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Message: <blockquote data-quote="pathfinderq1" data-source="post: 6918809" data-attributes="member: 48394">Another possible bit of lore:The Elven Races in the 'Modern Age':Since ancient times, the elves have lived mostly apart from humans and the other races of the world- the wood elves in their remote forests, the high elves in their glittering cities, and the dark elves underground or in the forgotten ruins of forgotten folk. The Harrowing, or as the elves call it 'The Cataclysm' changed all of that.The high elves were hit the hardest by the great disaster- many of the people were magically-talented and were slain or crippled in moments, which would have been terrible on its own, considering their low population and slow breeding cycle. But their cities also employed a great deal of magic, and the Harrowing and its aftereffects left the legendary glittering towers shattered and bereft, a great blow to all their folk. In desperation, the high elves turned to the other races, humans in particular, for help. They offered all that remained to them in return for shelter and assistance- their art, their music, and their scholarship. The dance was slow, but the high elves were one of the first races to integrate with the humans after the disaster, and the partnership was one of the most important factors involved in the rebuilding of the world, and the rise of the new Enlightened age. When the humans began to rebuild their cities, the high elves moved in with them, and it was their influence that helped to bring the arts into prominence, and to spur advances in many other areas. The dwarves and gnomes, seeking the kind of partnership which the high elves had gained, made their contributions as well- especially in things like architecture, metallurgy, and alchemy. And the humans, with their drive and their adaptability, were able to combine all of this new information and weave it into the fabric of the modern world, to build a society which was greater than the sum of its parts. Despite this great partnership, the high elves retain a bit of their ancient reclusive nature (For them, after all, 150 years is not so long- barely even a generation)- while they live in human cities, they often maintain their own neighborhoods. And in the eyes of some people, they are still regarded as aloof and mysterious. More to the point, while elven scholars have helped the Church of the Maker develop the idea of libraries, and the proper ways to keep and preserve books, elves are also regarded with a bit of suspicion, for their love of arcane magic is well known.The wood elves were hit hard by the Cataclysm, but not as hard as the high elves- while the wood elves had great traditions of magic, they did not use it nearly as much as their cousins did. While the high elves moved out into the world and integrated with the other races, many of the wood elves retreated further into their forests and shut themselves away from the outside world. As the other races began to rebuild their cities and their society, and once again started to travel across the lands, they began to encounter those isolated forest enclaves- and at first there were many instances of violence, as the elves defended their homes. In time, that began to change. As the other races continued to integrate, they sent out ambassadors- mostly high elves, forest gnomes, and half-elves. Very slowly, the wood elves began to emerge from their protective isolation to rejoin the world. But it was not an easy process, for this new world was very different from the old one. It has only been within the last twenty years or so that the forests claimed by the wood elves have become (mostly) safe for honest travelers. And even now, most wood elves dwell in those isolated forests. But some of their folk set out as scouts, guides, and couriers- and more often as traveling merchants; others have taken to mercenary work, especially as scouts or archers. The common folk of the cities tend to regard wood elves as uncivilized- even 'countrified' or barbaric, depending on who you ask; the wood elves in turn tend to maintain their own traditions (including clothing and tattooed markings, which make them easy to identify) and still regard the civilized folk as decadent and lazy- they survived the aftereffects of the Cataclysm without help from other races, all on their own, so they see themselves and their society as strong and resilient. Many of those who leave their forest homes are driven by curiosity or wanderlust- but they are a small percentage of the race overall; most are content to remain in the forests far from the growing cities of the world.And then there are the other elven races... The dark elves, never common on the surface world, seem to have retreated underground or died out. Occasionally someone will claim to have seen one, or to have heard of their savage raiding, but there is no real proof. And the legendary eladrin seem to have died out entirely- tales from just after the cataclysm say that most of the disappeared during the disaster, and the others vanished one at a time, stepping into another realm and never returning...  Summary:-High elves: almost completely integrated with society, and their art, music, and scholarship are some of the biggest parts upon which the new Enlightened world has been based. Less overtly magical (though there are rumors...), but still regarded as a bit aloof and mysterious.-Wood elves: retreated into their forests for many years, and most of them are still isolated- which is just how they like it. Some of their folk have begun to venture out into the world, driven by curiosity or wanderlust- they tend to 'mobile' careers like guides, mercenaries, and traveling merchants. Tend to be regarded as ' uncivilized'- in return they usually see 'city folk' as decadent and soft.-Dark elves: almost completely vanished from the world, save for occasional lurid rumors. But are they still out there (or down there) somewhere- and if so, what are they plotting?-Eladrin: It is believed that they are all gone, and have been for years. Magical scholars believe that the eladrin ability to step into another realm briefly became a one-way trip after the Harrowing.</blockquote>

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