Orskaathian Moon Elves

## Elf Ancestry

All moon elves are descended from Sōsen no Eien. It is very important to elves to count how many generations removed they are from Sōsen no Eien (fewer generations means the elf is more revered and the connection to astral magic stronger). Recall elves typically live 200-300 years, so the oldest elves around today are typically at least 8-9 generations removed from Sōsen no Eien. Elves are considered *Kodomo* (child) until they reach magical maturity through a transformation known as *Arawareru* (to appear) some time around their hundredth birthday. The *Arawareru* ceremony occurs at night: the transforming *Kodomo* gathers their ancestors and brings them to a field with a clear view of the night sky. At this point the *Kodomo* chooses a star or constellation in the sky to name themselves after, and the ancestors help the *Kodomo* paint the image of it on their forehead (see the image below). After this they declare themselves *Kōkei no Eien* (successor of eternity; a term of respect to reverence mature elf), and change their name.

* *Kodomo Names*: Kodomo Elves have a singular “childhood” name.
* *Kōkei no Eien Names*: After completing their Arawareru ceremony the star/constellation becomes the Elf’s “main name” (or from the perspective of other races: their last name). They can then choose whatever “secondary name” (first name) they want. Some keep their childhood name while others make up something entirely new or choose the name of someone they knew.
* *Name Politics*: Sometimes a particularly influential or powerful elf’s name is hoarded and sought after they die. Elves undergoing *Arawareru* may fight for the name.
* *Children’s Fable*: There are legends of rash elves who attempt their Arawareru too early or too greedily. One of the first descendents of Sōsen no Eien was intensely magical yet arrogant. They attempted their own Star Walk, but were too impatient and started too close to dawn. As the sun rose and the stars disappeared, they became trapped in the middle between the earth and the stars, forever unable to achieve their goal of joining Sōsen no Eien. It is unclear if this actually happened or if it is just a fairy tale told to elf children to encourage patience and appreciation for their long lives.

### Shifting Stars

The night sky in Arcadia is not set. Once an elf picks a constellation in their Arawareru and draws astral power from it, that constellation is set but the rest of the stars move and constellations shift night by night.

When an elf dies, their constellation does not fade, but it also does not remain the same. Instead, it begins shifting again, spreading into nearby constellations much like the magic of an elf spreads after death.

## Sexuality

Elves typically reproduce asexually. Once they reach *Arawareru*, an elf can break off a piece of their magic essence to birth a new elf through a ritual known as ***Star Shaving***. To Star Shave, an elf picks a star out of the sky and brings it to the ground from which the elf is born. The whole point is that they can’t live forever and they must attain and live a meaningful life so their magic will produce a new elf who can have new experiences as well.

* Elves don’t have a set gender and can alter their appearance slightly on a long rest to present more as male or female or completely neutral. Elves have no sexual reproductive organs.

Half-elves are birthed in a specific ritual. There are several criteria that must be met for a half-elf to be born:

1. An elf’s chosen partner must have a high level of magic proficiency
2. The elf must feel a genuine and strong connection to their partner
3. They must be perfectly in sync with their partner - mentally, physically, and emotionally. If they are lacking in any of those areas, they will not be able to reproduce.

If all the criteria are met, the elf and their partner engage in reproduction. At the height of emotional intimacy, the couple begins by pressing their foreheads together. Their magical prowess overlaps and their combined essence coalesces into a pure dew-drop of ancient arcane energy that floats down and splashes to form a half-elf.

* Half-elves do, naturally, originate from elves, but most half-elves in modern day are descended directly from other half-elves, not full elves (this is primarily due to the seclusion of full elves).

## Elven Culture

Elves are the most magical naturally occurring, common race in Arcadia. They all naturally have the ability ***Hoshi Ancestry*** (Star Ancestry—re-flavored Fey Ancestry ability): magic cannot put them to sleep—a gift from Sōsen no Eien to stave off sleep to see the stars. They also have advantage on saving throws against being charmed and are completely immune to being charmed when in moonlight—an artifact of Sōsen no Eien’s undeterred focus. **Elves can take a long rest in half the time, so 1.5 days.**

Elves do not sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply while watching the stars, remaining semi-conscious. This takes 4 hours if done at night and 6 hours if done during the day (because they cannot see the stars). While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Sōsen no Eien has their own constellation in the sky: the ***Umbral Ancestor*** that elves can pray to to find solace. The Umbral Ancestor takes the shape of Sōsen no Eien’s beloved companion, the Arctic Fox “Yuki”. Elves revere Arctic foxes as a result of the Umbral Ancestor’s constellation.  And sometimes, it’s rumored that if you are devout in magic and a true seeker of wonder, that constellation will gleam brightly and you can hear the soft whisper of astral wind and the soul of Sōsen no Eien.

Some common Elvish phrases:

* *“Tsuki ni kawatte oshioki yo”* : by the power of the moon I judge thee. An old elvish curse.
* *“Hikari sasu michi to nare”* : may you become part of the gathering light. An ancient elvish blessing.

### Elven Relationships

Elves do not experience romantic relationships in the same way as other races. They experience something akin to a very deep friendship rooted in spiritual connection and alignment of their astral auras. Many elves do live on their own, but it is not uncommon for them to live with Elven partners with whom they share this deep connection—potentially more than 1 elf partner too.
Some elves that are particularly close may Star Shave together and produce two elves that are ***Star Siblings***. An elf can also imbue some of their astral energy into another elf's Star Shaving (similar to how half-elves are created), but it still is primarily the elf doing the Star Shaving that creates the child.

## Magical Abilities

### Bladesinging

Morgan the Powerful—one of the 3 great wizards that according to Dol Arrah scripture helped form Arcadia—has lived in the ice palace Iskaander at the peak of Mount Barzuln in Orskaath since the dawn of Arcadia. She is Dol Arrah’s only Celestial in Arcadia. She mostly keeps to herself, but has, over the millennia, developed a relationship with the Elven tribes. Thousands of years ago she taught them the magical art of Bladesinging, a magical wizardry art that combines swordplay and dance. It is rumored that Morgan the Powerful had some interactions with Sōsen no Eien though the nature of their relationship is not known.

### Professions

Because elves have innate magical abilities, and it is common to find Elves of the following magical professions:

* Druid (by far the most common)
* Cleric
* Ranger
* Paladin (more rare)

### Elven Clerics

Elven Clerics do not try to force other creatures to their faith like Dol Arrah missionaries. Instead, they focus on generally improving the connection of Arcadia to the astral, traveling the world and leveraging their cleric astral magic to tasks such as healing injuries and illness, restoring nature and wildlife, and more.
For cleric subclasses I might suggest a homebrew version:

* http://dnd5e.wikidot.com/cleric:twilight Steps of Night ability is basically Star Walk, so I think this should be homebrewed into whatever subclass is chosen.
* Moonbeam is a required spell. But generally Elven Clerics should be focused more on buffs & healing than damage & combat.

## International Relations

### Elf - Half-elf Relations

Elven culture highly values the closeness of one's bond to Sōsen no Eien (i.e. older generations of elves) and this perspective extends to the relationship between elves and half-elves. Half-elves rarely hold positions of leadership in elven villages, and, depending on the tribe, may be looked down upon by full elves for the dilution of Sōsen no Eien connection with humanoid heritage. Full elves that create half-elf offspring often have to sacrifice their social standing to do so and "give up" some of their full elf privilege. Again this varies by village and is hardly a consideration for half-elves in metropolitan cities (most of whom are many generations separated from any full elves at this point).

### Foreign Relations

Powerful elves are sometimes sought by influential people (royals, generals, bardic college leaders, etc.) for their knowledge as beings with great longevity and astral magic prowess —especially elves closer to Sōsen no Eien. In exchange for their counsel, the elf’s tribe receives new territory and access to other parts of Arcadia where they can witness different stars and expand magical expertise—creating subdivisions within the moon elves and different classifications.
The more “night territory” an elven village or elf possesses, the more astral power they have. Elves are typically opposed to war-mongering nations or those whose actions pollute the night sky (Sigil light pollution, smoke from weapon factories, etc). Witnessing and absorbing the light of different constellations can have an effect on their appearance as well (aka the Elves aren’t just pale).

## Villages

Elves live primarily in the Orskaath region in small, remote villages. They don’t interact with many foreigners, so they do react when they see one, but are not antagonistic. They see foreigners as more of a curiosity. Elves are also not particularly interested in the politics of the rest of the world and tire of hearing of Orc wars. The Elven villages trade and interact with one another regularly, and in times of crisis (crisis relevant to the elves that is), an Elven council is formed from the heads of various villages.

Elves typically mark their homes and territory with the symbol of eternity, closely tied in meaning to Sōsen no Eien. Typically the elders with the closest connection to Sōsen no Eien (i.e. the oldest) lead the spiritual/community side of the tribe. Then it is the most skilled druid, ranger, or cleric that leads the practical/logistical side. They technically answer to the elders but usually the elders defer to them for things like how they produce food, where they settle, etc.