Sylvan Elves
The History of the Sylvan Elves
The following is the history of the part of the world that has come to be known as the Heartlands. As this covers over nine thousand years, it has been abridged by necessity. It should tell you about us as a people - but may also provide illumination for others as what follows chronicles the events that gave birth to the Factions and the Gathering Treaty.
Once, long ago, the world was younger and more alive than it is today. Birds, beasts, plants and stone were all alive and responded to the words of those that knew their ways. There were fey in that time and there were elves. The fey did rejoice in all they saw and lived in a constant state of childlike wonderment. The elves also rejoiced in what they saw but sought to craft, develop and study. There was no strife in those days bar the demons of the Void who coveted the preciousness of creation. It is sad to say that some elves did long after the power of the demons and gave themselves to them. These elves became known as the 'shadow' elves (not the same as drow) and many left - or were cast out of the light - to make their own dwelling elsewhere.
In that time, the Elves did make the First City using ways and means that are lost to even the oldest ones in the world. Many and great were the wonders that were crafted in this city. However, greatest of all the wonders was the shaping of the Tomes of Earth, Air, Fire and Water for they embodied the fundamental elements of creation within them. Little is known about the manner the Tomes were created in. However, what is known is the name of four of the elves that took part in the shaping of them. Their names were: Rulien, Lento, Beltano and Yarinrill.
Tragically, and for reasons that are still shrouded in mystery, whilst the First City was at the height of its power great forces ravaged the land. A Cataclysm you call it now. The terrible forces broke and scattered the people of the First City and around it. Some groups of elves managed to flee into the Void protected by powerful magics. Others were cast into demi-planes. It became known as the Sundering for the elven peoples would never be the same again.
Dark times followed as each group of elves that had been scattered by the Sundering had to adapt and survive. This wrought changes upon each of them and great differences began to emerge. Also in this time was the first recorded encounter with a Drow. At the time, the sundered elves saw them as an extreme form of their changed selves, yet others have come to wonder if they were not something else completely. None amongst the Sylvan know the answer for - even back then - the Drow did guard their secrets closely and told little to any that were not Drow.
The Dark times continued for time without record. However, they came to an end eventually as Four Kingdoms emerged like beacons of light to offer shelter to elven kind. There were the kingdoms of Lorest, Vermillion and Aquillias. There was also the kingdom of Sylvan.
The kingdom of Sylvan was founded by an elf named Alisthan who could trace his bloodline back to Rulien, one of the Tomemakers. Alisthan united Twelve Bloodlines by dint of his birthright and by the Tome of Air that he bore. They founded their Kingdom in the place that is now known as Lyonesse on the maps of Erdreja.
The Twelve Bloodlines of the Sylvan were the Rulien, the Lento, the Beltano, the Ranalyin, the Yarinrill, the Laranillar, the Galantir, the Laurial, the Narine, the Sallirna, the Tarallin, and the Garnier.
In the kingdom of Sylvan it was learned that during the Sundering and the Dark times, much of the life and light had been torn from the land. So - as a people - our forefathers strived long and hard to try and restore it. Invoking the energies within had some limited effect but it soon became clear to them that the world could not be restored to the way it was before the Sundering.
In that time, the Kingdom of Sylvan came into contact with the Celtaii Fey and the other three elven kingdoms that had also been built around a recovered Tome. In those times, there were some misunderstandings and strife for it took time to realise the changes that the Sundering had wrought. However, peaceful agreement was reached and the Treaty of Estel was crafted to support the Four Elven Kingdoms and the Celtaii Fey.
There was peace and harmony for centuries upon centuries. Though it was only a reflection of the greatness of the First Age, the Second had attained its own sense of worth. Colleges of Magic were set up in each of the Four Kingdoms to focus on the study of the Four Elemental Tomes.
It is hard to say how long things might have continued thus but - in this time - change came with the emergence of the Younger Races.
The Sylvan histories are unclear as to how or where they came from. The Elves of Vermillion were reportedly the first to meet the Uruks and Ologs of green skin. That first meeting is not in our records but it did not go well and the tone was set for a long ongoing war whereby the Uruks and Ologs would periodically invade Vermillion in force, taking and destroying.
With humans, however, the story is even less clear for the Sylvan Kingdom encountered them long after the other three Kingdoms had. In the Kingdom of Lorest, the primitive humans were accepted readily and the elves sought to act as teachers to them. In the Kingdom of Aquillias, the primitive humans were approached with caution although the neighbouring Celtaii Fey embraced them warmly, which mollified the Aquillians. In the Kingdom of Vermillion, beset by battle, the primitive humans were conscripted into fighting in servant armies or into building and working for the Vermillion elves.
The first encounter the Sylvans had with humans was at the Quinannual Council of Estel. The Loresti brought human guests. The Aquillians brought human retainers. The Vermillion brought human servants. After overcoming surprise and curiousity, the Sylvan Bloodline Council met and discussed the issue. It was decided that - just as the Elves and Fey had sought their own path and learned in that way - so too the humans should grow and develop in their own way without our interference. So the Sylvan Kingdom resolved to have no interaction with the humans - one way or another.
At this point, I would like to note that it is unclear from the Sylvan histories just exactly how much was known about the internal affairs of the other Elven Kingdoms. How much of the Sylvan decision was based on ignorance of the treatment of humans by the other nations, and how much was done in acceptance, is unclear. Nevertheless, the records show that the Sylvan Bloodline Council and the Speaker believed that they were acting in the best interests of all concerned.
Time passed and the Younger Races grew and changed more rapidly than had been seen before. However, the Sylvans knew little of this. Some rumours came that a human nation was developing to the west of Aquillias with the help of the Celtaii Fey.
At the Last Council of Estel, the Celtaii Fey came forth and proposed that the humans be given a nation and a voice on the Council of Estel.
It was in keeping for the Fey of the time to make such bold proposals without advance consultation. The Sylvan Bloodline Council had no foundation upon which to make a decision and abstention was not permitted. So the Sylvan Elves sought the counsel of the other Kingdoms.
From each Kingdom, the message was the same. The humans were too young. Too rash. Too hasty. They lacked sufficient wisdom at that time to govern themselves in a peaceful fashion. In time they would learn these lessons as the elves and the fey had, but that time was not yet.
The Sylvan Elves took these words and considered them. So - when it came to the Council - each of the Elven Kingdoms stated their answer as "no".
It is a sign of the hastiness of humans and fey of that time that they took the word "no" and - rather than hearing it as "not yet" - chose to hear it as "never". The fey stormed out of the Council of Estel and withdrew all support for it.
Strife followed.
Rumour of the events of the Council got back to the human servant armies of the Vermillion Elves. They rebelled and the internal conflict - compounded by a renewed assault by the Uruks and Ologs - tore the Kingdom of Vermillion apart. The Ologs claimed the Tome of Earth for their own.
The men of Celtaii reinforced their fledgling nation and annexed the Elves of Aquillias. The Aquillians appealed to the Celtaii Fey who shunned them. The humans attacked Aquillias and the Aquillians were forced into a compact with the Dwarves and the Drow of the area to preserve themselves.
In Lorest, the humans broke into the Tower of Magic in the city of Ithilanos and stole the Tome of Fire. They then attacked in force, turning on their former teachers and guides. They used the Tome of Fire to create the Incantation Device that used the power of Incantation to slay those of the Elder Races. This included the Celtaii Fey who realised what they had allied with and withdrew their support again.
Throughout all of this the Sylvan Kingdom watched in dismay. The decree of the Speaker had been that the Sylvans would not interfere with the humans as they sought to shape their own destiny. That decree was bitterly tested as the humans slew the kindred of the Elves.
Some of the Sylvan Bloodlines opted to act independently of the Bloodline Council - as is their right - and went to intervene on their own merits. The Ranalyin, Yarinrill and Lento Bloodlines took forces to Lorest. All sustained terrible casualties from the human troops. The Lento Blood in particular suffered as a result of the Incantation Device, which slew them in their hundreds making them live out their lifespan of centuries in mere hours. It was the High Mage of the Lento Bloodline that led the Great Ritual that employed the remaining Tomes to banish the power of Incantation from the surface world.
The Larinallar and Garnier Blood took ships to Aquillias Elves but it was to no avail. Though once Aquillias was well and truly defeated, the men of Celtaii returned to their old ways and formed tribes and clans, battling one another for power. Government through violence - as the Elven Kingdoms had feared.
In the Southlands, however, a human named Tebron was not content and held on to control of his forces in the defeated Kingdom of Lorest. Taking those same forces, he marched on the Sylvan Kingdom and laid siege to Obsidia. Though the Incantation device no longer worked, Tebron still had the Tome of Fire and a new weapon of fear. A group known as Enforcers - that the Elves came to fear under the name of Deathcloaks - marched forth to wipe out every elf that they encountered. Scullion the librarian was one of these and still wears his Deathcloak. You need only ask him of its significance.
In a bid to maintain the Speaker's Decree, and to preserve themselves from Tebron's aggression, the Sylvan Elves devised a ritual to hide themselves away from the eyes of men. However, to preserve all the Sylvan Elves and refugees, the ritual would require the Tome of Air, which lay in the city of Obsidia.
Though an attempt was made to retrieve the Tome, Obsdia fell to the humans, the Deathcloaks and to Tebron and they took the Tome of Air as well. The recounting of this is told in a fragment of the journal of the last Council Member of the Rulien Blood as he readied himself for what was to come. For the ritual to preserve the Sylvan Elves from the Empire of Man could be done - albeit weaker - if they had time that the Deathcloaks would not allow them. The last Council Member of the Rulien Blood vowed that the Sylvan Elves would have that time, even if it cost the lives of all of the Blood.
As the Rulien Blood had forged the Sylvan Kingdom from the Dark times, so they sacrificed themselves en mass to buy time for the Shrouding Ritual to take place. Tale has it that the courage and the bravery of the Rulien Blood in that final battle was such that Tebron feared them and it was that that he declared the Empire's First law: The Empire is Mother, the Empire is Father, Suffer Not An Elf To Live.
The ritual was successful and a Barrier was raised that protected some of the Sylvan Elves - but sadly not all. The price was the Tomes, the Elven Kingdoms, the Peace of Estel and lives of every male, female and child of the Rulien Blood.
Epilogue
In the thousand years since the birth of the Empire of Man, the Sylvan Elves have lain behind the Barrier to the west of Lyonesse. A thousand years is a long time, even for our kind, and so we are the grandchildren of those who fought in what is known as the Race Wars. We could only watch in horror as the Empire of Man broke our people and pushed them into small, scattered groups that would pose them no threat. We despaired as the Empire abused power to the extent of causing a Cataclysm that destroyed them.
Yet now a new age has come into the world, an age where nations can rise and fall on their own merits and it is safe to be an elf once more. So the Sylvan Elves have come forth again with a desire to make our own way in this world. We seek a land to call our home where we can rule ourselves and seek our own destiny, as believe others should be allowed to seek theirs.
Sylvan Law
Justice comes down to the head of the bloodline to give a ruling on the matter. If it was between two houses then a agreement is made between the two laws. If no agreement is made then it will go before the Speaker, who will deside on a cource of action.
The only laws that are laid out are
1) No Sylvan is to Harm Another Sylvan
2) No Sylvan is to Practice Necromancy or Possess
Anything Tainted by
Necromancy
3) No Pure One is to be interfered with in any way without her or his
consent.
All sylvan and now guest's are to act in a manner that is for the best of the sylvan nation. that is all the laws we need.
Note: Necromancy is Necromancy or Incantation
The Sylvan Bloodlines
The Beltano Blood (Purple)
The Larinallar Blood (White)
The Lento Blood (Green)
The Galantir Blood (Blue)
The Laurial Blood (Black)
The Yarinrill Blood (Red)
The Ranalyin Blood (Yellow)
The Argan Blood (Brown)
The Narine Blood (Silver)
The Garnier Blood (Orange)
The Tarallin Blood (Grey)
The Rulien Blood (Gold)
The Prophecy of the Herald
There Shall come a time of change and new things,
Through confusion will e'er be present.
A new age shall emerge for all of the people,
And though strife shall a path lead to a new land.
There shall come an enchanter,
Though he will know what he is - but not who.
He will be great and wise in the ways of the craft,
And he shall restore that which is lost.
There shall come a warrior,
Though his greatness shall not be visibly seen.
He shall favour the sword and be mighty with it,
And he shall lead a great force against our enemies.
There shall come a herald,
Though he shall consider himself long forsaken.
No force shall hold back the words he will speak,
And the speaker and the bloodlines shall heed his wisdom.
There shall come three Scions of Rulien,
Though all were slain by the final blow.
They shall be a rebirth of a lost hope and light,
And they shall restore the Bloodline Council.
Return to the Geneology of the Elven Races
Return to the Library of Memphis
