The Larethian Mandate

[Amaranth]

   

I come to you from the Godwomb. Not as friend, not as foe, but as a speaker of higher truths than those borne of mundane minds.
 
For centuries you have been lied to. Generations upon generations of you, stifled and stunted in your growth by the Great Deceit. The vigour of the radiant light trapped within your mortal coils is dying, and has been sputtering out slowly since the first of us were ever bound to the Realm of Apes.
 
Within your veins runs the divine blood of God. Our father, ancestor, template - Corellon Larethian, the First Supreme, progenitor of all that is perfect. The deception laid upon you by your world-fathers tells you that He is your creator, but He is not: He is your origin, but your birth was never intentional. You have been sundered from the heart of purity, the gestalt union of all divinity from which our supreme race has been spawned. You have been mutilated, shorn from the womb of creation by the savage claw of the One-Eyed Beast. In the breaking of that union, our essence came to know Shape, and was sullied by its taint and thus became Form, and from Form was wrought the flesh and from the flesh was born Elf.
 
Elf. The mutant symbiosis of the Divine and the Mortal. The walking prison.
 
I, now known as Lareth, renounce this incarceration. I renounce the mortal realm, where the Apeborn frolic and maunder in their crucible of idiocy, doomed eternally to repeat the insensate motions of their being, bound by the onus of graymeat minds to Walk-Like-This and love the unchanging rhythm of insensate chaos.
 
I renounce, too, the name of Elf - for I am more than a prison for a God. I am awakened to the truth dormant within me, and pledge myself to the path of apotheosis. Reunion with the Unchanging. The Serpent has cleared the path to our ascendance, and only the offal and detritus of our cosmic afterbirth yet stands in objection to us.
 
I invoke the God within, and know myself as Larethii.


THE LARETHIAN MANDATE

 
 
 
Recommended Race: Elf, Half-Elf
Classes: Martials, Relic Guardian, Wizard, Sorcerer, Monk, Bard
Recommended Alignment: Lawful Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil
Colour Scheme: Black and Teal/Gold
PvP Likely?: Yes
Themes: Religion, racial supremacy, exodus, pursuit of enlightenment/Godhood

_____________________________________________________________________________
 
This faction is going to be an attempt to bring a fresh coat of paint to a race that generally has a poor reputation in EFU, one that I feel suffers severely from a waste of creative potential. Some of the server’s best roleplayers have been deterred from playing Elves due to their historical stigma of often being portrayed as soft, effeminate humans with pointy ears; this group concept will endeavour to change that interpretation.
 
How will this group be different?
 
The self-styled Larethii, as they know themselves, are a new radical cult that has emerged from the introspective Mourning groups, led by an Elf who has named himself after their dead God. Because the Larethii consider themselves to be Gods trapped within mortal bodies, their personalities will come across as significantly different to how typical Elves behave. They should be far more alien and nebulous in their motivations, and referring to other races as ‘Mortals’ or ‘Fleshbound’ is encouraged. Their agenda revolves almost entirely around escaping the cycle of reincarnation the world of Faerun traps them within, and as such they will be dangerously nihilistic and unconcerned about committing acts that other people might find morally reprehensible, such as racial persecution, ritualistic suicide and other bizarre cultural traits.
 
Religiously fanatic, their beliefs will revolve around a holy scripture known as the Larethian Mandate, which will strictly codify and define every aspect of their lifestyle and existence.
 
Why are they religious zealots?
 
The Larethii believe that it is their responsibility, as the descendants of the fallen Gods, to mantle the corpses of their predecessors in order to restore natural harmony and eternal stasis to the universe. The Larethian Mandate will revolve around spiritually perfecting the Larethii, so that they are fully prepared to ascend into Heaven and achieve Godhood/apotheosis.
 
They understand the physical world to be unclean and fundamentally evil, and so pursue a motif of purity and racial isolation in an attempt to maintain the sanctity of their divine souls. Though at the beginning of their story they will live among other races as a part of Sanctuary, their nature and attitude is likely to cause significant friction with others who might feel belittled and maligned by them.
 
How will this be fun to play on an individual level?
 
If you choose to make a Larethii character, you should firstly orient them towards a theological destination. Either they should be seeking to mantle the empty throne of a dead God who best aligns with their personality, or seeking to create their own place in a new pantheon with their own agenda and nuance.
 
The fun will be in the practical application of this philosophy. You will need to create your own code of ethics, behaviours and personality that walks perfectly in-step with the deity your character is attempting to mantle. You will quickly establish yourself as a stark contrast to other characters not involved in the cult and will hopefully produce interesting internal conflict among the different Larethii who seek to further the goals of their chosen mantle against those of others.
 
The Larethii will be an aggressive sect, strictly hierarchical in their nature, and will seek to indoctrinate other Elves and Half-Elves to their cause. This may result in persecution and racial tension, especially for halfbreeds, and so you should be prepared for the likelihood of PvP in attempting to assert the Larethii paradigm.
 
 
Anyone interested in getting involved with this concept should send me a PM, so we can discuss things further and try to organise ourselves on an OOC level.
 
 
CONCEPT TEMPLATES:
 
 
 
[hide=Sylvan Treeguard]

 
Wood Elf/Wild Elf, Ranger, Medium Armour, Scimitar/Shield
 
You are a scion of Cormanthor, descended from the caste nobility of tree-thegns that once governed and administrated Wood Elven society. You were trained from a young age in the noble art of swordfighting, and whilst your armaments are designed to allow swift motion and unpredictability, you are also admirably capable in a shield wall.
 
Perhaps you seek the Mantle of War, and wish to renovate the old Elven spirit of martial prowess that has become so decadent and absent in your people.[/hide]
 
 

 [hide=Highborne Justiciar]

 
High Elf, Fighter, Heavy Armour, Greatsword // Sword/Shield
 
Once, you were the iron fist of the Golden Isle. Splendid and beautiful beyond compare in your heavy nimil plate and gilded weaponry, few would dare to contest your skill-at-arms after so many centuries of training and regimen.
 
Strictly meritocratic in mien, you have little to no patience for ‘lesser beings’ and the chaotic, uncertain way in which they aimlessly maunder through life. You seek the Mantle of Law, and wish only to see the honour of your people restored through the rise of a new, divine Larethii kingdom.[/hide]
 

 [hide=Moonlight Gnostic]

 
Moon Elf, Wizard, Abjuration/Enchantment
 
Your sole desire is the Apex Truth. You pursue it relentlessly, and are convinced of its existence: there is a single word, a single Dream-Thought, that is the origin point of all that has ever been and all that ever will be. You fiend for knowledge, and master the ancient incantations of your people so that none may challenge your supreme mastery of the Arcane.
 
After all, it was the Elves who were born from it.
 
You seek the Throne of Wisdom, and wish to guide the Larethii into a transcendental union beyond the mortal world.[/hide]
 

 [hide=Nightbound Masque]

 
Moon/Wood/High Elf, Rogue/Assassin, Light Armour, Dexterity
 
There is one God who yet lives, no matter the necrotic simulacrum in which his unholy divinity manifests. Shevarash, the Black Bow, is your liege and master: no matter the road the Larethii take, you know that you are a servant of the one Throne that has not fallen to the chaotic turmoil of sin. You are the unspeaking shadow, the malign blade in the dark, that bleeds the sanguine life of the Larethii’s enemies dry.
 
Perhaps you, in your unquenchable ambition, seek to claim the Throne of Shadow from your unliving patron.[/hide]

[Amaranth]

This faction is starting to gain traction, and our numbers are expanding quite nicely. If you were thinking about joining up, now would be the ideal time whilst we're all gaining levels and power so that we can start making waves. Feel free to come into #Larethii if you want to discuss your concept and get some help in fitting in.

[Aethereal]

Some of the server’s best roleplayers have been deterred from playing Elves due to their historical stigma of often being portrayed as soft, effeminate humans with pointy ears; this group concept will endeavour to change that interpretation.

Oh, I wouldn't be bothered about such things - frankly there's always been the opportunity and freedom to pursue otherwise, and if some feeble stigma was enough to prevent one from pursuing it, then they're quite simply missing out for one of the most futile of reasons. Who cares what 'people' think. Nothing stands in the way of the awesome promise of what it means to have been born of tel'Seldarine. Kudos to you for taking up the charge, nonetheless.

With that out of the way, this is marvelous stuff - I thoroughly approve. I like what I see, and I look forward to seeing more in-game.

[Charnelist]

This sounds absolutely fantastic.
Just fantastic.
I look forward to seeing some very brutal, ruthless elves IG.

[Amaranth]

We're going to start pursuing our agenda shortly after the new year begins.