In a place where thunderstorms rip apart the sky, Storm Elves reside under the careful leadership of Gonwar. Their skin marked by the same lightning that they hone into powerful magic, Storm Elves are a truly adaptive race.
The Lightning Plains
The plains of Erendorn are broad stretches of flat land that blanket the earth for hundreds of miles in every direction. While these plains may at first glance seem boundless and desolate, their varied terrains are home to many different creatures of many different sizes.
Far away from where the sun cracks the parched earth, or from where sheets of ice glaze the ground like a glass casing, the plains begin to slope upwards as they join with one of Erendorn’s great mountain ranges. At the base of one of these mountains, the Storm Elves’ settlement stretches out from beneath the pointed shadows that tower above it.
Rain-soaked by growling skies, this region of the plains experiences constant thunderstorms. Great forks of lightning lurch violently out of swollen black clouds and the deep, resonant sounds of thunder can be heard rumbling for miles around. For most, this region of the plains is an uninhabitable zone where many creatures have been known to die from incessant lightning strikes. But for the Storm Elves of Erendorn, the violence of these thunderstorms is home.
Storm Elves and Lightning Magic
Storm Elves have naturally adjusted to the perilous climate of their settlement. They have even developed a resistance to the destructive effects of lightning. But that’s not to say that the Storm Elves are impervious to the vicious strikes that reign over their settlement. Patterning their skin like branches of electricity, vein-like scars cover nearly every Storm Elf in Erendorn. These are their identifying markers and they wear them as proudly as medals, for these scars are testament to the ongoing survival of the Storm Elves despite the treacherous terrain they have had to adjust to.
For the Storm Elves who possess magical abilities, the harmony with lightning does not end there. Storm Elf spellcasters have not only managed to adapt to the rampant thunderstorms that shape their terrain, they have also embraced them by honing powerful Lightning Magic. They have successfully mastered these spellcasting abilities and, for a time, believed that their Lightning Magic was the most powerful form of sorcery in Erendorn. But they soon realised that this was not the case.
The Dangers of Hubris
While their affinity with lightning ultimately led to the Storm Elves' survival, it also made them arrogant for many, many years. Believing themselves to be extraordinarily powerful, the Storm Elves put all their faith into their Lightning Magic; it was more than strong enough to kill animals for food and allowed them to protect themselves from nearby predators of the plains.
But as the Storm Elves began venturing further into Erendorn, exploring the dungeon depths and encountering more and more races, they started to realise that there are some truly powerful things in Erendorn that their Lightning Magic could in no way match. It thus became apparent to the Storm Elves that they were not as powerful as they had once believed, and that simply relying on their innate powers would be a death sentence waiting to happen. This led to the realisation that Lightning Magic alone would not be enough for them to achieve their ambition of becoming the master race.
In recent times, the Storm Elves have been diversifying their practices by introducing new forms of magic and combat to their civilisation. This initiative was spearheaded by the acclaimed leader of the Storm Elves, Gonwar, who took it upon himself to secure the future of this race.
Leadership of Gonwar
Before his days as leader, Gonwar was a titled wizard known as Gonwar Storm Lord. He now leads his race with unparalleled wisdom, recognising the need for the Storm Elves to become both skilled magic users and proficient fighters. This realisation came to Gonwar after he received reports from adventuring Storm Elves about creatures of extreme powers who they had crossed paths with while journeying through the dungeon depths.
With news of these incomparably powerful races, even ones who are lightning resistant, Gonwar felt the protection of his race beginning to slip. After years of trusting that their Lightning Magic was all they needed, Gonwar made the bold decision to force his race to adapt to the new magics that threatened their preservation. For Gonwar, it is no longer a matter of becoming the master race - it is simply a matter of survival.
Diversifying their Practices
In order to enact this recent decision, Gonwar decreed that a new institution named The Arcane Circle be built as a place where confident mages go to learn different forms of magic. In order to ensure the physical prowess of the Storm Elves, Gonwar also ordered great training camps to be erected throughout the settlement. All forms of magic were banned from these institutions, which instead focussed on teaching its students how to master the art of combat.
As a devoted leader, Gonwar invested heavily in conducting thorough research as a way of trying to figure out how the Storm Elves could best survive the changing scapes of Erendorn. Negotiations were thus struck with the Humans, in which Gonwar promised to provide them with a vast amount of valuable resources in exchange for important books from their library. Now, the greatest wizards of the Storm Elves, known as the Seers, spend inordinate amounts of time diligently studying these vital texts.
The Lightning Syndicate
The Lightning Syndicate is one of the oldest institutions in the Storm Elves’ settlement. Originally formed for the purpose of teaching Lightning Magic, it is now the required foundation for learning other forms of magic at The Arcane Circle. Novice spellcasters join the Syndicate in order to hone their lightning abilities and eventually rise through the ranks as they aspire to join the esteemed Arcane Circle.
When a Storm Elf joins The Lightning Syndicate, they must first competently cast a moderately powerful lightning spell if they are to reach the lowest rank of Initiate Wizard. In order to progress to Wizard Overloader, they must then be able to cast multiple spells without overloading, a common issue among the Storm Elves that is symptomatic of an inexperienced spellcaster.
The highest ranking class of The Lightning Syndicate is Veteran Wizard, and a Storm Elf must occupy this position for a long time before being invited to join The Arcane Circle. The most proficient Veteran Wizards are known as Seers. These are the greatest spellcasters the Storm Elves have ever seen, and their wisdom means that they are frequently consulted by Gonwar himself.
The Arcane Circle
Created by Gonwar to help diversify the range of magic used by the Storm Elves, The Arcane Circle has become integral to the efficacy of the Storm Elves’ spellcasting abilities. Once a Veteran Wizard has mastered Lightning Magic, they are invited to join this hallowed institution to learn other forms of sorcery.
The Arcane Circle was created with the intention of taking the finest, most adept spellcasters and turning them into formidable mages. As a result, only the most elite magic users graduate from The Arcane Circle. Over the years this has meant that the Storm Elves’ have gradually started to improve their proficiency with other types of spells.
Storm Elf Rangers
As part of Gonwar’s plan to strengthen the population as a whole, Storm Elf Rangers are not only skilled melee soldiers who patrol and protect the city, they have also been tasked by Gonwar to carry out expeditions into the dungeons in the search for more information and power. While they are often assisted by members of The Lightning Syndicate or The Arcane Circle, there is a class within the Rangers that is able to utilise Lightning Magic in a different yet effective way.
Storm Elf Javelineers
Storm Elf Javelineers have a keen eye and a swift foot. It is their duty to protect any group of Storm Elves they're travelling with from surprise attacks. Carrying long javelins that are charged with lightning, they are able to spear an opponent from an impressively long distance. If the sharpened point of their javelin doesn’t kill an enemy as it penetrates their body, the powerful Lightning Magic that surges through it most likely will.
With The Arcane Circle transforming lightning spellcasters into powerful mages, and the various combat schools training highly skilled soldiers and javelineers, the survival of the Storm Elves is beginning to steady - but there is always much more to learn when you live in a world like Erendorn.
