Mor’Leth: The Ghost Elves

The Mor’Leth are the Ghost Elves. Once, they were known as the Erin’Tar– the Sun Elves. Now, the last generation of a dying people struggle to find survival and meaning. 

Both ancestries of Elves– the Mor’Leth and the Gael’Dar (Wild Elves) are descended from a group of True Faerie who were exiled from the Otherworld in ancient times so long gone the details have been forgotten for generations. 

As immortal beings of Faerie, these exiles had no souls (as mortals reckon such things) to interact with the Deep Magics of the world. Without such a means, the exiled Faerie could create no progeny. Those few children born to the exiles in the mortal realm were soulless monstrosities. 

One group of exiles delved deep into their skill and talent for the arcane arts for a solution. They bound themselves to a powerful artifact known as the Crystal Throne on the island of Rendayn, and there found their solution. They harnessed the raw power of magic and channeled it through the Crystal Throne, and by a mysterious process created new souls. The descendants of these magic-infused folk became the Erin’Tar– the Sun Elves.

Thirty-five years ago the Erin’Tar Crystal Throne was shattered.  During a Fomorian assault on the capital city of Rendayn, one of the Fomorian’s most powerful sorceresses ripped out the magics that bound the Erin’Tar to the Throne and then destroyed it. The people were slaughtered and the survivors of the invasion fled in what few ships they could gather, stunned and reeling, to the mainland. 

Within a single day, every last Erin’Tar had been stripped of their homeland, their identity as a people, and their ability to reproduce. That day, they became the Mor’Leth– the Ghost Elves; a lost people, refugees of a broken ancestry seeking meaning and answers in a pitiless world. 

5 Things to Remember About Mor’Leth

  • Descended From Faerie
    • The Mor’Leth are, at their core, still tied inherently to the Otherworld realm of Faerie. They are weak to Cold Iron, they cannot lie, and they bear a strong affinity for arcane magic. 
  • Bargains, Promises, and Trade
    • Mor’Leth are far closer to their fae heritage than their more predatory Gael’Dar cousins. One of the things that they retain from their Archfey ancestors is the compulsive need to turn every personal interaction into a bargain of some kind. A Mor’Leth is ALWAYS trying to come out on top, even in simple conversation, though the definition of victory or success varies from elf to elf.
  • Passion and Emotion
    • Erin’Tar culture was stoic and reserved, obsessed with controlling one’s emotions. As Erin’Tar culture crumbled, so too did this drive among the surviving Mor’Leth. The Ghost Elves now embraces what the Sun Elves derided and glory in both the highs and lows of emotion. 
  • A Dying Breed
    • Every Mor’Leth feels the loss of their Crystal Throne keenly. Each individual Ghost Elf knows a gaping, bottomless void within themselves where the link to the Deep Magic once was. They cannot produce children with souls. Each Mor’Leth knows that when they die, their ancestry moves one step closer to extinction. 
  • Vengeance Served Cold
    • Of all the peoples of Brittanis, the Mor’Leth hate the Fomorians most. The savage invaders slaughtered the Sun Elves by the thousands, pushed them from their island home of Rendayn, shattered their Crystal Throne and turned the Sun elves into the Ghost Elves. Some express it as a white-hot rage, others as cold and calculating precision, but all Mor’Leth know the Fomorians are to blame for their plight. 

Mor’Leth Archetypal Heroic Virtues

(NOTE: These are not required for a player to take; these are simply the most common virtues among the Mor’Leth culture)

  • RESOLVE is a common virtue for Mor’Leth because the lifelong development of willpower through arcane discipline was the heart of their culture, their iron wills have been forged in the Fall of Rendayn and are now their people’s greatest strength.
  • HUMILITY is a common virtue for Mor’Leth because the hubris of the Erin’Tar was their downfall, and the Mor’Leth have learned this lesson.
  • COURAGE is a common virtue for Mor’Leth because the survivors of the Fall now face an uncertain future and cannot give in to despair.
  • Erin’Tar virtues would have been Nobility, Dignity, and Etiquette for comparison.

Costume & Kit

NOTE: There are no body type, height/weight, hair color or or skin color descriptions for any of the species/cultures in Brittanis. Costuming and kit are the way to demonstrate and roleplay your Ancestry. This is intentional. Play what you want to play.

  • Ancestry Band: Mor’Leth must wear a ancestry band of purple fabric. These must be worn on the left forearm and may not be less than 3 inches wide.
  • ELVES MUST WEAR PROSTHETIC EAR TIPS. Latex, silicone, and metal ear covers are all acceptable. Simply gluing one’s actual ear tips to a point is not. Mor’Leth typically have larger ears than their Gael’Dar cousins.
  • Kit
    • Styles: The silhouette of Mor’leth costuming is based heavily around elven imagery from the Lord of the Rings movies, and the Jedi from the Star Wars series. Robes and long, draped garments over close-fitting underclothes predominate. 
      • See the Mor’Leth Pinterest Boards HERE for inspiration!
      • Colors: The tendency to design in differing shades of black, white, or grey is a defining Mor’leth costume trait. In addition, Mor’Leth typically accent their clothing with a single jewel tone color, often a deep red, purple, or blue. 
      • Hoods & Facial coverings: In the last few decades, most Mor’Leth have taken to wearing hoods, scarves, and other garments that leave only their eyes and/or hair exposed. These are usually light fabrics to allow breathability, but they hide their faces from the sun and prying viewers.   
  • Weapons/Shields: Swords and polearms tend towards long, curving scimitar or katana-style blades with ornate, organically styled handles and guards. 
    • Their shields are shaped for maximum protection and versatility; tall and shaped like teardrops or elongated versions of the Brittanic heater-style shield are common.
  • Armor: Ghost Elves prefer armor that does not compromise mobility and speed, so large pieces of solid armor are uncommon except in the heaviest protection. The most common types of Mor’Leth armor are banded and scale. Long skirts of scalemail and interwoven banding are seen frequently, and the elven preference for smooth, curving lines continues into their armors as well. 

Personality

The Mor’Leth have never forgotten themselves as the true descendants of the Archfey; they know in their mortal bones that their ancestors are immortal beings of incredible power and majesty, and this makes the loss of their kingdom and their future all the more tragic. 

The Mor’Leth constantly seek to master new skills, gain new knowledge, and learn new magics that will help them change the horrific reality of their existence– if they do nothing, their people will die out in less than a generation. 

Both Mor’Leth and Gael’Dar speak Elven, which is the last vestige of the language their ancestors who were exiled from Faerie spoke. Each have their own accents, but it is the same as listening to the Irish and the Scottish speaking school-Standard English.

Neither culture has “claim” to the Elven language.

Life Span

Elves are the longest lived of the playable ancestries in Brittanis. Typical average life span for an elf is 200 yrs old. Their children mature at the same rate as humans, but they enjoy a much longer adulthood before age begins to affect them.  Elven adulthood begins at the end of puberty. An elf would be considered old at 150, and none typically live past 200 years. Since 111 AR, no Mor’Leth children have been born. It is unknown if the Fall has affected their natural lifespans yet. 

Naming Convention

Before the fall of Rendayn family names among the Erin’tar were nonexistant, each elf taking the house name of the school they studied in. These house names became family names after the fall, though some Mor’leth have adopted the naming conventions of the cultures they have settled amongst.

A typical Mor’leth name is:

[Given Name], El’/Al’ [Parent Name]

           Dar’- Child of 

El’ – Son of

Al’ – Daughter of

The parent cited would be the dominant parent of the pair. The Parents name would include the Family/House name, and might be followed by the honorific Arki if the child was the third of more elf to follow in the same family.

Religion

Mor’Leth faith is a strange thing. Some believe their people to have been abandoned by the Gods, or suffer under their punishment. These Mor’Leth cannot logically deny the existence of the gods, but they can refuse to participate in worship or associate with their priests. Many of these Mor’Leth have found Avelorn a welcome home. 

Others in recent times have become fierce devotees of various gods, holding tight to faith in these dark times. Some have even turned to the new Gael’Dar deity known as Seridane, believing that the deity who has adopted the Wild elves may choose to embraces the Ghost Elves as well. 

Regardless of their faith or lack thereof, the Mor’Leth who pursue such stances do so with passion.  

Hospitality

Mor’Leth assume hospitality lasts until the next dawn. Beyond that, a host is free to extend an offer of continued hospitality or expel any unwanted guests. 

Like all cultures, the Mor’Leth use hospitality as a means of collective self-preservation. Knowing that you have at least shelter awaiting you at the nearest settlement, regardless of whether they end up as friends or enemies, facilitates travel and trade in a monster-haunted landscape.

Mor’Leth have no home; they are wanderers and refugees. As such, they are more often than not, on the receiving end, than the giving end of Hospitality. When the Ghost Elves are in a position to provide hospitality, however, they typically do so with great care, honoring the times such has been extended to them in return. 

Society

None – The homeland of Rendayn has been overrun by Fomorians. The survivors of the devastation are scattered throughout Brittanis. The closest thing that they have to a home is the Mor’Leth camp outside the Seridane city of Caliduin.

As such, Mor’Leth assimilate into the cultures they find themselves sworn to or living among. In such rare times that Mor’Leth gather in numbers, they typically gather into extended-family units.