Eylfāe

Elves

Valsàhdylárāyhn sat upon the steps of Kyrm Oryroð, surveying the fettered herd before him. Each man, woman, and child was ragged, filthy, malnourished, wretched. His work exhausted him. The Oðyr cared no more for their own than he did. The Eylfāri Governor looked down at the rings upon his fingers. His eyes wound their way between each jewel, a golden Vulmùri star, a moonlit Scythe of Arynzàlvya, a crystal capsule of Drūvèrdor, a Petal of Elòrin. “I am wasted here,” he reflected, admiring the treasures piled upon his fingers. “Talking-animals are an aberration. It is cruel to deceive them, to encourage them. They have been misled.” Valsàhdylárāyhn glanced back up at the vacant, silent faces of the Oðyr. “They used to cry and plead,” he thought to himself. “Not even the whelps bothered anymore. It is a mercy,” he concluded. “Animals have no appreciation for beauty. Without beauty, there is no happiness. Without happiness, there is only misery.” Taking a deep breath, the Governor stood from the temple step. He glanced over his shoulder at the iron edifice behind him. “Day one hundred and seventeen,” he mused. “No response.” With a casual motion of his bejeweled fingers the air hummed with the vibration of bowstrings.

From the Tahrya Anahl to towering Athalsyreel, the Eylfāe of Teréth End have long been the most powerful race to walk the Five Lands. In the last two Ages of this world the balance has begun turning against the Eylfāe for the intrepid Dwürden and the savage Yrūn have joined forces against them on battlefields far and wide. Today, the Eylfāe have forged new alliances in the hopes that Teréth End will be returned to the paradise their legends describe. It is a precarious path that their allies take, for in the “Paradise of the Eylfāe” there are only Eylfāe. Note that the term “Elve” is Dekàlic shorthand for Eylfāe, though pronounced similarly.

The legends of the Eylfāe are repeated in the Songs of this ancient people. The immortal Eylfāe believe that they appeared on the World of Teréth End before the wheel of time began turning. It is sung that they arrived on beautiful “hundred sailed ships”, having plied the heavens from far away worlds. In this time before time, they came to this paradise-apparent and called it their home. According to their stories, the magics of the original Eylfāe were so great that their powers were absorbed into every rock, tree, and raindrop of this magic-starved world. So much of their power was drained that they were rendered unable to leave. To make matters worse, the magic had peculiar effects on the world, spawning creatures from the stones and plants. The first among these were the Dwürden, which proved to be a curse. The Dwürden of course, tell a different tale and the Dragul are simply amused.

Whether the story of the Arrival of the Eylfāe is true, it can be agreed that they are a spiritual race, more attuned to their Skein and life forces than the physical world around them. Unlike all other Teréth End life forms (excepting the Dragul) the Eylfāe seem to be their own source of magic. Whether that magic is produced from within or gathered from an external source (i.e. the Skein) is a contentious argument. It is also believed that currents within the Skein affect the emotions and activities of the Eylfāe.

There are six subraces of Eylfāe:

Physiology

The Eylfāe are both an Immortal and Elder Race, having emerged before or during the First Age, and have a constitution that supports longevity unsurpassed by all but the Dragul. Typically, a standard Eylfāe reach five to five and a half feet tall. Elve are rarely overweight and at times appear malnourished. It is thought by some that the race has a delicate constitution, but the appearance is deceiving. Even the strongest individuals of the race never seem to grow much muscle-mass. Unless diseased, Eylfāe skin is always fair and their hair lustrous. Eylfāe eyes are wider than that of the Uren, and often sparkle with jewel-like brilliance. It is no wonder that early Yrūn tribes regarded the race as godlings until the Dwürden showed them otherwise.

Similar to their Dwürden adversaries, the Eylfāe have exhibited an amazing array of adaptations to their “Adopted World”. The physiology of the race has changed to better adapt them to different environments and purposes. The most extreme of these morphisms are that of the Aqolaqba and the Ichra Eylfārehl who are at times not recognizable as Eylfāe at all, sometimes by their own kind. The most significant dichotomy within the Eylfāe is that of the Eylfārehl (Elvarel) and Neylfèrahl (Nelveral). The Eylfārehl are a diurnal people as opposed to the nocturnal Neylfèrahl. The Sōlàhrāe Eylfārehl are believed to have been among three Eylfāe subraces that originally arrived upon this world. The accompanying subraces which have since gone extinct. Those races however were precursors to the Eylfārehl and Neylfèrahl branches known today.

The most remarkable attribute of the Eylfāe is their longevity. It is not uncommon, when encountering the Eylfāe, to meet individuals that are hundreds of years old and some whose age may be measured in the thousands of years.

Psychology

“Maran 759 HK. We stopped near an anonymous Eylfāri village along the north coast of Teréðor. The residents regarded our arrival indifferently. The captain dispatched a small boat to procure provisions. Despite obvious gestures and signs for food, the Eylfāyr refused to communicate. As the team turned to abandon the effort, an unseen archer killed an emissary. The others fled to the small boat and returned to the ship. As the anchor was raised, Eylfāyr could be seen cleaning the fallen man as hunters might dress a deer. The captain was uninterested in pressing the issue, prayers were offered and we continued toward Nazhàlað.” – Journal of Ūlèsus of Gidðir

The Eylfāe of Teréth End are viewed as evil by most other inhabitants of the planet. Though the reputation is not unearned, the truth is more difficult. Eylfāyr only appear immoral when in the company of other races. Among their own kind, most Eylfāyr are gracious, lawful, and cultured. They are passionate about nature, beauty, history, and work without misgiving toward the betterment of their communities. Difficulties arise when mixing with other races. The Eylfāe have an immutable notion that they are superior to every other race, and that in their great effort to leave Teréth End, all others are obstacles. This mindset doesn’t lend itself to long-standing interracial alliances, trade agreements, or other relationships. It does however bind the subraces of Eylfāe together more closely than any other race.

Elèhral

Most mortals mistakenly believe that Eylfāe longevity represents a single continuous existence. The Eylfāe existence however, is very tenuous; their consciousness being the most fragile aspect of their being. An Eylfāyn may encompass several “personalities” over the course of their protracted life. Each of these elèhral are distinct, emerging serially within a the physical host. Very strong elèhral may exist for thousands of years but more commonly are replaced after a few hundred or less. Each subsequent elèhral has no memory of its host’s previous incarnations except through nalèlehral, a dream-state that the Eylfāe enter in lieu of sleep. Nalèlehral does not provide Eylfāe with a “waking” connection to previous or future elèhral. Instead, it allows resting Eylfāe to observe the thoughts and deeds of the stranger in the third person. Lessons or insight may be gleaned from nalèlehral but little more. In rare circumstances, past or future elèhral may reemerge in times of great need.

Language

Culture

Songs

The division of the Eylfāe did not occur due to morphological differences. A sub-race was considered separate when they began their own Song.

Magic

The Eylfāe are natural magic-users, perhaps the most accomplished Weavers on the World of Teréth End. Their magical constructs have withstood the centuries undiminished. Eylfāe sages and explorers mapped the world’s ley lines early in the Second Age. The Eylfāe have been tapping the world’s powers ever since.

Haladh

All subraces of Eylfāe are empowered by their Haladh (i.e., connection). The Haladh joins the Eylfāe spirit to their environment, manifesting in the Talhral. An Eylfāe removed from their Haladh suffers disharmony with the Skein about them. Eylfāe that have not experienced Nalelehral inside their Haladh within a number of days equal to their HT suffer from Najhaladh (disconnection). After one week of Najhaladh, an Eylfe begins to suffer more deleterious effects. In the second week, the Eylfe temporarily loses the benefit of all racial traits. In the third week and each subsequent week of Najhaladh, the Eylfāe loses 1 point of HT until death. Restoration, if possible, occurs at the same rate. Unspoiled or sacred regions of an appropriate Haladh double the rate in which HT is restored. Racial traits are returned after one’s HT returns to full.

  • Anàhlāe Eylfārehl: Woodlands
  • Aqōlàhqbāe Eylfārehl: Oceans
  • Drûl Neylfèrahl: Caverns
  • Içrāe Eylfārehl: Arctic, ice, snow
  • Nehkrul Neylfèrahl: Night sky, moon
  • Sōlàhrāe Eylfārehl: Sunlight

Nomenclature: Eylfae Dekàlic: Eylfāe (race), Eylfāri (pertaining to), Eylfāyn (individual), Eylfāyr (people)