Snow elf
| Snow elf | |
|---|---|
 A snow elf, depicted in Frostburn (2004), art by David Griffith. | |
| General information | |
| Alignment: | Neutral |
| Type: | Humanoid |
| Subtype: | Elf |
| First appearance: | "Into the Frost and Snow", Dragon #155, 1990 |
Snow elves are a species of elves who live in the extreme arctic regions of the Crystalmists in the western Flanaess.
Description
Typical physical characteristics
Snow elves are very thin and wiry, but surprisingly tough and even more shockingly tall, with men typically reaching 7ft and women as much as 6'4".[1] The typical snow elf has light brown or tan skin, white or pale blond hair[1] which is often curly[2], and white[2] or silver eyes.[1] They prefer wearing only white materials, including jewelry made from bone or silver traded from valley elves.
They have surprisingly short lifespans, for elves, only living around 750 to 900 years making them the shortest-lived elves in the Flanaess.[1] Most other elves, except Valley elves, look down on snow elves for this reason, seeing them as little better than humans with a misplaced sense of pride. They have trained hoar foxes and bears for pets and guards.
Clothing
Snow elves do not work metal, due to their dislike of fire, and avoid wearing metal due to their arctic environment. They instead prefer furs, leathers and hide- even that of white dragons if they succeed in obtaining any. They've succeeded in making dragonhide armor which is as flexible as elven chain, although only 7th level and higher druids among the snow elves know how to make such armor. This is given to respected individuals among the snow elves and occasionally gifted to valley elves (who in turn provide the snow elves with any worked metal they need).
Personality
Snow elves are incredibly haughty, treating most other races, even other elves as completely beneath them.
Abilities
The snow elves have only been given statistics in two editions.
These bonuses replace the standard modifiers for elves, but they otherwise have the abilities of their kin, including resistance to sleep, improved vision, etc. based on the edition.
In first edition, snow elves trade their attack bonus with swords and bows for the same bonus with javelins and spears.[1] They additionally have a +1 on saving throws against any form of cold attack or condition.[1] In third edition, they have "no physical resistance to the cold."[2]
Society
Settlements
Snow elven realms are found almost exclusively in the Crystalmist Mountains. It is perhaps possible they might be indigenous to other mountains,[3] though none have been recorded. but strangely not in the snowy plains of Blackmoor or the Land of Black Ice.[citation needed]
Two different sources (from two editions) give two aspects of snow elven cultural settlements—cities[2]and villages[3] But, like many other cultures, the two are not mutually exclusive. They are both isolationistic and are found in equally remote locales. The denizens of each only rarely ever leave their individual territories.[2][4]
The cities of the snow elves are referred to as "magnificent ice cities" which are "built to shield their citizens from the surrounding environment."[2] These are only found in the most secluded places in the Crystalmists—far beyond just being in the mountains, but in places at the uppermost extremes of the mountaintops best described as simply "the ice".[2]
Rural snow elves live in small clans of up to 30 members, in small villages of "dome-shaped huts of woven trees, covered with furs and skins, and packed on the outside with snow."[3] The territories of each clan or family varies in relation to their size. Villages control areas of up to 60 square miles (30-member clans) or as little as 6 square miles for a small family of three (roughly 3 to 9 miles between villages). When a clan grows beyond that, it will separate by one or more families forming a new group and moving away to their own territory. When this occurs, the new clan does not simply move "next door"—they "pack their belongings in early spring and set out in search of new territory."[3] They travel away such a distance that it would only be practical to travel in spring. The use of their keras (see below) to communicate over "vast distances"[3] also indicates just how far apart the settlements are, though at least some must be close enough to be heard (10km/6.2mi).
Culture
Snow elves are extremely territorial.
Snow elves use a musical instrument called keras (pronounced /keh' rahz/),[4] which are like alpenhorns. These long horns, (4ft-20ft) made from wood or mammoth tusk, are used to communicate across long distances in complex codes or play out of festivals and holy days. Clans will not hesitate to aid each other, especially in helping fight against non-snow elves, and will often gather in spring and autumn for festivals and holy days. While a snow elf would never turn away or ignore another of their kind in need, many times the troubled snow elf will be too proud to ask for help.
Male snow elves prefer becoming fighters, rangers, or thieves, while female snow elves favour magic users. Druids are drawn from both sexes. Mixed classes are uncommon.
Alignment
The culture of the snow elves is generally neutral in alignment.
Magic
Arcane arts among the snow elves has grown over the centuries, in preference to clerical ones. Druidic magic is highly valued.[3]
Religion
Much of their worship is Druidic, focused on shrines built upon places of power where the boundaries between the material plane and elemental planes of ice, air or earth are thin. Some druidic magic is more powerful there.[4] Most of these shrines are dedicated to Tarsellis Meunniduin, the Seldarine deity of mountains and wilderness—who is their patron and from whom the snow elves believe they are direct descendants.
Rellavar Danuvien, the Seldarine deity of protection from frost and snow, also sees worship from many snow elves.
Relationships
They get along well enough with valley elves and trade with them for silver, as well as "metal weapons and tools, and certain alchemical products."[4] This, combined with general elven attitudes, led to cold and distant relations with other elves. Valley elves, the other shunned elven race and neighbors, and snow elves better tolerate each other through their shared position of elven outcasts.
Snow elves do not tolerate the presence of drow.
Snow elves don't tend to have a good relationship with non-elven races, especially humans, since in ages past snow elves tended to raid or attack them when they entered the mountainous territories of the snow elves.[3]
Notable snow elves
- Cain Blizzard (Rng3/Wiz3/Drd3 Male snow elf)—emissary of the White Bear clan.
History
There is a disaffection between snow elves and their kin which arises from time immemorial. The snow elf clans were deceived into allowing the drow to escape through their territories in return for a price.[3] The snow elves claimed not to know how far the drow had fallen in their demon worship, but this event is still seen as a gross betrayal by other elves.[3]
Rumors and legends
In Living Greyhawk
 | This section contains content from the Living Greyhawk organized-play campaign. |
Snow elves were available to play in Living Greyhawk providing the player had a reward card (Set 1, Card 1: Ice Cities of the Crystalmist),[5] which references the snow elves as presented in Frostburn:
"Ice Cities of the Crystalmists | Creation
"Our race is like that of a snowflake, we are a myriad of personalities and mysteries."
—Lathian Frostdrift, snow elf scribeExplorers into the farthest reaches of the ice sometimes return with stories of magnificent ice cities built atop remote mountaintops that are inhabited by snow elves, folk with eyes as white as snow and hair that coils like fragile wisps of cloud. The snow elves are similar to their brethren, but are hardier, due to living in harsher conditions.
Benefit: You may take the Crystalmist Mountains as your home region. You cannot change your home region. This card unlocks the snow elf subrace from Frostburn. Snow elves are similar to high elves (the standard elven race in the Player’s Handbook), but their ability modifiers are +2 Dexterity and -2 Charisma, instead of the normal elven modifiers."
See Also
Publication history
Gallery
-
by Jamie Lambardo, Dragon magazine #155 (March 1990).
References
Notes
Citations
- ↑ a b c d e f g Dragon #155 (Mar 1990), p.26.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Frostburn, p.34-35.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i Dragon #155 (Mar 1990), p.27.
- ↑ a b c d Dragon #155 (Mar 1990), p.28.
- ↑ Campaign Cards, Set 1, Spring 2007. Living Greyhawk. Wizards of the Coast , 29 May 2007. Archived from the original on 14 October 2007. Retrieved on 20 August 2022.
Bibliography
- Baur, Wolfgang, James Jacobs and George Strayton. Frostburn: Mastering the Perils of Ice and Snow. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2004. Item code 17758.
- Reimer, David. "In the Frost and Snow". Dragon #155. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, Mar 1990.
Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index
The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.
| Topic | Type | Description | Product | Page/Card/Image
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cain Blizzard | Non-player character | Male, Elf, snow, [Rgr3/Wiz3/Drd3], | 1992 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set | 356 |
| Elf, Snow | Monster | Dragon magazine #155 | 26-29 |