Wracked Elves

 Wracked Elves: 

Origin:

Their are truly no sadder and angrier creatures on Bil Hanna than the Wracked Elves, those born from the flesh of a First elf or a pair of Wracked elves. Upon their birth, their parents will deliver them to a place equipped to take care of young children, generally an orphanage or childless family. If this is not possible, the parents will raise them to the equivalent of preteens and dump them off with a sack of gold (usually) in some major city and some basic equipment; a small amount of equipment appropriate to their chosen profession, a random amount of money, a backpack, 50 feet of rope, and a 10 foot pole. These items date back to an ancient tradition lost to time and now, as part of this ritualistic send off, the parent will begin to use the Fading to forget their child even as they are looking at them, never to be burned by paternal instinct for this stranger again. The newly abandoned Wracked Elf will be encouraged to take up with a group of near strangers and treat them like family with the warning that their life will be incredibly short.

Culture:

A great many Wracked Elves find themselves as adventurers. They know their time is short and they wish to experience as much as possible. They are largely transient by nature and rarely stay to live out their lives in one place. They are quick to form bonds and friendships and when they make friends (or enemies) tend to do so for the entirety of their brief lives.

The Memory:

The saying “Forgive and Forget” never applies to a Wracked elf. For they are cursed with opposite of the First Elf’s Fading. There is no memory longer than than a Wracked Elf’s. Every pain, every slight, every misspoken word will be remembered in vivid detail until they pass from this world. So petty can this memory be that other races have proverbs referencing it “He has the memory of a Wracked Elf,” meaning, one day he will get even. Because of their short life spans, many embrace forgiveness and are sometimes regarded as gullible. If and when that dam breaks and their nature has been slighted too many times, it comes with a wave of rage more extreme than even a berserker's. These extremes are too much for many of the Wracked Elves and and they find themselves becoming slaves to alchemical mixes and narcotics to “dull” their experiences.

Home Nations/Region:

Nowhere and everywhere, Wracked Elves can be found across the entirety of Bil Hanna. From hermits in the wilds to beggars on the streets of the Empire’s capital, rarely do they rise above a meager existence that barely manages to scrape by.

Life span:

Unlike their First born parents the life of a Wracked elf is painfully short. They are born and reach physical maturity in less than five years and their decline into decrepit old age is just as rapid, starting usually after the forty fifth year of life. They degrade rapidly and none has been known to live past fifty. Wracked elves refer to this as “the crash.” Wracked Elves can breed true on their own, but they tend to avoid this as much as possible, not wanting to inflict their existence upon another being.

Physical Appearance:

They come in every shape and color but all have the ears of an Elf. Some will have the characteristic of whatever creature it was that physically spawned them. (Fur, scales, etc.)

Faith:

The Wracked Elves worship a variety of cards, though many of them lean towards those who play a role in memory. The Scholar and the Oracle are worshipped by those who see The Memory as integral to their existence. Just as often though, the Oblivion and Master cards are worshipped by those who want to forget. These followers and cultists are some of the most cruel to walk the surface of Bil Hanna, their capacity for hatred able to burn even brighter due to their inability to forget.