Elven Folks
Like the humans, the elves of Tellus are also elementally aligned (but Earth elves are conspicuously absent...) In game terms, each is the standard B/X Elf class with a few minor changes and an altered spell list as the only major change.
Elves
- High Elves (Light): The Cynwael of Mynthnyssor are commonly known as "high elves" or "the elves of the Dragon Mountains". They are the most commonly encountered elves in human lands. Their skin is a rich amber brown and glows with a soft sheen like it's reflecting a golden light. Their eyes appear to be very dark brown or black unless they look directly at you: when you make eye contact with one, their eyes reflect a bright yellow glow like a cat's eyes in the dark. Their hair tends to be lighter shades of brown or darker shades of blonde.
Upward sweeping curves and overlapping scale patterns are common motifs of their clothing, armor, and architecture. They are most recognizable by their veils or masks that cover the mouth and nose, if not the full face. Their masks are either blank or decorated with abstract geometric patterns: they never wear masks that depict a mouth or face. Their clothing is almost always made of undyed cloth or leather; they add colorful embellishments by embroidery with silver or gold thread or by adding shiny buttons of metal or polished stone.
A quarter to a third of Cynwael still follow their traditional pagan faith of worshipping the four elemental sovereigns as a pantheon called the Court of Seasons and elemental shrines are common throughout Mynthnyssor. The majority of Cynwael now follow the Church of Light, although Mynthnyssor's cathedrals still show the influence of their pagan roots: they are built in a cross shape with 4 equal arms instead of the eastward facing trident shape of more traditional churches.
In B/X D&D, the High Elf class is the standard B/X elf: a sort of fighter/magic-user hybrid with access to the magic-user spell list. The High Elf class is the default Cynwael adventurer. High Elf ancestry is available separately from class for players that want to be a high elf of a different class. I haven't had anyone make a high elf priest of Light yet, although it would fit the setting. The standard fighter/mage has been more popular.
- Dark Elves (Darkness): The Kyss of Nosnyssor are commonly known as "dark elves" or "the elves of the Silken Vale". Nosnyssor is a great dense forest of towering pines where sunlight rarely touches the ground through the thick canopy. It is known as the Silken Vale because it is in a valley and, more importantly, it is absolutely crawling with giant spiders and other silk-spinning creatures as well as other giant insects. The Kyss actually make their homes in treehouse villages and cities built in the lower and middle branches of the massive trees. (The upper branches are the domain of the mothlings and the forest floor is the territory of the silklings, both "lings" to be described in a later blog post.) Their skin ranges from glossy ebony black to alabaster white, except in their sunken eye sockets which are always matte black. Some even have a full band of dark skin from temple to temple, giving them a raccoon-like "bandit mask". Their hair is always raven black and their eyes are deep black pools with no whites.
Their architecture and clothing feature heavy use of arachnid and insectile themes: bridges suspended from silk ropes in spiderweb patterns; gossamer gowns and capes; armor with panels lacquered to resemble (or actually made of) insect carapace; hexagonal honeycomb patterns in scale armor, window lattices, or tiled floors; etc. They keep fuzzy basketball-sized bumblebees as "lap dogs". Most Kyss follow the Way of Darkness (a triumvirate of dark gods) as a religion, so the missionaries from the Church of Light have not yet made inroads into Nosnyssor. Many dark elf commoners have picked up the worship of the Court of Seasons from their high elf neighbors to the east as a folk religion which they practice in addition to the more formal worship of the Way of Darkness.
In B/X D&D, the Dark Elf class is basically the standard elf but with cleric spells instead of magic-user spells. Each dark elf must choose a patron deity from the Way of Darkness to determine the specifics of their spell list, because each Moon Shadows deity has a few unique spells that replace spells in the standard cleric spell list. Dark elf is also available as a race separate from class for players that want to play a dark elf of a different class (I recently had a player who made a dark elf magic-user with a necromancy theme).
- Wood Elves (Fire): The Ykine of Brennyssor are commonly known as "wood elves" or "the elves of the Great Black Swamp". They are easily distinguished from other elves by their heavily freckled, almost spotted complexions. Their skin comes in three variations: brown with white speckles like a deer fawn, black with white speckles like a starry sky, or white with black specks like paper birch bark.
They are considered "backwoods" elves—unsophisticated, rural primitives—by almost everyone, especially the high elves and dark elves who are their closest kin and neighbors. Most outsiders who have heard of them expect them to be stone age nature worshippers. They do worship Dunaia the Wellspring as an "earth mother" goddess (and, to a lesser extent, Cnaw the Worm as "lord of death and beasts"), but they are sophisticated metal workers. They rely primarily on non-metal armors because they do not have an abundant native supply of metal, but they have enough skill with forging bog iron to make arrowheads, spearheads, knives, short swords, and intricate functional items like penannular brooches and spring locks for firearms.
In spite of their backwards reputation, they are quite cosmopolitan and trade ships from Brennyssor can be found in every major port where they exchange rare incense, resin, lumber, and medicinal herbs for precious metals, grains, and manufactured goods.
In game terms, the Wood Elf class is a B/X elf with druid spells instead of magic-user spells. Each wood elf must choose Dunaia the Wellspring or Cnaw the Worm as a patron deity to determine the details of their spell list. Wood elf ancestry is available separately from class for players that want to play a wood elf of a non-druidic class.
- Cloud Elves (Air): The Cymre of Tarthnyssor are commonly known as "cloud elves" or "the elves of the Misty Isles". Their skin is grey and flawlessly smooth. Others find their presence intimidating or unsettling and describe them as being "too perfect". The beautiful ones are seen as eerily or unearthly beautiful; less attractive cloud elves are described as "fake", like a statue or portrait that is almost lifelike, but missing something vital.
They traditionally favor loose, voluminous garments. In the islands of Tarthnyssor, they drape themselves in great kilts or long unbelted tunics. When traveling abroad, they may adopt a more typical clothing style of the areas where they travel, but cover it with a large, hooded cloak if possible. They have a reputation for being skilled gamblers and being very private individuals. It's said that you can pass several hours in lively conversation with a cloud elf and still not know anything about them because they have the ability to say much while revealing little.
Although they are aligned with neither Light nor Dark, they do not worship the elemental Court of Seasons. They claim to follow a philosophy of balance called the Path of Shifting Shadows in which they worship both Verath (the Light god of Truth) and Vael (the Dark goddess of deception and secrets). These claims tend to leave others more and more confused the more the Cymre tries to explain. Tarthnyssor has one monastery, Cymrith Siap ("Taking Form"), dedicated to the primordial god, Mahkeh the Weaver, but the Siapan monks keep to themselves as they only seem to get into theological arguments with followers of the Shifting Shadows.
In game terms, the Cloud Elf class is a B/X elf with illusionist spells instead of magic-user spells. Cloud elf ancestry is also available separate from class for players that want to play another class. (Siapan monks are cloud elves with the Source Adept class.)
- Snow Elves (Water): The Nivyss of Sibirnyssor are commonly known as "snow elves" or "the elves of the White Highlands". Their skin ranges in color from glossy bluish grey to glittering white. When observed by infravision, they appear to be the same temperature as their surroundings as if they were cold-blooded; only the inside of their mouths, when they open them to speak, or their warm breath reveals their warm-blooded nature. They are quite tall, most are nearly 7 feet tall, but most of their increased height is due to longer limbs than other elves. This gives them a fragile and spindly look despite being heavier and sturdier than other elves.
The snow elves in Sibirnyssor are semi-nomadic. They are organized in clans of allied families who share a common territory. Each clan has one or more caers, castles in the form of a huge truncated pyramid of cyclopean stone blocks topped with a wooden fortress built from whole logs. The newest caers appear rather plain and functional, but they each acquire their own unique character over time as decorations are carved into the wood and stone.
Outside the caer, the clan members migrate seasonally from one palisaded village to another. In the summer villages, they take advantage of a short growing season to farm cold-tolerant vegetables and preserve them to last through the long cold months: mostly dried onions and salt pickled radishes, beets, carrots, and turnips. During colder months, they spend time in villages set aside for hunting and fishing. The Nivyss in the caers make weapons and tools in smithies, tend herds of helc, or work in other workshops to produce wool yarn, knitted clothing, or other goods. (Many outsiders assume at first glance that the helc are some kind of shaggy elk because they are large enough to ride as mounts, but they are actually a type of goat. The Nivyss do use them as mounts or draft animals as well as for their wool, milk, and meat.)
Outsiders tend to assume that the snow elves are divided between noble caer dwellers and common nomads, but they are actually an egalitarian, classless society. Every snow elf knows basic farming, fishing, and hunting techniques, and is at least an apprentice to a trade that they work during their time at the clan's caer. Some spend only the coldest months at the caer before moving on while others may spend a full year or two at the caer before going out for another nomadic circuit, but the only permanent residents at a caer are esteemed master crafters, highly talented artists, and the elderly.
When encountered in the wilderness, snow elves wear light armor (usually quilted jacks or hide) under a fur mantle. While inside a caer or village, they dress in wool trousers and sweaters knitted in intricate patterns distinctive to each clan. They carry a variety of weapons, especially polearms for defense against large aggressive animals. They favor crossbows or slings as ranged weapons. They use a wide array of knives and daggers, but rarely carry any blade larger than a short sword because they consider large blades a waste of metal. Their signature weapon is the rhaweira, a short spear with a broad triangular blade used for both thrusting and chopping like a halberd, known outside of Sibirnyssor, somewhat mockingly, as the "elven snow shovel".
In game terms, the Snow Elf class is the B/X Elf with access to Source powers instead of spells. The Source Adept or "Sourceror" is a sort of psionically or mystically empowered warrior like a jedi or a monk with ki/chi powers. And, as always, snow elf ancestry is available separately from class for players that want to be a snow elf who isn't a Source adept.