Physical Characteristics

Build: Thin and graceful.

Coloring: The Eressea have alabaster complexions. Their hair is commonly white to gold in color and as a culture they grow their hair as long as possible. Their eyes are blue or light gray with a very rare and startling white also found. Such Eressea have eyes of solid white except for the black dot of their pupils. Such eyes are considered lucky among the Eressea but are unsetteling to most other races who tend to jump to the conclusion that it is a mark of evil. Note that none of the white pupiled Eressea fell to the corruption of the Unnamed.

Endurance: Generally average but higher when in contace with their element, lower when removed from it.

Height: As with all of the Second Children the Eressea are fairly similar in appearance. Particularly when they are young. Starting height is 5'6" +/- 4" with no differance between male and female Eressea. Again in keeping with the nature of the Second Children they continue growing over their entire lives. Elder members of the Elven races are rarely encountered but when they are the age they carry is apparent to all. Note that this aspect of the Elven races is known to very few on Whent. It is the younger members of these races who serve as messengers, ambassadors, traders and the like and all of the elven races are happy to maintain that ignorance. (For gaming purposes the Eressea grow 1" every 10th of their age rounded up. E.g., if they begin at age 80 they add one inch to their height when they reach age 88, another inch when they reach age 97, another when they reach age 117, 129, 142, 156, etc.)

Lifespan: 1,500 to 2,100. Eressea consider 80 to be the age of majority and will generally allow young Eressean to act independantly after reaching this age. As with all of the long lived races there are still a number of levels of adulthood - each with their own duties, responsibilities and advantages. While 80 is the age of majority (and the starting age of Eressean adventurers) they would certainly have no authority over any other being and would not have access to any of the secret knowledge or history of the Eressea.

Special Abilities: The Eressea are also naturally and very strongly attuned to the element of Air. They are also particularly susceptible to damage from ferrus metals and earth magics/effects. (Note: The Eressea commonly grow special crystalin materials which they use to craft weapons and armor out of. Such items are uniformly of very high quality and are used in place of the metal items that other races typically use for these purposes.)

Other Factors

Demeanor: Most others consider the Eressea haughty but by and large they are a caring, quiet people. They are also haunted by the past and deeply worried (some would say obsessed) about the future. The haughtyness others see in them is largely their focus on larger issues that the day-to-day.

Prejudices: Violently prejudiced against any Ruc Eressea and any agents of the Unnamed. Many of the younger Eressea resent the continued animosity of the Gorron.

Culture

Clothing & Decoration: The Erressea commonly wear clothing made from a very finely woven silken threads (and trade this material to the Allarin). The Eressea also commonly wear an item or two of jewelry but they rarely approach the extremes that the Allarin and some human cultures do. Such jewelry often has some significance to the Eressea rather than just being ornamental. The Eressea are also rarely found unarmed with most bearing a Saren or Spear at all times. Many also consider armor an essential garmet.

Fears & Inabilities: The Eressea are living proof of the statement "the bigger you are the harder you fall". At the height of their racial accomplishment they ruled all of civilized Whent - and then succome to corruption. The larger part of this race fell quietly under the suasion of the demonic forces of the Unnamed and brought untold horrors to the World of Whent. While the corrupted Eressea were eventually defeated the race was split into the Eressea, those who remained uncorrupted, and the Ruc Eressea who still enjoyed the taint of the Unnamed. The Eressea of today are a race struggling to survive and grow. Their population is less than a tenth of the Allarin who are much less populous than either the Gorron or the Teleri. Naturally the Eressea hate and fear the Ruc Eressea - who still look just like the Eressea and may even now walk among them.

Lifestyle: As a race the Eressea are dedicated to first surviving and second to the destruction of the agents of the Unnamed. They are not necessarily a goodly race for many of the Eressea will do what ever it takes to further those goals regardless of whether others would call the act good or evil. With their intimate knowledge of what horrors the corruption of the Unnamed can bring, and their shame for enslaving them, the Eressea hold humanity in a place of special honor while realizing that humans have no clue why they do so. They have a strong love-hate relationship with the Gorron. While the Gorron did destroy the power of the Ruc Eressea they also nearly destroyed the Eressea as a race. That the Gorron maintain an unwavering suspiscion and dislike of the Eressea also prevents the Eressea from repairing the rift between what were once the staunchest of allies. Most Eressea spend their time maintaining the security of their small hidden holdings while a few others travel Whent acting as councillors and ferretting out information agents of the Unnamed. They would very much like to find the Tower of the Arcane and destroy that hidden bastion of the Ruc Eressea. They also act as the enforcers of the Final Declaration made by the last Eressean Emperor. In an effort to ensure that no Ruc Eressean ever gained power such as they had the Emperor ruled that no member of the Elven races could ever again hold a position of rulership over a member of another race upon punishment of death. After signing the declaration he enforced his new law by falling on his own sword. He had no heirs and the empire was officially dead and all peoples free from Eressean rule. His act went a long way toward assuaging the Gorron in particular and it is likely thet the Gorron would have attempted to destroy every last Eressean - corrupted or not - had the Emperor not made this last geasture. The Eressea maintain a reaction force dedicated to enforcing the Final Declaration - a force that has acted many times over the years.

Marriage Pattern: Eresseans typically marry late in life (700+) but there has been some earlier marriages recently in an effort to increase the population. Casual relationships between the sexes prior to marriage have always been common. Previously there was care taken to ensuring that no children were produced from these casual liasions but again with their small population that is no longer the case. Such children are often encouraged since they blur the traditional pattern of tracing one's family through the mother's husband. It is yet another step the Eressean are taking to help prevent the creation of a second Eressean Dynasty. When the Eressean do marry it is typically for life, although the high probability of other casual affairs over the long years of their lives is recognized and socially accepted so long as it is not flaunted.

Religion: All Eresseans honor the Dragon God Arain and they usually offer the same honor to the other Dragon Gods. Many worship the Old Gods and all pay homage to Lillia in her stand against the Unnamed. Her priests are universally welcome among the Eressea. The most common "religion' followed among the Eressea is the Way of Druidry although they emphasize the scholarly aspects of that faith.