Chronicles of Astravara

Where gods whisper and empires rot.

The Veil-Blooded – Keepers of Memory and Flame

“We do not forget. We become.”
— High Arcanist Veiylth of Luthienn

Overview

The Elves of Astravara are a race carved from memory, myth, and loss. Once seen as eternal stewards of balance and beauty, they now walk the edge between reverence and ruin. To mortals, they are graceful, wise, and strange; to themselves, they are the last flame of a world fading into shadow.

Elves are divided not by blood, but by conviction—into three great cultures:

The Forest Elves: reclusive, sacred, bound to the spirits of the land.
The Urban Elves: ambitious, graceful, and woven into the politics of mortal kingdoms.
And the Drellari, or Dark Elves: exiled, mountain-born, and shaped by shadow and survival.

Though divided by geography and creed, all elves share an unbroken chain of memory — a reverence for the First Ages and a deep sorrow for what was lost.

Physiology

Elves are tall, slender, and impossibly long-lived. Their features border on the surreal: angular faces, luminous eyes, and voices that resonate like distant wind chimes. Most live for centuries; some reach the millennium.

Notable traits:

Height: 1.80–2.10 meters
Lifespan: 800–1000 years (or longer)
Magic affinity: exceptionally high, especially in nature, light, and illusion

Their senses are acute, their steps nearly soundless, and their mastery of the bow and spear remains unrivaled.

Cultural Divisions

✦ Forest Elves (Viridiana and Nythalen)

The Forest Elves are guardians of the wild, living in elevated cities of wood and light. They worship:

Tianara, goddess of Justice, Balance, Nature, and Family
Malkirath, god of Survival, Instinct, and Ambition

Their culture is tribal, layered in ritual, and deeply wary of outsiders. Their cities—Viridiana, the Verdant Heart, and Nythalen, the Silent Refuge—are hidden in sacred forests and guarded by druids, spirits, and illusion-magic.

They see themselves not as rulers, but as protectors of a broken world. Yet their memories are bitter: betrayed by humans, hunted by orcs, and manipulated by their own kind, they now keep blade and bow close to hand.

✦ Urban Elves (Luthienn and the Southern Courts)

These elves abandoned the deep groves and carved splendor into stone and marble. They built Luthienn, the Radiant Towers, and spread across human cities like Eldoria and Caltheron.

Their culture embraces diplomacy, art, commerce—and pragmatic sorcery.

No single god dominates their faith; many are agnostic or syncretic.
They are adaptable, cosmopolitan, and often regarded as dangerously charismatic.

They are tolerated, admired, and often resented by human nobles, who never forget the War of the Luminous Plains — when elven armies, allied with shadowborn cousins, scorched entire human provinces to claim fertile lands.

✦ Dark Elves (Drellari)

The Drellari are colder, and cloaked in secrecy. They dwell in shadowed mountains or desert canyons, governed by hidden councils and bound by ancient codes.

They worship Tenebris Nocthian, god of Night, Secrets, and Forbidden Knowledge.
They prize stealth, silence, and survival above all.

Despite their fearsome reputation, they maintain strong trade ties with dwarves and a neutral kinship with beastfolk. Their history includes both ancient betrayals and rare acts of mercy that are never forgotten by those who receive them.

Many mortals believe the Drellari no longer exist. They are wrong.

Strengths and Sins

Elves are creatures of memory. This is both gift and curse. They do not forget the great oaths, the ancient harmonies — nor the betrayals, slaughters, or losses.

They are patient, but not passive.
They are elegant, but not soft.
They do not age like men, but they do harden.

Their sins are hidden behind marble walls and weeping forests:

Pride masquerading as protection
A history rewritten in song
Deals made in shadow, in the name of balance or revenge

“Do not trust an elf who smiles.
He is remembering something you forgot to fear.”
— Dwarven proverb