> [!success] Integrated > This lore drop has been processed and integrated into the vault. > See: [[Region - High Vel'Nora]] **LOCATION - Gryth - High Vel'Nora** **HIGH VEL'NORA** High Vel'Nora is an island of unparalleled significance, situated in the exact centre of Gryth. Often referred to as the Seventh Continent, the First Island, or the Elven Continent, it exists as a place of legend and myth that permeates the greatest tales of history. According to the elder myths, this is the sacred land where the gods first landed upon Gryth, making it a site steeped in truly ancient and divine history. As the ancestral homeland of all elvenkind, the island is protected by powerful magical wards within the surrounding oceans that deter and eventually destroy any invading force. Unrestricted access is granted only to those of full elven blood, though in the harshest of cases, an elf can be stripped of this birthright should they desecrate holy ground or violate ancient rites. The social structure of the island is defined by a rigid and uncompromising hierarchy maintained by the High Elves. To those who hold power in High Vel'Nora, elvenkind is divided into three distinct categories, with a final fourth group deemed unworthy of the name: The High Elves: The absolute tier in terms of power, influence, and status. This category is dominated by the Sun and Moon Elf families, who control virtually all political, military, and leisure seats of power. While not a universally held belief, some Moon Elf families also consider certain Eladrin noble bloodlines to b9e part of this elite tier. The Lesser-Elves: These are full-blooded elves considered "true" by the High Elves, yet seen as lesser in stature and spirit. They typically occupy middle-management roles, positions of servitude, or live in their own smaller settlements. This group includes: - Eladrin, Wood Elves, Snow Elves, and Sea Elves. - The Quenib Bloodlines (The Lost Elves): Lineages that diverted long ago and became lost in the cosmos, such as the Avariel, Star Elves, and Grey Elves. The Desecrated Bloodlines: These are elves who have, in the eyes of the High Tier, tainted their lineage. While they retain their blood-right to access the island, they are relegated to isolated sections and rarely interact with the rest of society. Some, like the Shadar-Kai, have not been seen on the island for centuries, dwelling only in darkened mountain passes and towers. This category includes: - Drow and Shadar-Kai. - The Second Quenib Group: The Lythari, Watyru, and Wild Elf subspecies. - Fey and Fairies are also included within this tier. The Half-Fallen (Half-Elves): Those without full elven blood are not permitted to pass the great walls or enter the interior of the island. They are permitted only to land on the southern shores at the city of Loth'Torin, also known as the Outer Port. Half-elves have faced long-standing persecution, particularly from the Great Five Sun Elf Dynasties, who view the mixing of elven blood with other races as a great abomination. ![[image 42.png]] ![[image 43.png]] ![[image 44.png]] ![[image 45.png]] ![[image 46.png]] ![[image 47.png]] Non-elves are almost never permitted to set foot on the island. While rare secret visits are occasionally granted for high-level diplomatic or military reasons, the only non-elf in the last age to visit purely for exploration was the halfling Harry Whitewood. An esteemed cartographer, he secured entry through immense payments of gold and trade rights to document the land for his "Whitewood Standard" map. His compiled journals provide the only surviving modern depiction of High Vel'Nora beyond its borders. The following excerpt captures the stark, alien nature of the elven elite: On Elvendom: The Travels of Harry Whitewood Chapter Four: The Welcome *‘...but where my hosts in the port had been full of warmth and light, here I saw a different group of tall slender elves. They had no warmth in their movements, no gentle musical rhythm to their stance, instead standing like cold and distant pillars. In the single look their female leader gave me, I felt all the coldness and death of an endless ocean trench, indescribable and inconceivable to my mortal mind. She surveyed me, her focus drifting and flitting across me until, finally, her lavender grey gaze met mine. Bloodshot and drooping from tiredness, my heavy eyes must have seemed very unsightly to her, and a curling of her lip showed me that this was certainly the case.* *These elves had a powerful air to them, and even the other elves moved around them, their aura pushing bystanders outwards without any effort on their part. There were five females and three males. All stood in total stillness and silence, unflinching and unreadable, as if made from the oldest and coldest stones of the earth. Eventually, they spoke a few quiet words to our guide in a very old Elvish dialect, one that barely made sense to my weary ears. Then they set off, gliding forwards, each passing like an ancient monolith, barely moving yet fast as the wind. I remember feeling quite small then, like a child looking up at mountain peaks wondering how anything could ever be so grand and ancient. I never asked about the group, as one look at my guide let me know that he would probably never discuss it with me. He was as white as milk, and a shiver of fear passed through him right before our eyes. But I knew, they were certainly something special, for what could seem higher than high elves, what could make all the wonders of High Vel’Nora seem like cheap fancies, who could dim the magic of the world with their very presence?* *(I learned many years later from some secret whispers that these elves were part of an Eldari bloodline, so ancient and powerful that they had once ruled a third of the land on Gryth, and their direct ancestors had walked alongside the Gods hand-in-hand). I felt very weak that night, like the strength had been sapped from my limbs as a cold fog intruded on my weary mind. How I wished to be back in Ludland then, tending to my father's farm and listening to his wise, old tales. How foolish I had been to imagine that the elves of High Vel’Nora were a humble and secret race of kindly natural spirits. That day I had felt the terror that an immortal lifespan can bring, and been witness to the cruelty that a life unending can foster within the hearts of the elves. When I awoke the next morning in our lavish and well-tended lodgings the world seemed far colder than before, and I wouldn't be wrong in saying I never regained my sense of wonder and comfort in the many years since that day...'* The High Elves are notoriously difficult to trade with, as they fear outsiders will steal the crafts of the island. The only permanent and longstanding trade agreement that exists is with the Pannar States, specifically the port town of Starpoint. This treaty has lasted almost 400 years, a significant time for the nations of Gryth, but a mere moment for the elves. Even this restricted agreement was heavily opposed by many high families. To mitigate their concerns, strict bans were placed on what could be exchanged: • Banned Trade Goods: Weaponry, armour, magical artefacts, or building materials. • Permitted Trade Goods: Food, small tools, simple crafts, and art or pottery. High Vel'Nora’s most outstanding natural feature is the Great World Tree, Odar'Sha. She is the divine mother to all trees across the material plane and is specifically the progenitor of the Lesser World Trees. Odar'Sha is a botanical titan, standing miles high with a canopy comprised of millions of branches and tens of millions of leaves. Because High Vel'Nora is locked in a state of perpetual summer, Odar'Sha is permitted to bloom and grow year-round, never shedding her foliage. Deep within the embrace of her massive roots lies the capital of High Vel'Nora, Melohiin. The city is a masterpiece of elven design, a perfect marriage of fine silver-spire craft and living natural wonder. The architecture is a complex web of manipulated wood and precious metals, woven together to create a settlement that feels as much a part of the tree as the roots themselves. While High Vel'Nora is the ancestral home of all elfkind and contains the seats of their power, not all elven races maintain their primary residence here. For example, the Eladrin and Shadar-Kai keep their main seats of power within the Feywild and Shadowfell, respectively. However, each race maintains an official "Court" on the island, known as an Akhiilor, which serves as the centre of their race's influence on Gryth: • High Elves (Sun): Akhiilor Zanir (The Courts of the Sun) Located within Dath Naresh, the Glade of Day. This red-leaved forest is a place of warmth and glory, featuring a thin canopy that bathes the ground in a constant, warm orange-red light. The area is highly developed, containing prestigious wineries, horse stables, military encampments, and towns filled with universities and galleries. To the north lie the Life Pools; magical thermal springs of crystal water. These pools are said to heal any wound and soothe even the most turbulent emotions; it is here that the mothers of the great Sun and Moon elf families go to give birth. • High Elves (Moon): Akhiilor Milith (The Courts of the Moon) Found within Dath Ahvanae, the Glade of Night. This is a dark, dense, and misty forest characterized by a thick canopy of purple and blue leaves. It is a hub for the Moon families, housing ritualistic sites of worship, dancing palaces, and great fruit farms. To the south lies the mythical Shanta Miir, a forest strictly closed to all except those elves who seek a peaceful end to their exceptionally long lives. • Wood Elves: Akhiilor Telcor (The Courts of Amber) Situated within Dath Ire, the Glade of Dusk. This calm, natural woodland is filled with brown, green, and yellow leaves and teems with wild animals. The Wood Elves value the synergy of nature and society above all else, resulting in a city where buildings are woven directly into the living trees or suspended within the canopy. • Eladrin: Akhiilor Ehnam (The Courts of Seasons) Found within Dath Ehnam, the Glade of Dawn. This bright, fresh forest is in a state of constant flux, shifting and changing based on the whims of the Eladrin within. Permanent gateways to the Feywild exist here, allowing wild energy to flow freely and blur the lines between realities. • Sea Elves: Akhiilor Shae (The Courts of the Deep) Located within Dath Alu'Shor, the Glade of Salt. Defying the island's woodland theme, this glade is found beneath the waves of the northern shores. It is a vast underwater territory featuring massive kelp forests and sprawling coral reefs. • Shadar-Kai: Akhiilor Srrix (The Courts of Silence) Tucked away in the mountain valley of Ath Geunhyvar, the Path of Shadow. This court is seemingly abandoned and has not seen a confirmed resident for centuries. Due to the secretive and private nature of the Shadar-Kai, their current status and fate on the island remain unconfirmed. • Drow: Akhiilor Turhalur (The Courts of Horror) Located within the sprawling cave network of Tel'Mor Errek, the Dark Tunnels. The Drow rarely venture into the sunlight of the rest of the island, though they are occasionally sighted on the surface near the cave entrances. The tunnels themselves are immense, stretching in a dark web beneath the island’s surface. Historically, there was once a court for the Snow Elves known as Akhiilor Osis (The Courts of the Mountain). These were destroyed two thousand years ago when the Snow Elves relinquished their bloodright to High Vel'Nora to live as long-lived mortal creatures on the continents of Gryth. When their last empire in Tal-Therria (Norn) faded, the last of the Snow Elves disappeared from the world, though legends suggest they may still linger in the hidden ranges of Norn. Furthermore, two areas exist as "pseudo-courts," though they lack the divine blessing of the main Akhiilor: • The Courts of the Others: An unofficial court established by the half-elves of Loth'Torin. Located just outside the city walls, this is where the half-elves meet to work tirelessly toward reclaiming their bloodrights and fighting for their recognition. • Ty'Shee Rumm (The Fairy Crystal): Located near the Eladrin Courts, this mountain forest is a designated haven for Fey creatures. Through ancient treaties now lost to time, Fey are permitted to access High Vel'Nora from the Feywild via the great conduit of the crystal. These fairies do not involve themselves in elven politics, and their treaty strictly forbids them from wandering across the island at will. The defeat of the Eldari bloodlines during the Sunrise Wars in Edaria, and the subsequent wave of anti-elven sentiment and violent uprisings across the continents, caused catastrophic damage to the reputation of elvenkind. In response to this widespread hostility, a massive number of elves retreated to the safety of High Vel'Nora during the past age, significantly reducing the elven population across the wider world of Gryth. This mass migration has had a profound, if less obvious, effect that is only now beginning to bear fruit. The sudden increase in the elven population within the island’s borders has fostered a deeply insular attitude and a dangerous socio-political echo chamber. Within these silver spires and ancient glades, the noble elven bloodlines now speak openly of their desires for restored power and ancient glory. They have begun to set their sights once more upon the continents they once influenced or ruled. Elves across the world whisper of long-lost bloodlines resurfacing and of primordial powers rising from their slumber. Whatever the underlying cause, elvenkind appears poised to enact a monumental change across Gryth; whether this resurgence will be a force for the world’s salvation or its ultimate subjugation remains to be seen.