Kingdoms of the

Elves
Kingdoms of the
The ancient Elves hold themselves superior to all others, and why should
they not? Their mages are without equal, their warriors without peer.
T
he Elves are the oldest of all the
speaking peoples, their histories
stretching far back into the past
of the world. They were the first to be
blessed by the gods with awareness,
their oldest cities raised long before the
Age of Ice.
Once the Elves ruled a huge land that
stretched over hundreds of leagues. For
millennia they lived at peace, all kindreds
paying obeisance to the High King and
Mage Queen. War was unknown to them,
and each Elf spent their long lives in the
pursuit of personal perfection. Their idyll
was not to last.
The Elves are arrogant, yet they hide
a terrible secret. It was they who were
tricked by the mad deity Tulann, they
who followed his urging to delve deeper
into the arcane arts, they who unwittingly
unleashed the enemies of the gods on
the world at the climax of the Age of the
Old Sun.
The Elves of today are a pale shadow
of their former power, most of their
kingdoms have gone beneath the ocean.
Disunited and bitter, the kindreds follow
their own ways and grow ever further
apart. In these dark times, war is never far
away from the gates of their palaces.
Elves are natural horsemen, and their horses the best in the world. Elven steeds are coveted
by many other peoples, especially the race of Men. Human horse traders will go to extreme
lengths to secure an Elven stallion, for a mount with even a trace of Elvish blood can command
ludicrous prices. The Elves guard their animals jealously, and many a violent incident has been
sparked by the avarice of non-Elven folk.
The allegiance of an Elven warrior is readily discerned by the colours displayed upon his arms
and armour. Every kindred has its own heraldry, and every prince and lord within a particular
kindred their own variations. The semi-magical alloys employed by the Elves to make their
armour are often plated in vivid colours, and nobles will spend a king’s fortune to make sure
their retinue is more resplendent than those of their fellows.
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Bold Elf scouts range far ahead of the main army,
and patrol the borders of the Elven kingdoms.
An Elven knight at full charge.
The spear is the preferred close-quarter weapon of many Elven kindreds. Each spear is magically
bonded to its owner, and as the bond deepens over time, so it is said, the weapons develop minds
of their own, pre-empting the movements of their owners and lending them supernatural speed.
Companies such as this are a mainstay of Elven armies, presenting an impenetrable wall of
crystal points to the foe.
Elven bolt throwers are intricate machines,
capable of hurling volleys of needle-tipped
darts into the ranks of the enemy.
Elven archers are among the very best in the world, the natural abilities of every Elf enhanced
by their cunningly wrought arms. Elven bows can comfortably outshoot those of other races,
while the armour worn by all the Elves is light and flexible enough to allow an archer to operate
unimpeded. Elven shields are weapons in their own right, razor edged and deadly. They are also
articulated, and can be collapsed to further free an archer’s movements.
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