High Elves¶
"I entrust you with the bearing of the Seed of Caerylas. The future of the Elven race is in your hands. You must see that it is safely delivered to noble High Elves or righteous Aryic Priests." — High Priestess Caolynni (S056)
The High Elves, the Lothim, were "extraordinarily fair skinned, tall and nearly immortal", the original caretakers of the Worldstone and the first race to wield Arcane magic by right of blood. They built an empire that spanned the continents, served the dragons as emissaries, and gave the world its first wizards. In the Fifth Age the Mithis in their blood became their doom: the Hollowing consumed them, the Blood Tide bled them, and by 704 SM not one of a projected 14,500 was alive. Where they are remembered at all, they are feared.
Also called: Lothim, the Elves of Anthu'Mithis.
Origins¶
The newest account makes the Elves a creation of Kalar and the younger gods in the Age of Demons, raised to replace the Eldritch. The High Elves are the elves of that creation proper: "as a descendant of the original owners and caretakers of the Worldstone (Anthu'Mithis), the ability to harness Mithis energy is in their blood," and "all beings of Lothim (High Elven) descent (including Half-Elves) have this trait". In the Age of Dragons, Arcane magic "was limited to High Elves, Dark Elves and some breeds of Draconians and Dragons".
History¶
The Elven Imperium¶
"After the end of the Demon War, the High Elves were declared custodians of the Worldstone and the Primal Dragons as their protectors. The Einar formed a council of arch-wizards that controlled access to the Worldstone and trained many others in the art of this magic". The period is called "the Elven Ascension/Pax Lothim Anthu," when the Worldstone "was initially controlled exclusively by the High Elves of Anthu'Mithis". "The Elves consolidated their control over the continents, building far-reaching outposts and delegating some authority to their inferior cousins, the wood elves, as well as other faithful races". In the First Dragon Wars "Draconians crushed most of the Elven Imperium and gained control of the Worldstone," and after their fall the Worldstone passed to "the Twilight Dragons during the Draconian Ascension/Pax Draconia" until its destruction in the Shattering. The Avi'Lothim "were the aristocracy of the ancient elvish empire, which ruled most of Terrun".
The first wizards were elves: "the Einar collaborated to create five staves and instructed five mortals (Elves) in the use of magic, in order that they might teach others," and "the elven archmage Lothos is the only one rumored to still be alive". At the Battle for Gor'Turra in the Dragon Wars, three elven First Wizards fought: Lothos, credited with destroying the Primal Jade Dragon; Auressa, who "caused her staff to explode, sacrificing herself to mortally wound the Primal Cerulean Dragon"; and Poth'Emuren, who "conjured a lightless sphere, which consumed both himself and the Primal Silver Dragon." The elven king Miladrin "led the charge that broke the Orc and Draconian lines," and the archer Lanaserel brought down dragons "with unnaturally precise shots to the eyes and heart" before Pravustiratel killed her.
The Age of Magic¶
After the Shattering, Mithis "became available to all beings, not just those with a birthright to it (High Elves and Dark Elves). This was the golden age of Arcane Magic". The Elves "embraced and easily put it to use". But the Dragon Wars destroyed "some of the most powerful Elven and Human kingdoms" in "the event which led to the creation of the Desert of Qom"; the lost "High Elven Capitol" lies "beneath desert of Qom," greenish marble and now a Hollow. The elven kingdom of Than'Doriel sent an expedition against a Mithi'nulias academy and later fell to the chaos magic its own king loosed. In the War of the Moradrim the Dark Elves overran the elven kingdoms and "the elves became refugees". The great High Elven city of Anoth-Urulien, in the Kingdom of Arne'Athosia, fell then; its capital Alyr-Emuien lies fifty miles to the south, and the House of Urulien, "a noble high-elven family that ruled over the city," were "magic-users and master artisans" whose mages formed the Order of the Golden Hand. The elven families recorded their genealogies on ancestral altars at the shrine of Kae'Ferrel, and their notables were entombed with their prized possessions, "which are often magical, valuable art or both," since "Elves didn't have much use for money/gold".
The Caerylas Trees, a gift of Arya, drew elves "from all over" on pilgrimage "for its blessings of fertility and rejuvenation," and the priestess Caolynni taught that "the fate of the elves is intertwined with the Caerylas Trees. Without the trees, elven fertility will not be enough to sustain the elvish population, and eventually their entire race would be but a memory". See the Seed of Caerylas.
The Hollowing and after¶
"After the events of the Dark Sun and the death of Kalar, Mithis became a corrupted substance controlled primarily by the Archdemon Asmodeus," and the races with Mithis in their blood "became pawns of the Devils ... or were destroyed outright". Of 5,600 High Elves who survived the Age of the Dark Sun, none remained in 704 SM; after the Redemption "High and Dark Elves never recovered (they are extinct)," and their arcane bloodline is listed among the destroyed powers. In the Hollowing an elven necromancer "was responsible for the Blood Tide ... his forces swept through villages killing and kidnapping High Elves. This was to perform experiments which resulted in his ability to stop his race from becoming extinct. Ultimately, he was able to save many but at a very high cost. He was despised and considered a monster by other elves". The result was a magical plague that "kills most High Elves" but shields the survivors from the Hollowing by suppressing their birthright; "the blood plague he created to shield them from the hollowing is no longer needed and High Elves can reclaim their magical birthright". The Riftborn carry the same plague. In the Fifth Age the red dragon Eksuru has had the elf Malathar brought back "to re-engineer the magical plague," wanting it "lower mortality, more contagious and cross-species," so that it will "neuter Humanoid's magical abilities".
The last High Elves live hidden. One woke "in a ditch, covered in blood and muck" some 250 years before the present, among the bodies of elves, and was told by the farmer who hid him that "there were bad folk around looking to kill Elves"; a Lorsythian magistrate later sentenced him "to death by fire with a stay of execution until you inevitably exhibited some demonic corruption," and he spent 150 years in prison before passing as a Wood Elf in Proturas, "still far too pale and tall". Others are undead, like Perithus, "an Undead High Elf working as Malathar's Steward", or members of secret circles like Kae'draestil of the Circle of Eternity; one lies "emaciated, barely alive" in a warlock's cell. The awakening of Malathar required "a High Elf and the Dagger".
Magic and language¶
The Avi'Lothim developed Lathanos, "one of the most commonly found and used" arcane languages, and the Maridan'Lothim the rare Salonas, whose spells endure; see Arcane Languages. The Mithis form of beryl, "Fiery Emerald/Aquamarine," is called the Elfstone, Lothmaril. In the catalogue of demonic hosts the "Lothim" body (elf and orc) breeds the Fomorian, "a purple skinned deformed giant that resembles an Elf".
Ethnicities¶
Avi'Lothim¶
"The Avi'Lothim are also known as the Moon Elves. Traditionally, they are an aristocratic, xenophobic, secretive, and generally magical people. Once, they were the aristocracy of the ancient elvish empire, which ruled most of Terrun. Today, they mostly live in ancient cities originally built by the Maridan'Lothim, who no longer serve the Avi as they once did. While still friendly, the two sects of High Elves live separately". They were 19 percent of all elves.
Maridan'Lothim¶
"The Maridan'Lothim are also known as the Sun Elves. They are significantly larger in stature than their Avi'Lothim relations. They have built for themselves mountain fortresses and valley cities, from which they command the plains and forests around them. They are renowned warriors, masons, and smiths. However, losses from both the Demonic Apocalypse and the Draconian Ascensions have left them few in number". They were 4 percent of all elves and marked endangered. "The Maridan'Lothim were Arcane Warriors that wore Medium Armor".
Elves of Vael'Dorais¶
Vael'Dorais was a "High Elven Forest" of white stone on the Broken Sea, now "scorched earth" under a Sancturi garrison; the city of Phen'Arran was its portal-linked seat, and a History of Phen'Arran survives. The regional timeline lists the Elves of Vael'Dorais among the major civilizations of the Morning of the Fifth Age, and the elven dynastic name in the naming example is Vael'dorais. In the Sancturi Vael'Doreis Campaign of 654 to 688 SM "the elves waged a guerilla war" until the Obsidian and Nightshade Legions "burned the forests of Vael'Dorais, driving the Elves back until there was no forest left to retreat to. By 688 SM the entire area was reduced to ash and the last Elven refuge in the west was destroyed. The survivors fled west and eventually established Luiria in 691 SM".
Gap
The sources do not say whether the elves who fought the Sancturi at Vael'Dorais and founded Luiria were High Elves or Wood Elves; the timeline calls Vael'Dorais a High Elven forest and Luiria a Wood Elven kingdom. See Wood Elves.
Baelim Necromages¶
In the lands of the Necromancer Rodrizhal, the Baelim Necromages are "Elves which were transformed into undead to avoid their corruption: Lothim, Sylvim or Moradrim. They can still use magic, but from a different source (the Necromancer & their undead form). They often work in towers animating dead and also form special corps in major battles against the Sancturi. They occasionally accompany Deathpriests or Deathmongers".
Gap
The Baelim are drawn from all three elven lineages; they are placed here because the High Elves are the people whose corruption they fled. No source gives their numbers or origin as an order.
Earlier accounts¶
The 2014 phylogeny makes the Lothim "an artificial creation of the Ventari," made when the Ventari "realized that their race was headed for extinction due to their immortality and extremely low birth rates." The Lothim "still had extraordinarily long lives (which was easily extended to near-immortality with magic), and their birth rates were much more favorable ... on the order of 1 child per couple every 50-100 years, as opposed to the Ventari which would labor to produce 1 child per couple every 10,000 years. The Lothim were the chosen successors to the Ventari and soon all Ventari women were bearing Lothim children." The 2015 Compendium has the first wizards as twenty Ventari, not five elves, a conflict already filed on the Open Questions list under First Wizards. The 2014 and 2015 archives spell the ethnicities Avi-Lothim and Maridan-Lothim.