Recognizing Elven
Crests
By
Loremaster Tormus Bridewain of the Brughan
When Brughan
children are small, their parents will spin beautiful stories to amuse their
children - stories of brave Truefolk archers who ride on ponyback and conquer
all manner of evil with quick thinking and a steady eye. There are many drawings to go with the tales,
and the small children listen with eyes and hearts full of wonder.
But there is
another tale that must be told when a child is older, one which is told for the
first time when the growing Brughan first asks, “Where did the ponies go?”
Then it is the
sad task of the storyteller to relate the tales of the Horse Wars, and to watch
as the child grieves or rages or sits in quiet silence and absorbs the
information. Now the child understands
many of his people’s rituals for the first time, both rituals used to honor the
ponies in life, and rituals used to mourn them.
When tears,
tempest, or silence comes to an end, Brughan children will often declare their
undying hatred of the Elves for this age-old crime. Many parents will point out that there are
more Elves than merely the Ardenai, and that it is folly to treat all of a race
as if they were all of one tribe, just as it would be foolish to treat all
Truefolk as if they were Paradis. To
many children, the difference does not matter at first, but, when they are
older, they often ask how they may recognize the different groups of Elves.
The parent
responds to the child, “There are four ways to recognize an Ardenai, or any other
Elf. You will know an Elf’s culture by
his appearance, his attitudes, his family, and his crest.”
Here are the
crests of the Elven Houses, described and depicted so that none will remain in
ignorance. Whether an Elf is friend or
foe, accursed or honored, let him be known and recognized for what he is.
When the Elves
display their crests, the crests are always round and set inside a circle. Sometimes, particularly in ancient records,
the circles are broken into five or seven parts across the top, but the bottom
is always solid.
These crests
will be most often encountered, as they belong to five active, living houses:
House Ardenai: a green oak leaf on a field of brown
House Illistim: a peacock on a field of sapphire
House Loenthra: a silver harp on a field of amethyst
House Nalfein: an onyx rose on a field of jade
House Vaalor:
a golden wyvern on a field of crimson
The Ardenai are
never to be trusted or believed, unless a single Elf shows himself to be unlike
his kin. The Vaalorians are impassive -
neither hostile nor friendly - but they are best avoided, for they are fully
devoted to their city and their people, and they care nothing for anything
outside its walls. The Nalfein are like
poisoned honey wine, with a dagger always waiting beneath the surface of
impeccable politeness, and a Nalfein’s words must always be ignored in order to
watch his actions for the truth.
While the
betrayals in history show any Elf must earn a Truefolk’s trust, the Loenthra
have a keen ear for song and a good eye for color, and the Illistim are always
curious to hear another tale. Members of
these two Houses are more friendly and reliable than any other.
The following
crests are less common, but adventurous Truefolk may still encounter them.
House Ashrim:
an aquamarine wavecrest on a field of white
Even if the
House is dead, some Elves still display the Ashrim crest for the memory of
their kin. Those few who remain who call
themselves pure-blooded Ashrim are lost souls… no true family, no living heritage,
and no real hope.
Ancient
House Faendryl: a grey tower on a field of scarlet
This crest was
displayed by the House before the battle of Maelshyve.
Disgraced
House Faendryl: a fallen black keep on a field of scarlet
The other Elves
officially changed the Faendryl crest to this image after the battle of
Maelshyve, though the Faendryl didn’t like it much. Most images of the former crest were replaced
with this image.
Modern House
Faendryl: a scarlet pentacle on a field of grey
The pentacle is
a symbol of demon-summoning. After
coming out of Rhoska-Tor, the Dark Elves embraced the evil for which they were
cast out, and they took it as their crest as a slap at the other Elves.
The Dhe’nar
The Dhe’nar
have their own crest, but they don’t seem to have a system of heraldry - or, if
they do, it’s written down in runes instead of being drawn out in symbols. An enruned triangle surrounds the Dhe’nar
crest instead of the bordering circle used by the other Elves, and sometimes
more runes are set within the crest. The
crest itself is composed of three equal-sized overlapping circles, one on top
and two below. While most often shown in
violet on black, the crest can be any color on any field, and stories still
remember this crest as a brand upon Truefolk flesh.
These things were written by
Loremaster Tormus Bridewain of the Brughan to help educate his people.