Sildanyar

Known to outsiders as the Fair Folk and known to themselves as the Sildanyar or The People of the Veil, the elven clans of Gaea represent much of the ancient wonder and beauty of the world. To many outside races, the elven kindred practically exemplify the concept of fae glamour and magic. They exude a sense of otherworldliness, ethereal grace and ephemeral power that tends to define the more mundane perceptions where expectations of the fae are concerned. Today nearly all elves hail from the hidden elven domain of Llyranost, located in the heart of the Greatwood on the very fringes of civilization. Precious little is known about this land as the elves guard their borders with a sense of desperation and aggressiveness that contrasts greatly to the diplomatic envoys sent out to other realms. Beyond Llyranost, glittering manses and enclaves located in places where the barriers between the mortal world and the unseen world are thin serve as houses of refugee for wandering bands of elves and the few friends and allies they allow within to learn of their secrets.

Elves were originally creatures of the Unseen World, dwelling beyond the boundaries of The Veil and existing in a realm where magic reigned supreme and the very substance of the world was subject to be altered by the very whim of their inhabitants. Creations of the gods, they dwelled as spirits here, serving a role in the maintaining of the precious life giving energies of The World Tree. However, during their long vigil, Gunahkar the Destroyer and the patron of the Daemons of the Void, entered into the blissful realm of the Fae and sought to unmake the Feywild by wounding the world tree with his poisonous black spear. Though the elves arrayed much of their great magic against the destructive god, it was only the intervention of the gods of the light that they were able to survive and drive off the nihilistic being. Filled with wrath and a thirst for vengeance, many of the light elves sought to pursue Gunahkar and his minions to the material world of Gaea. Others had grown interested in devising realms of their own. Against the wishes of the Courts, these elves entered the world and did so arrayed in the shining glory. They served as champions of the gods of light in this era, establishing great kingdoms and pursuing the great allies of Gunahkar, from ocean to ocean. Many crusades did they undertake in the name of the light against the forces of The Void. However these elves soon found themselves akin to exiles for their abilities to return, at will, to the Feywild diminished over time and with it so did much of their potency and spiritual power.

Civil war gripped them often as well. Their loss of true immortality saw the rising paranoia of many factions of nobility and some turned their hearts to the Shadow Sorceress and sealed a pact with her for access to power they believed would restore their waning might. The result was civil war, upon the death of their greatest king, dividing the elven nation up between various factions loyal to the twin sons with the daughter caught in the middle of it all. The end result was the cataclysmic end of the greatest of the elven nations, Myn'Sandriel, and the death of the two sons along with the cursing of a large segment of the elves to become Shadow Elves, their spirits and souls seemingly eternally in the grip of Taara. The surviving princess led those who would come with her to what is today known as Llyranost where she, still somehow retaining a measure of the ancient vaunted immortality of the old world, reigns to this day. Known by many names, Cherylindrea surveys a dwindling race from the depths of a forest realm rapidly shrinking as it is besieged on all sides by forces that would drive elven kind from Gaea forever. The elves worked diligently to shape the forest of their homeland and in time the Elvenwood grew to be one of the most beautiful places on the continent of Arcania. At night, the forest would truly come alive with fey creatures, faeries, and more soaking in the magical glory of the wood.

Llyranost grew in size over the centuries as more elves from various parts of the world continued to migrate to it on great pilgrimages. Many remained therein, but others would visit for a time and then return to their worldly explorations. In time the journeys to Llyranost came to be known as The Gathering and they would occur once ever few centuries as the elves re-affirmed their connection to the fey world that their ancestors had left and were barred from returning to. However, today the elves live in a state of apprehension, continuing to guard their borders and close their lands to outsiders on pain of death. Their once vaunted power is diminishing, fewer children are being born and desperation continues to drive the Veil Folk to seek more ways to preserve their way of life as a lingering threat hungrily seeks to lay claim to their powerful life energies.

Elven Races

Elf, Dawn (Llyranesi)     Elf, Shadow (Mul'niessa)     Elf, Wild (Sylvanori)

Recent Events

Recent events have greatly impacted the elves and threaten to up heave the status quo after centuries of lethargy. The ascension of the dark goddess has alarmed the Dawn and Wild Elves greatly and placed them on the offensive for the first time in generations of the histories of men. The arcane wizards of the Dawn Elves have forcefully ripped a shred into the thin planar walls that separated Llyranost from the Feywild, partially submerging portions of the realm with its mirror counter part. Bolstered by renewed access to their primordial energies, some factions of elves operate without the consent of the ancient queen and engage in activities with a newly renewed holy fervor, seeking open engagement with their Shadow Elven foes and bringing retribution for evils done to elven kind as they see fit. These Wild Hunts have caused tremendous stir as they casually dismiss diplomatic channels in favor of simply boldly interfering in affairs in other lands as it suits their agenda. A very few Shadow Elves disagree with the new direction taken by the dark goddess and tire of the puppet mastery of the Nobles. Some have struck out on their own in open rebellion, establishing enclaves far from the power center of the Shadow Elves but coming into open conflict with aggressive members of their kindred races who still want nothing to do with them.