(Obsolete) Sun Elf

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The Sun Elves were created by the Elven God of the Sun, Ioltoris of White, who petitioned his father, Erallabein Delfae, for a race to ward a site of what he claimed would be great Evil. Erallabein trusted his son's judgement, and gave unto him a race of elves, who built themselves a beautiful city of glass and crystal, to worship in their god's radiant light.

By the end of the First Age, Sun Elves were insular and closed-minded, spending their days in arcane study and devout worship. They knew that one day, they would be called upon for some task, but they were unaware just what this would entail, and therefore, focused on their studies. They weathered the events of the Serf Revolutions relatively untouched, and progressed into the Second Age with little guidance from their god.

After Godsday, and the events thereafter, where the dark goddess ascendant Khei'Szeiya was chained beneath Grimspire, the Sun Elves were charged by both Ioltoris and Erallabein, in words that are inscribed on the streets of Llysenseil itself. 'Defend this city', they say, 'and give them no ground.'

Initially, the Sun Elves chose to use their magical prowess to fight the daily war against the deep elves marching inexorably from the heart of their home, though they found this was not as effective as they would have wished it to be. Eventually, the city was discovered when Shield Dwarf explorers lucked onto seams of silver in the lands around it, and revealed that the city of Llylenseil was no myth. After this point, however, the shock troops of Khei'Szeiya's army had risen to full power, and the Sun Elves had to do battle with the much hardier Deep Dwarves of Grimspire. It was at this point that the Sun Elves had to recruit sturdier troops who were less reliant on magic, or fail in their task.

So began the Mercenary Recruitments of Llysenseil. The Sun Elves hired towns' worth of mercenary troops, and use their magical prowess and infrastructure to craft weaponry, food, and entertainment for these people, using their physical brawn to complement the elven magecraft they use. For this reason, Sun Elves are known to be greatly hospitable amongst other races, and tend to ingratiate themselves to those of bigger, stronger races.

Personality

Sun Elves are serious, refined, and reserved. They forge relationships slowly and over time, and decide upon things slowly. While they are slow to consider, they are swift to act, and are as inexorable as the turning of seasons. While their heavy duty holds them in place over Grimspire, the Sun Elf race flourishes in the glass city of Llysenseil. Sun Elves have become in recent years, more politically adept, in order to better recruit mercenaries, and have opened Llysenseil to other cultures, allowing communities of other, more battle-capable races to integrate themselves. Therefore, Sun Elves have come to respect anyone whose field of expertise is outside their own, though they usually feel it best that experts avoid giving advice to one another.

Physical Description

Sun Elves are short and slim, standing about 4 1/2 to 5 1/2 feet tall and typically weighing 85 to 135 pounds, regardless of gender. They are graceful but frail, and tend to be pale-skinned and blond-haired, with bright blue eyes. They have no facial or body hair. Given their affinity for the sun, Sun Elves tend to wear clothes that bias towards bright colours. Sun Elves possess an unearthly grace and fine features. Many humans and members of other races find them hauntingly beautiful. A Sun Elf achieves majority at about 110 years in age and can live to be over 700 years old.

Sun Elves do not sleep, as members of the other common races do. Instead, a sun elf meditates in a deep trance for most of the sunless hours of a day – usually six hours. A sun elf resting in this fashion gains the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. While meditating, an elf dreams, though these dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. The Common word for an elf's meditation is 'trance', as in 'four hours of trance'.

Relations

Amongst other elves, Sun Elves look down with disgust upon the Swamp Elves, and consider Grey Elves to be the flighty works of an adolescent God – which isn't entirely untrue. Sun Elves also feel that they deserve a great deal of respect from other elven races, as they are, in their own mind, purer than other Elven races, being shaped by their god's hand, rather than years of evolution.

Sun Elves have a strong sense of duty, and as such, journey well with dwarves that are willing to ignore their own racial prejudice against elves, and work well with humans who share goals with them. Halflings and Gnomes tend towards chaos a bit too much for Sun Elves' tastes, and Grey Elves and Sun Elves are famous for grating on one another. The nature of Grey Elves in such confrontations is frequently given to yielding, as a younger sibling to an older one.

Alignment

Sun Elves tend heavily towards Lawful and Good Alignments, in accordance with Ioltoris of White. Sun Elves have been bound by their God's duty now for generations uncounted, and they hold to it fast.

Religion

Originally, religion was the absolute focus for Sun Elves. However, in recent years, as they realise how ill-suited they are for the art of war, they have begun to consider Ioltoris' wisdom to be slightly flawed. However, as diplomats, they refrain from acting negatively on this, and merely plan contingencies to compensate.

Language

Sun Elves' own language has enough in common with Elven to pass. Their mastery of the language waxes artistic when describing Arcane Magic, and they have thousands of different adjectives and nouns for the simplest of things when perceived through the lens of magic, but seem to be somewhat flat at describing more familiar things, particularly food and drink.

Names

Sun Elves' naming conventions are extremely similar to Common Elves, except they rarely, if ever, abbreviate their names for expediency.

Adventurers

Sun Elves rarely leave the Glass City, but when they do, it is usually either without any purpose at all, or with a burning purpose that consumes their lives. Sun Elves frequently take up causes that would aid the fulfilling of Erallabein's Charge, sabotage the Deep Elves, or aid their fellow Elven Races.

Game Information

Sun Elven Racial Traits

  • +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength; The lean, bookish Sun Elves have a strong tendency away from physical superiority.
  • Medium: As Medium creatures, Sun Elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
  • Immunity to magic sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells or effects. Sun Elves are woven with magic itself, particularly enchantment. With this intimacy comes resilience.
  • Sun Elven base speed is 30 feet.
  • Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish colour and detail under these conditions.
  • Proficient with the heavy and light crossbow; proficient with either the longsword or rapier. Sun Elves take to weapons that compensate for their frailty, and invest in some melee training.
  • +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. A Sun Elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door. An Elf's senses are so keen that she practically has a sixth sense about hidden portals.
  • Sun Dependency: A Sun Elf that stays away from sunlight takes one point of constitution damage for every twelve hours they spend out of the sun. However, a Sun Elf is slightly awash with positive energy, due to this solar connection. Sun Elves receive a +2 bonus to the DCs of spells or effects that manipulate positive energy (such as Cure Light Wounds, or Turning checks). Because of this dependency, many Sun Elves suffer from claustrophobia, and dread going underground, making doing battle with Deep Elves even harder than normal.
  • Arcane Aptitude: Sun Elves who take levels of an arcane spellcasting class are treated as if they were two levels higher in that class for determining spells per day and spells known. Therefore, a 1st-level Sun Elf Wizard has the spellcasting ability and spells known of a 3rd-level Wizard, and his spells are as powerful as those cast by a 3rd-level Wizard. A Sun Elf Wizard 1/Sorceror 1 casts spells as if he were a 3rd level sorceror and a 3rd level wizard. Arcane Aptitude does not increase any other class feature of the concerned arcane spellcasting class, such as bonus metamagic feats or familiar abilities.
  • Academic Brilliance: Sun Elves gain a +2 to all Knowledge skills and Spellcraft. The way of study is given to the Sun Elves, and they are rarely, if ever, anything but perfectly at home with learning.
  • Land Affinity: Sun Elves fail to leave a trail when travelling through natural environments; this effect is identical to the spell pass without trace.
  • Empower Spell: Sun Elves receive the Empower spell feat for free. Improving a spell is a basic aspect of magical theory.
  • Favoured Class: Wizard. A multiclass Sun Elf's Wizard class does not count when determining whether he suffers an XP penalty for multiclassing. Sun Elves are naturally bookish and turn to the arcane arts with ease.
  • Automatic Languages: Common and Elven. Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, Underdeep, and Sylvan. Elves commonly know the languages of their enemies and of their friends, as well as Draconic, the language commonly found in ancient tomes of secret knowledge.
  • Level Adjustment: +2. Sun Elves are more powerful and gain levels more slowly than the races in the Player's Handbook.

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