WuHanXianShi14

The lore needs working on yes, the wood elves are gonna RP this canon either way (I mean not that we have a choice. There is currently no wood elf ancient history. It's this or nothing). However if it gets denied I'll edit out the parts with Taynei since that lore does not belong to me.

It's literally ancient lore which happened thousands of years ago and has absolutely no bearing on how current wood elves are supposed to rp their characters. Even if it did people are free not to follow it. It's something for people who rp seed culture to draw from in rp and people who don't can ignore. Like literally how does ancient history control how modern wood elves rp. You and your character can just ignore it or choose not to believe it icly. Boom, probably problem solved. You can be your own man. Once again, don't say WE shouldn't have lore to draw from because you think Said lore oppresses you by existing. Like youve been pathologically contrarian on everything I do for awhile now. You don't play a wood elf. Even if you did, a piece of lore set thousands of years ago doesn't force you to rp in a certain way. Does high elf lore force all high elves to rp as pure? No there are impures who ignore the lore but that doesn't stop the 'cultural' high elves from drawing from that lore. Everyone gets to choose, no one is oppressed, no one tries to shoot anyone else down out of spite. Honestly give it a rest

If it's not properly RP'd then you can screenshot it and send it to an LM. As for its durability, making it as hard as steel but equal to iron in strength would be about right to me. This is an RP item by the way, not a mechanical one. So, if people are claiming they know how to craft ironwood just because they're master grinders then I call bullshit. It's something you gotta learn ICly (and also is currently a lost art so lots of RP will need to be done to rediscover it.)

Ikurnamon Ikurnamon, (from elvish: Ikurn’Amonn, meaning ‘Iron Wood’) is a special type of wood whose cultivation was a secret only known to the ancient Seeds of the Wood Elves for centuries. It is harvested from its namesake, the Ironwood Tree. Origins The cultivation of Ironwood trees and harvesting of their Ikurnamon began in the early days of the Era of the Seeds, where the wood elven race was young and had recently made their exodus from the rest of elf-kind to live nomadic lives in the deep forests. With no reliable access to forges and metals, the wood elves of the Seeds turned to the trees to provide them with the tools they needed to survive. Being creatures of long life, the wood elves learned to selectively breed the trees around them. These tree-farms, as they were, were known as Ame’lie and was among the most unique and definitive art of the ancient wood elves. The ‘ame saved and planted the seeds of trees with the most favourable traits. It took centuries, but eventually the Mali’ame were capable of growing trees with wood soft and malleable enough to wear, or hard enough to use as weaponry. Ironwood trees were the latter of these. Any Wood Elf seed capable of holding its own needed access to Ironwood trees and the Ikurnamon they provided. Many different wondrous trees were cultivated in the Ame’lie of the ancient Wood Elf tribes, but Ironwood was the most common and vital. Ironwood was as hard as steel when tempered and treated right. It was essential to creating arrowheads, spear-tips, knives, hooks and other things which were also essential to nomadic seed life. The Seeds were very territorial about their Ironwood, in fact, it was not unheard of for Seeds to raid and skirmish with one another to either defend, or steal Ironwood seeds or take over and Ironwood grove. Ikurnamon was a difficult wood to work with. If not tempered right, it was brittle and could easily splinter. In order to turn it into proper weapons or tools, the right craftsman was needed. Wood Elves devoted their entire lives to the cultivation and crafting of ironwood. Some masters were legendary, creating tools with ironwood beyond beauty. They were so well known that Elves from other seeds traveled miles across thick forest to seek their skills. Ironwood cultivation declined during Garthon’s great war of unity. The Seeds became embroiled in a fierce civil war which raged for a decade or more. During this time, raids were conducted. Ame’lie were burned and sacked. Ironwood trees were destroyed to stifle the enemy’s weapons supply. When the war ended, the Seeds all migrated and formed the city of Laurelin in the new Malinor. Much of Seed culture and practice faded away. The cultivation of Ironwood was lost to time. Properties Ikurnamon has two forms: Tempered and untempered. Untempered ironwood is the raw, unworked form of the wood, and tempered is after it has been treated to make it suitable for use as a tool or weapon. Untempered Ironwood Varied hues. Rose brown to dark grey to silvery colour Brittle Rough, coarse texture Often knotted Does not burn well, produces wispy smoke at best Tempered Ironwood As hard as steel Slightly lighter than iron Smooth, polished texture Fireproof Tempering/Crafting Tempering Ikurnamon and crafting it into various byproducts is an art which takes years of practice to perfect. It follows these fundamental steps. Harvest the Wood The craftsman must harvest a good chunk of ikurnamon from an ironwood tree. Traditionally, the first pick of wood would be any parts which have fallen off, out of respect for the tree. However, living wood is generally easier to temper and thus the branches of the tree are most often used. Peel off the Bark Ironwood bark is too thick and much too brittle to work with, so it must be paired away to reveal the flesh underneath. The craftsman must carve away the shell of bark from the ironwood branch he has just harvested. This is not an easy task, as the bark is hard and does not part easily, one must be careful not to shave away pieces of the wood’s usable flesh alongside the bark. Shape the Wood, Approximately Using carving tools, the craftsman shapes the now exposed ironwood into a rough shape of whatever he is trying to make. A sword, a knife, a hook, spear tips, et cetera. He must not be too precise, as the final stage requires more shaping. Heat the Wood Much like metals, ironwood is easiest to shape when it is hot. Unlike metals, the temperature at which ironwood can be shaped is extremely finicky. This is the hardest part about tempering Ironwood. Under too hot a fire, the wood burns up. Under a fire that isn't hot enough, the wood remains too coarse. Under the right temperature, the wood will begin to smoothen slightly and soften up. Finish Shaping While Heated It is during this crucial stage that the ironwood must be crafted to its final design. Raw ironwood is too brittle to shape precisely, and tempered ironwood, while durable, is far too hard. It is only while the wood is heated that it enjoys a brief period of being soft enough to bend. The craftsman meticulously shapes the ironwood while it burns over the fire, he must know when to take the wood off the flames to prevent it from overheating, and putting it back on to prevent it from cooling down too much to work with. Varnishing After shaping the wood under heat, let it cool down. By now, the product in progress should be just about done. An ironwood tool or weapon smooth to the touch and hard as steel. However, some more steps need to be taken to ensure it doesn’t rot over time. The ironwood appliance is soaked in a special chemical mixture which both prevents rot and makes the wood resistant to fire. It must soak in the substance for a week before it can be removed. At this point, the ironwood tool is completely done and free to use. Uses Ironwood was used for all sorts of purposes among the ancient mali’ame seeds. The more wealthy seeds could afford to have them as some form of tribal jewelry or display of riches. Their most common usage however was as tools. Ironwood Swords, crafted in ancient times. The green patterns atop the blade is ochre, painted on weapons to signify which Seed they belong to. Ironwood was a staple of the hunter and warrior. Almost all mali’ame tribesmen would have ironwood weaponry. This could be anything from spears to bows to swords. Armour wasn’t unheard of, but only the most well off of Seeds could produce enough Ironwood to make even the most basic of armour pieces, it also took more skill than most craftsmen had. Pros and Cons To clarify, Ironwood isn’t supposed to be an inherent advantage. I wrote it so it is more or less balanced with more conventional weapons. It’s meant to be mainly aesthetic and a cultural thing for the wood elves to work on. I’m also writing this as a player, not an LT, so treat it like a lore submission, not server canon. Pros A slightly lighter, faster alternative to Steel Additional cultural aesthetic to the wood elves Unique tools/weapons designs in RP Cons Trees are relatively small. Only enough wood for tools/weapons/MAYBE armour. (No Ironwood flame-proof houses or city walls) Slightly less durable than steel (wouldn’t work well as a blunt force weapon like a mace. Only really effective as sharp slashing weapons) Harder to pierce platemail armour Lost art. Will take time and tree cultivation to fully rediscover

What do you mean 'leeway for future projects', how does having a bunch of history to draw from detract from any projects potential? (Especially since before this we literally had nothing). There needs to be a canonized history to follow or wood elf racial events will just be various ET making stuff up inconsistently from event to event. Despite it's length this lore post only details the largest major events of the wood elves history. There's literally thousands of years of filler in which any number of things could have happened (If you actually read it and saw the footnote at the end of Chapter 2 you'd realize this), so I'm not buying your argument. If this is about the wood elves suddenly having a more fleshed out and developed history than the other races... have you SEEN what the Oren vet players have? Pages upon pages of genealogy and history and **** I couldn't hope to match. And it's a bit petty if your attitude is "If we don't have it, you can't have it either". Like, GO OUT AND WRITE YOUR RACE'S HISTORY. MAKE IT AS IN-DEPTH AS MINE. NO ONE IS STOPPING YOU. HELL, IT'S MY JOB TO HELP YOU AND SUPPORT MAKING IT CANON. I'm going to be sitting down with Dakirennis and helping him flesh out dark elf lore some time in the next few days. If any other faction leaders (dwarves, orcs, oren, etc) want to sit down with me or any other LT and develop THEIR racial lore they can, and I will do my utmost to help them develop it so it can be made canon, since my main purpose on the LT is to help faction leaders and group culture writers have more of a say in the server lore. But it's on YOU to put the effort in to write your history. Don't try to shoot me down because I wrote mine and you don't want me to have more than you.

Before I wrote this there wasn't any ancient elf lore. There were two isolated stories about individuals (who I incorporated into this piece) and that's about it. No real beginning-to-end history of the elves. So to be honest, this IS ancient elf lore. Adunians still existed, planned on making one of the wood elf Seeds be Sarai's, the one that ended up breeding into Harren's humans. Never wrote it in officially but that's my take.

That's the plan. Before I joined the LT I was endlessly frustrated that the lore elves RPed didn't line up with the lore that actually existed (turns out there was less than I thought), and the LT is trying to be more open and appeal to more players now. If the dwarves want to write their own origin story like this one they're free to and we'll sit down with their leaders and help them make it canon.

You know this is the elven map and all subraces are going to have their lore fleshed out, right? I'm working with Dak on the dark elves soon. Every subrace wants (and the high elves already have) an origin story and we plan on giving it to them.

I was planning on making it so that Native was at the last Seed Council and was the one who led the wood elves to Aegis and founded Laurelin but I wasn't sure if I'd be overstepping my bounds since it's not my character and I don't know how to contact him. As for Respiren, he was the founder of the modern order yes, the druids in my story are just more ancient and lost to time.

((This lore has no bearing on how current wood elves are supposed to RP their characters, but instead serve as a foundation to draw upon for those whose RP heavily depends upon having a culture to sustain them. Additionally, only the main event of each chapter is essential, all other details are open to change and adapt as future lore filters in from other people)) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2pCv7k_Hzvg HISTORY OF THE AME “Once the Elves were all united under one Elf. Malin. I am one of the few to remember him, you know. People speak of him now in a reverence that was well earned. Of course, When he disappeared, we were left helpless. Our brothers the Mali’ker went with their Velulaei, and the High Elves with their Larihei, and we were forgotten. We, the only ones who dared to stay with what our father had taught us.” ~Archdruid Garthon Chapter 1 - Iblee's War Chapter 2 - Malin’s Kingdom: The First Malinor Chapter 3 - The Great Elven Schism Chapter 4 - Exodus of the Forgotten Folk Chapter 5 - Taynei Unearthed Chapter 6 - Era of the Seeds Chapter 7 - Garthon’s Great War of Unity Chapter 8 - End of an Era: A New Malinor Chapter 1 - Iblee's War The history of the mali’ame (commonly known as wood elves) begins in a baptism of blood and fire. Iblees, the fallen aengul waged his war on the four brothers and their mortal children. Among the four brothers was Malin, and his children were known as the elves. Iblees swept across the realm in a torrent of hellfire, tainting lands wherever his army chose to conquer. Malin and his children had become isolated on the lands which would become known as Axios, the land which would later become his kingdom. However, at the time it was a desolate battlefield and a realm beholden to the evil whim of Iblees himself. Malin, however, had a secret weapon. Taynei’Hiylu (The green spirit) was a dragonling created by Dragur, the master of dragons. She was little more than a babe when she was found by Malin. The forefather of the elves took her in and nurtured her, and Taynei’Hiylu quickly grew to see the eldest of the four brothers as her father and mentor. Taynei would learn to assume the form of a mortal and mingle among the other of Malin’s children, knowing that if became public knowledge she was a dragaar, many would try to corrupt her. In her adolescence, Malin had sent her to be tutored by the druids, a new order at the time. During her time with the drui, Taynei learn the true names of the wild. She learned the Aspects, the aenguls of nature, and adopted their worship. Her purpose became clear: to teach the druidic wisdom of the Aspects to Malin’s children. However, this purpose would not come to pass, as Taynei’Hiylu was called upon for a more dire purpose. It was when Malin’s children became cornered by Iblees forces on the land that would become Axios, that Malin himself called upon her to unleash her powers as a dragaar to drive back the unholy army. Taynei’Hiylu became the turning point of the war. Her time with the druids had taught her to use the wilds to her command. Droves of the fiercest beasts charged into Iblee’s demon army, the oldest and wisest of elder trees bent at her command, their roots emerging and suffocating the vile invaders. Taynei shone like a beacon on the battlefield, inspiring Malin’s children with strength as they finally drove the last of Iblee’s presence off of Axios. Malin could finally rejoin his three brothers as they and all their children formed a united front to overpower and seal away Iblees. However, before they could do this, the archdaemon had a plan to subdue Taynei, who had thwarted his invasion so thoroughly. The blight that had been spread during her time in battle had taken its toll on the mind of Taynei. The dragon who was sister of the druids and the elves had begun to lose her mind, succumb to the corruption which she had been exposed to, yet fought so hard to eradicate. To further complicate matters, iblees had sent one of his strongest drakaar to finish the elven dragon for good- Azdromoth. Azdromoth was known as the god eater, and for good reason. The corrupted dragon hounded Taynei and pursued her across the world. Taynei’s resolve crumbled and she fled, terrified of being corrupted and turned into a tool of evil. The Aspects took pity upon their druidic servant. The aenguls of the wild called upon the earth to swallow Taynei deep into the ground, putting her beyond the reach of Iblees and forcing her into a deep sleep. For centuries after, many believed that was the last they would see of the druidic dragon of the elves. Despite the sealing of the Green Spirit, Malin and his three brothers continued to push, and finally were able to seal away iblees, although at a great cost: “Malin, I curse you with sterility, you and your kin shall forever lack the children they need. May your forest halls forever be silent, and your hearts heavy with sadness.” The elves had not undergone drastic physical change like the dwarves or the orcs had, but Iblees’ final curse had hit them hard. In the years after the war, many a mother lamented, even took their own life due to having to look into the eyes of their stillborn child. Sorrow ran rampant among the newly long-lived, but infertile elves. However, Malin, forefather of the elves, pushed on. The war had cost him an extrodinary pupil, a dragaar he had considered his daughter. It had cost him the lives of many of his people. But he would bring his kin into a golden age. The elves- now a long-lived yet infertile people, were his to lead. In this newfound era of peace, on the lands which would become Axios, he would build his kingdom. Chapter 2 - Malin’s Kingdom: The First Malinor "Malin, may your forests be a sanctuary of peace and your children long lived.” The isles of Axios, the lands which had one been a fierce battleground against iblees, became Malin’s kingdom. He had chosen this land to become the home of his kin after the children of his brother Krug became too warlike to coexist with, and Urguan’s spawn too greedy to live among. Malin set to building his kingdom. He wished for his realm to be one where the elves lived in harmony with nature. Malin was close to the Aspects, the aenguls of the wild, and even convened with them from time to time. He wished to pass on the values the Aspects taught him to his children. Thus, his kingdom took shape. He gave the Kingdom no name, yet his children christened it Malinor. Marvelous cities which would have been alien to the eyes of men and dwarves, great halls hidden deep in the thickest forests, homes which weaved their ways seamlessly into the trees, built perfectly to co-exist with the wild, not replacing it, but becoming a part of it. The greatest settlement of Malinor was on the isle of Malin itself, an island named by the forefathers’ children as well. The city built upon this center isle of Axios was more magnificent than any other, though its name has been lost to time. It was there Malin’s throne lay, in the trunk of the eldest elder tree. It was there he ruled his people from. All elves were one during this time. They were fair of skin, but usually dark of hair. Their height was middling, though some could be shorter or taller than the rest. Malin himself was fair-haired, his eyes ever-changing, those closest to him claimed their colour changed depending on his mood. Regardless, the forefather himself was special, but the elves as a whole were more or less homogenous, all the same lithe, sharp-eared beings of long-life who dwelled in their halls and homes so flawlessly woven into nature. The druids also played a significant role in Malin’s realm. The order was older now and had learned much since the great war with iblees. They held great respect for Malin, as the elven forefather was known to receive visions and convene from the Aspects from time to time. While Malin himself was not drui, he too held the Aspects’ wisdom. The druids were welcomed in Malin’s kingdom with open arms as mentors and teachers, ensuring the elves knew how to live in harmony with nature. Malinor prospered for centuries, enduring wars with the other races, and going through various other hardships. Despite its troubles, the Kingdom lived on, under the guidance of the immortal forefather of the elves. However, it was when Malin disappeared into obscurity, never to return, that the signs of crumbling first began to show. [[This period would last for quite awhile, Malin’s original kingdom before the elven sub-race schism. Any currently existing event plans revolving around Malin and his first kingdom can happen during this area, before the schisms.]] Chapter 3 - The Great Elven Schisms Malin had been the plaster holding the elven race together. Without the guidance of their forefather, the denizens of Malinor quickly began to drift apart. The Mali’aheral were the first to truly split. In the beginning, of course, they were simply elves like any other, with no physical distinctions. Following their prophet Larihei, they discovered the golden pools and bathed their bodies, purifying themselves. They grew taller, their hair lightened to that of gold and silver, their ears became longer. The Mali’aheral- blessed ones as they called themselves- saw no need to abide by the values which Malin had taught. Larihei preached isolation, science, logic and wisdom as the key pillars by which life should be led. The maehr’sae hiylun’ehya. Instead of building with wood, weaving their cities seamlessly into the trees as the elves had done while Malin lived, the mali’aheral built towering stone spires and grand towers that shined of silver. They built these atop old settlements of Malinor, tearing down old forest halls and tree-top homes for their marble manors. They cared not for the old ways and now sought to improve themselves through science and logic. In truth, the mali’aheral excelled rapidly and the cities they built over the old forest settlements of Malinor were magnificent. However, they did not cooperate and coexist with nature, they conquered it and melded it to their design. The old elves looked on, appalled as their newly mutated cousins stripped lands bare of the wild to erect their shining cities of cold marble. The Mali’ker were the next great schism. They were born from the mistake of one- Veluluai. Veluluai was an elf like any other, however, the spirit of curiosity ran deep in her heart. Veluluai had been commissioned to uncover any information of immortals and gods she could, by Malin himself, and set herself to the task with a passion. Veluluai had heard whispers of older gods, older even than the Aspects or the shamanistic spirits she can come to admire. She ventured off to find them despite warnings not to. Much like curiosity killed the cat, it created the ker. Upon being found, the old god, whose name was "Poison", cursed Veluluai and all her followers with insanity. Having lost control of their minds, they attacked and destroyed a nearby elven city. Horrified, Malin had the newly formed band of Mali’ker exiled, both by the old elves and the newly formed cities of the Mali’aheral. The Mali’ker would form a pact with the moon spirit Luara which abated their insanity, but turned their skin ashen grey. They would battle against their own sanity that the old god "Poison's" curse had put into flux for centuries to come. And with that, the elven race was split in three. The Mali’aheral, who had spread far. Their silver towers, marble spires and arcane guild halls had been built over many of the old forest cities that had been constructed when Malin walked the wilds. The Mali’ker, who had retreated into caves and deep valleys, dangerous and unstable as they fought the moon spirit’s curse. Only a handful of the old elves remained, elves who had not bathed in golden pools or been cursed by the moon, elves whose culture had rapidly dwindling away. In their eyes, they were the last true elves, followers of Malin. The cursed ashen-skinned mali’ker were beyond aid in their eyes, doomed to ferality. The mali’aheral no longer held the respect and reverence of nature Malin had taught all his children to have. They did not care for the Aspects, or even Malin himself. So, seeing nothing left for them in a crumbling and fragmented Kingdom of Malinor, full of elves mutated and lost to their old ways, these last old elves- the Forgotten Folk, made their exodus into forests so deep no descendent had ever step foot in them. Chapter 4 - Exodus of the Forgotten Folk It was Irrin Sirame who led the exodus of the elves which would become the mali’ame. She was known as the Elfess of Grass, born a weak, frail child. She had been a warden of the forests, and at one point a Princess of Malinor, a direct underling of Malin himself when he had walked among his people. Irrin Sirame worshipped the Aspects, she worshipped them devoutly in a time when most elves merely respected and revered them. She held herself to Malin and the Aspect’s teachings fiercely, and none were more furious than her when the mali’aheral and mali’ker abandoned the old ways. The last ‘original’ elves made a grand exodus from the cities of Malinor under Irrin’s leadership. There had never been many cities, and what had been there had now been turned into silver spires by the mali’aheral. The high elves thrived, but the old elves did not. They scattered to the four corners of the world. Many of them settled into the deep forests of south-eastern Tahn in Axios. Some settled in the jungles of the isle of Asul. Some even sailed away to lands beyond the Abyss. Irrin didn’t wish to form another nation, only to foster the wild spirit of the elves. She let the exodus elves spread across the land. These old elves, now scattered, formed into many different tribes. They became known as Seeds, as those who belonged to them believed they were the kernel that would lead to the returning of all elves. However, the schism of the mali’ker and mali’aheral was too great to heal, and the Seeds would never truly bring either subrace back into the fold. Over time, the old elves of the seed began to transform as well. It is said that the Aspects themselves saw these disparate tribes exile themselves so deep into their wildest forests, yet live with great respect and reverence to their domain. They made the elves of the seeds shorter, stockier to better prowl through the thickets. They turned their skin brown so they may better blend with the trees. The transformation was slow, and gradual. Many Seeds didn't even notice they were changing, but change definitively happened. These newly transformed elves noticed themselves growing more and more at home with nature, and although the Aspects never showed themselves in person, they came to worship the Aenguls of Nature in a way Malin and the original elves never had. Many druids had made the exodus along with Irrin and her elves. These druids were elves too, deciding to depart from the order to serve as priests, prophets and guides among the newly formed seeds, in what was certain to be a time that would greatly test both their style of life, and their faith. Thus, the wood elves were born. Yet in the early days of the mali’ame race, as the culture of the Seeds was slowly developing, the Aspects had one final gift. Chapter 5 - Taynei Unearthed After centuries of being buried away, the great druidic dragon was finally re-awoken by the Aspects. Taynei’Hiylu had been ordained to be a protector and guide of elf-kind since her creation, and with the taint of iblees long gone, she was safe to return. Taynei first travelled to the cities of the mali’aheral, imploring that they once more see the Aspect’s way. To return to Malin’s teachings. The mali’aheral spurned her, for they were thriving in their silver spires, making great advancements of voidal magic and alchemy. She next travelled to the caves and dens of the Mali’ker, but try as she might, the cursed elves were in too much of a battle against their own minds to return to the old way. Taynei saw no way to mend the schism that had divided elf-kind so thoroughly. Looking upon the rest of Axios, she saw the mali’ame in their deep forests, worshipping the Aspects, their various Seeds now well established. She resolved that if she could not mend the schism, she could at least be a guide to those who followed the same Aenguls as she. Taynei was a druid. The Transcendent Druid. That alone made her a figure of great respect among the various scattered mali’ame Seeds, as druids had been living among them since the Seeds formation as priests and mentors. On top of that, she had been close to Malin, the forefather. The wood elves had heard stories of her, passed down since the great war with Iblees. She was quickly hailed as the grand prophet of the mali’ame. Taynei led two major reforms among the wood elven people. First, she formed the order of Nealu’ir (Ones who teach). There had already been various druids travelling among the Seeds of course, but the Green Spirit formed them into an organized entity which could teach and guide all Seeds equally. She grew magnificent groves in the center of each forest where the Seeds roamed, and instructed all druids among the seeds to make their homes there. The druids were now accessible to all Seeds, who would travel miles and days to reach their groves to seek advice, healing, or spiritual guidance. Second, she held the first Omentahu. The Omentahu was a grand meeting of all the Seeds, held at the center of the isle of Malin once every ten years. All the Seeds were expected to attend the Omentahu, which Taynei’Hiylu would preside over. At these meetings, knowledge would be shared and exchanged among seeds, and druidic sermons to the Aspects would be held. Any disputes or wars that had brewed between Seeds would be settled at an Omentahu by Taynei herself. For a race so scattered and often isolated in thick forests across the entire continent of Axios, the Omentahu was essential to keeping ‘ame culture alive. Under Taynei’hiylu and the Nealu’ir druids she fostered, the wood elven Seeds lived peacefully. Scattered, yet united by the same guides. However, troubled times brewed ahead. Chapter 6 - Era of the Seeds After Taynei’s reforms was when the era of the seeds truly began. It quickly became a custom among seed cheiftains to ink their skin in various patterns and colours to mark themselves as the leader of a Seed. Soon, this practice evolved so all wood elves tattooed themselves, with the design and colour of the tattoo being dependent on the Seed they belonged to. This practice became known as ilmyumier. While all the seeds were bound together by Taynei, the Nealu’ir, and their faith, in truth they diverged quite a bit. This was due to the fact that outside of the Omentahu, there wasn’t much consistent contact between Seeds. Some seeds became excellent hunters, renowned for their spearmen and archers. Some Seeds considered themselves elves of the sea, living along the coasts and conquering violent waves and sharks. But among all the seeds, the most respected where the ones who cultivated Ame’lie. An Ame’lie was, in essence, a tree farm, but it really was much more than that. Living in deep forests, the Seeds had little room for conventional farming, so they turned to planting and selectively breeding trees. Wood elves during this time could do wondrous things with tree-breeding, producing trees whose trunks were soft and malleable enough to turn into clothing, or hard enough to produce into weaponry. Trees which bloomed fruit like figs, apples and lemons at exorbitant rates were also grown, feeding the elves with a king’s variety of sweet bounty. Ame’lie were grown seamlessly into the forest, and were strictly regulated by the Nealu’ir to ensure they did not grow too large and intrude too much on the natural forest. The seeds for the most part lived by their own rules, with Taynei and the druids being the only real form of central leadership. Many Seeds were formed during this area by aspiring cheiftains, Seeds who have long since died away, and Seeds whose bloodlines stretch into the common era. Irrin Sirame, leader of the exodus and the founder of Seed culture roamed from Seed to Seed, belonging to none of them. She was considered a wise-woman and a mentor, welcomed wherever she went. Beloun - A seed focused on the art of the hunt. The Beloun tattooed their faces with jagged, black patterns which were meant to resemble spears. They were usually black of hair and blue eyed. The Beloun became renowned for their hunting prowess, becoming so successful that the Nealu’ir at one point had to force their Chieftain to migrate his Seed north, as they were dangerously close to hunting the local wild boar into extinction. Chirr - Another hunting seed. However, the Chirr were savage. They considered themselves the finest warriors of all elf-kind, and their ilmyumier was a blood red streak painted down the eyes. They would kill and scalp any Mali’aheral or Mali’ker who were foolish enough to enter their thick forest territory. The Chirr would occasionally raid other Seeds for food, valuables and slaves. They fought a few skirmishes with the Beloun. Taynei and the Nealu’ir personally intervened to put a stop to this. The Chirr usually had red hair and blue eyes. Caerme’onn - Caerme’onn was a Seed born from a union of an older Seed whose name is lost to time, and a tribe of elves from far away Aeldin. The Aeldinic elves landed and assimilated, lending their language to the Seed’s new name. Caerme’onn was a well rounded Seed comprised of hunters and Ame’lie tree-farmers. Their first chieftain claimed to have the blood of Irrin Sirame, the leader of the great exodus. But, his claim was largely ignored. The Caerme’onn usually had dark crimson hair and emerald eyes. Their ilmyumier were jagged crimson lines resembling the horns of a stag. Tahorran - A seed best known for their hawk-like yellow eyes which lends them their name, the Tahorran were a smaller, enigmatic tribe who were rarely seen. They were generally taller than most wood elves, which led them to believe they were the last ‘old elves’, though in truth they were no closer than any other mali’ame. The Tahorran were known to perform huge ceremonies of offering and sacrifice to the Aspects. Some Seeds claimed the Tahorran practiced the sacrifice of living elves, but this was never proven. Nor’ehya - A seafaring seed. The Nor’ehya lived in the south east of the isle of Tahn, by the ocean. With the wood from their Ame’lie, they crafted boats able to cut through the water at the speed of the wind. They hunted great beasts of the waters, sharks, whales and great squid. They were hazel-haired and deep blue eyed. Their ilmyumier tattoos were dark blue and resembled the waves of the waters. Aureon - The most isolated of seeds, the Aureon were highly Xenophobic. They kept solely to themselves, refusing to interact with even other Seeds (except for at Omentahu), let alone mali’aheral or mali’ker. The Aureon were among the best Ame’lie farmers. It was said that they could grow wood harder than steel, and the fruits from their trees were so sweet that anyone you gave them to would fall in love with you. Their tribal tattoos reflected this, bearing the dark green branching patterns of a tree. Despite some squabbles and the occasional skirmish, the Seeds lived in relative peace due to the leadership of Taynei’Hiylu. The green spirit and druidic dragon kept the diverse, Aspect worshipping elves in check. But this would not last. Chapter 7 - Garthon’s Great War of Unity “Greetings, my children.” began Garthon in a soothing voice. “I trust you are enjoying the feast?” The Seed members all nodded. The Archdruid smiled. “It is good to see such a flourishing Seed in this era of distrust and war. It was not always this way, you know. Once the Elves were all united under one Elf. Malin. I am one of the few to remember him, you know. People speak of him now in a reverence that was well earned.” Caeldir raised an eyebrow. He wondered what the Archdruid was getting at. “Of course,” continued the Archdruid, “When he disappeared, we were left helpless. Our brothers the Mali’ker went with their Velulaei, and the High Elves with their Larihei, and we were forgotten. We, the only ones who dared to stay with what our father had taught us.” Garthon looked around the fire, into each Wood Elf’s eyes. “But we are fractured. Elvenkind is fractured. The time for a new King of the Elves is come.” Caeldir’s eyebrows shot up. Was the Archdruid mad? Who would dare crown themselves King in Malin’s stead? The Druid sighed, rubbing his temple. “However,” he said with a note of deep regret, “Like a snake shedding its skin, this new age must arise from the decay which covered it. Sacrifices… Must be made.” ~Archdruid Garthalon addresses the Chirr Seed. Except From “War of the Tyrants” Garthon was an Archdruid. He was part of an elite core, an elder druid who had been appointed by the Green Dragon herself to be the spearhead of the Nealu’ir. But Garthon’s mind was not like that of a normal druid. While he kept up appearances and played the part of the nature protecting, balance upholding Archdrui he was, his real thoughts were of power and unity. He was an old elf, and thus remembered the great schisms. He knew better than most that all elves had once been one, and that they had been bound together by their King- Malin. In his eyes, it was time for a new king. He met Taynei in secret in a forest clearing lost to time. It was there he appealed and pleaded to her to give him the power to conquer all the elves. The mali’ker and mali’aheral have scorned the old way, Malin’s way long enough! He claimed. Taynei would have no part in it. She had long ago accepted that the high and dark elves had chosen their path, whether or not she agreed with it. Not only did the Green Dragon shoot down Garthon’s plea for power, she had him stripped of his archdruid rank. She attempted to unattune him, but Garthon fought back. Trees, branches, vines and roots whipped against one another as the two druids fought. Garthon could not hope to over-power a dragaar, but he managed to escape before Taynei could subdue him and unattune him from his powers. In dismay that someone with as much power as an Archdruid was going to try to wage a war, Taynei immediately called an emergency Omentahu. She pleaded for all the Seeds gathered to swear their loyalty to her, to not fall for Garthon, whatever methods he would use to win their loyalty. For Garthon would bring nothing but death and destruction upon all elves. During this, Garthon himself had been busy. He had been searching in the deepest forests, searching for something ancient and dangerous. After months of searching, and avoiding the druids Taynei had sent to kill him, he found it. A word altar. A word altar was an ancient piece of magic which allowed one to enslave nature to one’s command. Their usage, along with the ancient elven tongue which was tied to them, had been banned by Malin himself while all elves were one sub-race, and his kingdom lived. Garthon was one of the few who still remembered they existed, and knew where to find them. The powers of the word altar far exceeded the power of any druid, as druids had to work with nature. Garthon now controlled it. With the power of the altar at his disposal, all the wilds were Garthon’s to command. He went to several Seeds, blackmailing them to join his army. Join, and I overflow your Ame’lie with fruit, bring all the game to your forests for your hunts. Refuse, and I make your trees wither and your animals die. Some seeds joined Garthon because they felt they had no choice. Some joined because they genuinely shared Garthon’s goal- they wished to conquer the mali’ker and mali’aheral and make the elves whole. Yet, many resisted. Many Seeds bore arms with Taynei’Hiylu, and prepared to defend their homes and their freedom against this draoi usurper who sought to claim a title which only Malin could ever bare. The war raged for a decade and ravaged the forests which the Seeds had grown to love so much. Brother turned on brother and father on son as Seeds were torn apart from the inside, forced to pick a side. Garthon, the great uniter and wielder of an ancient power, or a tyrant seeking nothing but destruction, forcing nature to his will? The final battle happened on the eve of the Era of the Seeds, on the center of the isle of Malin. Two armies of wood elves faced each other across a forested battlefield. Beloun, Chirr and other Seeds stood with Garthon. Nor’ehya, Aureon, Tahorran and Caerme’onn stood with Taynei’Hiylu. The fought, and wood elven blood was spilt for days. The trees were enslaved to Garthons command, who used them to swallow up the Taynei’s warriors. Taynei entered the fray in her full dragaar form, fighting against Garthon’s hold on the wild, channeling the power of the Aspects. The tide of the battle turned. The warriors fighting for Taynei began routing those fighting for Garthon. Garthon retreated into the deep woods. By then the battle was over. Taynei appeared before her warriors and ordered them to spare all survivors of the enemy. No more elven blood would be spilt. Then, she pursued Garthon into the woods. She found him in a clearing, licking his wounds. Garthon saw her, and muttered bindings in the ancient tongue, ready to call nature to his whim once more to make a final stand. But, Taynei did not prepare to fight back. She morphed herself back to her elven form and spread her arms out. “I will not kill you. Enough elven blood has been spilt. Please, surrender yourself and you will be treated fairly by your brothers and sisters. We must always find a peaceful way.” Garthon’s heart had become cold as ice, devoid of love. Taynei’s words of forgiveness meant nothing of him. In mere seconds, the earth opened up and began to swallow the druidic dragon, much like it had when the Aspects first sealed her away so long ago. But now it was not Aenguls locking her away to protect her, it was a vengeful, powerful draoi with an ancient magic that rivaled the power of the Aspects themselves. Taynei spoke no words as Garthon uttered the binding in the ancient tongue which would seal her away from her people, only looked at him with sorrow and betrayal. Despite his actions, he had been one of her people. One of her children. A child she could not turn from a dark path. Thinking these thoughts of failure, she succumbed to her earthy prison. Garthon recuperated, and prepared to find his forces and regroup. Some of his warriors still lived, and now with Taynei sealed away, nothing rivaled his power. He could usually assume control of the rebel Seeds. He began to walk… An arrow pierced through through his back, penetrating his heart. It caught him completely off-guard. The last thing the tyrant usurper Garthon saw before his death was the lithe figure of Irrin Sirame standing before him, bow in hand. Irrin, paragon of the wood elves, rushed to where Taynei had been swallowed up, collapsing to her knees and breaking down in tears. Taynei had been like a mother to her. She knew the bindings Garthon had put in place with the power of the word altar could not be undone. At least not by her, or any druid. It would require the Aspects themselves to intervene, but the Aenguls seemed to have no interest in freeing the Dragaar. Perhaps the mali’ame had forsaken themselves in the eyes of the Aspects. Perhaps their war, and Garthon’s usurpation of nature had condemned them. In any case, the Aspects would not bring back Taynei’Hiylu. Perhaps a time would come, when the elves once more learned to live among themselves in peace, and in harmony with nature, that the Aspects would re-awaken the druidic dragon. The war ended before Garthon could spread his terror to the mali’aheral and mali’ker. Only wood elven blood was spilt. Chapter 8 - End of an Era: A New Malinor Taynei’Hiylu was gone. Irrin Sirame had exiled herself into isolation in grief, for she believed her gods had abandoned her. No Seed could find her. No Seed disrespected her enough to try. The plaster which held the Wood Elven culture of the Seeds together for a millenia was now rapidly dwindling away. It was on this backdrop that a final Omentahu was called. The Seed cheiftains and Druids gathered. For the first time, without Taynei’Hiylu presiding over the conference. There was great somberness at the gathering. Seeds from both sides of the war agreed that it was only because the Wood Elves lived so scattered and far apart from one another that Garthon had been able to turn them against themselves, one seed at a time. So, a pact was made. The Seeds be abolished. No more could the wood elves be divided by tribes. The Wood Elves would perform a great migration away from the lands of Axios, lands whose deep forests had been torn by the war, ravaged by Garthon’s word altar. They would sail far away, to the lands which would become Aegis. There, they would create a city. A city of homes woven into the trees and great forest halls, just like they had been back in Malin’s first Kingdom. When they reached Aegis, they founded this city. They named it Laurelin, land of the noble. It was capital to a nation, a new nation. It shared the same name as Malin’s Kingdom, but it had no king, only Princes. This Princedom would be Malinor. With the likes of Taynei and Irrin gone, the wood elves slowly lost their ties to the Aspects, and worship of the wild Aenguls slowly died away. Seed culture also evaporated, obsolete, as all elves lived in the same city. High and Dark elves, now with their own long histories and cultures, would move to Laurelin and assimilate with the wood elves, mixing their bloodlines. For awhile, it seemed to be the end of the culture for good. But, nothing truly is gone forever. CREDITS Watyll - Whose war of the tyrants inspired Seed lore Tsuyose - Using his lore for Taynei'hiylu Wood Elf Players - Who developed this lore in-game alongside me

I prefer it that way tbh. Speak for yourself when you say necros should be going around doing public events for the sake of it. Don't presume to assume its what the rest of us want.

I moved this to the whitelist section for you, so new applicants will be able to see this post better :)

Most likely lmao, that's pretty much what I expect to happen. But I had fun writing it and seeing people enjoy it so I don't consider it time wasted I fail to see your logic, since the monkey people are inspired by a completely different culture and are meant to be ET creatures, not a regular playable race, can you explain? Well the Hagia Sofia was built in 5 years...even so, I took your suggestion and changed it to thirty years. You literally skipped over the their creation story, which makes up a good chunk of the post, haha

incredibly vague elements lol Only thing they have in common with ancient elves is they were there in ancient times Only thing they have in common with kharajyr is they're a beast-people. Literally nothing else in common beyond that. And they dont have anything in common with easterner farfolk. I'm serious here, Easterner farfolk are just Japanese. The Hou-Zi speak phonetic Mandarin and a religion I made up on my own, I took my largest inspirations from Khmer-Era Cambodia, Siam, Song Dynasty China and the continent of Avakir from TES respectively. The only thing easterner farfolk and the Hou-Zi have in common is "they're both asian-ey" which is a very shallow comparison to make. They draw from similar, but still very different IRL cultures, respectively. tl;dr saying that the Hou-Zi and human easterners occupy the same elements is like saying we shouldn't have an Italian-inspired culture because there's already a German-Inspired culture. Just because they're both from Europe doesn't mean they're similar at all. Semantics, like I said, I wrote this lore flying mostly blind and can change it to better fit aenguldaemon lore. If this means I have to make it so they took longer to create and were created differently, then so be it. (As a side note, I didn't know kharajyr were made from ocelots.) I don't even know where to begin with you. Nothing about the Hou-Zi's culture, traditions, appearance or history is the same as the Kha. The only thing they have similar is that they're both anthropomorphic animal people. That's it. (Also, maybe they both have exotic, not-western cultures? Kha are south american Aztec, Hou-Zi are south-east asian...not similar at all.) The lore is not just Easterner lore at all. I'm sorry going to have to put up the [TRIGGERED] here since you've hurt my chinaman sensibilities. Like I said before, the Hou-Zi are based on Khmer-Era Cambodia, Siam, and Laos (This reflects in their architecture), Song Dynasty China (Divine Emperor), The Yuan (mongol) Dynasty China (Tribute collection and wealth), Akavir from the Elder Scrolls (My favourite period in world history tbh), and finally, (God forbid!) My own original ideas. Meanwhile, the Easterners are based largely (entirely, I believe) on Feudal japanese lore. That's an entirely different nation to what I drew influence from, with a very different culture, geography and history. (Not to mention 400 years apart from any era and place of history I drew from). So, the only thing they have in common with easterners (Who are barely played anyway) is that they're both from east asia. ...Okay? Just because they're both asian and foreign doesn't make them remotely the same. That's a very shallow and frankly ignorant comparison to make. It's like if a Chinese person just assumed 12th century Scandinavia and Renaissance Italy were the same thing cause they were both "western white-people stuff." I'm going back to my safe space now please don't [TRIGGER] me again with your cultural ignorance

In my chronology, the elves got here while the Hou-Zi were still un-uplifted regular monkeys. The Hou-zi uplifting, their entire empire and conquest of Axios all will have happened before any major events of Axios elven history. The monkey story arc begins and ends before the elven story arc the LT has planned, whatever it is. (hard to write around it tbh since we aren't allowed to know what it is). As for the farfolk humans, there is no lore for the Chinese language in LOTC. It's just someone some random people do on a whim. This is the first time it's been formalized into official lore. (And used properly, TBH. I met a random Shaolin Monk character in Vailor once, I don't know what he was going for, but his name translated into 'Photograph'.) edit: If you read my lore you'll see that I acknowledge the elves were 'here first'. In that the Hou-Zi actually conquer and subjugate some very early, prehistoric and primitive elven communities. These would be elven communities that would live on after the Hou-Zi empire was destroyed and develop into whatever current elven lore is. Like I said, I don't know jack about Aenguldaemon or dragaar lore. I am willing to make changes for it to fit better. I removed most of the Harambe memes in the OP so this lore can be taken more seriously (RIP Harambe)

Added a section devoted to the language, and updated the main parts a bit. Enjoy! Added a section devoted to Hou-Zi religion! Read the whole thing fam :) I am serious, this is meant to be a genuine lore submission.

The Hou-Zi Aboriginals of Axios The Hou-Zi are a primate people native to the archipelago of Axios. Their native territory comprises the isles of Malin, Tahn and Asul. The Hou-Zi once had an empire that spanned the entire continent during neolithic times, but have crumbled and become a sparse people. Nowadays, they make their reclusive dwellings within the jungles of the isle of Asul, the ancient heartland of their people. They live by the creed of their Immortal Monkey King, Hou-Shen. Origins The Hou-Zi were an uplifted race. Once a species of monkeys like any other, they were a primitive animal incapable of fire, tools, architecture, or anything of the sort. Just like any regular primate. A Hou-Zi, pre-uplifting Fate smiled down upon this primate species however, as Dragur was looking for worthy candidates. This was a time before Dragur had dabbled with the race of Dragons or anything of that nature, still a relatively young deity at the time, experimenting with his power. He had observed his colleague Metzli and her creation of her own favoured race- the Kharajyr. Upon witnessing this, he too sought a race of mortals to do his own bidding. However, the age was still young. The elves, orcs, dwarves and men still walked with their forefathers, and would not turn to do his bidding. He implored Metzli to share with him the secret of creating a race of his own, but the Kharajyr-mother would not, wishing to be alone with this power of hers. Facing a lack of other options, Dragur turned to the already existing fauna of the land. The four descendent sentient races would not bend to him. Metzli would not show him how to create life of his own. He had to uplift a species that was already there. He spent seven years and seven days scouring the world, the various continents, until he came upon what would become Axios in the present day. The jungles in the isle of Asul were filled with thousands of creatures, many intelligent, many fierce, but none suited the Dragur’s needs. None until he came upon the primates. The primal ancestors of the Hou-zi. These monkeys pleased him. They were clever, they were quick, they knew how to hunt in a group, and above all else, they resembled the descendent races and the Kha, with two legs, two arms and two eyes full of life. He could work with this. So Dragur got to work. He approached a primate. This monkey was the alpha, the leader of the pack. He had twelve monkey wives, and no other monkey dared eat before him when it was time to feast. Dragur unlocked this monkey’s mind, opening it to sentience. To the idea of the future, the past, of fire, of the stars. The monkey would become Hou-Shen, the Monkey King. Dragur would perform all manner of lost arts and powerful magics on Hou-Shen in the coming days. Transforming his soul, his mind and his body. The Monkey King would soon live up to his title, growing strong, lean arms and legs much like the races of men and elves. Dragur gave Hou-Shen a crown of jade, and instructed him to go and be the prophet of his people. However, Dragur warned, Hou-Shen was to be the vessel of his will. For as long as his newly created people- the Hou-Zi- obeyed his will, he would shower them with prosperity. Hou-Shen did as Dragur commanded, unlocking the gift of sentience on all the monkeys in the jungle of Asul with power granted to him by the Daemon themselves. Soon, the Hou-Zi race was fully born, and their history began. History Jing-Taiyun, jewel of the Hou-Zi empire, in its prime The Hou-zi expanded and evolved their culture at an astonishing rate. Within two years they were forging their own steel. Within thirty, they had built their first palaces out of stone and jade. Guiding the Hou-zi through this entire process was Hou-Shen, teaching his subjects the wisdom imparted on him by Dragur himself. Expansion and Golden Age By the 50th year, Jing-Taiyun, the capital and center of Hou-zi civilization had been built. With their newfound sentience, the Hou-Zi developed a complex society. Hou-Shen and his sons- Hou-Wang, Hou-Da, and Hou-Xiao formed the top tier of society, ruling from the Jade-Monkey throne in Jing-Taiyun. Underneath them served the Ruling Council of Chi. The Ruling Council was made up of twelve Hou-Zi lords who governed over a respective territory of Hou-Zi land, which had expanded to encompass the entire ancient jungle of Asul. Hou-Zi society lived stably for awhile, but this was not to last. The Hou-Zi people were growing used to their luxuries and wished for more. So, Hou-Shen meditated upon the Jade-Monkey throne and sought the advice of the creator- Dragur. Dragur said: Expand your lands, lay low to those who oppose you. Turn this continent into the continent of the Hou-Zi. Hou-Shen complied, and the Hou-Zi conquest of ancient Axios began. A Hou-Zi warrior of the Fei-Zhu tribe, scouting out new lands for conquest. The Hou-Zi army was an unstoppable force. Hou-Shen the Monkey King was a terror to face in battle himself, those who faced him claimed he was immortal, unkillable. It could be said, however, that his enemies were hardly an even match. The lands that would become Axios had no other race which were the Hou-Zi’s equal. The elves who lived there were barely awakened, still primitive. The highly advanced Hou-Zi ransacked their villages with their bronze armour and weapons of jade. Captured villages and settlements were turned into tribute-nations. Those subjugated by the Hou-Zi were made to mine and forage for their new masters, forced to turn in a quota of bread and fruits, silver, gold, and most of all- Jade. The Hou-Zi population exploded as the race conquered more and more land, with more and more space to live in. Great Hou-Zi cities were erected. Dansui, whose golden streets were ruled by the first son of Hou-Shen, Hou-Wang. Khandarajin, whose towering spires were presided over by his secondborn, Hou-Da. Finally, Gaoshan, whose crystal palaces competed with the mountains in which they were built, ruled by Hou-Xiao. However, remaining the greatest of all the Hou-Zi cities was Jing-Taiyun, remaining in the jungle heartland of the Hou-Zi people. From there, Hou-Shen offered up much of the massive tribute his empire collected to Dragur, his creation god. Dragur was pleased by this, as it gave him more credibility and pride as a daemon to have such a powerful and obedient people in the mortal realm, conquering land and collecting wealth in his name. The Hou-Zi empire at its zenith, with all its major urban centres shown. Downfall It had been centuries since the Hou-Zi had been uplifted by Dragur. Their glorious jade empire was nearly as old. The Empire, however, had begun to stagnate. Dragur grew impatient as the flow of tribute and wealth to him through sacrifice had become equally stale. The Hou-Zi had been stopped in their northward expansion through the isle of Tahn. Elven tribes in the area had developed more advanced weaponry and were able to make the cost of invading their land outweigh the benefit of ruling it. Hou-Shen, the monkey king, had begun to show his age as well. His sons had all passed, Hou-Xiao the last, being tragically shot while leading a raid in the north, by elven rangers seeking to protect an elven child he had cornered. His sons had not been immortal, but Hou-Shen was. Towards the end, the ruling council of Chi reported Hou-Shen becoming more vacant, distant, he would take long walks in the moonlight, along the glorious jade palisades of his Jing-Taiyun palace. His people began demanding more conquest, more wealth, public opinion of the immortal monkey king began to turn. But, at the turning point of the Hou-Zi people… Hou-Shen, their eternal sovereign, disappeared into the night, never to return. The Partition of the Hou-Zi empire into four kingdoms after Hou-Shen’s dissapearance. With their immortal king gone, the Hou-Zi empire fell apart overnight. The Council of Chi factionalized and retreated to the various great cities across Axios to consolidate their power. The Kingdoms of Jing-Taiyun, Khandarajin, Dansui and Gaoshan were formed, all named after their capital cities, but all claiming to be the rightful successors to Hou-Shen and all Hou-Zi lands. Dragur was furious at this turn of events. His chosen champion had dissapeared, and what was left were a bickering race, too busy warring on one another to deliver him any tribute or act on his will. He descended upon each of the four kings of the partitioned empire and demanded a cease to all hostilies. A re-unification and the resumpton of the conquest of all of Axios. However, it was too late. Gaoshan, Dansui, Khadarajin and Jing-Taiyun were too entrenched in their rivalries and wars to listen to this daemon. What’s more, they felt no loyalty to Dragur. It had been Hou-Shen they followed, in his name they conquered barbarian lands, and his throne their tribute had gone to, not Dragur, who they had named the Awakener. Dragur was a god attributed to their creation, but little else. In their arrogance, the Hou-Zi ignored the Daemon in favour of continuing to war among themselves. Dragur knew he had failed. This race he had created had spun out of control, he could no longer use them as a vessel of his will. With that in mind, he began the eradication. The warring states of the Hou-Zi could do nothing to stop the onslaught of demons and fire which consumed their lands. In his endeavor, other daemons such as Metzli were glad to help, as she relished in Dragur’s failure and did not like the idea of other races existing to contest hers. Soon, what had once been a proud race and a mighty empire had been wiped off the face off the continent. A true apocalypse. Barely any ruins remained of once glorious cities. But, the daemons did not successfully finish their genocide of the species. A small group of Hou-Zi lived on, hiding away from the fiery death of their empire. They were few in number and leaderless, their homes gone. They were a clan that resided deep in the jungles of Asul, where their species had been born. There they remained, doing what they could to survive. The largest population of Hou-Zi today reside deep in that Asul jungle, avoiding contact with all other races whenever possible. They are few enough in number that descendent races may not have even learned of their existence. Yet, they hold onto the past, hoping to one day rebuild their empire, hoping that Hou-Shen, their immortal king, will return from his self-imposed exile and lead their people to glory once more. Perhaps someday, the empire of jade will be reborn. Physical Appearance The Hou-Zi are a monkey people. So, they resemble humanoid, sentient primates. Much like the Kharajyr, they too come in several sub-species. Some typical Hou-Zi, a Fei-Zi (Left) and Laobai-Zi (Right) ((Credit to Triplewing)) Laobai-Zhu The Laobai-Zi (literally: common folk) are the most common of Hou-Zi subraces. They were found all over the empire. They had fur usually in shades of brown and came in all shapes and sizes. Laobai-Zi are the more versatile and adaptable of the Hou-zi. the Laobai-Zu are said to be the line of Hou-Zi directly descended from the god-king's firstborn- Hou-Wang. Laobai-Zhu are the shortest lived of the Hou-Zi, reaching a lifespan of 80 to 100 years. Fei-Zhu The Fei-Zi resemble baboons, being by far the most colourful of the Hou-Zi species and said to descend from Hou-Shen's second son, Hou-Da. Fei-Zi are known for their multicoloured fur which can be blue, red, hues of yellow, or gold. Their faces are usually a contrast to their fur, a red-furred Fei-Zi would have a yellow face, for example. Fei-Zi are the smallest but most nimble of the Hou-Zi, being lithe in body, and around 5’ to 6’ feet in height. Fei-Zhu enjoy slight longevity, living a lifespan of 150 to 250 years. Hei-Zhu The Hei-Zi (black ones) most closely remember silverback gorillas, and are considered to have originated through the seed of Hou-Xiao, third son of Hou-Shen. Members of the Hei-Zi are most always black of fur and the burliest, strongest of the Hou-Zi subraces. They range from 6’5 to 7’ feet tall. Hei-Zhu are the longest lived of the Hou-Zi, experiencing a lifespan of 250 to 300 years. Culture The Hou-Zi developed a rich culture during their centuries as the dominant race of prehistoric Axios. Ancient Times The Hou-Zi were a culture that valued wealth above all else. Known for great materialism and hedonism, the Hou-Zi lavished in great displays of richness. The nobles and lordlings of the empire often made huge displays and ceremonies to show off their fortunes. Of all the symbols of wealth in the Empire, jade was the most important of them all. A jade cabbage. Naturally, all this wealth was possible due to the steady flow of tribute coming in from the conquered provinces of the Hou-Zi empire. This wealth also allowed Hou-Zi princelings to continuously out-do one another in architecture. Magnificent spires and palaces were erected in the various Hou-Zi cities. Typical Hou-Zi architecture during the golden age. Ancient Hou-Zi culture was lavish and rich beyond belief. At its heart was competition. The poor Hou-Zi would aspire to be rich and do whatever it took to get there, the rich Hou-zi would stop at nothing to display their wealth. Hou-Zi society was a constant chaotic hodgepodge of poor monkeys seeking to rise up, and rich monkeys constantly one-upping one another in a fierce competition to be the most famous, hedonist Hou-Zi in the empire. Modern Era Naturally, with their empire and great cities destroyed and most of their race killed off, Hou-Zi culture now is drastically different, devolved, even. A Hou-Zi village in the common era, built to be secluded. Hou-Zi now live a meager life of survival. They are mainly subsistence hunters and fishermen, living in thatched-roof huts and mud housing. The Hou-Zi seclude themselves for practical purposes, and pockets of Hou-Zi rarely see one another. When they do, they often trade simple goods. Some Hou-Zi still carry around pieces of the old empire with them. Trinkets of jewellery, or old weapons. These are highly sought after, and often traded from Hou-Zi tribe to tribe, especially any jade remaining among their people. Religion The Daemon Dragur was naturally the highest deity of the Hou-Zi. However, he was not their main diety. Dragur was known as the Awakener in the Hou-zi’s own tongue, for his role in bestowing sentience to the people. The Awakener was not actively worshipped, however, except when paying tribute to him through the spoils of the great empire. The Awakener played a background, omnipresent role in the Hou-Zi faith. However, it is Hou-Shen who captured the hearts, minds and faith of the Hou-Zi people. Hou-Shen was their immortal god, who lived generation upon generation as other Hou-Zi were born, lived and died. He seemed unkillable in battle and incorruptible as a ruler. He was worshipped as a living god among his people. A shrine to Hou-Shen, with his first son Hou-Wang presiding in front of him. Most of what little luxuries remain in Hou-Zi society go to decorating these shrines. Upon Hou-Shen’s disappearance, he went from being an actively worshipped living god to a mythical figure of legend. In the dying days of the empire, he had become a god like any other, frequently prayed to, but never truly there. Prayers in the last days of high Hou-Zi civilization often called for the return of Hou-Shen, the Monkey King, the god of their kin. In modern post-downfall Hou-Zi society, the remaining members of the species still cling to the memory of Hou-Shen. They believe he is prophesied to return some day, and bring his people back to glory. Shrines of his likeness are erected in every Hou-Zi mud village in the jungles of Asul. Modern depiction of Dragur in Hou-Zi society, shown as a wrathful dragon. Modern Hou-Shen revile Dragur, his title changed from the Awakener to the Doombringer. Any memory of Dragur creating the Hou-Zi has been wiped from the memories of the remaining members, and only resentment and anger of their civilization’s destruction remains. Dragur is a satanic figure in modern Hou-Zi faith. Language (Obviously, it’s mandarin chinese, albeit phonetically made to be a bit more english-speaker friendly and not a direct translation) The Hou-Zi language is lost to time. Any examples of it in written form were washed away by the wrath of Dragur during the purging of Hou-Zi civilization. Furthermore, the old Hou-Zi character system has been abandoned for a simplified phonetic system with letters adopted from the common tongue, which was picked up through sparse interaction with the descendant races. What is known of the Hou-Zi language to outsiders is only a smattering of words and phrases, listed below: Miscellaneous Nǐ hǎo - Hello. Nǐ hǎo ma - Are you well? Hóu - Monkey, cultural connotation: The Chosen Race Rén - People, person Huángdì - King Nǚwáng - Queen Shén - God Yù - Jade Zhǔ - Tribe, people group Cáifù - Wealth (Tā hěn cáifù: He’s wealthy, high in society) Xiōngdì - Comrade Zhànzhēng - War Shènglì - Victory Bùzhǎng - Minister (Title given to those on the Council of Chi) Place Names Jīng-Tàiyáng - Golden Sun Gāoshān - High-Mountain Dànsuǐ - Clear-water Khadharajin - High Spires ((This one isn’t chinese. It’s jibberish I made up.)) Phrases xiǎo dòng bù bǔ, dà dòng chī kǔ - A small flame is soon quenched (Destroy your enemy while he is small) Kōngxuéláifēng, wèibì wú yīn - Every why has it’s wherefore (Nothing is to be feared, only understood) Shuǐ néng zài zhōu, yì néng fù zhōu. - Water will just as surely sink a ship as it will keep it afloat. (What can help can also harm) Kě hóuzi dìguó rěnshòu wànnián! - May the Hou-Zi empire endure 10,000 years! Huángdì hóu-Shén wànsuì! - Long live God-king Hou-Shen! Yù shì hóu de xǐyuè - Jade is the joy of the Hou-Zi. Yīnjīng wèile shèng wángzǐ Ha'rambe chūlái - May we display our genitalia in memory of holy prince Ha’rambe. (Third son Hou-Xiao was known as Ha'rambe in some Fei-Zhu dialects of the Hou-Zi tongue) Modern Habitat The Hou-Zi live in areas they can survive without being noticed. This includes harsh mountain ranges, where they survive as hunters and herders, or dense forests. Currently, the only major pocket of remaining Hou-Zi is in the jungles of Asul, where the orcish race resides. However, small populations may still exist in the Giant’s Spine mountain range, or the forests of the wood elves. Possible places where Hou-Zi still exist. Asul is the only confirmed area. ((OOC)) THIS IS NOT A MEME. MY **** IS OUT FOR HARAMBE BUT THIS IS 100% SERIOUS LORE Okay so why did I make this lore? On a literal whim lmfao I just felt like it. But then I thought, hey, this could serve a purpose. Most people don’t seem to want another world-wide antag, especially not another demon-god who wants to (of course!) destroy the world. Personally, I’d like to see a more smaller-scale, group oriented antagonist, and I feel like this could be it. I would like to see the Hou-Zi interact with the descendent races, trying to reclaim their lost empire. Perhaps a story arc where Hou-Shen, their immortal king returns to them and they reclaim much of their lost technology and wealth. Maybe Azdromoth (the current main antag) descends down and makes an unholy deal with them, they serve his will, and in return Azdromoth returns the wealth and power of the Hou-Zi to them. The Hou-Zi are now tragically bound to the dark lord and made to serve his will, acting as emissaries and warriors of Azdromoth with the newly returned Hou-Shen as the main puppet and champion of the Arch-Dragaar. I’d like this to be at least considered and an LT takes the time to sit down and talk to me about it before a final verdict is made on this lore. Yes I threw in some memes and they aren't meant to be taken seriously, I just wanted to be fun. The rest of this lore is 100% serious, though. The meme references are just names I can replace in seconds, have a laugh, take the rest of the lore seriously though. Dragur doesn't have to be the one who created the Hou-Zi. I just don't know jack about Daemon lore. Any god-like or appropriately powerful being can have created them, and if needed, I can change it very easily. Chronologically, the Hou-Zi and their empire would have been long before the currently existing ancient history lore of the descendent races on Axios. Their empire is meant to be so old its almost prehistoric, predating the history of all other races. Hopefully this makes it easier to fit them in, lore-wise. I know this continent is meant for elven lore, and this piece shouldn't interfere with that. If you read my lore you'll see that I acknowledge the elves were 'here first'. In that the Hou-Zi actually conquer and subjugate some very early, prehistoric and primitive elven communities. These would be elven communities that would live on after the Hou-Zi empire was destroyed and develop into whatever current elven lore is. Anything and Everything in this lore is open to change in order to fit current Axios history Canon I’m aiming for this to be an ET/Event based race, with no real plans to turn it into a common player-played race. I would like the Hou-Zi to become a more unique and relatable antagonist to the playerbase, as there’s more room to interact with an alien but tragic people seeking to reclaim their glory, as opposed to a big evil dragon. Comparing these monkeys to easterner farfolk culture is like comparing 12th century Scandinavia to Renaissance Italy because they're both "western white people stuff", be culturally sensitive!

This is very unique, I'd love to see it implemented. +1

THE WOOD ELF APPEARANCE GUIDE Hi, yes, I’m making another one of these. Why? Because when I get bored I like to write to past the time. Also, the last appearance guide I made late at night on my birthday while I was pretty drunk. So without further ado, here is a thread for noobs and old players alike to follow when deciding what their wood elf should look like. Here we have a fairly typical trio of wood elves, I’ll go further into detail explaining what makes them unique. Skin Wood elf skin should most likely fall under this spectrum. You can go a big lighter or bit darker if you want. The key is to not look white. If your character is a pure wood elf, he will have tan to brown skin which is distinctly not caucasian looking. A half-high elf character will have reason to have paler skin, however. Hair & Eyes Hair As seen above, wood elf hair is typically on the darker side. These include dark reds, browns, blacks, and occasionally blonde. Blonde however, is more associated with wood elves with high elf blood in them. The following hair colours are your best bet if you want to make a wood elfy looking wood elf: Dark Red Coffee Brown Auburn Black Dirty Blonde (if part high elf) Hair dyes are general frowned upon in wood elf culture, but subtle green dyes are acceptable. Eyes Eyes are more varied among the wood elves, and depend more on what Seed you belong to. Caerme’onn, for example, more often will have green eyes. The Tahorrans would have yellow eyes, and Calithils blue. If you belong to no Seed or family at first, then eye colour is at your own discretion. Here are some good choices for you: Green (any shade) Blue Black Brown Yellow Note, purple eyes, while possible, are more of a high elf trait. Red eyes are extremely rare in wood elves and I wouldnt recommend making your wood elf red eyed unless he was part dark elf. Clothes Wood elves dress fairly conservatively, so you won’t see many flashy, flamboyant colours. A good rule of thumb when deciding what colours to dress your wood elf up is: “Do these colours naturally occur?” Obviously, greens are the most popular colour to go with, but things like the muted yellows and reds of a sunset are also a good route to go down, or the deep blue of an ocean. Seed Tattoos/Ilmyumiers Most likely, your character will end up getting tattoo’ed if they end up joining one of Laureh’lins many seeds, wood elf version of tribes. However, it is also possible to have your character belong to his very own seed! You can simply say you are the only member of a wild, nomadic seed who seeks a life in the big city with the city elves. A seed needs its own tattoo colour and design, and is usually on specific parts of their body, visible. These tribal tattoos are called ilmyumier. Example follow: Caerme’onn Seed Ilmyumier Colour: Dark Red Place: Arm or Face Torena Seed Ilmyumier Colour: Dark Blue Place: Face Aureon Seed Ilmyumier Colour: Dark Green Place: Face Tinuvial Seed Ilmyumier Colour: Dark Brown Place: Face/Arm Conclusion And those are essentially the main points in how to make a lore abiding wood elf. You do not need to follow these to a T, and you may take some creative liberties, especially if your character has blood of other races in them. However, for the most part, these need to be followed in order for your wood elf to be proper looking.

"In these lands, we call this type of attitude 'Malinorianism'. Cures to Malinorianism involve hard work, honesty and devotion to better your country." Replied a slightly less but still significantly lonely Prince Artimec Camoryn who does not indulge in anonymity.

I gave it a quick read over and it looks great, I think interacting with these things in RP would be neat +1

Agree essentially with this. Anyway it doesn't even make sense in RP. When I have to step away from the server I usually RP my druid as going off to live alone in the wilderness, where he'd certainly be using his gifts. So how are we supposed to RP long hiatuses for our characters, will we be forced to assume they went into cryogenic status in RP in which time they lost all their powers and need to get them 'unlocked'?