The Passage of Time

 

Elves measure the passing of time in their lands by Cycles. (e.g. the Reign of King Elyarus lasted of seven hundred cycles) Each cycle is broken into three seasons. The Time of Scattering, The Time of Growth and The Time of Harvest. There is not a set length for each season, they are mostly determined by moon phases, the weather and certain other factors. The beginning of each season is marked by a festival.

 

The Festival of Trees marks the beginning of each new cycle. Cernos, Lord of the Forest is called upon to bless the planting of the new crops. Stories are told of how he appears on the eve of the festival, carrying a large sack and riding a magnificent forest stag. In the darkness, he travels the whole of the Great Forest scattering the seeds that will form the next harvest.

 

The Festival of The Blessed Mother. With the first signs of new growth, a period of celebration to Ophiel, Goddess of Birth and Mother of the Elves begins. Great feasts are prepared and consumed over a period of several days, and in the temples erected to worship Ophiel, sacrifices are made to the emergence of new life and renewal.

 

The Gathering. Amemise, Goddess of Life and Harvest is called upon at the start of the season of gathering. During the festival special open-air fires are lit and rituals carried out in her honour. It is said that if Amemise is pleased she will bless the coming harvest and the crops will be plentiful.

 

Old world Elves have no words for day or week. Just periods of light and dark. It was only when they came into contact with Man did they come to learn the concept.

 

 

Elven Beliefs, Physiology

 

When two of the Bael’Vanna, Ophiel, Goddess of Birth and Cernos, Lord of the Forest became lovers, it was from that tryst, that a new race was born and set among the other creations of the Gods. The lovers studied the insects that crawled and flew through their forest home. Saw how they adapted and thrived in their environment, and decided to incorporate certain traits found in these creatures into their newest conceptions. And so the first of the Elves were born of the Gods.    

 

The Elves of Ellyonia (like all Elves) are born in the birthing chambers deep below the surface of their Prime Tree. Barring catastrophe, an Elven Queen can produce hundreds of thousands of egg-like capsules over her life-span. The Queens bear the responsibility for the continuation of the Elven race. Specialist workers tend the capsules, checking for damage and making sure the various nutritious liquids that feed them are correctly administered. It is a dependency on which nutrients—mixed with a little magic—they are fed, as to which caste they will belong. Thus in times of war more of the warrior caste will be produced, and in more peaceful times, mages, workers, teachers, even Spellcasters are nurtured. A select few from each new batch are taken to a special nursery, these will be raised to be Princes and Princesses, next in line to the throne should anything happen to the King. The other young are distributed to various nurseries dependant on their caste. In these nurseries, they are taught the ways of the Elf and trained in their selected profession. It is for this reason, that visitors to the Realm, very rarely see Elven children.

 

The Forest Elves, have in the past, made treaties and trade deals with the other Races that inhabit the Faerie World. And have, on occasion, joined forces with some to counter threats to their way of life. But, on the whole, they prefer to be left alone to get on with their lives. No greater example of this is the coming of man into their lives. At first, they lived in harmony, each benefiting from the other. But as man became more powerful and spread across the world, he became greedy. He decided to take the lands and all they contained for himself. So started a war. It would last for countless cycles of senseless slaughter and destruction. Seeing it was a war they could not hope to win, the Elves withdrew from the sight of man. Using powerful magic, their Spellcasters wove ancient spells that hide the Great Forest and its lands behind a mystical wall called the Veil.

 

The Elves of Ellyonia—unlike others of their race, who over time have gone their own ways—still believe in a strong affinity with nature. They fiercely defend the forest around them, taking only what they need to survive and replacing it with new growth. They also grow their own crops and raise livestock for both eating and domestication.

 

The Elves of Ellyonia worship a Pantheon of Gods and Spirits, although Cernos and Ophiel are placed above all others because of the belief that they are the father and mother of the Forest Elves. In times gone by, the Elves had requested help from the Gods in time of great need. Mostly these requests were answered. But in the time of Lowr Galadre, a dispute broke out among the Gods as to whether the Elves were deserving of their continued help. It was argued that since Cernos and Ophiel’s secret tryst—that brought about the creation of the Forest Elves—they had become too entangled in the lives of the Gods. It would be better to end their alliance and let things take a more natural course. But others insisted that it would be disastrous to follow such a direction. The world was changing for the worst, and without the protection of the Elves, the lands would soon fall prey to the darkness that had started to challenge the ways of the Faerie Realms. Cernos, unwilling to see his children cast aside by the Gods failure to compromise, set forth a plan that would hopefully suit all. For the Gods assistance, the Elves would no longer be able to call upon them for help in their times of need. The dissenters nodded their agreement. Since those far off days, few Elves worship the Gods who they perceived abandoned them. Only Cernos and Ophiel are still held in high esteem with temples and shrines built to affirm their belief.

 

Cernos - Lord of the Forest

Ophiel - Goddess of Birth

Amemise - Goddess of Life and Harvest

Phodos - God of Learning

Cadriel - Goddess of Music and Dance

Barachiel - God of Balance

Caphriel - Goddess of Order

Purity - Goddess of Water

Baloryn - God of Death

Nite - Goddess of Darkness (Banished to the Never)

Morvis - God of War and Destruction

Tabbris - Goddess of Retribution

 

Nephilis - Ancient tree spirits that inhabit the woodlands.

 

Where possible the bodies of Elves who have died are cremated on a funeral pyre. The bodies are laid facing west to east usually in the early morning. Words of encouragement and instruction on finding their way in the spirit world are then whispered to the deceased. The pyre is then lit. As the sun passes overhead the spirit will join with it and journey into the night and the spirit world beyond. The following morning the spirit will be resurrected in the form of a new tree or a forest creature.

 

Elves are shorter than the average human, pale-skinned (with a greenish tinge), long-lived and seemingly resistant to most diseases. They can live for a thousand cycles—but few seldom reach that age. Most are fair-haired, although hair colour can range from black to white/silver. Eye colour varies but most are pale blue or green. Their ears are pointed. Quick and clever, most Elves are considered beautiful with handsome, refined features. Female Elves possess two pairs of clear wings which enable them to fly. These wings fold away when not in use. Nearly all Elves are said to possess a kind of glamour. A latent power that they can use to subtly sway the minds of others into carrying out their wishes. Those it is used against, do not necessarily know they have been tricked and will continue to carry out the bidding even if it may prove dangerous.  

 

 

Elven Hunters are keen-eyed, slim built, dexterous and agile. Hunters are skilled in archery and the use of other weapons. They are excellent scouts and trackers and possess a great knowledge of the world around them. Usually working in small groups they are responsible for patrolling the pathways and borders of the Great Forest and beyond. In times of war, Hunters are used on the front line and together with Spellcasters specialise in hit-and-run tactics to disrupt the enemy.

 

Elven Spellcasters are specially selected at birth. A High Spellcaster can sense those that possess the exceptional qualities that go to making a skilled magic wielder. All Spellcasters use Orb Magic. These Orbs are formed using a range of different conjurations. Creating the ability to cast Elven fire, (or a variety of other substances/weapons), shields, cause plants and vegetation to mutate and grow, form a Seeing Orb for covert work. Large Orbs can also be formed to transport parties over short distances, either into or to escape from dangerous situations.   

 

Elven Wolf Riders work as one. That is the way of the Wolf Rider. Elfling and pup living and training together from an early age, establishing an unbreakable bond. It is said that only death can break that bond. Brave, disciplined and skilled in the use of the lance and blade, they ride their swift, powerful mounts into the heart of any battle. Making them a formidable foe for anyone foolish enough to attack Ellyonia.     

 

Elven Infantry form the core of the woodland army. Nearly all Elves—from farmworkers to mages—are trained to fight from birth and can be called upon to defend the Realm in times of need. The infantry have a plentiful variety of weapon in their armoury, shields, blades, spears, bows among them.

 

Daughters of Eternal Light are a secretive sisterhood, trained from birth to serve the Queen. They carry out a wide range of duties within the Queen's chambers, but the main one is to protect the Queen from harm. The ability to strike swiftly and silently from the air is a scourge on any foolish enough to enter the Queen's chambers announced. Their favoured weapon is the double-bladed Glaive.

 

 

The Bael’Vanna

 

It is said that when the First Catalyst destroyed the Old World, it threw wide a doorway from the Great Void Beyond the Stars. This freed the Gods that resided there, allowing them to walk the earth. They found a world scoured by the cleansing fires of the flaming stones that had rained down from the heavens.

 

Nearly all life had perished in the catastrophe. The great dragons that had walked, flew and swam across the earth for countless cycles had all but disappeared. The lands scarred by quake and volcano, its very atmosphere and waters poisoned by the roiling clouds of acid that fell upon its surface.

 

It would be this world that the Bael’Vanna entered and set about using the desolate canvas to create a new world. One that would be to their liking. One that would suit their own needs.

 

First they cleansed the foul air and for the first time in an age, fresh, cooling water fell upon the earth. Next they began reshaping the landscape, moulding vast seas and mountains that soared high into the clear blue skies. Very soon leafy forests began to cover the new lands and sparkling rivers and streams meandered through grass-covered hills and viridescent meadows.

 

Onto this freshly woven tapestry the Bael’Vanna added beasts of all kinds. Great herds roamed the plains, birds flew in the air and vast shoals of fish swam in the seas and lakes. Then they stood back and watched all they had created flourish.

 

But the Bael’Vanna were not the only Gods to wander the earth in those time gone by. Other Pantheons would find their way from the Void. Each adding their own creations to the mix. Cruellest of these were the Dark Gods who would bring evil to this fledgling world.

 

Very soon they began to experiment with other creatures. Foul primitive creatures that could be trained to tend their every need. First among these were the Vlelph, a reptilian race—descendants of the mighty dragons that once roamed the earth. They built a vast civilization within the jungle lands that banded the central regions of the world. With their temples and citadels established throughout the forests, the cunning and clever Vlelph would—with the help of the Dark Gods—become the first race to rule over large tracts of the earth. The Gods would set them to hunt and enslave other primitive races they encountered on their crusades. These races, products of earlier experiments, were deemed failures and needed to be expunged from the earth. One by one, ancient tribes of Orc, Troll and others considered by the Gods to be a disappointment, were subdued. Those that were able, were put to work building the Vlelph’s vast constructions. The young, old and weak, would suffer an even worse fate.

 

Seeing this, the Bael’Vanna would create their own races to counteract the evil the Dark Gods had released upon the earth. And so Dwarves, Gnomes and Giants were set on the world. For countless cycles these races would battle each other with none gaining an advantage.