II Chapter of the creatures of Néveri
By Adarius Meldi
Correntain – in the year 3451

Male
Life expectancy: 700 years
Weight: 45-70 kg
Height: 170-200 cm

Female
Life expectancy: 650 years
Weight: 40-70 kg
Height: 165-195 cm

Preface
For many days I have wandered, first through tundra and now snowfilled landscapes, and finally after hour long negotiations, I’m resting in a common building of some sort. No doubt they look down their noses at me, and it was all thanks to my life guard, who is an excellent translator, that I’m now safely behind Correntain’s walls where no wolf of any sort can reach me. During the next couple of days, with the help of one of the locals, I’ll find out more about this beautiful race, which is without a doubt one of our most sofisticated and wise races in Morania. We humans have much to learn before we can understand as much as the high elves. I look upon the upcoming days with a light heart.

Written on the 21st day in the sign of Rahnee in the year 3451
After the world divison the high elves in Morania gathered in one place to the north. Contrary to what the humans think, the high elves and dark elves then a united people. They all had bright skin and hair, a look which made it easy for them to hide in the snowfilled mountains. Here they built a city and named it after an old mythological figure. The city was named Correntain. At this time the wood elves had retrieved to nature, because they could not live in such a cold and dead place as Correntain. The high elves are reluctant to speak of this separation, but this much I have gained from them: At some point, shortly after the foundation of Correntain, something happened which made the high elves banish some of their own citizens. These elves are now the dark creatures we humans know as dark elves – or, in the language of the high elves: drows.

The high elves themselves are somewhat taller than humans, their hair is almost always blond and their eyes blue or grey. Usually they have long hair, bound in different ways. Their ears are longer and more pointy than ours and their facial structure is smaller and with sharper lines. They often wear long dresses or robes and boots of hide. Their clothes are elegant, but thick to withstand the cold weather, which dominates this area. The clothes is almost always in one colour, often light ones or sometimes brown, blue and dark blue. Their buildings are almost always made of white marble, which makes the city shine with a light that hurts one’s eyes. The buildings are massive, though still with a certain grace, which marks this whole race. The streets in the city are straight, the houses are all lined up without any flaws. It is obvious that this city was carefully planned, and they don’t build anything without reflecting on how to make it fit to the neighbouring houses. The windows are all squared with a round line on top, and there are many windows, so light can enter their homes. Many buldings are several stories tall, inside are huge marble staircases that lead from one floor to the next. There are both common houses and merchants side by side, and only the King’s residense and the council’s meeting place are separated from the rest of the city, and situated in the middle of town. Surrounding this goverment building are the city’s market places and temples, which form the gathering places of the people.

The high elves only speak in elvish to each other, even though many of them easily speaks, reads, and writes in the human tongue. Their language resembles that of the wood elves, but it is more refined, calm and rythmical. The words come slowly and thoughtfully, and there are no shortening of words or sentences where some words are missing. The high elves have plenty of time, and one feels that in their language.

The typical high elf is calm, thoughtful, balanced and highly educated and trained in their discipline. A high elf rarely shows his emotions to others, unless it is their closest family. It is viewed as dishonourable amongst the high elves to be controlled by one’s emotions.

A high elf family consists of a man and his wife. Often the couple’s parents live in the house, together with siblings and children. That is why the houses are so huge, since families enjoy living together. A high elf rarely live in a house alone, unless they have distanced themselves from their family or their family have perished. High elf women are pregnant in about 11-12 months and never give birth to more than one child. A woman gives birth to a maximum of three children in her lifetime which the enlightened reader will now know is a lifetime of 650 years. High elves rarely get sick and therefore almost all children survive the first one hundred years of their life. High elves do not have a need to father children, since their lives are about more than procuring offspring. Contrary to humans, where the male rule the house, it is the eldest member of the family who rules. If the elder high elf does not want this burden, the adults in the house vote for who will rule in their stead. Men and women are considered equals.
 

Correntain, which is the only high elf city we know of, is governed by a Council who is simply called ’the Council’. This council has 15 members who are chosen by the adult citizens. The king is still legally King but has no real power. His name is Tharqauin and he has been king since the ending of the war of the gods. The high elves are proud of this form of government, which is quite far from what we humans are used to.

The area around and in Correntain is mostly cold. The city is situated in the eternally snowfilled mountains, where the wind blows through the mountain passes and runs through the valleys. It often snows and during the summer it is still so cold that you have to wear fur when going outside. In the summer it is light all day, while in the winter the sun is only seen for about four hours a day. There are bushes and plants but no trees in this snowfilled landscape. There are foxes, a few bears and other small animals, but none which the elves can eat. Therefore, most of them are vegetarians and they only eat the plants they grow within the city walls, where they are protected somewhat against the hard frost of winter.

The elves are highly educated and many of them know multiple professions. Usually they have a textual profession, for example theology, law, medicine, foreign language or similar, and then a craftsman’s education as bookbinder, carpenter, goldsmith, mason, smith or similar. They regard it as a virtue to be able to do as much as possible and know as much as possible.

A high elf is considered a child until the age of 100 years, and a youngster until the age of 200. When they reach 600 years they are old. High elves cannot die from old age, but they have made an agreement with each other to let oneself be called home to the kingdom of one’s god when one reaches a certain age – for men 700 years and women 650. Very few wishes to live longer than this. They explain it by saying that one gets full from living so long and that there isn’t anything left to do in Néveri, and then one might as well join one’s god and one’s relatives who have passed. High elves can die from illnesses and injuries similar to other creatures.

High elves usually worship Fayon, their creator, whom also created the sun. A few worship Opulantas, many Curator or another one of the elder gods which the elves feel they are related to, since the elder gods are also somewhat withdrawn from the world.

As far as we know, the high elves in Morania does not have contact with high elves from other kingdoms, but they believe there are others. But in Morania they are the only high elf society, which is why they rarely travel. They keep close to each other and do not want other creatures’ company in their city and the surrounding area.

I hereby finish my rapport about the high elves