Elves are one of the two archetypes (along with
Humans) by which most other sentient races are
defined: while very similar in body type to Humans,
they can be distinguished by their height (average
height is 5' 10''), thin frames and pointed ears. The
Elves' preferred habitats are wooded areas or jungles,
but can adapt readily to grasslands and coastal
regions, and can live in a mountainous or desert
environment with only a moderate amount of difficulty.
They tend to produce quite a number of Soldiers.
As a First Race (again, with Humanity), Elves have no
special patron among the Archangels anymore: they are
watched over by all of Heaven impartially. Indeed,
many Archangels adopt an extremely laissez-faire
attitude towards this race, almost to the point of
negligence. It's almost as if Heaven is ambivalent
towards Elves - which makes no real sense. After all,
Elves are an intelligent, virtuous, resolute species,
on the whole: they routinely display a stability and
calmness that many Humans could only hope to imitate.
Their original Archangelic agent-of-creation would be
proud of the way that Elves have turned out.
Indeed, Elves are almost perfect examples of what it
means to be a Race of Light...
Oh, right. That's why.
Characteristics, Bonuses and Flaws
Like most other Unbroken Races, Elves begin play with
5 Forces - but all Elves are assumed to have a
potential for at least 6. It is a rare individual of
this species that has not done so by his or her 200th
birthday. Beginning Elves will have a minimum Agility
of 2 and both Intelligence and Precision of 4 (before
racial bonuses): they usually have a Will and
Perception of 4, but this is not always the case.
Maximum Forces for Saints: 15 Forces.
Elves are quick (+2 to Agility) and accurate shots (+2
to Precision): early training gives them Move
Silently/1, Ranged Weapons/1 (Bow), Savoir-Faire/1 and
Tracking/1. Despite legend to the contrary, no Elf is
immortal: none of them have ever managed to live
forever. However, they do not age past a certain
point (comparable to a contemporary Human in their mid
20's, or a modern human in their mid 30's), so it is
easy to see how this legend could arise. Total points:
8.
For the most part, Elves do not suffer much from
psychological or physiological quirks, but they have
one terrible burden: due to quirks in the current
political scene, they are loathed by the forces of
Hell. All Elves have an automatic -3 to all reaction
rolls made by demons, Hellsworn, Undead and most of
the Broken. The Elves reciprocate these feelings, to
the point of having the Murderous/1 Disadvantage when
dealing specifically with the above. Total points:
-8.
Recommended skills: pretty much everything, with
artistic and aesthetic skills emphasized over
technical ones. Most Elves will have a point or two
in either Singing or a Musical Instrument: Ranged
Weapon/6 (Bow) is very, very common.
Total Cost: 0.
Psychology
The fundamental aspect about Elves is that ... they
abide. Being immune to the ravages of age, the
species seems to lack the drive to aggressively push
things along. This is not to say that Elves are
passive victims of circumstance: they will act
decisively to rectify a disadvantageous situation.
It's just that they don't always act to make a good
situation better. Also, Elves are much more likely to
work around their environment, rather than alter their
environment to taste.
However, the species is not slothful: among other
things, they enjoy a rich mental culture. Their
society is based around their artists and craftsmen.
While some Elvish sub-cultures (usually those in
Human or Goblin lands) may adopt feudal structures,
most will simply develop the minimum amount of
government necessary to allow them to get along with
their lives. As a result, Humans and Goblins who
settle in Elvish lands will often find themselves
somehow gently jockeyed into running things. Elves
prefer to play to their strengths, and let other races
play to theirs. Of course, would-be tyrants quickly
find themselves, well, dead. One of the Elves'
strengths is their seemingly universal ability to put
an arrow in a sparrow's eye at 40 yards.
It should be obvious from the above that the Elves do
not generally form nation-states: they develop
distinct cultures, of course, but political
unification only occurs when it's necessary, and
quietly dropped when it isn't needed anymore. Of
course, such ad hoc alliances can persist
indefinitely: there is one forest region where the
Elves have been banded together in opposition to a
particularly annoying Orcish slave clan for the last
six centuries. Said alliance, despite its age and
stability, will still not long survive the last Orc
still standing.
Ecology
Elves find woodlands and jungles most congenial places
to live, and their eating habits reflect this. Their
diet tends to be fruits, nuts, a variety of
domesticated native plants/small mammals (including
quite a few that plains dwellers would never have
considered worth the trouble), fungi, snakes and
insects. Wise adventurers soon learn to never ask
what's in the stew: wiser ones don't watch a
forest/jungle Elf cook or forage for food. It tastes
good and it'll keep you going: just leave it at that.
Of course, Elves in other regions will have a varied
diet (Elves by the ocean will fish and keep extensive
kelp farms; Elves in other species' nations will eat
what their neighbors eat, with a slightly different
spicing). In general, though, there are frankly few
wholesome foods that an Elf won't eat, or serve up
with an honestly innocent smile.
Role in the War
Considering what Elves can bring to the table (the
species are ready-made Soldiers, after all), it's
amazing that they aren't recruited more by Heaven.
There are several problems, of course: first, the
species is somewhat infertile by Human standards.
Soldiers do not always have long lifespans, and Elven
society cannot handle the loss of too much genetic
material. The Host has worked upon the problem, but
are hampered by the extreme stability of the original
design.
That's the second problem - and the real one,
actually. Well, not the design: more like the
designer. You see, calling Elves and Humans 'God
Races' is actually a bit of a misnomer. The first
members of both species were animated directly by the
Almighty (in opposition to later Unbroken Races, which
were animated by His loyal servants), but the original
design was done by Archangels. Humans were a
composite effort by Eli, Gabriel and Raphael.
Elves were designed by the Archangel of Light.
From his point of view, Elves were a perfect
adaptation of sentient life to Earth. They were
self-aware individuals with free will that could be
counted upon to adapt to complicated situations,
rather than barging across them with shortsighted
exuberance. They also showed a seemly respect and
deference for their superiors, which was always nice.
Of course, when God decided to animate both finalists
in the contest, as a loyal servant the Archangel of
Light did not even think of complaining ... at first.
After all, someone had to live in the plains: that was
an unavoidable weakness of the Elves, and this was an
acceptable compromise. The Archangel of Light even
adapted Elvish genes to be crossbreed with Humanity:
he no doubt believed that his design would win out in
the resulting genetic battle.
Unfortunately, subsequent events unfolded,
resulting in the eventual Eden Experiment. The
Archangel of Light was responsible for Lilith's
inclusion in the first version of the Experiment,
thinking that her superior design would demonstrate
Humanity's fundamental flaws. Unfortunately, her
refusal to play resulted in an all-Human Experiment
(Elves were to have their own Experiment, but the War
interfered). This angered the Archangel - although he
later decided that it had all worked out for the worst
anyway - and when the First Rebellion erupted, Lucifer
was outraged to discovered that most of his personal
creations refused to obey him. Lucifer had created
too well, it seems.
Hell has never forgiven the Elves since that day - and
many in Heaven find it hard to completely trust them.
After all, they are creations of the now-Prince of
Darkness, and they were indirectly responsible for the
at least part of the mess that was the Eden
Experiment, and Lilith (the only corporeal Superior on
either side) was originally an Elf. Seraphim can
detect the Truth that Elves are firmly committed to
the side of God, and the species have never shown any
group tendency towards serving Hell...
...but it still is a little uncomfortable at times.
Of course, the Archangels do not feel this way. The
Seraphim Archangels are secure enough in their
perceptions to recruit Elvish Soldiers and Saints
without a second thought, Jordi likes them as proper
stewards of nature, and the rest will take on recruits
happily enough - but there is still a slight
hesitation among regular angels at times. Many
members of the Host are more than happy to find an
excuse to not worry or think overmuch about Elves - an
attitude that occasionally has led to tragedy.
You see, Hell has certainly not forgotten about them.
Elves and Hell
Mostly the relationship is that of bitter enemies:
Lucifer has a long memory, and hates his former
children worse than he does Humans: Humans may be
worthless scum, but they never betrayed him. This
antipathy has spread among the Horde, and even to
their corporeal servants. Elves learn fast that death
is better than capture by Hell.
However, there is a small - very, very small - faction
of Elvish society that secretly obeys their old
designer. They are descended mostly from those Elves
that sided with Lucifer during the Rebellion, leavened
by more recent converts. For them, the Prince of
Darkness retains a fragment of what might almost be
considered affection - they are immune to Hell's
antipathy, and are treated somewhat better when they
arrive in Hell. In exchange for such mercy, they are
expected to help shatter Elvish society once and for
all. Most of these Light Elves serve Lilith, as she
can offer them Freedom from responsibility and
conscience. Baal and Asmodeus pick up a few, as well.
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