Sura-Khiri

SURA-KHIRI

Capital: Corenial Maskanastacia

Population: 180,300; elf (99%)

Government: Monarchy

Religions: Eanius, Galaedros

Imports: Grain, paper, livestock, jewelry

Exports: Fruit, textiles, armor, silver

Alignment: CG, CN, NG

Sura-Khiri, which means “holy gem” in the Elven tongue, is the largest population of elves for a thousand miles in any direction. Although the heart of their forest remains untouched by human hands, they are beset by yuan-ti, for the demiplanar home of those monsters lies very close (in a planar sense) to the elven land. Angry at their losses and fearing extermination, the elves of Sura-Khiri are a race of hunters and warriors, dedicated to slaying their foes and preserving their lands. The days of dancing and singing in the moonlight and under the stars are gone, and the taste of fruit drawn fresh from the trees has become bitter in the mouth. These elves look back on such activities fondly as artifacts of an earlier age, and hope that one day they can afford such idle luxury again. Until that day, the elves grimly face their fate, hoping to preserve the next generation of children from the scaly grasp of the serpent folk.

Major Geographical Features

The country of Sura-Khiri is defined by the borders of its forest, which to outsiders is known by that name as well.

The Forest Home: This very old forest has some trees and treants that are over 2,000 years old. While its outer perimeter has shrunk somewhat due to logging, the elf druids aggressively plant new trees wherever it would be healthy to do so and where humans are uncommon, so it has retained most of its splendor. In addition to the elves and fey creatures living here, there are roving bands of yuan-ti.

The Lair of Saurivadartak: Over a thousand years old, the green dragon Saurivadartak usually spends decades in slumber, leaving his traps and minions to alert him to intruders. Although he has allied with the yuan-ti in the past, and in fact has had offspring with some of the more unusual yuan-ti that have brought him tribute, Saurivadartak has had little interest in the snake people for the past century and battles them when they meet. Disturbances in the vicinity of his lair and vague omens carried by the trees have the elves believing that he may be stirring again, which has the cities within a few hours of dragonflight feeling especially nervous.

Hakararenil: These shimmering portals of blackness are known to the outside world by their Elven name, which means “doors of the enemy.” Normally the yuan-ti arrive in the forest from the demiplane of Coil by gate spells, but in the past five centuries they have managed, with the power of Traagash Daur, to create permanent gateways from their home dimension to this one. The land around these gateways is inhabited by more yuan-ti than anywhere else, but fortunately the gateways can allow the passage of only a handful of creatures before shutting down for days, so the numbers are still limited. The elves desperately wish to get close enough to the hakararenil to seal them permanently, or perhaps even attack Coil itself, but so far have failed.

Life and Society Survival is the word of the day in Sura-Khiri. For a race of ancient creatures that can live 700 years, the prospect of dying within a generation is a horrible, soul-numbing terror. Every facet of elven life now has an undercurrent of desperation, with every item made seen as a tool in the war against the yuan-ti or something that can be traded for some advantage against that enemy. Still, the elven mentality of superiority over all other races keeps them from accepting offers of aid from sympathetic governments, for to do so would be to acknowledge that the elves are vulnerable. Children are raised with stories of the old ways, before the scaled obscenities (as the elves called them) first set foot in the elven forest. Young elves carries these stories in their hearts like those of a paradise lost, and grow to hate the yuan-ti for their very existence. Elf bards compose war ballads telling of the destruction of elven beauty and the need to strike back lest it occur again. In a part of the world that has no drow, the yuan-ti have taken their place in the hearts of elves.

Most elves of Sura-Khiri are trained as warriors or fighters. While the tradition for magic is still strong in them, the innate spell resistance of the yuan-ti drives most elf wizards to craft magic armor and weapons that bite scaly flesh and thwart snake attacks rather than create spells that directly attack their foes. A few prefer battle magic, learning ways to affect the magic-resistant flesh of their traditional foes. Used to a wandering lifestyle, Sura-Khirans are

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comfortable picking fruit and digging roots as they travel, supplementing their meals with small game. They consider agriculture a wasteful and unnatural means of sustenance for beings that have outgrown their ability to live off the land.

An elf soldier wears chainmail and a small shield, and carries a shortbow and a longsword. Elf scouts are armed similarly but sometimes wear a chain shirt or studded leather. A band of elf soldiers usually has one cleric and one wizard in addition to the fighters and warriors. All soldiers have equipment of the highest quality available, and most soldiers acquire boots of elvenkind and a cloak of elvenkind as soon as they can afford it.

The Arts

The elves have traditional songs and dances that celebrate the lives of elves, their history, their longevity, and their ties to the trees, sky, and stars. These traditions date back over a thousand years and have been refined over generations of elf bards. Humans that have been lucky enough to see the elven dances are unable to come up with words to describe their beauty, and many human songs are poor corruptions of these great elven ballads.

The elves no longer perform these.

Confronted with the threat of extinction, the elves have changed the focus of their art. No longer do they dance with joy under the mother stars and in harmony with the trees. Now they are girded for war, and their dancing and singing reflects this. Their dances mime elves defeating yuan-ti, with stealthy runs, fierce stabs, and much clashing of weapons. Their songs praise elven strength and mock the scaled obscenities for their weaknesses. The sound of elven throats calling for the relentless slaughter of their enemies, and the sight of the graceful elves enacting angry war dances, is a shock to most. Still, the original elven tradition is remembered, for one child in each community learns the old ways so that when the elves have defeated the yuan-ti, they can once again dance in the manner that their ancestors wanted.

Roles for Character Classes

Barbarian: A few small elven settlements that have suffered heavy losses from the yuan-ti have regressed to a more savage state, and among these, some elves have learned to call upon their inner rage. The elves of more civilized communities look down upon these crude elves.

Bard: Elf bards sing and teach the war songs of their race. They use their guile and keen ears to find news and allies that can help the war in the forest. A rare few learn the old songs and sing the glories of the elven people in the far lands so that the elves will not be forgotten.

Cleric: Clerics of Eanius and Galaedros are respected members of the elven community. Many