelons of society: throughout the year, each craftsman or noble would create a work of beauty or use and give it to a local farm or vineyward working family, to show them that all their dedication to providing for the society created marvels.

High Elven society was a place of respect, but it was slow in the process of its law and administration. The High Elves took their time, delicately assessing and performing each task one at a time, and, especially in the upper echelons of government, took a great deal of time-consuming deliberation and winding policies that slowed and restricted each motion. It was a river of politics ready to be sailed, and so it did - a noblewoman by the name of Van'ila sought every exception and flaw in the system and her fellow noblepeople. Her eyes were set upon absolute control - she used the sloth of the law's enforcement and the entangled treaties to turn noble houses against each other. She was known to attend social gatherings only to whisper in ears, always bubbling with hidden knowledge- fallacies she conjured unbeknownst to them. She poisoned or had assassinated those who failed her or went against her path, and with her speed she gained further influence before a reaction could properly be deliberated. It's said that she awaited her trial for five murders when her men killed the judge and torched the evidence, doing so blazenly because that morning she was the last remaining able-bodied and politically allowed person to rule.

This was the Old Queen. While she was never an official Queen, she was effectively one. Shortly after she gained control, the Last War had begun, but through her path to her end goal, Van'ila had ruined the elven nation, leaving it discontent, afraid, and without loyalties. This spurred a mass exodus under the leadership of an elven ranger named Daeion, ensuring that the High Elves would have safety if they renounced Van'ila and fled from the armies of the other kingdoms into the great forests. Cut from the sunlight and their lives of luxury, the High Elves became known as the Pale Elves.

The Pale Elves decided to renounce manipualtion, lengthy politics, and dishonesty, looking for truer and pure leadership. It is because of this that they decided not to manipulate nature any longer, for the woods did indeed bring them safety for which they are grateful Their buildings consist of minimal structure, mostly flowing with the present nature, rather than staking against it. Some call them Wood Elves, for they mostly dwell still in the forests that harboured them during the Last War. They survive by farming still, but the farmers work with the land, rather than creating farmland. This is more strenuous, and it led to a thinning and shortening of the elven race over time, causing them to stand a foot less than an equivalent human. Their eyes changed to be able to see far better in the dark with minimal lighting, and they came to value hunting as the other aspect of their survival.

The Pale Elves believe that they are the sons and daughters of the natural world and should protect it against unnatural abuse - burning of forests, defamation, and so forth. They believe in the tale of the Trees - the great spirits of the past that were so entertwined with the world that they refused to leave it, instead rooting themselves as living trees. Though they could be considered tales, some claim to have seen them and received wisdom from them. As dictated by Daeion, the Pale Elves hold seasonal offerings to the Trees, each varying depending on the work of the season. In the Spring, a festival is thrown as an offering of joy and love to the Trees, asking for fruitful children of their own and of the animals and plants they would hunt and harvest later in life. In the Summer, perhaps as a nod to the past, the Pale Elves present works of art and craftsmanship to the public, and these items are later received by the hunters and the farmers, thanking them for their service. This offering is of beauty. In Autumn, the Pale Elves migrate to their nearest spiritual grounds, usually a large collection of confierous trees, sometimes a forest all in its own. They bring their harvest wrapped in the fallen orange leaves and offer all their surplus to the collective, which rests inside the largest tree where the priests and sages spend their days, learning more of the world and what can be done to improve life in the forests. The offerings in the Summer usually sate the work-people to give away their surplus as an offering for the Autumn. The Elven people spend their time in Eventide and the Winter in these coniferous forests, hearing tales from adventurers who have returned home and learning wisdom and new knowledge from the sages, who believe the Autumn offering to be sufficient for their work's pay. This is the offering of knowledge freely given. It is also during these seasons that political leaders are elected to stay with the wisemen and rule the various woodland provinces. Leaders are shunned, sometimes killed, if they spend their time attempting to attain luxury and "playing politics." The Pale Elves in general refuse to be led by indecisive or bureaucratic people ever again, believing that strong leadership is what's best for their society. When all is done, the Pale Elves return to their provinces for the Spring.

The Pale Elves have no standing military, each province led by the chosen leaders with counsel of the wisemen to decide what's best for handling the affairs of their province. Pale Elves are therefore as unpredictable as the woods themselves: they could be peaceful, or they could be beyond dangerous.

In appearance, Pale Elves have bright skin, are a foot shorter on average compared to humans, have sharp eyes, and their hair grows wild and long, sometimes having natural highlights as well.