The Twin Continents - The Ævani - Elves of Amarant and Al-Khor

The elves native to Amarant and Al-Khor are known collectively as the Ævani. Though their true origin has been lost to time, a common legend suggests them to have been one of the few fae-races who retained solid form during the War of the One God - rather than abandon their bodies and flee to the mists, they pooled their magic and sealed off a corner of the continent. Only after the Rending did they open their borders once more, and then only to see what had become of the rest of the world.

Most Ævani are capable of performing magic, though not all do. To lack the ability at all is considered a mark of the lowest blood, however, and such individuals are generally shunned by the community at large. They are not permitted to marry their betters, lest the defect be passed into purer lines, and even those who wed among themselves most often make use of some form of contraceptive rather than subject their offspring to the abuse suffered themselves.

To simply focus on other pursuits is considered a matter of personal choice, and no Ævani is looked down on for taking up a more mundane line of work. Few, in truth, possess the sort of power necessary to rise to the highest ranks of the Magi, and those who do are almost always born to the High Houses. The skills of the rest tend to be attuned to a single sphere of influence, much of which is connected in turn to an elemental force.

Second only to magic is music, with elven voices said to rival even that of the Siren. Bards are offered much the same respect as the Magi, and the offspring of both minor nobles and commoners often turn to the trade in hopes of raising their status. Because of this, the bardic colleges are prone to rapid overcrowding, and those hoping to enroll must audition to prove they possess appropriate talent.

The Ævani are naturally immortal - they may be killed, or in rare cases, fall prey to an illness which shortens their lifespan, but barring interference from an outside source, they will live forever. Continued existance is not always an enjoyable thing, however, and the eldest inevitably succumb to insanity. Many elect to commit suicide rather than suffer the emotional ravages of time. Those who do not often leave society behind and become hermits. No shame is associated with either act, nor with granting a merciful death to those gravely ill or injured.

There are four sub-races of Ævani, who inhabit three kingdoms:

The Sasana'vanit are lords among their kind. Most reside in the forests of Elhra Eldana, where open-roofed dwellings span the branches of ancient trees. Here are found the High Houses of the Ævani: the kings and queens, the princes, the nobility. They are tall and pale, with hair ranging from moon-white to spun gold, while their eyes may encompass any colour of the rainbow.

By and large, the Sasana'vanit remain in their homeland the entirity of their lives. Those who do travel generally do so either as royal ambassadors or guest instructors at magical colleges and rarely speak with individuals not of similar rank. If put in a position where such contact is unavoidable, they practice courtesy, but it is courtesy with a haughty edge. Most are vegetarians not out of respect for nature, but because the flesh of many animals is considered unclean. Animals taken for consumption must be of an approved species and raised and killed in accordance with the practices of purification.

The Sasana'vanit refuse to tolerate outsiders in their lands. While they will permit travel through the kingdom, such travellers are always given an escort of Tana'vanit to see that they remain on the appropriate paths. Even elves of other worlds must hold suitable rank to earn an audience with the High Houses of Amarant.

The Tana'vanit are viewed as commoners by the members of the High Houses. They, too, are pale of complexion, but a wider range of hues are found in their hair and eyes. From the Tana'vanit come the tradesmen of their kind: the spinners, the weavers, the smiths.

The Tana'vanit dwell in the lower levels of the forests of Elhra Eldana, the open lands around the forests, and the kingdoms of Asena Naearna and Eskhera Avaita. Unlike the Sasana'vanit, they have few strictures on purity and contact with other races, and welcome both trade and travel. Most of the native elves found elsewhere on the continent are of the Tana'vanit.

The Zelzana'vanit are the wild elves of Amarant, inhabiting the deep forests of Asena Naearna and Eskhera Avaita and the coasts of Eskhera Avaita and Elhra Eldana. Their skin tone ranges from a subtle gold to bark-brown, and their hair is usually brown or red. Rarely, tresses of black or pale blonde may appear, usually in families that had at one time a connection to outside bloodlines. Their eyes may be gold, green, or brown, with other colours, again, tied to mixed lines.

While all three of the upland cultures are known for their skill in working precious metal and gemstones, the Zelzana'vanit take personal ornamentation to an extreme. Ritual piercing is the most common form, with new pieces added each time a rite of passage is completed, but there are tribes that practice tattooing as well. Elders in the wildlands may command small fortunes in embedded jewelry.

The Zelzana'vanit are the wariest of the upland elves, and rarely, if ever, make contact with other races - including the rest of the Ævani.

The Muuen'vanit, however, are the most rarely-encountered - and indeed, barely-known - of the Ævanit cultures. For eons, they have lived in the caves of Amarant. Over time, their ventures outside became fewer and fewer still. Eventually, they ceased to leave their homes at all. In the darkness of the caves, where sight was of little use, their ability to see in the first place dwindled. In more recent generations, individuals have been born who are not only blind, but eyeless as well - their lids sealed over empty sockets.

To compensate for the loss of sight, the Muuen'vanit have evolved superior ability in the other four senses, with hearing that surpasses even that of their upland cousins. In addition, they are capable of detecting the electrical auras given off by living creatures and some minerals and metals. This trait closely resembles the electrosense possessed by sharks, and like sharks, the faces of Muuen'vanit are visibly speckled by receptors. Because of this talent, captives are sometimes put to work in mines, where they will search for deposits of ore until they escape or die.

The external evolution of the Muuen'vanit has been consistant with other creatures of the deep caves, leaving them white-skinned, white-haired, and in their natural environment, somewhat moist. Those who retain eyes do so in pink. On occasion, their skin is so translucent as to reveal clearly the network of veins just below.

There is no singular race of dark elves on Amarant. Any Ævani who reveres deities of impure nature or practices unholy magic is considered a dark elf (Thana'vanit), regardless of origin.

Half-elves glean their complexion from whichever heritage is dominant, with dominance hinging on where the individual in question is born and raised. Among the Sasana'vanit, half-elven births occur only from the rape of a noblewoman, and if not aborted, the offspring are usually given to a female of the Tana'vanit to care for - or abandoned at the edge of the forests.

The Tana'vanit, on the other hand, see no reason to punish the child for the sins of its parents. Indeed, many Tana'vanit take human lovers on occasion, and if born into elven society, the results of such unions are raised with the same care and consideration as a full-blooded member of the family. If they later venture outside the elven kingdoms, they may not even be recognized as a half-elf.

If such a child is born into human society, however, his or her fate may hinge on the region in which the family resides. Half-elves raised among their mortal kin are more readily identifiable as posessing mixed blood, and just as the High Houses look down on such impurities, so too do various humans consider it an abomination.

Asunder - The Twin Continents