ELVES
Salorras species: Elves — the oldest living people of the world, a legendary philosopher-race whose power grows with age. An Advanced Fantasy elf whose gifts deepen century by century: a young elf is a graceful adventurer, an elder a sage of terrible insight, and the rare millennium-old Philosopher King a being the referee admits only with great care.
Origin: Khalendianil — the oldest living people of the world, unchanged since prehistory Stature: A little below the human average, slender and elegant — almond eyes, silken skin, metabolically lean Lifespan: Adult at one hundred and ten; the Philosopher’s Calling in the third or fourth century; Philosopher Kings approaching and beyond the millennium Bloodlines: anardil · isil · lumel · nendili · tavari · walda — six kingdoms, six sister philosophies Faith: Eone — the first philosopher among them, honored universally alongside each bloodline’s own traditions Languages: Native — Elven; honored — the ancient speech of dragons and the four elemental tongues; esoteric — the lost tongues of giants and other vanished peoples
The elves are perhaps the oldest people of Salorras whose foundations remain unchanged to this day. Centuries-old creatures who seem to have stepped out of human fairy tales, elves are a rare sight and take no part in the affairs of the other common peoples. Secluded in the elven lands of the elder continent of Khalendianil, this mythic people lets no one trespass uninvited upon their territory. A people deeply interwoven with the world’s prehistory, elves abide in their ancient traditions, upholding an idealized social model of philosophers who rule the citizenry with the support of their own mages; in their kingdoms reigns absolute harmony, where every elf has a role and serves a perfect society without a trace of base circumstance. Their population is tiny next to the other peoples, owing to their difficult reproduction, which happens only between compatible pairs and requires true affection — the “attunement” they themselves speak of. In youth, elves leave their homelands on a quest to find their identity, traveling the world to see with their own eyes all they were taught by their philosopher-masters.
Character
Elves stand out for the gentleness and wisdom that govern them. They are creatures of boundless patience with the ways of other peoples, and always act thinking of the impact of their deeds on the future and the balance of the world. Every elf learns from childhood to love themselves, tending to mind and body alike; they are troubled at the sight of pointless violence, yet rarely involve themselves directly in matters that do not concern them. They love the arts in all their forms and forever seek perfection in the things they love — and since time flows differently for them, adult elves are known as masters of their craft. They respect the elders of their kind, and the image of the philosopher-king under the aegis of the occultist mages is, for them, a life’s calling.
Appearance
Elves are little shorter than the human average, their limbs long and slender; their skin is almost always fair and soft as silk, their silhouette lean and elegant, for their metabolism never lets them carry extra weight. Their hair, black or blond, is straight, though the rest of the body is hairless; their almond eyes have heavenly pupils of light shades, though some have been seen pitch-black and lusterless. Elves come of age after their 110th year, and until then all prepare for the “Philosopher’s Journey,” a long rite that sends them to learn from the various lands of the world. As an elf matures, facets of personality and bodily ability unfold, so that they differ markedly from one another by age. They often dress lightly, in pale clothes of fine materials woven to last many years.
Neighbors and Rivals
Elves bond with others only with great difficulty, for their nature demands far more time than a human’s; yet if they form a friendship, it is something sacred they will honor forever, even if centuries pass without seeing their loved ones. Their people regard the other common peoples as a “little” sibling, though they would never let those civilizations come too close to their own. They prefer a neutral stance inclined toward peace, but if they must change a “variable” they believe is unbalancing the scales of the cosmos, they will not hesitate — however harsh it seems to others.
To most peoples of Salorras, elves seem something remote and “forgotten” from the depths of prehistory. dwarves call them xenophobic and withdrawn, for they truly know little of them; in most of the world, humans have never even seen an elf — for them, the “elves” are the elmaers. Still, on the rare occasions an elf appears in open view, reactions vary — admiration, awe, fear, or hatred being the most common.
Faith
Religion is a sensitive chord in elven culture. The beliefs in the spirit of Eone — one of the first elves — are an inseparable part of their culture, a doctrine that aims to identify with the world’s energies and become great philosophers of the world. To a greater or lesser degree, all elves hold in their hearts the doctrine of Eone, as well as the teachings of their people’s traditions.
Conscience
The morals of elves are unpredictable to the other peoples. Their stance is seemingly neutral, though in practice it may differ: there have been times elves intervened in the most appalling way in the world’s affairs under the pretext of “balance,” while in other texts they appear as saviors. However it be, these long-lived creatures have watched the world change more times than they can count — which makes them seem remote and arrogant to the common peoples, regardless that they themselves are not driven by racism.
Elven Domains
The ancient elven people appeared on the elder continent of Khalendianil, and there their kingdoms still hold seat to this day, deep in the mountain regions and the open valleys of the north. Their kingdoms divide into the six the elves named from within as peoples of their kind — those of the anardil, the isil, the lumel, the nendili, the tavari, and the walda. Each people has its own history, though the foundations of all are shared, and each people’s land is equally sacred and must remain untrodden by unworthy outsiders. Indeed, one enters the elven kingdoms only by the “Philosopher’s Invitation” — trespassers on the sacred elven soil rarely lived to tell their tale. Beyond the ancient kingdoms of Khalendianil, the elves hold no other domain in the material world; myths speak of an ideal land in the notional Continuums that ring the planet, but nothing has been confirmed.
Wanderers and Seekers
Adventure and seeking have occupied the elves since the dawn of the world. One of their foremost traditions is to send the young to travel the world and armor themselves with knowledge and experience. It is rare to meet an elf beyond their homelands, and if it happens, we almost always speak of one young in age — which is why nearly every player elf is, by the reckoning of their own kind, a mere youth.
Language
Elves have their own tongue, Elven — melodious, for the humans who have heard it say it sounds like “a flowing brook.” Beyond their own tongue and the idioms of each elven kingdom, elves often know the ancient speech of dragons, and it is not unlikely they know the tongues of the four elemental energies. As learned creatures who delight in languages, they may know any tongue — even some of lost civilizations, such as that of the giants.
Elf Starborns
There is no known elven starborn in history to date. A myth speaks of the first elven starborn yet to come into the world, who will bring deliverance to the balance of energies — while other versions tell of the world’s revelation.
Names
Every elf is baptized by the philosopher-kings, who decide the name given according to the positions of the outer dimensions and how they influence Salorras — whether waning, neighboring, or waxing, and whether this comes through the shadow or through the aether.
Male names: Aerendyl, Adorellan, Avithmisir, Biarmirin, Elinthyr, Elorfindal, Evindilir, Ioliisir, Liorimas, Iliriasin, Kalaerin, Phaendar, Myrdin, Naerakir, Raelfir, Synamrel, Thrimilin, Valamaerm. Female names: Anaryiliis, Abrylane, Briliria, Calanthra, Ealmyrna, Ellavria, Freyalia, Ghelnia, Ioliis, Kleavi, Liviria, Maluriavi, Nyavela, Olivandria, Phalminia, Quyern, Selviria, Trisvarma, Valenthra, Ylmariis. Family and House names: Amarigalyr, Aranthyle, Caulthor, Eleminor, Faylirinth, Ilvinorimyth, Kyelmar, Larimor, Myatharandir, Nellerimor, Otriamaranth, Quillisar, Sythrantyle, Valaminyr, Ylfarantis.
Elf Racial Traits
Elves stand apart from every other people of Salorras not so much for their physical presence — their silhouette is delicate and their endurance relatively fragile — as for their deep familiarity with the world and its dimensions. They are ancient creatures whose intellectual and mystical faculties are enriched with them as the years pass. Whatever an elf loses in physical drive is repaid in perception, wisdom, and communion with the powers that surround them.
Requirements: Minimum INT 9 Ability adjustments: By age band (see The Long Years below) Class access: Any Path or Paragon. The mage is the archetypal elven calling, but the six bloodlines incline their members to different philosophies, and elves are found on every Path.
- Infravision to a range of 60 feet, so that an elf’s eyes never want for the light of day.
- Twilight Senses: An elf’s keen perception readily finds what others miss. When simply passing within 10 feet of a secret or concealed door, the elf has a 1-in-6 chance to notice it, and a 2-in-6 chance when actively searching; the referee should likewise favor an elf listening at a door, tracking a subtle change in the air, or catching a calculated hint in a stranger’s words.
- Meditative Repose: Elves do not sleep. Instead they enter a deep trance that rests them as fully as sleep rests other peoples, while leaving them dimly aware of their surroundings — an elf keeping trance may still sense someone’s approach, a sudden shift in the air, or the smell of fire, each impression coming as though through a veil.
- Elven Heritage: An elf is wholly immune to magical sleep and gains a +2 bonus on saving throws against charms and other magic that would bend, beguile, or control the mind.
The Long Years
Elves come of age no sooner than their second century, and even then a young elf is considered only just begun upon their path. From that first step of maturity, a slow but unstoppable transformation begins: the body loses its youthful vigor — growing more fragile, weaker, slower — while the centuries grant in its place a steadily widening intellectual and spiritual acuity, a penetration into the world’s secrets, and an immediacy in communing with the powers around them.
A player chooses their elf’s age band at creation. Each band grants the gifts of every band before it, and its ability adjustment is the total for a character embodying that age (the bands do not stack on one another — an elf is exactly one age). Because the elder bands make for a formidable character far beyond a starting adventurer, the Philosopher and older bands are an advanced option, taken only with the referee’s permission; the Philosopher King is near-unique and rarely allowed as a starting character at all.
| Age Band | Ability Adjustment | Gifts Gained | Referee’s Permission |
|---|---|---|---|
| Youth (110–170) | +1 DEX, −1 CON | Base elf traits | No |
| Adept (171–360) | +1 DEX, −1 CON | Elven Insight 1/day | No |
| Philosopher (361–640) | −1 STR, −1 DEX, −1 CON, +1 INT, +1 WIS, +1 CHA | The Philosopher’s Calling (one path) | Yes |
| Elder (641–880) | −2 STR, −2 DEX, −2 CON, +2 INT, +2 WIS, +2 CHA | Elven Insight 2/day; the path’s elder mastery | Yes |
| Philosopher King (881+) | −3 STR, −3 DEX, −3 CON, +3 INT, +3 WIS, +3 CHA | The Philosopher King | Yes (near-unique) |
No score may be lowered below 3 by these adjustments; the decline of the flesh is real, but never crippling.
Elven Insight: Once per day (twice from the Elder band), an elf may add 1d6 to a single attack roll or saving throw, declared after the die is rolled — a momentary flash of clarity called upon when the moment demands it.
The Philosopher’s Calling: Upon reaching the age of a philosopher of their kind, the elf chooses one of the five paths below and may use its gift freely; the choice is unique and irrevocable, reflecting the true calling of heart and mind. With it comes the right to enter the untrodden elven lands of Khalendianil, sacred places closed until then even to their own kin. Each path names an elder mastery gained at the Elder band.
- Philosopher of the Arcane (an elf who casts arcane spells): the elf’s command of the Fabric runs so deep they may, once per day, recall and recast a single arcane spell already cast that day — but the recasting demands a full round of intense concentration, and the elf acts last that round. Elder mastery: once per day, an arcane spell that rolls for damage deals its maximum result instead.
- Philosopher of the Blade: through a year of exclusive practice the elf weaves a mystic bond with one chosen weapon, gaining +1 to hit and +1 to damage with it, as an extension of the self rather than a tool; lose the weapon and the bond breaks, reforged only by another full year with a new one. Elder mastery: the bond finds fatal points others never see — on a natural attack roll of 20 with the bonded weapon, the elf rolls its damage dice twice.
- Philosopher of the Arts: the elf’s meditation becomes brief but absolute, restoring spells and the fruits of rest in a fraction of the usual time — but this ceaseless intensity must be balanced, and every so often the elf must sink into a very long stillness to recover its footing. Elder mastery: once per day, as a reaction, the elf’s words inspire an ally to reroll one failed roll.
- Philosopher of the Divines (an elf who casts divine spells): the elf becomes a conduit of the sacred, three times per day adding their Wisdom adjustment (minimum +1) as a holy bonus to a single attack roll. Elder mastery: while so blessed, the elf is also wrapped in divine warding, gaining a bonus to Armour Class equal to that adjustment for a few rounds.
- Philosopher of Transitions: the elf has studied the Currents that neighbor the material world — the Gnoforeontas and the Argerodynes — and the Mirror Ring into which they spill, drawing power directly from them; the elf slips through nearby shadows with uncanny ease, gaining a thief-like bonus to Move Silently and Hide in Shadows equal to their level. Elder mastery: once per day the elf may step through the overlapping Currents to reappear a short distance away, as a dimension door — but never where a place is magically sealed off from the Currents, for there the elf is as bound as any other.
The Philosopher King: having brought mind and body into full harmony with the world’s existence, the Philosopher King automatically succeeds on any saving throw against magic that would control, confuse, or bend their will — their truth holds them unshaken with no need to defend it. In addition, the wisdom of a thousand years manifests as tangible vitality and reflex: the elf adds their Wisdom adjustment (minimum +1) to both their hit point total and their Initiative.