Deep within the woodlands of Alfeim lies the elven city of Ellesméra. A land of exceptional and magical beauty, it has been inhabited over millenniums by the elves, whose magic and connection to nature have enriched the forest beyond its natural allure. The elves that live in Ellesméra sing to trees and plants in their magic language to get them to grow and shape themselves in the way the elves want. It is how many of the forest’s houses, bows, and other wooden items are made.
The Forest City
The pinewood forest in which Ellesméra dwells is enchanted with millenniums of the spells and magical presence of the elves. Its beauty is matched only by that found in the other major elven cities and forests on Alfheim. The pine trees grow unnaturally tall and dense throughout the verdant forest, where lively rivers and sparkling lakes further adorn the land.
As throughout Alfeim, Ellesméra has many mysteries and dangers, especially for any outsider. The elves have lived in the forest for thousands of years, and old spells still linger in unexpected places; magic permeates the air, the water, and the earth. In places it has affected the animals. Sometimes strange creatures are found roaming the forest, and not all of them friendly.
Within the city of Ellesméra the presence of elven civilization is almost unnoticed due to its fluidity with the existing nature. The elves sing their buildings and houses out of trees. Many visitors do not even notice the city’s architecture until further concentration reveals it. Flora and fauna of Elysian beauty decorate every structure within the city.
Culture
The elves of Ellesméra are a secretive and mysterious people. They speak to each other only in their ancient tongue, and do not like sharing their customs with outsiders. They are extremely appreciative of nature and its gifts. They celebrate all things of beauty, primarily poetry, songs, and art. Elves as a race have an innate connection to nature and magic, and all the elves in Ellesméra hold some proficiency in magic at varying degrees between individuals.
On the surface the elves residing within Ellesméra seem to be a people characterized by perpetual jolliness and a youthful glee. They spend their days smiling, laughing, and singing songs. However further knowledge of their kind reveals a deeper sophistication and utmost respect for social etiquettes. They consider the mind a more critical tool than any weapon, and expect all beings to be able to communicate tactfully and display the upmost principals of a civilized society. The elves speak in riddles or roundabout expressions, leaving those who do not frequently communicate with them confused or lost entirely. Above all else the elves value beauty, nature, and the practice of logic in all aspects of life.
The results of immortal life also become apparent in the elves behavior. They can go from merriment to deep contemplation within a single moment, and spend days to weeks on end in a state of complete silence and introspection. Time has lost its meaning on the people of Ellesméra.
Government
For many millenniums Ellesméra was ruled under a monarchy. This monarchy is traditionally passed down through bloodline. Both men and women hold equal rights in the elven society, thus many queens have governed over Ellesméra. However the rules and politics of Ellesméra did not hold authority throughout Alfeim, making the need for a formal government within the city less and less necessary over time.
In modern times, the Ellesméra monarchy is no longer formally recognized. The elves principals of civility and peace do not require any explicit laws or punishments, because no crimes are ever committed.
Since Evandar’s presence in Ellesméra, the city’s population has looked to him as a source of guidance and leadership during any internal or external conflicts; however he is not recognized as any form of formal ruler over the city.
The Aether Circle
Amora the Enchantress traveled to Alfeim alongside her eternal companion Valdar, after both gods were sentenced to exile from Asgard due to their responsibility in igniting a war between Asgard and Earth. The gods ventured through many of the forest’s woodland perils before finding the elven city of Ellesméra. Here Amora sought out the Elf Prince Evandar, whom she knew from his many visits to Asgard. Together they discussed the perilous position of magic throughout the Nine Realms, eventually agreeing to form a guild of magic beings committed to the magical affairs throughout the Nine Realms: The Aether Circle.
The Aether Circle is a small cabal of magic users or individuals who have ties to the supernatural. They commit to no permanent morality. With members of various origins and abilities, the Aether Circle is able to influence and control magical affairs throughout the Nine Realms but most prevalently on Earth. ‘Aether’ was once denoted as a substance believed to occupying space beyond the sphere of the moon, or as a substance that permeates all space including the interstices between particles of matter. And as its namesake, the Aether Circle’s presence is everywhere.
Silveran – Base of the Aether Circle
The Aether Circle’s base resides within the city of Ellesméra, in a tree known as Silveran. The massive pine tree received its name for the unusual coloring of its bark and leaves, which reflect gentle silver unlike the verdant green of the rest of the forest. Upon being settled in by Amora and Evandar, Silveran was shaped to suite a group of residence. As all the architecture of Ellesméra is designed, Silveran was carved through magic out of the forest itself. It is the city’s second largest structure after the royal palace.
The base provides all the amenities required by the members of the Aether Circle. Lavish living quarters are founds throughout Silveran’s massive infrastructure. Amora’s spells allow each living quarter to appear however desire by the inhabiting member of the Circle, whether it be of the elves natural architecture or of modern design. The rest of the base’s interior design is similarly blended from elven and modern amenities, including the living room, kitchen, study, and training room.
The Aether Circle’s primary form of protection is the near impossible entry into Alfeim. Once within the magical dimension, the elves millenniums of spells and wards surrounding Ellesméra have made the city nigh impossible for any being of magic or mortal to discover before being driven mad wandering through the Veiled Forest.
The combined magic of Amora and Evandar has surrounded the Silveran with countless barriers to protect against magic or technological offenses. The tree’s bark is born of magic means, making it strong as any metal found on Earth and just as durable against assault.
Rules:
Standard RPG rules (no godmodding, auto-hitting, mass destruction, etc.)
Request for permission to access Ellesméra, and if granted, sell the difficulties of finding it
When I was younger and the first movie had just come out I was so so so enthralled with him. And I was also a super super hard kid to get up for school. It was a legit fight in the mornings and a huge struggle for my parents to get me up and make sure that I stayed that way. One morning my dad came in to wake me up, and I was at that spot between being awake and asleep where reality isn't really a concept. And my dad says to me 'Legolas is on the phone for you'. Nor Orlando Bloom. Legolas. I booked it out of bed and sprinted into the kitchen to the phone before it hit me what my dad had said.
@adriana_huntington: LOL! Ok I wasn't that bad. But I did have posters upon posters on my walls as a shrine to him (both as Orlando and Legolas). But you win... THIS TIME!
Rays of adorning sunlight caught the silver gleam of Evandar’s long, fine hair. He stood tall and fair, as all his people did; but with the ethereal grace of his form came an undeniable aura of danger. With his elegance came his power, and with his calmness came his ferocity.
The Elf Prince continued walking down the smooth steps of the Silver Pine, away from the pinewood home and into the forest of Ellesméra. The city had been his home for so long now, he had become immutably attuned to every plant and creature that lived within its verdant expanse. Their consciousness had become a part of his conscious, and he now felt that he breathed with the forest itself.
He dropped lightly from the massive branch he had treaded on and onto the pine needle littered floor of the forest. Through breaks in the forest’s canopy he spotted several native elves dancing through the trees, their lightness on their feet making it appear as though they were merely floating from branch to branch.
As he walked, he wondered about the decision he had made to accept allegiance with Amora the Enchantress. He had enjoyed several visits to Asgard, back when he lived in his homeland of Alfheim. There the elves appreciated the gods passionately, revering them for their divine beauty and wisdom. As a people the elves admired beauty above nearly anything else, and their love for the Goddess of Beauty herself knew no limits. However Evandar’s experienced told him of the true cunning and cruelty that lied within Amora’s heart.
When she came to him alongside her savage companion Valdar, Evandar felt immediately inclined to deny her ingress. However the elves were nothing without logic, a trait the Elf Prince exhibited to the highest degree among his people. He could not deny Amora’s reasoning that the state of magic and its children were in need of protection.
She had lived among the people of Ellesméra for several months now, dazzling them with her enchanting beauty and peerless magical craft. But Evandar feared what true intentions lied beneath the beautiful portrait of the goddess.
His footsteps led him to the bank of a wide river that ran throughout the massive forest. His grey eyes watched as the water rush passed him and into the distance beyond. He knew for this circle to work, for the magic of the universe to be preserved, it would take more than just himself and the Enchantress working together. With the sound of the river giving course to his stream of thoughts, he reached into the surge of magic energy within him.
His task would weary him, but was not beyond his realm of magic ability. He stretched his consciousness beyond himself, beyond Ellesméma, and beyond the Veiled Forest itself, until he could feel his presence touching on Earth. Once there, he dispelled a single flare of magic energy, before allowing his psyche to return to his body on the riverbank.
He knew only the most attuned of mystics would have felt his magic flare, which came with it only images of his location as well as the entrance to the Veiled Forest. He hoped it would be enough to attract another child of magic to the city of elves, and to the Aether Circle.
He'd grown into a darker and bolder spirit, Ambrosius. Through trickery and deceit, intellect and sorcery, he'd done away with a cast of enemies said by rumors and whispers to be omnipresent. He didn't deal in rumors, the Dark Wizard. He dealt in magic. And his was simply greater. No longer oppressed by the role of a fugitive, he forged himself into a charming extrovert whose flair was swashbuckling, and whose air was cool. "What do you long for, Ambrosius?", asked his companion, her eyes of hazel, dark and predatory, studying his suave visage with tame interest. She was a rational woman, always in control, always a character of self-possession.
"The preservation of magic"
"Adventure? Spiritual communion?". Her questions were plentiful. Tucking strands of her mahogany hair behind her ears, she leaned forward, features held in interest, her mind and heart captured in fascination. "The preservation of magic", Ambrosius answered, his timbre, smoother than silk, and his Portuguese inflection conjuring an appeal that was exotic and adventurous. A Cuban cigar in one hand, a fine Montecristo No. 2, and a whiskey glass in another, Johnnie Walker's Double Black, the Dark Wizard first sucked on his cigar and exhaled a cloud of smokey gray. "Why do you ask?", he inquired, subtly deflecting from himself, attention. "Simply making conversation", she shrugged, her pouty lips wearing a cordial smile. "Why the preservation of magic then?".
Now bringing his whiskey glass to his lips, and indulging in a sip as the alcohol burned a stream of fire down his throat, the Dark Wizard's lips welcomed a smirk, his head mildly tilted to the side. "That isn't quite the question, is it? Why not the preservation of magic?", he paused, his gaze holding hers, his eyes whose liquid hue and color were never constant, stirring her repressed longings for adventure, for a thrill, for danger. "Magic offers a complete release from the limitations of life, assuming one is afflicted with such", she quipped, natural wit lingering at the curling edges of his mouth, "Magic is a gate to a world that rational and monotonous spirits cannot reach, let alone grasp". His words reflected her fantasy. With his words, Ambrosius became an artist, painting the illusion longed for by the heart of his companion.
He spoke of a world where magic begot freedom. Where one was not trapped within the limited roles that the rational world expects all to play. And as he spoke, and excited her spirit with his words, she found herself drawn, attracted to this extrovert who was more fluid than she. She found his presence alluring yet ambiguous. His aura kept her at ease and his talk of magic left her spirit playful and her heart transported back to the golden age of her childhood. Left to imagine more of him than there was, to convince herself of his being a great figure of her fantasy, her emerald eyes did not bear witness to his reaction. To what? She couldn't possibly know. It was magic. An energetic burst of it, one that inspired, in Ambrosius' spirit, a sentiment that was extraordinary and inspiring. "I'm afraid I must leave, querida", Ambrosius told, rising from his seat.
A second or two, her memory of him had been wiped, and through a portal, he vanished. And from another, he emerged, Ermenegildo Zegna-clad, and with the rich scent of cigar smoke lingering all about him. Coolly he smoothed his dark curls back, and found his senses met by splendor as he wandered, pausing only at the sound and sight of a streaming river, its water sparkling like a body of liquid diamonds. Around it was a forested expanse of greenery beautified by the vibrancy of flowers whose cocktail of fragrances left the air a perfumed atmosphere that seduced and captivated. He could smell the rich, brisk and deep scent of lavender refreshing his mind and senses. The sweetness and delicate complexity of fine roses. And the addictive aroma of flowers that did not exist in the mortal plane. In this domain, the colors ran like water, and its beauty seemed omnipresent. To his far left, he spotted an elf.
Tall and graceful, elegant in his swagger, and undoubtedly the source of the supernatural flare that stretched beyond the boundaries of this domain. "That my friend, was quite the flare".
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