The Elves of Oram

The tallest of all elves (on average at around seven feet tall), the Aline have the second-highest population. Their hidden, ancestral cities are often mistaken for natural mounds throughout grasslands and prairies east of the Biennora-Abfil mountain range. They are also found frequently in diversified cities, where they are oftentimes hired as skilled surveyors, land engineers, and archaeologists.

The Faerm are desert-dwelling sand elves. At their peak, they enjoyed nothing more than a good fight and perfected the art of ambushing their prey. However, their aggression resulted in an ongoing war with the Ukulu whose superior size and fear of elven magic was more than a match for the slim Faerm. To survive, stragglers have tried to unite and roam the Uruk deserts together. However, they fight nearly as much amongst themselves as they do against the ukulu, so it is not a peaceful existence. If something doesn’t happen soon, they will find themselves extinct.

Living within cone-shaped rock formations in the deserts of Ubarra, the Kharne have come back from near extinction during the World Burn War. Their tall but slim bodies allow them to navigate narrow crevices that larger-bodied elves cannot enter. They are excellent cave explorers and have located one of the largest gold ore veins in Oram. Their immunity to fire and superior strength make them natural minors and blacksmiths.

The Khunz elves live in kauri trees atop hills or within lowland forests. Because these trees suffer from soil compaction, Khunz homes are connected by bridges and swings just below the canopy. Kauri trees are highly prized for shipbuilding, so Khunz stay clear of coastal locations. The Khunz are fiercely protective of their forest cities. They utilize the trees’ interconnected root system to send messages and alarm calls from one city to another. Khunz elves typically stay away from small cities where their unique coloring stands out. They often visit highly diverse cities during their Sodaphari, but they seldom choose to live there.

The Muuns are an extinct line of moon-kissed elves that went extinct when the last of them was killed during the World Burn War. Very little is known of their history except that they lived within or near fresh water rivers and lakes.

These pale elves are seldom seen south of Alalngar. They inhabit year-round snow-covered mountain ranges in the far north. Their cities are difficult to reach by any but the most determined and robust hikers. Because their homes are nearly inaccessible, they have the third-highest population of all the elves. Instead of competing for resources with markali, who prefer the bare and treacherous mountain peaks, the Peeq keep to the deciduous and evergreen forests that grow in slightly lower elevations. The Peeq are by far the largest of all the elves–almost as tall as the Aline but with stockier bodies that have made them impervious to the cold. They are nearly invisible against the snow, making them excellent hunters during most of the year.

The Pexri can be found in any humid or tropical forest that is near a large body of water, as well as in most swamps. They can breathe underwater and use waterways whenever they are available. To stay hidden from the majority of the world, they live primarily within the base of trees and utilize underwater entrances. They are not excellent tree-climbers, but they are very strong and use low-hanging tree vines to navigate the forests when water travel is not available. They have a strong population but have nowhere near the numbers that the Aline, Peeq, and Qyan enjoy.

The Phxy are quite strong and muscular. They average about five and a half feet tall. They live inside trees that are molded by the elf and tree together to create a unique home that caters to the individual’s lifestyle. They prefer redwood forests where they can stay unnoticed. Sodafari’s are usually done in groups and most often as a means to relocate completely. It’s not uncommon for multiple groups from various locations to team up and form new forest cities.

The water-breathing Qyan are found in the cold waters of the ocean. Those that live on land full-time are rare, but they usually convene on remote islands or visit coastal cities for family reunions and in search of mates. Because of their webbed hands and feet and the fins that grow along their forearms and calves, they are often confused with merkama, another umanid underwater species. At only five feet in height, they are one of the smaller elven subspecies, but they are also the most populous.

The Xandri are warm-water ocean-dwelling elves. The largest community of Xandri are located along the northern coastline of Dumuzid. Although they can breathe underwater, for millennium many of them chose to live within the seaside cliffs of Garadakha. The cliffside city was abandoned when the last remaining royal died without an heir.