Post by Kenneth New on Jun 12, 2011 4:18:20 GMT -5
Ilfaren (Elves)
The ilfaren came to Rhiada thousands of years ago, before the cataclysm. According to their own legends they came across the astral sea, fleeing the destruction of their doomed world. Three great city-ships brought them to Rhiada and settled across the world. Rhianthe settled on an island in the western ocean (now called Rhiannath). Ulanthe settled in the far west on the western continent and Luenthe settled on the southern continent. During the milennium after their arrival, the ilfaren spread across the world. The Minuarian civilization on the continent of Dheona was heavily influenced by the ilfarens. As the cataclysm approached and labyrinth creatures began appearing in large numbers, the ilfaren were the first to suspect what was happening, for the same thing had destroyed their own world. Since the technology for building the interdimensional city-ships had been lost over time and the ilfaren population of Rhiada had grown too large to fit into the three ships that had brought them, the ilfaren were unable to flee.
The city of Ulanthe had been damaged on its way through the void to Rhiada. Itfs citizens had been forced to flee in escape boats before the city exploded. The Ulanthinel themselves had been forced to establish new communities on the western continent with no ability to escape. The Luenthinel of the southern continent held a lottery and the winners fled in their city-ship. Those who were left behind had to find their own means of survival. The Quoluriel of the far south are their descendants. The leaders of Rhianthe chose a different tact. They dismantled the dimensional engines that had powered their city through the void and converted them into dimensional shunts that several smaller cities to withdraw into pocket dimensions. Those who sought refuge in these hidden cities withdrew from the world, appearing only for a brief time at infrequent intervals in order to test the world and to see if it was safe to return.
The descendants of those who took refuge in the Rhiannel cities survived the cataclysm and the dark ages unscathed. Among these cities are Eluquome, Quastinor, Vandua and Lioma. The inhabitants of these city-states consider themselves the true inheritors of the ilfaren culture. They call themselves the Rhiannel (Rhiansa Ilfaren). They live in ancient cities replete with magical devices that ease their lives. Most do not welcome outsiders.
Those ilfaren in Dheona who chose not to go into exile during the cataclysm remained behind in the woodlands of Rhiada. They joined with the other races in the struggle against the labyrinth. Their culture changed considerably during this time and during the later resistance against the Scathovar, becoming more attuned to the natural world around them and changing the focus of their magic from the arcane flow to primal spirit energy and service to the omphalos. Today they call themselves the Athamel, a name drawn from the ilfaren words an (return) and thama (root).
The ilfaren have a strong resemblance to humans, but are typically more slender with less body hair and lobeless ears that taper to a point. The Athamel have some human ancestry in addition to their ilfaren heritage. They stand as tall as humans, but weigh less due to their slight build. They enjoy longer lives than humans, with many living up to four centuries. They reach physical maturity at the age of 20, only a few years later than humans, and do not begin to show signs of old age until the middle of their fourth century.
The Rhiannel do not have human ancestry and consider themselves untainted by th blood of lesser species. They have the original ilfaren phenotype. Few of them stand shorter than 6Π6 and taller specimens have been known to reach more than 8Πin height. Due to their lithe and wiry build, even the tallest Rhiannel seldom weigh more than 250 lbs. Because they lack human blood, their features seem more alien than the Athamel. Their features are more delicate; their eyes are larger, with a more pronounced slant; and their ears are longer, with a more pronounced point. They live up to eight centuries, maturing at about 25 years and not showing signs of old age until the middle of their eighth century.
During the time of separation, the Ilfaren language diverged into the modern forms known today. In Dheona, the Athamel language is the common ilfaren tongue since it is widespread across the continent. The Rhiannel languages (Rhiannel, Vanuel, Eluquomiel and Quastinel) are close enough to one another to be considered dialects, but different enough that even native speakers have difficulty understanding one another. All ilfaren languages, however, are written in the ancient ilfaren script. Athamel is spelled phonetically, but all of the other ilfaren languages use archaic spelling rules that make them seem the same language in written form.