Editing Autia (section)

====Lapus Elves (East Alkor, Vespins, Karelia, Mordiven, East Union Company, Bloodsap Forest)====

People:

The Lapus Elves are one of the more numerous but lesser known branches of the elven race. Many of them come from diluted bloodlines due to past mixing with that of humans and other lesser races and now lack the immortality certain other elven races are famous for, though only those with recent human ancestry are considered half-elves.

A number of other fey beings live here, particularly in the Bloodsap forest. Inhabitants include ents, lepre-khans, red caps, harpies, satyrs, dryads, and other, stranger creatures.

The region is also home to many colonists from Alkor, Shahdom, and The Union.

Religion:

The Lapus elves mostly worship a large pantheon of elven gods they brought with them from their home dimension, but a few have converted to human religions, mostly the Nantic Pantheon.

Magic:

Elves from relatively pure bloodlines usually have access to innate magic, though power levels vary. Their favorite spells tend to be illusions, enchantments, and elemental magic, but they can also channel their raw ability to learn human magic traditions.

Military:

Although individually skilled and arrogant, the elites of Lapus elf society see fighting against lesser races like humans to be wasteful and senseless. Instead, their greatest cities and mansions are hidden deep in the Bloodsap Forest, guarded by the vicious fey that live there, hidden by powerful illusions, and in many cases, located entirely within the realms of the fey. Any potential invaders will have to slog through dense forest full of traps, magical constructs, and dark fey hunters if they want to stumble upon a Lapus elf settlement.

Instead most fighting gets done by the lesser clans of Lapus elves living in the coastal swamps and rocky hills, who although are still fairly skilled magically and martially, are often outnumbered by human invaders.

Lapus elves prefer to fight with swords, bows, and spells, though some clans have also grudgingly embraced firearms as well. They much prefer guerilla warfare to open warfare, where their skill with illusions and knowledge of their misty pine forest homeland gives them a significant edge.

The various other fey creatures living in the area, particularly in Bloodsap Forest, each have their own fighting style, though stealth, misdirection, and fear tactics are generally preferred.

Alkor and The Union both have military forces in this region, which sometimes skirmish against the Lapus Elves, assorted other fey, as well as Malsolian and Utopian pirates.

History:

The Lapus elves were one of the first inhabitants of the Lapus continent back when it was a sparsely inhabited region home to small pockets of fey creatures that can trace their origins to the Grassblade Commune. As other more powerful nations conquered then lost Lapus over and over, and some of the fey living in the continent's interior became increasingly dark, the Lapus elves shifted their focus to the dense pine forests of the southwestern coast, where warm ocean currents and an extensive network of volcanos, geysers, and hot springs kept the air relatively warm but also frequently misty.

Over the past few centuries, they have repeatedly come in contact with humans from Autia seeking timber, furs, and mineral wealth like gold, jews, and malorite. At first these colonists were generally driven out, but the Lapus elf ruling class has grown lazy and decadent, and eventually a number of colonies were formed by those who had the military strength to protect themselves against minor raids, but also the brains and wealth to bribe the ruling elf clans and exploit rivalries between different noble families.

The main colonists were Alkor, The Union, and the Shahdom of Gravlind:

The Shahdom were the first to be able to set up trade relations with the Lapus elves, some alliances lasted for centuries, however, the Shahdom became increasingly bullying, in some cases even using marriage alliances with minor clans to claim ownership of entire regions, so few were particularly sad to see Alkor and their puppets among the Autian Port Federation drive them from the region, though some former Shahdom colonies still exist in the region as neutral towns.

The Union was the next to settle the area, setting up a number of colonies in the region, particularly in the malorite rich region of Malsolia (which the Lapus elves avoid due to the harmful radiation generated by the high malorite content underground). The Union eventually outright conquered the Malsolia region, giving them a powerful foothold in the region, from which a number of other smaller colonies could be set up, however, the Lapus elves dislike The Union due to their attitudes towards magic, and each new colony is only set up after considerable bloodshed and/or bribes to elven nobles. Eventually The Union lost control of Malsolia, which significantly weakened their position in the region, though they still retain a number of major bases in the island chains between the continents of Autia and Lapus.

Alkor is the most recent colonist, and generally the most successful. Much more willing to tolerate foreign religions practices, magic traditions, and cultural practices than other colonial powers, Alkor was able to establish good relations with a number of noble clans, and even the right to colonize and fortify the sparsely inhabited island of Twin Hills, now more commonly known as East Alkor. Many bored and adventurous elves and half-elves have immigrated to Alkor (and from there some to Westphallica, Harlbourg, Hoogivs, Gabaet, and Ercaenmedi). However, some noble families still don't trust Alkor, and are either isolationist or maintain ties to The Union.

Economy:

Lapus elf population growth is fairly steady (in fact currently falling due to emigration) so most elves live in well hidden communities that are centuries old. Some communities are hunter-gatherers, while others have some farming. Mining is also not uncommon.

Foreigners are generally interested in the tall trees, rare furs, and rich veins of gold, iron, gemstones, and malorite. Although uninterested in collecting most of those things themselves, Lapus elves do tolerate foreign colonies who mine, trap, and collect timber off of designated lands in return for payments in gold and jewels.

Lapus elves are sometimes individually very wealthy by the standards of other races, and often spend much wealth in decadent, open minded societies like Napan and Westphallica. Poorer elves sometimes spend decades in places like Alkor and Ercaenmedi, where their reputation helps ensure that elven craftsmen and mages often become wealthy quickly.

Some Lapus elves become bored due to their long lives and embrace all sorts of black-hearted activities in areas where taboos are few, and the poor have few rights like Yr, the Fleshmolders, the Unravelers, Afrolia, and the Second Empire. However, only the more powerful can take these risks, since elven slaves fetch high prices in these regions.