-Laranis Callirr, circa DR 1373, The Year of Rogue Dragons
We Elves have certain abilities that the other
‘lesser’ races simply do not possess. N’Tel’Quessir often have to resort to magic to do the things that come to us Elves naturally. The Elves do not gloat, but rather, we feel sympathy for those creatures not blessed with our gifts. Among the more important abilities the Fair Folk are born with are Communion, Elvensight, Manifestation, the Reverie, the Elven Bond, and a natural hardiness that allows for adapting to extreme climatic conditions and resistance to diseases.
Our gifts are said to have been given to us by the Seldarine, to set us apart from the other races that exit across the multiverse. No other races share the gifts that we Tel’Quessir possess- not the Humans, no the Dwarves, not the Gnomes, not the Halflings, not the Illithid, not the Giants, not even the Dragons. It is by our unique and special physiology that we are able to consider ourselves special.
Elven Bond
Though not truly part of our physiology, the Elven bond is related to the Communion on a deep spiritual level.
An Elf can form a mystical and unbreakable bond with another being, and that being is not necessarily another Elf. Sometimes this bond is formed with all the pomp and ceremony of certain Human marriage, and at other times, it is a quiet and personal thing. For each Elf it is different, as different as love itself, and the gifts exchanged can vary from a simple flower to an elegant crown of emeralds.
When an Elf first feels this type of strong commitment forming, we begin to feel what the other person is feeling, much like during Communion. If the recipient of our affection is another elf, they will begin to feel those feelings too, and will return those feelings, in most cases. We Elves do not “wear our hearts on our coat sleeves”, as Humans and other N’Tel’Quessir so often do. We weigh our hearts long and hard before attempting to bonding that that special someone, sometimes centuries, and that is why we rarely need deal with rejection. It is a sad Elf indeed who mistakes someone’s feelings after centuries of friendship and togetherness.
This bond is, in many ways, much stronger then the communion ability we share, for this is a lifelong bond and not so easily broken. Through this bond, each person can sense all of the feelings the other is feeling, as well as any physical pain or distress they might be in. If separated, we can get a general sense of direction the other person is in, as long as they are on the same plane. We can tell how far they are from us with almost pinpoint accuracy when within 20 miles (nearby), and also roughly gauge the distance when they are further (20-50 miles=fairly close, 51-100= some distance away, 100-500 =Very far, and 501+ = a great distance). This helps us to locate our
loves when we sense they are in trouble. And, woe to any creature that stands in our way, for an Elf fighting to aid his/her beloved fights like no other.
At this point, the bond between two lovers has become so strong that the other person’s life now means more to us then our own. This level of rapport is called Aleiryid, and both the Elf and their love now live solely to make the other happy, at whatever cost. This is the most altruistic pairing two mortals can share (for game purposes, treat this exactly as if the two shared communion within the last 24 hours; it is an ongoing effect however, and they get all combat bonuses that apply as long as they are side by side). Elves can only form these bonds after 150 years of life- anything younger is considered too immature for such deep spiritual commitment. They also must spend at least one year with their beloved prior to bonding, and spend some time together at least once a day during this period.
Unfortunately for many, an Elf’s ego works against them, and their intended bond-mate. A high sense of self interferes with the bonding, and it takes a longer period of time before the actual bond can be made (In game terms, the couple must spend 1+[Both of their CHA Bonuses] years together first, but no less then one year). You must give wholly of yourself, and there is no room for egotistical feelings. An ego does not prevent forming a bond, but it certainly makes it more difficult to do so.
Few Elves care to bestow this honor on N’Tel’Quessir, because the bond would be all but wasted on them. In the case of Humans, this is especially true, for their lives are like a guttering candle flame buffeted by the winds of time, too soon blown out.
Conversely, it is the Human lust for life itself that allows Elves to form bonds with them even quicker then with other Elves! (In game turns, change years to months when determining the amount of time the couple must spend together before bonding). It amazes even the Eldest amongst us that these ‘children’ can sweep even the wisest Elf up into their passion for living life to it’s fullest, and many an Elf has died while barreling though adventures at an alarming pace along side human companions- especially Moon Elves. We Sun Elves have somewhat of a resistance to this, but we do fall pray from time to time!
This is often called “Walking Destiny’s Path”, for many know the Humans to be “The Children of Destiny” in our many of our most ancient prophesies.
Although their lives are often too short, as compared most other Tel’Quessir, these Elves are usually amongst our most well sung and remembered heroes.
But I digress…Suffice it to say that a blink of an Elf’s eye spells the end to these ties, but the love they gain lasts the rest of their lives.
When the bond is broken, either by death or treachery, it is a tremendous shock to the other
member of the union. It is possible for an Elf to die from the grief caused by the bond breaking (DC 15 Fortitude Saving Throw. Failure results in a loss of 200 EXP per level, and results in the Crushing Despair spell for a number of months equal to the amount of years the bond was in place. Success means losing half as much EXP, and Crushing Despair is limited to a number of weeks equal to the amount of years the bond was in place. Critical Failure results in death, one that cannot be reversed through the use of magic.) Many time, if a bond is broken with betrayal, the partner who was betrayed becomes a Banshee, if female, or an Allip, if male. They pursue their lost loves for all of eternity, seeking revenge.
I am sure you can understand why bonding is not undertaken lightly, and why most Elves never bond again after losing a love. If they ever choose to do so, they must wait another 150 years for their heart to heal to the point where it can handle the strain. In theory, this would mean an Elf could conceivably bond four times or so during our long lives. But, in actuality, bonding twice is practically unheard of, and anything more than that is an extremely rare occurrence.
Our love may be powerful, but our hearts are but fragile things. This bond applies to the earth itself, to a lesser extent. If an Elf is denied access to the land, or sunlight, or even other Elves, he or she may die from grief and loneliness. This is why Elves cannot be held captive for long, and why we make terrible slaves. Even if uninjured, and kept near nature or with other elves, an Elf can lose hope and will his or her own death. It may be a terrible price to pay, but many a would-be torturer or captor have been denied their prize by this means of
‘escape’.
Elven Communion
The greatest gift that Corellon Larethian bestowed upon his chosen people, we Elves, was that of communion- the innate ability to share our inner selves with other Elves. Our hopes and dreams, our fears and desires, even the feelings we hide from themselves, are all laid bare during the sharing that is communion. It is a window into our souls, and it is the most important thing that one Elf can give to another.
Up to four Elves may participate in communion. They must all be willing and have no reservations. This includes if they are under a charm or any other mind-altering affect. The communion will know what is truly in an Elf’s heart, and a bond cannot be formed thusly, and will fail if attempted.
The participants sit in a circle, palms touching, and they must be in a state of total peace, preferably in an outdoor setting, such as in a sacred glade or meadow. They may be indoors, but a place where there is no chance of interruption works best.
They then enter a state that is akin to the reverie, clearing their minds of all thoughts save those of the other members of the circle. When they have sufficiently calmed and retreated from the rigors of the world, they open their minds to the others, and explore all facets of the other's personalities.
While in this trance-like state, the Elves are vulnerable to any form of attack. Any physical or magical assault upon their persons will break the communion, and all participants will be stunned for a brief moment (For 1D6 rounds, the Elves can’t act, lose any DEX bonus to AC, and take a -2 penalty to AC).
During communion, these Elves are particularly vulnerable to mental attacks, because their minds are
particularly open and unguarded (All saves versus magical and psionic mental attacks are at –4).
Interestingly enough, the act of communion offers a limited form of protection itself. Those taking part in the communal circle cannot be spied on by any means. This effect takes the form of an invisible barrier that surrounds the Elves involved, and prevents arcane, divine and psionic scrying. To any being who happened to walk by, they would only see an empty field or room (For all intents and purposes, it is as if the Elves were under the effect of a Camouflage spell). However, walking within 20’ of the Elves in commune will break the effect. Many scholars believe that the Elves involved are so enrapt within their inner selves that they project a mental shield that helps to avoid discovery.
The benefit of communion is not only to learn the most secret facets of others, but also to become intimately aware of the other’s habits, fighting styles, and ways of thinking. For the next twenty-four hours after a communion, the bonded Elves can fight in perfect harmony, moving in synchronized combinations that both amaze and over-power their foes. This is referred to as Aegisaleirin’Everae, or ‘Protective Bond of the People’. An Elf must wait a brief period of a few (7-CHA Bonus) days before attempting any communion again.
Greater Communion
Called Selu’Quor or ‘High Communion’, this is an ability that is so seldom used that many Elves do not even know of it. By forming a greater communal circle of twenty-one participants within the confines of a Mythal, an Elf is able to project his or her personal feelings outward to a much larger group. This is an incredibly difficult and draining power to use, and it is a one-way sharing effect, unlike the normal communion that most Elves know of.
The only prerequisites for the Selu’Quor is that the Mythal must be a true Elven Mythal, having been created using Elven High Magic and the leader of the communion must be capable of casting High Magic him/herself. The Greater Communion has only been used a handful of times in recorded history, and only in dire circumstances. Should it ever be attempted again, it should only be attempted in the direst of
circumstances.
The Selu’Quor begins with four separate groups of four Elves, each forming a normal communal circle. Normally, the groups are arranged in a circle themselves within the confines of the same locale. This is more to ease the transition into a greater circle, but the groups only need to be within one mile of each other to advance to the next step. Once all four groups have entered the communal trance, a fifth Elf, traditionally a priest of an Elven Deity, stands in the middle of each of the smaller circles.
He begins to softly intone prayers to his gods, and becomes only marginally aware of the others feelings. He also opens himself up to the other three Elves who are attempting to lead their circles, and if all four complete their prayers without interruption then they form an upper circle The upper circle does not require physical contact. Once all four groups have completed the second stage, then the final stage may begin.
A Selu’Taar, an Elven High Mage, must place himself in the center of the other four circles. Once he/she does so, he/she begins to chant in Seldruin, the ancient Elven language that the High Magi utilize for
their spells. The exact chant may be memorized, or read directly from the Glaurachsuor Selu’Quor Tel’Quessir; the Holy Book of High Communion of the People. This ancient text, of which only one copy is available, lies in Queen Amlauril’s library, in her palace on Evermeet.
The chant lasts one hour, during which time the Elf takes on the aspect of manifestation, while concentrating on each of the other four Elves in the upper circle. Once again, no physical contact is required for this stage to be complete. Once this final ritual has been completed, the leader of the new greater communion continues to appear as if using manifestation, and is linked to all other members of the circle. He or she may now begin projecting the ‘spirit’ of any single Elf within the circle outward, and any
Elves inside of the Mythal will be able to share in this Elf’s feelings, knowing at a deep, empathic level, the core beliefs which drive this Elf. This is one way, and can only be used to project the feelings of one member at a time. The leader may project another participant’s inner self after he/she feels sufficient time has elapsed, but traditionally it is only something the leader herself whishes to share with her people.
All elves within the confines of the Mythal will be able to ‘listen in’ to the projected Elf’s emotions, and experience their feelings about a particular subject.
These Elves are not overly distracted, and are able to go about their business while ‘tuning in’, although most stop what they are doing during this momentous event.
They are not in any way prevented from ‘listening’ and can disconnect themselves from the communion at any time, although any Elf would loathe doing so. During this time, the city itself becomes invisible to anyone on the outside viewing it from greater then twenty feet away, and cannot be scried upon just like with a normal communal circle. It is said that Corellon Larethian himself shields the Mythal-clad city personally.
The circle can also be expanded beyond the Mythal, but this takes an incredible amount of willpower.
For each hour of chanting the circle leader performs past the first, the radius of the communion effect expands by 10 miles. However, to maintain the chant, the leader of the circle temporarily loses his/her own vitality (One point of CON and must make a DC 15 Fortitude save every hour past the first, to prevent unconsciousness).
This means that, to extend the borders of the communal circle forty miles past a city, an Elf would have to be chanting for five hours straight, and would have severely taxed his/her mortal form. Extending the radius of the greater communion is practically unheard of, because of the physical and stress placed on the Selu’Taar conducting the ritual.
More often than not, the Selu’Taar passes out, having placed too much stress on his/her mind and physical body. History shows that there is a correlation between how long the Selu’Taar falls unconscious and how long he/she was chanting- apparently, the ratio is 1 to 6.
The last recorded time in our history this was done is when Queen Amlaruil wanted to share her grief for her murdered husband, King Zaor, in DR 1321. She maintained the circle of communion for twenty hours straight, until it encompassed the entire Green Isle, and the smaller islands around it, including the fortress of Sumbrar. This unprecedented event is thought to have been made possible because of Her Mejesty’s obvious connections to the Seldarine. Unfortunately, I had not yet returned to Evermeet, and it pains my heart to know
that I did not get to share in the grief of my Queen.
Perhaps the pain that I feel for missing this momentous event is a pale shadow of the grief that all of the Elves of Evermeet felt that day.
It is rumored that the High Council of Cormanthyr performed a similar feat when they ordered the Retreat and created a communion that
encompassed their entire forest. This story is very doubtful, though. Without the aid of the Seldarine, Queen Amlauril would not have been able to create such a powerful Selu’Quor field. The High Council of Cormanthyr never had such “exclusive access” to the Seldarine, and therefore, it is doubtful that the Retreat was the result of a Selu’Quor communion ritual.
During a greater communion, all Elves receive the same benefits of Aegisaleirin’Everae, but Elves outside of the Mythal do not get the protection from scrying or invisibility granted by the more common form of communion. Some say the entire island of Evermeet vanished from sight during Queen Amlaruil’s grief. Though this sounds like nothing more than a fable, knowing Her Majesty as I do, anything is possible.
Elven Resistance
Once again, because of our affinity to natural cycles, we are blessed. We Elves are less affected by extremes of temperature then many other races. What
Once again, because of our affinity to natural cycles, we are blessed. We Elves are less affected by extremes of temperature then many other races. What