High Elves: Difference between revisions

From Fables and Fantasy Wiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
(47 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Races
|Image = Aldir'tor character art..png
|Name = Azari'cill (High Elves)
|Nicknames = Anypsóste (The Exalted)
Azari’Lefká (White Elves)
|Languages = Azari Linguae, Common
|Height = 1.87m - 2.20m (6’1" - 7’2")
|Weight = 75kg to 90kg (165lbs - 198lbs)
|Land = [[The Enlightened Kingdom of Luminion]]
|Capital = [[Luminion]]
|STR = +0
|DEF = +0
|AGI = +1
|INT = +2
}}


== Introduction: ==
As the Azari’cill call themselves, the Scions of Illumination invoke this name because their existence reflects the pinnacle of civilization under the Mother’s watchful gaze.


[Picture of Aldir'tor here]
These luminous beings have blood that glimmers by magical properties. The glittering spires of the Azari cities stand like beacons in the lands where skill and enlightenment saturate the very air. The Azari’cill absorbed so much of this innate potential that when at war, it is said that the phalanxes of the Azari warhosts glow with robust power. An assault by an Azari’cill army is swift and carried out with flawless precision. The enemy is met with a forest of blades and a tidal wave of arcane wrath.
{| class="wikitable"style="float:right; margin-left: 10px;"
|+
!Nicknames
!Anypsóste (The Exalted) - Azari’Lefká (White Elves)
|-
|Spoken Languages
|Azari Linguae (Lost Elven Language)
The common tongue
|-
|Average Height (Meters & Feet)
|1,87M - 2,20M (6’1ft - 7’2ft)
|-
|Average Weight (kg & lbs)
|75 KG to 90 KG (165lbs -198lbs)
|}


== Appearance ==
● Elves are known as the tallest race on Eden. There are some recorded cases in which an Elf had grown to about three meters. This is of course an extremely rare case, as most Elves grow to about 1,95 – 2,00 Meters. Women are generally a bit shorter than males.


● The skin of a High elf is, generally speaking, very pale.


This is usually paired with White, silver or blonde hair. There is a very small minority of Azari’cill with black hair. These Elves are generally looked down upon because of black hair is usually a sign of inbreeding with the Azari’lunn, which is unacceptable in Azari’cill culture.
This claim of mastery also carries a deadly arrogance. The Azari'cill come in glory, but they hail from a broken land, their elegant spires toppled and their statuary crumbled into the dust of a dead empire. The stories tell that it was the scourge of Fineall that ravaged the lands of silver; it was unavoidable. The age of the fallen spires has turned the empire of enlightenment into a spell-haunted ruin.


● The Eyes of High Elves are almost always blue or green. In some rare cases, silver eyes have been reported. This is seen as the most pure colour and it is very rare. The Silver eyed elves are seen as personally blessed by the mother. Elves do not have facial hair.  
Ever since the Time of Reinvention, the Azari’cill have managed to make peace with the lands they call home.


● The ears of Elves are the longest of all the living creatures in Eden. The ears generally form a point-like shape at the end. Elven ears can grow up to 15 – 25 centimetres in length. The Elves of Aerial believe that the length of the ears reflects the wisdom of the elf
__TOC__


●The Azari age significantly slower than the other races on Eden. One Elven year roughly translates to around 5 human years. Elves can live up to around 100-120 Elven years, or 500-600 human years and reach adulthood at 18, or 90 human years. The children of the mother keep their young appearance for most of their lives. Only starting to show visible aging around their 90’s.  
== Appearance ==
The High Elves, or Azari’cill as they like to call themselves, are tall, fair-skinned people that mainly reside on the eastern plains of Eden commonly known as Arda or The Glade of Dragons. The average High Elven male can grow up to an average of 2 meters tall. Females tend to be a little shorter, coming in at an average of 1,85 meters. They have blonde or silver hair, yet none of them can grow any facial hair. The Azari’cill commonly has blue or green eyes. Some recorded cases speak of High Elves having silver eyes, however, those are extremely rare cases,  in which the ‘cill individual is seen as personally blessed by the Mother, the ‘cill’s patron Goddess. The most distinguishing feature of an Elf is a pair of long ears with a pointed tip. Elven ears can grow up to an average of 15 centimeters.  


== Language ==
The Azari live significantly longer than the other races on Eden. Understanding the aging of the Azari can be complicated because they work with two calendars. The official one in most Azari nations is known as the Stargazer Calendar and is based on the position of Eseron in the great void towards the sun. An Azari year counts four seasons and ends when Eseron has come full circle around the sun. Besides this elven calendar, the Azari use something known as the Imperial, or common calendar. This calendar developed in the ancient Attian Empire is these days used around the continent and is built to better reflect the lifespan of most other intelligent races and creatures. This calendar runs significantly quicker at four years per single Elven year. The Imperial calendar uses the changing of the seasons as the start of a new year. Making it so that seasons in the Imperial calendar system last for the entire year.  
Elves generally speak the common tongue. This language, through its extreme popularity, has been adopted and normalized in Elven culture. A dialect has sprung up in Aerial of a combination of Ancient Elvish and the common tongue.


The ancient elven language is a mostly forgotten one. Scholars in Aerial are trying to rediscover their ancient language and bring it back to the vocabulary of the Elves. Often used ancient elven words that found their way into common speech:
While the Azari’cill do count in common years, it is not unheard of to hear a particularly conservative Azari’cill still using Elven years and refusing to recognize the imperial system as a valid alternative. The most common place to find active usage of the Elven Calendar is the academic scene. Most Elves prefer to use common years for more mundane things like counting their age or to refer to calendar years. Elves reach adulthood at 72 common years and can live up to 400-500 common years. The Azari'cill keep their youthful appearance for most of their lives, only starting to show visible aging when they reach the age of 350.


=== <u>Greetings:</u> ===
== Language ==
Vale           Hello/Greetings
Elves generally speak the common tongue. This language, through its extreme popularity, has been adopted and normalized in Elven culture. A dialect has sprung up in Aerial from a combination of Ancient Elvish and the common tongue. The ancient elven language is a mostly forgotten one. Scholars in Luminion are trying to rediscover their ancient language and bring it back to the vocabulary of the Elves.


Vale’tar      Farewell
'''Often used ancient elven words that found their way into common speech:'''
 
{| class="wikitable"
Fílo(s)       Friend(s)
|+
 
! colspan="2" |<u>Greetings</u>
=== <u>Races:</u> ===
|-
Azari        Elf
!Elvish
 
!Common
Azari’cill      High elf/pure elf
|-
 
|Vale
Azari’cerr      Wood elf/wild elf
|Hello/Greetings
 
|-
Azari’lunn    Dark elf/Moon elf
|Vale’tar
 
|Farewell
Azari’soll        Fire Elf/Sun Elf
|-
 
|Fílo(s)
Dur’arum(s)        Denur
|Friend(s)
 
|-
Vari(s)      Human(s)
! colspan="2" |<u>Races</u>
 
|-
Ghesiri(s)        Faulskins(s)
|Azari
 
|Elf
=== <u>Titles</u> ===
|-
Bessi’inn       Blessed one
|Azari’cill
 
|High Elf/Pure Elf
Scin         (Young) Student
|-
 
|Azari’cerr
Scini    (Older) Student
|Wood Elf/Wild Elf
|-
|Azari’lunn
|Dark Elf/Moon Elf
|-
|Azari’soll
|Fire Elf/Sun Elf
|-
|Dur’arum
|Denur
|-
|Vari(s)
|Human(s)
|-
|Ghesiri(s)
|Faulskins(s)
|-
|De’nevir
|Tiefling
|-
! colspan="2" |<u>Titles</u>
|-
|Therri’cill
|Guardian of Purity/King
|-
|Aeri’cill
|Mother of Purity/Queen
|-
|Pricecilus
|Prince
|-
|Pricecili
|Princess
|-
|Nobicilus
|Noble
|-
|Visera
|Minister
|-
|Ar’mágoi
|Arch-Mage/Spellcaster
|-
|mágoi
|Mage/Spellcaster
|-
|Scinar(i)’cilus
|High Priest(ess)
|-
|Scinari
|Priestess
|-
|Scinar
|Priest
|-
|Scini
|(Older) Student
|-
|Scin
|(Young) Student
|-
|Bessi’inn
|Blessed one
|-
|Medi’cilus
|Doctor/Medic
|}


Scinar    Priest


Scinari    Priestess
“Cilus” is a word without a specified meaning. When someone bears a title with the word “Cilus” in it,  it is generally seen as a high-ranking individual.


Scinar(i)’cilus      High Priest(ess)
== Culture ==


Ar’mágoi        Mage/Magic user/Spellcaster
=== <u>Structure of Elven Society</u> ===
The entirety of Azari’cill society is built around climbing the ladder of purity. This ladder is a caste system based on the teachings of the Mother and the Elven interpretation of her words. Every action and life decision has the potential to influence the Elf’s position on the ladder. This process of climbing the ladder starts all the way back when a new ‘cill baby is born. The newborn is to be brought to the local temple to the Mother where the High Priestess inspects the child, looking for any potential flaws in their appearance. After the inspection is completed, the child gets a place on the ladder based on the outcome of the inspection and the societal position of the parents.


Ar’mágoi’cilus     Arch-Mage/Magic user/Spellcaster
In the earlier years of a ‘cill life, it is already expected of them to be solely focussed on climbing the ladder. It is expected of a young elf to swiftly get a grasp of the world they live in, how foul and impure the outside lands are, and how it is up to them to preserve all that the ‘cill stand for. Every elf regardless of position on the ladder or birthplace will receive a proper education at the Luminion colleges or a local branch affiliated with the Luminion colleges. There they learn the basics of Azari history, the Azari language, writing, poetry, art, and math.


Visera      Minister
The average ‘cill finishes this basic education by the time they reach early puberty. After this, they are called into service. For the men, the only option is the military. Where the kids at a younger age will be helping around the barracks and the stables, cleaning and learning how to maintain equipment, only to become an actual conscript citizen militia trooper in the later years of his service. A woman may also choose to follow the military path in their years of service and receive similar training. But there is another path for them that they may follow, which is temple service. There they will continue their basic education with more advanced topics like religious studies, astronomy, medical training, and Herbology. Besides that, they are tasked with cleaning the temple grounds, maintaining local gardens, and doing deeds of generosity and selflessness. An example is taking care of the elderly and the sick or wounded. For the Elves in more rural areas, things like farming, animal handling, and cooking can also be part of service for both men and women.


Nobicilus    Noble
The service for Azari teens ends when they reach adulthood at the age of 90 common years. Then they may choose to either go back to college to follow specialized advanced courses like magical studies, realm studies, and politics, or they may choose to go into apprenticeship and step directly into working life.


Pricecilus      Prince
The Elves, based on their description, can easily be confused with a human at first glance. When looking at a painting of one, it is easy to be fooled into thinking they are simply a pretty-looking human with pointed ears. Yet that illusion is quickly dispelled when they are seen in motion. Outsiders describe the Elves as moving in a blur, every motion is measured and precise. This level of coordination in their movement fits perfectly with the way they speak. The Azari’cill living in the Higher society of Luminion wrap their messages in lots of complimenting words, sometimes making it seem as if they speak in riddles. This may seem like a way of distracting from the point in a discussion, yet all these beautifying words are carefully chosen to push the conversation in the direction they desire. This makes them difficult to connect with as an outsider, as they feel alien and distant. Not at all interested in an individual of lesser standing. The ‘cill living outside the cities mimic some of these traits, as even the lowliest of ‘cill thinks highly of themselves compared to outsiders and lessers, yet they usually are a lot more welcoming to outsiders and are easier to get a grasp of. It is not unheard of that the Elves living in rural areas befriend ‘lessers’ and take them into their homes, provide them with a warm meal and teach them the ways of High Elven life. Something that is frowned upon in the cities.


Therri’cill     Guardian of Purity/King
The armies of the Azari are formed largely of citizen warriors. Each Elven individual leads a rich and fulfilling life outside the call of battle; were it not for the dire state of the Azari realm and the omnipresent threat of Fineall, it is likely they would not go to war at all. The vast majority of the Azari prefer to spend their time in pursuits of knowledge and reason rather than personal glory through means of violence. Physical conflict has always been seen as rather brutish and unrefined in the high society of Azari.


Aeri’cill       Mother of Purity/Queen
=== <u>Romance & Marriage</u> ===
Azari are massively focused on procreation. The gifts of Mothers and Daughters sprawl through elven society and its populace. It is common to see Elves pair with each other when they reach adulthood. Elves are creatures easily captured by the sin of lust, which can be seen in their lives, where elves tend to switch partners a few times in their younger years before settling down. When Elves finally decide to get married, the entirety of Silver City rejoices at the dawn of a new generation. An Elven wedding is quite the affair, which can last for even a week when it is a person of importance.


Khari’cerr      The Wild Father/Chief
Marriage in Elven society is final, as it is a promise before the face of the Pantheon that you will serve them and safeguard a new generation of Elves. Divorce is unheard of; it is seen as the ultimate betrayal in the face of the Pantheon. The families of the divorced couple will be looked down upon for the foreseeable future, and the pair will most likely be executed. The only way to ask for forgiveness from the Pantheon after committing this crime is to give them your most valuable possession: your life.


“Cilus” is a word without a specified meaning. When someone bears a title with the word “Cilus” in it,  it is generally seen as a high ranking person.
=== <u>Life & Reproduction</u> ===
After a wedding, the first task 'cill society puts on the newly founded elven family is to put a child on Eden to further their family name and preserve the Azari race. Elves, however, have an extremely complex reproductive system. Female Elves are only fertile one season per common year, during The Emerald Dusk, and only become fertile around their 120th and remain fertile up until the age of around 400. Males tend to lose their fertility a little earlier around the age of 350. The pregnancy of a 'cill usually lasts around 10 common months. Pregnancy is seen as a huge cultural phenomenon. This is because it is seen as the ultimate proof of the Mother blessing and approving the marriage, explaining the societal pressure to have a child as early as possible after the wedding. Reproduction is so important in elven culture that once per year, a giant festival is held to celebrate a new year of elven fertility. This usually goes paired with the Mother's day celebrations that take place during The Emerald Dusk.


== Culture & Society ==
=== <u>Death & Funerals</u> ===
 
Elves, despite their extremely long lives, can die due to natural causes, and when they do, a huge burial ceremony will be organized by the family of the deceased elf. This usually goes paired with a week of mourning. If a wife loses her husband, she lives on wearing only black or dark blue clothing with silver decorations. Elven bodies are burned after death. This is done to release the Elven soul and return it to the Mother, Aerièlle, so that it may live on forever with the pantheon. It is commonly believed that Elven souls are trapped inside the body after death until it is released during the cremation.
==== <u>Structure of Elven society</u> ====
Modern Elven society is centered along the lines of progress and purity. All Elves are part of a bigger whole and no Elf is more important than the progress of the nation. Since the Elven race is flawed from the very core, they need to reinvent themselves. The Elves need to be reborn into a more aware being that will be able to see the magic that fills the air. Which will, in turn, help them reach opportunities once seen as impossible to grasp. They need to become the “Scions of Illumination”. All this is done because the Elves of Aerial know that when they reach the highest, most pure levels of existence, clean of their flaws and impure cousins, only then will the Elven Pantheon of Gods return to Eden to guide their people.
 
 
Every Elf is constantly trying to improve him/herself, always trying to be the best of the best. Elven life is split between constantly learning and improving yourself and excelling in your craft. Whether it is Archery, swordsmanship or being a scholar teaching the new generation, all lives are valued equally in Elven society as long as you are trying to reach the most enlightened state of existence.
 
 
Outside the times of war, the Azari are at peace with the mind and soul. These are times of celebration and joy. Every Elven year, the disciples of the Pantheon organize the Wine Festival. The gates of the silver spired city swing open for all of Eden to arrive and celebrate a new year of harvest. The newest wines are sold during the celebration while old bottles which have laid around for dozens of years, are finally opened for this special occasion.
 
== <u>Romance and marriage:</u> ==
Azari are massively focused on procreation. The gifts of Mothers and Daughters sprawl through elven society and its populace. It is very common to see Elves pair with each other when they reach adulthood. Elves are creatures that are easily captured by the sin of lust, which can be seen in their lives, where elves tend to switch partners a few times in their younger years before finally settling down. When Elves finally decide to get married, the entirety of the Silver City rejoices at the dawn of a new generation. An Elven wedding is quite the affair, which can last for even a week when it is a person of importance.
 
 
Marriage in Elven society is final, as it is a promise before the face of the Pantheon that you will serve them and will safeguard a new generation of Elves. Divorce is therefore unheard of; it is seen as the ultimate betrayal in the face of the Pantheon. The families of the divorced couple will be looked down upon for the foreseeable future and the pair will most likely be executed. The only way to ask for forgiveness of the Pantheon, after committing this crime, is to give them your most valuable possession: your life.
 
== <u>Life & Reproduction:</u> ==
After a wedding, the first task for a newly founded elven family is to put a child on Eden to further their family name. Elves, however, have an extremely complex reproductive system. Female Elves are only fertile one week per elven year and only become fertile around their 25th. Most elves are eager to see if the mother will bless them with a young life each year. Reproduction is so important in elven culture that once per year, a giant festival will be held to celebrate a new year of elven fertility.
 
== <u>Death & Funerals:</u> ==
Elves, despite their extremely long lives, can die due to natural causes. When they die, a huge burial ceremony will be held by the family of the deceased elf. Elven bodies are burned after death. This is done to return the body and spirit to Aerièlle so that it may live on forever in the pantheon. Elves believe that the spirit is trapped inside the body as long as it is still on Eden.  


== History ==
== History ==


=== <u>The Age of Enlightenment (Origins)</u> ===
'''See:'''  
The origins of the Azari are mostly unknown. It is commonly believed that the race of Elves was gifted with life by the gods of the Elven Pantheon. The elven race has its roots in the Valley of Dragons, also known as Arda. This time is known as the '''Age of Enlightenment'''.
 
It was in this age that the Gods of the Pantheon walked among their children, giving the Azari a piece of themselves to help shape them.
 
'''The Father, Kharash''', gifted the Azari strength, courage, and Fatherhood.
 
'''The Mother, Aerièlle''', gifted her children the wisdom of Enlightenment and the ability to wield the sacred blessings of Eden in the form of arcane magic.
 
'''The Daughter, Aestaena,''' gifted her children fertility, love and the need to procreate.
 
And at last there '''the Son, Fineall''', gave his children challenges in life, as he despised his parents because they favoured his sister. He wanted to take a slice of the souls for himself to create a race shaped in his image. A race that would one day take down the pantheon.
 
=== <u>The Age of Fallen Spires</u> ===
The Elves of Fineall knew only anger, jealousy, perversion, and lust. His children were tainted and foul, as they despised their more gifted and enlightened kin who looked down upon them as abominations. The other Gods of the Pantheon also looked upon the Dark kin of Fineall with disgust and tried to destroy them in body and soul.


Despite their best efforts, the Gods could not destroy the Azari’lunn or Dark Elves as they became known as in the common tongue. The conflict sparked a massive civil war between the Azari children of the Gods. Many cities were destroyed by magical barrages from the Arch-Mages of both sides. The children of the Daughter, the Azari’soll, were completely wiped out by a surprise Dark Elven assault on their homeland nearing the end of the war. Towards that end, as the Azari’lunn saw that they could not overcome the endless legions of the Azari’cill, The Son blessed one of his most enlightened servants, Noctis. He became the leader of his children and ordered him to disappear from the face of Eden with the remaining Dark Elves until their time would come. Fineall took it upon himself to battle the rest of the Pantheon in the heavens for the rest of eternity to make sure that the other Gods would never be able to return to Eden and destroy his children.
'''- [[The Luminous Enclave of Aerial]]'''


As a direct result of Fineall’s war in the heavens, the Gods of the Pantheon left their children in Eden. Without their Gods to teach them the ways of enlightenment, the Azari were truly lost and their kingdoms descended into anarchy. The old order of the Elven Empire was completely toppled in the years of the Fallen Spires. The remaining races started to accuse each other for the war and were preparing for another wave of uncontrolled violence toward one another. The children of Kharash were horrified by these events of pure barbarism and isolated themselves in Myln Arbor. They did not completely cut ties with the Azari’cill but they would not actively seek any contact with the other Azari for the foreseeable future. The children of Fineall had exiled themselves from the Valley of Dragons.
'''- [[The Enlightened Kingdom of Luminion]]'''


The remaining Azari tried to find a sign of their Gods, a reason to live and to continue on the path of enlightenment. It was at this moment that the Silver Phoenix flew over the Glade of Dragons. In other realms, the Silver Phoenix is simply known as the Priscus of the Skies, but to the Azari it was the avatar of the Mother. It was a majestic beast that gave the Azari a reason to reinvent themselves. They built temples to the Phoenix and tried to find ways to communicate with the elemental spirit of the skies. The Scinari Caste was tasked to collect and translate the ancient texts of the gods and lay out a path for the Azari’cill to follow. This is the path that would eventually lead to reunification with the Mother.


=== <u>The Reinvention:</u> ===
Years passed as the Azari’cill rebuilt their broken realm. No longer were their attempts at founding the perfect order haunted by cursed anatomies or hollow souls. The Azari’cill created a culture of betterment that founded the new city of Silver, dedicated to the Mother of all Elves, Aerièlle.


The Azari’cill spread their influence across the great nations of Eden with sublime efficacy. It was child’s play for the Elves to learn new languages, sciences, and forms of art.  Some sought to conquer the vistas of the mind, their bodies seated cross-legged as their spirits roamed far and wide. Others travelled the lands, making beautiful tomes of the knowledge they found in the fields of cartography, biology, botany, history, and more.


The people of the Valley of Dragons wished to reach true enlightenment and sought to spread it to the lesser nations. Missionaries moved far and wide to educate lesser races in the ways taught by Aerièlle, hoping to one day bring the lesser races to the same standard as the Azari.  These pioneers did not slaughter those monsters and savage creatures they encountered, for they considered such tactics barbaric. Instead, they tamed the beasts of the land where possible, and left them to their own devices if that was not viable. If the creatures were particularly predatory, they instead maneuvered them through the Phoenix gate to other, less enlightened lands.


The Reinvention brought forth an age of prosperity for sure, yet the Elves of Arda still have a long road to travel on. The recent so-called “Rotting plague” devastated most of the missionary work and significantly thinned the mostly imported food supplies of the Silver City. Nevertheless, the Azari race endured and are now eager to continue their effort to educate the lesser races and to uncover new knowledge.  
{{Navtable_Races|class="mw-collapsible"}}

Revision as of 12:32, 26 January 2023

Azari'cill (High Elves)
Aldir'tor character art..png
Pronunciation
Classification
Nicknames Anypsóste (The Exalted)

Azari’Lefká (White Elves)

Languages Azari Linguae, Common
Average Height
Average Weight
Maximum Age
Stat Bonuses

+0 Strength

+0 Defense

+1 Agility

+2 Intelligence

Introduction:

As the Azari’cill call themselves, the Scions of Illumination invoke this name because their existence reflects the pinnacle of civilization under the Mother’s watchful gaze.

These luminous beings have blood that glimmers by magical properties. The glittering spires of the Azari cities stand like beacons in the lands where skill and enlightenment saturate the very air. The Azari’cill absorbed so much of this innate potential that when at war, it is said that the phalanxes of the Azari warhosts glow with robust power. An assault by an Azari’cill army is swift and carried out with flawless precision. The enemy is met with a forest of blades and a tidal wave of arcane wrath.


This claim of mastery also carries a deadly arrogance. The Azari'cill come in glory, but they hail from a broken land, their elegant spires toppled and their statuary crumbled into the dust of a dead empire. The stories tell that it was the scourge of Fineall that ravaged the lands of silver; it was unavoidable. The age of the fallen spires has turned the empire of enlightenment into a spell-haunted ruin.

Ever since the Time of Reinvention, the Azari’cill have managed to make peace with the lands they call home.

Appearance

The High Elves, or Azari’cill as they like to call themselves, are tall, fair-skinned people that mainly reside on the eastern plains of Eden commonly known as Arda or The Glade of Dragons. The average High Elven male can grow up to an average of 2 meters tall. Females tend to be a little shorter, coming in at an average of 1,85 meters. They have blonde or silver hair, yet none of them can grow any facial hair. The Azari’cill commonly has blue or green eyes. Some recorded cases speak of High Elves having silver eyes, however, those are extremely rare cases, in which the ‘cill individual is seen as personally blessed by the Mother, the ‘cill’s patron Goddess. The most distinguishing feature of an Elf is a pair of long ears with a pointed tip. Elven ears can grow up to an average of 15 centimeters.

The Azari live significantly longer than the other races on Eden. Understanding the aging of the Azari can be complicated because they work with two calendars. The official one in most Azari nations is known as the Stargazer Calendar and is based on the position of Eseron in the great void towards the sun. An Azari year counts four seasons and ends when Eseron has come full circle around the sun. Besides this elven calendar, the Azari use something known as the Imperial, or common calendar. This calendar developed in the ancient Attian Empire is these days used around the continent and is built to better reflect the lifespan of most other intelligent races and creatures. This calendar runs significantly quicker at four years per single Elven year. The Imperial calendar uses the changing of the seasons as the start of a new year. Making it so that seasons in the Imperial calendar system last for the entire year.

While the Azari’cill do count in common years, it is not unheard of to hear a particularly conservative Azari’cill still using Elven years and refusing to recognize the imperial system as a valid alternative. The most common place to find active usage of the Elven Calendar is the academic scene. Most Elves prefer to use common years for more mundane things like counting their age or to refer to calendar years. Elves reach adulthood at 72 common years and can live up to 400-500 common years. The Azari'cill keep their youthful appearance for most of their lives, only starting to show visible aging when they reach the age of 350.

Language

Elves generally speak the common tongue. This language, through its extreme popularity, has been adopted and normalized in Elven culture. A dialect has sprung up in Aerial from a combination of Ancient Elvish and the common tongue. The ancient elven language is a mostly forgotten one. Scholars in Luminion are trying to rediscover their ancient language and bring it back to the vocabulary of the Elves.

Often used ancient elven words that found their way into common speech:

Greetings
Elvish Common
Vale Hello/Greetings
Vale’tar Farewell
Fílo(s) Friend(s)
Races
Azari Elf
Azari’cill High Elf/Pure Elf
Azari’cerr Wood Elf/Wild Elf
Azari’lunn Dark Elf/Moon Elf
Azari’soll Fire Elf/Sun Elf
Dur’arum Denur
Vari(s) Human(s)
Ghesiri(s) Faulskins(s)
De’nevir Tiefling
Titles
Therri’cill Guardian of Purity/King
Aeri’cill Mother of Purity/Queen
Pricecilus Prince
Pricecili Princess
Nobicilus Noble
Visera Minister
Ar’mágoi Arch-Mage/Spellcaster
mágoi Mage/Spellcaster
Scinar(i)’cilus High Priest(ess)
Scinari Priestess
Scinar Priest
Scini (Older) Student
Scin (Young) Student
Bessi’inn Blessed one
Medi’cilus Doctor/Medic


“Cilus” is a word without a specified meaning. When someone bears a title with the word “Cilus” in it, it is generally seen as a high-ranking individual.

Culture

Structure of Elven Society

The entirety of Azari’cill society is built around climbing the ladder of purity. This ladder is a caste system based on the teachings of the Mother and the Elven interpretation of her words. Every action and life decision has the potential to influence the Elf’s position on the ladder. This process of climbing the ladder starts all the way back when a new ‘cill baby is born. The newborn is to be brought to the local temple to the Mother where the High Priestess inspects the child, looking for any potential flaws in their appearance. After the inspection is completed, the child gets a place on the ladder based on the outcome of the inspection and the societal position of the parents.

In the earlier years of a ‘cill life, it is already expected of them to be solely focussed on climbing the ladder. It is expected of a young elf to swiftly get a grasp of the world they live in, how foul and impure the outside lands are, and how it is up to them to preserve all that the ‘cill stand for. Every elf regardless of position on the ladder or birthplace will receive a proper education at the Luminion colleges or a local branch affiliated with the Luminion colleges. There they learn the basics of Azari history, the Azari language, writing, poetry, art, and math.

The average ‘cill finishes this basic education by the time they reach early puberty. After this, they are called into service. For the men, the only option is the military. Where the kids at a younger age will be helping around the barracks and the stables, cleaning and learning how to maintain equipment, only to become an actual conscript citizen militia trooper in the later years of his service. A woman may also choose to follow the military path in their years of service and receive similar training. But there is another path for them that they may follow, which is temple service. There they will continue their basic education with more advanced topics like religious studies, astronomy, medical training, and Herbology. Besides that, they are tasked with cleaning the temple grounds, maintaining local gardens, and doing deeds of generosity and selflessness. An example is taking care of the elderly and the sick or wounded. For the Elves in more rural areas, things like farming, animal handling, and cooking can also be part of service for both men and women.

The service for Azari teens ends when they reach adulthood at the age of 90 common years. Then they may choose to either go back to college to follow specialized advanced courses like magical studies, realm studies, and politics, or they may choose to go into apprenticeship and step directly into working life.

The Elves, based on their description, can easily be confused with a human at first glance. When looking at a painting of one, it is easy to be fooled into thinking they are simply a pretty-looking human with pointed ears. Yet that illusion is quickly dispelled when they are seen in motion. Outsiders describe the Elves as moving in a blur, every motion is measured and precise. This level of coordination in their movement fits perfectly with the way they speak. The Azari’cill living in the Higher society of Luminion wrap their messages in lots of complimenting words, sometimes making it seem as if they speak in riddles. This may seem like a way of distracting from the point in a discussion, yet all these beautifying words are carefully chosen to push the conversation in the direction they desire. This makes them difficult to connect with as an outsider, as they feel alien and distant. Not at all interested in an individual of lesser standing. The ‘cill living outside the cities mimic some of these traits, as even the lowliest of ‘cill thinks highly of themselves compared to outsiders and lessers, yet they usually are a lot more welcoming to outsiders and are easier to get a grasp of. It is not unheard of that the Elves living in rural areas befriend ‘lessers’ and take them into their homes, provide them with a warm meal and teach them the ways of High Elven life. Something that is frowned upon in the cities.

The armies of the Azari are formed largely of citizen warriors. Each Elven individual leads a rich and fulfilling life outside the call of battle; were it not for the dire state of the Azari realm and the omnipresent threat of Fineall, it is likely they would not go to war at all. The vast majority of the Azari prefer to spend their time in pursuits of knowledge and reason rather than personal glory through means of violence. Physical conflict has always been seen as rather brutish and unrefined in the high society of Azari.

Romance & Marriage

Azari are massively focused on procreation. The gifts of Mothers and Daughters sprawl through elven society and its populace. It is common to see Elves pair with each other when they reach adulthood. Elves are creatures easily captured by the sin of lust, which can be seen in their lives, where elves tend to switch partners a few times in their younger years before settling down. When Elves finally decide to get married, the entirety of Silver City rejoices at the dawn of a new generation. An Elven wedding is quite the affair, which can last for even a week when it is a person of importance.

Marriage in Elven society is final, as it is a promise before the face of the Pantheon that you will serve them and safeguard a new generation of Elves. Divorce is unheard of; it is seen as the ultimate betrayal in the face of the Pantheon. The families of the divorced couple will be looked down upon for the foreseeable future, and the pair will most likely be executed. The only way to ask for forgiveness from the Pantheon after committing this crime is to give them your most valuable possession: your life.

Life & Reproduction

After a wedding, the first task 'cill society puts on the newly founded elven family is to put a child on Eden to further their family name and preserve the Azari race. Elves, however, have an extremely complex reproductive system. Female Elves are only fertile one season per common year, during The Emerald Dusk, and only become fertile around their 120th and remain fertile up until the age of around 400. Males tend to lose their fertility a little earlier around the age of 350. The pregnancy of a 'cill usually lasts around 10 common months. Pregnancy is seen as a huge cultural phenomenon. This is because it is seen as the ultimate proof of the Mother blessing and approving the marriage, explaining the societal pressure to have a child as early as possible after the wedding. Reproduction is so important in elven culture that once per year, a giant festival is held to celebrate a new year of elven fertility. This usually goes paired with the Mother's day celebrations that take place during The Emerald Dusk.

Death & Funerals

Elves, despite their extremely long lives, can die due to natural causes, and when they do, a huge burial ceremony will be organized by the family of the deceased elf. This usually goes paired with a week of mourning. If a wife loses her husband, she lives on wearing only black or dark blue clothing with silver decorations. Elven bodies are burned after death. This is done to release the Elven soul and return it to the Mother, Aerièlle, so that it may live on forever with the pantheon. It is commonly believed that Elven souls are trapped inside the body after death until it is released during the cremation.

History

See:

- The Luminous Enclave of Aerial

- The Enlightened Kingdom of Luminion



Races
Human Races Attians · Khadans · Hinterlanders
Elvish Races High Elves · Wood Elves · Dark Elves
Dwarvish Races Denur
Orcish Races Orcs · Goblins
Other Races Halflings · Tieflings · Sylvani