Elven History

Birth

The elves are not native to Miranda; although they have become so over the generations. They came to this world when Ellowyn, favored daughter of the Seelie Queen, was banished from the fae lands. Ellowyn traveled to Miranda and took with her twenty-seven members of her personal retinue along with Mardac, a powerful fae lord. Once upon the world Ellown created a grand court, called the Celestial Court, that mimicked her mother's court and named herself its queen. To rule by her side she named Mardac, the most powerful fae lord, as her consort. The Seelie Queen forbade any fae from paying homage to the Celestial Court, so Ellowyn reached into the well of life and created the elves.

The elves bodies were created from the world, but their spirits were of the Shadow Realm. As time passed the elves expanded their reach to the very corners of the world. Their great cities rose high into the sky, rivaling the very heavens in beauty and grace. As they moved into new lands the elves not only changed themselves to better live in harmony with the world, but changed the world around them. The world prospered under their care and the elves stood as the most blessed of the those inhabiting it.

Demon Wars

As the elves expanded their reach they found many of the artifacts left behind by the Ancients. The most interesting were the Black Gates and the Bronze Door. The elves knew that the black gates were doorways to the Shadow Realms and the strongest source of magic in this world; however the bronze door was a mystery. Ever curious the elves managed to open the bronze door and into this world came a Demon Lord who slew those by the door and used their spirits to feed his own infernal power. He opened the door further allowing a horde of demons into the world.

Mardac and much of her court was in the fae lands hunting, so Ellowyn sent the rest of her court to lead the elves in battle. As the demons grew in strength the elves called upon all those living in the world to help. To further aid the battle Ellowyn called her strong warriors to the Elder Tree. From that tree she drew forth the most powerful bow staves ever known and thus were born the Maiden Archers. The maiden archers led the elven army in battle and drove the demons back to the Bronze Door. The destruction of the door cost the maidens dearly and the world a terrible price (see Blasted Lands, but closed the world from the demons.

With the Bronze Door destroyed, the elven army went to close each of the Shadow Gates so that the Outer Realms could no longer influence the world. Their warriors gone, the remaining elves were left with little protection from the demons that still roamed the world. Mardac, who had returned from the hunt, convinced Ellowyn to once again reach into the Well of Life and create to a new people to protect her children - thus the orcs were given life. Unlike the elves, the orcs were not given fae spirits, but instead were given unseelie spirits. Mardac trained the orcs in the art of battle, passing on his skills and honor. The orcs not only hunted down the remaining demons, but took up arms to guard the elves wherever they roamed.

The Fall

The fall of the elves began with Night of Blood and was finished with the Kinslayer War, leaving the elves a shattered people. The elves, now protected by the orcs, began to heal the land and rebuild what was lost. With most of her court helping her maidens close the shadow gates and Mardac in the fae realms, Ellowyn was often alone at court with only Aelon by her side. Aelon, a powerful fae lord, spent most of his type helping the elves to heal the land. Unbeknownst to any he had fallen in love with Castae, a powerful unseelie lady. She bound his will to her thoughts and sent him to assassinate Ellowyn with a poisoned dagger.

Aelon stabbed Elloywn and then turned the dagger upon himself as he jumped into the Well of Life. Castae then entered the court and using the defiled well she cast a curse of rage upon the orcs. As the moon turned as red as blood the orcs turned their blade upon the elves and slew their masters. Elven cities burned as the cries of dying elves reached the heavens. Mardac returned to find his beloved fallen, the well poisoned, and the elves being hunted by now blood-thirsty orcs. After doing what he could for Ellowyn he drew forth dark warrior spirits from the well and traveled to where the surviving elves were hiding. To those elves willing to follow him he bound the dark spirits, creating his own dark elves, to their own spirit and led them personally into battle against the orcs.

When the largest of the orc warbands had been defeated most of the hunters returned to their homeland, while Mardac and his strongest hunters worked to destroy the remaining orcs. It is unknown who started it, but eventually the elves took up arms against their “dark” kin. This time is called the Kinslayer War, when elf fought elf and only got worse when the maiden archers and members of the court returned. The court discovered their queen near death and the elves fighting other elves. The court sensed the taint within some of the elves and in the name of their queen they turned their full power against these dark elves. The dark elves were very powerful, but not enough to stand against the court and their kin and fled from battle. Mardac returned to find his warriors being killed by their own kin. He cried at seeing his warriors fall in battle, but could not raise his hand against the maidens who dedicated their lives to his beloved queen. In the end he gathered as many of his dark elves as possible, opened a gate to another world, and fled.

The elves were shattered, only a small fraction of their numbers remained on the world, and their cities destroyed. Only a few of their most enchanted places were left in the world. With so few elves remaining they retreated from the world into these safe havens, while the court returned to care for their queen. Many centuries passed and the elves themselves became only shadows of their former glory. With the closing of the Black Gates, the power of the Shadow Realms waned in Miranda and with it the elven spirits. Lesser elves were born as the knowledge and beauty of the elves were forgotten.

The Great Tree Awakens

During the Age of the Gods one of the few sanctuaries untouched by war was a contemplative community centered around the Great Tree. The only known still living tree that sprouted from a seed from the Elder Tree. While the tree was still alive, it had not bloomed since Ellowyn was struck down. All elves that had not forsaken their true spirits knew when their queen had rose from near-death. The Great Tree bloomed as she appeared in the Ellendar forest and spoke to her followers. Once again their queen walked the world to guide them in healing this land.