Elf

THE SOUTHERN ELVES

 

This is simply the name which the common variety of Elf to settle on our planet chose to call themselves. Naturally it is directly related to their geographical position. The majority of Elfin-kind ended up in South America but the name also has some relevance to their own world, their actual name roughly translating to 'Southern Realm'. Thus their landing in the southern continent seemed fitting and perhaps even predestined.

 

These Elves come from a world much like Earth, only there, they were the dominant species. Their kind spanned the realm and when the Resonance came, a variety of their countries and continents were equally effected by the Nevus. This drew in several different races of Elves, who not unlike our world are distinguished by physical differences; traits such as skin tone, facial features and such.

 

COMMON PHYSICAL TRAITS

 

Southern Elves average five feet tall. Males are a little taller, commonly about 5'2" and females are around 4'10". To be clear, these are nothing like small Humans. They are a diminutive people, males weighing on average 115 lbs and females 80 lbs. An Elf standing 5'5" is considered very tall and is uncommon and any approaching six feet are extremely rare and not allowed. These Elves are not meant to be the same size as Humans and allowing exceptional height is simply too convenient. If we allow one, more will follow and the chances of even two Elves of exceptional height being in the same story setting is simply too unrealistic.

 

Hair colors range from 'Human-like' to otherworldly hues like red, green, blue, purple and white, as do their eyes. They are very colorful.

 

LANGUAGES

 

The Southern Elves being comprised of many different races speak a variety of tongues, but they do have one language which they all speak, simply called 'Common Tongue'. It is a very difficult language for a non-Elf to learn and certain words will never be pronounced properly.

 

SOCIETY

 

The Southern Elves come from what could best be described as a modernized medieval world. Magic has taken the place of 'electronics'. Automobiles were never required, but in their world they did have a form of magically driven locomotives which pulled trains along railways. Their sailing vessels were able to cross the seas without natural wind and refrigeration is accomplished through the use of 'cold-stone', a magical crystal that looks like ice and radiates cold.

 

They are primarily democratic but their government systems could best be described as an elected monarchy.

THE LIGHT ELVES

 

The Ljósálfar or Light Elves are creatures of Nordic mythology. They are from Alfheim, one of the Nine Worlds and only a few have crossed through the Veil during the Resonance.

 

Please be aware that they come from the same realm as the Dark Elves and the two races are not necessarily enemies, although culturally speaking they may be abrasive towards one another.

 

PHYSICAL APPEARANCE

 

Light Elves are very tall. The height of an average male is 6'6" and females are approximately 6'3". They can attains heights of upwards to eight feet but such cases are very rare (anomalous among their kind). They have long lean muscular frames and move with unprecedented grace in everything they do. (A 6'6" male Elf of average build would weigh approximately 200 lbs).

 

Their hair is always fair — from a shimmering white, to silver, to golden. Ears are pointed, skin pale, features Nordic. Eyes are vivid as a deep blue sky and when one looks into their irises they can see clouds churning within them.

 

NATURE AND ABILITIES

 

Light Elves could be considered the epitome of Greater Sidhe.

 

They are most comfortable in cold conditions. They prefer winter to all other seasons and will never succumb to over exposure to cold — they thrive in it.

 

They are able to tread upon freshly fallen snow with out hardly leaving an imprint and easily leap twice their height in a single bound. Agile and deceptively strong, they can be vicious fighters and possess an affinity for magic, often possessing the same skill for casting cantrips (very minor utility spells such as producing a flame or creating a layer of frost on a window) as do Magus.

 

Light Elves are literally, radiant beings. They seem to shimmer in sunlight, a strange effect that one's eyes will quickly become accustomed to the longer they gaze upon them. In the dark they are able to shed an unnatural glow which they can increase at will until this 'illumination' would cover an area roughly the size of the average theater (note this is not UV and does not affect vampires) but this not 'common light' it is merely the absence of dark, as if an unseen glow were illuminating the area. These Elves themselves DO NOT look like spotlights are are bright in anyway, they simply shimmer and posses a faint radience. Commonly they posses the ability to manipulate light in some manner as well as generating illusions of varying degrees of complexity. They themselves while the source of the light are NOT blinding, they are merely illuminated by an unnatural light like an orb of daylight amidst darkness.

 

Their sky-like eyes are also able to see extremely well in darkness, even in blackness absent of all light the Light Elves can see the world as if it were revealed to them by a radiant glow emanating from a dim source only they can see.

 

LANGUAGE & CULTURE

 

The Light Elves speak their own tongue, a language simply called Alfspråk which sounds like a combination between Norwegian and Gaelic, a lot like Finnish. They also speak Old Norse and this allows them to somewhat converse with those speaking modern Norwegian.

 

Their architecture is in a word, wondrous. All of their buildings are comprised of stone and metal, as they will not sacrifice trees for their dwellings. Few can rival their craftsmanship and artistry.

 

Even though their towns and cities are as cold and lifeless as the structures of Earth, they ensure that living forests are amalgamated with them. They clear as little land as possible, and possess magic capable of relocating trees. This 'natural' way of constructing their cities creates designs unlike anything on Earth.

 

In our world, the realm of Earth, it is not known how many Light Elves crossed through the Veil or where they may be. Most who came through were scattered.

THE DARK ELVES

 

THESE ARE NOT D&D DROW — In Norse Mythology, the Dökkálfar (Old Norse, 'Dark Elves') and the Ljósálfar ('Light Elves) are two contrasting types of Elves of the lore, one dwelling deep within the caverns of Svartálfaheimr (World of the Black Elves) the latter residing in the bright halls of, álfheimr.

 

Many scholars do not differentiate between the Svartálfar ('Black Elf') and the Dökkálfar accepting that both terms were synonymous with 'Dwarves', but in the setting of RESONANCE we shall take the path less traveled and imagine the two to be different species. Thus, the Svartálfar of Norse Mythos are likened to the image of Dwarves as popularized by great authors like Tolkien and Lewis, while the Dökkálfar will be the dark cousins of the 'Light Elves' as depicted in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

 

At the dawn of the Resonance, the veils between worlds thinned allowing some to cross through while others spilled into one another and merged; such is the story of Svartálfaheimr, the World of the Black Elves home to Dwarf and Dark Elf. The darkest and deepest of their halls now mingle within the subterranean labyrinths of Earth and these ancient and magical beings now enter the world they know only as Midgard.

 

Please be aware that they come from the same realm as the Light Elves and the two races are not necessarily enemies, although culturally speaking they may be abrasive towards one another.

 

DESCRIPTION

 

Unlike their tall and fair, Nordic cousins the Dökkálfar males and females do not exceed a height of 5 foot eight inches and are possessed of lean, graceful frames designed for speed and stealth. Their skin is as black as pitch, the soft flesh of their mouths and eyes a deep purple. Their hair is likewise, jet black, commonly possessing a blueish sheen, although green and red while rarer do exist as if the colour of their poker straight locks were the darkest hue of that colour.

 

The eyes of a Dökkálfr* are entirely black, but were one able to inspect them in the light they would be able to discern a very faint charcoal coloured iris floating in those black pools; nestled in eyes not unlike those Humans of Asian descent. In fact the features of the Dökkálfar are not unlike those of Indians or people specifically of Chinese heritage, the dark skin, eyes and pointed ears naturally differentiating them.

 

ATTRIBUTES

 

The Dökkálfar are quick and agile, making up for what they lack in strength. The strongest of males will not exceed a lifting capacity of three hundred pounds which for a one hundred and forty pound person is quite impressive. In their society, however, the average male is only slightly stronger than the average female and both genders have possessed equality for thousands of years.

 

They have exceptional hearing, not unlike that of a cat and are able to leap twice their height from a still position. Extremely dextrous, they are exceptional craftsman and pride themselves on their artistry.

 

ABILITIES / WEAKNESSES

 

VISION

In complete darkness, they see as well as a Human during sunset and the world appears not unlike a lustrous combination of golds and reds through their eyes. By the soft glow of ultraviolet radiation, they see perfectly, able to view a full range of colour, but even the light of a candle is blinding to them. To them, the flickering wisp would be like a 100 watt bulb to a Human, they have no tolerance whatsoever to bright light, and are completely blinded by it. In normal day light they need to shade their eyes and if possible will stay in shadow.

 

ELIMINATE LIGHT

To counter the hindrances of light, all Dökkálfar possess the magical abilities to dowse brightness by snuffing out heat sources thus effecting flame and filament, alike. They can extend this ability to cover a twenty foot radius, causing all flames and electrical light sources to die out. Even chemical reactions that produce light will cease to work. Once, however, they are no longer present, the enchantment will quickly wear off and while fires will not re-ignite, electrical or chemical sources will glow again.

 

In the case of magical fire's and light sources which for some reason their spell cannot effect, the Dark Elves can turn light a deep violet; a colour that does not effect their eyes. This is why their dwellings utilize this colour of light, that and it allows for the use of fire as heat source.

 

SHADOW STEPPING

Void of light, the Dökkálfar can move in utter silence, like shadows. They do not stir the air nor the ground as they move through the darkness, but they cannot attack a creature in this state. To wield weapon, spell or generate any amount of physical force they must become flesh. This is easily dispelled by light. Shine some light on them and they become visible and corporeal.

 

COLD RESILIENCE

They are very resilient to cold, able to withstand arctic conditions with minimal clothing but this does not mean they crave such conditions. They still enjoy the warmth of the blue fires and their comfortable subterranean dwellings.

 

Proficiencies in spell casting vary among them.

 

WEAPONRY

 

Their preferred weapons are short bows. Exquisitely crafted of a black wood, the Dark Elf Warriors are highly skilled archers and incredibly proficient in ricocheting their arrows to hit their mark while in cramped surroundings.

 

They utilize scimitars, daggers, throwing darts, and short staves, among other similar weaponry. They are also capable of creating 'black powder' weaponry, but do not commonly employ the noisy weapons; not until they enter open combat. When stealth is no longer a factor, the Dark Elves will utilize their flint lock pistols which will have one or two shots depending on the model. Unlike, historic blackpowder pistols, these are masterfully crafted with a greater range and higher velocity, elegant and efficient.

 

They utilize poison, but the venom they apply to their arrows and darts is short lived and does not have a profound effect on Humans. While their poison may kill an Elf, Humans tend to become ill and may or may not pass out depending on their constitution. Dwarves, of course, which are rarely effected by toxins are never considered as targets for such devices.

 

CULTURE & LANGUAGE

 

The Dökkálfar are a matriarchal society. The females, are near as strong as the males and as warriors fight on equal ground. Mates are primarily chosen by the women and the males have always taken on an active role as caregivers for their children.

 

Leaders are called Eskevay, feminine and Eskev for males.

 

They have their own style of cuneiform writing, far more ornate than that of the Norse, but in ancient texts and engravings their ancestors did use the old runes as well. Their tongue, while similar to Norse, is far more akin to Finnish, but they also speak a form a sign language, which has two dialects: Common and Warrior. The can understand the modern Norwegian language as well as Finnish, but the relation of the two when compared to their own tongue would be not unlike English and French. It is only due the fact that many of the Dark Elves can also speak Old Norse, that they are able to converse with someone speaking the Norwegian tongue.

 

They dwell in subterranean halls, not unlike the Svartálfar or Dwarves but no sunlight ever touches their stone. All is illuminated by the soft violet glow of enchanted lanterns and orbs, and their world, while medieval also possesses a technology combining invention with magic. They develop marvelous clockwork creations, elaborate and beautiful machinery that are able to provide many modern conveniences.

 

Only the Light Elves rival their architecture, but the Dark Elves are unsurpassed in their gothic mastery and intricate sculptures.

 

BIOLOGY

 

The Dökkálfar are extremely long lived, in fact they do not die, but pass on when it is deemed their time. If they do not succumb to a violent end they can go on for thousands of years, but during this time they will enter many dormant states not unlike long periods of hibernation.

 

The Dökkálfar is a species that cannot breed outside of it's own group. This means that it is not possible for hybrids to occur biologically (or magically). They are simply not compatible and offspring can only be produced with their own kind.

 

*Dökkálfr singular, Dökkálfar plural.