Aeraesarians 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.

Aeraesarians 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 Aeraesarians to travel 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 Aeraesarians can now be found in their home city of Sharyrdaes. Yet even this place is touched by the dark, and much of the city lies in ruin. And so, most of the Aeraesarian people now dwell in the Sharyrdian Under-city, and in what remains above.

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.

Aeraesarians 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, preformed in a somewhat ritualistic way.

Another seemingly supernatural trait shared by all Aeraesarians is the ability to move objects with their mind. Unlike their telepathy, this is a trait with a ranging aptitude among their people.

Of all the Aeraesarian 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. Aeraesarians 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 typically resembles light and fire. Some more dedicated spell-casters achieve sway over other elements as well.

Aeraesarian physiology is incredibly robust and resilient. They are natural inheritors of great strength, stamina, and endurance, as well as a formidable immune system - it is rare for an Aeraesarian to fall ill. They can go long periods of time without food or drink, especially once made autotrophic, and can withstand a variety of environments with relative comfort. Their hearing is very acute, followed closely by their sight. They can see clearly at night with only minimal light with clarity, though lacking the vibrancy of colour the sun provides.

Many, but not all Aerai, go through a variety of rituals, usually during their early life, which change the way they carry out their lives. These are some of the positive effects.

While Aeraesarians 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 ritual joining them to the collective consciousness of the Shoraes, known simply as The Joining. Once this takes place the necessity for food is greatly diminished, however not removed. Most Aeraesarians eat 4-6 times a month, eating a large meat portion only once or twice.

The collective consciousness, called The Shoraes by the Aeraesarians, is a complex and invisible network connecting each and every individual to undergo The Joining. Within this collective, individuals are both one and many. Many decades are spent training the mind to first of all survive the joining ritual, as well as retain one's own self when joined with so many others. Thoughts, memories and emotions are all shared throughout this collective, from even they who have passed on into death. Because of this, Aeraesarians as a whole are remarkably efficient in almost all regards, as a need within their society is often met almost as soon as it is identified.

One of the most detrimental traits that most Aerai seem to fall victim too, is overconfidence. It is no secret that the Aerai are as a whole an impressive people, but they are not without their shortcomings. Though these are often overshadowed, often to the point of arrogant ignorance.

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 often reflect elements of lighting and fire, both things that create light. The crystal which their very bodies become infused with gives them the ability to gather sustenance from the light of the sun - their very beings become reliant on light to a degree.

Aerai often find their powers to clash quite furiously with users of darker magics, either being canceled out or overpowered altogether with sometimes relative ease. Aerai who are too reliant on their magical abilities can find these situations to become fatal.

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. Aerai become incredibly weakened 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, and it can even lead to their eventual demise. Since the curse that befell their homeland has taken hold and the sky has been cast in darkness, the Aerai have found that apart from leaving their cursed land to find solace in the sun's light, only frequent contact with the Shorai itself mitigates this lack.

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, not only for the purpose of joining their collective but to also shield their minds from the unwanted intrusion of others. An unwanted violation of a joined Aerai's mind has the potential to not only unveil the individual's thoughts, but reveal the thoughts of their people as a whole to one so adept in the manipulation of the mind.

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. Though it is known that the ability to recollect memories from the past is finite, diminishing over time. The Aerai may 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, mostly cryptic, incomplete text 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 word. 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 is 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 when Aerai records begin to pass further from myth and legend, into history.

W.I.P