Like the standard fantasy races of the orcs and dwarves, the elves are very solidified in popular culture as one image. They are lithe people with a love of nature; they live long lives and have a wisdom to match it; they are very inclined to be mysterious and secretive around non-elves. As I said with the orcs, we must keep some of what makes the group iconic. And so my elves are also nature lovers with long lives and a perspective that goes with that, and for cultural reasons, many elven customs do seem impossible to understand. Some depictions of elves add that they are not utopian but quite superior and judgmental; I include this with my elves too, as it lends itself to something else that I'm doing. One small detail I've added to just about every article I've written on the groups in Evanoch is that the ways of life for elves and orcs are actually shockingly similar--this is in large part because elves and orcs share an ancestor and divine parenthood, but also because I find it narratively interesting that the elves and the orcs have major bad blood despite being the most similar two groups on the continent. In any case, my elves are distinguished by an inside-versus-outside perspective--to outsiders, elves are elitist, judgmental, cold, and calculating; to elves themselves, they value earned status, direct communication, rational behavior, and carefully considered actions. My idea here is that the elves have millennium-long lives in an insular community isolated by living on an island and have developed a very specific and exclusive society which they understand but which baffled outsiders. And so my twist on the elves is that they outwardly seem like one stereotype of elves only to inwardly be a step between stereotypes of elves, which makes me feel like my version escapes some of the clichés by rationalizing and avoiding them. All of that said, elven clans will have a very different feel from the first half of this series. Let's get started.
The Palmir Family
The elven capital of Mishara lies on the largest island in a system created by volcanic eruption from the volcano just beyond the elven lands. That largest island is home to the capital, and five of the other six smaller islands are open to common elves. But Senetosa Island is reserved for the Palmir Family. The Palmir Family is a long, long line of elves who are among the foremost druids in all of the world. It is said among elves that the Palmirs have been there as long as the island has, and the rich, vibrant life on Senetosa is said to be thanks to the care of the Palmirs. Lathien Island, which is home to Mishara, is not a terribly hospitable place, built on the branches of mangrove trees growing from the water and home to many dangerous animals. The west of Lathien Island is a dense swamp with no real settlements. The smaller islands are similar to Mishara, but are less developed. But the Senetosa Island is lush and green, the volcanic soil rich. The Palmirs are elusive and mysterious, and members of the family have only emerged once a generation to take a suitable druidic mate to return to Senetosa Island. On occasion, hopeful druids have lingered near the coast from Senetosa in the dream of being selected to join the most revered family in the world of druids. The reality of the Palmirs is that they are indeed some of the most talented and connected druids of any time--they hold a great tradition and pass it down carefully. They do cultivate a certain mystique when in public, in large part because it plays to their advantage and in small part because isolation and druidism tend to make a person a bit strange. A few key rules of the Palmirs include speaking only in druidic unless necessary, never interfering with nature except to preserve equilibrium, and adopting a personal deity to assist them in their work--most all Palmirs opt for Ehlonna, Corellon Larethian, or Obad-Hai, though a few have historically chosen Nerull or Wee Jas.
The legacy of the Palmirs predates written language. For as long as elves have lived on the islands, the Palmirs have resided on Senetosa. When the first maps of the islands were drawn, some called the island Senetosa and others Palmir. Palmir Family legend says that the island rose up from the sea with the Palmirs already on it. [Out of game, my world lore says that the elves originally appeared where the orcs now live and vice versa, then abandoned their homelands due to their inhospitabilities, and ended up in each other's places; this would mean the Palmirs were the first elves to settle Senetosa.] Over time, a few Palmirs have emerged as particularly great: Arniel Palmir in 1852 was called by the Cestalion to cure blight from the great mangrove on which the city was mostly built; Riwa Palmir stopped a volcanic eruption in 2371 from reaching the coasts of Mishara or Senetosa; Blin Palmir personally greeted the first Faninites in 3214; Yxa Palmir generated days of storms during a severe famine in 4043. This demonstrates the role that has made the Palmirs legendary amongst the elves of Mishara--over generations of elves, they saved countless elves and played a key role in shining moments in history. Young Palmirs grow up hearing stories about their ancestors, and they know from early childhood that one day, they may be called to do the same. This creates a certain dutiful seriousness in Palmir Family members that is distinct even amongst the elves. Current Palmir leader Irivi Palmir, mother of three and widow of Zier Palmir, has successfully reproduced a species to Lathien Island that was thought extinct and is in her old age; it is believed that her oldest son, Hytor, will assume leadership of the family upon her death.
In the same way that children of earth grow up saying that they want to be an astronaut when they grow up, elven children say they want to be a Palmir druid when they grow up. The Palmirs make a life of respecting nature, are highly independent, and have brought glory and honor to elves everywhere--they are a paragon of elven values. Even those elves who do not become druids respect the Palmirs for their wholehearted commitment to something so entirely elven. As a result, all but the most surly and elf-hating elves hold the Palmirs high as an example of good behavior. The few elves who dislike them are dissidents, and even they must admit under intense questioning that they do not really have an issue with the family. Outside the elves, opinion in split. Half-elves regard the Palmirs as heroic and dedicated. Halflings respect the Palmirs despite having differerent beliefs about nature, especially for their service to their community. Faninites generally like the Palmirs if only because they had historic contact with the family. Gnomes note the historical significance and social good of the group despite living basically opposite lives as the Palmirs. Dwarves and Daltoners generally don't believe in the value or point of druids, so they tend to evaluate the Palmirs poorly. Thus, while the Palmir Family is accepted and celebrated as heroic and good by elves, they can be a sensitive topic with other groups.
The Lerrhel Clan
Elven clans, due to long lives, loose family units, and a defining of the individual apart from society, are usually more of professional associations, religious orders, or interest-based groups. That said, clans are already uncommon, as elves very rarely collaborate. There is no prestige attached to belonging to a group, as elves count individual achievement as more important than group identity. All of that is to say that the Lerrhel Clan has been an organization solely for the sake of sharing passions for longer than any other social group known to have existed in Evanoch. The clan is organized in a complicated fashion that has members choose interests and talents and links them with similarly-minded members for social engagements based on preferences like number of elves in a group, whether a social engagement is conversation- or activity-based, or what location or time of day to schedule. But more than a complex social club, the Lerrhel Clan is essentially a mechanism that keeps the most prestigious communities in elven society connected despite the elven penchant for solitude. In essence, the elves with the most respected jobs are placed together to socialize with the information that they both hold a job in a respected field, so two elevated embalmers will be paired to socialize, for instance. Likewise, elves with prestige in hobby sculpting will be given time together. The schedule cycles elves in the clan through other members they are likely to enjoy time with to their taste, effectively making it a highly structured social club. It is worth noting, though, that because elven culture emphasizes individuality and self-sufficiency, deciding to join a social club is a fairly radical choice for elves, and there is a deep bond between Lerrhel Clan members for this reason than social clubs generally grant. More accurately, the Lerrhel Clan is a home for elves who feel like outsiders for wanting more social contact than elven culture encourages or even permits. One detail of the membership of the Lerrhels that remains unexplained is that despite being open to all elves, nearly all of the clan members are male elves. The current leader of the Lerrhels is Laykil Napillin, an elven writer and historian in residence at the University of Mishara and longtime passionate member of the Lerrhels. Most clan members say that Napillin has been an unremarkable leader but has done well in preserving what works about the group.
The founding of the Lerrhels occurred at an interesting point in elven history. At the turn of the fourth millenium over 1700 years ago, elves were arguably the dominant force on Evanoch. The prize of elven society, its culture, was admired by nearly all; Mishara had enjoyed centuries of prosperity economically; Cestalion Argan Timil had shaken off bad relations with the cities on nearby mainland and renewed affable contact with them. Things had not been better for the elves or arguably for anyone for millennia. Elves had everything they needed and began to search for deeper meaning. At this point, religious faith began to diversify and grow across elven lands, and people turned to work and hobbies for fulfillment more than ever. With elves increasingly defining themselves by their interests in times of plenty, some elves, including Sros Lerrhel, wanted to share their passions. Lerrhel reached out to colleagues--he was an archivist at the University of Mishara-- and found that some (though certainly not all) of his peers felt the same way. The idea developed quickly from there, with Lerrhel borrowing heavily from what he could read about social clubs in other cultures and adding his own adjustments to make them palatable to elves. Neither Lerrhel nor those he brought into the clan intuitively grasped how to expand to more elves--networking is not a skill that elven culture has historically developed. So by bumpy trial and error and a lot of speaking with strangers (again, quite shocking to elven society), eventually Lerrhel assembled a respectable group of elves with overlapping interests and organized social engagements for them. For elves who are more lonely than adherent to elven custom, the Lerrhels became a place to safely engage in social customs that had been forbidden. Lerrhel himself passed away from old age nearly 800 years ago, and while he never named the organization, those who persisted called themselves Lerrhels after their founder.
The Lerrhels have the benefit of having been around for long enough that all living elves have lived solely in a world with the Lerrhel Clan. In the first centuries of its existence, most elves regarded them as either harmlessly weird or somehow a subversion of elven ways. But as the Lerrhels persisted, their existence began to normalize them. Today, the Lerrhels are more popular than ever even if they are still a somewhat fringe group. Even outside of their clan, more elves are being more social with less judgment than ever before. Interestingly, elves don't attribute this new social openness to the Lerrhels, most often simply saying that the change happened without obvious cause. The truth is, though, that the early Lerrhels who weathered social judgment paved the way for later Lerrhels to enjoy rich social lives in peace. Some staunchly tradition elves do still criticize the Lerrhel Clan as unnecessary, but to most, the group is simply an expression of an urge that some elves have. This very social change in accepting less individualism represents a much larger debate happening in contemporary elven society: younger elves are arguing that progressivism means changing with the times, while older elves say progressivism means sticking to principles that lead to progressive outcomes. The Lerrhels are and have been at the center of this process since their founding, and elves will be discussing the topics raised by the Lerrhels for centuries. Outside of elven society, no one has a real understanding of the role of the Lerrhels aside from perhaps the half-elves. Many half-elves, especially those raised by elves, would understand what the Lerrhels mean for elven society, and since half-elven culture tends towards extreme progressivism and forward thinking, they nearly always advocate for the expansion of social freedom in elven society. This dynamic comes in the manner that a child grows impatient with a parent who makes the same mistake repeatedly--a sort of relief that they've started to figure out how to act correctly; the half-elves usually see elves as repressed, so social engagement is a good step in the right direction.
The Linille Clan
In elven culture, familial clans are very rare. Elven families tend to have relatively few children, and when they do, the children are usually had hundreds of years apart. Additionally, elven culture values individuality over group identity, so there are no real forces that encourage elves to choose the profession of family members. These factors mean that there are no real incentives for families to join together as a clan beyond normal familial maneuvering. Thus, it is all the more surprising when a clan like the Linilles rises to prominence. At the end of the War of Kraal 500 years ago, Elish Linille, a soldier who had seen some of the worst fighting of the war, dedicated her life to "rebuilding the elven empire." Key to Linille's strategy are two ideals: 1. spreading elven culture abroad, specifically crowding out orcish culture, and 2. repopulating the elven people. In the War of Kraal, the elves lost over 100,000 people, which was over half the population of elves at the time. Linille argues that Mishara is but a ghost town after the war because the elven people cling to a tradition of few children when what is really needed is a repopulation effort. Though controversial to many and even most elves, there have been a fair number of elves who lived during the War of Kraal who have taken the Linille Clan very seriously. It is worth noting that Linille has generated some support in Mishara, but elves on the Evanine mainland have uniformly ignored the Linilles--the insularity of Mishara is cause for a quite different mentality than on the mainland. Today, Elish Linille spends time as a leader and figurehead for the clan, while her nine children (a number of children that has earned Linille considerable criticism) and their twenty-three children take care of organizing the group.
Elish Linille's initial founding of the clan was rocky, as even in the wake of the War of Kraal, most elves simply wanted peace, not revenge or reclamation. It was only once the memory of the bloodshed faded and the loss remained nearly two hundred years later that Linille got any traction with her beliefs. She took a follower as a husband and began building a family, directing her followers to do the same. As followers came to Linille, she found that many feared the social judgment that would come from embracing Linille's beliefs--acolyte elves said so many children was a burden financially, emotionally, and socially; further, their efforts to talk about spreading elven culture made their families and friends uncomfortable, and they were losing faith in the clan. Linille's response was to reorganize. She purchased a cheap lot of land at the north edge of Lathien Island and developed a small compound there where followers could move. But surprisingly, Linille placed a few trusted Linille children in charge of the compound and remained in Mishara, attracting attention positive and negative instead of heading the compound herself. In recent years, the Linilles have increasingly radicalized, and the group is currently in something of a standstill due to infighting about goals--some side with Elish Linille, arguing for staying the course that they've walked for hundreds of years, while others side with one of her sons, Similin Linille, who argues that a military venture should be raised to avenge elven losses during the War of Kraal. This development is venomous to Elish Linille, whose entire agenda is social and located within elven society. This infighting has made news in Mishara, where gossip about the Linilles ranges from mockery of the group to genuine worry about their intentions.
This more broadly characterizes elven responses to the Linilles. As time passes and the War of Kraal becomes a story rather than a memory to more and more elves (more than half the living elves today were born after the war), the aversion to the Linilles that followed the war has faded gradually. Some elves hear the stories of the war and identify with the Linilles at least in part; only a fraction of these will feel strongly enough to join, at which point their entire lives must be given up to be a part of the group. But the vast majority of elves think of the Linilles as misguided or even sinister. Fundamentally, one of the most important ideas in elven culture is that elven culture is for elves and elves alone. While Similin Linille's armed response is offensive and ludicrous to most elves, Elish Linille's argument that elven culture be spread to non-elves is almost equally offensive and ludicrous. A non-elf simply wouldn't understand elven culture, say most elves, so spreading it accomplishes nothing but a tarnishing of elven culture. And so disillusioned elves sometimes creep off to join the Linilles (and nearly half of the Linille Clan is composed of these elves rather than bloodline Linilles), but for the most part, elves dismiss the group, whose numbers come in large part from reproduction, not spreading word. Non-elves, by and large, are unsure what to make of the Linilles. Spreading culture and having large families are not taboo in other societies, so the Linille aims do not seem particularly strange or objectionable to them. Similin Linille's argument for vengeance is less well known beyond Mishara, but those who know are shocked and appalled. Not even thirty years ago, the Magic Wars occurred, quickly claiming thousands of lives--the War of Kraal, many had believed, was the war that would scare Evanines out of any war again. Following the War of Kraal, kingdoms were disbanded solely to prevent more bloodshed. When the Magic Wars erupted not on kingdom lines but ideological ones, Evanines realized they were not safe from the specter of more fighting. So for the Linilles to even in part advocate for war would be unthinkable for most people. Orcs in particular regard the Linilles as threats, fools, and even monsters.
The Ellindrel Clan
In elven culture, knowledge is one of the foremost things to be sought in life, and obscure and esoteric knowledge is even more precious. For thousands of years, the Ellindrel Clan has offered the most widely knowledgeable experts in a wide array of highly specific fields, making them quite prominent in the eyes of elves. The Ellindrels have long enjoyed a reputation as a trustworthy if eccentric source of information, interpretation, and conclusion. That is, until recently. Seventeen years ago, the chief Ellindrel, Ilwinin Stendarr, uncovered a deeply hidden set of texts that chronicled a number of atrocities committed by elven forces during the War of Kraal; further research unveiled to Stendarr that orders to slaughter surrendering orcs were spread far and wide and that the orders went as far as the Cestalion, the supreme leader of the elves. Stendarr held off on publishing her findings until only three years ago, when the evidence was quite damning. The elven government at first ignored the findings, then denied them; the troop of guards who suddenly seemed to cling to Stendarr in public indicated that she had struck a nerve. It was speculated that the other Ellindrels would oust Stendarr to maintain social standing, but the group has stood by Stendarr, and increasingly tense atmospheres accompany modern elven conversations about the War of Kraal. The transition from the Ellindrels being a purely academic organization to a more politically-focused one has also been controversial, and it is not uncommon for elves to argue that the Ellindrels should refrain from politics but that their findings are necessary; others conversely say that knowledge is inherently political but the Ellindrels should leave delicate matters alone. All that is certain is that the Ellindrels intend to keep doing what they're doing regardless of how the world around them responds.
The Ellindrel Clan was founded by historian and author Ilnis Paleesin, whose original goal was to form a professional alliance between people studying obscure fields so that knowledge could be shared. At the time, this was somewhat controversial. In elven culture, the earning of knowledge through hard work is a key element of how elves grow as individuals even over hundreds of years. To simply share knowledge in a large network was to some elves a subversion of an important personal process; it took some convincing from Paleesin to get new members to overcome social stigma attached to groups by convincing them there was no social component at all. The Clan's first meetings occurred in 2990, over two thousand years ago, and by the dawn of the year 3000, elven culture was already seeing a boom in published research and university attendance. In Paleesin's day, the success of the Ellindrel Clan, which Paleesin had named for a childhood friend who had ignited his passion for learning, was mostly focused on academic pursuits; however, by the midpoint of the fourth millennium, the Ellindrels had expanded to specialized and respected trades like druid and embalmer as well as expert in various arts. But the EIllindrels are no mere professional club--they maintain a strict code about the sharing and publication or knowledge and restrict membership to the more obscure of topics--amateur historians and amateur poets cannot be found among the Ellindrels, whose strict standards for admission have kept the group relatively small over the years, never reaching more than fifteen. From the founding of the Ellindrels until today, there is a certain status conferred upon those elite enough to be an Ellindrel, but members are far more interested in the access to information than the status.
Prior to the modern day revelation about elven actions in the War of Kraal, the Ellindrels were not free of controversy. Many of the discoveries that spread because of them sparked outrage at the time, and the Ellindrels have always weathered that with the support of the longtime ruling class of Mishara, the capital of the elves. Over time, support for or opposition to the Ellindrels has come down to political leanings in most cases. The dominant elves, who say the ideals of elven culture are the most important thing the society has, are opposed by the more downtrodden and young elves who argue that good outcomes for elves matter more than ideal. The dominant elves, then, support the Ellindrels because knowledge and learning are central to elven customs. The downtrodden elves are uncomfortable with an shadowy team of academics deciding what knowledge should and shouldn't be public. Interestingly, the matter of recent war information goes the opposite way. The dominant elves say the information should be distrusted (because they are responsible) and feel betrayed by the Ellindrels. Downtrodden elves believe that knowledge of these misdeeds raise crucial questions about the morality and validity of elven leadership, which has caused a massive commotion across elven culture. Outside of elven society, most people think of the Ellindrels as either boogeymen or just extreme versions of the esoterically-minded elves who are obsessed with learning. At the same time, gnomes have been hugely inspired by the Ellindrels--not long after Paleesin formed the Ellindrels, the gnomes began large-scale professional guilds, which in turn led to a boom in gnomish sciences and arts. As a result, some gnomes pay homage to either Paleesin or more often the Ellindrels at large, as the second golden age of gnomish history occurred because of the changes struck by the Ellindrels.
The Aserr Clan
In elven society, religious worship is considered healthy for the spirit, but it is always practiced in private. Elven homes are generally designed to set aside one-third of the total space for a combination religious space and home for visitors (who are honored by their proximity to the altar or other religious fixture); this space would be used individually and not communally (even though the space is meant to be shared as a home). This is to say that religion is very important to elven society, but that it is an individual practice. That is not so for the Aserr Clan. An organization devoted to the worship of Corellon Larethian, the members of the Aserr Clan argue for a new interpretation of elven principles. The place of religion, they say, is greater than estimated by previous elves, and some devoted Aserrs have converted their homes to include more space for religious worship. But more fundamentally, Aserr Clans members say that private worship has disconnected elves from their god and call for more concerted ways of showing faith. They look to the religious fervor of the Daltoners and dwarves, who worship in large congregations, and argue that elven society is missing that crucial passion. For elves who feel isolated or disconnected and identify strongly with their faith in Corellon Larethian, the Aserrs, who meet twice a week in the public square outside the Cestalion's palace for worship; in recent months, guards have surrounded the worshippers during service, leading to a debate about religious freedom--just because it is not traditional, does it reflect elven ways, and more importantly, should the Cestalion be allowed to forbid anyone to worship as they see fit?
The Aserr Clan is a very recent addition to elven society, especially considering the lifespan of elves. The founder and current leader of the Aserrs, Jysk Aserr, is a cleric of Corellon Larethian whose temple has declined over the last decade. In a move to increase visitors, Aserr, who had heard of the Daltoners' and dwarves' faith, to try incorporating group worship. It was a failure--no one came, as the idea was largely preposterous to elves who heard it. Aserr took to the streets, asking stranger to pray with him. After being arrested for disturbing the peace, Aserr took to writing and spread pamphlets across Mishara, inviting anyone to try a bold new experiment in faith, providing no other details. Seven elves gathered in front of the palace, and three stayed when they realized that Aserr meant to pray with them. Word of the event, dubbed a stunt by many, spread quickly, and at Aserr's next meeting, curious onlookers had come to see the spectacle. Refusing to give in, Aserr loudly began to pray. His heartfelt and eloquent prayer moved many in the crowd, and Aserr's following has steadily grown since that first meeting two years ago. Just as the Lerrhel Clan normalized social engagement for its own sake, the Aserr Clan has begun to normalize group worship to the point that more of the debate around the group is about religious freedom than any kind of discussion of social tradition.
In elven society, the Aserrs are obviously divisive. In generally, elves fall into three camps. Some, in the majority, believe that what the Assers are doing is entirely against the wisdom of their people, but also, they have a right to do it. Others, in a smaller but still notable group, outright condemn the group as heretics and menaces to the public, and they need to be stopped. Others still, in a still smaller but not negligible group, wholeheartedly endorse the Aserrs, arguing that they present an important voice in a long dead conversation and that elven values are on the Aserrs' side. Even within these generalities, each elf has details and distinctions of their own, and the debate is far from over--in fact, it's still coming to a climax. Outside of elven culture, most people do not know what to make of things. Half-elves have a clearer perspective than most, and nearly all half-elves agree that the Assers should be free to do what they please since they're not hurting anyone and that the "elven values" line is just a dog whistle. Daltoners and dwarves, who Aserr was inspired by, would ironically hate the Assers for worshipping the wrong god. Some vengeful orcs hope that the Aserrs tear elven society apart, though most are fairly indifferent. Halflings, gnomes, and Faninites are more or less indifferent to the Aserrs; they lack the cultural context to understand why the Aserrs are noteworthy, and they tend not to meddle in the affairs of others. So while what the Aserrs stand for is fundamentally in line with all groups but elves, the only true supporters of the Aserrs are elves.
There you have it--a guide to important groups of elves in my homebrew setting. I've learned something valuable and exciting about each group I've written these clan guides for, and this time, I learned that my elves have a lot going on right now. I came into this article with this idea that because elves live for a thousand years, their society would be pretty static. It makes a kind of odd sense--if only a few generations pass, will society change that much? But I forgot that the world around the elves is changing constantly too, and that affects them as much as anyone. So I came in thinking the elves were basically the same as three thousand years ago, and BAM. My elves are saving the world with druids and breaking millennia-old social rules and forming extremist organizations and uncovering and sharing hidden knowledge and redefining how their society sees faith--all at the same time! This really changes how I plan to DM my elves--now they're trying to follow some ancient set of ideals in a world that keeps changing their minds about things, and that means either clinging to tradition or reinventing oneself. I'm really excited to get to play those things out.
That's all for now. Coming soon: clan guides to the half-elves, gnomes, and halflings. Until next time, happy gaming!
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