THE ORIGINS OF HIGH ELVES
At the dawn of time, the Makers created a paradise on the brink of reality, a place of immeasurable beauty and magnificence. Among its trees bathed in warming light, the first children of the Makers, the immortal spirits later to be known as the Elves, stepped into the world. Naive and humble in the beginning, they strived for knowledge. Learning from the Makers, they mastered arts, crafts and magic. But with their might grew their arrogance, and their most powerful elders decided to claim the divine power of their own creators for themselves. But while some of the Elves followed their rebellious leaders to their doom, others were wise enough to see the futility of such strivings and stood aside.
The defeated elders were stripped of their forms and cast down into oblivion, their followers banished into the mortal world. Having faced such an insurgence, the Makers saw that it was only a matter of time when the other Elves think to have surpassed their predecessors and become consumed by the same lust for power. And so they were sent on the pilgrimage to the world of mortals, so that those who overcome its perils and become the embodiment of virtues could ascend and return to the paradise as better beings. Unlike the rebels that were banished forcefully, the pilgrims were allowed to take with them something from the eternal Realm of the Makers, and so some of them took soil and seeds, others took relics of their own creation. They didn't leave the paradise alone, as some of the lesser spirits were willing to accompany their elven friends and didn't want to be separated from them. And seeing the dangers that awaited the Elves in the new world, one of the Makers followed the pilgrims, as she couldn't abandon her children.
Most of the banished Elves swore vengeance to the Makers and remained loyal to their formless elders now known as the Dark Lords, helping them regain their power and shape, so that one day they could claim the eternal realm for themselves by force. They became known as the Dark Elves.
Some of the pilgrims devoted themselves to the Allmother who followed them into the mortal world and distanced themselves from the other Makers. They dwell in wondrous groves that resemble the paradise and dedicate themselves to protecting the beauties of nature and all the lesser children of the Allmother, no longer striving to return to the heavenly realm. They became known as the Wood Elves.
The remaining pilgrims stayed true to their original purpose and see themselves as the guardians of the world, who protect it against all kinds of dark powers and refine their bodies, minds and souls, so that one day they would be considered worthy to return to the paradise. They became known as the High Elves.
THE HIGH ELVEN PEOPLE
The High Elves are an ageless people whose spiritual origin still manifests itself in their mortal forms. Their skin and hair seem to be illuminated by soft inner light and their eyes glow with bright colors - usually shades of blue, green or gold. Tall, graceful and slender, they appear unearthly beautiful to most other mortal races. Wise and gracious at their best, arrogant and disdainful at their worst, the High Elves consider themselves best at everything they do, be it crafts, arts or magic. Very few of them would admit that a member of another race could surpass or even be as good as them at something, even if that is true. They love music, art and poetry. Songs and poems of elven writing are often performed at royal courts of other people, as their fluid intricate language sounds pleasing to mortal ears. The High Elves value diplomacy and prefer to achieve their goals without open conflicts, as they will live an eternity with the consequences of their actions and decisions. That is also why elves rarely befriend members of other races, for the entire mortal lifespan is like a fleeting moment to an elf and the sorrow of the loss would remain for aeons to come.
THE HIGH ELVEN SOCIETY
The High Elven society is ruled by the Council of the Firstborne, each member of which is a representative of a House founded by a pilgrim from the heavenly realm. Although not every current councilor is a Firstborne, they are considered to be representatives of those elves and speak in their name. To be a councilor is a great honor and very few new members entered the Council throughout the entire history in place of a dead or ascended founder. Even though such a rigid social structure ensures that only the most knowledgeable and honored elves have the power over the others, it also makes the elven society extremely conservative and reluctant to change, which means that young elves must spend centuries or even millennia proving themselves to ascend to a respectable social position. This makes many of them go on adventures in the outer world, where they are usually treated just like their elder kin.
THE HIGH ELVEN ARMY
Even though many of the High Elves prefer the peaceful and prosperous life in fortified city-fortresses and dedicate themselves to studies and arts, they are masterful warriors and peerless sorcerers, their swordplay and weaving of magic are sights to behold. Elven military includes city guards and sentries that watch over the borders of elven domains, as well as elite regiments of seasoned veterans that can handle the most dangerous of endeavors. There is no conscription in the elven society and thus only those who enlisted voluntarily become a part of the military. Usually only two types of elves do so: young ones that are willing to prove themselves - they are usually assigned to safer domestic guard duties - and those, whose burden of sorrow became too heavy to bear - they often set off on the most dangerous of missions and selflessly fight for the greater good, so that other elves may live on in peace.
