TLG 8016 AWD Fantasy Setting.pdf - Fat Rat Games of Tallahassee

and unknown to Melius, Fontenouq. The ring he placed in a stone
and set many knights and magic to guard it in the Castle of Spires,
buried in the planes, but linked to Aihrde by the Twilight Wood.
Many centuries later Daladon Half Elven came upon the Castle
of Spires and found its guardians slain by his own half brother,
Meltowg. That elf, long a servant of Londea had raged upon his
kin for he hated them all, driven by the curse of Daladon. But it
was the Half Elven that opened the gates and allowed the armies
of the elves to return. They scattered after the long Winter Dark
Wars, ever seeking their lost kin and the places of ancient legend
where they lived in the youth of the world.
HIGH ELVES: High Elves average 5 1/2 to 6 feet in height. They
weigh between 160 to 185 lbs. Their skin is fair, their hair is light,
and their eyes bright. They have no facial hair or body hair. They
move with grace and purpose, no motion being wasted.
The High Elves of Aihrde are a melancholy race whose past is
clouded by guilt for abandoning the world in its darkest hour (see
below page 51). Unlike their ancient ancestors and kin, the High
Elves have turned from carefree spirits into brooding philosophers,
content to indulge themselves in the pursuit of music, poetry, and
other arts. Their independent lives have led to a slowly declining
population, with little concern among the young for propagation.
SHINDOLAY ELVES: High Elves descending from Shindolay tend
to be more colorful in dress. They prefer to employ spells in
conjunction with swords, and when arming themselves, they
utilize light to medium armors, bows, and swords. They most
closely resemble their ancient forefathers, and some see them as
arrogant. Still, good remains in their heart, and they will stand
back–to–back with any that would eradicate evil.
FONTENOUQ: High Elves of Fontenouq ancestry leave the safety
of their family’s towers, and their books, art and music. Instead
of talking philosophy and debating the sins of history, they seek
to live in the present and honor the memory of their ancient
forefathers, those proud elven warriors that combated evil before
their descendants fled the world.
MIST ELVES: Mist elves are found only in the lands that comprise
the Shelves of the Mist, those broken hills to the west of Kayomar
and upon the slopes of the Rhodope Mountains. They do not
refer to the Shelves by this name, calling them rather the Forest
of Ohd, after the ancient elven name for those regions. They are
shorter than their high elven kin, with stouter arms and legs, their
faces are wider too, with eyes that are oval. They are related to the
high elves, and the tell tale signs of that ancestry is apparent in
their proud bearing. They never look down, always looking friend
and foe full on and they stand straight, appearing taller than they
actually are. The mist elves are the survivors of the long Winter’s
Dark and the horrible wars that Unklar’s minions waged upon the
high elves of those hills. Only those who could adapt to the cold
wastes survived. They have pale skin, blue and gray eyes and silver
or white colored hair.
TWILIGHT ELVES: Twilight Elves are the smallest of all the elves,
standing between 4 to 5 feet tall on average. Their skin tends to
a deep brown, with hair being almost any color. Most compelling
are their eyes, which are typically violet, blue, or orange. They
have no facial hair.
The Twilgiht Elves are the offspring of the High Elves who chose
to remain in the world rather than leave with the coming of
Unklar. Unlike the Wild Elves, they chose to remain isolationist.
The Twilight Elves have lost their connection to the Realm of
Faerie. They tend to be serious, with mirth reserved for holidays
among their own kind and for intimate relations.
WOOD ELVES: Wood Elves are the largest elven race, with some
equaling humans in proportion. Their skin ranges from fair to
pink, and their hair shades blonde to brown. Eyes are rarely
anything other than deep green or blue. Unlike other elves, some
elder Wood Elf males develop facial hair.
Wood Elves originate in the Realm of Faerie. When the All
Father’s mind was splintered, the Realm of the Fey became part of
the Multiverse. For a brief time, the Faerie Queen allowed open
travel between her realm and Aihrde. In those days, some fey
passed into Aihrde, never to return to their homeland. Over many
generations, those fey became Wood Elves. Thus, the Wood Elves
are a sister race to the High Elves, rather than their descendants.
WILD ELVES: Wild Elves stand and weigh as typical among elves,
but their skin tends toward deep tan to light brown. They are
dark–haired, with eyes ranging from deep green to hazel. They
have no facial hair, but they do have light body hair. Their ears
resemble that of a half–elf.
Wild Elves also descend from the High Elves. They chose to
spread across the lands during the Age of Winter Dark, fighting
Unklar’s forces whenever and wherever they could. In doing
so, they developed trust with the other peoples of the world,
especially the halflings and barbarians living at the fringes of
civilization. Aspects of halfling and barbarian culture help form
the foundation of Wild Elf tribal society. Very few remnants of
high elven culture remains among the Wild Elves.
HALFLINGS
LANGUAGE: Vulgate, Halfling, tribal tongues, versions of Cant.
RELIGION: Aihrdian, Animistic.
LANDS: No organized kingdoms, they live in small villages,
townships etc.
LONGEVITY: Average 150 years.
Larger than their civilized cousins, nomadic halflings average 3
1/2 to 4 1/2 feet tall and weigh 50–70 lbs. Their skin is tanned, and
their eyes are typically brown or black, but sometimes green. They
wear their dark hair long, sometimes in braids or tails. Facial hair
is very rare. They tend toward light dress of simple and practical
design, and prefer not to wear footwear.
The first record of the halflings comes in the year 614ae when
they were hired to work wagons for the city fathers of Avignon,
but it is known that they have dwelt in Aihrde for many centuries
before that. When the All Father fell they came to Aihrde by the
many gates that opened up upon his splintered mind. Where they
came from even they could not say, but they took to the wilds with
ease. Living in small family groups and clans they traveled to the
AFTER WINTER’S DARK 17