Moonshadow Elves

Information
Name	Moonshadow Elves
Type	Moon Primal
Home	Silvergrove Hollow Wood Scumport Evrkynd

Moonshadow Elves are one of the six races of elves native to Xadia. They are connected to the magical energy of the Moon. Their primary home locations can be found inside the Moonshadow Forest, and their nexus is the Moon Nexus.

All Moonshadow Elves in the series can be found here.

Characteristics

Moonshadow Elves are typically pale to dark-skinned, with purple markings stretching across parts of their body. They have white or silver hair, pale eyes that vary in color, and wear teal- and black-colored clothing and armor. All appear to feature horns of blue to a purple hue, with swirl-like symbols of a lighter hue. Along with Sunfire Elves, Moonshadow Elves are the most similar to humans in terms of overall appearance, allowing them to pass for humans even without the use of magic. Their life span is similar to that of humans, though they possibly can get older than a century.

The Moonshadow Elves' natural abilities in stealth and speed make them adept assassins and infiltrators. They are at their strongest during the night, when the spirit and energy of the Moon enhance their natural strength, agility, endurance, and speed.

Abilities

Craftsmanship

Some Moonshadow Elves, such as Ethari, are talented craftsmen who are capable of using moonsilver to forge deadly metal weaponry, magical tools, and even the delicate metalwork of trinkets and jewelry. Besides their weapons, most of the objects that decorate the Moonshadow Elf houses are also crafted by them.

Magic

Being connected to the Moon Primal, Moonshadow Elves are known for their powerful deceptive magic, such as creating illusions, as well as connecting with spirits and the veil between life and death. Those who are not familiar with magic spells make use of Primal Stones and magic gems, such as Moon Opals, which are also used during the day, when the Moon is unable to provide energy.

Moonshadow Form

On the night of a full moon, Moonshadow Elves are at the height of their power and can enter a "Moonshadow Form", allowing them to become nearly invisible. In this state, they phase in and out of a moon dimension, which partially obscures how visible they are and affect their physical state by dematerializing them for a duration of the spell. Very strong Moonshadow Elves may use this ability without requiring a full moon to be present. According to Runaan, this form difficult for all assassins to master. For an assassin to master the form, they need to understand the balance of both life and death and value life despite taking it. It helps to remember a loved one with each strike of their weapon.

Culture and Customs

Moonshadow Elves live in multiple communities located inside the Moonshadow Forest. Among those communities are the Hollow Wood, known to be a bustling village, and the Silvergrove, which is hidden underneath a veil of magic and can only be entered through the use of a ritual.

Inhabitants of the Silvergrove live in homes built into immensely large trees, preferring to establish their cities within an existing ecosystem. For freestanding structures, stones are used and an apparent preference for high ceilings is present in all of their known dwellings. According to Rayla, Moonshadow Elves have schools, implying egalitarian accessibility to education and knowledge. Symbolism and motifs of the Moon are heavily featured in Moonshadow decor.

Moonshadow Elves are known to tame Shadowpaws, Moonstriders, Moon Phoenixes, and gryphons as mounts and pets. They are also particularly fond of Adoraburrs. They sometimes mistake Maple Dragons for resources for their weapons.

Moonshadow Elves perform dances in rituals and celebrations, such as weddings and birthdays, more often than any other elven races, namely the "Moonshadow Birthday Dance" for the latter. Also as a part of their marriage proposal the pair of elves present each other with horn rings and decoration as well as for protection.

Moonshadow Elves show intimacy and affection by braiding each other's hair.

From the "Flowers of Elarion" story, when the continent was split in two, a Moonshadow Elf named Lasair was trapped on the West side. The elf lived in fear of humans and mages. Despite not wanting to become a thief, Lasair took things out of necessity and not without a trade. So for every item Lasair took, a flower, named the flowers of Elarion, blossoms that were beautiful and rare, was left behind in its place. Lasair hoped these flowers would bring about peace to the humans. But unknown to Lasair, the humans interpreted the flower as a curse, not a trade, as the flowers turned to ash by dawn's light, causing the human's ire to grow.

Moonshadow Elves are familiar with the stories of the Archdragon Luna Tenebris and her loyal Ice Behemoth companion Esmeray.

Moonshadow Elves sometimes hold a "Forage Feast", which is a huge celebratory meal for special occasions and visitors consisting of dishes created from ingredients gathered from everything they can find in the Moonshadow Forest.

Beliefs

Moonshadow Elves obey a rather rigid, honor-driven culture. They believe in duty and oaths above all else, and never show fear towards anything, even death itself. If an assassin ever hesitates or shows mercy, they will be executed on the spot by their own kind. Those believed to have abandoned their duty become "ghosts", Moonshadow Elves who are effectively shunned by their kin through magic. Those who cast the ghosting spell on themselves cannot see or hear ghosts, and they appear faceless to them. Ghosting is a unanimous community decision that has to be discussed by all members of the Silvergrove and is not taken lightly. Such a decision is made in the Well of the Forgotten.

When a banished Moonshadow Elf wishes to be unbanished, a "Ritual of the New Moon" can be invoked, because just as the moon itself can be reborn from darkness, a ghost can be reborn back into the light. The ghosted elf must go to the Well of the Forgotten and choose one or more individuals to share their fate. Should the ghosted elf pass, they will be welcomed back. But should they fail, the ghosted elf and the person they chose will both be banished from the Silvergrove forever. Once inside, the ghost must step into the well and prove themselves worthy of forgiveness and absolution. The keeper of the well will summon a miniature moon that will break into pieces resembling flower petals. The number of pieces is equal to the number of individuals whom they have wronged. The ghost must face those whom they have wronged to make their case and beg for forgiveness. If the wronged individual is dead, then their spirit will be summoned. If they approve of what they hear and choose to forgive, their shard will be given to the ghosted elf. The ritual is successfully completed once the sphere is whole again.

Moonshadow assassins honor-bind themselves to slaying their targets in a near-literal sense. On the eve of their hit, they symbolize the commitment to the slaying of their target(s) with a ritual called "The Assassin's Binding". What they do is tie indestructible ribbons around their arms, and enchant them to tighten in accordance to the life force of their target. As long as the target lives and breathes, the binding will remain snug around the limb. Once the target is slain, the ribbon transforms into a "blood ribbon" by turning into a deep shade of red and will fall off on its own. However, there is no way of forcing the ribbon off by any physical means, especially brute force, as long as the target is alive. If the target is allowed to remain alive for any reason, the ribbon will only continue to tighten gradually. The ribbon will just keep getting tighter and tighter until eventually the limb severs entirely. This was made painfully clear by the death of King Harrow and Rayla, who lost one ribbon following his assassination, and almost lost her hand when she became friends with Prince Ezran, her other ribbon's assigned target. The only known way a wrist binding will ever come off without killing the target is by the grip of a dragon. Whether the type, age, or lineage of the dragon matters is unclear, but it was proven possible by Azymondias.

Moonshadow Elves who have been captured by an enemy have a philosophy where they proclaim themselves to already be dead, so that they do not fear any threats their captors might make, or, more relevantly, the inevitability of death.

Fashion

Moonshadow Elves typically garb themselves in various shades of green or purple, with accents of silver, brown, and black. They also use Moon Opals as adornments that are as decorative as they are functional. Garments worn by Moonshadow Elves are often layered, but very streamlined, often conforming to the need for mobility over presentation. This does not apply to Moonshadow Elf mages, however, who wear long-sleeved, elegant robes in blue or purple hues. A symbol of the moon can be spotted on various Moonshadow Elf clothing.

Metal cuffs and rings on Moonshadow Elf horns are a traditional equivalent of wedding rings.

Food

Moonshadow Elves are one of the kinds of elves who consume a vegetarian diet. They are known for their subsistence on mushcups and moonberries, as a part of their agricultural resources, finding a use for them in everything, ranging from baked goods to distilling them into alcohols, such as wine. They also harvest fresh fruit from the Moonshadow Forest during harvest seasons. The Silvergrove has a variety of food on their markets, including honeyburst rainbow grapes and beige bittersquash. They sometimes consume the eggs of Crackle Birds.

History

The Moonshadow Elves integrated their buildings into the Moonshadow Forest and constructed the Silvergrove as their home at an unknown point in history. During ancient times, Moonshadow Elf druids performed rituals at the Moonhenge of the Moon Nexus, opening a portal between life and death inside the lake. The Moonshadow Elves were allied with the dragons and other elves in deciding to banish all of humanity to the west of the continent and were actively moving the humans along. The successful banishment was overlooked by their current leader at the time, whose name remains unknown. During this event, they were forced to give their nexus up to the human side of the continent, leading them to assign a guardian to protect the Moon Nexus. To avoid humans tampering with the nexus's Moonhenge, the portal was purposefully destroyed. A Moonshadow Elf mage and warrior represented the Moonshadow Elves next to other important elven authorities at the fights at the Border, where they witnessed the human armies battle Avizandum.

During the reign of Luna Tenebris, a cult of rogue Moonshadow Elves in the Moonshadow Forest known as the Order of the Blood Moon began to drink the blood of still-living beings to prolong their lives and enhance their magic. When the dragons and the other elves learned about the practice, they responded by exterminating the blood-drinkers, leaving Kim'dael the sole survivor.

After Avizandum became the new Dragon King, a Shadow-Eater was haunting the Moonshadow Elf tribes that inhabit the southern regions of Xadia. Avizandum managed to destroy the creature after he forced it into daylight.

When the Dragon Queen, Zubeia, expected her first and only child, two of the Moonshadow Elves' bravest warriors, Tiadrin and Lain, were chosen as members of the Dragonguard to protect the egg of the Dragon Prince Azymondias. When they were later assumed to have abandoned their duty, they were ghosted by the rest of the Silvergrove.

Following the death of Avizandum, the Moonshadow Elves assisted Zubeia in an act of vengeance by sending a group of six Moonshadow Elf Assassins to slay King Harrow and Prince Ezran. When none of the elves returned, but Rayla was found to be still alive, she was deemed a coward and was ghosted as well.

After Runaan is freed from Viren's enchanted coin by Callum and Rayla, they return to the Silvergrove to reunite with Ethari. They then asked Lyrennus, the Keeper of the Well of the Forgotten, to invoke the "Ritual of the New Moon" to undo Rayla's banishment. Rayla managed to complete the ritual, allowing her to be welcomed back by her fellow Moonshadow Elves.

Trivia

• Moonshadow Elves have Scottish and English accents.
• During the prologue of "Echoes of Thunder", a Moonshadow Elf warrior can be seen overlooking the Border with a group of elven authorities that also includes Aditi. This Moonshadow Elf was labeled "younger Runaan" during concepts, though as it was slightly altered, it remains unclear if he is still Runaan.

Gallery

Early concept

Early concept

Moonshadow Elves present at the Border

Moonshadow Elves during humanity's banishment

Rayla showing the Moonshadow Elf "Moonshadow Form"