Elf, Ghost
PC Statistics
Base Race: Elf
Ability Score Adjustments: -2 Str +4 Dex -2 Con
Favored Class: Wizard
Feats:
Special Abilities:
- Sleeplessness
- Hardiness vs. Enchantments
- Skill Affinity: Listen
- Skill Affinity: Search
- Skill Affinity: Spot
- Keen Senses
- Lowlight Vision
- Emits faint green light (penalty to hide skill)
Notes:
- Ghost Elves appear as selected in character creation, but glow green. This has a negative impact on the hide skill.
- Ghost Elves can become Arcane Archers per avlis_main1_6 hak.
Overview
Ghost elves are the more delicate and genial creation of Dru'El. Like their Avlissian elven cousins, they have lengthy lifespans and spend much of their time in contemplation and perfection of nature's beauty. Though they are more accepting of non-elven races than some of their kin, these beauties are rarely seen outside of their home nation of T'Nanshi, for they can think of little reason to leave the peaceful security of their birthplace. Ghost elves live among the Avlissian elves in peace, and often make small communities of their own within the elven nation of T'Nanshi.
Personality
Ghost elves have a very delicate manner to go with their exquisitely elegant frame. It is said that they are the more creative of Dru'El's two elven races, because many ghost elves pursue art and beauty as fulltime endeavors. Over their long centuries of life they learn much and perfect their artistic skills to a level unattainable by the shorter-lived races of humans and dwarves. Unbearably calm in most cases, ghost elves are at peace with the world and themselves. Even when conflict arises they provide no resistance to the fact that it has knocked on their door. They simply deal with it in whatever way is appropriate, either by changing the situation or leaving. All the while they seem to know that all things are part of nature's test to get one to know oneself. Ghost elves revel in that test and see it as part of the neverending dance of nature, between predator and prey, sun and moon, good and evil.
Ghost elves are extremely fragile, with females being more fragile than the males. This adds much to their beauty, and humans especially are wildly attracted to ghost elves. Inerestingly enough, female ghost elves are also wildly attracted to human males. They are consistently curious to know a human male, and to revel in his physical splendor. However, when they give in to their curiosity and their desire, it can be dangerous to them because of their frailty.
As with any race, those that become adventurers tend to be a bit sturdier and more capable than their peers.
Physical Description
With an exotically alluring appearance, ghost elves are unlike any other race in Negaria. Almond-shaped eyes of bright yellow, with some specimens having light green tinges adorn their faces, and their gleaming soft golden hair is most often worn at shoulder length and longer. They stand as tall as their cousins, with males reaching 5 feet in rare cases, and females rarely exceeding 4 1/2 feet tall. Their frame is sensuously shapely and incredibly thin and light. Aside from these attributes, the most enthralling thing about ghost elves is that their skin glows with a bright golden light. When they are in this state, they appear almost transparent, non-corporeal, and immensely beautiful. A ghost elf will glow in this fashion one hour for every hour spent in the sun. When in direct sunlight, they still appear to glow because they are merely reflecting some of the light that strikes them. This does not hurt the eyes of a normal humanoid, but it does make for a rather dashing appearance.
Female ghost elves are often too frail and delicate to withstand the rigours of adventure out in the wilds, though they are often coveted for their beauty and grace. Only male ghost elves are physically strong enough to bear the strain of combat and survive. Due to their legendary delicacy, female ghost elves never engage in combat or other physically straining activities against non-ghost elves if they wish go on living. Male ghost elves are weaker than their cousins, though still often make their way out in search of activity.
Ghost elves prefer light wispy clothing, sometimes made of see-through fabrics that are opaque in all the right places. Some of the greatest seamstresses in the world are ghost elven women who have spent millennia perfecting the art of the perfect clothing.
Relations
Ghost elves are the least xenophobic of all the elven races, due to their refined concepts of acceptance and non-resistance to life. They largely come into contact with and establish populations along with their Avlissian elven brethren. The relations between these two groups are fairly harmonistic, but some circles of Avlissian elves view the ghost elves as being too lofty and detached to make real inroads into government and the protection of their society. This can sometimes lead to the views that they are second-class citizens, but rarely does conflict start from this because the ghost elves do not take offense at the insinuation. For the few ghost elven males and females that had governmental aspirations, the Avlissian elves have received them well and not hindered their political progress in most cases.
Humans seem to be favored by ghost elven females, though the males have other opinions based on their past experiences with war and politics. Other races are generally viewed with a neutral attitude until they give the ghost elves reason to act in one direction or the other. Most often, this race is concerned with promoting its own internal goodness and harmony with nature, and rarely encroaches on other races to force them to do the same. However, they are staunch defenders of their cares if they need to be.
Alignment
Ghost elves are usually staunchly good and chaotic. They are even more purely chaotic than their Avlissian elven cousins, believing that government is completely unnecessary in a society that polices itself on an individual level. Knowledge of their own heart is their main concern, as they see it being the road to helping others and making the world a more harmonious place to live.
Ghost Elf Lands
The vast majority of ghost elves live within the borders of T'Nanshi. In the technical sense, they are an equal part of the national entity there, however in practice they do not concern themselves very often with the government's affairs. There are two basic kinds of ghost elven settlements: those that exist in isolation, and those that are integrated with Dru'Elian high elf settlements. Isolated settlements of ghost elves are located throughout T'Nanshi. They rarely send representatives to the government and are largely ignored to allow them to live in peace. Integrated settlements are more likely to contain ghost elves that wish to be more active in society, and to participate in the local affairs of state. These places are also likely to contain ghost elven merchants who peddle the wares made by their kin in the isolated settlements.
Religion
Ghost elves primarily worship Dru'El, their creator. They also have their own belief system that leans towards animism, the belief that all things in nature have souls and are conscious beings. Since they are so concerned with nature, they will often also give homage to other nature gods depending on necessity.
Language
Ghost elves have their own flowing dialect of elven, which seems to glow as much as they do, and most of them can speak the common tongue. Elven dialects from ghost elves and Avlissian elves are mutually intelligible, and mainly differ with accent.
Names
Though last names signify families, the ghost elves put little stock in family hierarchy and nobility. Some noble families have existed in the past, but they were largely written off by their ghost elven kin as being too involved in the affairs of the unnatural world. First names are often derived from elven words for seasons and other natural phenomena.
Male Names
Avinetzeth, Avinzonyan, Avivinder, Hirefyadover, Kaytzamin, Kaytzmegen, Piri'stovanen, Shelegen'hiref, Stovalen, Stoyeyin
Female Names
Aviviyana, Beratha'kaytza, Hirefya, Kaytzehoova, Kohaviviya, Kohavastova, Labarefya, Maim'aviviya, Stovakaya, Yoofestova
Family Names
Reth, Kohav, Levan'roo, Sher'shelega, Zamenaena
Adventurers
All ghost elf adventurers are male because of the inability of their females to withstand the rigors of travel and combat. It is not often that a male ghost elf is persuaded to leave his home, but when he does, it may be due to a severe problem or threat to nature, or his home settlement. Some ghost elven males also make their living as traveling merchants, though many adventurers wind up as rangers or druids because of their love of the natural world.