Elf Overview

Elves are broken mostly into two factions, the Wood Elves and Sea Elves. They were shattered by an ancient religious schism that still keeps them apart today. Sea Elves exert influence over the world through their traders, expert merchants who control the waterways between human trade ports. Wood Elves, for their part, are much more isolationist. They prefer to remain within their forests and live as one with nature. Sea Elves are much more common in the world, and are typically what most people think of when discussing Elves in general.

Wood Elves

Contrary to their eastern cousins, the Wood Elves of the Kochi forest live a much more chaotic lifestyle. They lack a devotion to society that is such a hallmark of the Sea Elves. Instead, the Kochi elves prize individualism and self-reliance over any sort of rigid class structure. Devoted to the chaos of the nature world, they long ago found themselves at odds with the established structure of Elf society, fleeing to carve out their own place in the world. Wood Elves are deeply religious, devoted utterly to two deities that guide their actions. These cults unify their society, giving them purpose and meaning. They also dictate much of their interactions with the world beyond their forests, giving their followers secretive and hidden agendas. All of the Kochi is shrouded in mystery, with few travellers able to penetrate beyond even the outer edges. Many stories exist about their capital of Fusan, but few can confirm any of them.

Sea Elves

The Elves of the eastern lands, known to them as the Kodno, are a seafaring people. Much of their lives happen along the coasts, with those living inland clustered around rivers. Their culture is highly hierarchical, built along rigid lines of order and submission. Several stratified classes exist within their society, each with specific obligations and roles to play. The Elf attitude to magic is simply an extension of this desire to control, with much of their studies designed around controlling the chaotic flow of magic and binding it to their will. All of this combines to create a stifling environment for some, who flee the strict rigidity of their homeland to live among the other races. These travellers often find themselves beacons of order and domination wherever they go, eager to control their surroundings to better fit their view of the world. Traders fit this bill especially well, their efficiency and ruthlessness making a name for them around the world. The Elves of the Kodno practice slavery, relying on Gnomes for much of their day to day activities. This is especially common among the aristocracy, where Gnome servants are considered ubiquitous.