Post by Acies Valdun on Oct 28, 2005 15:11:04 GMT -5
Marsh Elves
Location: All Marsh Elves live in the Dregin (Drey-Ginn) Swamp, near the center of the Earth Lands.
Status: Uncommon
Appearance: Marsh Elves are remarkably easy to spot, even from a distance. They are all quite tall and gangly, standing well above the average human or their Elven cousins. Their wiry frames are all covered in smooth skin of a faint shade of green, though a great deal of it is covered by thick body hair. Even the females posses this extra hair, giving them the nickname 'Troll Elves' among the Snow Elves, whom they loathe.
Their hair itself is usually green itself, though a much darker shade than their skin is. Their eyes posses a much wider range of color, though, as virtually any color is capable of appearing in the eyes of a Marsh Elf. They place great importance on blue eyes, as it is believed that a child born with blue eyes will bring happiness and good fortune to it's family.
Among the Marsh elves it is common to wear one's hair long, and both genders make a habit of letting it reach diwn to their shoulderblades. Most of their clothing is made from hides of creatures living in their swamp or nearby forests, giving them a sort of primal and uncivilized look to them. In general they are fond of jewelry, and often are seen wearing necklaces or bracelets made out of almost any bright and colorful material.
Personality: Despite their reputation for being barbaric and primitive, the Marsh Elves are just as intelligent as their cousins. They often seem cold and detatched to outsiders, causing them to be seen as unfriendly or even hostile by some. In truth, they are very friendly as a whoel, but posses great feelings of unease when around outsiders who have not proven themselves as friends.
Among their own kind they are still a very serious people, placing duty before pleasure across the board. That is not to say they are incapable of having fun... In fact, they have many festivals and parades that can last for days on end, and often produce enough light and noise to disturb creatures up to a mile away.
One positive thing the other intelligent races can say for the Marsh elves is that they are a very honorable folk, each adhering to a set of basic guidelines that govern their society. To break one of these guidelines is to commit a unforgiveable sin among their own kind, and sometimes can even result in exile.
History: When the seperation of the elves occured the group that would become the Marsh Elves travelled south, moving to inhabit a set of swamplands that was devoid of intelligent life. There they built an impressive city above the murky waters, holding everything up by wodden bridges suspended on strong wooden poles. Houses are built on large platforms, simple buildings made out of thin wooden planks, so that the thick boards they are built upon can support them with ease.
Once their home had been built they began to adapt to the lifestyle that came with living in these new surroundings. They transitioned into their current lifestyle with ease, learning to harvest and eat what plants they could and hunting down wild beasts to fill up the rest of their diet. Though they have to travel outside of the swamp to find said beasts sometimes, they still refuse to leave the swamp for the most part.
Since they moved in they haven't relocated from their current home once, and in some ways the world has passed them by. Most of the intelligent races have given up on trying to establish prolonged contact with them, not wanting to jump through the many hoops required to gain the Marsh Elves' trust.
For a brief while a small community of Snow Elves moved in nearby, a friendship that ultimately left the Marsh Elves with a deep hatred and distrust of any Snow Elves. To this day they still hold a grudge, regarding any Snow Elf with distrust and slight animosity.
Abilities:
Magical Ineptitude: The Marsh Elves also inherited the inability to use magic well. Unlike their cousins, however, the Marsh Elves consider it a sort of taboo to use any sort of magic. Nobody knows where the distrust for magic came from, but it is still quite strong.
Magic Resistance: A unique trait they hold over their cousins, and one that he Marsh Elves take great pride in, in their innate magic resistance. Any spell or enchantment in the general area of a Marsh Elf starts to weaken in effect, though it is far from negated. Unfortunately, this also affects supportive spells as well.
Other Facts: The Marsh Elves have a few basic laws that they hold to heart and obey. First, they must stand up for the weak and defend those who cannot defend themselves. They are allowed to kill to eat or to defend themselves, but they cannot kill excessively or for pleasure. And, finally, they must not speak any untruth with the intent of harming another.
Most Marsh Elves travelling freely in the world are Exiles, and are guilty of breaking either the second or third base guidline.
Location: All Marsh Elves live in the Dregin (Drey-Ginn) Swamp, near the center of the Earth Lands.
Status: Uncommon
Appearance: Marsh Elves are remarkably easy to spot, even from a distance. They are all quite tall and gangly, standing well above the average human or their Elven cousins. Their wiry frames are all covered in smooth skin of a faint shade of green, though a great deal of it is covered by thick body hair. Even the females posses this extra hair, giving them the nickname 'Troll Elves' among the Snow Elves, whom they loathe.
Their hair itself is usually green itself, though a much darker shade than their skin is. Their eyes posses a much wider range of color, though, as virtually any color is capable of appearing in the eyes of a Marsh Elf. They place great importance on blue eyes, as it is believed that a child born with blue eyes will bring happiness and good fortune to it's family.
Among the Marsh elves it is common to wear one's hair long, and both genders make a habit of letting it reach diwn to their shoulderblades. Most of their clothing is made from hides of creatures living in their swamp or nearby forests, giving them a sort of primal and uncivilized look to them. In general they are fond of jewelry, and often are seen wearing necklaces or bracelets made out of almost any bright and colorful material.
Personality: Despite their reputation for being barbaric and primitive, the Marsh Elves are just as intelligent as their cousins. They often seem cold and detatched to outsiders, causing them to be seen as unfriendly or even hostile by some. In truth, they are very friendly as a whoel, but posses great feelings of unease when around outsiders who have not proven themselves as friends.
Among their own kind they are still a very serious people, placing duty before pleasure across the board. That is not to say they are incapable of having fun... In fact, they have many festivals and parades that can last for days on end, and often produce enough light and noise to disturb creatures up to a mile away.
One positive thing the other intelligent races can say for the Marsh elves is that they are a very honorable folk, each adhering to a set of basic guidelines that govern their society. To break one of these guidelines is to commit a unforgiveable sin among their own kind, and sometimes can even result in exile.
History: When the seperation of the elves occured the group that would become the Marsh Elves travelled south, moving to inhabit a set of swamplands that was devoid of intelligent life. There they built an impressive city above the murky waters, holding everything up by wodden bridges suspended on strong wooden poles. Houses are built on large platforms, simple buildings made out of thin wooden planks, so that the thick boards they are built upon can support them with ease.
Once their home had been built they began to adapt to the lifestyle that came with living in these new surroundings. They transitioned into their current lifestyle with ease, learning to harvest and eat what plants they could and hunting down wild beasts to fill up the rest of their diet. Though they have to travel outside of the swamp to find said beasts sometimes, they still refuse to leave the swamp for the most part.
Since they moved in they haven't relocated from their current home once, and in some ways the world has passed them by. Most of the intelligent races have given up on trying to establish prolonged contact with them, not wanting to jump through the many hoops required to gain the Marsh Elves' trust.
For a brief while a small community of Snow Elves moved in nearby, a friendship that ultimately left the Marsh Elves with a deep hatred and distrust of any Snow Elves. To this day they still hold a grudge, regarding any Snow Elf with distrust and slight animosity.
Abilities:
Magical Ineptitude: The Marsh Elves also inherited the inability to use magic well. Unlike their cousins, however, the Marsh Elves consider it a sort of taboo to use any sort of magic. Nobody knows where the distrust for magic came from, but it is still quite strong.
Magic Resistance: A unique trait they hold over their cousins, and one that he Marsh Elves take great pride in, in their innate magic resistance. Any spell or enchantment in the general area of a Marsh Elf starts to weaken in effect, though it is far from negated. Unfortunately, this also affects supportive spells as well.
Other Facts: The Marsh Elves have a few basic laws that they hold to heart and obey. First, they must stand up for the weak and defend those who cannot defend themselves. They are allowed to kill to eat or to defend themselves, but they cannot kill excessively or for pleasure. And, finally, they must not speak any untruth with the intent of harming another.
Most Marsh Elves travelling freely in the world are Exiles, and are guilty of breaking either the second or third base guidline.