activation of the Clockwork Gates—with sadness and regret They have little love for the dwarves, who they know have embraced technology in an attempt to win Ragnarök However, they treat them fairly when they interact They are curious about the glitterfane, yet keep them at arm’s length They share a strange kinship with the aryandai, who they view as fellow servants of their Starry Goddess, Velluna-Akka ALIGNMENT AND RELIGION Religion is straightforward for the ælves, who have had intimate knowledge of the Ỉssinyr since the Age of Myth There are no “unbelievers” among them Although the gods rarely manifest for them directly, they recall fondly when they did Most ælves see it as their sacred duty to serve in the holy places and very few claim to have passed on the chance Ỉlves tend to be neutral, with strong tendencies toward order and law Only a few embrace the chaos of nature Most wander when they ADVENTURING Naturally, most ælves prefer to stay in their forest kingdom and avoid adventuring altogether Occasionally they travel to bordering lands, reclaiming ruins and eradicating small settlements of evil humanoids in an attempt to reclaim those lands in Velluna-Akka’s name Ỉlves excel as druids (serving Alnara, the All-Mother) and rangers, where their connection to nature is best served On occasion, individual ælves are called “to Quest” When this happens, they not share the details with outsiders NAMES Male—Shenyvian, Calloriynn, Theynn, Vennyll, and Arveiynnis Female—Ahlanna, Eliynna, Nayyia, Cynnicca, Synnvii, and Delyinnia Family—A’Airrona, E’Chennitha, I’Fellyn, O’Verianna, U’Stellinna ỈLVEN RACIAL TRAITS +2 Dexterity, +2 Constitution, -2 Charisma Ỉlves are agile and tenacious, but are naturally xenophobic and purposefully difficult Medium: Ỉlves are Medium creatures who have no bonuses or penalties due to their size Fleet of Foot: Ỉlves have a base speed of 35’ Darkvision: Ỉlves can see in the dark up to 60 feet Nature’s Child: Ỉlves receive a +2 racial bonus on Knowledge (Nature) and Survival skill checks due to their innate connection to nature Forest Bound: Ỉlves share a spiritual link with their ancient primordial forests As long as they remain within their borders, they not age Additionally, they may freely use the spell pass without trace as a spell-like ability Ỉlves that travel outside of their homeland lose this ability and age normally, albeit slower than other mortals Ỉlven Magic: Ỉlves with Wisdom of 11 or higher gain the following spell-like abilities: 1/day—create water, detect animals or plants, entangle, and know direction The caster level for these effects is equal to the ælves’ character level The DC for these spells is equal to 10 + the spell’s level + Wisdom modifier Languages: Ỉlves begin play speaking High Ỉlven and Sylvan Ỉlves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Celestial, Low Common, High Common, Glittertongue and Goblin ARYANDAI V enthar closed his eyes and let the music and laughter wash over him The skalds’ hornpipes dueled as he felt the mead warm his blood He had been too long out of the grand hall of his family and was relishing every moment Even after so long, he could easily identify the voices of all of them His sister Rayne, with her high-pitched giggle, was talking to his boyhood friend Auldin His father and mother were boasting to the neighbors of his journeys Cousins, Heirnn and Strunn asked questions at every lull in the conversation All this floated around him, whirling vividly in his mind’s eye He smiled to himself After several more songs, the announcement came “Lords and ladies, family and friends, it is my distinct honor to welcome home young Venthar Entwode He has traveled long and far, to distant lands, in the service of beloved lord Dhungar the Balanced And now he returns to taste homemade mead and relax by his hearth,” said Auldin The room exploded with applause and cheering, requiring nothing less than a toast from Venthar before his friend could continue “Venthar has been silent a great deal, but I have no doubt of his good cheer He’s a mug of mead, good fellows and family about him, and a warm fire! And look at him smile! I dare say nothing could wipe off that grin,” Auldin teased, tossing a bit of bread at Venthar Chapter Two: RACES 17