The Shadow
Elves of Aelyria, also known as the Pale
Elves or the Touched
Abstract
Like all elven kind the Esh’lahier have the same ethereal beauty, longevity of life, and arcane skill. Like the
Vysstichi they are descended from the same separatists who left
Trelore for the island of K'Terak. However, the Esh’lahier have long been drastically sundered from their cousins in culture, philosophy, and anatomy. The Touch of
Meephos and Curse of
Haya is said to still run hot in their veins, making them a passionate, temperamental people known for their equally cold intellect and sharp cunning. Forever hated by their elfin cousins, the Esh’lahier are also mistrusted by the other mortal races due to their Aeternian origins and their legendary ability to swing from incredible highs to terrible lows on the whims of their emotions.
History and Origins
Originally the
Vysstichi and Esh’lahier were a single race that had separated from their Trelorean cousins to settle the island nation of K’Terak in the Greater Elfin Basin. Yet displeased with the Vysstichis’ insatiable lust for power and pained by their consciences for the atrocious sins committed during the eras of battle in the Kinslayer Wars, a contingent of K’Terakian elfs banded together with the intention to sabotage the
Vysstichi war effort and escape to a new land. This group was known as the Esh’lahier.
Once arriving on the
Medonian Continent, the Esh’lahier underwent a diaspora that separated many of their number into smaller clan-like groups. Some of these assimilated into the local cultures already present while others formed small, secretive conclaves in the wilderness. The greatest contingent of the Esh’lahier people settled inside the
Forest of Light in a city they named Ethgan’tor, or “holy” in their tongue. To this day the city is considered the cultural figurehead for the entire nation.
Further reading: The Creation Story of the Vysstichi and Esh'lahier, The Tale of the Esh'lahier
Physical Appearance
Like all
Elves, the Esh’lahier exemplify the same ethereal, graceful features and figures as the rest of their elfin cousins. They are, on average, shorter than the other elfin races, with males considered tall at six feet or more and females ranging from the upper end of four feet to five and a half feet.
Compared to their light born and dark elven cousins, esh’lahier facial features are far more pointed and prominent to give them a very sharp look. Their skin is deathly pale to the point of being completely devoid of coloration, making them overly sensitive to exposure to sunlight. While sharing the same severely tapered ears as other elves, the Esh’lahier have developed a small second point on the outer edge unique to their people. Eye color in the Esh’lahier usually ranges between the browns, greys, and golds with blue and violet uncommon. Anything even remotely fluorescent is thought to be a sign of Vysstichi blood and greatly scorned. Their hair is always blanched and light, ranging from completely colorless and white to greys and silvers to a very faint blonde. This trait is dominant only in full Esh’lahier and will not be passed down to half-breed children.
Culture and Society
Typically a reclusive people, isolated esh’lahier enclaves retain many cultural features from K’Terak. Those Esh’lahier that made their homes with among other races after the diaspora assimilated many of the regional cultures within theirs. Much like their vysstichi cousins, the base of esh’lahieri society is the familial unit, forming houses of related members that all share a common surname. These are then ranked into a system of nobility that differs between areas based on local custom. Unlike the vysstichi, the esh’lahier make no distinction between genders in private family roles or public office and prefer meritocratic systems with no regard to primogeniture.
Further reading: Esh'lahier Culture, Eli'tha Esh'lahier
Notable Skills and Traits
Combat
Their thin, fragile anatomy has dictated the Esh’lahiers’ preferred mode of combat to be one of subterfuge and surprise. Lacking brute strength in any degree, the pale elfs utilize instead their increased dexterity and lightness of form to come upon their enemies unawares and avoid outright confrontation. Typically their weapons of choice are light and agile, running in taste to long knives, polearms, and bows that allow for quick and subtle combat maneuvers. Armor is also kept light or even nonexistent, woven into the cloth and purposely neglected at the joints so as not impede their movements.
Arcana
Like all elven species, esh’lahier are closer to arcana than most mortals, and tend to get along better with all manner of magical and enchanted beings. Their tastes typically run to the spheres of
Sorcery,
Thaumaturgy, and
Song, though other practices have been known to be cultivated in various cities.
Necromancy is culturally frowned upon.
Trades
Esh’lahier have no strong links to any particular trade, and may become proficient in any art and craft they choose to pursue.
Special Abilities, Weaknesses and Resistances
Other than their affinity to
Magic and longevity, Esh’lahier have no specific special abilities or weaknesses.
Half-Breeds
Esh’lahier are able to breed with any of the other elven races, and also with
Humans.
The physical traits of the Esh’lahier are mostly recessive in nature; thus any half-breed children will take most of their attributes from their non-Esh’lahier parent, with the exception of a “blanched” skin tone that often looks sickly or pallid. They also pass on their tapered ears, although this feature may be muted if the other parent is not also elfin. When breeding with Vysstichi, fluorescent eye colour is often transferred over to the child.
Credit
Credit goes to Peach and Charybdis for the original Esh'lahier write-up
