Aerenal Elf
Undying soldiers move through jungles filled with ancient power, zealous elves strive to be worthy of joining their valiant ancestors, and the cities of Aerenal gather might unmatched in the outside world. Even the mighty dragons of Argonessen must guess at the long-reaching plans of Aerenal’s Undying Court, and only the elves have ever stood against the combined might of the dragon legions.
Aerenal is a land of magical forests and jungles, and the land itself resonates with powerful necromantic energy. Although it holds natural resources in abundance, including the sole sources of many magical timbers such as bronzewood and densewood, Aerenal’s true strength is the abundant flow of necromantic power that gave rise to the undying soldiers that protect the realm and the undying councilors that guide it. The presence of these powerful soldiers and advisers has protected Aerenal from even the strength of the dragons, allowing Aerenal’s culture to flourish for generation after elf generation.
Physical description:
Aeranal elves fit the usual description of elves, sharing the common traits of pointed ears, vulpine features, and lithe builds. They tend to have dark hair and eyes of green, violet, or gray.
What sets them apart in their apperance is in how they reflect their reverence toward death. This can vary greatly from a family to another. Some wear intricate death masks. Others tattoo their faces with skulls or similar patterns. Members of the line of Jhaelian mimic the appearance of the undying while they are still alive, using magical and alchemical substances to induce rigor and apparent decomposition of the flesh. While all these customs are striking, there are many families that internalize their respect of the dead and do not demonstrate it in a physical form.
History:
The elves of Aerenal have always revered their ancestors. Once slaves of the giant tribes of Xen’drik, the ancient Aereni elves bought their freedom with blood and magic, and elf bards still sing of their heroic deeds. In the center of the island-continent lies a region where necromantic energy flows easily, and it was here that the elf Priests of Transition discovered the rites and rituals required to preserve their elders beyond death. Sustained by the veneration of their descendants, these undying elves have guided their country for more than twenty thousand years. The strength of the deathless has carried Aerenal through conflicts with hobgoblins, humans, and even the dragons of Argonnessen. Yet the Aereni have never sought to conquer; their undying armies have always fought in defense of the nation. Because of a superstitious fear of the walking dead and the isolationist attitude of the elves of Aerenal, few humans ever visit the island-continent, and those who do rarely venture beyond the port city of Pylas Talaear. Thus, the island-continent remains a mystery.
Elves have lived on the continent for more than twenty-six thousand years. For most of that time, the Undying Court has ruled with a benign and guiding hand. With a long-reaching perspective rivaling that of the greatest dragons, the Undying Court carefully directs the elves of Aerenal through machinations that might take thousands of years to unfold. The Sibling Kings, the traditional living rulers of Aerenal, rule over the daily affairs of the elves while the Undying Court shapes the destiny of the race.
Outlook:
Despite the cultural differences that have developed over the millennia, a number of common factors tie the Aereni families together. Most families are extremely insular. They have a strong belief in the importance of preserving their ancestral blood, and generally marry within their own lines; they appear to have few of the negative genetic markers that cause problems for human families that maintain a closed breeding pool.
Humans often see the Aereni as cold and distant, but the truth is that most elves are uncomfortable around strangers, especially nonelves. They can predict the behavior of other families and read the emotions of their own kin with ease. But the unpredictable behavior of the shorter-lived races is disconcerting, and until an elf comes to know and trust an outsider, he usually shields his emotions behind an inscrutable façade.
Another trait shared by the Aereni is their attitude toward death. For the elves, death is not something to be feared; instead, it is embraced and ultimately welcomed. Each family expresses this attitude in a different way, some physically, others in deeds and thoughts.
Vampires, liches, and their ilk are abhorrent creatures that destroy life to preserve their own existence, and they are seen as a perversion of the undying. The creation of mindless undead, such as zombies and skeletons, is seen as an unforgivable insult to the body and soul of the deceased.
A final element that permeates all levels of the culture of Aerenal is immense racial pride, a superiority complex that extends thousands of years into the past. The elves of Aerenal are among the most accomplished wizards of Eberron. Their ancestors walk among them, and the greatest of the undying have almost godlike power. Their nation has driven off the dragons of Argonnessen not once, but multiple times. The elves are not blatantly arrogant. Instead, they are completely self-assured, possessing an unshakable faith in their peoples’ place in the world.
Society:
Aerenal is an ancient nation. It watched the goblin empires of Khorvaire rise and fall, saw the arrival of humans and the common races, and observed the formation of the Kingdom of Galifar. The elves respect their elders and are devoted to their ancestors. Over the course of thousands of years, elf families have developed distinctive customs, including manners of dress, speech, art, and the use of magic.
Two forces govern Aerenal. The Sibling Kings hold all temporal power. By ancient tradition, the nation must be ruled by a bonded brother and sister. When either sibling dies, the Undying Court selects a new pair to rule. The Sibling Kings are seen as the living embodiment of Aerenal, and the conduit for the power of the Undying Court. The current siblings are Belaereth and Tezaera of the line of Mendyrian.
While the Sibling Kings guide the daily affairs of Aerenal, the Undying Court shapes the destiny of the elf race. This council of the deathless selects, advises, and empowers the rulers of the land. The motives of the Undying Court cannot be understood by mortal beings; their plans stretch out over millennia. But those who have studied the elves — and their conflicts with the dragons in particular — are convinced that the deathless have a goal whose fruition may still be centuries away. Indeed, since the deathless measure existence in time spans that even dragons cannot imagine, their machinations and plots worry the dragons no end.
The deathless themselves are concentrated in the great cities of the nation’s interior. A family estate may have an honor guard of undying soldiers and an undying councilor advising the living elders of the line, but the majority of the undying gather in the City of the Dead. Regardless of family, all Aereni respect the undying as heroes of their race and always treat them with respect and deference. An undying soldier or councilor is an undead creature charged with positive energy and sustained by the devotion of its descendants.
Each family owes obeisance to the Sibling Kings and the Undying Court, but each has its own traditions of internal rule. Some are matriarchal, some are patriarchal, and others have their own sibling lords.
Relations with other races:
Most of the elves in Aerenal give little thought to the outside world, focusing instead on the goals of their isolated family groups and their families’ roles in the far-reaching plans of the undying. While this makes much of Aerenal isolationist and impenetrable to outsiders, small parts of the elf nation deal directly with the outside world. Through the port city of Pylas Talaear the elves sell their magical timber and worked wooden goods to members of other races. Because of this commerce, and the fact that the elves of Aerenal have held their island continent for ten times the length of living memory, outsiders almost universally view the elves with a healthy mix of awe and indifference. All this is changing, though, as the young elves of Tairnadal continue to migrate to the kingdom of Valenar and practice policies of aggressive expansion.
Alignments:
Aerenal elves can be of any alignment.
Religion:
The Aereni tradition of ancestor worship has evolved considerably since the birth of the Undying Court. Instead of revering those ancestors long dead, the Aereni venerate the dead that remain. In the eyes of the elves, existence is a spiritual journey that takes thousands of years to accomplish — a journey only the undying can complete. Thus, the Aereni honor the deathless who are on this final path, but their true deity is the combined essence of the ascended councilors, the undying who have journeyed beyond life and death to reach the final destination of the elven soul. While the ascendant councilors can still take physical form, the elves do not worship them as individual deities. Instead, they revere the ascendant union as the ultimate embodiment of the elf race.
As a result of these beliefs, the Aereni do not fear death. On the contrary, it is a state to be desired as the next step on the path to ascension. However, an elf must earn the right to walk this path. The Priests of Transition are the ambassadors to the Undying Court, and it is these clerics who judge the achievements of an elven life and decide the fate of a candidate. Those who have shown tremendous heroism and skill at arms may be reborn as undying soldiers, while the wisest among the elves become undying councilors. An elf judged to be flawed or foolish may be left to die, leaving room for a stronger spirit to enter the community. But more often than not, the Priests of Transition use raise dead to restore a fallen elf so that he may continue his journey along the path of existence.
The elves believe that it is the devotion of the family that preserves the spirits of the undying. As a result, an elf is expected to be deeply familiar with the lives of his undying ancestors, and to show respect to all of the undying.
The Tairnadal elves of Valenar and Northern Aerenal have a different focus. While they respect the elders of the Undying Court, they worship the spirits of the warriors of Xen’drik—elves who fell long before the Undying Court was raised. The Tairnadal priests are known as the Keepers of the Past, and their ranks include both clerics and bards. At birth (or upon joining the Tairnadal, in the case of a half-elf or Aereni recruit) the Keepers of the Past consult the spirits to determine an elf’s patron ancestor. The Tairnadal believe that by emulating the behavior of their patron ancestors, they give those ancestors a chance to live again in the current generation.
Language:
The elves of Aerenal speak Elven, and most speak Common and Draconic as well. The elves of Aerenal are often reserved in their speech, concealing their emotions and true intentions behind stoic masks. With the perspective of a long-lived race guided by undying ancestors, the elves of Aerenal choose their words as carefully as they form their opinions.
Names:
Aerenal elf names have few differences between male and female forms, and both generally have more vowel sounds than consonants. Sample names include Aeren, Allais, Dailan, Kylaear, Maellas, Thalaen, and Vylae.
Adventurers:
Aereni adventurers usually leave the confines of the island continent, traveling through distant lands to work the will of the Undying Court or seeking to emulate the deeds of their ancestors. Many elf adventurers aspire to the fame and power necessary to eventually take a place among the undying guardians of the elf race.
With a longer-reaching perspective than any other adventuring race, the elves of Aerenal are cautious at most times but exceptionally bold and resourceful when forced to act. They are also courageous, in part because of their heroic nature and in part because they view death as a benign process along the path to ascension.
Aereni elves make excellent archers regardless of their class. Mighty elf clerics wielding the might of the Undying Court and powerful magic bows are equal to any situation, and few can match stealthy elf rangers and rogues sniping from the shelter of densewood forests.
Settings:
Aerenal elves are exclusive to the Eberron setting.
Game Stats:
+2 Dex, -2 Con
+1 Saving throw bonus vs Negative Energy
+1 Saving throw bonus vs Death
Low-light vision
Hardiness vs. Enchantment
Elven Weapon Proficiencies
Keen Senses
Skill Affinity (Listen)
Skill Affinity (Search)
Skill Affinity (Spot)
Sleeplessness
Sources: Eberron Campaign Setting, Races of Eberron