Physiology
Fae Elves are, from genealogy records, the oldest elven race in the galaxy. Their homeworld is The Faerie, once a magical and volatile land, now an enormous megaflora idyll. Whilst much human myth-building initially believed Fae Elves to be the spawn of the mysterious and magical Fae creatures, that has since been disproven. Fae Elves evolved similarly to humans, just on a different world.
Fae Elves have quite a similar physiology to humans, with their most stark differences seeming to be more cosmetic. This can include a wider range of eye colours, including the possession of all-black or all-white eyes. It also includes a wider range of skin tones, including purple and yellowish-green shades. The most noticeable difference however comes with their ears – which are incredibly long and pointed. This difference was thought to be due to their dangerous surroundings, in which Fae Elves had to be more perceptive of predators.
A less noticeable difference comes in Fae Elves’ cellular behaviour. When human cells divide, they deteriorate, having the ability to divide roughly 50 times. In comparison, Fae Elves cells divide without deterioration. It Is believed this is what allows Fae Elves to live longer, retain a more youthful vibrance and perhaps even require less rest. Of course, as natural damage to cells comes over time, age does naturally catch up with Fae Elves.
Where Fae Elves’ cellular behaviour does allow them to live longer, other aspects of it make bearing children far more difficult. The reproductive cells of Fae Elves are more passive, making it both harder for them to have children together, and often leading to the genes of any non-Fae Elf partners becoming dominant in a new child.
Fae Elves do seem to have a more natural ability with the arcane, though to come from the magical homeworld they came from. As with many other races, why genetic this would be the case remains a mystery.
A large part of a Fae Elf’s maturity is to do with a phenomenon known as ‘Ancestor Dreams’. Up until the age of roughly 80, Fae Elves have hazy visions during their trances. These visions are often of times in the past, or visions of the land. The visions are never lived experience of the Fae Elf, instead thought to be visions of the lives of ancestors.
Fae Elves have average life spans of 420 stellar years, reaching maturity at the age of 21 but only declaring adulthood at the age of 80, when they stop having [dreams].
Early Sapient Life
An interesting phenomenon with Fae Elf history is the rapid development of technology and societal patterns, then long periods of stagnation. The early sapient life of the Fae Elves is no different.
The earliest records of Fae Elven societies show them quickly moving beyond a ‘tribal’ era and into something more analogous to a ‘classical’ era. They learnt woodwork and stonework, animal husbandry and even created dams and rudimentary canals. Much of this progression is thought to come within a single generation of Fae Elves, which is what anthropologists attribute to this rapid progression.
Significant Historical Events
It is hard to date events of the Faerie prior to the end of the Convergence of Space and Time, as passage of time on the world seemed to be slowed by arcane means. Time would pass at roughly a quarter of the speed of nearby Padia, meaning for every day that passed in Padia, four days passed in the Faerie.
Founding of the Ithorian Empire (roughly 6000 years before CoSaT) – The Ithorian Empire is founded within the Autumn Court region of The Faerie. The Ithorian Empire would go on to be the dominant power in Autumn Court for millennia. The Ithorian Empire was famous for subjugating other cities and their peoples, enacting harsh slavery laws and hosting an incredibly stratified society, that always placed Fae Elves on top.
Harmonia Teleports to The Faerie (roughly 2400 years before CoSaT) – The Padian city state of Harmonia is divinely transported to The Faerie after conducting many blood sacrifices. The city would endure a harsh start to life in The Faerie, with its people having to learn how to adapt to live in the harsh land. The blue dragon Yvindur, who came to Harmonia as a conqueror, was vital in defending the city from danagerous flora and fauna, and from the ire of Ithoria.
The Isle of Serenity is Raised (roughly 2100 years before CoSaT) - Within decades of their arrival to The Faerie, the Harmonians turned on Yvindur and imprisoned him. Ithoria inevitably subjugated their fledgling city state and took many of its people as slave tribute. This arrangement went on for centuries, until mages of Harmonia worked with the Fae Council of Nine, a collection of god-like Fae, to raise the government district high into the sky. This floating island would be given the name Serenity, as would the academy founded atop it, which would train powerful ‘Guardians’ that boasted remarkable talent in magic and warfare. From this time on, Harmonia declared its independence, and the city was mostly untouched by outside politics. Only during the Convergence of Space and Time would it be discovered that the isle was kept afloat by draining the vitality of the magical dragon Yvindur, imprisoned within.
The First Ithorian Crusade (roughly 5 years before CoSaT) – Arren Taiso, an enigmatic and powerful Guardian from Serenity, leads Harmonia in a two-year war with the Ithorian Empire. Though outnumbered, the Harmonian forces would deploy guerrilla tactics and make use of their skillful Guardians in order to develop an advantage in the war. The final battle of the war, outside the city of Ithoria itself, saw the deployment of a weapon of mass destruction. A Chaos Bomb, a charge filled with volatile and powerful magic, was sent to the heart of the battlefield and detonated, killing over ten of thousand Ithorians and several thousand Harmonians. It is believed Arren Taiso strategized before the battle to have all the dissenters in his army close to the epicentre of the blast.
The Second Ithorian Crusade (roughly 2 years before CoSaT) – The Ithorian Empire was defeated by Arren Taiso, not Harmonia. Lord Tasio, as he now became known, disappeared for a year before returning to Ithoria as ruler, and turning his army back on Harmonia. It is believed he did this under the belief he needed to unite the known Faerie under a single powerful leader in order to destroy the devourer of Chaos, Kailus.
The Faerie during the Convergence – During the Convergence, the city of Harmonia was visited by heroes from Padia and a permanent gateway was formed between The Faerie and Padia. The same heroes discovered and freed the dragon Yvindur, causing the Isle of Serenity to gradually lose its magic and fall to the city below over a series of months. In this time, Lord Taiso conquered the entirety of the Autumn Court, before entering Padia to face Kailus with a group of the Padian heroes. Thinking his army was behind him, Taiso was betrayed by an old master and faced Kailus without it. Kailus was defeated, but after the battle, Taiso was killed by his one-time lover, tuned sworn rival Saytor. The Faerie, and the Autumn Court in particular, was left destroyed and devastated by the end of the Convergence.
Great Migration Period, GY 5666-5747 / 2124-2205 PPT –After the Convergence, many races migrated between the Padia and The Faerie. During this time, hundreds of new forward thinking city states were founded across The Faerie, seeing the first colonisation of the Spring, Summer and Winter courts. The Great Migration Period would end as the arcane gateway between Padia and The Faerie was closed at the onset of the Celestial Wars.
Regrowth Period, GY 5747-5990 / 2205-2448 – Despite the closing of the arcane gateway, the recently ravaged Faerie now was home to a burgeoning and diverse population, and there was a goodwill and desire for cooperation that replaced the desire for war and dominion. The once powerful Fae Elves, their population severely depleted from the two Ithorian crusades, had to adapt to coexist with species they once considered lesser. Over the regrowth period, the Fae Elves would become keepers of history and protectors of the natural world, positioning themselves as the traditional servants of The Faerie.
The Evergreen Awaken, GY 6262 / 2720 PPT – As the Faeries was in the midst of industrialising, a remarkable event began. A new species emerged from the still dense, preserved forests and jungles of The Faerie. The species called themselves Evergreen, and were a peaceful tree-like people. This event was met with much clamour, and investigations into who this species were and where they came from began immediately. It was found the Evergreens had emerged from magical groves, where they had either hibernated themselves, or had been hidden by unknown powerful forces. The Evergreens themselves had a collective amnesia of their time in the groves.
Founding of the Serene Fae Commonwealth, GY 6294 / 2752 PPT – with the aim of preserving world peace, protecting the rights of all peoples and committing to maintaining nature, the Serene Fae Commonwealth was founded during the Jaelmar Summit. The commonwealth was formed of several autonomous nations, with a Harmonious Elder overseeing and implementing the Serene Constitution globally. At the time, the Harmonious Elder was almost akin to a religious position, within two centuries, the position would become that of an elected ruler, before reforming once more.
The Great Coalition War, GY 6389-6432 / 2847-2890 PPT – As the Serene Fae Commonwealth was launching its first satellites, they were visited by the stellar empires of the Great Coalition and joined them in their first interstellar war. The events of the Great Coalition War are well documented. For the Serene Fae Commonwealth, much of the war was spent studying and catching up with its fellow stellar empires.
The Itha Reforms, GY 6665 / 3123 PPT – With the Serene Fae Commonwealth establishing themselves further as a stellar empire, their system of government needed the reform. Where once the Harmonious Elder was once tasked with overseeing the Serene Constitution, they had instead become a de-facto emperor. The Itha Reforms were proposed by the half-elf Prethil Itha, a governor of the historical region of Dorren. The reforms proposed a separation of the roles of the Harmonious Elder, restoring their original duties and giving the stellar duties to an elected parliament, led by the First Speaker.
The Faerie Granted Sanctuary Status, GY 6962 / 3420 PPT – After much debate in the galactic senate, The Faerie was granted ‘Sanctuary’ status. This would make engaging in warfare upon the planet, or in its airspace, in breach of galactic law and punishable to its full extent. For the Serene Fae Commonwealth, who aimed to style The Faerie as a free haven for all peoples, gaining this status was monumental. The Serene Fae Commonwealth since this period have aligned themselves as staunch republic loyalists.
Organisation
The Serene Fae Commonwealth styles itself as an Irenic Democracy, with domestic as galactic governance separated into two different arms of government.
Domestic affairs are overseen by the Harmonious Elder, often a Fae Elf who ensures the Harmonious Constitution is upheld by the several autonomous nations found across The Faerie. The Faerie is an enormous world, which means for now that the luxury of space has allowed very little tension to rise against the constitution, which seeks to protect rights of people and nature, while preserving global peace.
Galactic affairs are addressed by an elected parliament, representing all parts of the world. The parliament is lead by the First Speaker, another elected position that serves 12 year terms. Controlling a relatively small amount of sovereign space, the parliament’s duties mainly consist of overseeing intergalactic trade, migration and electing senators to the galactic senate.
Shared Values/Beliefs
Fae Elves have a storied past and posses naturally exceptional lives thanks to their extended lifespan. For both these reasons, many Fae Elves can naturally become snobbish, especially with age. This is by no means the same levels of perceived superiority their race once held however, with the Fae Elves careful not discriminate against the plethora of other races that call The Faerie their home.
Some Fae Elf families have managed to even persist on the world of Padia. These families are often more insular and do discriminate against other races, possessing an obsession with keeping their bloodlines pure.
Almost all Fae Elves have a deep connection to nature and to Chaos, seeing each as an extension of the other. Fae Elves proudly maintain and protect the natural world and often seek the betterment of nature across the galaxy. Awkwardly, this can lead to complex political clashes with the IPC, who is a historical ally of the Serene Fae Commonwealth.
Significant Figures
Harmonious Elder Chaethelmar – An older Fae Elf, Chaethelmar is the current Harmonious Elder of The Faerie and has served in the position for almost 120 years. He is much loved by both the general public and the intergalactic parliament, making him a significant and unifying figure for all peoples of the Faerie.
First Speaker Leah Cressle – A half-elf, Leah Cressle is the current presiding First Speaker, having held the position for only a year. She is seen as a sympathetic and moral leader, committing much spending on bettering the lives of those living upon outdated space stations across Serene Fae Commonwealth space.
Controlled Planets/Population Centres
The Faerie (System: Mindus) – The homeworld of the Fae Elves, and their only significant controlled population centre. The Faerie is an enormous world that hosts all kinds of species, as well as much unique plant and animal life. The world is classed as a Megaflora world – with most of the flora of the planet growing to tremendous size. The world also has starkly distinct regions, once known as seasonal courts. While referring to them as seasonal courts is seen as archaic, it is apt. In the extreme north and south sits frigid winter regions, with a gradual shift to temperate climates and then bands of deserts and vibrant jungles at the world’s equator. Once known as the Autumn Court, a band of temperate land in the northern hemisphere, now known as Ithica, hosts the most centralised populations and is seen as the historical heart of the populated world.
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