Eldren
The Eldren are one of the races of Evenor. They are tantamount to "elves" in other settings.
Legend claims the Eldren are the firstborn of the blood shed by the "Infinites" during the Aegis War - the ancient conflict between the Celestial Architects and their rebellious children, the Precursors. It is unclear if the Eldren are the children of the Precursors, of the Architects and Precursors collectively, or if there is some other meaning. What is certain, though, is that the Architects won the Aegis War and left Evenor to be inherited by humans, while the Eldren were cast aside and shunted elsewhere. The Eldren continue to procreate, but their essense appears to wane with every generation, rendering them weaker as time goes on. In a certain respect, the Eldren may be classified as a dying race.
There are three known sub-species of Eldren: Deep Eldren, Wood Eldren, and Water Eldren. The Wood and Water Eldren are completely shrouded in mystery at this time, but there is some information on the Deep Eldren.
The Deep Eldren are the Eldren of the deep earth, living beneath the surface of Evenor, a realm described as "an abyss of stone and soil untouched by the sun." It is in this darkness that they came to master all manner of umbral magic - the magic of shadows and darkness, allowing them to shape shadows into weapons and protection; this art of umbrakinesis is occasionally referred to as the "shadow dance," with its practitioners called "shadow dancers." They are keenly aware of their weakening essense with each generation. When the Precursors returned, and when the Mother of Shadows spoke to them with honeyed words promising renewed strength in exchange for their loyalty, most of the Deep Eldren agreed and became the servants of the Precursors. Some of the Deep Eldren refused the Precursors, but most of these rebels were destroyed by their kin, with any survivors forced into exile. The Deep Eldren served a key component of the Gloomfall, acting as the footsoldiers of the Precursors when they pierced through the Gloom and attacked Skylight. They were ultimately repelled, and most of their current whereabouts are unknown. A major contingent of the Deep Eldren have been found crawling around the ruins of the Crucible, aiming to take control of the Architects' machinery for their own ends.
Notable Individuals[edit]
Niss - A Deep Eldren shadow dancer Wayfinder. She is one of the only survivors of her clan who were among the rebels opposed to the Precursor takeover, forced into exile to the surface. She has sworn an oath of vengeance against the Precursors and currently works with the Seekers of Skylight. She fell at the defense of Skylight during the Gloomfall and returned as a Wayfinder.
Teryssa the Silence - A Deep Eldren shadow dancer and high-ranking mastermind. Unlike the other Eldren who sought vengeance against the surface when the Precursors returned, she instead sought to redeem her people by reshaping the world so the Eldren can live in peace, and she aimed to use the machinery of the Crucible to do it. She is the true identity of the Raven, kingpin of the Shrike Syndicate.