Of Orcs and Elves 1

Historical Background: Elves

The elves once ruled the world with elegance and precision. Their cities shimmered with solar spires, moonlit sanctuaries, and deep-rooted groves—monuments to their obsession with order, legacy, and racial purity. Beneath this beauty, however, lay a brutal truth: their society was built on an unforgiving caste system, one that elevated bloodlines and crushed dissent. Over time, this rigid hierarchy corroded their unity and hollowed their greatness from within.

When the gods died and magic vanished from the world, the lower castes erupted in revolt. The ancient elven empires shattered under the weight of their own divisions. In the aftermath, most elves retreated to the ancestral lands of their respective castes—Verdant Elves to the forests, Skyrend Elves to the mountains, Noctari to the deep caves, and Aurari to the high spires. There, they built new strongholds and cities—not to restore unity, but to continue subjugating the so-called "sub races" from entrenched positions of power.

Even in exile, elven tribes continued to war among themselves over racial zealotry and caste supremacy. Yet despite their internal strife, they maintained dominance for centuries. Their quick wit, strategic placement of cities, and mastery of terrain made their strongholds nearly impenetrable. With lifespans stretching across generations, elven warriors honed their skills over decades, while their leaders wielded centuries of tactical knowledge. These advantages allowed them to suppress and exploit the rising sub races that shared the land—delaying the inevitable collapse of their fractured legacy.

Now, the elves remain scattered and bitter, clinging to ruined traditions in isolated bastions. Their hatred burns as fiercely as ever, directed both outward and inward. Even as their numbers dwindle, they continue to fight among themselves—each caste convinced of its own superiority, each stronghold a monument to a dying empire.

Elven Castes

1. Noctari — Cave Elves (Umbra Elves)

2. Aurari — High Elves

3. Verdant Elves — Thorn Elves

4. Skyrend Elves — Mountain Elves

• Culturally obsessed with altitude as divinity—they believe the higher you live, the closer you are to ancestral perfection

• Live in spiral-cut cliff cities, carved into vertical stone like veins in a body

• Known for their natural architecture, altitude rites, and ritual starvation to “lighten the soul”

• Speak in echo-chants—layered vocal patterns that bounce off stone and confuse outsiders

• Bodies adapted to thin air: elongated limbs, sun-bleached skin, and calcified joints that crack audibly when they move

• Renowned for their unshakable sense of justice and logic—often serve as judges, ritual adjudicators, and teachers

• Culturally value height, hollowness, and echo—they consider silence a lowland disease

5. Half-Elves

6. Lunari — Moon Elves

Historical Background: Orcs and Their Allies

The orcs were once enslaved by the elves—brutalized, exploited, and stripped of dignity for generations. When they finally won their freedom, they entered a turbulent era of internal conflict, wrestling with tribal customs, racial pride, and ancestral legacy. Though these wars eventually subsided, they left lasting scars.

In the aftermath, the orcs repeated the cycle of dominance, enslaving goblins and asserting their superiority over other races. This shift redirected their focus: unity through orc supremacy replaced internal division. Their next great conflict was with the trolls, who resisted subjugation with unyielding strength. That war ended in a bitter stalemate.

Yet from that stalemate came something transformative. Orcs and trolls began to collaborate—defending shared lands, exchanging knowledge, and pursuing mutual goals. Through this uneasy partnership, the orcs discovered that cooperation brought resilience, innovation, and strength far beyond what domination had ever achieved. Troll endurance and goblin ingenuity challenged their worldview and reshaped their values.

In time, nearly all orc tribes chose to release their goblin slaves, granting them the freedom to forge a society of their own.. This decision was both a gesture of reconciliation and a strategic hope for future alliance. The orcs had come to understand that shared purpose, mutual respect, and open exchange were more powerful than chains. freedom to build their own society. This decision was both a gesture of reconciliation and a strategic hope for future alliance. The orcs had come to understand that shared purpose, mutual respect, and open exchange were more powerful than chains.

"Sub Races" (Derogatory Elven Term)

Orcs

Trolls

Goblins