Forgotten Realms Lore: Early Elven History

From the arrival of the Avariel elves until the Sundering of Toril, this video covers the history of the Elves before the era of the Crown Wars.
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aj pickett, the mighty gluestick, dungeons and dragons, roleplaying, tabletop, 5E, 5th edition, faerun, toril, forgotten realms, Eberron, pen and paper, Dungeons and dragons lore, monsters, magic, magic items, monster ecology, Elves, history, Avariel, gold elves, silver elves, grugach, aril-tel-quessir, sy-tel-quessir, ar-tel-quesser, atorrnash, ilythiir, mahatnartorian, silverywing, the sundering, evermeet, high forest, chult

[@dbensdrawinvids8390]

"Everything was fine. "Then the Elves did something."

[@dogdogdraws2352]

When ever a friend wants deeper info on lore i usually send them an AJ vid lol

[@bullroarer-took]

Yea. I always tell new players in my campaigns to check him out for lore

[@CNNBlackmailSupport]

Hah! I show these to my writer friends so they can see someone who knows the lore they are discussing while maintaining logical expansion on themes and utility of that lore. Asking the question "What else can I infer without directly conflicting with the established lore?" only looks easy here because of the skill. It's exactly like Olympic gymnasts that can make you believe fluid perfection is natural. Grace ALWAYS looks simple, and you only understand the talent when you ask yourself how many people you've seen exhibiting that simple grace in person. The answer is almost always "Damn," because you've NEVER seen it. The reason fan fiction is almost universally mocked is that it is almost universally terrible. The concept of fanfic isn't inherently lame, so its reputation was made by thousands of bad writers and stories. Almost everyone fails despite struggling, but AJ makes it look easy.

[@The.Incredible.Mister.E]

I have also done this

[@AJPickett]

Thats... honestly the greatest compliment I have ever received in my life.

[@bullroarer-took]

@@AJPickett you're awesome dude. Keep on keeping on

[@Chasingstarside]

And finally everyone understands why the Drow fought so hard during the Crown wars. I was rather surprised at how sympathetic they came off in this early examination of your video series AJ, but every great tragedy needs a decent sympathetic start. Then come wars of retribution. The demon summoning and literal elven world wars. Miyeritari and Dark disaster. So many big events still to come. Great start.

[@lysander9957]

Alternative video title: Why You CAN Blame the Elves for That.

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

Yeah, and it doesn't help that the history known about all these events were written *BY these elves.* You wanna bet they left a lot more stuff out of their recorded history? Modern races might forgive transgressions against dark elves and dragons, but what about other humanoid races that were primitive at the time?

[@nathanielchance9751]

Yes, hot tea, hot breakfast, and a deeply nerdy video. My morning is complete.

[@Mushezable]

The first documented item that has ever belonged to an elf is a carved wooden comb that was used by P'ent'tha'g'l'o'orn to comb his manly and macho 8 foot long hair.

[@DrBananananananananananananana]

Wooo AJ Pickett, don't know why Wizards of the Coast just doesn't hire this guy to oversee the D&D lore side of things.

[@PaRRaPWNaGe]

Agreed. They're crazy not to! But I doubt (based on the Lore Master's words) he would want to be hired and beholden to WotC.

[@AJPickett]

@@PaRRaPWNaGe Correct.

[@nicolaezenoaga9756]

@@PaRRaPWNaGe Yeah that compani is run by jerks.

[@glorbojibbins2485]

Bruh for real I'd love to see your name on licensed stuff

[@sagesheahan6732]

@@AJPickett WotC is run by sun elves. Don't. Do it. In the immortal words of Akbar: it's a trap.

[@itaykerensm1629]

Probably one of the best deep Lore vids so far.

[@Mr_Maiq_The_Liar]

I remember begging you to make videos about elves because of how ironic it was that such a quintessential part of D&D is not one of the fist things you’d cover. I see now why it took you so many years to get around to them. So much elf lore.

[@ben5056]

Starting to think the dark elves have good reasons to hate the other elves

[@skankhunt4588]

We do,but we also gave them reason to hate us after the fact.😈

[@adrasthe314]

Is it just me or is elven history basically Gold elves : *doing smth stupid* Dark elves : *die horribly bc of it* Dark elves : *get fed up and declare war on them* Gold elves : pikachu face

[@DominicCuda]

Dude, Elven lore is just wild. The shenanigans that led to the creation of the drow and the fey'ri are just infinitely amusing to me. Thanks for another great video.

[@catoblepasomega]

The -Evermeet: Island of Elves-book is a fantastic read I'd definitely recommend for a closer look at a lot of these events. It covers something like thirty thousand years of elven history right up until the start of third edition and it's chock full of elven history and culture, a story of tragedy, triumph and borderline apocalyptic battles, and it's a great source of ideas for DM's looking to do some elf and/or drow-centered D&D plots.

[@darkpsychoelf1701]

I just discovered your channel after my daughter started playing D&D. To hear your telling of the history of the Elves took me back to when I played! Earned a sub!

[@AJPickett]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@darkpsychoelf1701]

@@AJPickett I am. I was wondering if you were planning on continuing their history?

[@glorbojibbins2485]

Yoooooooooooooo Getting into the good stuff right here! Dark elves are also one of my favorites, the underdark is rad and spooky as hell. 💙🦄

[@daniell1483]

I've been waiting for this, I swear it feels like for years even though I know that isn't quite true! The earliest history of the elves has always been the most chaotic in my mind, so this video is much appreciated. This period is so tied up in the biases of the various actors at the time (dragons, rivaling perspectives from the upcoming drow, etc.). It is great to get a relatively unbiased accounting here. The dragon split between metallic and chromatic is still something of a headscratcher, though. You have all my thanks for the video. Can't wait to see what comes next.

[@samanthaangelinedefensor]

Fantastic summary of the early history of the Elves pre-Crown Wars. I've read all I could about elves, the Seldarine, and their history, and I'm playing an Ar-Tel'Quessir wizard/Priestess of Angharradh called Caerylia Durothil. I don't even want to think about Crown Wars. We're currently playing in a persistent world where the People will have to attempt defend the Fortress Home (Evereska) against an army of Fey'ri, with dhaerow and shadar-kai helping them, led by Sarya Dlardageth.

[@AJPickett]

Ooof, that could get rough, the Elves stopped at nothing to achieve victory during that era and descended into the darkest magics.

[@Christopher_Pug]

I love how intricately linked the stories of Toril and the elves are so intertwined.

[@Damienx247]

17:09 FOR THE HORDE!

[@HenriFaust]

20:06 True Ever'Sakkatien has never been tried.

[@stinky8744]

wow, I now know why older D&D players say "Elves have no Soul". The greed and ambition of those elves is crazy.

[@stinky8744]

@Lamodrick Foster WOW I didnt know that, PLZ make video on this @AJ Pickett if its worth it

[@Wastelandman7000]

Worse, they have unbounded hubris. Its their arrogance in the face of repeatedly screwing up whatever world they're on by performing THE SAME RITUAL that earns them their condemnation. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different result. And this is willful insanity.

[@jgr7487]

now I get how, even w/o Lolth, Dark Elves of the FR would absolutely abhor the High Elves.

[@Yeanmoh]

i just want to say: thank you for existing and for what you do.

[@deforesttappan6478]

I bet there will be a part 2.

[@robstock]

So I'm a new DM, and first I'd like to say that going through your content for research has been SOOO helpful. One of my players is a Drow, so learning the history of the Dark Elves/Dhaerow leading to the current Drow through your videos has been a real boon. Such a tragic tale! That being said, I would love if you were to ever make a video specifically on the full history of the Dark Elves, even if it's only the same information from this one, and the Araushnee/Lolth ones. I assume it would be more than helpful for Drow players. Also, I think presenting other options for Drow/Dhaerow/Dark Elves is essential if you're going to have people playing them, as they're SO cartoonishly evil and one-dimensional if you take them as written, only serving Lolth and etc. BUT if you bring back Eilistraee and Vhaerun (never remember how to spell that one) then suddenly there is a great mix of lore to choose from/work with. Any thoughts on this?

[@AJPickett]

I'll probably return to some aspects of D&D lore that I planned to complete in about a years time, but for now, I have some actual publishing to do, to give me the ability to weather dramatic changes in the industry by not being so focused on just one thing.

[@robstock]

​@@AJPickett In that case, congratulations and all the best of luck to you, my man! Always a good plan to have a diverse skill set when we're self-employed. Thanks again for all the commitment and hard work, cheers!

[@johntheherbalistg8756]

There is, canonically, another kind of dark elf. The dhaerow, were made the way they are via a demonic taint in their blood that passes to their offspring. Some dark elves, to this day, exist without that taint. They aren't inherently evil, although they are raised by drow, so being otherwise is still a stretch. The Forgotten Realms novel trilogies "War of the Spider Queen" and "The Lady Penitent" explore this history

[@josephjohnson5415]

Great Video, In my home brew Campaigns I love to subtly hint that the elves are punished for being Overpowered by the forces of mortal creation (overgods like AO). The first quasi mortal species were the Nas Potami (Ogre sized humanoid larva of the upper planes that form celestial stewards at death/rebirth), and their accidental yet not so accidental creation set off a creation arms race that resulted in the titans. These failures nearly brought down the entire planes in rebellion and the forces of creation had to step in and set limits on mortal creations, such as all mortal races had to have a flaw or flaws for each strength. However Correlon ignored creations warnings and tried to make the elves perfect, with no flaws. The overgods seeing that the more balanced mortal races would never be allowed to thrive under the elves, sought to have him correct his dire mistake. When cornered for his crimes; he offered up his wife, Aurenshee, to pay for his crimes instead of himself and she was corrupted in secret and would become lolth. Thus a fatal flaw of arrogance, lies and betrayal tarnished the otherwise perfection of the elves leading to cycles of expansion, implosion and destruction. The first Goddess Naluadii the ever-maiden, seeks to free her friend Aurenshee from lolth and give the dark elves a fair choice between darkness and twilight. (Sadly I never finished that campaign).

[@AJPickett]

Sounds like an interesting setting.

[@JasonV_DM]

Love your work AJ. I often meet players who have never seen the scale of this lore and they quote monster manual summaries as if thats the only truth. I just smile and say "oh boy are you in for a journey of discovery." 😅

[@teddyb9794]

As always your labors please me thank you and keep it up..

[@Adam_First]

Excellent video

[@firetarrasque4667]

Damn. The Dark Elves really got done dirty, didn't they? Like... Yeah, I totally get why they hate the surface elves. I'd probably hate someone if they repeatedly genocided my people, too, even if it was an accident.

[@michaelpettersson4919]

Genocide by accident? The closest real world example of that would be when formerly isolated people pick up dieseses that they lack resistance to. Other then that genocide isn't really something to just brush aside with a "sorry, accident" especially if it happens repeatedly. I can understand if such actions can lead to some enmity.

[@catoblepasomega]

It gets worse. There's some more dark elf-directed genocides coming up that are a heck of a lot harder to call accidents.

[@firetarrasque4667]

@@michaelpettersson4919 True, but the High Elves legitimately had no way of knowing that, say, the Sundering would directly harm the Dark Elves. They should have known it was a bad idea, but not the exact consequences.

[@firetarrasque4667]

@Lamodrick Foster Largely the same thing with the Dragonrage. The Light Elves weren't *trying* to cause a disaster, but the consequences of their actions were also very much something they should have seen coming.

[@efferzzreffe4903]

R.I.P. Sweet Beautiful Silverywing! 😭😭😭 I'm gonna become the bestestess cleric EVER & Raise you from the Dead Fully!!! 😁

[@kbiii]

Awesome

[@cameronpearce5943]

I love the line from Prometheus “God doesn’t draw with straight lines” where they point out some terraforming. I think about that when I look at the Sword Coast. Also do you ever wonder if Lolth might have played a hand in the botching of the first Sundering? Seems like something she’d do to establish herself

[@AJPickett]

I'm not sure the Gold elves consider the Sundering to be 'Botched' they took an active hand in manifesting their prophesy and brought a part of their ancient homeland to their new world... the fact that hundreds of thousands died seems to be secondary to their measure of success.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Indeed. What is the lives of untold innocents compared to the glory of elvenkind?

[@mr.snapps2926]

Ok so seriously where is part 2?!?!? I loved this so much and really would love the next part. Great work on this. You earned my sub. 👍

[@AJPickett]

The Crown wars, yes, I need to dive back into this project

[@katydidd6321]

@@AJPickett Ooooh, yes please! I'm actually researching that topic for my own campaign involving a silver elf veteran from those wars who avoids talking about them, and I'm finding it to be a fascinating topic. Sad, very confused as to why such long-lived creatures with lengthy memories were duped into 5 or 6 genocidal conflicts (but I guess there could be a lesson for us humans in there... ~cough, cough~ WWI & II ~cough~), but really interesting. I've been tuning into your lore vids for quite a few years now and always enjoy your perspectives, so I really look forward to it! 💝

[@trajanfidelis1532]

We're going to see the elves!

[@burningbronze7555]

So it's the sun elves folt that we have evil drow.

[@AJPickett]

To be fair, they were not exactly saints before then, but... yeah.

[@burningbronze7555]

@@AJPickett not saints are fixable, drow society would have to be restarted to be less messed up. Also what did the dark elves look like?

[@catoblepasomega]

@@burningbronze7555 Depends which author you read. Evermeet, which AJ is drawing pretty heavily from here had them as ebony skinned and white-haired pre-descent. When the demonic pre-regaining godhood Lolth describes Kiransalee (an interloper goddess from another plane), she notes that she's a dark elf like herself, but that she calls herself a 'drow'. "Drow" IIRC is a corruption of an elven word for "traitor", so it's more of a title. So "dark elf" and "drow" would be virtually interchangeable. But it's inconsistent. IIRC Smedman describes them as being brown skinned with white hair, so it's a little up in the air as to what they were like. In this case, "Drow" and "Dark Elf" are two different things.

[@jamesmiles6484]

AJ, I'm currently running Icewind Dale and my party has a "near" fey lord level patron. This "fey lord" has a magnificent mansion that houses various training schools, a library, a brothel, and mead hall. Each of the spectral servants is a different npc, with background, quirks, stories etc. I would love to include you in the library section as a wise and knowledgeable sage from Candlekeep, with your blessing of course. Thoughts on his Traits, Ideals, Bonds, and Flaws?

[@AJPickett]

By all means. AJ the Sage of Candlekeep, Variant HumanBard 6 / Ranger 4 *Personality Traits* I’m used to helping out those who aren’t as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others. *Ideals* Self-Improvement. The goal of a life of study is the betterment of oneself. (Any) *Bonds* My life’s work is a series of tomes related to a specific field of lore. *Flaws* Most people scream and run when they see a demon. I stop and take notes on its anatomy.

[@jamesmiles6484]

@@AJPickett Absolute gold. Thank you for all that you do sir.

[@cameronpearce5943]

I really wanna find a hard copy of The Grand History

[@AJPickett]

You can always find an Artisan to rebind a softbound copy for you. I did this for my core D&D books and they are leather-bound artifacts now.

[@michaelmartin5494]

Outstanding video. Informative and entertaining. Well done!

[@moonringXD]

Excellent video as usual aj! Also how do other elves fit into this like ghost, grey, dusk, snow, etc?

[@AJPickett]

Good question! We shall explore more of the elven cultures as we go along in this series.

[@skankhunt4588]

The ancestors of the snow elves fled the crown wars. They wanted no part of it and went into the great glacier. Those other elves dont really exist in the forgotten realms.

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

The elves, or Eldar, if you want to get more academic, are the direct descendants of Fae, that have adapted to live in the material realm, their bodies while superior to humans in certain cases are nothing compared to their souls, which from time to time can show strong forms of magic, primal arcane magic akin to that of their ancient ancestors, by merging bloodlines of humans and elves, is how you get source wielders, not mages but sorcerers, but yes also very powerful mages, druids, clerics, warlocks etc.

[@kaemonbonet4931]

Tel'quessir

[@alphatman8396]

Thank you!

[@sirloin869]

Ur whol catalogue rox,bruh: keep up good work...

[@Balcamion79]

This is great! What do we have on the various Fey Lords and/or Archfey? My daughter wants to play a fairy (go figure!) Archfey Warlock/ Glamour Bard, an I'd like some lore for her Archfey patron.

[@AJPickett]

Aside from the classics (Titania, Oberon, Baba-Yaga, etc) Kobold Press includes a few in their Bestiary books (Tome of Beasts, Tome of Beasts II and the Creature Codex)

[@katet_33]

Excellent video, thank you

[@zacharyweaver276]

I'd love a history of the dwarves since we haven't heard much of what they've been up to in the world of Faerune

[@AJPickett]

Theirs is a great saga, I look forward to bringing them the same treatment at some point in the future.

[@zacharyweaver276]

@@AJPickett Awesome I've always thought of dwarves and elves as being the super civilizations before something horrible happens leading to the current time of the setting where humans are starting to hit their own stride as a people

[@al881347]

AJ, we need your take on the crown wars !

[@seanjames5799]

Who do you think is the most badass elf in the realms, regardless of alignment and class? I've been busy with getting my financial and housing situation straightened out. Just celebrated 20 months clean and sober last Saturday.

[@AJPickett]

Well done Sean! Erm...hmmm... You know, I can't think of any elf who ascended to godhood, maybe that green elf.who channelled the entire power of the Sundering briefly.

[@geoffeldridge6000]

good video AJ.. look forward to the next one

[@LAYOTAM444]

Yesssss more elf loreeee

[@ginocrededio7421]

Frickin loved it man

[@ClassicMagicMan]

I was just thinking last night about how much I hate elves.

[@thedm8873]

Ah the elves, I cant wait for more lore to use against them and say it's their fault.- this message is made by the Dwarf Gang

[@LordofDragns]

Moon Elf Necromancer here. I'd like to officially apologize to the Dwarf Gang for how mega fucked my ancestors made the world.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

Ahh....the Elves.... In summation; Its Their Fault.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

@Lamodrick Foster You're not wrong, but then again, look at the Humans. They have no creator god that claims them, really limited guidance from a specific god as a culture, and are constantly at war with themselves, yet have managed to avoid the self-inflicted, globe spanning, mass catastrophes that fill Elven history.

[@Im-Not-a-Dog]

@Lamodrick Foster With the exception of when its either the Illithids or a rogue god, its always the Elves fault. Lol

[@drewp8108]

Wonderful video, many thanks.

[@Emil-Tiger02]

Yay!

[@johnobrien7626]

Thanks again for another informative video

[@khilorn]

I created an elf character with the surname Moonflower. I had no idea that was such a prominent name in the lore. 😳

[@jau42]

Awesome video! Best in a long time

[@DCJMS]

around elves watch yourselves

[@monsieurdorgat6864]

Thanks for the video! A lot of this early history of Elven Mythal's kind of has an "original sin" vibe to it. Would it be fair to say that this history could have only really survived by the records of the elves themselves? Could be interesting if it was heavily redacted, modified, or simply made true post-facto by the insane, reality-warping power of the First Sundering.

[@jamesfisher9594]

Good video!

[@dragonlord498]

the gold and silver elves are the most destructive it seems of all elves and least in the time period covered in this video i would sort of say they were actually more evil then all but the most evil of drow and even then that could be a stretch even if they weren't demon worshipers typically

[@Wastelandman7000]

I would say that the greatest evils are often done in noble causes. The gold elves meant well, but, their hubris was their downfall. Much the same can be said of humans.

[@jacobfreeman5444]

Kinda makes it clear the elves deserve whatever they get.

[@catoblepasomega]

....and we haven't even gotten to the Crown Wars yet!

[@chriscalvin5083]

good video AJ

[@coreyeaston6823]

Its interesting and sad, but those pointy eared bastards (no not Vulcans) are at the center of most catastrophic events. I'm telling you, now that the crazy comet has been dispatched, there is some really unpleasant payback coming. mark my words, that pretty pretty island of theirs is going to be ground zero for a nuclear dragon attack!

[@michaelpettersson4919]

Including the Vulcans. I have reasons to belive that their homeworld is a desert planet due to them almost nukeing themselves to extinction before...

[@VerityAran]

Frelling fantastic 🤘

[@theHedgex1]

the dark elves really get screwed.

[@Wastelandman7000]

From multiple directions too. Little wonder they hate the other elves. And it shows the dwarven wisdom of having as little to do with the pointy eared princesses as possible. LOL.

[@amberceline7395]

Thanks for making this video on elven lore!

[@sirwilliam4128]

@Aj Pickett do you think 🤔 💭 it’s possible that Lolth has subsumed or consumed The Queen of Chaos; or, do you think it’s possible that the Queen of Chaos consumed Araushnee and became the goddess, Lolth?

[@sirwilliam4128]

@Lamodrick Foster I was thinking that if one absorbed the other that would be a possibility. I’m well aware of the Obyrith and Tharizdun arch.

[@moonringXD]

4:45 Do we have any information at all on the ancient humans empire and why it fail?🧙‍♂️

[@almitrahopkins1873]

The wood elves weren’t godless. You forget the one chaotic neutral god of the seldarine who watches over his children. Rilifane Rallathil ring any bells?

[@demonblood8841]

Just curious but if either side won the blood war how bad would it be for everyone else? Apologies for the off topic question

[@AJPickett]

Well, there would be a lot of unemployed Yugoloths, which is very bad. If the demons win, the multiverse just collapses into a chaotic maelstrom of evil dimensions, if the Devils win... well, the devils don't really want to win, do they?

[@jgr7487]

@@AJPickett Devils be like: "I am the watcher on the walls. I am the fire that burns against Chaos, the light that brings Law, the horn that wakes the sleepers, the shield that guards the realms of Order."

[@demonblood8841]

@@AJPickett Cheers AJ was always curious about what would happen if that war ended i guess its best that it doesnt :)

[@justice4most]

Maybe high elves are the bad guys.

[@ilcuzzo12]

good one! I'm a huge Netheril nerd as well as most other Faerun history. I wonder what other people think when they hear me listening to AJ talk about a fake history with made-up politics?!?🤣

[@AJPickett]

Same as people listening to podcasts that talk about fantasy football.

[@ilcuzzo12]

@@AJPickett Yeah but if they just hear AJ in passing they may think I'm listening to an obscure history lecture

[@vaaccuummcleaner9214]

Hey can you do a video on Pandorym the Utter Annihilation? I want to make a campaign centered around them but I can't find much to work with.

[@ivymeganmedicinewoman]

Great to hear a kiwi voice on YT❤

[@thegamerfromskyrim]

Hold up 21:05 "high mages of many different races" so does that mean at some point high magic was thought to other races but was at some point only thought to evles

[@AJPickett]

They took part, and it killed them.. I am pretty sure they didn't sign up for getting killed, so that implies they were not aware of the consequences of what they were taking part in, thus.. not trained.

[@skankhunt4588]

Many different races of ELVES. High magic is Elven lore. It requires Elven blood unless your a chosen of Mystra or magister. Other races use epic magic rituals. Not high magic. Regular non-elves can't physically channel high magic and survive. They CAN assist as secondary contributors to the high rituals by offering up energy to help power the highmagic. Sorry AJ. Just wanted to clarify this subject .

[@Telenaus]

hehe mind blow im going to have to re-watch dayng my mind going to flick back to silver wing ,im going to have to rethink some of the stories ,i mean i know war & feys can be a bleep but dang

[@hawktondog]

what about the Le'Shay? Can't have a history of the elves with no Le'Shay!

[@AJPickett]

Sure you can, go back in time and change events, thereby stranding the LeShay in a universe they no longer recognise

[@rianantony]

Cool tower

[@violetswindlehurst5555]

I'm trying to write a story about a sun elf in love with a dark elf

[@mitricairina7770]

ah that sounds amazing

[@pomponioval]

"Like", subscribe, and share 😉. Thanks for another super deep dive A.J.

[@Z1gguratVert1go]

Orcs are not native to Tirol. They were imported by one of the human empires and got loose and multiplied. They were imported to serve as infantry war. Then they became an invasive species.

[@AJPickett]

I never said they were native to Toril, but they were not imported to the world by primitive humans.

[@Z1gguratVert1go]

@@AJPickett Apparently it happened twice. The Creator Races let Orcs in from the Orc's native world during the Days of Thunder (Forgotten Realms Campaign guide, page 40). A different tribe of Orcs were brought in by the Imaskari (human empire) much later, so I guess we're both right. As Elves and Orcs are both not native to Toril, the legends between Gruumsh and Corellon Larethian are not contradicted by anything specifically Realms-related. I tend to ignore lore set after 3E times because it either makes no sense (4E) or it's attempt to put things back to 3E times (5E).

[@Z1gguratVert1go]

@Pelinal Whitestrake For the most part, like nearly 100%, 2E lore build on 1E lore, and 3E lore builds on 2E. When they did 4E they retconned everything - completely unnecessary vandalism in my opinion. I consider 4E to be a parallel universe, a different Realms from the one I know and love.

[@al881347]

@@Z1gguratVert1go there are 2 main orc "races" mountain orcs (imported to the north by one creator race) and grey orcs (imported to the east in the orcgate wars, if I remember correctly the inmascari brought them in)

[@mikeglowatz2273]

What about the grey elves. I played a character in the 80s but didn't know to much about them.

[@AJPickett]

Greyhawk I believe.

[@dbi6355]

Oh hell yes

[@satqur]

TL;DR the Dark Elves literally did nothing wrong

[@jamesbolt1003]

Inspite of their lot in life it's really inspiring that some drow are good; Elistraee is probably the most archetypal example of one who suffered greatly despite doing nothing wrong. She's a great goddess and one of my favorites for my PC clerics, and paladins.

[@Wastelandman7000]

I wouldn't go that far as being slavers for the dragons is kind of a mark against them. But, compared to how much damage the other elves have done, yeah, they come off not looking all that bad.

[@lukedunham4461]

Um. Didn't they destroy miyeritar with a high magic spell taught to them by the dark seldarine? Or am I misremembering?

[@mooncake387]

Can you also do a video on the history of humans

[@AJPickett]

Eventually, probably.

[@PattPlays]

*and now I have a speech ready by a thousand year old green elf chump in shining falls

[@magicmaxx6346]

This is epic

[@REDTEK161]

Question AJ: How would you create a charater or NPC that is a cross between and elf and a devil? I am guessing it would be similar to a Fey'ri which is a cross between sun elves and tanar'ri... but I know that demons and devils are not really the same thing. Would you still consider an elf/devil to be fey'ri? Or is that exclusive to elf/demon crosses? Is there another concept for what I'm talking about? Thanks!

[@AJPickett]

The Drow are also, technically, infused with the blood of Wendonai, a powerful Demon. Essentially, you would just be creating a Tiefling, so, its a Tiefling with an elven cultural and biological heritage, rather than a human one.

[@REDTEK161]

@@AJPickett Ah that makes sense, thank you! Keep up the great videos. Watching these videos has taken me from being a player, to a DM, to reading the FR novels. Such a fun rabbit hole to fall down!

[@AJPickett]

@@REDTEK161 my pleasure!

[@izanaginomikoto1893]

I have never really felt comfortable with the lore that the entire moon elf race stems from a single refugee, even with the amount of time this occurred in the past - less ancient by elven generational standards. It seems that within a few hundred years there were enough teu'tel'quess to populate entire nations. This goes for the fifty gold elves as well, but the single moon elf progenitor is particularly extreme case. It would seem that even interbreeding with the local green elves and a stronger eladrin bloodline leading to dominant traits still cannot account for the sudden increase in numbers. One explanation is that the exodus from Tintageer was only the first of many, and other high elves were to follow, bolstering their numbers, but I don't think anything official is ever mentioned. Do you have any light to shed on the matter, or pet theories to account for this?

[@AJPickett]

Only one silver elf arrived _with_ the gold elves... I've not seen it said anywhere that he was the *only* silver elf to ever travel to Toril. I'm also not sure what bloodline his wife belonged to. So yeah, there is so much we don't know about those first few centuries. Its a pity the Avariel didn't seem interested in mixing their bloodline around a bit more.

[@michaelpettersson4919]

@@AJPickett Maybe the wings are due to a recessive gene. If so they would notice that they loose their wings if they breed with other races, even other elven races.

[@sickofwashington]

Silver Elf had game. Super Bowl level... 😜

[@izanaginomikoto1893]

Something that just occurred to me is; "Fifty gold and a single silver elf" could just be the number of nobles from the ruling classes came through. They could have had thousands of farmers and craftsmen etc... Elves have a pretty strong tradition of elitism, and if you're not a noble or a high mage, you might not be worth mentioning...

[@jacobsockness571]

An Elvin boyfriend was nice, they are so beautiful.

[@matthewschuchardt684]

I’m a bit confused by the timeline here? So how can there have been dragon riders before the first true dragons?

[@SirRayos]

As I understand it, the dragon god Asgorath (also referred to as Io) was around well before the Tearfall, and its possible that proto-dragons of a sort existed at that time. Dragons weren't split to the Metallic and Chromatic before Tiamat and Bahamut took their place as heads of their respective factions following the implied demise of Asgorath.

[@AJPickett]

Time Travel has ALWAYS existed in Dungeons and Dragons... Dragons are creatures of magic and they also associate with Demigods and Gods who can routinely mess with time. But aside from that, dragons didn't all evolve on the same planets at the same time, they are a species that emerges over and over again, very much because MAGIC is present on those worlds... where there is no magic, there very, very rarely are any dragons.

[@error5202]

This comment has been posted to appease the algorithm. All hail Yub-Tub!

[@leandersearle5094]

HERETIC! The true religion worships UTUBU!

[@cmelton6796]

@@leandersearle5094 Wood Elf Bards play Yew Tube flutes

[@sirwilliam4128]

(Arr-ee-van-dah-arr) = Aryvandaar

[@AJPickett]

Ah, the double vowels always get me. Thank you.

[@Deathwalker01st]

:-)

[@mannhouse8014]

12:56

[@bluebird3281]

Gurgach ?

[@AJPickett]

Grugach (wild elves) are different from Wood elves (which are a mixture of the Wild elves, Sun elves and Moon elves who retreated into the deep forests after the last of the Crown wars, which will be discussed in the next elven history video)

[@Z0nK89]

and thats why we hate elves always think there are the best but in F everything up xD