The Callarii Elf

The elves of the Callarii make their home in a tree-village within the Radlebb wood of Karameikos. There is a Tree of Life there that acts as the source of their power. They will protect that Tree with their lives.

The Callarii have a long tradition of being elite warriors. They have even been chosen as part of the elite Guard Division of Karameikos. As children the Callarii learn to use both the elven sword and the elf bow. All Callarii love games of strategy and are skilled in the nuance of strategy and tactics.

In warfare, the Callarii believe that any direct means to defeat an enemy is appropriate. They do not use indirect means, seeing it as being dishonorable. As such they will never use poison, nor will they condone its use by others.

The Callarii place a great value on personal honor. It is not an exaggeration to say that the word of a Callarii is a bond of honor. They respect those who keep their word, they despise those who break it.

The Callarii place a high value on life. Though they believe strongly in honor, they will not throw their lives away needlessly. In times of conflict the taking of life is necessary, but it is regrettable.

The Callarii tend to experiment with new ways of fighting and making weapons. New weapons, new fighting styles, or improved weapons are almost immediately adopted into the clan. The Callarii are always looking for new styles and weapons.

All Callarii have the skill Elven Magic. This allows them to acquire magical powers from meditation before the Tree of Life at critical moments in their lives. All of the professions of the Callarii have an altered form of this skill, and the specific variant being used must be specified prior to choosing a power. The Anuwiel River Ranger gains a subskill called River Magic, giving them enhanced communion with nature and boats. The Callarii Hunter gains a subskill called Hunter Magic, giving them enhanced abilities to operate in the wilderness. The Callarii Tree Keeper learns the magic of the religion of Ilsundal, giving them enhanced powers to manipulate the emanations from the Tree of Life. A Callarii Warrior or Elvenguard learns Battle Magic, gaining powers to destroy or weaken an opponent. The Callarii Wizard learns Elven Wizardry, a set of powers allowing enhanced use of magic. The Callathien Forester Cavalry learns Horse Magic. gaining both attunement with horses, and some magic for warfare. The Delaldor Archer gains the Bow Magic, gaining the ability to enhance their warmaking and bow skills. The Lymandyr Forester gains a subskill called Forest Magic, giving them enhanced powers of the forest.

Elves in general believe that the world should be one big forest. They tend to prefer a natural way, and have a mistrust of technology born from tales told of ancient times when technology nearly destroyed the world. Clearing forests for any reason but good forestry is a great evil to them. Destroying plants simply to grow different plants is viewed as a great sin!

Elves are long-lived and they tend to see time differently from others. They are rarely in a hurry. Most elven projects will get done in time. Elves only hurry when they are truly inspired to finish something. Elves tend to make chores more bearable by making them into games.

Elves are proud of their ancestors and will tell tales about them. Despite this elves tend to change personal relationships regularly. It is not unusual for an elf's parents to drift apart and gain new partners, even joining new clans. By undergoing a ceremony of adoption an elf can join a new clan, thus gaining the new clan abilities. If an elf wishes to start their own clan they may renounce clan status.

Callarii tend to wear their hair long and loose. They do not feel the need for jewelry as decoration. They wear loose fitting tunics and tight fitting trousers. They will either wear sandals or high boots.

Here is how the Callarii feel about the other peoples of Karameikos:

• The Traladarans are a fearful people who mean well.
• The Thyatians are a strong people who mean well, but can be capable of great harm.
• The situation of the Half-breeds is tragic and pointless.
• The Darine are an honorable people, steeped in magic and the world.
• The gnomes of Stronghollow are unpredictable, fun, and a bit dangerous.
• The dwarves of the Stronghollow clan are hard-nosed brutes who care little for other than themselves unless the whole is threatened, when they can rise to do great things.
• The halflings of the Fleetfoot clan are the unwitting servants of darkness.
• The orcs of the One Eye horde are wild people who care for the land, but not much for civilized folk. This has been slowly changing, as the orcs become more civilized themselves.
• The dragons of the Kingdom of Argosyll are now allied with Karameikos. This alliance all but ensures the reign of Duke Stefan and his Thyatians. There is some fear that the dragons will assert their superiority and dominate the land.
• The bugbears of the Black Fang horde are evil brutes who care nothing for any but themselves.
• The ogres of the Duyar horde are abominations.
• The stone giants of the Earal clan are a power of the earth and are to be treated with friendship and respect.
• The Frost Giants of the Grokilan clan are evil servants of the immortal Hel.
• The elves of the Vyalia clan are linked to the forests where they live, and mostly keep to themselves.

To develop a Callarii character proceed.

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