Stereotype of the Golden High Elves, the hypothetical blonde elf that is both a swords-elf and wizard
Golden High Elves are one of the two main categories of High elves that dominated most of the continent of Ushaenor and went on to colonize much of the world of Aiers in the centuries just prior to the coming of humans.
Description[]
The distinctions between high elf societies are largely cultural. But High elves could vary markedly in appearance on such things as body height and weight, and coloration. Golden High Elves were so called in that their societies had members who most often had light blonde hair and light skin. Differing clans, regions and political units such as city-states might have considerable variation of the sizes of the peoples, both within a society and between societies. So, some of the tallest and heaviest of elves were Golden High Elves, however, some golden high elves were not significantly taller than statistically shorter races of elves.
History[]
Golden High Elves are the stereotype that is most often thought of when hearing the phrase High elves. This is largely because they are the more wealthy of the high elves and the ones with the most developed magic tradition.
Beginnings[]
It is unknown when the distinctions between High elves was made based on color of hair and skin. Possibly during the long period before the Elf wars when the high elves were scattered nomadic clans in Northeastern Ushaenor, hemmed in there by the long settled Hake elves.
Speculation: it is possible that the comparison of the smaller, blue skinned Hake people led to conscious distinctions between themselves?
The Elf Wars[]
Golden High Elves are often supposed to have been at the forefront of the Elf wars in Ushaenor between the Hake Empire and the (then primitive) high elf barbarian clans. The high elf people that most often had blonde hair would become among the most fortunate and wealthy of the high elves in capturing the more valued land holdings which would propel them to a higher status as the endless elf wars between the Hake Dark Elf people and their own evolved to their benefit.
A young High Elf apprentice magician from the City of the Wizards, Dahl'Haran, and her Pixie creation
Dominance in Society[]
Those high elves closer to the court of the Emperor of the Empire of Whide Axis would be Golden High Elves. Also, as in the city of Dahl'Haran, some of the best developed magical institutions and developments in that they would have enough wealth and leisure for their elites to become disciplined and scholarly in the use of magic.
Control of the Empire of Whide Axis and High Elf lack of cohesion[]
Golden High Elves would never truly become a distinct race, but would nonetheless would often be seen as the rulers of the growing High Elf empire. Antagonism would develop as it was seen that Silver High Elves were the ones to DO, in particular, the early or dangerous work in campaigns of war or colonization, and the Golden High Elves would benefit the most later on. The continent of Ushaenor was the so called 'elf continent', but it would be divided by overt and subtle racial animosity between the bitter, blue skinned Hakes in south-western Ushaenor, and the various races of High elves who grew settled and distant from one another.
The Silver High Elves who would often settle in some of the least valuable or more contested lands of southern and central Ushaenor, such as the M'Adhai elves of the central Ushaenor lowlands, while the Golden High Elves who settled mostly in north-western Ushaenor mostly to themselves, and large numbers of conquered or displaced Hakes and the often maligned "ash elves", Darhake elf offspring of Dark and Light elf races often living as low class people or an 'underclass' in the borders between kingdoms.
These divisions would make human colonization of Ushaenor possible, and would contribute to why the Empire of Whide Axis would fail after nearly knitting together the world, beyond just the arrival of humanity.