Our Race

….. When Gelthena created the Nu'Valatha'Gelvani she imbued each with the characteristics of a paternal deity. These are the fathers of our races; Fey Kalyn, Ilnysh, Kelamin, and Zarthandir. We are Gel'vani (our mother's children), and as such are one, but it is the blood of our fathers that make us different. Each of our blood-lines is distinctive in appearance, prowess, priorities and demeanor.
….. There are many things the bloodlines have in common. Our society is matrilineal, as it is in Arvanis, with women holding authority over the family and communities. Each realm is ruled by a Thena (queen), excepting Shanothyr where the Drey-Gelvani still hold to their ideal of a war-king. However, even amongst their kind women hold authority in the home. We share a profound love for the woodlands which so remind us of our eternal home. Gelthena is a goddess of nature, her daughters and sons breathed life into this world, and so we have a connection to the wilderness that few other mortal races understand. We build our homes and cities in harmony with the woodlands, and priests of our goddesses are granted great power over nature so as to allow us to build the homes we need without devastating the landscape. The Gelvani are also of the eternal realms, being outcasts of Arvanis, and as such we have a natural affinity with shamora (magic; lit. that which causes change). It is part of our daily lives, a tool no different than those of wood or stone that make our lives easier. Unfortunately, we are all also mortal, though our bodies are eternal. We do not age and rarely become ill. But, our bodies can die; a cruel aspect of our curse of which we learned only upon our first encounter with the orog (orcs) on this mortal realm. It was their brutal slaughter of so many of our people that created a common hatred for their violent race, which has persisted throughout the generations.
….. We Gelvani are the children of the sun and the moon, and thus when either is in the sky we are fully alert. We sleep only in the dark of night. All Gelvani have keen eyesight, that allows the pale light of a crescent moon to illuminate even the darkest night. We see just as well by day, and have a naturally far sight. In appearance some say we are similar to the duneimen, but that is because we are all children of Naeja. Unlike the mortal races, though, we have some characteristics that make us uniquely Gelvani. Our ears are long and tappered, our eyes are almond shaped and bear two rings of color with the inner surrouding the pupil usually brighter than the outer. Our flesh has a warm glow, is unblemmished and does not weather with age. Our full silken hair never falls out or fades, though it grows nowhere else upon face or form. Our bodies are thin and lithe, and though some of us can develop strong corded muscles our diet and natural health precludes us from gaining unhealthy weight. In height we are much like the duneimen, though the grey-gelvani tend to be shorter. As children we age much as the other races do, but through our adolescent years we begin to slow and we are phyiscally young adults for far longer than the others. When we reach maturity we no longer age. Our kind can live forever, if unharmed, though after centuries many of us long for the Call of Gelthena to bring us home.
….. Being such a long lived race, all Gelvani spend decades pursuing various skills and talents. Thus, most of our kind are well-educated, skilled artisans, and thoroughly trained in melee and archery. Most have knowledge of multiple trades, unlike the short lived duneimen or the single-minded duervar.
….. Despite these many commonalities the blood-lines also have quite a few differences. There are four blood-lines, and they are:

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