A NATURAL PROPENSITY FOR LANGUAGE:

Elves speak the Enlightened Language instinctively from birth—though to human ears it sounds a bit like babbling. And they have two written alphabets, both of which are instinctive as well. Their primary alphabet uses modern letters, and their runic alphabet is used mostly for decoration (though some have also built codes and ciphers around the runic alphabet). The elvin mind has a tremendous capacity for language, so many elves also learn to speak Dwarven, Trollish, Gnomish, Ogreish, and Goblinese (particularly elves who join the nobility). And a small handful learn human dialects as well.

A LIMITLESS LIFE SPAN:

The elves consider their lives to be “indefinite” because no one in the Lost Cities has ever died from old age (at least not that they know of…). They aren’t immortal—elves can and have passed away. But those deaths were caused by circumstance, not time. The elves also appear somewhat “ageless” and do not get gray hair or wrinkles. A thirty-year-old elf looks the same as a three-hundred-year-old elf—and a three-thousand-year-old elf would only have one small difference: The tops of their ears would be pointy. Elvin ears continue to grow slowly along the tops, which is why pointed ears are considered a mark of the Ancients.

AN ABUNDANCE OF TIME:

Thanks to their incredible longevity, time is a relative construct in the Lost Cities—something the elves mark, but rarely focus on. They still break time down into seconds, minutes, hours, days, months, and years, but they don’t pay much attention to them—particularly when it comes to their own ages. The elves technically count age from their inception date (because of the way their pregnancies develop), but few even notice the date when it passes, and none celebrate the occasion. In fact, most Ancient elves have long since lost track of precisely how old they are.

A UNIQUE SET OF TRADITIONS:

Despite their relaxed attitude toward time, the elves do have a few celebrations—most of which are linked to accomplishment, or significant natural events. For instance, whenever there’s a total lunar eclipse, Orem Vacker uses his skills as a Flasher to put on a spectacular light show called the Celestial Festival. And there are numerous traditions connected to Foxfire Academy, including their Opening Ceremonies, midterms, and finals celebrations. Winnowing Galas, weddings, and funerals also carry their own customs and experiences—and many choose to hold parties for no particular reason.

A RARE GOODBYE:

Death is incredibly uncommon in the Lost Cities, but it does occasionally happen. As such, the elves have developed a ceremony called a “planting” to commemorate the loss. Plantings are held in the Wanderling Woods (the elves’ only graveyard), and friends and family gather for support. A Wanderling seed (wrapped with the deceased’s DNA—usually a single strand of their hair) is planted and immediately sprouts, taking on certain physical characteristics of the life that’s been lost and allowing the deceased to live on in a small way. Each tree is marked with a stone bearing the name of whoever has been planted there, and most families choose to visit the Wanderlings regularly, to grieve in the trees’ gentle shade.

A TRULY GLOBAL WORLD:

The elves rely heavily on light leaping, a process that involves letting the light break down their bodies so they can “hitch a ride” and travel great distances in a matter of seconds. With practice, each elf’s concentration becomes strong enough to hold themselves together during the leap—but until then, they wear a nexus as a safety precaution. (If they lose part of themselves in a leap, they’ll reform slightly faded. And if they lose too much, they’ll fade away completely. It’s also possible to become sick with light poisoning.) The Ancients used starstones to create their paths before leaping crystals were invented. Now, home crystals and Leapmasters are used until an elf can prove that they’re responsible, mature, and trustworthy enough to be issued a pathfinder. Even then, certain pathways are restricted, and the color of the crystal determines where the light will go.

A TALENT-BASED SOCIETY:

All elves share the same language and culture—and pay no heed to physical appearance or financial stature. And yet, division still exists in their world, between those with special abilities and those without. As a result, the Lost Cities can generally be broken down into three primary social groups: the nobility, the working class, and the Talentless (though there are some elves who fall into none of those categories). The nobility is primarily composed of those with the most useful special abilities. The working class is primarily composed of those with the more “niche” abilities. And the Talentless are those without abilities. Of the three groups, only the Talentless face any social scorn or social restrictions, including what jobs are available to them and who they’re allowed to marry.

GUIDE TO LEAPING CRYSTALS

COLOR

GOES TO

USED BY

CLEAR

The Lost Cities

Everyone

BLUE

The Forbidden Cities

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility

YELLOW

The Neutral Territories

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility

BLACK

The Gateway to Exile (and other places, depending on how the magsidian is cut)

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility—though the Neverseen have been seen using them

GREEN

Ravagog (and other ogre-related locations)

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility

OPALESCENT PINK

Unknown locations (These crystals are said to have added security measures)

Restricted to members of the Black Swan

PURPLE

Unknown locations

Restricted to members of the Black Swan

ORANGE

Marintrylla (and other troll-related locations)

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility

RED

Gildingham (and other goblin-related locations)

Restricted to the Council and authorized members of the nobility

SWIRLED WHITE, SILVER, & GOLD

Uses the power of the Prime Sources

Restricted to the Council

AN UNEXPECTED ELEMENT OF CONTROL:

Because of their ageless appearance (and indefinite life spans), the elves adopted a system of matchmaking in order to ensure that distant relatives weren’t unintentionally marrying. And since special abilities play such a vital role in elvin society, the matchmakers (whose motto is, “Progress, Prosperity, Permanence, and Proliferation”) also strive to create couples with the greatest genetic advantage—and the best chance of producing talented offspring. Everyone can register for the match once they turn fourteen (though they can also choose to wait). And once registered, they’re given an extensive packet to fill out in order to determine their wants and needs. Packets can be turned in anytime (though many use the final exam period at Foxfire as an arbitrary deadline), and the matchmakers take an entire year to review the information. Nothing else influences their decision (despite the choice some young elves make to wear “crush cuffs”—cloth bracelets embroidered with their crush’s name—in the hope of catching their matchmaker’s attention). The first match list can be retrieved after the year is up (but again, waiting is an option) and contains one hundred of the top matches, which are meant to be whittled down using Winnowing Galas. If no “match” is found, a second list with another hundred matches can be retrieved, as well as a third, fourth, and fifth list. (A minimum of one month must pass between each list.) After the fifth, no additional lists are provided. Anyone who marries someone not on their lists is branded a “bad match” and faces significant social consequences. And if a “good match” ends up unsuccessful, the couple may file a “match-fail”—though such an event is incredibly rare. Even rarer is someone “unmatchable”—though it has happened in a case where vital genetic information was missing from the file. And while most comply with the matchmaking system, some elves are uncomfortable with the biases it promotes and decline participation.