Arjanelle
Some elves lose patience teaching the 'young' races, and set out to employ harsher methods. A few doubt the very intent of mother nature, and set out to bring their own vision to life.
Special Equipment:
A plenty of toxins and powerful potions, many of them unknown to lesser alchemists. Amulets aiding the stability of her form. A stave made of the chaotic matter of 'unused' creation.
Appearance:
While it grieves her sometimes, Arjanelle would never admit that she rerets abandoning the form of an elf sometimes. Today, she is muscled and tall, rather than wearing the fragile husk of an elf; clad in fur like black steel instead of vulnerable silken skin, her face protruding into a muzzle filled with sharp teeth in place of the stubby blunt objects we'd like to call so; her arms no longer helpless, but armed with sharp claws, two appendages with foot-long talons adding to her rather frightening appearance.
Her eyes are generally cold, scorning and bitter, yet filled with sadness when she doubts the course she chose. Proud of bearing and a tasteful dresser, she prefers simply cut clothes adorned by a centrally placed jewel or two - generally a headband and an amulet on her chest.
All over her body, small jewels are sewn into her skin, having become a part of her.
Background:
Once, she frolicked along her kin in the proud cities, lush meadows and verdant forests they called home - an elf maiden with a mane like raven feathers, pale and moody like the moon, filled with optimism and joy.
Like so many flawless things, her life in the community was not meant to last long, for threats abounded on the horizon - human and dwarf nations, their ambitions fuelled by the rise of technology, overpopulation and greed, threatened what her kin had laboured so hard to create and preserve. So, the Elves went to war, a tragic event for them, for what does it matter that one dragonlord does kill several thousand enemies before his fall, when his life is not to be replaced, and neither that of his mount, while the humans breed like rats in a congested sewer, and dwarfs assemble warrior golems day and night in the safety of their halls?
War claimed many victims, and Arjanelle saw fewer and fewer of her kin every day, until but a few of them strolled lifelessly along the streets, while the besiegers were hammering away at the wards ensuring their safety. The mages gone, those faded as well, and the uncultured foes were free to wander the deserted streets, mouths agape at such beauty and splendor, until their greed overrode their respect, and they tore apart anything of value, artwork molten down to coin and machine, books fuelling campfires and statues used as cobblestones.
Fleeing without direction and purpose, Arjanelle was soon tracked down and laid in chains, to be carried off as a trophy, to be slave to those not worthy of kissing an elf's feet. Long did she pity hersef, cry rivers of tears evoking only laughter from her captors, yet one day, after her whole self was consumed by the flames of degradation, torture and abuse, something new arose from the ashes. Arjanelle lashed out at her captors, burning the mansion of her owner and all within to the ground, barrels of oil and a few torches replacing what she lacked in magic.
That night, she ran off again, but now with a purpose - she joined a faction of elves who questioned nature's wisdom in creating the other sentients, and wanted to remedy this error, by fire and steel if necessary.
Driven by desire to forget what was done to her, and stamp out anything that reminded her of the suffering, she was one of the most ardent enemies of mankind, rising to a position of power amongst her likes soon, honing both her physical and magical might.
True, she had few friends, but she cared little... what desire for company she had was sated by Yanessi, her mate, and a brother-at-arms.
Yet again, doubt gnawed at her, for her companions failed to see all of the humans and their likes as but a plague - they distinguished between 'good' and 'evil', when all that mattered was a ... remedy. She realized that the Elves were weak as well. ALL had to be replaced.
Long she travelled the lands, only Yanessi at her side, seeking an answer to a question she shared with no one. Many hardships she endured, until she found what she was searching for. Having snuck into the halls of the gods, for all of the earth she already had searched, she entered the fortress of Rukh, the eldest of the gods, the keeper of time and judge of the other deities, who ovrsaw the wheels of time and reincarnation. There, in a vault not meant to e opened, she discovered a treasure far greater than anything in existence - unwoven creation, unused by the gods, saved up to be used if the need arose. Drawn to it like a moth to flame, despite the warnings of her mate, she eagerly grasped a large chunk of it with both hands.
Her will, feeble when compared to the gods', and not meant to handle such energy, could not contain it, and molten she was, losing any semblance of her form. Yanessi's will was weaker still, and any trace of him ended that moment, dissolved back again into what he came from.
Grasping what she could hold of raw creation, but a small piece, Arjanelle fled, an amorphous mass, unable to find any permanent shape.
Still, her resolve did not let her to slip into madness, and, piece by piece, she did what she could not do as a whole - give her body a shape. When her will finally gave the shape to an arm or leg, or piece of her face, she crafted an amulet to keep it that way, so that she could focus on a different part of herself. This is when she attained her current form.
And then, she set out what was her goal from the start of that mad voyage... she abducted elf, human, orc and dwarf alike, and studied them, studied their very essence, until she understood, and then, she used the raw creation she stole to forge new beings, ones who would be worthy keepers of the world, not like the filth that walks upon it.
Today, she is a queen of a realm of 'Ubermenschen' of her own making, slowly grinding away at the defenses of her neighbors, knowing, that one day, victory will be hers.
Still, was this the fulfillment she sought? Deep in a corner of her soul, she doubts it. She yearns for innocence lost, for the love she had but could not see, but most of all, she seeks forgiveness for herself, for all her sins. The doubt gnaws at her, because what if she is wrong? What if it is not the humans, but her, who damns the world?
Not Registered Yet? No problem.
Do you want Strolenati super powers? Registering. That's how you get super powers! These are just a couple powers you receive with more to come as you participate.
- Upvote and give XP to encourage useful comments.
- Work on submissions in private or flag them for assistance.
- Earn XP and gain levels that give you more site abilities (super powers).
- You should register. All your friends are doing it!
? Responses (7)
Very interesting, a radical elf who has strayed away from the tree-hugging, poetry singing, green clad Ranger of the North ideal. The back story is suitably fantastic to make it epic (such as sneaking into the abode of the gods) while at the same time tragic enough to make it more believable.
A few questions come to mind, though not the this could be better sort, but the I want to know more sort. I want to know more about the downfall of the elven kingdoms, and are their others who survived, their small realms hidden away by magic or geography, or sold their kin to the humans for a piece of safety. With many being taken into bondage, what is the status of elven slaves, and their inevitable half-elven children?
Well done.
4/5
Well, in my campaign setting (I will post it one day if I happen to be not as lazy as usual...) the downfall is still in progress, and has been so for long. Some Elven nations stand proud and unbroken, as mighty Tallarn (though the culture has suffered somewhat because the Elves are not free to dedicate all their time to learning and art, having become more warlike) protected by the might of its warriors and ancient wardings, even poised to strike back at the assailants.
Some, as Arjanelles former home, have fallen centuries ago. Some are at peace with humans, as the Elves of Samea (the only truly liberal nation in my campaign), who live side by side... but Samea is beset by the very same forces that threaten Tallarn for example.
In the more savage parts, Elves shroud themselves in mystery, protected by superstition.
But on the borders of the human and dwarf empires, Elven nations crumble, most often city states unable to withstand the sheer numbers of enemies. They have but two choices - yield, and become a colony, or stand proud, and die free.
The society meets Elves with a mixture of respct and envy due to their eternal life, natural beaty and inherent magical might, but also feeling of superiority due to being a 'rising star' instead of a 'fading sun', as an Elf would say.
So, while in some byckwater an elf would be met with superstition, like ay stranger, but more so, in cosmopolitan cities they are just another sight - much like Rome, the empires engulf and assimilate. Should war break out with some elf nation, elven travellers will meet with a little more harassment from border guards and patrols, but little more.
As for the social standing of halfbreeds: some nobles have taken elven slaves as concubines to grant their offspring the longer life and magical talent elven blood brings. Whether this becomes a trend is left to be seen (children of a noble and a concubine are considered fully legitimate heirs). The social standing depends far more on lineage and wealth than your race. Elven slaves are considered just ordinary slaves (but yes, they fetch far higher prices and ae generally treated better due to being more valuable, yet theri cooperation with their owner is most often rather limited)
Any more questions? (still I think I should wrap up the setting and post it...)
I have to say I am impressed. It sounds pretty good actually, and I can see some nobles seeking to lengthen their families lifespans, making them more politically potent. I would agree, this is a setting that should be posted.
Wow, epic and sad. A wonderful ragedy.
An elf who thinks of all the other races as inferior. If an amulet gets damaged or plucked out in a fight, does a part of her body vanish?
Well, a part of her body may turn to raw creation - whether it would be to her adversary's benefit is the question.
Awesome!
This is a neat take on the Elf.
Hmm, Elf freetext?