A CHOICE OF SURNAME:

Last names aren’t arbitrarily passed from one generation to the next. Rather, each couple decides which surname to adopt, generally opting for the name that carries the most prestige.

A LIMITED AMOUNT OF FAMILY:

Most elves only have one child, believing their genetics grow weaker with each additional birth. And children from multiple births tend to face a tremendous amount of scorn, with many expecting the children to be either Talentless or otherwise troublesome.

THE NOBILITY

RULING THE LOST CITIES IS a daunting responsibility. As a result, the Council created the nobility to share parts of their workload—which is why special abilities are required for any noble position. Graduation from Foxfire Academy is also mandatory, as is making an oath of obedience and loyalty to the Council.

Members of the nobility most commonly bear the title of Lord or Lady (though certain appointments come with the titles of Dame, Magnate, or Master). And only nobles are able to enter the Seat of Eminence in Eternalia. They also wear capes to signify their position, and it’s customary for others to bow or curtsy when greeting them—though only some members of the nobility insist on such formalities. Many prefer to keep social interactions more casual.

The most commonly held noble positions are Mentors, Regents, and Emissaries, each of which comes with different responsibilities:

MENTORS are appointed to help future generations reach their full potential.

REGENTS are appointed to carry out assignments for the Council.

EMISSARIES are appointed to carry out highly classified assignments for the Council.

Nobles can choose to resign from their positions anytime they wish, but few ever do. And since completion of the elite levels at Foxfire is a requirement for appointment, noble assignments have always been held by adults—until recently, that is.

In a groundbreaking decision (meant to better utilize the talents of the Black Swan’s moonlark), Sophie Foster and four of her friends were carefully selected and appointed as Regents to form Team Valiant. The Councillors even swore a special oath to the team—“We will listen. We will learn. And we will adapt”—and asked Sophie and her friends to make an oath of their own: “I swear to fight with everything in my power to serve the Council and keep our world a haven of peace, hope, and illumination.”

Each member of Team Valiant was assigned two Councillors as their “points of contact” for advice and guidance (with Councillor Emery and Councillor Terik serving as the “general overseers” of the team). They were also each given a mascot (to represent the role they play for their teammates) and three Articles of the Regency (a circlet, a cloak clasp, and a cloak) in three different colors (gold, silver, and glowing white) to represent the Prime Sources (sunlight, moonlight, and starlight). Occasionally the Council will dictate which articles Team Valiant should wear. But most of the time the decision is up to the team’s leader—so long as all members of the team coordinate their accessories (as a sign of unity and solidarity) and make sure that each of the articles belongs to a different Source (to properly represent all three Sources at once).

TEAM VALIANT

Team Member

Mascot

Patch Border

Circlet Jewel

Points of Contact

Sophie Foster (Leader)

Dire wolf

Red

Ruby

Councillor Bronte Councillor Oralie

Biana Vacker

Kelpie

Purple

Amethyst

Councillor Darek Councillor Liora

Dex Dizznee

Tomple

Green

Emerald

Councillor Noland Councillor Clarette

Stina Heks

Kraken

Pink

Pink tourmaline

Councillor Zarina Councillor Alina

Wylie Endal

Wyvern

Opalescent

Opal

Councillor Ramira Councillor Velia

ABILITIES VERSUS SKILLS

A WORLD FOCUSED ON ABILITY:

Manifesting a special ability is a life-changing event for an elf in the Lost Cities—as is not manifesting. Until that moment, all elves are equal. Afterward, they can be divided into the “talented” and the “Talentless” (though few use the term “talented,” preferring instead to identify themselves by their abilities).

No one can control when, where, how, or if manifesting will occur—nor can they choose which abilities they’ll get. Foxfire’s ability detecting session is designed to trigger abilities—and it definitely has had great success throughout the centuries. But there are always a few prodigies who never manifest. Similarly, certain Telepaths can fill someone’s mind with mental energy, which can cause an ability to activate—but the effectiveness of this technique still depends on the person’s genetics. Even following the guidance of the matchmakers cannot guarantee that a child will not end up Talentless—which turns the process of manifesting into a source of fear, stress, consternation, and celebration, depending on how it turns out.

Manifesting is also intense, confusing, and at times slightly dangerous, with elves struggling to understand the changes happening to their minds, senses, and bodies—and fighting to control their new ability. The average manifesting age is somewhere between twelve and fifteen years old—but there have been elves who manifested older or younger. Some elves also have more than one ability—though that’s much more uncommon. And while any special ability elevates someone’s rank to the talented, not all abilities are viewed as equally valuable—and some are even considered to be undesirable. (One ability is actually forbidden.) It also doesn’t happen often, but new abilities still appear, so the list of recorded abilities is ever changing.

As it stands, the most well-known special abilities are:

BEGUILER: An elf with the power of persuasion who can manipulate others by using the tone of their voice to affect someone’s emotions (rather than affecting their actions, like Mesmers). In order to insure the ability isn’t abused, Beguilers have restrictions on when and how they can use their power. Reported Beguilers: Councillor Alina

CHARGER: An elf who can sense and manipulate electricity (and electron particles), allowing them to create and control everything from static to bolts of lightning. Reported Chargers: Councillor Zarina

CONJURER: An elf who can sense the threads connecting everything together and use them to pull objects through the void (though the ability only works if they already know where the item is). Conjurers can also hide things in the void to retrieve later, and help others place things there as well. Reported Conjurers: Edaline Ruewen, Lady Cadence Talle, Jolie Ruewen, Councillor Liora

DESCRYER: An elf who can sense the “potential” inside of someone—though the person still has to live up to that potential in order for the reading to be accurate. Only one Descryer has ever been recorded, and he rarely uses the ability because his readings were causing contention. Reported Descryers: Councillor Terik

EMPATH: An elf who can sense the emotions of others through physical contact (though the strongest Empaths can sense emotions through the air). Translating what they’re sensing can be challenging (since strong emotions often feel the same), and Empaths are at risk of going numb if they don’t focus on their training. They can also sense when someone is lying (but are terrible liars themselves). Reported Empaths: Keefe Sencen, Lord Cassius Sencen, Councillor Oralie, Stina Heks, Vika Heks, Vespera Folend