Eladrin

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Greyhawk Creature
Eladrin
General information
Alignment:Always chaotic good
Type:Outsider
Subtype:Chaos, Good, Eladrin
First appearance:Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II (1995)

Eladrins are a race of celestials native to the plane of Arborea. They are the chief outer planar manifestations of chaotic good, roughly equivalent to other planar races such as archons, demons, devils, guardinals, modrons, rilmani, slaadi, and yugoloths.

Ecology

While some believe that eladrins are related in some way to the elves (for example, that they form from the spirits of dead elves, or that elves somehow evolve into them when they age beyond their mortal spans and pass beyond the world into Arvanaith), this is false [1]. Eladrins are a separate race, creatures purely of the Outer Planes rather than beings made from things once mortal. They reproduce sexually, and new eladrins are born on the plane of Arborea to eladrin parents. They reflect the plane of Arborea itself.

When eladrins die on other planes, they are eventually reborn on Arborea as new eladrins.

Environment

Eladrins, as recounted above, are natives of Arborea. Lesser eladrins—including bralani, coures, novieres, and shieres—rarely venture beyond their home, though greater eladrins—including fieres, ghaeles, and tulani—wander the multiverse serving the cause of chaos and good. The bralani prefer the sands of Pelion to all other layers of the plane, while the novieres are most common on the second plane, Ossa. Other eladrins are most frequently found on the first layer, Olympus, though the Court of Stars, home of the eladrin queen Morwel, touches all three layers equally during its wanderings.

Typical physical characteristics

Many eladrin types superficially resemble elves or fey, being beautiful humanoids with pointed ears. Most also have an alternate form, not at all humanoid, in which they manifest as pure light or elemental force.

  • Bralani resemble short (averaging five foot), stocky elves with silvery-white hair. They also take the form of whirlwinds of dust, sand, or snow.
  • Coures resemble tiny elves with gossamer insectlike wings, or as tiny balls of glowing light.
  • Firres resemble tall (averaging six foot) stocky half-elves with bright red hair (or actual flames burning on their heads) and fiery red eyes. They can also take the form of pillars of flame.
  • Ghaeles resemble tall (six foot), athletic high elves who glow with radiant light. They can also take the form of a five-foot glowing orb of color.
  • Novieres resemble aquatic elves or nixies, with greenish, blue, or golden-hued skin and blue-green or blonde hair. They are more human in appearance than actual aquatic elves, being stockier. They have no visible gills or webbing between their fingers or toes. They can also take the form of golden dolphins made of shimmering water.
  • Shieres resemble extremely tall (seven foot) and slender high elves. They can also take the form of balls of light similar to that of coures, though they can only do this for a limited amount of time.
  • Shiradi resemble heavily muscled humanoids with bronze wings, bronze skin, black hair that seems to move independently, black eyes, and pointed ears. There is nothing elflike about their builds. They stand eleven feet tall and weigh 400 pounds; they can also take the form of golden, triangular shards of light.
  • Tulani are the lords and nobles of the eladrin race, resembling tall, glowing elf lords dressed in robes of shifting color. They shine so brightly they are difficult for mortals to look at, and evil beings cannot bear the presence of their auras.

Alignment

Eladrins are benevolent chaos taken humanoid form. They are wild, capricious, and fiercely independent. They wander the lands, defending freedom and goodness wherever they go. Except for the rare fallen member of their species (for example, Cirily of Sigil), they are always chaotic good.

Society

Lesser eladrins can travel throughout the Upper Planes, the Outlands, and the Astral Plane, while greater eladrins can also travel to the Inner Planes, the Ethereal Plane, and the worlds of the Prime Material Plane. However, they are required to veil themselves when on the Material Plane, taking the guise of mortals. Those who violate this taboo must return to Arborea for 1,001 years.

The enlightened ruler of the eladrins is Morwel, queen of the Court of Stars. Her consorts, Faerinaal and Gwynharwyf, help her in her tasks. She does not impose order on her people, ruling the chaotic eladrins primarily by example.

Eladrins do not always get along with other celestial races. They sometimes come into conflict with the lawful archons, though such feuds are usually quelled quickly by the intervention of the guardinals. They have also been known to battle the chaotic asuras on rare occasions, being unwilling to admit how much the two kinds of celestials have in common. They are staunch allies of the guardials, however, and have been known to cooperate with them on strikes against the Lower Planes.

Eladrins care little for the Blood War, and seldom get involved unless innocents are threatened. They travel to the layer of Androlynne in the Abyss to defend trapped eladrin children against the demons who threaten them.

Religion

Eladrins are on good terms with most of the gods of Arborea, including the Olympian pantheon and Seldarine, but they tend to keep to themselves. When they visit the realms of human deities, they often veil themselves, taking the form of forest spirits or petitioners, though among the elven pantheon they show their true forms. For the most part, they leave the gods alone and govern their own affairs. Likewise, they tend to maintain a respectful distance from angels.

Language

Eladrins speak Celestial, the trade language of the Upper Planes, as well as their own language. They have the special ability to speak with any creature that has a language.

History

The eladrin race dates back to the Age Before Ages. They turned against the Queen of Chaos after the Battle of Pesh (it is not known if they took sides in that battle), and ghaele warriors invaded the Abyss to wipe out the obyriths once and for all. Countless demons fell, and the obyrith servitors, the tanar'ri, took the opportunity to rise up against their masters. As a result, the age of the obyrith domination of the Abyss ended and the age of the tanar'ri began.

Around 2,000 years ago, the undead minions of the imprisoned Kyuss were a blight upon the Amedio Jungle for many years as they sought to free their master. Before they succeeded, however, a host of ghaele eladrins, allied with local wild elves, sacrificed themselves in order to create an artifact that would imprison Kyuss's most potent minions within his dread Ziggurat.

Other notable eladrins

Creative origins

Eladrins debuted as several cards in the Blood Wars card game in 1995, including the Bralani, Coure, Firre Troops, Ghaele Elite, Noviere Raider, Shiere Crusaders, Faerinaal, Queen's Consort, Gwynarwhyf the Veiled, Tulani Champion, Tulani Warlord, and Faerie Queen Morwel.

Publishing history

In second and third edition

In the second and third editions of the D&D game, eladrins are as described above, chaotic good celestials native to the plane of Arborea. They appear this way in Greyhawk sources such as the Savage Tide adventure path and Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk.

In fourth edition

In the fourth edition of the D&D game, the word "eladrin" is used to describe beings known in previous editions of the game as high elves or grey elves. Their nobles—who are defined as eladrins who have become so infused with the power of the Feywild that they have become new creatures—are given titles that hearken back to the eladrin races of previous editions (bralani, ghaele, coure, etc.) but are generally associated with nature or the seasons, are not chaotic good (an alignment that no longer exists in 4th edition), and don't bear any particular resemblance to the eladrin types they're named for except for their general elflike appearances. For example, the fourth edition coure isn't tiny or winged.

In fifth edition

In 5e, the eladrin continue to be associated with the Feywild. They are closest to the very first elves in form, and their culture is older than any other elven civilization.[5] Eladrin are each associated with one of the seasons.[6]

In the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game

In the Pathfinder Bestiary (2009), eladrins have been renamed azatas, but otherwise they are much like the eladrins of 2nd edition and 3rd edition D&D, including the bralani, ghaele, and lillend as subspecies. Numerous azata lords are mentioned, including Atonga of Seas and Songs; Aizen Myo-o, the Red Wisdom; Curnunnos the Stag Lord; Connla, the Wolfhound's Son; The Forgotten, Free Even from Memory; Itzamna, Who Watches from Clouds; Lada, Lady of Dance; Maahes the Guardian; Muyingwa the Seed Thrower; Ibeji, the Twins; Ogma, the Champion; Tsukuyomi, Prince of the Moon; Qetesh the Sacred Lover; and Vikramaditya, Wise and Valorous King.

See also

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ Warriors of Heaven (1999), p.56.
  2. ↑ "Spire of Long Shadows". Dungeon #130 (Jan 2006), p.62
  3. ↑ Dungeon #128 (Nov 2005), p.32
  4. ↑ Dungeon #128 (Nov 2005), p.34
  5. ↑ Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018), p.49-50.
  6. ↑ Mordenkainen's Tome of Foes (2018), p.61.

Bibliography

  • Baker, Rich, Tim Beach, Wolfgang Baur, Michele Carter, and Colin McComb. Planescape Monstrous Compendium Appendix II. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1995).
  • Baur, Wolfgang. "Enemies of My Enemy." Dungeon #149. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2007.
  • Bulmahn, Jason, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Expedition to the Ruins of Greyhawk. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007. ISBN 0786943580
  • Caralya, Anson. "Quicksilver Hourglass." Dungeon #123. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2005.
  • Carter, Michele, Richard Baker, James Wyatt, David Noonan, Gwendolyn Kestrel, et al. Wizards Presents Races and Classes. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2007.
  • Decker, Jesse. "The Spire of Long Shadows." Dungeon #130. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2006.
  • Greer, Stephen S. "Prisoner of the Castle Perilous." Dungeon #153. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008. Available online:[1]
  • McComb, Colin, and Monte Cook. Hellbound: The Blood War. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
  • Mearls, Mike, Stephen Schubert, and James Wyatt. Monster Manual. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2008.
  • Paizo Staff. Pathfinder Bestiary. Bellevue, WA: Paizo Publishing, 2009.
  • Perkins, Christopher. Warriors of Heaven. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 1999.
  • Stark, Ed, James Jacobs, and Erik Mona. Fiendish Codex I: Hordes of the Abyss. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2006.
  • Vallese, Ray and Valerie. Uncaged: Faces of Sigil. Lake Geneva, WI: TSR, 1996.
  • Wyatt, James, Darrin Drader, Christopher Perkins. Book of Exalted Deeds. Renton, WA: Wizards of the Coast, 2003.

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

Eladrin, Bralani Monster Dungeon magazine #147 64
Eladrin, Bralani Monster Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e 93-94
Eladrin, Bralani Monster Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e (Premium Edition) 93-94
Gwynharwyf (Eladrin) Deity Dragon magazine #345 22, 24, 26
Gwynharwyf (Eladrin) Deity Dragon magazine #348 68
Gwynharwyf (Eladrin) Deity Dungeon magazine #149 42
Gwynharwyf (Eladrin) Deity Reference SEE ALSO Church of Whirling Fury
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