Aethen Sige Tel (Snow Elves)

After losing the war, the High Elves (Ibrahian Empire/Elves) moved to the lands which the Mercurians had ignored. Many of the individual tribes split up and went their separate ways, many never to be seen again. One specific sect of elves traveled to the northern lands where the Mercurians dared not settle due to the harsh conditions of the climate and environment.

They took up shelter underground because the surface proved too harsh an adversary to overcome. Many of the original settlers died soon after arriving due to not being able to adapt to their brutal new home. Their numbers dropped to only a few hundred that were able to adapt to the wastes that were now their place of living.

Spending so much time underground caused their skin to fade and adopt a very pale tone. Those that lived evolved quickly. Their lifetime halved from that of the Ibrahian Elves and theirs eyes became better suited for seeing in the darkness of the underground. Eventually they developed the technology to surface for parts of the day, but the damage to their appearance had already been done.

After the resurgence of the elves in Hermertia, they generally inhabit most of the northern and central regions of the empire, with numbers in the tens of thousands.

Their skin appears as white as the snow that they live in, usually with black, grey, or rarely blonde hair. Their eyes are large and bright blue, and they have the traditional long pointed ears of the High Elves. Naturally sharp nails akin to claws have also developed on them, though they are usually trimmed to be rounded. They measure up to the average Mercurians in height.

The Aethen are a very proud race due to their heritage and success in the face of adversity. They do not want to be pitied or given special treatment due to the ideals and failures of their ancestors. They wish to restore the Aethen race to its once great status, but to do so in their own way to separate themselves from those before them.

Every Aethen is trained to fight from a very early age. The culture is very individual driven in that you are expected to be able to fend for yourself and not rely on those around you if need be. Though they are also encouraged to offer their talents for the greater good of the race and the kingdom.

Mostly all of the Aethen are highly religious and all follow the same ideals and gods of the Aethen Sige Tel. Because of this religion, they see themselves as superior beings to all other races and though there are other races living within DorEryn, the communities are usually very segregated. The Mercurian humans are seen as the highest form of life coming in just below themselves, but orcs, dwarves, and other odd minorities are all seen as subraces and treated with extreme disgust and sometimes violence on sight