Llyranesi

Dawn Elves, or Llyranesi, by many interpretations, represent the stock ‘ideal’ of elven kind in terms of what other races believe as the common stereotype of the mysterious elves. They practically exude the glamour of the fey folk while also retaining strong ties to the world itself. To such outsiders, on the surface they seem carefree, capricious and malicious at times with an aloofness that renders them seemingly uncaring to the affairs of other races unless it directly impacts them. The truth is that the elves have largely focused on maintaining their ties to The Unseen and the Feywild with a single minded focus that others might find signs of maddening. Thus they are as territorial as ruthless as they are ephemeral and mysterious. The result is that their seeming aloofness and dispassion towards mundane matters is often misunderstood and the intensity of their eyes often hides a thousand intrigues and perceptions and complex plans that can span centuries given their lengthy lifespans. Yet despite this, elves can be quite attached to the other races, cultures and species, especially those they perceive as loving them or whom they themselves fall in love with. Such elves marvel at the pace of the lives of those with shorter lifespans. At times these elves sport an almost melancholy sadness about them as if aware of the place of the elves in the modern day world and fearful of the dwindling that seems to be plaguing their kind.

Physical Description

The elves are generally taller then men but their slender builds and tapering long pointed ears give them a very graceful and fragile physique even among their strongest warriors. Their eyes are wide and almond shaped and usually vibrantly colored. Skin tones tend to be of a lighter shade, sometimes being very pale. Some have observed a soft light that always embrace them, giving them a ghostly luminescent appearance at times but this effect is subtle and usually noticed only under intense scrutiny. By many standards, their beauty exudes fae glamour, but their detached behavior causes this beauty to seem cold and distant. It seems unattainable and difficult to comprehend and so causes strange reactions in those who study them for long. They favor elaborate and elegant garments that speak much of their rich heritage and their cultural history which in turn can cause them to seem overly arrogant as many elves can recite the familial lineage of even the most seemingly mundane items.

Society and Lands

Elven society centralizes itself within the mist shrouded confines of the Elvenwood of Llyranost. This sprawling forest region is in the very heart of the Greatwood in north central Arcania and from here the Elven Court rules over the species, or so they would like to believe. Many elves who have tired of the isolation of the Llyranesi Courts have taken to wandering Gaea in nomadic bands that travel from civilized land to civilized land and occasionally settle down in various autonomous satellite realms centered around havens known as Manses. These Manses, usually ruled by a powerful elven lord and his or her family, are often built in areas where the planar walls between Gaea and the Mirror Lands are thin, allowing them to access The Unseen and the Feywild in particular. This tie is central to elven settlements for the establish connections to these other worlds that enable them work their magical wonders, ward their lands and build their cities. Estania is one such famous settlement, also known for its proximity to the Alexandros region and the central heartlands. It is also known as Mythwood.

Other Races

Many Dawn Elves believe themselves the true rightful ‘leaders’ of the other enlightened race though they rarely point this out, preferring to quietly allow other cultures to make a mess of things and then make note of their failings afterwards. Other species find their behavior stereotypical of ‘elvish arrogance’ and it is easy to forget the good and sacrifices that the Dawn Elves have made as they have many times joined the forefront of the armies of Light and often been targeted by forces of shadow that seek to ruin any semblance of good and beauty in the world. Nevertheless their dismissive nature of other races is often simply a surface veil of their fascination and curiosity. They are particularly fascinated with humans, as should be noted given the number of half elves in the world. Dawn Elves.

Alignment and Religion

Dawn Elves are emotional and capricious at times. Inwardly they are cauldrons of chaotic and creative energy but outwardly their extremely long lifespans afford them patience that even other elves do not possess. Most Dawn Elves are good but they can veer equally towards law and chaos. Dawn Elves, as evidence by their name, have a strong passion for sun worship and consider themselves the favored children of Eduriel Solis, which is their name for Daeus. Their monuments to this god and sprawling cathedrals of stone and glass are particularly noteworthy.

Adventurers

Dawn Elf adventurers from Llyranost have in the past been somewhat rare though recent events have caused a larger involvement of the elves in the affairs of other lands. For the most part, Dawn Elves who leave Llyranost are young elves who desire to see the outside world and experience life at the pace afforded the younger races. Elves from roving bands or the various hidden enclaves around the world tend to have more exposure via trade and travel, to other cultures and species and so are more likely to produce a curious elf with a touch of destiny and a desire to experience what the world has for them.

Dawn Elf Racial Traits:

• +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Constitution: Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail and hollow-boned.
• Medium: Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Normal Speed: Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Low-Light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
• Ageless: Elves do not suffer the ravages of age upon reaching adult hood and cannot be magically aged. However they still die when their time is up.
• Elven Immunities: Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
• Elven Magic: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on caster level checks made to overcome spell resistance. In addition, elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Spellcraft skill checks made to identify the properties of magic items.
• Arcane Connection (Sp): Dawn Elves with at least a charisma score of 10 can pick 4 level 0 spells, chosen from the wizard/sorcerer list, and using his total character level as a caster level, cast up these spells with a limit of up to 4 times a day. They do not need to prepare these spells, they may cast them in any combination up to their limit but they are subject to arcane spell failure. A dawn elf may not cast spells from the necromancy school via this method.
• Fae Insight: Dawn Elves can perceive the truths and intentions of those around them better then most others. They gain a +2 racial bonus on Sense Motive checks.
• Keen Senses: Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Perception skill checks.
• Weapon Familiarity: Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
• Languages: Elves begin play speaking Common and Elven. Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.