It might be said that ice elves came into being because somebody had to do it. In the vast, cold wastes of Rimevast are many ancient places of power that could prove deadly if they fell into the wrong hands, and many of which by birthright belong to the elves. At the same time, the goblinoid hordes that regularly raid into elven lands, among others, also need some standing force to keep them from growing too powerful for the time of their next raid into lands south. Ages past several families of high elves were chosen to fulfill these difficult, dangerous tasks, and took up life in Rimevast to fulfil these necessary tasks for all time. Save for a few ice elves that wander from their ages-long home in the frozen north for a variety of reasons, they continue to follow their original missions, begun so very long ago, even as their adopted homeland and the magic of the places they guarded changed them until they became properly adapted for their new lives.
Personality
In the frozen, harsh land of Rimevast, one would normally expect any race that might inhabit such a land to be grim and forbidding. Not so with ice elves, who are known as some of the most cheeful, friendly, and hospitable of elves. This is the face that they show to their friends, and those that they would like to become their friends, which is anyone with tendencies towards good. On the other hand, when their ire is roused and they are about to go into battle, ice elves suddenly turn ruthless, shutting off their emotions to become as cold and deadly as the land in which they live. While generally as freedom-loving as any elf, ice elves are noted for being remarkably honorable, in that they mean their promises, and would rather die than break an oath.
Physical Description
While ice elves are very much like high elves in their general tall, slender builds, this elven subrace is most notable for having blue skin and blue to white hair, with a rare few with blonde hair. The blue of their skins can be exceedingly pale, almost white, but it is always blue. As for their hair, many ice elves choose to shave their heads, or to dye their hair, something that is quite easy thanks to the pale colors. The eyes of ice elves are often a sparkling black, a misty grey, or a pale, luminous blue. Generally, ice elves do not need to wear as much clothing as their cold environs would suggest, and some of the more adventurous among them have been known to run naked into battle, clad in nothing except a coating of woad.
About Ice Elves
Ice elves live in small, relatively mobile communities that keep in a state of semi-nomadic movement around places of great importance as well as places where the ice elves can seek sanctuary in case of need. Natives of Rimevast, ice elves are devoted to fighting the goblinoid hordes of that dangerous, forbidding land, and to defending the sacred sites of their people. Beyond these racial focii, however, ice elves are perhaps the most hospitable of all the elven subraces, even moreso than wood elves, for in such a dangerous climate, it pays to make friends. Because of this, ice elves are on good terms with the good-aligned humans of Rimevast and a good many of the more neutral ones, and they maintain good relations with dwarven settlements, as well as with many good-aligned giants and tribes of wolfen, actaeon, and bear beastfolk. Among other elves, ice elves are held in the utmost respect because of the ages-old sacrifice that their ancestors made in taking up their lives in Rimevast.
Though they seldom have much reason for travel or adventure, their lives being quite enough of an adventure on their own, ice elves are often orphaned in the various dangerous conflicts of their harsh, icy land, leaving these orphans to fend for themselves as best as they can. Other ice elves are sent to places south, or travel with humans or dwarves to fulfil some oath or responsibility so as to keep up good relations with these people. In each of these cases, ice elves may find themselves leaving Rimevast for other lands, in which case the wandering life of an adventurer quickly becomes one of the most obvious career choices, as the dangers of such a life are hardly more than the ones that an ice elf might encounter back home.
Ice Elf Racial Abilities and Statistics:
- +2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, –2 Constitution: Ice Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their forms are frail.
- Medium: Ice Elves are Medium creatures and have no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
- Normal Speed: Ice Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
- Low-Light Vision: Ice Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
- Elven Immunities: Ice Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and get a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
- Keen Senses: Ice Elves receive a +2 racial bonus on Listen, Spot and Search skill checks.
- Cold Adaptation: Ice elves get a +4 racial bonus on Fortitude saves against the effects of cold weather (but not cold-based attacks). At the same time, they receive a -4 racial penalty on Fortitude saves against the effects of hot weather (but not heat-based attacks).
- Weapon Familiarity: Ice Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon.
- Languages: Ice Elves begin play speaking Common and Sylvan. Ice Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Carnivon, Celestial, Draconic, Goblin, and Wildlander.
