High Elves

High Elves (Ori'Fen in Elfish). Even the name brims with majestic style and finesse. Because that is exactly what the High Elves are; delicate, majestic people who have proven themselves to be unmatched masters of the arcane. The High Elves were born with (and by) magic and magic has played a great role in the time of the High Elves. Even their home region, Elfwood, is made through magic. Although they do not possess an inborn magical aptitude, it is a part of their culture to learn magic and most High Elves who do not know magic are often seen as inferior and disappointing. These Elves will often turn to more mundane tasks, such as running an inn or becoming a librarian. Although the High Elves preferred shamanism at first, they sought to new styles of magic and quickly discovered the other three branches too, mastering them with unmatched haste. The High Elves today live throughout the entire Mortal Realm, but mainly stick to their homeland, Elfwood. Unfortunately, this place too has become threatened by the Mjaln, who are infuriated of the Elves' intrusion on their turf.

History
The High Elves have been in The Mortal Realm for many years, not as many as the humans, but enough to find themselves accepted by them. The High Elves were, as many other races, a result of magic. While other races may have been created intentionally by magic or as a side-effect of a successfull spell, the High Elves were born in what may seem like a catastrophe to some. Many centuries ago, when six shamans from Targus had ventured to The Western Valley to perform a ceremony to the spirit of life. What their intention was is yet unknown. Nonetheless, it is for certain that they did not obtain this goal, as mid-way through their ceremony, one of the ceremonial shamans suffered a heart attack and the otherwise delicate balance in the ceremony was tipped over and the vivid energy went rampant. In an earth-shaking explosion of life, their volatile ceremony took a turn for the... stranger. All the shamans succumb to the overload of plentiful energy, turning their bodies into nutrients which would feed the result of their failure: Everspring. A lush forest sprung from the ground as a result of the rampant energy and the landscape was changed forever. New creatures suddenly appeared, some miscreated mutants while more delicate creatures appeared as well. One of these creatures were the elves, which were born through this catastrophe. Confused and bewildered, these newborn High Elves did not dare walk from the safety of Everspring and hid for many years, keeping the nearby humans from even knowing of their existence. And while they hid, they met another peculiar creation of the explosion: the fae. These fluttering little people claimed to know far better than the elves and that they were the ones who created the elves. The fae became the tyrannical overlords of the elves and forced their new minions to capture travelling humans and sacrifice their life energy to the diabolical fae. The High Elves knew no better, until one day, the seeds of doubt were sowed within the ranks of the High Elves.

A female elf by the name of 'Ethella' saw how they were abused by the fae and refused to serve them. She spread her opinions throughout her fellow elves and made them think twice of what they were doing but one day, Ethella was captured by the fae and was condemmed to death. Fortunately for her, she stumbled across an individual who would change her fate forever: the Khronum. She escaped with the Khronum and over the following years, she gave birth to other Khronum and thus gained the trust of many powerful individuals. After the last Khronum, Martis, had defeated Locux on the top of the World's Tooth, she had found herself with help from the Dark Elves of Greyhold of the religious human crusaders from Godshill. With these forces at her back, she overthrew the fae oppression and freed the High Elves from their tyrrannical grasp.

She became the hero of the High Elves and led the refuge north, into the the southern part of The Mjaln Mountains, where the High Elves spread their vivid magic and created a forest far more bountiful than Everspring, nothing less of a jungle. They named it 'Elfwood', for obvious reasons. While creating this forest, there were many strange creatures born in the process, one of those being the feral Murroks. Of course, the Mjaln of The Mjaln Mountains were infuriated and have long waged war against the elves, burning and chopping down bits and pieces of Elfwood as much as they could, but were often pushed back by the Elves' magic. To this day, Ethella sits in her throne in Ori'Mann'Tiir, the great city of Elfwood where she commands the defense against the furious Mjaln.