Velweni, in the Primal Tongue. Elhai, in Aril, the High Tongue of the land Elwens. Sanmat, in the tongue of the curalli, or shadowed Elwens.
All of those names have something to do with the stars, the translations being "star-diadems," "star-children," and "of the stars" in that order.
Veleth, in most tongues of the elves. Konli, to most dragons. Sinaxl, to the humans of the Tableland.
And these are, in order, "the children of evil," "the ones of great power," and "shining terrors."
Opinions about Elwens vary, to say the least.
To the Children of the Stars themselves, they are the highest possible form of intelligent life, as proven by their beauty (sometimes blinding to humans and elves), their long lifespans (anywhere from ten millennia to ten million years, depending on race), their immense magic (powerful enough that elves must call on their Goddess to fight it, and common to every individual), their adaptability (surviving plague after plague and war after war), and their heroism (Elwens have set the calendars of Arcadia, forged most of the magical weapons, discovered the cures for all major diseases, written songs that are still sung five billion years after the deaths of their creators, discovered the secrets of creating life and spaceflight, ended slavery all over the continent, made most of the modern discoveries in poetry and science, and performed many valorous deeds in war).
To the other races of Arcadia, they are a source of terror: their beauty and magic frightening, their long lifespans meaning that they have more time to plot revenge, their adaptability born of necessity at having to survive disasters they themselves cause, and their heroism more than matched by acts of evil. Even the dragons, the most powerful of the non-Elwen races, regard them with wary respect, and are more often their allies than their enemies.
Elwens. The lords of Arcadia, and the heroes of most of my novels.
PHYSICAL MAKEUP
Elwens vary wildly by race (there are more than a hundred distinct physical types, some of which cannot interbreed with each other), and so it is no good trying to describe, say, all the individual variations of skin color. However, something may be said here of those features that are most common:
Eyes. All Elwens have diamond-shaped eyes, even the shapeshifters in their animal forms. These are a little larger than either elven or human eyes, and may come in almost any color (though most races have a few hues that are commoner to them than others are). They are keener than the eyes of other races as well, and some Elwen races indeed have eyes that rival an eagle's. All of them can see in the dark with nightsight, which detects the auras cast by the force of existence.
Ears. Most Elwen ears more or less resemble human ears, though larger: round and lobed. Shapeshifting races may have ears, even in two-legged form, that resemble the ears of their animal forms, and desert Elwens have longer, more flexible lobes they can turn up to shelter their delicate inner ears during sandstorms. Withstanding adaptations of this type, however, most Elwen ears look the same.
Facial Structure. Most Elwen faces are a mixture of planes and angles, though they vary wildly (as does skin color) from race to race, and individual to individual. Almost all are strikingly beautiful (unless marred, of course, with scars or a birth defect). Elwens are understandably proud of their beauty, and tend to scorn what other races claim as beauty.
Hair. Hair also varies, especially in style, from community to community. The only noteworthy thing we may say about it, here, is that it, like the eyes of Elwens, can possess almost any imaginable hue, including that of metals and gems. Some rare Elwens even have hair that blends all the colors of a rainbow, or mimics the stars in the sky. Very few Elwens are born with no hair at all; but Elwens do not generally grow hair on their bodies proper, only on their heads.
Fingers. Elwen fingers, and hands in general, are long, slender, and dexetrous. They are far better adapted to delicate tasks than harsh ones, and often Elwens who have spent a long time wielding swords or doing heavy work will have callouses on their palms.
Build. Elwens are generally taller than humans (though this is not true of all individuals, or indeed all races), standing somewhere between 5'9' and 6'6" (a little less to a little above 2 meters). They are also more slender, weighing about as much as gaunt humans for their height. For this reason, they depend more on speed and agility than humans do, and rarely carry as much muscle (or carry heavy packs or wear armor, for that matter). However, with their other advantages, they hardly need this (see below).
Reflexes. Elwens react about as five times as fast as humans do (three times as fast as elves), and they often make a decision more quickly and stick with it when they have made it. As well, their general flow of adrenaline is about three times that of humans, and they can keep fighting even when they have seemingly taken a fatal wound.
Senses. Elwen senses beyond eyesight are also quite keen. They can hear breathing and heartbeats (assuming that other sounds are not muffling them) and so are difficult to surprise. They can also track by smell- not as well as hounds, but far better than humans. Their senses of touch and taste also seem to be keener, though this is harder to verify.
Blood. The blood of most Elwen races is silver, and scalding hot, hot enough to be used as a weapon in battle. To most, this represents the liquefied light of the stars, their creators (see below), flowing in their veins. Other races have blood that reflects their characteristics (such as the vermili or fire Elwens having red blood), or simply have another color. When Elwens with different colors of blood interbreed, there is about a 25% chance that the child or the mother, or both, will die.
Lifespan. As noted above, Elwens live far longer than the other races, unless slain by violence or accident (few diseases, save all-out magical plagues, affect them). For most races, this is about ten thousand years. On the other end of the scale, the wilesai or infinity Elwens easily see ten million years- but they are considered strange even by the other Children of the Stars.
EMOTIONAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL MAKEUP
Emotions. Most Elwens have emotions that burn about ten times as hot as humans', or stronger. This is responsible for a good deal of the violence that often kills them early. This does not mean they must love or hate everyone who crosses their path. Their love may not be easily gained, but it often lasts forever when one has it. Unfortunately for those who kill those Elwens love, their hatred is exactly the same way.
Pride. Most Elwens, as noted above, consider themselves to be the epitome of intelligent life, and have a quick and touchy pride (not helped by the excess of emotion). Blood feuds, duels, and other symptoms of an overly proud society are present to a great extent among them. Most Elwens take pride in at least one thing in their lives- be that skill in war, their families, their abilities in their arts, or their children.
Individualism. Most Elwens live in meritocracies or largely anarchic "societies;" even those who have systems that might outwardly resemble monarchies or theocracies often have great potential to change from within. Most Children of the Stars are fanatic individualists, and many of them will fight the whole of society just to prove a point. They love liberty, and those who practice slavery or rape build up Elwen resentment that descends on them at last in crashing waves.
Stubbornness. Or, as the elves know it, "bloody-mindedness." Elwens often have no concept of leaving well enough alone. If someone or something pushes them, they push back. If they do not like something about the world, they set out to change it. If an enemy (such as the humans in the past) decides to commit genocide on them, they promptly lose all compunctions against committing genocide back. Tragedies and acts of heroism are often twined together in the Elwen mind, and indeed their history is filled with many that might be counted as both.
Sense of Difference. Elwens wear this strongly, and in some ways it connects with their pride. They make friends with the other intelligent races and long alliances with whole communities of them, and live among them, but they never really become part of their cultures. If nothing else, their lifespans will set them apart.
Then, too, Elwens consider themselves the Children of the Stars, born of the silver and dark stars both. They regard good and evil differently than the other races do; this may be seen in the fact that Elwens have not tried to destroy the nineteen races of their kind that have turned to 'evil,' while the elves and humans regularly persecute the darker elements in their own societies. They refuse to set one gender above the other, as elves do with women and humans do with men. They have many words in their languages that other tongues do not even need. They sing to the stars at night, but do not really worship them. Even in death they are different; their bodies do not remain in the earth, but spontaneously combust three to five minutes after death, burning with smokeless, sweet-smelling silver elwenfire. Only the metal they wear or carry is left behind.
MAGICAL MAKEUP
Racial. Most Elwens are born with the magic of their race (see the pages of individual races for these abilities). With work, these can be developed in power. They work at an individual's will, and draw, like most Elwen magic, on the mind, body, and spirit of the user. If an Elwen is exhausted, hasn't eaten, is sick with grief or fear, or has suffered other adverse conditions, of course he or she will not be at his or her best.
Individual. Elwens are often born with gifts outside their racial magic, or acquire them at some point in their lives. These function much like the racial gifts above, except that they are less common.
Mental. All Elwens are born with telekinesis and telepathy (though their egos are so powerful that most can speak to only one other person at once). These act as above, and vary in strength from individual to individual.
Will. This is perhaps the most powerful ability of Elwens, if the least used. An Elwen in the last extremity- under torture, in the midst of battle, backed against death, or suffering some other condition that acts as an impetus to the will- can create immense magical effects with his or her will and emotions alone. This may include empowering an ordinary weapon with magical powers (the creation of a banesword, say), or transforming their own bodies into something not Elwen in order to escape an enemy. More minor manifestations of this magic include the ability to hold the breath for up to an hour in the midst of water or poisonous gas, hearing a gentle buzzing in the ears when someone else speaks something he or she knows to be a lie, and control over the heart. It is a common tale among Elwens of those captive among enemies laughing, spitting in the faces of their torturers, and then stopping their own hearts, committing suicide in order to be free.
INDIVIDUAL RACES
More information about individual Elwen races is given on these pages:
Land Elwens- The Children of the Trees, the Free Ones.
Curalli- The shadowed Elwens, the Children of the Shadows.
Churni- The death Elwens, the Dreamhaunters.
Viaquia- The sunset Elwens, the Children of Dermand.
Eluvori- The forest Elwens, the Children of Rodollen.
Alalori- The dawn Elwens, the Children of Sarastaa.
Zorkro- The darkness Elwens, the Children of Jrallar.
Lukalia- The light Elwens, the Children of Joy.
Atagarni- The snow Elwens, the Children of Cold.
Helamani- The ice Elwens, the Children of Freedom.
Vhasi- The wolf Elwens, the Children of the Pack.
Menudi- The mist Elwens, the Children of Jamalen.
Brinnai- The lightning Elwens, the Children of the Storm.
Mirari- The sea Elwens, the Children of the Shark.
Eriadi- The dream Elwens, the Children of the Covenant.
Xanmarai- The nightmare Elwens, the Children of Jesmara.
Wissenmai- The grief Elwens, the Children of the Weeper.
Derkusi- The desert Elwens, the Children of the Sands.
Somaki- The sapphire Elwens, the Rogues of the World.
More to come.
