Campaign guide plight of the tuatha (1) 11

Campaign Guide Height, stature, build and physiological ranges are comparable though the skin coloration tends to be slightly darker than Tuathan elves Common hair colors include, brown, dark brown, and black, though grey and silver are not uncommon either Eye colors are usually shades of grey, light blue or dark brown which seem to have flecks of light eternally reflecting of them Society Many elves that made the journey known as The Elvish Dark Trail did not survive the journey past the Fomoire of the Ostmen Islands The nightmare of the move to the Godspine Mountains has still scarred the psyches of those travelers The elves of the Eejiinmod have lost some of the joy and carefree spirit they once held, a more serious and somber spirit has taken its place in the elven communities’ heart Most of their outlook and philosophies of living have not changed; they still believe in self-sufficiency, helping family members, and the importance of finding one’s own way in the world But they have turned to more somber intellectual pursuits in order to help ensure their survival and spend less time celebrating life overall Arts The arts of the Huldufólk elves have changed slightly from those of their ancestors, due in part to the geography of their residence Where once their creative imagery was arboreally based, now animal and mineral designs dominate the major artistic motifs Stonecraft has been studied and adopted as a major mode for artistic creation, but unlike dwarven stonecraft, the ideology of elven stonecraft centers on adaptation rather than domination of the medium These elves excel in the production of statuary which adorn many of their buildings’ facades Elves of the Godspine Mountains also have adopted the use of fur throughout their wardrobe, lining their clothes and adding trim from the furs of the local animals Animals and mountain landscapes are often embroidered upon their clothing or are etched upon their metalcraft History Almost 22,000 years ago the elves completed their millennialong search for a new homeland and founded their kingdom in the Godspine Mountains They originally lived upon the plains of Tir Ydrail but due to the war with the fomoire, they elvish people split into two groups; one moved into the deep woods of the Loc Sil forest and were known as the Tuatha, the other left for the Ightfal Tundra in search of a new homeland The two elvish empires have not had contact with each other since the migration due to concerns that it might break the pacts they made to ensure their protection 10 during the time known as The Elvish Dark Trail The first generations lived in peaceful accord with their adopted lands and used their magics to shape great towers in the mountains Winds conjured from high in the sky blew over the face of the mountains forming the passages and bridges needed for a new Elven city, all the while hidden by great magics from the mountain’s other inhabitants After many generations the magic began to fail they found themselves at odds with one of the other denizens of the Godspine Mountains, the dwarves In the Year 703 AE, the dwarves, on a divine pilgrimage to Eejiinmod Peak, found the reclusive elves claiming rights to the peaks of the mountains Soon the First War of the Peaks began between the elves and the dwarves The dwarves were deaf to the elves’ claims that they had been drawn to the land by their own gods as a place of haven The elves, already weary of war, wove new spells into the mountains making it harder for the dwarves to bring their armies to the elvish gates By the time the Third War of the Peaks began in the year 11349 AE, the elves felt that they were on the edge of destruction when the new fledgling human empires began to rise and challenge the dwarves The elves warily began to form pacts and minor treaties with the humans, trading magic spells and secrets in order to appease the fledgling empires and form bonds of trust The year 11358 brought the signing of the Treaty of Songs, which settled the elves into a steady time of peace with the humans, and began a series of intermarriages between human nobility, such as House Keala, and the ancient clans of the elves Gnome The eerie gleam deep in the forest from eyes reflecting light from a campfire, a tiny hand with dirt-encrusted fingernails slipping through a crack in the wall which quietly grabs a few bits of stale bread crust; this is all most people see of a gnome traveling, hidden, across the land On rare occasions, you might see oddly curled ears so shaped to help prevent dirt or small rocks from entering as the gnome digs their burrow Physiology Gnomes are among the smallest of the races, usually around feet in height and weighing around 30-40 lbs While they are physically weaker than many other races, the attention the god Esus took in their creation has made then resilient to damage and fair to look upon Where once the coloration of gnomes was brilliant and remarkable, centuries of hardship have muted the once cacophonous palate of bright skin and hair tones and