Arvandor

The Nebula where Arvandor may be found.

Arvandor is the lost homeland of the elves.  Once ruled by the fabled Eladrin or the gray elves, Arvandor is a planet of seas and virgin forests.  Arvandor is the home of all elves in the World, and now it's a planet that is barely keeping itself together.  After all, the Eladrin destroyed Arvandor as the world was being overrun by demons from the Abyss. 

Now in fragments just barely keeping a spherical shape, the planet still lives and breathes in the luminous æther with the help of powerful, mythical Eladrin magic.  Called the Outlands by humans and orcs alike, the place is hardly worth conquering by the demons anymore.

History

Arvandor is a tortured world with a tortured past. Once upon a time, the Elves lived in perfect peace.  Then they had fractured into many tribes, with one controling access to the Dragon Gate the Lemurians left behind.  Then war broke out, then destruction of their planet.

The Virgin Age

The Golden Age by Lucas Cranach the Elder (c. 1472 – 16 October 1553, p.d.)

Once, the Elves lived on Arvandor in a golden Age.  A virgin age.  An age of Saturn. Here, in the Garden, the Elves have everything they need.  The fruit of the trees were there for their experience, as they could eat of the trees and have all the food they need.

All food was readily available to the elves, and they made the most of their innocence. This was a time when all elves were naked before heaven and no one could even care.  However, this was not to last.  Several things happened that their own creation myths could not directly explain.  A fall from grace, as the elves developed an ego at sometime in their past. This is represented in their own myths as the fall from grace in the sight of their gods.  That was the Age of Innocence.  A Golden Age.

Fall from Grace

At one time, the Elves were all one.  But, after the tragedy of the Fall from Grace, the elves have developed egos and cling their individuality.  The sense of self and the sense of separation from the whole. A veil clouded the elves' minds as they tried to make sense of what happened.  The planet was not the garden they knew.  For thorns and thistles grew amongst the land and the planet had become a barren wilderness.   Also, Seasons had become a reality, and for the first time, they could see the stars.

Forced amongst the bitter cold to design clothes, the elves first made animal skins, and then started weave and fashion plant fibers, in order to defend themselves from the bitter cold.  In time, their egos thought that the clothes were a defense from nakedness and the elves became quite attached to their clothes in order to hide their shame, and their nakedness.  For to themselves, nakedness was shame. 

The Age of Technology

Using their ingenuity, and after violence had formally come amongst them, the elves had learned to work all manner of metals, and make all manner of brews.  From wine, to beer, to mead.  They had built a great civilization and discovered how to split the atom.  However, their wonders exceeded their spiritual development and soon they destroyed themselves with their own wonders.  Their gods sent a flood to prevent the civilization from destroying themselves further.

The Age of Magic

The elves that survived the Deluge on Arvandor resolved to themselves to build a Paradise.  But the elves could not let go of their egos.   The elves split into many tribes and nations, and the gods they served they turned away from the gods who made them and followed after false idols and false traditions.  It was during this pagan time that both Divine magic -- in the form of shamanism, and Arcane Magic -- in the form of sorcery -- came into the elves' consciousness.

Elven Tribes

There are many tribes of Elves during this time and many still exist on Arvandor.  During this time, the elves looked fair, but each tribe took on specific characteristics.  Some are ethereally beautiful to Man, while others are violent and ugly.  Predominately, on Arvandor though, very few elves actually worship a god, most have turned to Shamanism.  But all elves are dedicated to restoring the planet to it's garden state.  Something they had acheived through magic, and will achieve again.  Below are the tribes that are the most notable.

The Ñillequendir

A 3D render of a Night folk that I did myself today. :)

The elves of Twilight, based in the extreme North.  TheÑillequendir are a people that live in twilight. They are a druidic type of elves, that have affinity with the stars.  The tribe is traditionally affiliated with druidism, warfare, and priesthood.  While most of the men guard nature, women stand at the forefront of their civilization.  While some are shamanistic, these "dark elves" rely on the druidine nature of their civilization and use druidism in order to grow and recreate nature.  The Ñillequendir reside in the lands of Thuelamaris. 

The Aurequendir

High Elves (Sun Elves, from WotC.)

The elves of Daylight.  Found in more temperate climates, the Elves of Daylight are based in a more southerly land.  Shamanistic, the Aurequendir also discovered Arcane Magic and managed to control it's processes.  The Aurequendir are civilized in their own way.  They built cities and temples to the sun, and worship the daylight. They also worship the elvish god of brilliance and sunlight.  However, the shamans still lead their civilization with wisdom and guidiance.  This tribe is the opposite of the Ñillequendir.  Where as the former live in trees, the Aurequendir build with stone within trees.  The Aurequendir depend on Arcane Magic to restore the planet to it's garden state, creating a civilization that is brimming with trees that radiate magic that you can feel.  They typically are found in the land of Ashandende, and tend to be bronze colored. 

The Cotyaquendir

By digistyle.

Found in the deepest jungles, the Cotyaquendir are the people of darkness. Elves of darkness, they have blackened skin and blackened hair. It is from the Cotyaquendir that the Dark Elves, or Drow, had come from. They don't have bleached hair, but their hair does bleach as they get older (and retain their youth.)

The equivalent of the so called "Black" people among the elves, they and their genetics are the contributor of so many elven races amongst elves. After Arvandor was created, the Dark race mixed with the lighter skinned race, and created a variety of elves amongst the fair peoples.

The Sailatiequendar

Found this on Photobucket, so I don't know who did this.

Called the wise people (in the beginning) since the Elves did not have a word for psychically active. The Sailatiequendar are a tribe that is all about expanding their mental energies. Their differences are that they are white with lightly blue or deep green eyes and usually high intelligence.

The wise ones usually had control over their mental abilities. They could cause things to float, hear thoughts from other elves, and usually used their abilities in warlike applications. Like everything else, though, the Salatiequendar did not educate everyone equally, and there are a disproportionate number of wilders amongst them that come from the poor.

The Nárquendir

Dunmer by YunonaD on DeviantART.

The Nárquendir, the firey ones or the Ashen ones, are one of the races created by mixing the dark-skinned elves with the light skinned ones.  Except these are cursed with red eyes and an unusal appearance.  Often called the Ashen ones in derision, the Nárquendir have darkened, grey like skin, darkened hair, and red eyes. Whatever they have done, they are trying to atone for it.  However, they are often treated with scorn and disrespect amongst other elves except for the Cotyanquendir. 

Whatever happened, the Nárquendir are powerful mages and warriors, and not too bad of business men. For their long livedness, the Nárquendir have learned to alter living giant mushrooms into houses, although some use normal means of architecture.  The Nárquendir have mastered magic and some of their mages tend to be eccentric.

The Hrónaquendir

Chinese elf, by THEZENTLION on DeviantArt.

The last of the major Elven peoples of Arvandor, then it's about the Eladrin. The Hrónaquendir are the elves that live in what is termed, the Far East of Arvandor. Faced with trying to find a place to live, the Hrónaquendir chose the Far East. A culture concerned with themselves at first, they were taught the basics of loving one another and finally understood the simple things.

The Hrónaquendir are good fighters and good mages, and even good at being sneaky. However, most of the race was destroyed in the explosion of Arvandor, and now live on in the Eastern realms of the planet of Lemurias. Or at least as it is presumed. The race has distinctive eyes and yellowish brown skin.

The Eladrin

The Eladrin are a council of elves that have come together on Arvandor. They are, supposedly, the authority on everything magic. Arcane or otherwise.

The Eldadrin, or the Red Elves, have built themselves up to be the decision makers of all things elven. While there are still primitive tribes that do not come under their council, the Eladrin have built a magiocracy (instead of a Syndicate in our World), to rule all elves of Arvandor. They considered themselves High, because they controledd all magic. No one could study arcane magic on Arvandor without their approval. The highest council amongst them, the Gray Council, oversaw Religion, War, and craftsmanship in the various nations. They made it so that kings would bow down to their power. Their power was absolute, and their avarice and arrogance was above all.

That is, until the demons came. Facing a war with demons from beyond, the Eladrin fought them with all the magic and technology they possessed. In order to save their world, the Eladrin were forced to blow up the world in order to protect the freedom of all elves. Using the Dragon Gate, they seeded the elves across the various worlds of the Galaxy, and after that was done, they blew up Arvandor with heavy hearts and stern purpose so that the demons won't turn their people into warrior slaves for their armies.

Native Species

Arvandor was populated by strange trees and all manner of strange beasts. Flying rays, sea insects, giant mushrooms, hopping unipeds, and walking whales. There are wolves too, and a strange beast called a warp stalker. Giant moths, and other strange beasts.

Native Plant Life

• Tree ferns. Trees that are rooted to the ground, but look like old style, quill pens.

• Green Fungi Tables. Giant fungi that grow and spread into a flat head shape
• Great Evergreens. Large evergreen trees that shed their cones. Mostly found in the Turalaya Forest.
• Silver Willows. Trees that are willow trees that glow during the night.
• Spicerice. Rice that has the ability to mimic certain spicy tastes depending on the soil and climate.

Native Animal Life

• Wolfbat
• Giant Armored Rat (also called a Gar)
• Silurian
• The mighty Land Whale (Sauropod)
• Leaf ray
• Comozant Weird

• 

The Nether Dragon. (The Netherbrood is a brood of dragons that are descended from the black dragon flight).

• Flying Polyp
• Mudlord
• Nycar
• Aoandon
• Trox
• Yaoguai

Videos

Cosmology in Crisis Part 1

Cosmology in Crisis