The Mali'fenn People

[Vulibar 17]

Mali’fennon

A history and description of the noble mali born of the cold.

Compiled by the Elelaurir, Gabriel’Daenor

Edited by the Laureh’medi, Vul’ibar Fetahleia

Origins

A group of high elves trekked through the snowy lands, gazing around at the expansive icy mountains to their front and treacherous snowy fields to their sides. The untouched snow crunched under their feet as they continued on, the wind biting them through their thick fur cloaks and turning their faces red with cutting winds. Sparticus Tundrak, leader of the expedition, knew his mission. He was prepared to do all he could to succeed. It was his assignment to explore the far northern lands of Anthos in search of life, or habitable conditions for his brethren. Tundrak smiled inwardly as he remembered the pure joy he had felt when they made landfall several days ago. The never-ending sea had made him feel sick to his core.

The expedition numbered around twenty in total, from the brilliant scientist to the common soldier. Tundrak continued onward with enthusiasm, leading the party onwards, with Sirea Atmorice and Norad Drakon trailing a short distance behind him. He slowed his pace to let them catch up, before continuing as a team.

The expedition walked in silence, eventually passing under a magnificent archway. The lands beyond were mountainous, the land covered in a blanket of snow. Tundrak shivered, thinking it was truly the coldest he had ever felt in his life.

Days passed, and the expedition found itself among what appeared to be the ruins of an ancient city. The scientists and archaeologists amongst the group stood in awe of the beauty of the ruined settlement. They imagined it in its splendour, and on that thought, immediately began to explore, examining broken artifacts and sifting through the snow cover in hopes of unearthing more. The handful of soldiers stood solemn guard over the group, huddled in their fur cloaks in an attempt to stave off the bitter cold.

 

Suddenly, an arrow sailed through the sky, striking one of the soldiers clean through his furs. The high elf cried out in agonizing pain, slumping to the ground in a heap. A few more soldiers rushed to his side, finding him dead. Their gazes scanned upward until on the cliffs, alert. That’s when they saw the movement of fur-clad shapes with bows.

Panic took over, and the members of the expedition ran through the unknown snow to what they thought was safety in a nearby cave. Upon entering and disturbing old wooden supports at the mouth, the entrance began to collapse and stone and ice rained down from the cave ceiling, sealing them inside. Their only choice was to venture further inside as the debris from the entrance rained upon them.

They soon found themselves within a vast cave system, and being inquisitive, they continued. An extensive cavern opened up in front of them with a sizable pool of still water in the middle, with a intricate bridge of formed ice across its surface. The very appearance of still water in the freezing temperatures had a calming effect on the stranded group. Looking up, they saw stalagmite-like structures jutting out from the ceiling, some with veins of an unknown ore elegantly tracing paths through the stone. This ore was thaumium, yet they were none the wiser of the danger they were in.

Knowing that they must carry on, Sparticus Tundrak led the others across the bridge of ice and the pool of water to the other side, venturing on courageously to investigate the cave systems on the other side. However, while traveling across the ancient bridge, the cavern began to rumble menacingly. Chunks of thaumium ore encrusted stalagmites fell from the ceiling, destroying the portions of the bridge on their journey into the calm waters below. The elves sensed danger, but it was too late to escape.

The ice bridge collapsed into the water. As they struggled and gasped for air in the cold lake, their heavy furs dragging them below, a large chunk of thaumium ore, hidden by the now descended stalagmites, fell from the ceiling like a giant diamond, splashing into the water. The pure thaumium ore reacted with the water almost instantly, flash freezing all the helpless elves. They immediately fell into a dormant state, now exposed to the thaumium ore infused water. All was still and calm in the ancient cavern once more.

Years passed, and slowly the elves changed. The freezing water reacting with the thaumium had innately changed the very basis of their bodily makeup, causing them to suffer through minor mutations. They remained encased in the thaumium infused pool for decades, until the thaumium ore had all but dissipated.

As the ice began to melt back into it’s calm and still state, Tundrak could feel his hair becoming almost warm, and before he knew it, his eyes were open. Looking around Tundrak noted that many of his comrades had not survived the horrific ordeal, yet those that had were changed. They were different. Their skin had become a soft shade of blue. Their ears, though still pointy, were not quite as long as they had once been, almost as if frostbite had taken his toll on those inside the ice. Physically, they found themselves much shorter than they had been, the weight of the frozen water compressing them, squeezing their bodies into smaller, shadows of their former heights. The average height among them was now a scant 5’11. Tundrak found himself able to move, if but only a little, in the ice.

He felt strong, stronger than he had ever been before. The exposure to the thaumium ore had changed him. Indeed, the eyes of the group now ranged from cyan to blue and even purple, with every possible combination between the three. The most extreme difference, they noticed, was that they were no longer cold in the slightest, and their skin felt cool rather than warm. They felt at home in the snow and ice. The thaumium ore had changed them all. They had become more capable of surviving in wintery conditions than any other sentient group known before them. They didn’t know it, but they would soon be known as Snow Elves, or in the ancient tongue, the mali’fenn.

As the last surviving Elf thawed, the now smaller group shed their furs. They felt that the furs made them uncomfortable. The once comforting heat irritated them now, in place of the extreme winter conditions. Sparticus rallied the shaken mali’fenn, and continued to lead them through the caverns. They wandered for days, finding no exit.

They were weakened, starved, almost deprived of light, until they found a light peeking through the stone. Digging a little, they opened the gap enough for them to all but leave the caves that had changed them so drastically. The caves had felt damp and hot, in the fresh air and snow, they felt at home. No words were spoken in the caves, but as they found the snow comforting, they hesitantly started to discuss what had happened, and what changes they had each undergone. They found they could never return to the Mali’aheral, as they would be deemed impure and killed by their former brethern.  Therefore, they decided between themselves to make their once expedition leader, Sparticus Tundrak, the leader of their newfound race, with Sirea Atmorice and Norad Drakon serving as his aids.

Sparticus Tundrak decreed they would remain in the North, though when the Scourge started to descend upon them, they fled to the South. From snow covered mountains they travelled through central Anthos by night until they came to the snowy mountains of the southern Grand Kingdom of Urguan. There, they found sanctuary in their own self-imposed exile. They lived in constant fear that one day, the Scourge, or maybe the mali’aheral, would find them, and deliver upon them a terrible justice. While staying in their new lands, their population gradually increased. Sparticus was awarded by the Urguani Grand King, the title Grand Prince Tundrak I of the Princedom of Fenn, and they developed their own unique culture from the newfound information they discovered from the runes in the South, and their trials in the North.

The mali’fenn had found their home in exile, away from enemy, but all was to change in the years ahead. They would find their solace however, not only within their friends, but also their perceived enemies. Born of Ice and Snow, they carried onwards.

Physical Features

The mali’fenn tend to be hairier than typical elves, a mutation adapted to the need for extra warmth in their cold climates. They also tend to be shorter than most elves, a feature well suited to the extended periods of time spent underground in shelters within their mountain homes. Another odd adapation to the cold is their shorter ears, which tend to lose less heat and suffer from less frossbite than the longer ears of their more delicate kin. Due to the constant need for physical exertion in order to survive, they have developed a good deal more muscle than their other kin. Snow elves tend to exhibit blueish or white pigment when concerning their hair and skin. It is not uncommon to see an extremely pale or lightly blue mali’fenn. White or blue is also the most common color of hair.

Family Structure

The snow elfen culture revolves around family structure, food, and social prestige. The great families of the mali’fenn are constantly competing in order to gain seats on the council and leadership positions in the governance of the mali’fenn. The major families can trace their lineage to the original Talonii of Fenn; Tundrak, Atmorice, and Drakon. The heads of the major families each possess one of two jewels correlating to their family which asserts their position as descendants of the original families as well as the heads of their respective house. On the few occasions that two of the three have had marriages, the child is considered to be part of both unless removed from one. Minor houses, however, have children that hold only one family name. Family politics works in such a way that major families marry minor families for their numbers, while minor families need to marry major families to gain titles and prestige. The major families draw their power from the family’s achievements, while the minor houses often draw power from numbers.

Culinary Practices

The mali’fenn are very creative when it comes to food. Due to the difficulty of using heat in the preparation of food, recipes concerning heated foods such as breads are often closely held family secrets, as the food must be cooled after preparation without losing its taste. The mali’fenn are also fans of chilled tea and sugar flavored ice. The staples of their diet are hardy vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and cabbages, which give them fuel to endure their hardy homeland. They are typically eaten raw after being washed and diced then prepared with elaborate arrays of sauces and spices. Meat is consumed only on very special occasions due to the rarity of meat in the tundra and the difficulty of cooking a hot meal.

The mali’fenn value family over everything. Loyalty to one's family is highly emphasized as the deep cold of the snowy mountains require that a large amount of time be spent indoors, so cooperation between family members is a must. The mali’fenn possess a deep love of four legged animals, and they are particularly fond of Caribou as these animals are employed as the primary mounts of the Faersu’fenn. Caribou breeding among the mali’fenn is considered to be an art as mounts of a high degree of quality are seen as a status symbol. Mali’fenn have a difficult time using magic due to their origins being rooted in thaumium ore, which can nullify many magics. It is viewed as an oddity and generally those who use magic openly in public are ostracized for their strangeness. Mali’fenn that are capable of using magic with some degree of competence typically keep to themselves and avoid popular mali’fenn social spots due to the large amount of thaumium ore used in the construction of their structures.

Status

Mali’fenn are very proud and place a high amount of value on social status. Mali’fenn constantly compete to increase their social status and influence. This is typically done through displays of talent, skill, wealth, or influence. Mali’fenn often congregate in their town square in order to engage in Caribou races, food preparation competitions, and ice sculpting challenges.

When dealing with those outside of their race, the mali’fenn try to conceal their physical coldness. They avoid hugs and wear gloves when giving hand shakes. Due to their history filled with persecution mali’fenn are extremely cautious when meeting new people often keeping their distance and questioning the person until they are comfortable.

Combat

The mali’fenn prefer combat from a mounted position engaging in cavalry charges and harassment. They serve as a heavy cavalry force breaking enemy lines with the sheer weight of their mounts. They work in tight formations engaging infantry in a defensive position with an arrow head formation while engaging enemy cavalry in a rectangle formation.

Mounts

Caribou, large antlered mounts ridden by the Faersu’fenn, are typically covered in plate armor when engaging in battle. It is popular to sharpen their horns before combat. Many of the mali’fenn families own several Caribou, and they are used for farming and transport.

War Gear

The mali’fenn use medium ranged melee weapons combined with long bows in order to maximize the effectiveness of their cavalry units.

~Long Sword~

Long blades used to attack from horse back

~Lance~

Lengths of wood tipped by a pointed blade used during cavalry charges and engaging enemy cavalry.

Plate armor

The Faersu’fenn bear heavy plate armor that allow them to withstand a  large amount of damage during battle.

[Birdwhisperer 1174]

Moved to the Great Library. It shall be sorted into appropriate category shortly.