Born in the city of Lin’evaral, Anthos, Ailwin Elarieth is a mali’aheral whose age, while difficult to pinpoint, is in the realm of 280. His father, Valinor Elarieth, was smitten with High Princess Titania Hawksong before falling out of favor with the royal family due to a trade dispute with Prince Emberhard. High Elves, as you know, are rarely to be found dealing with outsiders; and even their dealings with other elves are in a sort of incessant dispute. Emberhard believed Valinor to be of impure descent, a claim proven false by Elarieth’s brother Xyccus. Despite various attempts at peaceful resolutions, Valinor was betrayed by the Prince and exiled to The Fringe, where he helped lay the foundation for what would eventually be Tahn’siol.
Ailwin took the loss of his father particularly hard, and it was this experience that led him to music. A great virtuoso on the square sitar (note block), Ailwin found solace in the gentle notes of a soft spring melody. In search of maehr’sae, he attended the Haelun’or College in pursuit of attention from the leading musicians of the time. Assisting in numerous publications of musical theory and pedagogy while attending school, Ailwin became a foremost scholar on the performing arts.
Unfortunately, many of Ailwin’s documents and transcriptions of ancient Elven texts were lost in the Black Scourge. What he could carry on his back were taken to New Malinor and then to the Tomb. The blacker ages of High Elven history were soon to follow, as in 1475 the Silver Enclave was overthrown by the State of Laureh’lin. Only nine years later, however, the capital of Anni’sul was returned to the Haelun’or city state. Ailwin recognized the political play as just another front by an inferior species (at least, according to his unbiased, High Elven point of view), suspicions which were confirmed in 1500 at the vassalizing of the Haelun’or into the Reformed Kingdom of Oren.
The movement of Elves to the Isles of Vailor represented a major milestone for Ailwin. He and other significant figures in the arts and sciences were called to a meeting with chief architect Avern’dionne Adriane to discuss plans regarding the city of Lin’sulan. It was Ailwin’s design ethos which influenced many of the city’s resemblances to Lin’evaral. He later made the move to Axios with the rest of his clan, settling in Taliyna’maehr on the island of Tahn. His interests shifted with the passing years, from music to literature, and he contributed several tomes to the Eternal Library. Following is an excerpt from his work “Poetry For the Afternoon Luncheon”:
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Alas, how sweet the taste of Golden Pools
I wish to sample their divine cusp!
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Little is known of Ailwin’s whereabouts in the region of Atlas; his records end in Axios. A brief remark from Lucion Sullas paints a foggy portrait: “I heard the telltale voice of song, so Ailwin cannot be far separated.”
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