Post/Author/DateTime	Post
Choleric Psion 11-24-04, 09:14 PM	The si'Aezoli are my own creation, feel free to use them. Questions? Comments? Concerns? I'd like to read them all. si’Aezoli (The Exiled) Aezoli literal translates to “exile”. The si’Aezoli were once a lower-class family part of House Phiarlan. They were a family of artisans, of almost any stripe, and trained killers, few were ever trained performers. The si’Aezoli were not a rich family but they were a proud family. The true name of the si’Aezoli had been lost with time, not something that usually happens to the elves, but the si’Aezoli were a special case. Around the year –2,342 of the current age, the ancestors of the si’Aezoli took a particular interest in necromancy. They were not the channeling positive energy the normal members of The Undying Court, they were using true necromancy. The ancestors used their knowledge of negative energy to gain power. Eventually, they became very active in the cult of the Blood of Vol. The ancestors could not hide their secret for long. The other members of the court found out quite quickly afterwards and were not pleased to say the least. The ancestors of the si’Aezoli were immediately destroyed and the si’Aezoli themselves were denied admittance to Shae Mordai, as they lived or even afterwards. The named of the family was changed to si’Aezoli, The Exiled. The subject of the exiles was taboo, even for the deathless councilors of the City of the Dead. For a long time the exiles were not allowed to be conversed with, unless it was of the utmost importance. As time passed the strictness of the social punishment exacted on the si’Aezoli were loosened. When the Last War began the si’Aezoli became prized assassins and killers. When House Thuranni split from House Phiarlan many of the dissenters were si’Aezoli, though, none of the leaders were. Conspiracy theorists and si’Aezoli-biased historians cry fowl play. They believed that the leaders of House Phiarlan purposefully caused the miscommunication to rid themselves of the si’Aezoli. si’Aezoli Now The si’Aezoli are still seen with social stigma among the elves of Aerenal and Valenar. Any elf that worships the Undying Court sees the si’Aezoli as a stain on their honor and their ancestors’ as well. To races that do not worship the Undying Court the si’Aezoli are nothing more than a depressing bunch of elves who are trained to kill, and very well at that. Most elves will treat the si’Aezoli with graces, and sometimes a little bit better than non-elven races, but not by much, just because they’re elves. Some Aerenal elves believe it is time to allow the si’Aezoli to inhabit Shae Mordai again, but the ancestors do not forgot or forgive very easily. There is a movement but it is very small. A small percentage of si’Aezoli (larger than one might imagine, but not that large) belong to the Blood of Vol. Since the “normal” unlife of the ancestors they found solace that they might find unlife in the Blood of Vol. Misc. Notes The si’Aezoli have taken the phrase “All thing must end” as their own. They usually have it tattooed in elven script somewhere on their bodies. As a rule of thumb DMs who have si’Aezoli PCs may want to have most elven NPCs, who worship the Undying Court, start out as unfriendly towards them. Some elves have taken pity on the si’Aezoli, those NPCs may want to start as friendly towords the party, so long as the si’Aezoli member is of agreeable alignment. It stands to note that the si’Aezoli look like any other elf, but through the process of constantly mapping family trees many of the elven high-ups, like among the royalty and Dragonmarked House upper class, know who is a si’Aezoli and who is not. si’Aezoli have a much darker personality than other elves. They have no deathless state to look foreward to. Most are rather stoic about their feelings. Around other elves, specifically the Valenar and Aerenal, the si’Aezoli act uncomfortable and unsure. (Note the name “si’Aezoli” was taken from Jhonen Olain’s Eberron Journal Common to Elven translator by Skye Freeman and Oliver Frank) (NOTE: Editted to give proper credit where credit is due.)
DolArrah 11-24-04, 09:33 PM	I don't think we need another elven house ofshot but, if you want to do it, go for it. With two houses containing the Mark of shadow, a third would be chaos. Also, why did the elven leaders let the exiles live, if they have the mark blood in them, they could create mixed heratige and start the War of the mark all over again. We wouldn't want that, now would we? If you want another reason why they would have been murdered, they practiced necromancy, wich is an insult to the souls of others. The deathless would kill them just for that. This had to have happened after the murder of the Mark of Death, so, how would the elves know about it, if House Phiarlan left Aerenal to go to Khorvaire. They ended all ties to the elven nation when Vol was destroyed. Since the elves don't really care what happens in the central part of ebberon, they won't really have spys, seeing if irreverant elves who left them for humans practice necromancy. And, how would it be in their jurisdiction to order a shunning of them. If they are an offshot of Phiarlan, they won't live in Aerenal, so the elves won't (can't, because they arn't near them) shun the exiles. Also, why would necromancers living some 1000 miles away be needed to help the elves? I think that the idea would be fine if it was a different race, and it was just a national shunning, like in Karnathh
Save-vs-DM 11-24-04, 09:51 PM	Personally I really like the idea. I'm going to use them in my game, with one small exception: they cannot manifest a mark - the taint of necromancy has forever removed that ability from them. I might also give them all a slightly gaunt and skeletal appearance as well. I'm running a game that revolves heavily around the last war and ghost of them, and I needed a good necromancer type bad guy, and this fits the bill nicely. Good work! Cheers, SvD
Masterful_Norg 11-24-04, 10:02 PM	(Note the name “si’Aezoli” was taken from Jhonen Olain’s Eberron Journal Common to Elven translator) But Johnny himself wasn't the creator. That credit goes Knight_Otu and myself together! :D
Choleric Psion 11-24-04, 10:08 PM	I don't think we need another elven house ofshot but, if you want to do it, go for it. With two houses containing the Mark of shadow, a third would be chaos. Also, why did the elven leaders let the exiles live, if they have the mark blood in them, they could create mixed heratige and start the War of the mark all over again. We wouldn't want that, now would we? They aren't a separate House. They are branches of House Phairlan and House Tharunni. Groups of people who can be tied back to the Ancestors who practiced necromacy. If you want another reason why they would have been murdered, they practiced necromancy, wich is an insult to the souls of others. The deathless would kill them just for that. It was the ancestors who practiced necromacy, not the elves themselves. To prevent anything like that from happening again, and/or the Blood of Vol finding a foothold in Shae Mordai, the ancestors were destroyed, and their descendents denied access to the City of the Dead, for an indefinate amount of time, but in all likeliness forever. This had to have happened after the murder of the Mark of Death, so, how would the elves know about it, if House Phiarlan left Aerenal to go to Khorvaire. They ended all ties to the elven nation when Vol was destroyed. Since the elves don't really care what happens in the central part of ebberon, they won't really have spys, seeing if irreverant elves who left them for humans practice necromancy. And, how would it be in their jurisdiction to order a shunning of them. If they are an offshot of Phiarlan, they won't live in Aerenal, so the elves won't (can't, because they arn't near them) shun the exiles. I see I have some amendments to make, then. If they are a part of House Phairlan...then...how? That one will take some work...I'll have to get back to you on it. Anyone have any ideas on how this problem may be rectified?
Choleric Psion 11-24-04, 10:12 PM	Personally I really like the idea. I'm going to use them in my game, with one small exception: they cannot manifest a mark - the taint of necromancy has forever removed that ability from them. I might also give them all a slightly gaunt and skeletal appearance as well. I'm running a game that revolves heavily around the last war and ghost of them, and I needed a good necromancer type bad guy, and this fits the bill nicely. Good work! Cheers, SvD The original idea was to have them manifest the Mark of Shadow. They are normal elves in basically every physical way, they just had ancestors with bad ideas. You know paying for the "sins of the father" and all that. But still, thank you for using my idea. I'm glad I could be helpful.
DolArrah 11-24-04, 10:21 PM	1)Arn't they a seperate house? they have their own name, and can manifest their own mark.Also, the elves wouldn't have left them alive, as I have previously stated. 2a)If the ancestors were destroyed, wouldn't there be no descendants, because the children would also be destroyed, or did one escape. Then we have a reacurring Vol/lich thing. 2b)The other houses would kill them, they have blood of the houses of the elves, and probably have already mixed the mark. 2c) What is their purpose? They have nothing to do with the elves and apparently don't have any trade. they just sulk about not being let into the City of the Dead Just to let you know, I have nothing against the idead, just that it is the Elven house. They already have had a Mark wiped from the face of the earth and their remaining house split. If it was, say, House Orien, it would be fine, although there would probably still be some kinks (like why) but it would be fine. Sorry for all of the critisism, Dol Arrah
Choleric Psion 11-24-04, 10:35 PM	1)Arn't they a seperate house? they have their own name, and can manifest their own mark.Also, the elves wouldn't have left them alive, as I have previously stated. No, they are just group of elves who had deathless ancestors with bad ideas. The only thing that ties them together is this fact. They belong to other Houses. The living elves themselves did not practice necromacy. They were normal until branded as exiles. Now, they are still normal, physically, but socially they are worse off. 2a)If the ancestors were destroyed, wouldn't there be no descendants, because the children would also be destroyed, or did one escape. Then we have a reacurring Vol/lich thing. The ancestors had already been turned into deathless. 2b)The other houses would kill them, they have blood of the houses of the elves, and probably have already mixed the mark. :confused: Sorry, I don't understand what you're trying to say with this one. They only have blood from the Houses that have the Mark of Shadow. The si'Aezoli did not belong to House Vol. Their ancestors were for a short time, before being destroyed, aligned with Vol herself, after her ascention to lich-hood. 2c) What is their purpose? They have nothing to do with the elves and apparently don't have any trade. they just sulk about not being let into the City of the Dead They are part of other Houses. They do not need to have a trade on their own. If they were to have one it would be killing. It is something almost all of the si'Aezoli seem to be good at. Sorry for all of the critisism Don't worry about it. It's cool.
DolArrah 11-24-04, 10:45 PM	What I meant with question 2b is that they have the blood of the Mark of Shadow. The war of the Mark was to prevent a mixed ore abberant mark. If there are elves running around, able to manifest a mark, that resent the elves for exiling them, they will be targeted by people who don't want them to have children with, say, a human. Then, the war of the mark will happen again. Either that or the whole elven exile race will be killed along with the human who also had a child with the elf. If they have already mixed the mark, the diviners of the houses will track them down, killing many people to get after the mixed bloodline. Again, sorry for the critisism, Peace, Dol Arrah
Choleric Psion 11-25-04, 09:25 AM	I've got it! I know how this location problem can be fixed. There was not one family involved, there were many different ones, of course the most notable being one from a lower class branch of House Phiarlan. After their deathless ancestors committed the treasonous act, some families were, of course, stuck on Aerenal. Now I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking, to answer it...Just because House Phiarlan left doesn't mean their deathless ancestors went with them. As for this abberrant dragonmark problem. It's non-existant, there is no problem that I can see with it. Any race can manifest an abberrant mark, so what does it matter if the si'Aezoli can, or cannot? There are perticularly zealous members of the church of the Undying Court who might probably actively hunt the si'Aezoli, but the deathless ancestors being Neutral Good, know mercy. That is why all of the si'Aezoli were not killed off in the first place, instead they were just denied access to the Shae Mordai. I hope that helps clear some stuff up.
DolArrah 11-25-04, 01:04 PM	I am fine with that, although I still think that they would be hunted. If they mated with a guy from. . . House Vadalis, that would break everything the war of the mark started. And, since they dislike the elves, they have no real reason to not do it. Peace, Dol Arrah
Indigo 11-25-04, 03:21 PM	My concern is that the punishment doesn't seem to fit the crime. My impression from various Hellcow posts is that negative necromancy had a long history on Aerenal... Most of the traditions of modern negatively-charged necromancy can be traced back to Aerenal and in particular to the House of Vol. However, the the lords and ladies of Vol began experimenting with this power as soon as they arrived on Aerenal and discovered the links to Mabar, just as the Priests of Transition rose around the energy of Irian and the Undying Court. The Khoravar article says "Tensions between the clerics of the Undying Court and the necromancers of the House of Vol had being growing with each new generation..." and the fact that the conflict was refered to as a civil war (along with the phrasing "traced to Aerenal and... Vol in particular") implies that negative necromancy had other supporters. Even today, you have the Stillborn on Aerenal. And it's not like anyone has forbidden the elves to speak of Vol, or blotted the family name out of the history books. So simply saying that this family practiced negative necromancy just doesn't seem significant enough to engender such an extreme reaction (who has the authority to tell a deathless councilor she can't talk about something, anyway?). In my opinion, there probably are elves who study negative necromancy on Aerenal - they just don't practice spells like animate dead or create undead, which are the things that get the Deathguard all upset. I have no problem with the basic concept, but I think that the crime needs to be far worse to cause this sort of shunning. Perhaps this family began as secret supporters of the line of Vol, and after the civil war they attempted to destroy the Undying Court through a massive inversion of negative energy. Given that Vol has not been blotted from history, I think you need something on this level - something that would truly shake Aerenal to its foundations, requiring an vicious example to be made - to end up with something that even the Undying Court won't talk about. Of course, the problem with that is that if it's so bad that you just don't want anyone to talk about it, naming the family "Those Guys We Don't Talk About" is kind of a problem, since it would provoke the question "So, why the exile, anyway?" Another issue: if their whole gig was practicing negative necromancy, how big an issue is it to be denied access to the Undying Court? Taking the Hellcow quote above, I sort of had the impression that Vol was following an entirely different path from the UC and was a subculture all along: that both sides sought to avoid death, and that the one group discover the path to the undying while the other created vampires and liches. So if they'd been using negative necromancy for some time, would they even care about the exile from Shae Mordai? (Unless the thought is that only a small segment of the family practiced negative necromancy, and that the entire line was punished for it -- but that seems odd given the modern example of the Stillborn). Anyhow, just my thoughts.
Choleric Psion 11-25-04, 04:02 PM	No offense Indigo, but read the posts a little more in depth. The elves did not practice negative necromancy. Their undying ancestors did in an attempt to gain power. It's my fault that I didn't go into "gain power" in more detail in the first place, but if you want a crime of major proportions, let's say that they did it to control the Court and Shae Mordai. The undying councilors of the si'Aezoli were in regular communication with Vol and her clerics. Looking at the date, it was quite soon (for the elves that is, only 300 some years, that's not even a generation's passage) after the genocide of House Vol. The Court was probably still unsure of what they were going to do about Vol and did not want to take any chances. So, yes nowadays with elves like the Stillborn running around Aerenal the practice of negative necromancy is much more common. So,why doesn't the Court just readopt the si'Aezoli? They have plans that span centuries, it's probably part of one big scheme that will unfold later. There I don't have the answers, those are up to the DM's discretion. Not to mention, nowadays there is a good precentage of the si'Aezoli who do belong to the Blood of Vol. Not all of them though. The Vol worshippers are still a minority, just a large minority, that is very vocal. Some si'Aezoli see Vol as their savior. Others are the most vicious opponents against the Blood of Vol, seeing it as a stem of their problems. The rest are basically apathetic assimilationists, who don't mind not being part of the Court. The general stereotype among the elves that worship the Court is that the si'Aezoli fanatical worshipers of Vol, who are willing to do anything to get back in to the Court to gain complete power over Shae Mordai.
sagesai 11-25-04, 04:26 PM	I think it is a slick idea on the way you have worked the whole 'Sins of the Father" aspect into your si'Aezoli elves. I think that it adds a great and different angle for plots that involve different factions within the Elven race. Later, Sagesai