el-dahr
I am Eldar : They are Eldari : It is Eldric : This is about the Eldari
Also known as Zuvians, Ciraquendi, Gray Elves
I am Eldar : They are Eldari : It is Eldric : This is about the Eldari
Also known as Zuvians, Ciraquendi, Gray Elves
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Upon the floating isle of Zu live a people of elvish descent, their minds and bodies changed by magic. Though few in number (relatively speaking), the Eldar perform the most important duty on Arcadia. Theirs is the charge to suppress and control the chaotic energy of the Maelstrom, a magical scar from the Apocalypse whose unchecked energies would tear Arcadia apart. The influence of the Maelstrom is what causes the isles of Zu to float high in the heavens, above the churning fury. And it is through long centuries of exposure to this energy that the elves who protected Arcadia from The Maelstrom eventually split from the genetic lineage of the elves, gaining vast a unique identity and unparalleled magical talent in the process.
Masters of the ArcaneNo other group of people on the Sphere understand the Mystery quite like the Eldar. The Zuvians have not only honed their craft over ages spent managing a vortex of pure magical energy, but have magic literally inscribed into their very being. Nearly all Gray Elves are magic users of some sort. Even those who practice the martial disciplines find a way to weave Mysteries into their craft. Eldar also have a well-practiced resistance to magic and the many pitfalls and temptations that come with its use.
The LIFE of aN ELDAR
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"We know more of magic now than ever before and yet I cannot help but feel we are as children playacting with baubles we scarcely fathom." |
grasping utopia
Advancements in magic have led the Eldar to breakthroughs in science, medicine, and technology, placing them leaps and bounds ahead of many other societies. The high concepts of political philosophy and lofty ideals upon which their civilization is founded are often hard for those outside the Zuvian culture to understand. What may seem as a matter of pragmatism to a Gray Elf often comes across as overly harsh or judgmental to those from less elysian lands. This is not to say the Eldar are so wise as to be infallible, simply that the relative peace and prosperity they enjoy thanks to their advanced status as a society does not easily translate to less enlightened places.
SCION OF MAGIC
From the greatest Sage all the way down to the lowest criminal, from the most erudite scholar to the simplest peasant child, all Eldar possess an in-born talent for magic. Naturally, some are more adept at the theoretical, cerebral aspects of magic while others easily take to its practical applications, and some simply let their gifts languish, eschewing the vagaries of magic for other, more grounded pursuits. In any case, no Gray Elf is without some small proficiency in spellcraft. Those who grow up on the floating isle of Zu use magic in their every day lives just as much as other Mortals might use tools and technology.
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SCION OF MAGICGain an additional 2 Mana per day for casting Spells. You know three Rotes of your choice with which you may cast Spells.
AdvancedYou can use an Asset to unlock the Advanced version of Scion of Magic, which works the same as the normal version, but gives 3 extra Mana per day (instead of 2) and allows you to learn two Spells from a Mystery of your choice.
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bahr-zoo
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The Barzu are most likely the oldest of the Zuvian clans, the first to diverge genetically from the lines of elvenkind. They make their home in the floating cities of Calo Atanbar, the first of the islands to rise up from Mara and become Zu. Barzu are traditionalists, holding fast to the old ways even as the world changes around them. Conservative and highly idealistic, Barzu are often wary of outsiders and the new ideas they tend to bring with them. Many are set in their ways of thinking, only growing more rigid with age. This mindset carries over from politics, religion, and business even into arts, culture, and the practice of magic. Barzu have been casting spells the same way for centuries and despise any deviation from the tried and true means of controlling the volatile forces that both empower them and threaten their world should chaos be loosed.
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AppearanceBarzu are tall with a medium build, pointed ears, elven features, and an aged personage. Men are often bald and growing a long beard is considered fashionable. Women wear their grey hair in high, elegant styles. Barzu have skin of bronze and gold, grey, brown, or blue eyes. |
HomelandThe Barzu are most populous on the isles of Calo Atanbar, the oldest region on Zu. It is said that the islands of Calo Atanbar were first to rise and will be the last to fall. The Barzu are the majority population in all of this region's major cities. |
ehl-drehn kai
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Of all the Eldar, the Eldrin-Kai have the greatest zeal for life. While they remain as cerebral and stoic as any Zuvian, there is a driving passion behind all their actions and pontifications. Eldrin-Kai are more adventurous, more open to new experiences, and more willing to risk everything for their beliefs. Naturally, they don't play nicely with the whole of Eldar society, which is quite rigid and traditional, especially in places like Calo Atanbar. Thus, most Eldrin-Kai find themselves braving the new frontiers of Igo Arcola, better known as The Arc, to make a life they can call their own. Others become adventurers, traveling to the far corners of The Sphere to see its many wonders, pursue their goals, and be their most authentic selves without the strict impositions the social structures of Zu often force upon a soul.
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AppearanceThe Eldrin-Kai are tall and fair of skin, with long ears that point outwards to the side. Most appear to be much younger than other Eldar and display outward signs of rebellion like dyed hair, tattoos, and piercings. Their fierce eyes are usually gray, brown, blue, or yellow. |
HomelandMost of the Eldrin-Kai are settlers in an untamed region of Zu known as The Arc (properly named Igo Arcola), living among the scattered isles in small, tight-knit communities. Others of their adventurous ilk live among the Elves of the Wynderwood or Sundar. |
joor-ahl
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Once upon a time, a harsh system of law and punishment saw to the condemnation and exile of many individuals over the course of several hundred years. For their crimes, these "Jur-Al" (which means "forsaken" in the language of the Ciraquendi) were marked with various enchanted facial tattoos which were magically passed onto their children, staining every generation to come with their shame. Though the Zuvian penal system has since become more merciful, the descendants of the Jur-Al remain the dregs and outcasts of Zuvian society, pre-judged by many as potential law-breakers and dissidents before they have a chance to prove otherwise. Most Jur-Al who do not eke out a living in the great cities of Zu become settlers in the wild lands of The Arc or take to living among other Mortals, making their way through life any way that they can.
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AppearanceJur-Al are tall, pale, and often well-built, with short, humanoid ears and features that are much broader and rougher than their elven kindred. All Jur-All bear a facial tattoo inherited from their ancestors which denotes the crimes of their forebear and their status as an outcast. |
HomelandAs the laws in Zu became more lenient, some Jur-Al returned to their homeland. Most Jur-Al live in large Zuvian cities like Alorok and Darness. There are also many who call the frontiers of The Arc home. Still others remain scattered throughout the lands of other Mortals. |
naw-doe-heen
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The Nadohin are perhaps the most populous and prosperous of the Eldar, having settled long ago in a fertile and well-resourced region known as Nexo Domina. Their cities grew seemingly overnight into vast, bustling metropoli, centers of commerce and learning where people from lands afar came to learn and trade. The Nadohin are a wise and deliberative people who talk an idea to death long before coming to a decision. They are scholars through and through with a great love of learning and an appreciation for science, philosophy, and education. Most have a bent towards more liberal, progressive ideals, rejecting conventionalism to embrace newer ideas and take hold of a bold new future. This mindset usually works in their favor as many breakthroughs in science, magic, and the arts have come from the uncanny minds of the Nadohin.
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AppearanceThe Nadohin are tall and thin, appearing elderly even at a young age. Though their tan skin is wrinkled and their hair is white or silver, their intelligent eyes of brown, amber, yellow, red, or purple shine with keen intelligence and the passion of youth. |
HomelandThe Nadohin are spread throughout Nexo Domina, the bustling cosmopolitan region of Zu where its largest and most prosperous cities are located. Few ever leave the region on a permanent basis, though they are not opposed to vacating for the sake of a quick adventure. |
zuh-mehr
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The chaotic energies of The Maelstrom churn below Zu, a power which the Ciraquendi have held in check for generations. It was from The Maelstrom that the Eldar received their natural gift for magic. But their proximity to this unstable force mutated their bodies over time. The Zhmer are the newest iteration of Zuvian; children born different than their parents, twisted and deformed by conventional social standards, touched by the pestilent hand of The Maelstrom. Though no less keen of mind or gifted for magic than other Eldar, the Zhmer are considered freaks and outcasts, even in the most welcoming circles. Their kind represent a fundamental change in the physiology of the Ciraquendi, a change which mainstream society fears and rejects. Thus, the Zhmer will remain outsiders...until the outsiders outnumber the insiders. And then: revolution.
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AppearanceZhmer have grayish-green skin that is textured and wrinkled, short, stubby noses and long, elven ears which point outwards instead of upwards. Their sunken, sallow eyes are most often black, though sometimes red. There is no hair anywhere on their bodies. |
HomelandZhmer are born at random to families throughout Zu. Even Eldar who leave the floating isles behind have a chance at giving birth to Zhmer. Though they may hail from anywhere, most Zhmer find their way to places where they will be accepted (or at least tolerated). |
