Yu'Lorei

Ae'Lorei
Race
Pronunciation	Ay-lor-ay
Archetype	Elven
Nicknames	Machine Elves, Fanciful Elves, Spice Elves, Ashen Elves
Languages	Common (Change Later)
Vampiric Conversion	Possible
Aetherial Affinity	Level 1 - Hard to Cast Magic
Roleplay Difficulty	{{{roleplay}}}
Racial Traits
Aetheriality	Physical
Max Age	200 Years
Strengths	Intelligent, Dark Vision
Weaknesses	Starvation, Vulnerable to Cold
Height	5' Homogeneous
Weight	90 to 180 lbs
Eye Colors	Green, Blue, Lilac, Purple, Hazel, Brown
Hair Colors	White
Skin Tones	Gray
Average Physique	Slender to Athletic
Aetherial Limit	Class 1 Alpha
Significant Demographics
While this doesn't mean your character has to come from one of these places, it's recommended they do. Island of Ae'Tezan

A highly spirited race of elves who live in a tropical paradise, truly there is no other race more decadent. The dark elves hail from the Island of Ae'Tezan and are considered to be the hosts of the most progressive society in Amestria. Their technology is by far the most impressive thing about them, and their personalities are almost equally as impressive. You will find no greater history of art, music, literature, and architecture than at the hands of a dark elf. Communal and collaborative, the dark elves are bound together by a force stronger then that of any army, and could possibly take over the world. That is to say if they were not vulnerable to the cold, and were not busy living a life of sensation in their little utopia. Most dark elves live in luxury, a result of their lucrative trade routes with other nations. It is left to speculation whether this race's many blessings end up being the tools of their own demise.

Physical Characteristics

Dark elves are a curious race, in which they possess traits not commonly associated with the other elven races. Their most distinct feature is likely their exclusively gray skin and white hair, some humans have mocked dark elves for all looking the same. Another noteworthy feature is their considerable strength, which rivals that of a human and is unheard of in the other elven races. Their height is around 5' at full maturity and is homogeneous between both sexes. Their eye colors are predominantly green but can also be blue, lilac, purple, hazel, and brown. On extremely rare occasions their eyes may be silver. Like all elven races, the dark elves fall under Elven Physiology and will not visually age past full maturity (age 18) until the day they die. Their unique physiology also prevents them from gaining excessive fat, however there are downsides to this. Dark elves can live up to 200 years, which is the shortest lifespan of any elven race. Unlike the high elves, dark elves are incredibly vulnerable to cold temperatures and can die of hypothermia far more quickly and at warmer temperatures then even a human. Dark elves also have great vision in the dark and only need minimal lighting at night, however they are capable of seeing in bright environments just fine.

Mental Characteristics

Admired as a highly sensual, intelligent, and expressive race, the dark elves are the complete opposite of the high elves. Everything a dark elf does comes from their heart, always. They have a natural gift for solving complicated problems that other races would find excessively difficult, and in fact are the second most intelligent race. These elves are highly social and expressive, and always embellish their lives with their own unique flavor of cultural expression. Also highly empathetic, these elves form very strong bonds with those close to them and are very cohesive even as a large group. Their high reliance on bonds and communication with their peers along with their expressive traits makes them highly unlikely to ever defect from dark elven society, and upon doing so would find great difficulty in adapting to other societies. The term romance is synonymous with the dark elven race, who are very erotic in nature and care deeply about their relationships. Unlike the other elven races, dark elves can hardly sense aether at all, and have an even more difficult time trying to cast spells. For this reason they have abandoned the practice long ago in favor of technological progress.

History

The origins of dark elves leads to the tales of seafaring explorers encountering them while sailing in the Exodian Sea. They were considered mysterious and were thought to bring good fortune upon those who encountered them. They made their first connection to the continent of Exodius when the Kingdom of Rivera made a trade with travelling dwarf merchants from the Island of Thandolin. The dwarf merchants had sold intricate small trinkets capable of keeping track of time to a wealthy merchant who lived within the Kingdom of Rivera. These 'clocks' proved to be a very profitable item within the kingdom, and it did not take long for the king himself to demand where these devices had come from. The wealthy merchant referred the king to the dwarf merchants, whom a decade later had returned. The dwarves were hesitant to divulge the origins of their goods, but the king ultimately offered considerable wealth to them. The dwarves accepted the deal and told them of an island in the Exodian Sea where the goods had come from.

The Island of Ae'Tezan is a large post-volcanic landmass located in the Southwestern Exodian Sea. Abundant in resources, the dark elves have lived here for millennia. They claim to have originated from the Exodius Continent, and migrated to the island thousands of years ago. There are no dark elven ruins or traces on the Exodius Continent however, so their claims are still under investigation by historical societies. The dark elves have since provided all their historical accounts to the various historical societies of Amestria.

Dark Elven History

Dark elves are said to have migrated to the Island of Ae'Tezan thousands of years ago, and made the island their permanent home. Over many centuries the elves transitioned from a tribal society living in thatch huts to a sprawling civilization nestled at the base of the island's volcanic mountains. Over the years they have dug mining tunnels through every mountain, and have farmed every open plain on the island. They constructed sailing vessels and rediscovered the Exodius Continent, even establishing trade with kitsune villages during the clan wars period. Their connection to the feudal kitsune villages was severed after the clan wars approached it's climax and the villages they traded with were destroyed. Some kitsune have been integrated into dark elven society, in fact there are more kitsune living in Ae'Tezan then there are on the entire Exodius Continent.

Around the same period of time, the dark elves established contact with the Dwarven Island Kingdom of Thandolin. Trade was quickly established between the two races. The dwarves would provide raw materials, while the dark elves would provide countless goods made from said materials. Dwarves are known to all as masters of brewing, and dark elves society fully benefits from a broad assortment of exotic alcoholic beverages provided by the dwarves.

todo change from race centric to political entity centric references

Society

Highly progressive and ever changing, dark elven society is rich with culture, abundance, and strong social bonds. The concept of aristocracy is foreign to the dark elf, who always wants to distribute their happiness to everyone else. The need for strong bonds and socialization has given rise to countless activities and kinds of locale dedicated to facilitating social collaboration. Dark elven bath houses are opulent centers of conversation and relaxation, and countless restaurants ensures that every elf has several dozen locales to choose from when wanting to interact with friends and family. The many forms of art, such as paintings, sculptures, fashion, music, dance, and theatrics can be found in excess abundance in dark elven society. Dark elves hate anything that is purely functional or lacks sufficient decoration, and actively ensures that everything they make is embellished with their cultural flair. Many social customs also exist, encompassing a multitude of social mannerisms, courtship rituals, and even ways to say hello. The dark elven way of life is regulated by a complex system of bureaucracy that ensures the integrity of their society. The Island of Ae'Tezan is ruled by a council elected by the people, and deliberate over important matters concerning changes to the bureaucratic system and code of laws. Violators of the law are punished reluctantly, and harsh sentences are avoided since the dark elves dislike persecuting their own people. Truly it is a marvel that such a society exists on Amestria, and it has been debated by cultural experts that it is only possible due to the strong bonds and empathetic nature of the dark elves. Most dark elves would find it nearly impossible to integrate into a different society, since they already live in an ideal environment perfectly suited to their nature.

Politics

The dark elves have only recently been introduced to the world stage, having been isolated on their tropical paradise for many thousands of years. The dwarven Kingdom of Thandolin is directly allied to the Island of Ae'Tezan, possibly as a way of the dwarves ensuring their trade monopoly over valuable dark elven goods. Relations with other nations are generally positive, and no attempted invasions have taken place. This is probably due to their alliance with the dwarves, who possess a deadly navy of warships that can easily destroy invaders before they reach the distant island. The dark elves have not shown any interest in developing closer relations with the nations located on the Exodius continent, a result of their great distance across the sea and their preexisting friendship with the dwarves of Thandolin. In historical times the Island of Ae'Tezan had formed a trade route with Feudal Senkyou during the clan war period, but the trade route was severed after the mass destruction of the late clan wars period.

Culture

Possibly one of the most prominent aspects of dark elven culture is celebration. Dark elves literally celebrate everything, from minor achievements to cultural holidays. The smallest of accomplishments are usually accompanied with an outing to a restaurant where the individual and their close circle of friends will eat, drink, and be merry. Larger celebrations such as weddings, birthdays, and major professional accomplishments compel the formation of major gatherings usually involving every family member, friend, and even strangers. These gatherings are also accompanied by artists, writers and musicians who create pieces documenting the event. Dark elven history has always been easy to track due to the enormous amount of cultural evidence surrounding even minor events. This leads us to possibly the second most prominent aspect of dark elven society, which is cultural expression.

Every structure, pathway, wall, and item has been embellished with some form of artwork in dark elven society. Streets are decorated by countless sculptures and statues, colorful flags are strung high above the streets in rows, and banners hung from almost every building. Dark elves walk down the streets with merry attitudes and stylish clothing, although most of their clothing is thin and minimal due to the warm and wet tropical climate. There are bath houses, theaters, and auditoriums littered throughout their island city. Restaurants are lined up in rows along the busiest of streets, with many paintings positioned outside that advertise their offerings. Arches and domes are common, and tiered rows of housing even more so. Streets are paved with well fitted flat stones formed from Ae'Tezani Concrete. The elves have even gone so far as to dye much of their concrete with elaborate patterns. Ever since the initial discovery of dark elves, their culture has become a sensation to many nations in Amestria.

Bath Houses

The pinnacle of dark elven leisure and socialization, bath houses represent more then just a place to maintain good hygiene. A bath house usually consists of a large pool divided by a wall, each side being for the opposite gender. The pools are usually fed from naturally occurring hot springs present on the island, and in many cases the elves will also boil scented water to make the baths even more luxurious. Bath houses are public locales and the participants are always nude while in the bath, usually with a towel close by for when they are ready to dry off. There is a storage area for each side of the pool where the elves can store their clothing for retrieval after the bath. There is another room that is linked to both sides of the pool obscured by a half wall where a group of bards will sing and play music for the occupants of the bath. There are two more rooms that exist where occupants can get a massage with fragrant oils after the bath before they dawn their garments and leave the locale. Some bath houses are connected to a restaurant where the occupants can enjoy lavish meals after their bathing experience. Some people among other races have heard of these pleasure palaces and have ventured to the Island of Ae'Tezan to experience the baths for themselves, usually with many friendly, curious looks from the native dark elves and embarrassment from the outsider.

Night of the Dark Star

There is an ancient prophecy among the dark elven culture which dates back to a time when they had supposedly migrated to the Island of Ae'Tezan from the continent of Exodius. Possibly the most controversial aspect of their society, the prophecy speaks of grand gifts being bestowed upon the dark elves. It then comes to describe an event known as the Night of the Dark Star in which great destruction shall befall their civilization and their people will be scattered across the world and doomed to live in strange lands for many millennia. While the origins of this story remain unclear, it's effects on dark elven culture are hypothesized to have been the initial drive that allowed the elves to progress beyond a primitive islander lifestyle and into their current progressive state.

Military

Possibly the dark elves' greatest weakness is their military power. The elves have enjoyed peaceful existence on their tropical island for many millennia, and as a result have minimal to no defenses in place. There is no war culture among the dark elves, nor are there any standing armies. Simple weaponry such as bows and spears are all that the elves have natively developed, however they have access to a large array of dwarven armaments if they ever see the need to fight another nation. It is believed that their close relationship with the dwarven Kingdom of Thandolin is the reason behind their relative peace in recent centuries. The dwarves possess powerful heavy warships loaded to the brim with large cannons, a sorry sight to anyone who dare threaten their allies such as the elves.

Economy

The dark elven economy has become entirely dependent on exporting produced goods in exchange for raw materials and wealth in recent years. Many commodities are only produced on the Island of Ae'Tezan, the quality and design of which are superior. Even common items produced everywhere are produced by the dark elves in greater beauty and variety then anywhere else. There is high demand for dark elven goods as a result, and the dark elves are more then happy to export their beautiful works of art and science to other nations. The dwarven Kingdom of Thandolin is responsible for transporting and selling dark elven goods elsewhere, and make a handsome profit doing so. Internally, the dark elven economy is a vibrant exchange of wealth that changes hands on an hourly basis. (todo no aristocracy)

Technology

Considered the heralds of technology, dark elves are without question the most technologically advanced race in Amestria. On the Island of Ae'Tezan, every mountain stream is mechanically harnessed by waterwheels and countless windmills scatter the tropical farmlands. Countless centuries of peace and prosperity on their lush island paradise has given rise to many innovative technologies over the years. In earlier times, the elves unlocked the secrets of cement and concrete. As their society rapidly evolved following a new era of urbanization, the discovery of Porcelain and Rubber had been made. Dark elves are the original inventors of timekeeping devices called clocks, which have since been distributed and utilized by almost every other race on the Exodius continent. With the help of the dwarves, fireworks were realized and are now used in almost every dark elven event. The most recent addition to their arsenal of technology is the advent of steam power, which was discovered a few years ago. Despite all these technological advances the dark elves still remain insignificant in the eyes of powerful nations, which utilize aetherial knowledge to maximize their leverage on the rest of the world.

Interbreeding

Human + Dark Elves will result in a person who has physical characteristics between the two races. They will inherit human skin color and dark elven white hair color. Their eye colors may be dark elven or human. They have an easier time using magic then normal dark elves but still not as proficient as a normal human. They can live 120 years.