Atmer Empire

The Atmer Empire is a very large Empire of the High Elves located amongst the island of Ulthuan and spreading throughout a multitude of colonies spread throughout the World. The Atmer Empire was once the largest Empire of the world in terms of power, but its strength was sapped after it went through a period of nearly constant civil wars, wars, diseases, and losses of land.

The Atmer Empire is dominated by the Elves of which constitute some ninety nine percent of the population of the Empire. Amongst this population it is relatively homogenuous in that the population is nearly completely High Elven following the Exodus of the Sindar Elves, and the Civil War which drove away the Dark Elves. The High Elves while once being massively numerous have spent centuries attempting to rebuild their population but they have stagnated due to a nearly constant warfare that has wracked the island of Ulthuan.

The Atmer Empire relies upon trade for its external economy and in oder to continue this they have maintained the most powerful navy in the world for centures, and their ships can be found in the major ports of the entire world. Their wares are in high demand for their skill, and recently they have allowed for an increased amount of imports from the other ordered nations of the world into their port of Tol-Eressea.

The High Elves became an Empire in the form of the Atmer Empire following the creation of the Elves, and they were placed on the island of Ulthuan by their Titan Lords. On Ulthuan they dominated for generations until the Titans lost in their civil war and the forces of Chaos invaded the world of Earth. During this war the forces of the High Elves would be left near destruction but in the end they would be victorious and this would lead into their dominating period of Golden Age. During their golden age the High Elves would expand out and become truly mighty in terms of every scale that defines a great Empire. Their fall would occur from within when they suffered a series of devestating wars of which begin with the War of Vengeance with the Dwarves, and then led to the Sundering of which led to the creation of the Dark Elves and from that point on an enemy that would forever be against the High Elves. With their population and colonies all but gone the High Elves suffered two last moments of destruction and loss when they first watched the exodus of the Sindar Elves which diminshed their internal strength and left them all alone on the island of Ulthuan that was once home to many different kinds of Elves. Following this they were forced to watch as their largest colony of Tail Vena taken over by the Sindar Elf (one could easily argue he is a Dark Elf) Illidan Stormrage and from this the creation of yet another hybrid of the Elves in the Satyr. Following this loss the High Elves have pulled back into their fortresses and are putting all of their weight behind the actual fortification, and growth amongst the places they have left.

Geography
Main Article : Ulthuan

Ulthuan is the ancestoral homeland of the Elven Race, located in the center of the Atlantic ocean. Once the center of the Planet wide Elven Kingdom it is now the center of the High Elven Kingdom. The island is in the form of a crescent, with a sheltered inner sea accessible only through the Straights of Lothern. Within the center of the island lies the Island of the dead where the mages who saved the world during the First War with Chaos are still trapped.

War with Chaos
Main Article : First War with Chaos

In the beginning of High Elf recorded history, the Elves were one race and dwelt in many separate kingdoms on Ulthuan. When the warp gates at the planet's poles failed and the stuff of chaos spilled into the world, daemons and other creatures began preying upon the early Elves. A great hero Aenarion, later called The Defender arose and forged an alliance between the rival Elven states. United, the Elves drove back the creatures of Chaos and Aenarion was crowned the first Pheonix King, taking Astarielle as his Everqueen. After a time, the minions of Chaos invaded again, this time with corrupted human followers. A host of daemons invaded Avelorn and slew the Everqueen and, it was believed, Aenarion's two children. Aenarion fell deeply in love with Morathi and from their union she later bore Malekith. However, maddened by his losses and the attacks on his people, Aenarion drew the Sword of Khaine and led the Elven host to war. Aenarion won a titanic battle and managed to plunge the sword back into the Altar of Khaine before he died. His sacrifice bought time for Caledor Dragontamer to enact his plan to drain the Chaos energy away from the world.



War of the Beards
Main Article : War of Vengeance

"Before the War of Vengeance the Dwarves and High Elves had what seemed to be inexhaustible armies. The War of Vengeance showed how wrong that thought was." -Flemeth

The War of Vengeance was a massive conflict between the expanding High Elf Empire, and the Dwarven Empire of Karak Ankor. The conflict centered in France but it spread as far east as the World Edge Mountains in Croatia.

The conflict was started by the enemies of the High Elves in the Dark Elves, who began raiding groups of Dwarven traders and framing the murders on the High Elves. This led to the arrogant Pheonix King at the time to treat the Dwarves with less then the respect they had usually gotten as a great ally of the High Elves. The two sides could never agree on a means to end the conflict and because of this they would wage war on eachother.

The conflict ended when the Dark Elves launched their invasion of Ulthuan and the High Elves were forced to retreat from Europe. The war itself would lead to the utter exhaustion of both races, and lead to their steep downfalls after this war.



Civil War
Main Article : The Sundering

After Aenarion's death, instead of Malekith, the High Elves chose Bel Shanaar as the next Phoenix King and Malekith was relegated to the role of war-leader. Malekith wished the throne to be his and eventually accused the King of being a member of the Cult of Pleasure. When the Council of Princes refused to accept this, Malekith poisoned Bel Shanaar. Malekith passed through the flames of Asuryan to prove his right to the throne but unlike a rightful King, was burned horribly. Retreating to his home kingdom and power-base of Nagarythe, Malekith prepared for war. The armies of the other kingdoms of Ulthuan, headed by the new King Caledor the Conqueror, assaulted Nagarythe (the most powerful Kingdom) and through weight of numbers besieged and sacked Anlec. In retaliation, Malekith's Sorcerers used their magic upon the vortex at the center of Ulthuan and unintentionally caused a great cataclysm which sank much of Nagarythe and Tiranoc. Finally, the Elves of Nagarythe, used magic to set their fortresses and cities afloat and escaped west to Naggaroth.

Goverment
The High Elves of the Atmer Empire are ruled by the twin thrones of the Phoenix King (Chosen by the Council of Princes) and the Everqueen, the marriage between which symbolises the twin nature of the Elven psyche. It is this overlording power that controls the overall direction of the High Elves on Ulthuan.

The Phoenix King
The Phoenix King is the commander of the armies of Ulthuan and determines the level of engagement with the world at large.

See Also : Finubar Seafarer

Finubar Aestarion the "Seafarer" is the Phoenix King of the High Elves, and the husband of Alerielle Aestarion the Everqueen of the High Elves. Finubar and Alerielle have two children in Teclis, and Tyrion of which his son Tyrion is an extremely powerful Magi that many point to as the most powerful Magi of the elven race, while his son Teclis is the major commander of the High Elven Empire and has become widely known for this reputation.

Finubar Seafarer was the oldest child of his father who at that point was a high ranking commander of the current Pheonix King of Ulthuan and from this it was seen by many that he might be in line for the next Pheonix King of the High Elves. During his youth and growth he became a skilled captain of a fleet of High Elven ships of which he used to travel throughout the High Elven colonies and pushed the agenda of his Pheonix King of whome he became increasingly close too. Through this closeness he became a leading diplomat of the High Elves and fell into a pathway of going back and forth between Ulthuan, and western Europe where he grew very popular amongst the Dwarves for his kindness and thoughtfullness towards them. Finubar Seafarer was already famous for his voyages to Europe before being elected by the princes of the High Elves.

Historical Phoenix Kings

 * Aenarion
 * Bel Shanaar
 * Caledor
 * Caledor II.
 * Caradryl
 * Tethlis
 * Bel Khordrashis
 * Aethis
 * Morvael
 * Bel Hathor
 * Finubar Seafarer

Everqueen
The Everqueen of Ulthuan is the consort of the Phoenix King and co-ruler of the High Elves. The current Everqueen is Alarielle, chosen by Finubar Seafarer at the start of his reign. Unlike the Phoenix King the Everqueen is not an elected position but is hereditary, and is such is for life, meaning that it is theoretically possible for an Everqueen to last through multiple Phoenix Kings. But it is also worth noting that only the legitimate daughter of an Everqueen and a Phoenix King can be an Everqueen meaning that the queen of Avelorn has always been the queen of Ulthuan stretching back to the dawn of the High Elven empire and beyond.

The Everqueen acts as a foil to the Phoenix King both culturally and politically. Her concerns deal with the spiritual and cultural welfare of the High Elves, focusing on domestic issues like art, religion, or fertility. Much of her position is ceremonial in nature, as the Everqueen often performs ancient rites to ensure the health of Ulthuan. She's also a powerful mage being the high priestess of the elven mother goddesss; Isha. Unlike other magic-users in the Warhammer World however, her power deals with healing and purity, harkening back to a time when the elves used their magic for creation instead of war when Chaos was only a whisper. As a living memory of this lost utopia, the Everqueen's touch alone can banish daemons.

See Also : Alerielle Aestarion

Alerielle Aestarion is the current Everqueen of the High Elves, and as well is the wife of the Phoenix King and mother of Tyrion, and Teclis Aestarion.

Alerielle was born shortly before the Sundering, and because of this she was not present for much of what many in Ulthuan saw as the coruption of the High Elves. She watched helplessely as the Everqueen at the time was butchered during the Sundering and following this she was forced into a more active role in the High Elven war effort. Because she is naive to this fact, she has attempted to bridge the gap between the Sindar Elves, and the High Elves in the hope that they can all work together again. This has led to her on numerous occasions visiting the Sindar Forest of High Forest, and at the same time this has forced the Elves to continue relations with both the Kingdom of Umbar, and the Kingom of Gondor. In these two relationships the Everqueen is forced to continuesly balance the needs of the two sides.

Lothern
See Also : Lothern

Tol Eressea
See Also : Tol Eressea

Tor Elyr
See Also : Tor Elyr

Tor Achare
See Also : Tor Achare

Demographics
Main Article : High Elves

The High Elves are a sub-sect of the Elven race that live on the ancestoral Elven Homeland of Ulthuan. The High Elves are the most civilized and ordered of the High Elven branches, and they have become the most industrialized section of the Elven population. Their population is utterly centered around the Atmer Empire and from here they make their main homes amongst the lands of Ulthuan.

Language
Main Article : Eltharin

Eltharin is the ancient language of the Elves. Eltharin was developed many millennia ago in a time when humans where still uttering primitive grunts and were yet to develop written language. In a similar manner to Khazalid the language of the Dwarfs, it has remained almost unchanged for thousands of years, however unlike Khazalid, several variations of Eltharin are spoken by the different Elven kindreds. Eltharin is a divided language and several dialects are spoken by the various Elven kindreds. Though all these originated in Eltharin, some are so drastically different (being greatly changed by their isolation from Eltharin) that they could almost be called separate languages in their own right.

Lesser-known amongst the Elven languages is Anoqeyån, an ancient tongue used solely to shape the Winds of Magic into powerful spells, and is believed to be the closest surviving mortal language to the words spoken by the Old Ones. Eltharin in its many forms, is believed to have evolved from this powerful language, made simpler, more fluid and lyrical, and given mortal uses. Similarly, Eltharin forms the base for the primary human 'arcane language', the Lingua Praestantia, which was developed by Loremaster Teclis when he founded the Colleges of Magic.

High Elven Music
It is without question that the elves have a high value on the art of music. Their songs are renowned throughout the world as some of the fairest creations ever to have been forged, even though only elves can understand and comprehend them. While humans and halflings and dwarves and the like might use words to convey a message in a song, the elves use the tones and pitches to instill the emotion unto the listeners. It is through this distinct method that the elven beauty is presented, and it is almost eerie and unearthly to anyone else who might hear it, yet so much that it is strikingly fascinating. Song is also a way for the elves to clear their mind of emotion – a form of self-expression to free themselves of the tensions of their lives.

For instruments, elves primarily use their own voices – being musical in their very nature. They also favor the sounds of the harp and the horn, as well as a flute. In some of the outer kingdoms particularly, a drum will be favored, providing a monotonous beat, which helps to enhance the particular emotion expressed in the song.

High Elven Literature
It is perceived that the basis of elven literature is poetry. In general, the nature of the poems are more philosophical, rather than emotional. It is also thought that the High Elves do not usually write their poems down. This is because of supremeness of the moment in which they are written. It describes the world as it was at that very moment – and yet between the second it takes it bring that moment to the next, the world can have changed completely.

The poetry written by the elves can vary in theme, especially by the location of the kingdom, and the beliefs that are harbored there. In places of former splendor, like Caledor and Tiranoc, poems might be more comparable to epic proportion, where they tell of some great hero of old, or the glory of the golden age. However, somewhere like Lothern might see a more wide variety of themes, as the quick-paced nature of the city-state tends to lead it to new extents brought in by the commotion of the world trade.

In Saphery in particular, however, poetry takes a different meaning. The Swordmasters of Hoeth tend to use poetry to sharpen their minds and harness its skill. They desire to reach a state of precision with the quill, saying much while saying little. However, half the challenge to perceive these abstract concepts is to decipher the dual meaning behind the words – as the very language of the Asur consists of multiple values.

Despite this great emphasis on poetry, elves have been known to write manuscripts. These, however, like their poems, tend to concern ideas more commonly than feelings, as well as be a historical novel about occurrences. Most fiction written by the elves is seldom done out of imagination for little purpose – but more so to create a world that entertains the reader while conveying some idea to them that the author wishes to share, thus enhancing the quality of the read and creating a system of value based on how well the message is conveyed through this particular setting.