Stone Elves
The Stone Elves of Stehreel are an olive-toned race. One of five races of Drukar, the Stone Elves were the last born in the beginning. They trend towards an average height of 175cm (5'9") and have medium builds for the most part. Their coloration ranges from very dark olive to very light olive in skin tone, they can have a range of jewel-toned colored irises for their eyes, and their hair can range from shades of brown to shades of black. Built very solidly, the words most often used to describe Stone Elf men are densely packed, while women are often surprisingly heavy for their figures.
Able to stand firmly on any ground no matter its grade, incline, or roughness, the Stone Elves add to their air of sturdiness by being almost impossible to knock over. Add to that, even children of the Stone Elves have a grip so fierce it takes force to remove something from their hands, and it becomes evident why a common Drukar saying is “stubborn as a Stone Elf”.
Shown here are Arashima Kei, a Tempest of the Surīribāzu No Arashi, and Itsuuki Taki, an exiled Samurai serving as a humble bosun on a ship trolling the high seas. Kei is a scholar who schools the danger of her Lunacy into submission, working together with allies to uncover the mysteries of a long-lost island. Itsuuki Taki is a somewhat taciturn companion with a calm competence about him that says more than words ever could; now if only he could keep his shirt on.
Kita No Okina Ie, denoted by the White Dragon, Proud Wolf, and Noble Raven Crest, is the first Council of Stone Elf Houses. The animals on the crest represent the Great Houses that are part of the Council, each speaking of the inherent ideals the House it represents upholds.
Minami No Okina Ie, denoted by the Angry Wolf and Blue Dragon Crest, is the second Council of Stone Elf Houses. The animals on the crest represent the Great Houses that are part of the Council, each speaking of the inherent ideals the House it represents upholds..
Each House is led by a Daimyo who is autonomous from his fell Daimyos in all ways. They meet in regular councils of cooperation, but the alliance is one based on honor and principle, not document and definition. The Daimyo is a hereditary position, and only a member of the House’s royal family can fill it. When a Daimyo dies, rule passes to his or her eldest living child, regardless of the gender of the child. Below the Daimyo, all political posts within a House are filled by members of the Royal Caste.
The Stone Elves have an extremely rigid caste system that is difficult for outsiders to understand. The caste you were born into is the one you will die in, and marrying between castes is frowned on, if not outright outlawed. There are four castes in Stone Elf society. From most to least important, those castes are Royal, Warrior, Merchant, and Laborer. Members of the Royal and Warrior castes are the only ones legally permitted to take on a class and learn the ways of war, and that primarily among the women. Each caste is permitted to grow their hair or facial out to very specific ranks, and woe be to the man that shames his woman by letting his hair grow longer than permitted.
Each of the Great Houses of the Stone Elves is based on one of the five elements or "rings" said to compose the perfect woman: flame, plant, wind, ice, and spirit. As such, color schemes often match with their respective element. In the case of two of the Houses great Draken, demigods of the Inkari, have come to dwell in their lands and council their Daimyos. As a result, many Stone Elves feel a kinship with Dragons and the elements of the world.
Recognition for the Stone Elves follows a tradition that seems very odd to outsiders, and seems to come entirely from within their own rigorous self-discipline. When a Stone Elf accomplishes something of note, like the acquisition of a Rank, they are allowed to put a braid in their hair. For the men, this even includes braids in their beards, being the race of Drukar that grows the most prolific facial hair. These braids, for no apparent reason, award their bearers with boons and blessings.
The Stone Elves of Stehreel are the only culture who worships Suriel, the Goddess of Darkness claimed to be the progenitor of all Drukar who died during the Cataclysm to protect all life on Stehreel. There are shrines to the dead Goddess all throughout Stone Elf lands tended by a special order of Priestesses called the Kamiya Kurai, the Divine Darkness. While wielding no clerical powers due to the loss of the Goddess they serve, they are considered casteless and respected and revered for their service. Miracles are said to happen in the presence of the Kamiya Kurai.
One of the few races to honor Umbral magic with the same fervor that they honor Spectral magic, the Stone Elf Houses each have a different pair of magic users that they consider the best and most important. To the Mitsaguri House, Electromancers and Sadomancers are the most important, to Matsumara House it is Aeromancers and Enigmancers, to Orobonishii House it is Geomancers and Necromancers, to Kyutanabe House it is Aquamancers and Supremancers, and to Kogoro House it is Pyromancers and Destromancers. Each of these arts are opposite of one another, which can cause fractious relations in a House.
The primary class of the Stones Elves is Samurai. They began the class during the Elven Wars prior to the Cataclysm, and have kept to their traditions of war and warfare ever since. Tradition is at the heart of the Samurai, and it has only been within the last 5000 years that they have become progressive enough to begin new "Houses" of Samurai within other cultures of Elves.
The tactics of the Stone Elves are often complex and convoluted. Generals of Stone Elf forces tend to try to out think their opponents before even committing to the battlefield. They are a strong-willed people, but that inflexibility does not translate onto the battlefield. They are also a people steeped in tradition, and that does.
Here is a developer diary recorded by the creator of Stehreel. For more information on the Stone Elves, check out our facebook page!