THE
YLFFERHIM
ELVES |
The Ylfferhim are a small and isolated group of elves that dwell in the Quallian Forest. Decended from - as they believe - the Astyrhim, they are actually very closely related to the Quaelhoirhim at the nearby Zeiphyrian Forests and relations between the two tribes are close, if sometimes a little strained. The Ylfferhim prize peace above all things and play a very little part in Sarvonian history. The autonomous government remains entirely neutral on almost all issues. Only currently are these elves starting to make contact with the outside world.
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Appearance. When
humans imagine
elves, they often visualize those of the
Quaelhoirhim, as these elves
are most commonly seen by the other races of
Santharia. The Ylfferhim therefore
closely follow the classical description of
elves; being slender and tall in appearance, but are a little taller and
more lithe than their Zeiphyrian cousins. Generally the Ylfferhim are shorter
lived than the Quaelhoirhim. Hair is worn long
and males plait or braid their hair, either in one plait, or in several braids
to remove it from the face. The exception to this rule was the famour Ylfferhim
Leias Anthioullsn, who was always
curious in apperance among the Ylfferhim and wore his dark hair short and around
his face.
Due to a connection with the Injerín tribe in
Northern
Sarvonia, the Ylfferhim are generally fairer than most of the surrounding
tribes, with pale skin and fair hair ranging from Strawberry blonde through to
ash white. It is very unusual to find a Ylfferhim
elf with eye colours other than blue, green
or grey. It is said though that the easiest way to tell a Ylfferhim
elf from the other surrounding tribes is to
ask them to open their mouths. When they talk they do so with a characteristic
melodius accent and are reknown for having beautiful singing voices.
Coat of Arms/Sign. The Ylfferhim honour the
Astyrhim by using their coat of arms theme, the Tree
of Life. At the Ylfferhim coat of arms you will therefore often see the Astyrhim
Tree of Life flanked by two wolves to demonstrate their independence of thought
and loyalty to what they hold as true. This coat of arms probably existed long
before the tribe actually existed, but probably became the tribe's official coat
of arms some time around the outbreak of SW III.
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Territory. The Ylfferhim live in the
Quallian Forest. Originally part of the
Quaelhoirhim tribe the Ylfferhim became seperated
in a fragment of a once larger Zeiphyrian Forest, seperated by a series of
great floods. The tribe contains
the desendants of a mix of the few elves who
had been resident in the eastern forest as long as memory stretches,
Injerín soldiers fighting with the
Quaelhoirhim (led by Ylopherdain) and
Quaelhoirhim elves who fled from the area around
Elving in 806 b.S. from fear or because they felt that they could not tolerate
violence. The elves rarely wander out of the
forest though two small costal settlements exist outside of the
Quallian, which are abandoned during
times of war.
The forest is split more or less in half by the River Aieryn, the first and
smallest of the branches from the Thaehelvil River as it begins to form a delta
near its mouth and flows out into the Aetryam Sea. The river is prone to minor
flooding, depositing alluvium along its course.
People. The Ylfferhim have a higher natural
ability for magic than most elven tribes. In
fact the tribe has the highest natural propensity for magic of any tribe in
Southern Sarvonia, with a much higher than average number of individuals
demonstrating an ability for sensing
Oh'mód'hál. Over the years the Ylfferhim have utilised their talents for
magic to protect their forest home and thus the
Quallian is quite unspoilt. They have a
rich oral and musical tradition, and the Ylfferhim bards often travel to
surronding elven tribes to teach other
elven children basic lore.
Since their seperation many obvious cultural differences have arisen. The most
obvious is that the Ylfferhim speak a tongue which is very closely related to
Styrásh, but different in
various ways. Many consider it simply a dialect, though it is quite clearly
distinctive and many elves have trouble
understanding them. The speech is still melodious, but in a more gutural way.
There are three extra runes in the alphabet, and the commonness of each rune is
slightly different to that of the standard language spoken by the
Quaelhoirhim. The Yllferhim language is highly
variable, with recognizable varying accents in each settlement.
Old Ylffer Elvish
represents the transition between
Elvish and Ylffer during the period following the first Sarvonian War. While
recognizable, those who speak only one tongue or the other would have
difficulties following it. Most of the Ylfferhim speak Ylffer and
Elvish,
Old Ylffer is now mainly
obsolete. Members of the Council, however, are expected to understand it.
The relationship between Old
Ylffer and Elvish is
demonstrated by the word Quallian, which
is a mutation of the root "quael" (as in
"Quaelhoirhim") meaning "bright". The relation between
Old Ylffer and Ylffer is
shown by the spelling of Ylffer in the name of the capital. The modern spelling
is not as the root Ylffer meaning "independent", "free" and also the Ylffer word
for "wind" (read more details at the entry on
"Old Ylffer").
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Housing. All the cities within the forest,
excepting the two largest, are hidden within the trees, and have no building at
ground level, save for military fortifications. Most Ylfferhim therefore live in
tree houses known as Maylon. Many levels of Maylon exist in each settlment,
containing not only housing, but "businesses" of every nature, linked by
walkways, beautifully sculpted from intertwining of tree bows, boarded over to
give a level surface and paved in either stone or malachite. In the two largest
cities and also in the costal settlements, dwellings at ground level exist,
built either from wood or stone.
Maylon remain well hidden due to the mainly evergreen nature of the fauna in the
Quallian. Such a system would be
unlikely to work in forests further north.
Clothing. Clothes of the Ylfferhim are made
from furs, or cottons, organza or silk that they obtain mainly from the
Quaelhoirhim. Style is a matterof personal taste,
though females generally wear long flowing dresses, while males can often be
seen wearing loose suits, with high neck lines. Capes are the most common
overgarment, and usually hooded. Due to the secretive nature of the tribe,
greens and browns are favoured, though a myriad of bright coulours can be found
in the saftey of the hidden cities.
Diet. The
Quallian is an incredibly ecologically
diverse environment, and its richness is perhaps the reason why the tribe has
managed to survive in isolation for quite so long. Meat is the principle
constituent of the diet as while the soil around the Aieryn is fertile, it is
not really suitable for crop growing, due to the
Quallians dense undergrowth. Fishing is
common around the Aierynsayl, the natural lake on the River, and also on the
costal settlements. Fruit trees also grow in the forest in large numbers.
However, much of the Ylfferhim's diet of grains and pulses must be obtained by
trade. As a result this is the Ylfferhim's primary weakness, as their food
supply can easily be cut off.
Weapons. Armour is very rarely seen in the
Quallian, though short range bows and
knives are the Ylfferhim's weapons of choice, perfect for use within the dense
undergrowth.
Occupations. Occupation in the forests are
many and varied, though many Ylfferhim become either rangers or bards. Magi are
also found at a higher than average frequency among the population. Many magi,
however, choose to leave for the Quaelhoirhim
where increased external relations offer them larger opportunities or to come
into the service of the High
Elven Circle. Merchants who deal with outsiders on behalf of the tribe are
very important, while others still are miners (a very unusual trade for an
elf) for the
Quallian's mineral wealth, providing the
forest with the bricks and stone for working.
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Government. There are no true leaders among
elves, but decisions are made by the
government or Council and meetings are traditionally conducted in
Old Ylffer. Final decisions
in most matters are made by a monarch, the Leias (usually female), following
discussion. The Leias is selected by the council after long consultation, and
traditionally they are individuals with an aptitude for using the
Ionmis Globe. Since the founding of
the council there have been ten Leias.
Production/Trade. The
Quallian's mineral wealth is the
Ylfferhim's primary source of trade. Limestone can be found within the southern
areas of the forest and near the coast sandstone is quarried. The forest is rich
in gold, gems and malacite. The clay soils around the Aieryn can be baked in
moulds to form bricks.
Natural
Resources. [...]
Holidays, Festivals and Observances. Ylfferhim
elves are not ones for huge parties,
however, most nights, are a celebration of sorts. If you are lucky enough to
wander among the trees you will hear
Salaen and songs of old on the breeze. However, in the month of Córt'ometrá
the long night sky is illuminated by thousands of candles and the trees are
aglow with tiny pinpoint lights created by elven
magic. The forest echos with songs of Avá
and of Seyella, and of the very
earliest of times.
Religion.
[...]
Settlements. The Ylfferhim have 10 Settlements in the forest. All but two have no buildings at ground level save military fortifications. Settlements are joined by overhead walkways or barely perceivable tracks. Without an Ylffer guide you are likely to get lost. Settlements are usually large, very extended family groups, excepting the capital. The settlements in order of size are:
Aer'ylferian (Old Ylffer Elvish "Home of the Ylffer People")
The largest settlement in the Quallian
Forest. It is the administrative center of the
Ylfferhim, and is the seat of their monarch, the Council and the only stables in
the forest. It is unlike the cities in that it is made up of 7 extended families
instead of one, and has a population of about 700 individuals.
Built in a large natural clearing, much of the city is at
ground level, surrounded by huge city walls. The city
centres around the huge Council Camber. It is the biggest building in the
Quallian, built of marble quarried very
carefully from cliffs on the outskirts of the forest. Overhead are many levels
containing housing and "businesses"
of every nature, linked by walkways, beautifully sculpted from intertwining of
tree bows, boarded over to give a level surface and paved in either marble or
malachite. The magnificant Arshisi (a blue
volcanic glass) city walls of Aer'Ylferian are one of the
wonders of this part of Santharia. The
tribe is highly elusive, and not many have seen it.
Yln'fain'tir (Elvish: "The Hidden"
or "The Lost")
Not that there is anything lost about the city. It is the
Quallian's port
on the Aieryn River, built in the middle of a huge lake called Aierynsayl. It is
here, that the elven merchants are based.Yln'fain'tir
is the only Quallian settlement where
you are likely to see other races. The Aieryn is a branch of the Thaehelvil
River as it begins to form a delta near its mouth and flows out into the
Aetryam Sea. Boats are the major mode of transport around
the city, and all the buildings and paths are made of wood, limestone, marble,
and blue, green, and black volcanic glass, collected from the
Argor and the Hèckra. How a
small tribe manages to collect such vast quantities from so far, is one of the
secrets of the Ylfferhim. The only other town to have ground level buildings at
its heart, is the huge market place. The dialect spoken is highly variable, and
while all the towns can understand each other, a foreigner who had learnt
standard Styrásh would have a
problem.
Drwsyl
(Ylffer Elvish "Door",
"Entry")
The meeting place of many paths from
New-Santhala and the surroundings. A small market
town with an inn and a market place at ground level. There is also a major guard
post, that prevents foreigners wandering any further into the
Quallian without express permission. The
rest of the city is built overhead.
Geaf-a-ch'ian (Ylffer Elvish: "Meeting of
Ways")
Rather like Drwsyl. Except here the roads head south east
toward the Quaelhoirhim at the
Zeiphyr, with whom the tribe have close ties.
Iysha
(Old Ylffer Elvish, a derivative of the Goddesses name "Eyasha")
The main cultural settlement, reachable only from walkways from neighbouring
settlements. Iysha contains trees dedicated as shrines to each of the Wind Gods,
as well as Avá, The
High Spirits and Seyella
to whom the Ylffer have a strong attachment.
Arlinio (Elvish: "Work
of Art") and Thi'eryn (original meaning
lost)
There are two small settlements on the banks of the lake, named Arlinio (Elvish
"Work of Art") and
Thi'eryn (meaning lost), presumably named before the Yffler town distinguished
itself from Elvish. Both towns run Ferrys to Yln'fain'tir, and are exceptionally
beautifully crafted.
Meywnnos ("Lonely Tree")
The name was mainly chosen because that's
what it consists of. Smaller settlement in the
Quallian. Much of the population are
rangers, with no permenant abode. This forms a temporary
encampment for them.
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