The sacred island...
A people shamed by wickedness...
The theater of redemption...
indigenous RACE
Elves:
The Unblemished Protectors
The highest good is amoral wisdom
The wisest person is the one who is oldest
The most sacred life is nature
The most sacred duty is the protection of Ëidine
The most wicked evil is shortsightedness
The most heinous crime is abandoning nature for the sake of a mortal.
Overview
Although they are the most ancient of races in Amaura, the elves were the last to mingle with the other races, waiting until after the emergence of the Seafolk to engage with the globalized world. Because the elves value the sanctity of nature, there are only three cities on the entire continent. The rest of their massive island is a collection of meadows and alpine ranges giving way to flat rainforest and jungle as one travels south. The entire island is raised from the sea and surrounded by sheer greystone cliffs, with extensive caverns and sea caves on its western edge. Only the southernmost tip of the island touches sea level where the jungle ends abruptly at the water's edge. A powerful Inheritance Spell cast by the elves over the island long ago defends the island from outsiders: any foreigner who sets foot on the island will be drained of life by the island itself (See History for more information).
Each of the elven cities is ruled by a Keeper who acts as governor and protector of that city and its ecological region. A Keeper wears an arm bangle to signify his or her office that is not removed until the position is passed to his or her successor. The Keepers ultimately are subjected to the authority of the Pristine Council - a trio of High Elves who lead the continent. The Keeper of Il'Ardenise is always a member of this council.
Elves do not die except by unnatural causes and they are not democratic. Thus, Council members are chosen by Ëidine herself. Miracles of nature are often seen as signs of Ëidine's anointing. The Keepers of the two lesser cities - Vilensîr and Halyth - are selected by the Council.
Elves are the only indigenous race on Ëidine (if you exclude the particularly vicious pod of mermaids off the coast). However, it still hosts a pocket of mixed-race druids in the Order of Benevol, and the Port of Vilensîr boasts an impressive system of docks and elf-made structures that support guests for short coastal excursions to the mystical land of the elves.
CITIES
Il'Ardenise: the Ancient City
Il’Ardenise houses the High Elves – those with the greatest abilities and longest lifespans. Since they are the oldest, they were assumed the wisest, and governed the elves for centuries. In their protection of Ëidine's magical isolation, the high elves elected to maintain the island as a natural reserve and shunned all outsiders.
The Pristine Council ruled Ëidine from Il'Ardenise with strict reverence for the island and her secrets. In spite of their deep love for nature, the elves also idolized their wisdom and sought ways to safeguard it for eternity. Though not as technologically proficient as the dwarves, the elves' quest for the preservation of knowledge inspired the High Elf artisans to craft the Caskets: orb-shaped devices used to store and catalog knowledge, music, art, and even emotions as magically accessible data in these golden lockboxes. The name "caskets" came as a jab at the elves' mortal neighbors. While traditional caskets were used to preserve the body, elven caskets were used to preserve the mind, heart, and soul.
During the time of the Nautilus Crisis, every living elf felt - for the first time - the prickling fear of death. In a mortal panic, the increase in Casket creation tripled on the island as every man, woman, and child raced to save their immortal minds before their bodies fell to the encroaching tide of apocalypse. In the wake of the Nautilus Crisis, the Oceanic 8 Champion, Galymbrilis - a renowned fanatic of Caskets - called for a vast collection of Caskets to be donated to the Vaults of Ëidine in Il'Ardenise as a monument to the magnificence of the collective elvish mind. The euphoria of survival inspired many Elves to contribute their Caskets to the capital, amassing the greatest single compilation of collected knowledge the world has ever known in what came to be known as "Solithur's Wisdom."
When Galymbrilis was later revealed to be the orchestrator of the second global crisis, Il'Ardenise fell overnight from its place in the intellectual heavens. Amauran scholars the world over who once had held the unreachable wealth of Solithur's Wisdom in mythic acclaim, now slandered the island's knowledge as a corrupting force in the hands of nihilistic curators. While the elves may have survived with the rest of the world, their reputation had not, and with Galymbrilis deposed, all three seats of the Pristine Council sat empty. Il'Ardenise had become a treasure ship with no one at the helm and no one coming to her rescue.
So it was, that in this deepest dillemma of elven history, the island selected three new rulers: Nemenyll the Drow and Once-Pristine, Naeven the Returned and Once-Traitor, and Alua the Orc. Though the unconventional identities of these council members nearly split the elves in two, none could contest the fact that for the first time in centuries, Ëidine had laid her mark upon these new rulers with inescapable annointing.
In the midst of the Fathom Throne Era, the new Pristine Council ushered in a period of good will to every continent, spear-headed by Benevol University opening its doors to all peoples in the third year of that council's reign. Though the university technically sits in the Order of Benevol's partition of Ardenisian territory, it stands as a beacon of the elves' newfound desire to share their knowledge all peoples of the world.
Vilensîr: the Jungle Port
The southern Jungle City of Vilensîr serves as the guardian to the only coastline in Ëidine as the cliffs of the rest of the island are far too steep to welcome any immigrants. The Vilen elves were always less civilized then their noble brethren in Il’Ardenise. Vilen culture celebrates the beauty of nature through color and song and dance. During the time of the Continental Alliance of the Nautilus Crisis, the gnomes in Asah’Ibolim leveraged their position as circumstantial allies to force the Vilen elves to open a harbor as a sign of good will. The High Elves' resentment toward this agreement and the gnomish race lasted until the Fathom Throne Era. However, the port was not a complete travesty as it led the more congenial elves of Vilensîr to discover and form friendship with the inhabitants of Dysmiridia who held similar respect for the sanctity of life on their sheltered island.
As more people groups moved through Vilensîr, there was a distinct departure from the elves' rigorous cultural celibacy. As the city expanded, their architecture in particular took a turn away from the glorification of nature to the juxtaposition of nature: something that did not go unnoticed by the High Elves deep in their forest realm.
For centuries, Port of Vilensîr was the only gate into and out of Ëidine, and served as the checkpoint for any outsiders who desired to commit themselves to the Order of Benevol. Few ever emigrated away from Ëidine until countless elves lost faith in their race and departed for Sembre and Dysmiridia in the aftermath of the Tragedy of KorKuuna. After the Great Elf Exodus, the elves of Vilensîr actually began making their port more accommodating to outsiders, constructing an entire town in the shallow reefs to host guests while protecting them from the Inheritance Spell (since it can only affect those who set foot on Ëidine's soil).
During the Apocalyptic, the great ranger, Naeven the Returned, sparked a rebellion in Vilênsir to overthrow Galymbrilis' rule in Il'Ardenise. With the help of his heroic companions, Naeven helped end the arrogant regime perpetuated by the elves for generations and establish a new order of humility and shared knowledge with the outside world. This victory was not taken lightly by the Vilên elves, and Vilensîr's Carnival of Independence is one of the most raucous parties on the face of Amaura.
Kor Kuuna: the Banished Isle
The third city - the Guardian of the Western Cliffs - was once called Halyth, but that was a long, long time ago...
HISTORY
The Inheritance Spell
The Inheritance Spell that lies upon the island is maintained by the High Elves. When it was first established, it required the combined efforts of every living elf to cast it. Its purpose: to slay any trespassers who are not "heirs of Ëidine" by absorbing their life-force into the island. This Inheritance Spell ensures that only those descended from the original spell-casters can live within its boundaries. When the spell was set and the island magically locked away, a strange mark - like a tattoo - appeared on the arms of every elf. It is the Mark of Inheritance, a symbol of their identity as the heirs of Ëidine.
The Order of Benevol
When Benevol Bartimelow first landed on the shores of Ëidine near Vilensîr to bring the last cave pixie to her new home away from Dysmiridia, he was attacked by the Inheritance Spell and would have died had it not been for the stag. In Benevol's hour of need, the majestic beast emerged from the jungle, helped the halfling onto its back and carried him swiftly to Il'Ardenise.
As the stag charged into a glade just outside the city of the High Elves. Benevol slid from the stag's back and crumpled to the cold stones beneath him, the cave pixie a smothered ball in his pocket. The island's magic was almost finished claiming the life of the trespassers, when - silent and resolute - as the stag knelt before the halfling. Laying his brow upon Benevol's a light passed between them. The stag moaned in perfect sorrow and collapsed to the forest floor. Elves burst into the clearing moments later at the sound of the pained animal, but as they approached, it was not the stag that stirred but the halfling boy. He pulled himself to his feet, and the elves shrieked in alarm - for there upon his arm emblazoned was the Mark of Inheritance.
When Benevol reached into his pocket and presented the resurrected cave pixie to the dumbfounded High Elves, he was recognized as a hero, chosen by Ëidine to be accepted into her paradise. But when they tried to bring the two newcomers to Il'Ardenise, the pixie began to putter and choke: she had not received the mark. Benevol dashed back into the clearing and brought the pixie near to the stag's magnificent body. She breathed easy again. The stag itself was the counter to the Inheritance Spell.
After much discussion amongst the High Elves, it was determined that the cave pixie - as a child of nature - must be accommodated on Ëidine. That same night, a ceremony was conducted to spread the blood of the elk across the grounds of the glade, blessing the clearing as a neutral zone, freed from the Inheritance Spell. And it was given to young Benevol to be caretaker of all creatures that needed refuge. On that holy site was constructed a citadel that today houses the Order of Benevol where a druidic life of care for all creatures in need awaits those who are able to survive the journey to the glade's sanctuary. A sanctuary that became nearly overwhelmed during the Seafolk Harvest Massacres.
KorKuuna and the Birth of the Drow
When Terras from Pyros and then Sembre began attacking the Seafolk, the elves were horrified. Being immortal, they had no need for the Seafolk's Panacea and were able to regard the genocide as purely grotesque. However, while they extended relief efforts to the Seafolk, the High Elves adamantly refused to allow foreigners past their borders - afraid that violence would follow the Seafolk into Ëidine. They conceded to grant sanctuary to as many refugees as could be contained in the Citadel of Benevol, but the building was soon overflowing. Vilensîr did its part by diverting as many Seafolk as possible to Dysmiridia, but the people of Halyth were powerless to aid the countless men and women who flooded in from Pyros - pursued by bloodthirsty mermaids - to pound the rocks of the Western Cliffs, crying out for sanctuary from genocide only to be slowly murdered by the Inheritance Spell. The people of Halyth were powerless to help - that is - until they committed the unthinkable.
When the Seafolk were attacked, the Keeper of Halyth, Nemenyll, made a brilliant and terrible declaration. Moved by the plight of the Seafolk, she decided that she would house refugee Seafolk in the cliff-side caves of her region and absorb the curse on their behalf, just as the Stag had done for Benevol centuries before. She made this proclamation to her people: any who did not wish to participate were welcome to make the journey to Vilensîr, but she implored Halyth to stand with her and do what they could to restore the balance of the world.
Only a third of the city’s population remained after her statement. Of the deserters, some went to Vilensîr, while others rushed immediately to the High Elves in Il'Ardenise, hoping to stop Nemenyll before she led her city into damnation. But they did not know Nemenyll had already sent for the Seafolk. The first refugees arrived only a days later and Nemenyll herself took the curse of those first few as she hid them in the sea-caves.
No elf had ever been subjected to the effects of the Inheritance Spell. The spell was designed to kill mortal creatures, so what would it do to an elf? Even Nemenyll had no idea what would ruin it would commit to her as she passed her Mark of Inheritance to the first Seafolk refugee. For a time, it seemed that all was well and the remaining elves of the city also transferred their Marks of Inheritance to the mass of Seafolk now hiding in their caves. But then the consequences of the Halythian elves' benevolence slowly emerged.
True, the spell could not claim their lives for they were immortal elves, but this would not satisfy the magic. The balance of heirs had to be maintained, two creatures could not share the same Mark of Inheritance. Some lives had to be eliminated. The spell could not claim their lives for they were immortal elves. So rather than murder their mortality, the spell attacked their elf-hood.
When word of Nemenyll's plans for Halyth first reached the High Elves. Solithur, the Keeper of Il'Ardenise and a member of the High Council, was still nursing the rebuttal he had received from Nemenyll only a few weeks earlier. Certain that the lack of sacrificial life-force would prevent Nemenyll from passing her Mark of Inheritance to the Seafolk, Solithur was content to do nothing and watch her altruistic delusions fall to pieces. He dismissed the pleas of the Halyth deserters who passed, disgruntled, on to resettle in Vilensîr.
But news of Nemenyll's failure never reached Solithur nor any elf for that matter. After the first week passed, the worried members of the Pristine Council immediately voted to personally investigate Nemenyll and put a stop to her machinations by whatever means necessary. So it was that when Solithur, the sharp-eyed Thurimë, and the wizard Galymbrilis arrived at the lofty towers of Halyth, they were struck by the eerie quite that whistled through the city. It was as if the entire city had lost its breath - locked in a silent scream - a desperate attempt to cry out amounting to nothing. Nothing but wind whistling through the streets and snapping the banners of the traitorous city.
They searched the entirety of Halyth, the castle, the watch towers. The city was abandoned. Fury giving way to panic, Solithur strangled the railing as he looked out from the highest tower, straining his eyes for even a flicker of the disappeared elves. Then he saw the caves below and the and pockets of Seafolk infesting the cliffs like of hive of repulsive insects. Furious, Solithur called the council to his side and they surged down the pathways to reach the caves determined to rid the island of the parasitic race. They reached the shore, tore through the shallows with swords drawn, leaped into the first cave with a roar.
They stopped dead in their tracks. Gathered in the arms of the Seafolk, nursing Seafolk Panacea with feeble sips, were hundreds of grey and black creatures crowned with shocks of stringy white hair. Solithur hissed in disgust. The Seafolk who had frozen at his entrance remained still, fear swimming in the wide eyes.
"They have bred monsters!" he shrieked, "You dare to raise your filthy spawn on the holy shores of Ëidine?!" He lifted his sword once more to strike, but one of the black creatures shot out its hand and caught him by the arm. He yelped and tried to pull away, but its grip was terrible and strong. And then, lifting its dark head, it brandished sickly red eyes. It pushed itself up from the rock and something glinted on its arm. A Keeper's Bangle.
"Solithur" it croaked. The elf lord's sword clattered to the ground. The air leaked out of his lungs in the sad hiss of enlightenment:
"It cannot be... Nemenyll?"
The creature, the once-elf, lowered her head: weariness and sorrow collapsing her. The Seafolk who had been caring for her cautiously approached and carried back into the shelter of the cave, away from the violent sun. Solithur stood in horror. They Inheritance Spell could not kill them, so it had changed them into... into...
"What are they?" Galymbrilis asked. Thurimë, who seemed to be looking through the cave into something new and unconsidered, answered:
"They are the good that we could not dare to be."
Solithur could only stare as the wind howled through the spaces inside him where all his convictions used to lie. Bending to pick up his sword, he turned unto the sea and departed for Il'Ardenise, never to return to the cliffs again.
Solithur and the council returned to Il'Ardenise and word spread of Halyth's terrifying demise: elves stripped of their beauty, writhing in pain. When Seafolk evacuation vessels finally broke through the mermaids around Ëidine, the Seafolk refugees left immediately, hoping their departure would right the balance of the Inheritance Spell. It did not. The Halythian elves who had abandoned their city before now came and returned to care for their ruined brothers and sisters, but the torment of the Inheritance Spell only increased. Finally, the Pristine Council determined the only way to end the torment of their brothers and sisters was to banish them from Ëidine. Gathering the pitiful elves in the castle of Halyth, the Vilen and High elves gave one final farewell, returned to the edge of the forest and together uttered a banishing spell. The Western Cliffs trembled and roared and piece by terrible piece, crumbled gloriously into the ocean, When the dust cleared, only a small section of Halyth remained: pushed miles from the island by the spell. It was now an island of black spires, standing dark and alone far from the shores of Ëidine - a cruel and woeful monument to the elves that fell to the Martyr's Curse
ll KorKuuna it is now called – The Cursed Rock. Not a day goes by that those who remember the tale do not look across the misty ocean, see the black spires scraping the horizon, and mourn for their elven brothers and sisters. Have they all perished, or do they still live on in tortured existence in that prison wrought by their own sacrifice? None dare to risk the consequences of seeking the truth.
The Great Elf Exodus
After the banishing of Kor Kuuna, a great loss of faith in the sanctity of Ëidine swept the island. While the council had hoped to use the tragedy of Nemenyll and Halyth as a cautionary tale to keep their subjects in line, many elves - especially from Vilensîr - became so disgusted with the cruel and short-sighted leadership of the High Elves that they abandoned the island. Even one of the Pristine Council - the High Elf, Thurimë - left with her husband Calavir for the unchartered lands beyond. Following the Seafolk like a wave, a new Exodus occurred as a massive population of elves turned their backs on Ëidine and dispersed across Amaura seeking new life away from the inhumanity of Il'Ardenise.
Few settled in Dysmiridia as it was too close to Ëidine - both in distance and dogma. Many settled in the lawless ports of Western Sembre and Sahr-Bárabor in rebellion against the rigid law of the High Elves. Others tried to settle in Chīa but got a taste of their own medicine when they had their first encounters with Banshee's Breath. Some tried and failed to integrate into the orc villages on the ice shelves of Low Dûrdn. And one brave pocket of elves actually formed a new colony at the northern tip of Sembre in the nostalgic highland forests where they intermingled with the human populations to form the half-elf Ëobol Territories.
Finally, after centuries of isolation and ethnocentricity, the elves had managed to break free from their aloof disdain and engage with their neighbors. And not a moment too soon. For it was not long after their treks across the sea that their wisdom would be dearly needed in the quelling of the Nautilus Crisis.
Champions of Ëidine
Galymbrilis
Born in the 94th year of the Second Age, Grand Enchanter, Member of the 3rd Pristine Council, Lord of Holy Ëidine, Died in the Apocalypse of 1624 (all titles since removed)
Galymbrilis came of age as a young adult just as Amaura was blossoming into its Goodwill Era, and along with the rest of his elven brethren, he was enamored with the creation of the Casket. The devices inspired Galymbrilis to pursue higher studies in magical arts. His lofty upbringing in Il'Ardenise combined with an indomitable will and intellect sent him rocketing through the ranks of his colleagues. His impressive abilities and piety for the island convinced many eager elves that Galymbrilis was a chosen candidate for a seat in the Pristine Council alongside Solithur and Thurimë.
Galymbrilis served the island well. Throughout his rule, he maintained a fiercely purist platform in regards to outsiders - even offering support to the closure of Benevol Abbey. And yet, Galymbrilis somehow managed excellent relations with the leaders of the other continents, even embarking on numerous diplomatic voyages during his reign. However, Ëidine's relations with the the humans was cut off when the Harvest Massacres began. Though Galymbrilis seemed pleasant with his allies, he always remembered the inferiority of the mortal races and the sanctity of the Holy Island above all things.
When news reached Ëidine that Isle Pyros had been sunk, Galymbrilis was aloof. He declared the mortal Terra deserved their punishment for their atrocities during the Harvest Massacres, and resolved to do nothing to assuage the fury of the retaliating Seafolk. But when the aquatic heralds arrived on the shores of Vilensîr to condemn even the elves to watery doom, Ëidine hastily entered the Continental Alliance to stop the Seafolk's revenge.
Upon Pax' request, each continent submitted a Champion to serve as their ambassador and leader in the Continental Alliance. Not wanting to be tied to the fleeting nature of the mortal races, the elves selected a representative who would be cooperative with the Alliance but would also be able to maintain a cold apathy to their endeavors - someone who would not hesitate to put the good of Ëidine before the rest of Amaura.
The obvious choice was Galymbrilis. Not only was he an extraordinary wizard and a cunning ruler, "Gal" (as Pax often called him) already had well-established relations with Pax and the court of Ensembre from his various diplomatic missions around the globe. Armed with his magic and his machinations, Gal entered the Nautilus Crisis on behalf of the elves.
When the heroes emerged from the sea with the Nautilus Pieces in tow, Galymbrilis quickly disentangled himself from the group and returned to his throne in Il'Ardenise where Solither welcomed him home. He placed his Nautilus Piece on display in the halls of the High Elves' palatial city as a symbol of their eternal victory over the sea and their immortal rivals who dwelt therein. Even when news of the Nautilus Pieces driving the members of the Oceanic 8 into madness and even death, Galymbrilis remained unmoved, saying that they were "unworthy to carry these immortal artifacts."
But when Pax was reported dead, Galymbrilis' pride withered into despair. He locked the Nautilus Piece away in a Vault hidden somewhere in Ëidine, and made a magical vow to isolate himself from the other continents forever. He settled himself into his throne over the elves and turned his attention again toward his nation's internal affairs, or so it seemed...
In the climax of the 1624 Apocalypse, Galymbrilis was revealed to be the instigator of the world's doom. Steeped in the efficacy of Seafolk prophecies, Galymbrilis never once doubted the world's destruction, but he had hoped that by controlling the Nautilus Pieces through Rekië, he could stave off the God of the Sea's wrath from swallowing Ëidine, leaving elves to repopulate the cleansed world.
Gal wove a magnificent and cunning plot, spanning over a century of corruption and manipulation across the realm, but his schemes were foiled when the God of the Sea proved to be greater than Gal's dark machinations and the forces of evil he thought could shield him from the God and his champions. Galymbrilis and his great pride were destroyed and his legacy reduced to shame and megalomania. While once he was a champion, he is now a figure of disgrace and caution to the citizens of Amaura for centuries to come.
Naeven the Returned
Born in the 152nd year of the Third Age, Ranger in the Emerald Ministry, Commander in the Vilen Resistance Army, Member of the 4th Pristine Council, Hero of Amaura, Servant to the God of the Sea
Naeven was a preeminent ranger who served the Emerald Ministry in the jungles surrounding Vilensîr. But what he possessed in martial prowess, he deeply lacked in moral fortitude. Not halfway through their journey in the Apocalypse of 1624, he betrayed the heroes and abandoned their journey.
Lured back to his homeland by that ancient tactician—Galymbrilis—Naeven returned to take part in a rebellion against the High Elves alongside his lover, Selva. Eventually, the other heroes’ travels brought them back to Ëidine to take the final Nautilus Piece from Il'Ardenise. But Galymbrilis had revealed his plan to Naeven to unite Rekië with the Nautilus Pieces and ride out the apocalypse with elves as the single race of the new world. Consumed with despair, Naeven conceded. He betrayed his companions according to Galymbrilis’ deception
Naeven’s betrayal helped unleash catastrophe upon the world, but his comrades' faith in the God of the Sea inspired him to resist Gal in the end. When the adventure ended, Naeven was emboldened by this same faith to return to Ëidine and finish what he and Selva had started. Together, with the help of the Drow, they retook their home and redeemed their island home in the name of the God of the Sea.
Naeven became one of the new three High Council alongside Nemenyll the Drow and Alua. They also established a University with the aid of the Brothers of Benevol to transform Ëidine from a garish, pristine tower into an open-door sanctuary of learning and wisdom, and even opened the vast stores of Caskets in Solithur's Wisdom to all.
They began to share with the world to the glory of the God of the Sea.