What most humans refer to as the High Elves go by many names in the Elven tongue
such as the Tothrien, Mirranar and Arthrei. They are not strictly one people but
many independent kingdoms with a shared history and culture. Several thousand years
ago, their ancestors came from distant shores and brought fire, steel and the chains
of bondage to the people of Arcana. Today, the High Elves exhibit the same love
of war and conquest as their ancestors, but reject the practice of slavery. Their
change in ideology came with the birth of a Philosopher named Thothier of the Third
Eye. He was born a minor noble in the Elven city of Sera-thin and spent the early
years of his life leading a small force of cavalry. During one of his first military
campaigns, he was involved in a raid on a primitive human settlement. He led his
fellow knights on a fierce attack that slaughtered most of the villagers. The grief
exhibited by the surviving humans greatly moved him. He, like many of his people,
saw the humans, dwarfs and other races as no different from animals. Despite their
unintelligible language and crude appearance, he realized that the humans grieved
for their dead and many had been willing to sacrifice themselves for the safety
of their families. These were not the qualities of animals. Thothier left the ranks
of his knightly order and began the philosophical and political movement that would
fracture the Elven people and give rise to the High Elves.
The city states that eventually adopted Thothier’s principles of freedom clashed
with the more traditional Elven kingdoms in a brutal war. This civil war divided
the Elves into many different factions and, though bloody, saw no clear victor.
Instead, the surviving city states eventually settled into those that rejected slavery
and those that still practiced it.
The High Elves today are spread across many powerful city states across the world
of Arcana. They are natural sailors and their massive fleets ply the oceans continuously,
connecting distant colonies through trade. The High Elves are no longer the undisputed
rulers of Arcana like their ancestors, but nor are they weak. Their hold their lands
with an absolute authority and fight continuously to expand their borders. Although
the High Elves reject slavery, their city states still have such great influence
in parts of the world that many smaller kingdoms still consider them tyrants. The
High Elves bind weaker kingdoms with trade agreements, alliances and treaties. The
High Elf armies travel across the world of Arcana to enforce such agreements and
in doing so, they involve themselves in distant conflicts all for the purpose keeping
the balance in their favour.