High Elf Archetypes?

[Jaedon97]

Well I recently made a High Elf on Faeblight...and I just am having a really hard time settling on his personality and background. ARe there any good High Elf Archetypes to build off of?

[Milyssa]

there should be all sorts of books in the guardian starting area with history of the different classes. I play mostly rogue and know that Bladedancer was originally a high elf... a pirate I believe.

The lore is my suggestion. Read up on Elf history and mabye something will jump out at you. For instance, High Elves were orignally nomadic people who protected the wilds of Telara. They hated setlements and therefor distrusted the Dwarves who were so settlement friendly.

The offical website has a lot of good lore stuff. Especially the histories of the different classes.
If you can't find the books in the area, I'm sure one of the database sites has them.

The only well know elves (NPC) are Shyla and Hylas... There are others, but they are not well known.

[Paganlust]

Actually that's one of the problems I've had RPing an Elf. There really isn't all that much out for them. Most of the Lore that is available is vague and limited, and we have only two known characters lol. Seems a tad lacking for an entire race. Plus, they're elves! One would assume that they've been around for a LONG time due to most elven lifespans, but the only areas that even look remotely elven, are the Aelfor areas. High Elves just need more love, and here's hoping we get some care in the near future!

[Myuriel]

High elves are seemingly nomadic, so you wouldn't really find any 'high elven' areas around the game. Reading between the lines, I believe their cultural philosophy would be summed up with "leave an area as we found it." The only exceptions to this would be the Elven Heart Grove that was destroyed by Crucia, and the Aelfwar citadel -- neither of these places ends well.

This is from the in-game book 'History of the High Elves': Individually, however, High Elves come across as a cultured, refined, and achingly beautiful people. Their society is egalitarian by nature, and largely invisible. Only in the forest of Silverwood have they constructed much in the way of permanent structures. The majority of the High Elves walk the land, looking for signs from their goddess, enacting her will upon those who would bring harm to the land. These groups are either a blessing or a scourge to the local populace, depending on where their arrows are pointed.

We don't have a lot of elven heroes in the game right now, because the population was virtually decimated at the time of the Shade War. That wasn't even the first hit against the elves. They were hit by the 'First Schism' when a branch of elves broke off and became the Kelari, and they were also sucker punched by Crucia when she went all out against them as a race.

I find a lot of Elven bits and pieces in the various lore we have access too, and most of the Storyline quests in Silverwood focus on the race and culture. For example, the Mirror of Ages with the Old Man Statue, who was the first prophet of Tavril. The Mirror of Ages is a sacred High Elven artifact, and sits in the center of what was once the great forest Tavra. If you talk to the lady standing outside the Blunted Quill, she speaks of the Mirror and the Statue, I believe. You also learn that Quicksilver college was made for Mathosians to teach Elven magic, so it's not really an 'elven' place by any means.

You have to dig some, but the lore is there. I'd read about Shyla and Hylas, and read some of the various profession dogma - for example, Durnes the Ranger and Niyol the Sentinel. Also, the Blood Storm part of the History Overview is written in an Elven voice, so you can pick up a few cultural bits and pieces from reading that as well.

You can also look at Artifacts and read the little lore tidbits about each collection. I get a kick out of the one referring to 'family lines needing pruning', which I think speaks to how the Elves cultivated the Mathosians from the Eth.

I also, highly, truly, deeply advocate reading the Lore Q&A's (1 and 2), since they give details from the devs that are not mentioned really anywhere else. Like, how long elves live (300 years) and naming conventions, along with how/when Ascendency happened from a canon point of view.

The elves -do- have a really rich lore and history, and it is fascinating and enjoyable once you start sinking your teeth into it. They are fierce and loyal to a fault when it comes to the Land and Tavril (and now, the Vigil), and they have an intricate society. All of this makes for great roleplaye fodder and I always look forward to more elves jumping into and taking part in the fray!

One more thing to add, since High Elves weren't all gathered in one place, this allows some freedom of creative play. So your group may have done things slightly different from my group, your blessings might be different from my blessings, your rituals to Tavril might be different, etc, etc. The way elven lore is written allows for more creative thinking than a few of the other races, which just makes them more vibrant and real to play.

tl;dr - Elves are cool.

[Milyssa]

Well done Myuriel!

Two Thumbs Up!

[Greenmantle]

The Narcissist.. er High Elven personality,

Has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)

Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love

Believes that he or she is "special" and unique and can only be understood by, or should associate with, other high Elves

Requires excessive admiration

Has a sense of entitlement, i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially favorable treatment or automatic compliance with his or her expectations

Is interpersonally exploitative, i.e., takes advantage of others to achieve his or her own ends

Is often envious of others or believes others are envious of him or her

Shows arrogant, haughty behaviors or attitudes

Carry a mirror glance into it frequently sigh and make random comments like " your so beautiful"

[Laeris]

Keep in mind though that elves here are not the EQ/LotR variety of elves. Narcissistic tendencies are more rooted in individual personas than with the entire race in Rift. Yes, the elves live a long time... and in their age like with any person who thinks they know better than a teenager, sometimes such things can develop.

That's not an underlying society trait for High Elves in Rift though.

Think of the elves here as having very much in common with Native American Indians in the American Midwest. They have a nature centric belief system, similar migratory patterns (nomadic lifestyles) and revere family lineage and community bonds much like Indian tribes do. They are slow to anger but their memories are long. Any who slight an elf may be an enemy for a very long time. This can often lead to an amount of xenophobia in elven societies.

Any elf wishing to play a stereotypical member of elven society is one that keeps the "Covenant." That is a life bound with Tavril, the Goddess of the Wood. Those keeping the Covenant are bound to protect Tavril's sacred wood with their lives and make it a better place for all of the creatures and people found within. Beyond Silverwood, those same followers of Tavril respect the land and take guidance through the messages that can be found throughout the natural world. Thus, by bettering the land, they serve their matron and are blessed for their actions.

Those who renounce the Covenant... are shunned. Hence, this is how the Kelari were born. Renouncing the Covenant led to their shunning by Tavril which removed all of their magical affinities. Thus, spirit binding was discovered which, in turn, allowed them to use artificial means to regain their lost power. Such things are why the Vigil look down upon Kelari.

It is perfectly plausible though to RP an elf who is not bound by the Covenant. My character is a follower of Mariel-Taun and, although she respects the Covenant as being a path to righteousness, she does not believe it is the only path to such an end. Her journey follows Mariel-Taun's path... which is much more open; philosophically.