Aerai are typically quite fair and often have platinum or white hair. It is more usual for males to have darker hair than females, but brown hair is nearly unheard of among all their kind. Their eyes a predominately various shades of blue, but greens and even yellows are not uncommon. Later in life many females' eyes slowly change to a dark or light grey. Males are typically taller and in general larger than their female counterparts, but even between those of similar stature the distinction is quite pronounced.

Aerai are a people devout to their faith, which encourages proper dress, and dedication to one's craft. From their most casual wear of some relatively mundane clothing to ceremonial robes, every thread is woven with expert precision, and the best of their materials.

Their armour is forged with even greater care, and made uniquely for each and every one who dons it. The same can be said of their weaponry. These items are treated as part of ones own self, and to be cared for as diligently as any other part of them.

It is unusual for an Aerai to travel very far for long, and most can and have always been most easily found in their home. Aeraesar lies in the eastern Falwood, encompassed by a minor mountain range, deep in the forest. It is a place that, when visited by outsiders, was once described as comparable to paradise; lush plant life, vibrant with colour and diversity, crystal clear rivers, and lights that the land itself gave life too, which floated about listlessly, eventually twinkling away.

These lands have since been cursed, and even the sky now shows no light. The ground is blackened, and dead. The trees have lost their leaves, and grown thorns in their stead. The waters have turned foul, and the wildlife ravenous, and different. Small settlements, once thriving with life are all now abandoned, and nearly all living Aerai dwell in their capital city of Sharyrdaes. Yet even this place is touched by the dark, and much of the city lies in ruin.

Since the first days of the Aerai culture, the Celestial Pantheon has remained at the heart of their spiritual faith. They observe each of the six major gods in their traditional arrangement, and often seek the favour of those aligning with their chosen paths in life. Regardless of this, however, it is common custom to pay respect to Astra as the head of the pantheon, and to Nykios; undoubtedly the most prominent for the Aerai culture as a whole.

How one chooses to find favour in the godhood of their following is something that is both taught and discovered, and varies depending on whose teachings of the pantheon they follow. While the leading priesthood and elders are benevolent guides, the Order teaches that one's path with the gods is a personal one. Mentors and friends can share experiences: their own ways of paying respects or their ways worshipping and communing with the gods, or how to seek their guidance and strength. But ultimately one must establish their own faith.

While it is rare for one to claim and truly believe to have heard the voice of a god, the Aerai look to the skies to see what they might tell them. Their faith teaches that the Celestial Gods wage their timeless war against the Dark Ones there in the heavens above. Were it not for the gods' need to contain their evil there, they could walk on Arethil still. With this not being so, it is written that the gods arranged the stars for their people. It was written they arranged some to be guides in the night, for those who could see nothing else. It was also written that they arranged some to be guides toward the gods.

Over time, the Aerai identified six great lights in the night sky, and it is said that these lights represent their gods.

As a warrior culture, the Aerai as a whole observe Nykios to at least some degree regardless of their chosen path. In the eyes of the god of war, it is no doubt deemed favourable to be proficient in the arts of war. As such, it is not uncommon to find Aerai honing their combat abilities, or training their focus in meditation under a barrage of distraction. Those more dedicated to their martial prowess often do this far more often than most, some to the point of doing very little else at all.

The Aerai do not follow the path of the warrior simply for the sake of honour, and certainly not for the sake of glory. The Aerai warriorhood is a dedication to readiness in the face of evil and malevolence, and the preservation of the just and innocent. The Aerai warrior wields their strength, not in hopes that they might use it, but in hopes that they may never need it.

In recent times, however, living under the curses of dark and foul magics, the Aerai have become a more hardened people. While they still hold to their long upheld beliefs, they have become far less hesitant to reach for their sword.

As the Aerai grew in number, the influence of their collective thoughts became more and more chaotic. Despite their best efforts, the more minds that joined together made it all the more difficult to direct and center ones own thoughts. It was through these trials that a number of rituals were deemed necessary for the greater good of the collective, strengthening and fortifying one's connection to it.

- For any who come to Sharyrdaes, it is custom to go first to the grand temple and make physical contact with the Shorai itself.

- Regular visits through the sub-conscious to the dream city.

- Participation in choir.

- In any Aerai temple, at any given time, the collective prompts a number of individuals to be ever present, joined in wordless, harmonious song. This perpetual choir, known as the Lindaerai, is said to be a humble interpretation of what the Aerai call the Shoraes' song - the overall presence of the collective. These choirs, it is said, despite their distance from one another, all sing in perfect synchronization, and it can be heard through all of the Shoraes. It is believed that this choir is a grounding force in the collective, acting as a conduit for imparted thoughts to flow upon.

- The preservation of one another, unless collectively deemed otherwise(with however many immediately present), is to be always held in the utmost regard. Though as warriors, an Aerai knows they are called to give their lives, they must do so not in the pursuit of glory, but only if they must for the sake of others.

Not only has the Shorai become something so deeply integrated into their society, even their oldest stories regard this object as a gift from the gods. Over time, their joyful gratitude for such a treasure turned to reverence, and many of the Aerai see the Shorai itself as something that is almost to be worshipped. While that is not quite the case, it is not uncommon for Aerai to feel something even akin to love, or even adoration when either thinking of, or beholding the Shorai. In fact, this is so common that the Aerai have a name for this, calling it lissë, meaning grace or favour.

Significant dates:
Current year: 374 A.C (Age of Chronicles)
War of the Eventide: 244 A.C

The Aerai have spent ages observing the Celestial’s teachings and looking to the sky for signs and wonders for guidance. Long ago this brought about many cultural tendencies in the Aerai. Among many other things, observing celestial alignments in the sky has influenced several mating rituals centred around these heavenly alignments, all for the belief in and blessings of the gods. This has resulted in quite pronounced generation pockets in the collective Aerai lineage. Generations typically see a predominant age variation of about 40-75 years, generally around every 200-250 years.

Age: 1125-1200 - Born around 825 - 750 B.A.C (Before Age of Chronicles) - In the time after the war, there are none who remain who are beyond this generation in age. And in this time, those of this generation are few and seldom come by. They and the generation before them were not so numerous as the generations following, and now only a handful of them remain.

Age: 850-925 - Born around 550 - 475 B.A.C - At the time of the war’s coming, this generation consisted of the Aerai’s most renowned and adept champions. Though just as numerous as the generation following, theirs saw the greatest decimation having been on the front lines of the war from the beginning. Like those elder to them, only a handful remain.

Age: 575-650 – Born around 275 – 200 B.A.C - When the war had begun, this generation, though having been trained and fielded warriors for centuries now, had lived in the height of Aeraesar’s prosperity. None had ever dreamed to experience the kinds of horrors the war would unleash upon them.

Age: 350-425 – Born around 50 B.A.C - 25 A.C - Those of this and the generation following are the most numerous of the living Aerai generations now after the war. Though over two centuries of age, these were still considered as youth in the eyes of the long lived Aerai. They were spared from the combat as much as could be afforded, but some did find themselves serving in the final months and some even years of the war – a last line of defense.

Age: 150-225 – Born around 150 – 225 A.C - The final generation before the war, these were but children in the eyes of the Aerai in those days. Not all, but most were spared and hidden away from as much conflict as possible. Though many were spared the horrors of the war, fleeing to Sharyrdaes and dwelling there and in the holy city’s great underground, those of this generation have very little recollection of what Aeraesar used to be, and know it now as only ever being a land of darkness and decay.


The Aerai are and incredibly robust and resilient people. They are natural inheritors of great strength, stamina, and endurance, sometimes even when compared to the castes of other elves. They are able to withstand a variety of environments with relative comfort, adapting to differing climates after only a short time, and very rarely fall ill in typical ways. Their hearing is very acute, followed closely by their sight. They can see very well at night with clarity, though lacking the vibrancy of colour the sun provides with everything appearing in silvers, greys, and darker shades.

It is said magic runs in their blood, through their veins, and have been at times compared to the likes of the Fae. Generations of the Aerai peoples' spiritual and literal symbiosis with the Shorai, the living crystal, has had a lasting influence of their development.

Of all Aerai traits, none has a wider aptitude range than the use of magic. Most can preform relatively impressive feats of magic, making it is no small thing to be called a sorcerer among them. Aerai can manifest their magic through the power of thought, but have also been known to employ verbal or written spells in some instances. Aerai magic can manifest in a variety of ways, but it is almost always visibly evident in colourful displays of light.

An Aerai may be very gifted very early on, or only subtly so. In either event, their apparent pique in capability can only improve with time, but can also likewise diminish if left untested.

Aerai are inherently gifted with telepathy. It is a trait which shows quite early, arguably from birth in some ways, and is nurtured as naturally for their kind as crawling or walking. This is most effective when paired with physical touch, often preformed in a somewhat ritualistic way.
Another seemingly supernatural trait shared by all Aerai is the ability to move objects with their mind. Unlike their telepathy, this is a trait with a ranging aptitude among their people. It is also visibly obvious when an Aerai employs this ability, much like with other more unique magics. Unlike their magical aptitude, however, this gift can be improved upon with practice, whereas one's magical ability seems to only ever improve with age.


While Aerai do eat and drink like most other creatures of Arethil, they can also draw sustenance from the light of the sun. This, however, is not an inherited trait, and only occurs after a very invasive and potentially fatal ritual takes place. This ritual is carried out in a singular instance, one which takes place over many days. If and when successful, the Aerai's body, their very bones are entwined and infused with the living crystal of the Shorai. With it, the Aerai is forever changed, drawing sustenance from the sun and greatly reducing their need for food. An Aerai typically eats 4-6 times a month. Through these means they also restore their magical vitality, and stamina. And as such, in all things, an Aerai is most effective in the daytime.

The collective consciousness, called The Shoraes by the Aerai, is a complex and invisible network connecting each and every individual to undergo the joining ritual. Within this collective, individuals can access the thoughts of others. Many decades are spent training the mind to first of all survive the joining ritual, but more importantly to retain one's own self when joined with the minds of so many others. Thoughts, memories and emotions can all and are all shared throughout this collective, and require a variety of mental barriers from all parties to mitigate any chaos. As a result, Aerai are typically incredibly mentally resilient, and sometimes painstakingly thoughtful. Furthermore, the Aerai people as a whole are remarkably efficient in almost all regards as a society, as a need within is often met almost as soon as it is identified.
The Aerai are a species who seem to be inherently touched by what they call the Light. Though this could mean a variety of things from literal to metaphorical, in the case of the Aerai it does seem to reflect something of substance. Their inherited appearance is by and large totally quite fair and even radiant. Their inherent magics are often luminous, and the crystal which their very bodies become infused with gives them the ability to gather sustenance from the light of the sun - their very being becomes reliant on light to a very immediate degree.
Though it has proven to be of great benefit in many regards, their reliance on the sun is in many ways a double edged sword. All but the most adept of Aerai can become incredibly diminished in the use of their powers when kept from the light of the sun for far too long. Some even notice an immediate change when the sun's light fades. Over time, even with supplemented sustenance this greatly effects them. If kept from the sun's light for too long, an Aerai can find themselves completely unable to use their magic, and even find it to negative impact their overall health. While Aerai do not typically get ill, these conditions will cause an Aerai to very quickly become sick, even leading to disease.

[W.I.P]


For as much as their telepathy is a gift and great benefit to the Aerai as a whole, it also has the potential to be a great danger. Though Aerai are taught and trained from an early age to be mentally quite resilient, this is purely inspired by the preparation one for the presence of many other minds as well as their own within - for lack of a better description - their own consciousness. This, however, does little to prepare them for the opposite.

An Aerai typically appears to be like anyone else - an individual with their own thoughts and opinions, their own desires, and this is of course true. They are also, however, intimately entuned to the overall thoughts, opinions, and desires of their people as a whole. It is often described, poorly however poetic, as a song.

Most Aerai are not prepared to be without this soothing melody. In the event an Aerai becomes separated from the telepathic connection they share, they very soon find it difficult to concentrate. Anxiety and panic set in quite easily, and paranoia is quick to follow. Sometimes an Aerai's telepathy can become erratic, and reach out into the minds of others even without physical touch, usually having no detriment to anyone other than the Aerai who goes on to experience unexpected emotions and thoughts.

An Aerai left too long in this state, without the proper guidance or the opportunity to restore their connection to the collective, is doomed to go insane. At this point, they become erratic, violent, and malicious. They are far and beyond the point of return, often a threat to themselves as well as others, and often end up destroying themselves.

The Aerai are a people with a long and storied history, one that seems to stretch into legends and myths from Arethil's earliest ages. These most distant times are shrouded in a great deal of uncertainty and mystery, but much of it has had a tremendous influence over the Aerai's society and their beliefs.

It is written that in the beginning, when Arethil was still new, that it was in the shadow of Fal'Addareth that the very first elves were born, and for many years did all the elves dwell in Fal'Addas. It is in these days when the gods made themselves known, and made their kingdoms here upon the world. The elves found favour in them, and were treated with benevolence. And their kingdom reigned supreme across all the land. And then the Dark Ones came, and the world was engulfed in war. It is said were it not for the great sacrifice of the gods themselves in their making of the Exodus, that no life would remain.

It was after this that those first elves saw the light of a great star descend from the sky, and they left from the place they had always called home. Their number was few, but after the great war of the gods the world was quiet, and safe. So they traveled east to where they saw the star fall. They came to a great meadow in the midst of a mountain range, and there upon the mountain they found what they had sought.

Where they had no doubt the light had fallen, they found a great crystal. But there was no great chasm, no great crater where it had come crashing down.

It is written that when they found it, an entity appeared to them there. It resembled their own being with arms and legs, but it was made of what appeared to be only light, and from its back stretched out many wings. There was great fear in those who it revealed itself to in that moment, unknowing of what manner of creature it was. It was then, after a display of great power in disarming them, the creature revealed itself to be benevolent.

Over time, this entity would come to be known as the Patriarch, the father of them as a new people. It is said that he touched each of those who met with him that day on the mountain, and after this they were forever changed in body and mind, and said unto them, "behold, I have made you Aerai, for now the light shall live in you." And he taught them the ways of the Shorai, and made them one with it.

It is said that he remained with the Aerai for many years after that, and it was during this time that the great Temple in Sharyrdaes, and the city itself, were constructed. It was in the days that the Aerai had grown into a vast kingdom that had begun the building of other cities that the Patriarch departed from the Aerai. It is said that his being became one with the Shorai, and it was after this that the Shoraes was made manifest, joining all of their people.

Though these stories of legend are potentially embellished due to lack of concrete history on the matter, there are more substantial, albeit incomplete records of an individual who by all accounts, matches the description of who the Patriarch would one day return to them as. It is written:

Many years after the Patriarch departed, the kingdom of Aeraesar became whole and vibrant, and powerful. But as the Aerai grew, so too did the rest of the world with them. And in these days, darkness once again found the land. It is said that a great conflict arose, one which like in the days of the gods threatened all of Arethil. It is said that a great leader rose up through the Order, and his name was Finwë. It was he who took up the ancient mantle of Patriarch, and led their people through what up until that point had become the Sharyrdian Order's darkest days.

It is said that after that war, his death was never confirmed, only that he had disappeared without a trace.

Though there is very little known of the one named Finwë, and the conflict that arose in his time, his name and the few details about him are well known to the Aerai people.


Though the Aerai of today are well versed in utilizing the many facets of the Shoraes, such was certainly not the case in the beginning. It is known that the ability to recall memories from their collective memory is finite, diminishing over time. The Aerai have developed other means to more permanently archive memories in the more recent past, but for much of their greater history they must rely on what written records there are, which in their case is indeed considerable. But even further back there are mostly cryptic, incomplete texts and speculation.

It is believed that after the days of the one named Finwë, there was a great golden age which spanned across the whole world. Many people of today call this the Age of Wonders. There is very little mention in the oldest Aerai texts of this time, and what is said of it can only be called strange and confusing. But there are two things that seem to be clear: the first being that this was a time of great prosperity. The second, is that it came to a crushing and brilliant end. It is some time after this apparent calamity that Aerai records begin to pass further from myth and legend, and on into more legitimate history.

W.I.P