Elves

Long ago, a fraction of the Ykrietes began to feel magic less strongly than those around them, as if sensing a dis-turbance in the flow of mana. They began to fear that if the magic abandoned them, it would spell the end of their existence as without mana flowing through them, they could not weave new Ykrietes into existence, and would face a slow, hopeless decline until they withered away. Preempting this, the faction later known as the elves began look-ing for new ways to propagate their race, morphing themselves with what magic they could muster in order to allow biological reproduction before they felt their link with magic cut entirely. Many Ykrietes believe that this forced altera-tion of their biology caused their broken link with magic, but the elves believe it is just a matter of time before the Ykrietes feel the same break.

Sticking to the forests, unlike their nomadic ancestors, they first heard rumours of other races from the Ykrietes, as the first goblin exploration parties made their way from Tithos. When they eventually reached the forests, the elves began to realise they had more in common with these new races, and strong alliances began to form. Eventually, after many generations, magic began to trickle back into the race, similarly to how other races showed magical po-tential, and the elves were content to learn how other races used magic without becoming dependant.

Elves have a deep rooted mistrust of pure magical beings, refusing to believe that such creatures could lead to any-thing other than trouble. Elemental beings and mana lights are treated as bad omens, thing not to be trusted. Within their own ranks, there is a stigma against elves who choose to pursue the expansion of magical knowledge, and in-deed, purely magical elves themselves, believing that those too dependant on magic are more easily manipulated by the sprites in their elder’s stories.

Unlike most races, attunement is not viewed positively by the elves. Instead, it is believed that attuned have been touched by wicked forces who seek to lead them to destruction. As such, many attuned elves leave their homelands or attempt to hide their magical features, with some beginning to actively look for ways to reverse the effects.

Best suited to warm jungle climates, the elves build their homes high in the canopies of great trees in Akronia, hiding in the dense foliage. Their towns partially mimic plants, allowing them to blend almost seamlessly with their environ-ment. The elves have become extremely good at foraging, relying predominately on what nature provides instead of create large intrusive farms. In cooler climates, elves are frequently found underground, taking advantage of the nat-ural heat of the earth.

Elves pride themselves on their ability to utilise their terrain for the best effect. Warriors often take to the trees in bat-tle, thinking of battles in three dimensions instead of two.

The most common myth the elves share, aside from that of the magical sprites leading people astray, is that of the whispers in the dark. Each story has a different non-magical source for the whispers, if the source is mentioned at all, but it is commonly believed by the elves that they are the closest to nature, and as such, nature will aid them in times of trouble, suggesting solutions to their troubles if they are dire, and telling them the way back to the path if they be-come lost.

When the elves ancestors gave up their link to magic, they slowly lost the bright pigment in their skin and hair, and their horns stopped growing and did not grow for their children. The only physical trait still remaining is their pointed and usually elongated ears.