Gerenyle
Ancestor worship
Traditional Elven Pantheon| {{ #if:|
| Gerenyle | |
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| Pronunciation | GĀR-ən-ī-əl
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| Adjective | Gerenyle
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| Languages | Elven
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| Religions | Maeli Ancestor worship Traditional Elven Pantheon }} |
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At the changing of the ages between the Age of Dragons and the Age of Humanity, the elves were driven from their ancestral homeland by humans. When the last of their powerful draconic allies were driven from Gailifor and it became clear beyond measure that there was no possible way that the elves could hope to overcome the humans, the elves, by necessity, splintered into three factions: those elves that would flee to the West to live as wanderers among the other nations, those who fled East across the ocean and those who were willing to accept human rule and submit to their new leaders. The last of these were branded Gerenyle by the elves, which translates to "Elves of Geren," the name given by elves to human lands.
Gerenyle elves remained in the human nation of Gailifor and adopted human customs. At first, they were forced to remain necessarily insular; the humans would not abide them holding positions of authority, and did accepted them only on the grounds that it prevented further unnecessary violence.
When the Syranyle left Gailifor, they cursed those elves who stayed, stealing from them a sacred elven artifact called the Dreaming Stone. Without this connection to their gods, the elves could not enter the trance of sleep their people need to recover. Gerenyle elves were not able to sleep at all, and lived short, desperate lifespans of a mere 30 years before they succumbed to death, and none remain that remember the original defeat at the hands of the humans. As the centuries passed, the old wounds mended and gradually elves and even half-elves became a fairly common site in Gailifor, gaining the right to hold some public offices (mostly knighthoods and rights within the clergy of the Maeli faith).
With the recovery of the Dreaming Stone following the Half-elf wars in Greyns, they Gerenyle once again whole as a people, and live much closer to typical elven lifespans (although, given that this was a mere 63 years ago, this is untested in practice).
Real-World Comparison
There remain vestiges of xenophobia in the human population, as in nearly any integrated formerly insular subculture. The nepotism of the American Dutch or the cautious demeanor of modern integrated Middle Eastern populations in the West could be drawn upon for inspiration.
Campaign Role
Gerenyle characters are Gailenese by definition. They may be seeking to discover their true heritage.