Chapter One
The Biggest Author Notes Of All Time, skip if you don't care or come back later:
This takes two years for Maclyn after the end of his book.
All you really need to know about Tolkien elves is right here: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/e/elves.html
Now, since no one has put up a page I could find on Sidhe I'll explain here.
Sidhe (pronounced Shee or She-e or See-e) are more like traditional elves from folklore. They are pure magic and live in the hollow hills. Well Underhill actually, which is basically a dimension of pure magic where you carve out reality with your will and magic to sustain it. Time moves funny Underhill, humans can live forever, but if they stay to long and then come back up their years catch up to them quickly and they die. Other things live Underhill too, Dragons and hobgoblins and banshee everything from folklore, but that's off topic.
Sidhe, magically and physically:
All Sidhe have blond hair and green cat slit eyes of various shades and they can shape-shift in almost anything, it is a minor skill to them as is glamorie, which are illusions. They can also ken things. To ken something is to understand it, but in the magical sense it is to replicate it perfectly. Only elves can do this and only after studying the item. They cannot ken magic, or souls, or living beings (without a lot of effort and preparation, it's like making a golem), though steak and flowers are doable. So a Sidhe could make the One Ring but it wouldn't have the power in it. Although when they first get their hands on something after a little bit they can alter it though their magic.
They have weaknesses too. While they can drink ten humans under the table they cannot stand caffeine. It is like a drug to them sends them into a state called the Dreaming where they walk around as if they were high. They eventually fade away, they don't die, it's as if they never were there. The Dreaming can also be brought on by a lack of magic. And unlike human drugs if you stop taking it won't stop affecting them. They start Dreaming they stay dreaming unless something snaps them out of it.
Also like in the stories Iron is bad, as in VERY bad for them, it's also bad for Underhill unless it's in a 'cultivated' land. Basically Iron burns them; it sucks their 'bandwidth' of magic up too fast and leaves a burn, it's also a poison, it dissolves their flesh and fires all the pain neurons at once and DOES NOT STOP. Am I getting though here? An example, if you wrap iron wire around their wrists, just a single loop, they will be incapacitated unless they have built up a serious resistance to it (which they can) and will die within a week. It also throws their magic out of wack and pulls spells towards it. Like if a sidhe cast a levin bolt (generic magical projectile) out and forty five degrees to his left there was a stick of iron the levin bolt would turn and go towards it. Wearing iron chain mail will protect you from sidhe spells but it will dissolve under much onslaught. Silk can muffle iron.
They cannot create, there isn't a creative thought in their heads, they can copy and improve upon, but the only way they innovate is by mistake and by following humans around, lack of an influx of 'newness' can lead elves to die out as if in Dreaming.
Beyond that they are much like Tolkien elves, pointed ears, live forever unless killed, ridiculously low birthrate (which is why they steal children away from abusive parents), with one extra quirk. They can't breed with humans very easily because sidhe have so much magic in comparison with humans and human's blood is iron based...It takes a lot of magic and typically in order to do something like that it also takes black magic, as in human sacrifice.
Politics and how much magic:
There are two types of Sidhe, high court and low court. In order to range the real world Sidhe have to poke a pin hole though the veil between worlds called a nexus to let some magic out, which is good for the humans as it feeds their creativity. There's one in Hollywood. The Low court elves are more numerous, have a tendency to look a bit younger, are flightier more like pixies, and can't leave the range of the grove magic or else they die slowly. High Court elves are the elvish kings you hear about in stories, they can gather up enough magic to be able to walk around outside of the grove's range.
There are two political courts, Bright Court the Seleighe, and the Dark Court the Unseleighe. The people of the Seleighe court range from liking humans to not liking them but seeing them as sentient creatures. The Unseleighe are the nasties of Underhill, they are led by Queen Morgana who wishes to kill everything, including her own followers. They range from being psyco like her to just wishing the humans would go away. Please note that being Sidhe is not necessary to being in either court and that somethings are dark by nature, they feed off of the fears and pains and deaths of humans.
Elves live Underhill in Elfhames which are usually tied to Grove Above the hill which are the nexus points. If you rule an Elfhame you're a Prince or a Princess and your sons and daughters more the same. If you head an alliance of Elfhames you are a Lord or Lady. If any of those you lead are powerful in their own right you're a King or Queen.
All Elves owe loyalty to the High King Oberon, who has taken an oath not to interfere with anything having to do with mortals. Oberon is so powerful his mere appearance drove back an entire very large Unseleighe army in panic.
Because of his oath he can't interfere in a lot of things, including the wars and skirmishes between the two courts over humans.
And unlike Tolkien elves, Sidhe don't apparently care much about marriage and legitimacy or the numbers in sex (twos, threes, and groups.) All children can inherit.
Chapter One, finally
/Tell me again why we're trusting him with *sharp* objects? Especially ones that can be used over a distance,/ Elladan mentally hissed to his brother, shooting a glare at the blond elf some ways ahead of them.
Elrohir sighed and patted his brother's shoulder gently. They had set out going North as usual for them and the forest predictably changed around them, it always got Elladan jumpy. /You know it will do him good to be out in the forest with something other than his own thoughts. And you never complain about the sharp objects when the forest doesn't change./
/Well the saner he is the less it changes and I think the trees are about to start growing sideways so--/ {ACK!} Elladan stopped short and skittered backwards a little, and Elrohir joined him as the Prince of Mirkwood had suddenly taken it into his head to start glowing red.
{Silence!} Legolas didn't even spare them a glare and he let his bow clatter on the knobby roots of an oak, his lack of respect for his weapons speaking for how distracted he was. His lips moved to form unheard words and the ruddy glow swirled briefly around him before retreating back into Narya to be replaced by a surprisingly strong and pure elven light emanating from Legolas's own skin for the first time in years. He cocked his head to the side. {Someone is coming.}
*****
"Uhm...You really don't have to do this!" Maclyn, Combat Mage and Prince of Elfhame Outremer was running for his life from the Wild Hunt and its hell hounds. "I really, Really *hate* her." How was he supposed to know that half-elf bitch was taken?! Suier Bard Eric's girl, -Now I know she is at least even if I don't remember her name!-
So he had flirted, okay, hit on her with absolutely no shame. And he didn't blame her for turning him down, by Oberon's balls she had a BARD! Master of creative magic, and the most powerful type of mage in existence! Not only that he was a *hero,* he defeated one of the most powerful Unseelighe lords in existence, Aerune mac Audelaine, with the help of some powerful human mages.
How could he compare to someone like *THAT*?
But she had no right to pen Rhellen up like she did OR slap him.
"Okay, okay, I deserved a smack upside the head, probably need one too, but she *smacked* me clear to the Unformed Plain!"
-I didn't know she was that strong!-
He could have easily gated away, but his magic had stopped working and the sick, almost unseleighe taint to the mist around him and the constant leeching on his strength let him know he was deeper Underhill than anyone, save perhaps dwarves, had ever dared before.
Thus he was on grounds open to the Wild Hunt. Dead Gods chasing him with hell hounds on his heels was not his favorite way to spend the day.
"I'm supposed to take Amanda ou--AHGH!!! FUCK!"
That's what he got for not paying attention when running for his life, he really should know better considering he spent over a year campaigning. But his instincts were honed and though his mind forgot what to do his body remembered. As the wicked hooked teeth of the hell hound sunk into his calf he dove instead of falling, rolled and sprang back up, using what little magic besides his glamorie he could currently work to get his leg to work even though a good chunk of it was missing.
A rip in the fabric of Underhill, leading somewhere else, -So twisted down here it rips?- A wave of exhaustion came over him and he put on his speed anyways, it was already closing up. -Argh. No one told me these things were poisoned...Then again I doubt any one has gotten away after being bitten.- It was a sobering thought. -No Depression! No Passing Out! Any Gate in a storm, now jump though you bloody idiot!-
He took a flying leap though the silvery tear...
...And landed on someone.
He struggled to stand.
"DARO!"
"Eh hehe..." His laugh was uncomfortable and he stayed where he was, they were pointing steel at him, he could tell without looking up, and that made him nervous. He raised his hands in surrender, "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"
=====
AN: sorry for the suckyness
The Biggest Author Notes Of All Time, skip if you don't care or come back later:
This takes two years for Maclyn after the end of his book.
All you really need to know about Tolkien elves is right here: http://www.glyphweb.com/arda/e/elves.html
Now, since no one has put up a page I could find on Sidhe I'll explain here.
Sidhe (pronounced Shee or She-e or See-e) are more like traditional elves from folklore. They are pure magic and live in the hollow hills. Well Underhill actually, which is basically a dimension of pure magic where you carve out reality with your will and magic to sustain it. Time moves funny Underhill, humans can live forever, but if they stay to long and then come back up their years catch up to them quickly and they die. Other things live Underhill too, Dragons and hobgoblins and banshee everything from folklore, but that's off topic.
Sidhe, magically and physically:
All Sidhe have blond hair and green cat slit eyes of various shades and they can shape-shift in almost anything, it is a minor skill to them as is glamorie, which are illusions. They can also ken things. To ken something is to understand it, but in the magical sense it is to replicate it perfectly. Only elves can do this and only after studying the item. They cannot ken magic, or souls, or living beings (without a lot of effort and preparation, it's like making a golem), though steak and flowers are doable. So a Sidhe could make the One Ring but it wouldn't have the power in it. Although when they first get their hands on something after a little bit they can alter it though their magic.
They have weaknesses too. While they can drink ten humans under the table they cannot stand caffeine. It is like a drug to them sends them into a state called the Dreaming where they walk around as if they were high. They eventually fade away, they don't die, it's as if they never were there. The Dreaming can also be brought on by a lack of magic. And unlike human drugs if you stop taking it won't stop affecting them. They start Dreaming they stay dreaming unless something snaps them out of it.
Also like in the stories Iron is bad, as in VERY bad for them, it's also bad for Underhill unless it's in a 'cultivated' land. Basically Iron burns them; it sucks their 'bandwidth' of magic up too fast and leaves a burn, it's also a poison, it dissolves their flesh and fires all the pain neurons at once and DOES NOT STOP. Am I getting though here? An example, if you wrap iron wire around their wrists, just a single loop, they will be incapacitated unless they have built up a serious resistance to it (which they can) and will die within a week. It also throws their magic out of wack and pulls spells towards it. Like if a sidhe cast a levin bolt (generic magical projectile) out and forty five degrees to his left there was a stick of iron the levin bolt would turn and go towards it. Wearing iron chain mail will protect you from sidhe spells but it will dissolve under much onslaught. Silk can muffle iron.
They cannot create, there isn't a creative thought in their heads, they can copy and improve upon, but the only way they innovate is by mistake and by following humans around, lack of an influx of 'newness' can lead elves to die out as if in Dreaming.
Beyond that they are much like Tolkien elves, pointed ears, live forever unless killed, ridiculously low birthrate (which is why they steal children away from abusive parents), with one extra quirk. They can't breed with humans very easily because sidhe have so much magic in comparison with humans and human's blood is iron based...It takes a lot of magic and typically in order to do something like that it also takes black magic, as in human sacrifice.
Politics and how much magic:
There are two types of Sidhe, high court and low court. In order to range the real world Sidhe have to poke a pin hole though the veil between worlds called a nexus to let some magic out, which is good for the humans as it feeds their creativity. There's one in Hollywood. The Low court elves are more numerous, have a tendency to look a bit younger, are flightier more like pixies, and can't leave the range of the grove magic or else they die slowly. High Court elves are the elvish kings you hear about in stories, they can gather up enough magic to be able to walk around outside of the grove's range.
There are two political courts, Bright Court the Seleighe, and the Dark Court the Unseleighe. The people of the Seleighe court range from liking humans to not liking them but seeing them as sentient creatures. The Unseleighe are the nasties of Underhill, they are led by Queen Morgana who wishes to kill everything, including her own followers. They range from being psyco like her to just wishing the humans would go away. Please note that being Sidhe is not necessary to being in either court and that somethings are dark by nature, they feed off of the fears and pains and deaths of humans.
Elves live Underhill in Elfhames which are usually tied to Grove Above the hill which are the nexus points. If you rule an Elfhame you're a Prince or a Princess and your sons and daughters more the same. If you head an alliance of Elfhames you are a Lord or Lady. If any of those you lead are powerful in their own right you're a King or Queen.
All Elves owe loyalty to the High King Oberon, who has taken an oath not to interfere with anything having to do with mortals. Oberon is so powerful his mere appearance drove back an entire very large Unseleighe army in panic.
Because of his oath he can't interfere in a lot of things, including the wars and skirmishes between the two courts over humans.
And unlike Tolkien elves, Sidhe don't apparently care much about marriage and legitimacy or the numbers in sex (twos, threes, and groups.) All children can inherit.
Chapter One, finally
/Tell me again why we're trusting him with *sharp* objects? Especially ones that can be used over a distance,/ Elladan mentally hissed to his brother, shooting a glare at the blond elf some ways ahead of them.
Elrohir sighed and patted his brother's shoulder gently. They had set out going North as usual for them and the forest predictably changed around them, it always got Elladan jumpy. /You know it will do him good to be out in the forest with something other than his own thoughts. And you never complain about the sharp objects when the forest doesn't change./
/Well the saner he is the less it changes and I think the trees are about to start growing sideways so--/ {ACK!} Elladan stopped short and skittered backwards a little, and Elrohir joined him as the Prince of Mirkwood had suddenly taken it into his head to start glowing red.
{Silence!} Legolas didn't even spare them a glare and he let his bow clatter on the knobby roots of an oak, his lack of respect for his weapons speaking for how distracted he was. His lips moved to form unheard words and the ruddy glow swirled briefly around him before retreating back into Narya to be replaced by a surprisingly strong and pure elven light emanating from Legolas's own skin for the first time in years. He cocked his head to the side. {Someone is coming.}
*****
"Uhm...You really don't have to do this!" Maclyn, Combat Mage and Prince of Elfhame Outremer was running for his life from the Wild Hunt and its hell hounds. "I really, Really *hate* her." How was he supposed to know that half-elf bitch was taken?! Suier Bard Eric's girl, -Now I know she is at least even if I don't remember her name!-
So he had flirted, okay, hit on her with absolutely no shame. And he didn't blame her for turning him down, by Oberon's balls she had a BARD! Master of creative magic, and the most powerful type of mage in existence! Not only that he was a *hero,* he defeated one of the most powerful Unseelighe lords in existence, Aerune mac Audelaine, with the help of some powerful human mages.
How could he compare to someone like *THAT*?
But she had no right to pen Rhellen up like she did OR slap him.
"Okay, okay, I deserved a smack upside the head, probably need one too, but she *smacked* me clear to the Unformed Plain!"
-I didn't know she was that strong!-
He could have easily gated away, but his magic had stopped working and the sick, almost unseleighe taint to the mist around him and the constant leeching on his strength let him know he was deeper Underhill than anyone, save perhaps dwarves, had ever dared before.
Thus he was on grounds open to the Wild Hunt. Dead Gods chasing him with hell hounds on his heels was not his favorite way to spend the day.
"I'm supposed to take Amanda ou--AHGH!!! FUCK!"
That's what he got for not paying attention when running for his life, he really should know better considering he spent over a year campaigning. But his instincts were honed and though his mind forgot what to do his body remembered. As the wicked hooked teeth of the hell hound sunk into his calf he dove instead of falling, rolled and sprang back up, using what little magic besides his glamorie he could currently work to get his leg to work even though a good chunk of it was missing.
A rip in the fabric of Underhill, leading somewhere else, -So twisted down here it rips?- A wave of exhaustion came over him and he put on his speed anyways, it was already closing up. -Argh. No one told me these things were poisoned...Then again I doubt any one has gotten away after being bitten.- It was a sobering thought. -No Depression! No Passing Out! Any Gate in a storm, now jump though you bloody idiot!-
He took a flying leap though the silvery tear...
...And landed on someone.
He struggled to stand.
"DARO!"
"Eh hehe..." His laugh was uncomfortable and he stayed where he was, they were pointing steel at him, he could tell without looking up, and that made him nervous. He raised his hands in surrender, "Would it help if I said I was sorry?"
=====
AN: sorry for the suckyness