High-handed? Yes. Arrogant? Perhaps. Cultured and civilized beyond all compare? Absolutely. Now then, why is it you think that we, the beloved of the gods, are not perfect?
Cool, aloof, and seemingly untouchable, the Silvanesti elves represent all that is best and worst in the elven people. Their haunting beauty is marred by their cold and aloof natures. They consider themselves better than all other people on Ansalon, including their own kin, the Qualinesti and Kagonesti.
Personality
Proud and arrogant, the Silvanesti have little use for the members of any other race, including other elves. Silvanesti are extremely prejudiced against the cultures of “inferior” people, and are intolerant of other customs and beliefs. Silvanesti dislike change. Their society has endured for more than 3,000 years, and has changed very little in that time. When change does occur, it is usually forced onto them. Slow to trust and quick to blame, very few Silvanesti form lasting friendships with non-Silvanesti.
Physical Description
Silvanesti average about 5 feet tall and weigh between 90 and 100 pounds, with men only slightly taller and heavier than women. Fair-skinned, Silvanesti have hair color that ranges from light brown to white-blonde, and most have hazel eyes. Silvanesti speak in melodic tones and move with a natural grace, possessing a haunting, unearthly beauty. Silvanesti typically have no facial or body hair, though extremely old elves (those who have seen more than 500 years) will sometimes begin to grow a wispy beard. Silvanesti prefer loose garments, flowing robes and gowns covered by billowing capes in shades of green and brown. A Silvanesti achieves adulthood at about 80 years old and can live to be more than 550 years old.
Relations
Silvanesti elves tend to be racial “purists,” firmly believing in their natural superiority to all other races. This elitist disdain encompasses all non-Silvanesti, even the Qualinesti, who are regarded as “poor cousins,” and especially the Kagonesti, who are viewed as “savage children.” The Silvanesti harbor a particular hatred for the ogres and the ogre races (especially minotaurs), who were the first children of Darkness. The Silvanesti are also prejudiced against humans, since they blame human folloy for bringing the Cataclysm down upon Krynn. The Silvanesti consider half-elves an abomination, because their racial purity has been tainted by “lesser” blood, representing a possible threat to the Silvanesti way of life. The Silvanesti barely acknowledge the existence of dwarves, gnomes, and kender, considering them inferior in every way.
Alignment
With a society built upon a strict hierarchy, Silvanesti tend to be more lawfully inclined than other elves. Silvanesti are aligned with good, but they believe so highly in their own purity that goodness can be taken to extremes.
Silvanesti Lands
The Silvanesti live in the Forest of the Silvanesti in southeastern Ansalon. They are ruled by a hereditary monarch.
Religion
Encompassing members that worship both gods of Light and the deities of Balance, the Silvanesti pay particular homage to Quenesti Pah (Mishakal), Matheri (Majere), the Blue Phoneix (Habbakuk), Astarin (Branchala), and Solinari. Chislev and the Tree of Life (Zivilyn) are also respected as nature deities. E'li (Paladine) is their primary, and revered god of worship.
Language
The Silvanesti language is the purest of the Elven dialects, unchanged through more than 3,000 years. Kagonesti and Qualinesti Elven are derivatives of the same tongue, though divergent in their own ways. The languages are similar enough so that it is possible for elves to easily communicate with one another, though misunderstandings may arise due to euphemisms and colloquialisms. The Silvanesti script is elegant and flowing, and is the same script used by the other elven races, except the Kagonesti, who do not use a written form of the language.
Names
Names are very important to the Silvanesti, since a name indicates an individual's heritage and proper place within the fabric of elven society.
Male
Names: Avonathalonus,
Falindrithan, Lothas, Silvanas
Female
Names:
Aleaha, Ladine, Lisindrela, Roselenna
Family Names:
Althonos, Caladon, Starbreeze, Rathenas
Silvanesti
Houses: Advocate, Cleric,
Gardener, Mason, Metalline