Elves

"The Elves of Menune are regarded by the other races to be the most secretive of all mortal races. It is talked among common folk and noblemen alike that before their purging of the Karakassi during the Fangfall War, the Elves hid behind magical barriers that shrouded their existence from the world, speculating that they were forced to defend their borders after the unchecked expansion of the Karakassi on Karalas.

This is indeed just folk-lore, and the real truth behind the elves' existence on Menune goes far beyond the understandings of mortal minds."

~Excerpt from 'Travelling Tales', a book written by the Unnamed Traveler, after his supposed world-wide journey.

Anatomy
Elves are slender beings, often taller than 6 feet and carrying slim builds for their height. Despite this, Elves are very strong and highly dexterous, able to readily wield a bow, blade and shield in battle. Though they much prefer to exert their magic prowess in battle, the spear is a favored weapon amongst most Sun Elves. However, it is up to the will of each Elf to choose their own weapon of battle, a tradition that starts from a very early age when an adolescent Elf is first drafted into the military during a ceremony known as "The Coming of Age."

Culture
Though for a long time enacted amongst all three races of elves, the Sun Elves are the only ones who to this day still believe in a mandatory military service. From a very young age, at the first signs of adolescence, an Elf will be taken from their family, and while this is predominantly a voluntary action due to strong religious beliefs throughout Elven culture, a few noted cases exist where young elves have refused to leave their families and as such brought shame to them.

At the beginning of their training a young Elf will be introduced to the concepts of physical hand-to-hand combat, as Elves naturally learn magic the same way most races learn to speak it was determined that in order to gain the strongest possible warriors an Elf must learn to wield themselves before they are permitted to wield magic.

Once an Elf has mastered their skill with the hand a tool is placed within that hand, and a young Elf is permitted to choose any tool they see fit and submit that request to the arcane smiths of Zen'Solari. This chosen weapon then becomes an extension of the Elf. They fight with it, eat with it, sleep with it, and if necessary, die with it.

At the end of every week a random pair are selected to engage in a 'Friendly' duel, permitted only to use the blunt edge of their weapon, and if no blunt edge exists, they must use their hands. The purpose of this is to instill into each Elf that all life has meaning, even the lives of those who would stand against you. It teaches a sense of discipline unseen in any other race and allows each Elf to further master their chosen weapon.

Upon achieving mastery of their weapon, an Elf is subjected to a trial, in which they must duel a graduated member of the military academy. During this trial an Elf must successfully land 3 contact 'strikes' on their opponent, whilst also receiving none themselves, and while this usually takes many attempts often spanning years of training, there are noted exceptions where young Elves have bested their opponents during their first attempt. A well known tale is that of Aemeron Silverlight, who delivered his blows so fast that it was only upon medical examination of his opponent that the 3 strikes were verified. This exercise ensures that all graduating Elves are at-least as good or better than the previous generation.

Passing this test permits an Elf to progress on to graduation, where they are given the choice to continue service, join one of the many Orders of Elven society, or take up a trade such as becoming a merchant or farmer. And while most leap at the opportunity to further their service or join an Order, it is not uncommon for some young Elves to desire a simpler, slower way of life.

Extended Military Service
Should an Elf choose, they may continue training within the military academy, during which they will be introduced to the basics of weapon imbuing techniques. These techniques enable an Elf to sharpen their weapon, make their swings heavier, or even channel the powers of the Elemental Planes through their weapon. The culmination of these teachings is when the Elf is subjected to a trial of stamina, during which they are required to carry out basic day to day tasks all whilst maintaining their weapons imbuement over the course of 3 days. This trial is exhausting as the Elf will not be able to maintain the imbuement while asleep and thus must forgo such luxuries, and during the trial an invigilator will routinely inspect the weapon to ensure it is imbued and not enchanted, as the two are vastly different schools of magic.

Once this trial has been passed the Elf will be given three paths to pursue, The Path of the Bow, Spear, or Bulwark. Each specializing in a key area of the Elven military structure, these paths help to consolidate an immense force of 7 armies, known as 'The 7 Guards of An'Solari (The Rising Sun)'.

This culmination of these 3 military doctrines allows the Sun Elves to maintain a firm grasp of Karalas, with at least one of the 7 Guards posted at all times at the Sun's Barricade, as well as another protecting Zen'Solari. There has never been a recorded event in history where all 7 Guards have linked shields during a single battle, however during The Gaelrath Insurrection 3 Guards marched forth beyond the Sun Barricade to scour and scorch all land within 10 miles of the Barricade so that any army attempting to move against it would struggle to maintain supplies and become weakened. This was also the last time any official military force stepped beyond the Barricade, though small covert scouting parties occasionally patrol the Scoured Lands searching for any signs of a potential offensive force.

Path of the Bow
Should an Elf wish to study the Path of the Bow, they are first subjected to an initiation. During this initiation they are given 1 weeks worth of basic training with a bow, and are then cast out into the wilderness to survive for 12 weeks, with nothing but an intentionally poor quality bow and two arrows. Originally, it was long believed that an Elf should be able to survive with just one arrow. However, Bow-Master Varrys Shimmerlight declared that "Any wise Elf should be prepared for any eventual outcome, one arrow may fell a beast of prey, but leaving a recruit open to predators would ultimately not be truly reflective of their skill, lest we give them the tools to defend themselves." ultimately leading to the official rule of two arrows.

During this trial, the Elf is monitored by an enchanted pendant designed to detect even the faintest of magical energies, as recruits are not permitted to use magic in any way during their trial and instead must rely solely on their prowess with a bow. Once the trial is passed, the Elf is permitted access to the knowledge needed to imbue arrows before they are loosed from a bow, as well as being given a bow crafted by a Master-Bowyer. They are then given the freedom to choose when to undertake their next trial, where a Bow-Master will evaluate their techniques and decide whether or not they are ready to progress. Most Elves dare not spend less than 5 years perfecting their skills with both bow and magic, studying laboriously under the teachings of graduated Archers and Bow-Masters.

Once deemed ready to progress, the Elf will be awarded with their own complete set of light armour, designed specifically to enhance skill with a bow. As part of this set, a Cloak of Camouflage is given to the Elf, granting them the ability to, whilst remaining perfectly still, remain unseen to all but the most magically attuned beings. This gives those who follow the Path of the Bow a distinct advantage on any battlefield, allowing ambushes to be made in any terrain, from open fields to jagged mountains.

'It is said that Master Varrys once felled a dragon in a single shot, imbuing his arrow with the power of the sun itself, burning a hole clean through the beast! Let us hope his old age has not hindered his vision after all these years!' ~Lord Marshall Hakkhan inspiring his troops before the final battle of the Gaelrath Insurrection