The elves are elves. Which makes perfect sense if you’ve met one. Elves come from the Ancient Realm “Over-the-Seas”. Elves always have a tie to the Ancient Realm, the stronger the link, the more elvish they are. High Elves seem to carry a part of the Ancient Realm with them wherever they travel.
Some say the Svartalves are elves whose ancestors were corrupted by the powers of darkness. Others say they are elves who have abandoned or lost their tie to the Ancient Realm. Except for the Rardone, only elves and Svartalves can tell the difference.
Rardone! How to describe a Rardone? Well, just think of upright, clean-shaven, pointy-eared gorillas with table manners. And weapons. Big weapons. One in each hand, big weapons. What’s a gorilla? Well think of a hairy, hunched over, low-browed, round-eared Rardone with no table manners—and bad breath. I’ve never seen a gorilla with weapons, but then I didn’t think that anything with 300 plus pounds of muscle needed weapons, until I met the Rardone.
The Paflin [the most respected organization of warriors] respect them.
They claim they are elves—the Rardone, not the gorillas—or at least Svartalves. No one seems inclined to argue the point with them. They aren’t magical like elves. They aren’t delicate like elves. I guess pointy ears make one an elf. Well, the fact that the Bropha and the Chustéri think that they are elves should probably count for something.
They like to fight. They like two-handed fighting styles, and I don’t mean one weapon in two hands. No! First of all, a two handed weapon is about the right size for them to use in one hand. Secondly, they, like everyone else, have two hands and can see no reason to leave the other one empty. Particularly in a fight.
They are quite creative in weapon choices. Pitch fork and broadsword; great sword and hatchet; glaive and pickle fork [just kidding: pickle fork doesn’t draw enough blood or pierce armor very well].
The Rardone have two allied svartalven clans: the Bropha and the Chustéri.
The Chustéri come in two types: archers and mages. Both carry sticks but one group adds a string and puts arrows wherever they want, the other don’t use a string and put all manner of things wherever they want, like lightning bolts, fire balls, mists, etc. Both types are good at hiding in the woods. At least they act like elves.
The Chustéri prefer wood lands in the foot hills of mountains. Most live in clusters of small villages while others live in wagons and travel from area to area.
Horse folk. They travel in clans, in yurts, with their “children”. Their “children” are horses they call ponies. Their ponies can only be considered ponies if you compare them to large, over muscled war steeds. Bropha ponies are light, strong horses with stamina. While traditional cavalry are lumbering across the field in impressive display of thundering intimidation, the Bropha will dash in, fill you with arrows and be gone before the cavalry can wheel to face them.
Copyright © 2021 by Robert W. Dills