Alfheim

## Planar Traits

* Great Wheel

**Alfheim**, rarely also called **Elfheim**, was an elven realm in the first layer of Ysgard. It was occasionally the location of Aerie, the divine realm of Aerdrie Faenya, according to the Great Wheel cosmology.

## Description

The realm was a beautiful and joyful region imbued in sunlight. The landscape was rich with untouched wilds with sunlit forests, streams, and hills, all teeming with wildlife.

Seasons in Alfheim were well defined, with long and mild summers and extremely harsh winters.

## Cosmography

Alfheim was believed to have been once part of Arvandor, but the realm gradually shifted into Ysgard as its inhabitants grew increasingly concerned with honor and survival.

## Notable Locations

* Aerie, the divine realm of Aerdrie Faenya, was occasionally located in Alfheim, as it constantly shifted back and forth from Arvandor.
* The High Grove, a copse of enormous sequoias that connected to one of the branches of Yggdrasil. It was the site of large festivals in spring and autumn.

## Inhabitants

Most of the elves in Alfheim dwelt on the surface, but it was also common to find settlements located in glittering underground caves. During winter, all surface dwellers retreated to those caves after the first snow. The caves were then sealed off for the duration of the season. Wintertime visitors to Alfheim were met with a deserted landscape devoid of its inhabitants.

During summer, the elven inhabitants of Alfheim were very welcoming to visitors, bestowing them with valuable gifts and insisting for travelers to share tales of their journeys. However, they strongly disliked the Ysgardian dwarves and gnomes, the former of whom would come up to the surface during this season to farm or engage in trade, and made every effort to make them feel unwelcome and uncomfortable.

## Appendix

### Further Reading

* Roger E. Moore (October 1984). “Plane Facts on Gladsheim”. In Kim Mohan ed. *Dragon* #90 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 36–42, 54–60.
* Jeff Grubb (July 1987). *Manual of the Planes 1st edition*. (TSR), p. 95. ISBN 0880383992.

### References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Jeff Grubb, Bruce R. Cordell, David Noonan (September 2001). *Manual of the Planes 3rd edition*. (Wizards of the Coast), pp. 90–92. ISBN 0-7869-1850-8.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Chris Perry (December 1996). “The Seldarine Revisited”. In Pierce Watters ed. *Dragon* #236 (TSR, Inc.), pp. 11–17, 25.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Tom Moldvay (September 1980). “Giants in the Earth”. In Jake Jaquet ed. *Dragon* #41 (TSR, Inc.), p. 19.
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eric L. Boyd (November 1998). *Demihuman Deities*. Edited by Julia Martin. (TSR, Inc.), p. 94. ISBN 0-7869-1239-1.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Colin McComb (October 1996). *On Hallowed Ground*. Edited by Ray Vallese. (TSR, Inc.), p. 95. ISBN 0-7869-0430-5.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Book of Chaos”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Chaos* (TSR, Inc), pp. 109–111. ISBN 1560768746.
7. ↑ Wolfgang Baur and Lester Smith (1994-07-01). “The Travelogue”. In Michele Carter ed. *Planes of Chaos* (TSR, Inc), pp. 42, 45. ISBN 1560768746.
8. ↑ Wolfgang Baur, James Jacobs, George Strayton (September 2004). *Frostburn*. Edited by Greg Collins. (Wizards of the Coast), p. 124. ISBN 0-7869-2896-4.

### Connections

The Heroic Domains of Ysgard
Layers and their Realms

**Wandering:** Seelie Court