User Guide

Since At’rann was buried underneath the sea, it is assumed that all of
the Historical Cuni have been destroyed. There is some debate,
however. Some claim since At’rann was the elvish utopia that it was
protected from destruction during the Great Cataclysm, and now currently
resides in its entirety under the Verhoffin Sea.
There are those who believe in the existence of the complete written
history of the Elves called the Cunic Records. These followers believe
they include the fate of all the clans, including a mysterious lost
fourteenth clan known as A’Rikdun. Many historians have gone on
expeditions to the area believed to be the location of At’rann, and have
tried to find evidence of its existence. To date, all these expeditions have
returned empty–handed.
Without these records, virtually nothing is known about elvish history,
except where their history intersects with the histories of other cultures.
Thus, it is known that the elvish clan leader Thrata A’Dorad invited the
Ursanian Imperial Guard to set up a garrison in the elvish town of
Etendar. It is not known who he was or why he did so. Most of what is
known of elvish history is what is spoken on the tongues of the Elves
themselves. Much of that is myth related to elvish heroes. Perhaps one
of these days, one of the expeditions to the probable location of At’rann
will return with pieces of the Cunic Records.
Introduction ✦ 18
ELVISH HISTORY
Elvish Names
Before the Great Cataclysm, all the Elves in Chedian were part of one of
thirteen clans. Each clan also had several sub–clans known as Sils. When
naming children, the Elves of this era adhered to the following rule:
Given Name de Mother’s Name A’Clan Name a’sil
So, an elven female named Ete, who is the daughter of Forbhlaith, who
is part of the Dorad clan and the Blackclaw Sil, has a full name of:
Ete de Forbhlaith A’Dorad a’blackclaw
Note the lower case a’ for the Sil. Since the Sil is a sub–clan, it is not
capitalised. In elvish society, this is known as the Regal Name or Proper
Name. It is used only in formal ceremonies and in formal introductions to
Elves of other clans. For most everyday introductions, the Elves use the
Common Name, composed of the Given Name and the Clan Name.
Therefore, the preceding example would be:
Given Name A’Clan or: Ete A’Dorad
Despite the dissolution of the clans and Sils, most Elves still try to
follow this paradigm to the best of their ability. There are a few
"modern" Elves who have begun to follow the naming conventions of
the humans. These Elves usually live in major towns, and often interact
with Humans and Dwarves who rarely understand the concept of clans
and Sils.
The Elvish Clans
Before the Great Cataclysm, the Elves were separated from other races,
and retained their sovereignty as long as they paid their tributes to the
Ursanian Empire. The Elves were one of the few groups that did not
resist being absorbed into the Ursanian Empire. In fact, there is some
evidence that the Elves actually asked to be part of the Ursanian
Empire.
Most of the records were written on a special paper known as Cuni.
This paper was made from the now extinct Cundis tree. Most of the
records themselves were kept in a central location in the elvish lands
known as At’rann, the word for "utopia" (literally "Place of Bliss" or
"Place of Light", both words being synonymous in elvish tongue).
According to the ancient maps, the town known as At’rann was four
hundred leagues south of Verhoffin’s Tower. Today, this would place it
squarely at the bottom of the Verhoffin Sea.
17 ✦ Introduction
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