NU: New Order - Elf

NU:NO - Archon - www.deviantart.com/djaymasi/ar…

NU:NO - Vampyr - www.deviantart.com/djaymasi/ar…

General Information

Status - Extant
Distinction - Insectoid Imago
Related Species
• Humans
   • Magicians
   • Paladins
   • Martians
• Skinwalkers
   • Arachne
   • Archons
   • Nagual
   • Orcs
   • Vampyr
   • Werewulf

OVERVIEW

Elves are a large clade of colonial Skinwalkers extant to the world of Neo Earth. Though their kin are cosmopolitans they originate from two separate Hives in each hemisphere, the Ljós hive in the Sun Kingdom & the Dökk hive in the Shattered Euro.

CHARACTERISTICS

The origins of all Elves stem from the Darwin class Tonic, Extract of Insecta. Elves are a Skinwalker clan where their Imago resembles an insectoid like humanoid particularly similar to that of Hymenopteran, Odonate & Lepidopteran arthropods.
All Elves in their imago phase possess chitin that embeds their bodies in which acts as a third layer of skin. Depending on which hive Elves originate from corresponds to the pigment of their chitinous skin. Elves of Dökkar lack pigmentation due to inhabiting the cold border of the Valhallan archipelago appearing with the condition of albinism, however Ljósa Elves from the Sun Kissed Kingdom contain a large accumulation of pigment appearing more melanistic. It’s been said that Elves originally were painted in vibrant colours that sheen with iridescence but had been lost over the generations due to the war between factions. They possess a pair of large insect like wings with a transparent membrane similar to that of odonate arthropods. All Elves possess claw like digits on each hand that in actuality are sharp curvatures that end from each finger. Females exclusively possess an ovipositor that extends from their abdomen upon being splaying open. Elves possess compound eyes similar to that of all arthropods, Light elves display a reddish pink colouration whereas Dark elves show a dark purple.

HISTORY & CULTURE

Origin

The origin story of all Elves stems with all Skinwalkers in which dates back to medieval Europe within the early 1600s to the late 1800s. Before becoming the Tapster or HMIV, Max Nether Vik was a man of science with the goal of creating the cure to mortal strife, pain & suffering, a potion scaffolded to what he named as Panacea. However creating such a cure required him to break a few eggs in which many of these early potions he named as Tonics in which 3 came into categorisation; Newton, Darwin & Aristotle class.
Darwin focuses in utilising natural fauna DNA as means to assimilate their traits & abilities depending on the corresponding species. Although during the mid 1800s due to Dr Nether Viks capture, majority of the Darwin class Tonics were apprehended & disposed into the three major channels of Europe by Pope Urban III. Although many of these Tonics were lost a fair few managed to survive, diluted but still functional. Many civilians who quenched from the channels were subjected to the invisible contaminant. The nation of Elves has been heavily speculated to originate from the Darwin class Tonic Extract of Insecta, which enables the consumer to gain the attributes of various insect species.

War for Light

Before the events of WAN the Elves were all originally equal. Sometime after the late 1800s carrying on into the 21st century the Elves lived in one hive beneath the surface of Scandinavia known as Alfhiem where all were one colour prospering for many generations, that was until the bombshell that shook the world rattled that peace.
After the dust settled from the WAN a 2 year nuclear winter shrouded the world in a blanket of darkness, this event was known as the Dark days. During this time the world was a cold & inhospitable place in which over a million species of flora fauna on Earth perished & became subject to extinction. Humans fled onto extraction ships known as Voyagers in which many colonists took to Mars, those left behind barely managed to survive where they retreated into underground shelters in the span of 10 years, coming to know as the Absence.
The Elves of Alfheim would venture out onto the surface to scrounge the land for food, water & medicine needed for the struggling hive. But then within that moment a discovery was made when scouts of Alfheim discovered a blossoming flower that radiates warmth & light akin to that of the sunlight. The flower was taken back to the hive in which was discovered to provide a glimmer of hope to the intents of providing necessities for farming, crop yielding & warmth for the hive. Preserving this flower the Elves coated the Neoflora in an amber like resin which fossilised over the years yet preserving the life of the flower, this flower became known as the Light of Alfheim. Within the time of the Absence the light emitted from the flower had been discovered to contain hidden consequences in which had an addictive effect over anyone who were exposed over a prolonged period of time, causing majority of the Elf population to become too dependent & paranoid bending to its bewitchment. Two factions took to action over who really claims the flower, the scouts who originally found the flower and the higher order who decides for the benefit for the hive. Paranoia soon got the best over both faction where talk soon devolved to war amongst the two, terms that seemed too impossible to be met. The scouts & all who participated with them were deemed traitors & were immediately banished from Alfheim, where they soon settled & constructed a hive in the northernmost parts of Africa. However the war raged on with the claiming of the Light in which both factions eternally wage a CTF battle that would always end in a bloodbath of both sides.
Over the years & after the resurgence of man the Elves lost the iridescent vibrancy of their skin in which each hive now deciphers whose who. The Light Elves of the Sun kissed kingdom favoured a melanistic colouration due to living in a continent that had been scorched due to atmospheric tears & violent exposure of ultraviolet radiation. The Dark Elves of the Valhallan archipelago favoured a lacklustre of pigmentation that is albinism, a factor as a preferred selection due to living nearest to the cold border where every annual peak becomes shrouded in a month long period of night. In spite of these new conditions the war for light still wages on till this day in which the flower became the only link to their culture, a shred of tradition that they have.


POWERS & ABILITIES

Peak Superhuman condition
Like many Skinwalkers the Elves possess an immense increase in strength, agility & durability compared to the average human being.

   • Speed - Elves are renown for displaying impressive bursts of speed. Though not as fast as Vampyr they exceed over the average human being moving in at 60kph, a speed enhanced to the point of making it very difficult for one to be able to react to them. As most swift Skinwalkers of this ability are biologically resistant to the side effects of moving at such speed. The Elf is able to utilise an enhanced feat of speed whilst airborne.

   • Agility - Elves are known for showing incredible feats of agility. Soldiers have been shown to rapidly respond or alter by adapting its initial stable configuration, in which they change the their body's position efficiently. This ability requires the Skinwalker an integration of isolated movement skills using a combination of balance, coordination, strength, speed & reflexes. The chitinous skin of the Elf is incredibly flexible & lightweight in which enables them to use such actions.

   • Dexterity - The Elf is capable of controlling their movements and muscles more precisely than the average human, making them unable to be clumsy or fumbling. Elves initiate a near perfect coordination and precision in which they can flawlessly perform physical tricks with both gross & fine motor skills. This allows them to perform such stunts.

Flight
Both male & female Elves possess a pair of insectoid wings similar to that of Odonate insects. The flight pattern of the Elf is direct rather than indirect, with flight muscles attaching to the Skinwalkers back. This allows the Elf an active control of the amplitude, frequency, angle of attack, camber and twist of each wing entirely independently. The normal cruising speed of an Elf averages around 70 miles per hour (112 kph), however they have been clocked at 150 mph (240 kph) without the help of a tail wind for up to half an hour at a time before tiring to an appreciable degree.

Venomous stingers
Elves house a hidden barb or stinger located underneath the wrist of the Skinwalker. These stingers are retractable in nature in which through a coaxed muscle response enables it spring back & forth through the will of the Elf. These stingers contain a venom gland that exclusively produces a venomous cocktail that acts as a powerful sedative impelling the afflicted into a state of induced calm & pacification, where in many cases causes the afflicted to become easily swayed to persuasion & suggestive influence.

Ovipositor
Female Elves possess a hidden extendable appendage located in an abdominal cavity cushioned together by a flexible membrane within the diaphragm, this appendage is known as an ovipositor. Ovipositors are a new feature that wasn’t present previously with 1st generation Elves but became more prominent in recent generations after the banishment. This appendage a long muscular tube & is equipped with a piercing stinger. The functionality of the ovipositor is used transmit eggs into the flesh of living organisms in which they parasitically grow inside the hosts body in the span of 9 months. Upon hatching develop into larvae that resemble human infants with soft bleached skin, the fate of the host is dependant on the size & strength of the organism. Preferably Elves target animals & Neofauna in which the swarm abducts & nurtures until their initial birthing, it was made illegal by King Cole that Elves target other humans as part of their cycle.

Meganeura transformation
An uncommon trait amongst Skinwalkers is unlocking a third form known as the Beast within, an advanced technique that allows Skinwalkers or Darwin class consumers to transform themselves into the prehistoric ancestor of the species bestowed to the Skinwalkers linage. The Beast within prominent towards Elves is Meganeura brongniarti, commonly known as the Meganeura.
The Meganeura acts as a biological life insurance where upon an adult Elves death or succumbing to mortally grievous wounds the Elf bursts forth from its old body in the form of the giant dragonfly, as a gruesome act of reincarnation leaving the original as an empty shell. The Elf is able to transfer its memories & very being into this prehistoric Odonate in which its first instinct is to retreat to safety, where it will then undergo a recovery metamorphosis to regain its original form spanning over a month. However as the Meganeura the Elf is also equipped with a venomous stinger that it can use against foes would corner the Skinwalker.