The Gathering of the Elements

This was greatly inspired by ~GreenPixie84, who has done a lot of pieces showing elves/fey of different elemental races. In my not-so-written books, I already had elemental "elf" subraces going, but had never drawn the differences between them. So here they are. I call my "elves" the Faelin, but they're basically akin to DnD elves or LotR elves, with a few tweakings to my liking.

Some notes about the general Faelin society/race before I really start. 1) The kings/queens are destined by birth and physically marked by their eyes, which have two irises. They also tend to be of mixed lineage (not just one element) but its yet to be determined whether this is a determining factor of their destiny or not. They are also still allowed to have children, as the following king/queen is not necessarily going to be of their family and thus a familial monarchy cannot be created. 2) Priest/esses are chosen and trained by the previous Priest/ess. Because they are chosen by something other than divine intervation/fate, they are not allowed to have children, a precaution taken in order to prevent a familial chain of Priest/esses forming. As you can probably tell, the Faelin are very against royal/divine family bloodlines. Maybe something bad happened with that in the past

Anyway, as for this piece...from left to right - Earth, Air, Spirit, Fire, Water. Yes, I used the Wiccan concepts of the elements. My religion tends to go into a lot of random things I do Anyway, more details below.



Earth (example - Diantha, Priestess)

- Earth Faelin look like they have been drawn up from the earth itself. Their skin can be a range of browns, and their hair a range of greens. Their eyes are a range of both colors. They are also physically heavy-set, and they focus on keeping the entirety of the Faelin race stable. They have earth-controlling magic to help do this, along with other magics for healing. As such they are considered the Healers of their entire race, and also take care of most of the race's food.

Air (example - Pavan, Priest)

- Air Faelin are generally very pale, with either dark brown hair or a range of blonde hair. They are tall, but their most distinguishable feature is the wings on their hips, which match their hair in color. These wings do allow them to fly, against all logic. Also, each Air Faelin has yellow eyes, regardless of anything else. When one procreates with another subrace, however, this quality is never passed down. Therefore, the distinguishing mark of a full-blooded Air Faelin is their eyes. Magically, they can control the wind very powerfully, as well as alter some qualities of the air itself. They are the scholars of the Faelin, keeping records of its history.

Spirit (example - Reina, Queen)

- There is no subrace that covers the 'spirit' element. Instead, the king/queen of the Faelin always embodies this on his/her own. Chosen at birth, they come into the world with special eyes - two irises. The extra iris magically allows them to see life (spirit) itself and its place and power in everything. This gives the king/queen many powers, such as stronger magic and empathy, among others. However, in exchange for this they are unable to use the magical powers of their lineage. For example, Reina cannot use either Air or Fire powers, despite her heritage. Instead she has very poweful magics with a different range of abilities; not the specialized magic of specific subraces. Physically, there is no specific quality that the kings/queens share other than the double irises, though most have displayed the physical characteristics of more than one subrace. Again, for example, Reina has the pale skin of the Air Faelin, but lacks their hip wings. She has dark reddish hair instead of dark brown, and red eyes like the Fire Faelin.

Fire (Brant, Priest)

- Fire Faelin all have a tan-orangey skin color, and either red or bright blue eyes (like the heart of a flame). Their hair color is commonly blonde, but can also be various shades of red. Generally they are muscular regardless of their physical activity. They are the passion, and thus the warriors, of the Faelin. Obviously, they have magical control of fire, and can form fire into physical objects without the use of blacksmithery (no idea if that word is right). There have also been incidences where a Earth/Fire Faelin has been able to control volcanic forces. As the warriors, they are mostly responsible for the protection of all the Faelin.

Water (Mariatu, Priestess)

- Water Faelin vary the most in appearance. Like the Air, they are generally pale, but tan easily with sun exposure. They usually have eyes and hair of shades of purple and blue. Physical body types vary widely. They are the best diplomats of Faelin society, and counselors and advisors. Magically, they can control water and breathe it, as well as talk to all creatures of the sea. They are closely linked to the people of Nen (Merpeople) because of past events, and thus are the only subrace (king/queen excluded) that deals with them at all.



Whoo, lots of info Well I guess that's what I get for wanting to detail the Faelin. If you want more information on the example characters themselves, leave a comment or note me. They each have an interesting story to tell.....