EARTH - ETERNAL BEINGS

Many ages ago, the elves established themselves in borders all around Udhin: from the darkest side to the oceanic waters of Yaint, to the swamps and its close marshes to the Mountains of Khaást, and from the Great White Plains to the Forests of the Order of the Druids and Dhonriel. But, as time went on, youngest and more vicious races came along — this is why the elves returned to the forest that gave them birth. However, you can still notice the impact they left on plains, swamps and mountains.

You can tell elves from humans from their long shaped ears, their perfect features and their slender shape. However, beauty canons in the elf community don’t correlate with those of the human’s.

Nowadays, only one elf kingdom is known to the public, Dhonriel. It’s rare for elves to get together in such large groups since, usually, they don’t form groups higher than a hundred. They like building their houses on trees connected by a complex system of stitched bridges, which is also used as a pathway for messengers. You could go two days walking from downtown Dhonriel to its outskirts without touching the ground. Elves usually live in settlements in the border (very similar to human towns).

The elves basic military strategy is to win battles with the lesser number of casualties possible. Elf life is precious, since the fertility levels are low, not wanting to lose many members of their race. However, when facing danger, they don’t hesitate to wield the bow. The accuracy of the elves is well known, as it’s their flawless ability to camouflage in the forest, weaken their enemy and execute ambushes that are impossible to escape. It’s worth noting that female elves battle among side the men, with their accuracy and stealth skills being second to none.

The elves main weapon is their bow. In hand to hand combat, they use swords and daggers. Their soldiers don’t use heavy armour, since they rely on their natural agility. Guards use chain mail and leather armour. The sky riders (riding gryphons and other flying creatures) are better equipped and prepared than the rest. In case of attack, they're the first line of defence against the enemy.

The elves of Dhonriel don’t know how to assault or siege fortresses. They’d rather raid them as they go along, using speed and the element of surprise, rather than strategy and tactics.

The upper-class elves divided themselves in “Houses” — their ancestors founded them thousands of years ago, with founders and Houses sharing the same name. They divided the “Houses” in Big and Small, according to their size and their contribution to history. Throughout the years, only seven Big Houses survived:

• House of the Everlasting Light (symbol: star). It’s the house of the government — its members possess extraordinary skills of foreshadowing.
• House of Dawn (symbol: sunrise). The members of this House founded a military order dedicated to monster slaying.
• House of the White Oak (symbol: oak). The representatives of this House are the best elf warriors there are — they mainly guard the border of Dhonriel. Besides, they are the only elves found on Udhin. The members of this House understand the language of  the animals and can communicate with them.
• House of the Scarlet rose (symbol: rose). This House focuses in the study and development of magic. They’re the powerful magic force of the elf race. The relationship between members of this House and the House of the White Oak is full of tension — each one considers their area of expertise to be crucial for the protection of the forests.
• House of the Eternal Mist (symbol: mist). House proficient in the world of medicine and magic. They’re the best doctors of all the elves.
• House of the White Lotus (symbol: lotus). They’re politicians and spies. The members of this House work as ambassadors and advisers to the royal family — however, their main task is to organize the squadrons of Griffin Riders. Members of the House of the White Oak have nothing on the skills or training of the White Lotus members.
• House of the Blue Brook (symbol: brook). Specialized in elemental magic: wind and water.
• House of the Flowers of Steel (symbol: flower and hammer). House of blacksmiths and jewellers. Its members have the skills to create astonishing works of stone and metal that look as if they were made by mother nature herself.

There’s a famous legend about how, back in the old days, one of the first inhabitants of Udhin, a child named Mikkel, went deep into the Sacred Forest. Inside, a wise spirit dwelled, the pilar of the forest’s strength, its incarnation. In the Great Forest’s roots, the oldest tree in the world, the Spirit of the Earth engaged in conversation with Mikkel — he told the Spirit of the Earth his dreams and aspirations. He wanted to be the strongest there is to protect the forest against any threats that might harm it. The Spirit of the earth, proud of Mikkel, granted him its power so he could become the Eternal Guardian of the Earth. From that moment on, all forests shared the name Forests of Mikkel.

With time, a powerful organization formed in the forests, peaceful in its nature, of druids known as the Order of the Krong’s druids. Led by the Supreme Druid, they granted him the name of Mikkel along with all the knowledge and skills of his predecessors. The goal of the druids was to keep order in the forest, establishing a natural harmony. They don’t allow anyone to wander nor destroy the Sacred Forest — they also guard the border so no stranger with ill intent can trespass.

Among the druids, you may find people all of genders and ages — all of them renounced their material lives and decided to dedicate them to the protection of nature. The druids wear almost identical tunics, of simple cut, grey and green, with or without embroidered hoods and with or without stitching. Almost all of the druids share a connection with the forces of nature and living things. To them, to mend a broken branch and a broken arm is an easy task (the main goal of druid magic is healing and treatment). Many of them are capable of talking to animals, plants and elements. Their symbol of power is their staff, which can be long or short, covered in sprouts and leaves, or simply made out of wood. The druids don’t build wooden houses, they’d rather live in wicker huts. They also have secret temples deep in the forest, where they gather to perform rituals.  Those are usually areas of unnatural crooked trees (the Forest Spirit’s symbol) or dolmens and stone menhirs.

When it comes to fighting, the druids have units of plains dwellers that work both as an intel unit and border guard. These soldiers also protect the forests from people of ill intent, using force if necessary. Among the plains dwellers, you can find sharpshooters, hunters, trappers and riders. When the druids make the call to protect the forests, all of its inhabitants rise: ents, werewolves, centaurs, wild animal (wolves, bears, lynx and panthers) and even ancestral hydras that dwell deep in the caves.

The protectorate of the forest is an extremist organization whose members are equally druids and elves. Their goals are similar to those of the druids but differ in the means to achieve them. While the druids follow a policy of neutrality and use their power to protect, the guardians are keen to battle — especially the elf Breggor, head of the Protectorate. Under his command, well organized and highly trained soldiers commit sabotage and attacks on the Tudgarh territory, all to show people what would happen if they were to invade the forest. The Guard is based on a thick conifer forest called Bornim, known as the Forest of the Fool. If strangers were to set foot in there, the forest would make a fool out of them: branches would whip their faces, roots and bushes would try to tie their feet, animals would hunt them, among other things. The Forest of the Fool is home to the Guardians, making it impossible to pursue them when they retreat. It’s worth noting that among the Guardians you can find Rodreth, son of the Supreme Druid and best friend to Breggor. His position shows that not all druids agree with the neutrality policy, with many of them joining The Protectorate to protect the forest through the means of violence. They can also use nature's magic.

In the forest hide a great number of creatures, many of them we have very little knowledge. There are tons of friends to the elves, such as little forest fairies or the enormous Ents — also, the daughters of the trees: dryads, naiads and nymphs. In the thick bushes, there are hidden settlements of small people. There are many colossal monsters, such as Cyclops or giants such as Orzgrim, and many other creatures that are extremely hard to find. Some of them resemble trees or walking hills, others don’t look like that at all. The most beautiful creature in all of the forest is the Golden Dragon, the first of its kind.