Fiction:The Firmament/High Elf

"We are the defenders of the world, the guardians of the great works of the Aether. Under our watchful gaze, the forces of darkness will never threaten its existence, for we will give our lives to ensure evil does not gain more footholds in our precious world. That I swear."

- Vaeric the Paragon, Regent-King of Aelvana

The high elves (Elven: Aesan) are one the cultures of elves of Telamon; specifically, they were the first from which the others came from. They rule over the kingdom of Aelvana in the western continent of Lesheron and are among the most powerful forces of the known world.

Biology
High elves share the same characteristics of their brethren, for they all belong to the same species; they are tall, slender humanoids, elegant in both appearance and movement and possessing of an almost supernatural grace. Compared to others Elves, the Aesan have fair skin, light hair and are the tallest in stature.

History
See Elven History

During their early days, high elves were not known as such; while unified under a single people in the nation of Eondrassana, they were known simply as elves. However, the Great War which devastated Dryadala forced many elves to travel across the sea to escape destruction. Led by the Regent-King named Bel-Vadhin the Saviour, they settled in the southern shore of Lesheron around the year 4,960 BL, founding the great port city of Ima Themar which would become the new center of their civilization, now named Aelvana.

Culture
High elves are a highly sophisticated and educated folk who put great emphasis on dialog, diplomacy, scholarship and philosophy, as well as martial prowess. Their culture is built around the foundation that evil such as that of the Greenskins and dark elves are threats not just to themselves but to the entirely of Telamon, and that they are to be the world's defenders against such forces of darkness. While seen in a positive light by many, certain folks see the high elves' dutiful and noble behavior as arrogant and sometimes condescending, though the Aesan themselves attempt to not underestimate other races; doing so was what led to their fall from grace before. That is not to say they are completely pure, however; they are as masterful in the arts of manipulation as they are in diplomacy, and while they prefer to have working relationships with others, they are easily capable of greatly undermining their rivals from the inside should they need to.

Religion
The high elves worship the light side of the Elven Pantheon, having forsaken its darker deities when they were claimed by the dark elves.

Relations with other races
As charismatic diplomats, the high elves have amiable relationships with many other races. The humans of the Lechnerlands are seen as valuable allies, and the lizardfolk of Merovaren are constant trading partners. The dwarves also have good relations with the Aesan, but the fact they remain largely underground means the two races do not interact often. They are the arch-enemies of the dark elves and the two cultures violently clash very often. The wood elves are cautious of the Aesan, seeing them as a people who abandoned them in the past, while the ashen elves are fond of their brethren from across the sea; while the high elves have dreams of a new unified elven empire, for now it remains unreachable.