Silver Elves

Appearance

The Silver Elves are of average mortal height; they are muscular and agile. Those of pure elven blood tend to have pale silvery skin, white, silver, pale gold hair; although their eye color varies (colors range from hues of blue, violet, golden, green, browns, and black). They have finely pointed ears, no facial hair, muscular/athletic build, keen mind, above average intelligence, magical abilities far superior then other elven races. Silver elves are of medium/average height with a muscular/athletic build. Males average height ranges 6 feet tall (1.83 meters) and average weight 170 lbs. (77 kilos). Females average height 5’ 6” tall and an average weight of 130 lbs (58.9 kilos). Silver    Elves clothing are by far the most exquisite. The Male Silver Elf adorns himself in long, flowing robes made of silk-like materials with high-necked collars; while the females most often don long, silken fitted dresses with wide sleeves. They often adorn themselves with jewelry of understated elegance. Aging and Life Expectancy

As with all elves, Silver Elves age three times slower than humans. Thus, an elf would take three years to reach the same maturity level a human would need one year to reach. Elves can reach up to 275 years of age. Personality

All Elves, though similar to mortal men, differ in a number of important ways. They possess little body hair, fine chiseled features and unmarred skin. Elves are much more resistant than men to the ravages of time and disease; however, they can suffer in battle and by other martial means. Because of their extended lifespans, they sometimes suffer from a natural lack of discipline. Silver elves are very calm and patient in all their actions and are extremely focused beings. That being the case you can be sure that Silver Elves have a great love of intrigue – they are a political race, and enjoy the aspects of debate to the fullest. The Silver Elf psyche is mystical and logical – creating a nearly perfect balance between the two. They have a strong influence of seeing the duality of things, and do not limit themselves to the one-sided view of things, always, allowing them to see much beyond that of humans, who tend to be the antithesis of this. Silver Elves can be seen as emotional creatures, perceived by some as empathetic, as well as passionate about things in which they take liking to. However, despite this trait, they can also be rash when angered, and many Silver Elves have been known to possess a temper about them.

With regard to other races, Silver Elves have been accused of being haughty, arrogant, and contemptuous, upon first meeting them. This accusation is entirely untrue. While Silver Elves do hold themselves apart from the other races, they do not hold them in contempt. (With the exception of the Vile Orcs). Once befriended Silver Elves, are the friendliest of the three elven races of Entheria. They believe only by sharing knowledge can ones own races advance and prosper. Varied talents include a dedication to scholarship, unparalleled architectural and construction skills, an unquenchable desire for magical refinement, fine metalworking and production of unique glassware and weapons.

Music It is without question that the Silver Elves have a high value on the art of music. Their songs are renowned throughout Entheria as some of the fairest creations ever to have been forged, even though only elves can understand and comprehend them. While humans and orcs and dwarves and the like might use words to convey a message in a song, the Silver Elves use the tones and pitches to instill the emotion unto the listeners. It is through this distinct method that the elven beauty is presented, and it is almost eerie and unearthly to anyone else who might hear it, yet so much that it is strikingly fascinating. Song is also a way for the Silver Elves to clear their mind of emotion – a form of self-expression to free themselves of the tensions of their lives. For instruments, Silver Elves primarily use their own voices – being musical in their very nature. They also favor the sounds of the harp, guitar, violin, as well as a flute.

Society

In order to clearly understand the concepts of Silver Elven culture, it is first important to understand that magic and knowledge are prized above all else: Males and females can do everything equally; thus meaning political leaders are not based on the sexes but the intelligence of the elf. Many of the great Silver Elven rulers, both past and present, are renowned for their fairness in judgement. Both men and women serve with equal respect in authority at all levels of society, and this even extends to the military, where even the earliest tomes speak of this. Silver Elves are a fairly conservative warrior-aristocracy society. Their most sought after goal was magical knowledge and scholastic evolution. Silver Elves are the most adept of magical race, it enhances their everyday lives. Though it is not perceived to be the only dependent source of obtaining something, it will be used to improve the quality of something. For example, magic will be used to strengthen the toughness of a weapon, or protecting oneself, crafting a stronger more powerful spell. They might also use it to fulfill the tedious doldrums that life often brings with it. Nobility, the military, and government of the Silver Elven Political State are all entwined within their social structure. The ranks of nobility are as follows; Males – Emperor, Duke, Marquis, Earl, Viscount and Baron (AKA Lord) and Females – Empress, Dames, Marquess, Duchess, Viscountess, and Baronesses (AKA Ladies). They were a society that could create highly sophisticated weapons yet also make the most delicate of jewelry and glassware that cannot be recreated without the study of Caxwellian crafting. They could write in runes and tomes, they could easily pick up native tongues making them highly versatile. They were an educated race more akin to learning and practicing the craft of magic. This is not to say they did not have a well-equipped military. They did! Thus tales of heroism grew and so did the fame of their storytellers or scopes. Yet they also wrote famous tomes such as the Exeter Gnomic Verses and the Caxwellian Chronicles. They wrote poems of Battle such as the most famous Brunanburgh as well as poems of love and beauty such as The Inner Mystic. Their early use of language was flowing and dynamic. When spoken it is audibly haunting; much like their music.
 * Emperor/Empress:  The sovereign ruler of the Silver Elven Empire
 * Duke/Dame: The highest nobility rank and title in the Silver Elven peerage (the Royal Sorceress; historically, the most powerful mages have been of Silver Elven decent.)
 * Marquess/Marquis: The second order of the Silver Elven peerage (the Royal Educators)
 * Earl/Duchess: The third degree of rank and dignity in the Silver Elven peerage
 * Viscount/ Viscountess: The fourth degree of rank and dignity in the Silver Elven peerage
 * Baron/Baronesses: The lowest rank in the Silver Elven peerage

The Silver Elf society was like a pyramid. At the top of the pyramid was the Emperor or Empress. Below them were the nobles. Senior Mages (Sorceress to the Crown) were classified as Duke / Dame with the highest noble status. Immediately below the rest of nobility were knights and the military personal. Knighthood was not hereditary; instead, male and female Silver Elves were made knights as a reward for outstanding service to the Silver Elven culture (See more on Knights under Warrior/Military). Lastly the Awernes (or in human tongue civilians). The Awernes were the working class of Silver Elven society.

Government

At the head of Silver Elven government stood the Emperor or Empress. The machinery of government existed in order to put his/her decisions and policies into practice. The Crowns ministers were just that – Sentinels who ministered to the Crown and enforced its will. The Crowns Chamber originally referred to the private rooms inhabited by the royal family. Its chief official, the Chamberlain, soon came to control more than domestic and private affairs. The Chamberlain's importance varied under different royal reigns, but the office was especially used by to control expenditures within the government. When the Crown wished to issue legally binding orders, it was the clerks of Chancery who wrote them. Charters, letters, and the writs required to initiate court actions were written, sealed with the Great Seal of Caxwellian, and copied on to rolls of sheepskin. (The Keeper of the Scrolls would emerge as an important official in their own right after the fall of the Silver Elven Empire to the Valerians). The head of Chancery was the Chancellor. All Chancellors were of nobility. The Court of Chancery would to hear cases, The Chancellor (as royal deputy) decided pleas for redress that common law could not provide. The Exchequer was the department of government basically responsible for royal finance. Its chief officer was the Treasurer; under him was the Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sheriffs and other local officials delivered revenue from their counties to the Lower Exchequer and received a tally (a notched piece of silver marked with the amount paid.) The officer who marked the tallies was the Chamberlain of the Exchequer. The tallies were taken to the Upper Exchequer, where the clerks checked that the return was correct and recorded it on a hide scroll. The Court of Exchequer was the court of law that tried all cases related to royal revenue, disputes of silver between two parties, or mercantile disputes. The Great Seal of Caxwellian was kept in Chancery, but as the Crown traveled about the country, he/she used a privy seal to authenticate personal letters and orders. The privy seal itself soon became an official tool, and the Keeper of the Privy Seal, who controlled its use, became an important officer of state.

The signet then replaced the privy seal as the monarch's personal seal; the officer in control of the signet was the Crown’s Secretary. The Lord High Steward was a traditional office, allowing its holder rights to supervise the royal household, the administration of justice and the appointment of royal councilors. The Wardrobe (like the Chamber) traveled with the Crown and administered royal expenditures. Its chief official was the Keeper of the Wardrobe, who had two deputies - the Controller and the Cofferer. The Wardrobe was more closely under the personal control of the Crown and its advisors than was the Exchequer. The Court of Common Pleas sat as a jewel among the Silver Elves; to this day it is a source of pride that they had the forethought to separate private and royal cases long before other societies did. This court heard private pleas between Elves. In contrast, criminal cases (where the Crown prosecuted) were heard in the Court of Empires Bench. Initially, judges sat on occasion in both courts, but increasingly the judges became specialized. And a Chief Justice of Common Pleas headed the panel of judges. Within the Kingdom of Caxwellian they had Sheriff’s. The sheriff had many different duties. It was their responsibility to execute writs (legal orders) issued from the Crown. The sheriff also held his own tourn or court to discover criminals and deliver them to the royal courts. The sheriff supervised the Crown lands in his shire and delivered their revenues (or taxes) to the Exchequer. Sheriffs had rights of purveyance that is compulsorily requisitioning food and supplies from the counties to supply the royal family. The sheriff had the authority to summon the posse comitatus - i.e. the able-bodied men of the county - to help him maintain public order. The sheriff presided over the shire court (or coax). It tried offences against the crown, and lesser offences that involved two or more nobles and so could not be tried in the local manor court. Shire court juries also supplied authoritative information on local customs and rights.

The sheriff was generally a large landowner in the county where he served. In fact the sheriff's office sometimes tended to be hereditary in one family. An unscrupulous sheriff could manipulate his office to his own advantage! Justices of the Peace were typically members of the local gentry (large landowners who did not have noble titles) given a commission by the Crown to administer justice in their county. JPs could personally punish minor offences and commit criminals for trial. Justices of the Peace were appointed from the sheriff’s office and they became the primary administrators of local government. In addition to the formal organs of government, the Crown controlled their kingdom in many ways. One of the most important was personal visits. Royal family toured their lands - inspecting, investigating and encouraging their officers. Patronage was also important. The Crown controlled many resources and was able to make gifts of lands, monies, and marketable valuables to those who showed their allegiance. The Crown also applied various sources of taxation.

Warriors/Military

Although Silver Elves have a proclivity towards magic and many prefer to use it over muscle in battle. It was simply not feasible to be without a military. They had more battle mages then armored warriors at any given time. What they did have were Knights or warriors an armored soldier. Originally, knights were warriors on horse-back and wyverns, but the title became increasingly connected to nobility and social status, most likely because of the cost of equipping oneself in the cavalry. Knighthood is formal title bestowed on those soldier trained for active war duty. Only those of exception skills were given this honorable title. A knight was to follow a strict set of rules of conduct.

These were the knightly virtues: The Marshal and the Constable controlled the royal horses, wyverns and stables, but these officers came also to control military operations - the Marshal specifically being in charge of the horses and the Constables the wyverns. Admiral was the name given the Officer who commanded the ships; their duties extended well beyond the command of ships to supplying and repairing the fleet, levying sailors and organizing supplies.
 * Mercy (Towards the poor and oppressed)
 * Humility
 * Honor
 * Sacrifice
 * Faithfulness to the Empire
 * Courage
 * Self-Reliance
 * Perseverance

Siege Warfare and the Silver Elf
In the height of the Silver Elves period their armies used a wide variety of siege methods including: scaling ladders; battering rams; siege towers and various types of catapults such as the mangonel, onager, ballista, and trebuchet. Siege techniques also included mining in which tunnels were dug under a section of the wall and then rapidly collapsed to destabilize the wall's foundation, the enemy would then find themselves buried under the stone walls the Silver Elves used to fortify their cities with. The Walls of Caxwellian are a series of defensive stone walls, never breached by a hostile army, until that of the Valerians. Advances in the prosecution of sieges encouraged the development of a variety of defensive counter-measures. In particular, Silver Elves fortifications became progressively stronger — for example, the advent of the concentric castle from the days prior to the walls — and more dangerous to attackers — witness the increasing use of machicolations and murder-holes, as well the preparation of hot or incendiary substances. Arrow slits, concealed doors for sallies, and deep water wells were also integral to resisting siege at this time. Designer Mages of the castle paid particular attention to defending entrances, protecting gates with drawbridges, portcullises and barbicans. Wet animal skins were often draped over gates to repel fire. Moats and other water defenses, whether natural or augmented, were also vital to defenders. The Kingdom of Caxwellian was an impressive sight with citadels, forts, and its moat. Great effort was expended to ensure a good water supply inside the city in case of siege. Long tunnels were constructed to carry water into the city as well as the installed cisterns that were fed by rain water channeled by a system of conduits in the walls and buildings. The complex systems of underground tunnels used for water storage and communications in Caxwellian. Until the invention of gunpowder-based weapons (and the resulting higher-velocity projectiles), the balance of power and logistics definitely favored the defender. With the invention of gunpowder, the traditional methods of defense became less and less effective against a determined siege. Something the Valerians mastered and then conquered the Silver Elves with.

History

The Silver Elves were a structured society before any others. A Kingdom, Caxwellian, the Silver Elves being a definable people within the borders of its governed state. There are told stories of a King Athelstan of the West claiming victory over a native people at what they call The Battle of Brunanburgh no dates have been recorded, but this single act confirmed the formation of the Silver Elves as a governed state ruled. It is said he did this for the dream of his Uncle Algos and his formidable daughter Ethelfleada, two historical figures in Silver Elven lore who were not only powerful in stregh but also in mind and spirit. Why, they had this dream no reason is given or was recorded. Entheria is old, Silver Elves believe Caxwellian was too. Entherian history is long and yes – glorious which is in part due to the efforts of the Silver Elves and the formation of their Kingdom, Caxwellian. The Silver Elves claim it is their Crowns, knowledge and battles that made Entheria. But the Silver Elves social history contains much of the rest of the story; as with Caxwellian Education, Magic, Folklore, Art, Dance, and their prized Music. But quite simply. Caxwellian’s social history has influenced all of Etheria. It is the Silver Elves who cultivated a legal culture and formal magical educational institution. If you look closely at current societies common law you will note the Silver Elves system of govern are the bedrock of its legal systems. Silver Elven hegemony in Entheria has happened weather the current societies wanted it to or not. The renaissance of the Silver Elves percolated society. Libraries, such as that of were established and the art of biography began. The Universities population increased in number and scope. Ideals of alchemy, philosophy, logic, mathematics, physics, politics, agriculture, magic, dance and theatre all were being explored as never before.

Throughout Entheria much that we recognize today was established by the Silver Elves: the magnificent homes with their towers, oak-framed timber buildings scattered across the land; the university and primer school, the law buildings. All in use to this day. The Scrolls that were kept provide a wealth of information about Silver Elves society. It lists much of the prominent family names, the Awernes, and details the many creeds set forth by the royal families.

At the height of the Silver Elves cultural history and scholarly movement they stressed the discovery and application of texts and thought. They were of the mindset that no elf should be without education, it was the only way to propel their society. Essentially, there cultural and intellectual movement is intimately tied to the society and politics they created. Traditionally elves have claimed it was stimulated, in part, by an Empresses, who had a passion for discovering lost manuscripts and a fierce belief in the civilizing power of thought, knowledge, magic, and the arts. At its core, the Silver Elves were dedicated to the discovery and use of learning, that is to say knowledge and magic are the greatest tools a civilized society possess.

We find that many foundations for the positive ways of thinking now were influenced by the remains of the Silver Elves. Over the centuries many aspects of their thinking can be seen and felt all around modern Entheria. They worked to achieve the high ideals in elven culture that have lasted throughout time. To provide a ‘taster’ of the Silver Elven history, let us ask how the following equate with the popular image.

The first university and primer school founded. This was well before the emergence of Valerians. In addition the Emperors, established a school of Law. Students drawn from all social classes were in attendance at these centers of learning. These educational endeavors were mainly pride inspired, but it is a grave error to view them as merely preparing students with no actual use of formal useage. Students had to complete six years of wide ranging study, which included the sciences. It was at this stage that most students left to commence their careers or marry.

The alleged reliance on philosophical speculation to promote scientific development, as is often asserted, is not correct. Science was learnt mainly by the experimental methods and by observation. The quality of education was far higher than that provided anywhere on Entheria at that time.

The quality of training of engineers, designers and craftsmen may be judged by the high standards of the beautiful homes, ornamental metals, sculptures, paintings and glass work which have survived. Magical teachings motivated many to dedicate their lives to advancements in the craft of Mana. At the beginning of the Silver Elves history it can be noted that not one other society or race has mastered the skill as effectively as they did and still do today. A comprehensive welfare system, based on guilds cared for the old and the sick with a free service for the poor. The Silver Elven Royal family, was mainly an elected body. Thus ensuring that only the most knowledgeable is all fields would be their ruler.

Education

From the beginning Silver Elves were the first to actually formulate the need for education. Not just with magic or warfare but the expansion of one’s mind. They held this in the highest of regard so it is no wonder their educators were of nobility standing. They created the formalization of philosophy, making contributions to logic, metaphysics, mathematics, physics, biology, botany, ethics, politics, agriculture, medicine, dance and theatre. They considered themselves students of the mind who in turn would teach each generation these disciplines. Again, all this was documented by The Keeper of the Scrolls making this function in the government exceedingly important.

Silver Elves were prolific writers, they were known to radically transform most, if not all, areas of knowledge they touched upon. It is no wonder that the Valerians eventually adopted their theories. The Valerians have hundreds of recorded documents from the scholars of old Caxwellian on display in their castle. Unfortunately for us, these works are in the form of lecture notes and draft manuscripts never intended for general readership, so they do not demonstrate the reputed polished prose style which can been seen in their published literature, poems, and songs. The Silver Elves were the first to classify areas of knowledge into distinct disciplines such as mathematics, biology, and ethics. All of these classifications are still used today. As the creators of the field of logic, they were the first to develop a formalized system for reasoning. Silver Elves observed that the validity of any argument can be determined by its structure rather than its content. A classic example of a valid argument would be their syllogism: All plants are living organisms; The Oncidium is a flowering plant; therefore, Oncidium is alive. Given the structure of this argument, as long as the premises are true, then the conclusion is also guaranteed to be true. Silver Elves’ emphasis on good reasoning combined with their belief in the scientific method forms the backdrop for most of their work. For example, in their work in ethics and politics, Silver Elves identified the highest good with intellectual virtue; that is, a moral being is one who cultivates certain virtues based on reasoning. And in this work of psychology and the soul, the Silver Elves distinguished sense of perception from reason, which unifies and interprets the sense perceptions and is the source of all knowledge. Silver Elves famously rejected the Yifferhim’s theory of forms, which states that properties such as beauty are abstract universal entities that exist independent of the objects themselves. Instead, they argued that forms are intrinsic to the objects and cannot exist apart from them, and so must be studied in relation to them. However, in discussing art, Silver Elves seemed to reject this, and instead they argue for idealized universal form which their artists attempted to capture in their work. Valerian editors gave the name "Metaphysics" to the Silver Elves works on philosophy. Silver Elves begins by sketching the history of philosophy. For they felt philosophy arose historically after basic necessities were secured. It grew out of a feeling of curiosity and wonder, to which religious myth gave only provisional satisfaction. The earliest scholars were philosophers of nature. It was eventually succeeded with mathematical abstractions. The level of pure thought was reached partly in the Eleatic philosophers, but all Silver Elves attained for this. One Silver Elf in particular, Lucidnio made many contribution to the expression of general conceptions in the form of definitions, which he arrived at by induction and analogy. For Lucidnio, the subject of metaphysics deals with the first principles of scientific knowledge and the ultimate conditions of all existence. More specifically, it deals with existence in its most fundamental state (i.e. being as being), and the essential attributes of existence. This can be contrasted with mathematics which deals with existence in terms of lines or angles, and not existence as it is in itself. In its universal character, metaphysics superficially resembles dialectics and sophistry. However, it differs from dialectics which is tentative, and it differs from sophistry which is a presence of knowledge without the reality. The axioms of science fall under the consideration of the metaphysician insofar as they are properties of all existence. Lucidnio argues that there are a handful of universal truths. Against the followers of Yifferhim, he defends both the laws of contradiction, and that of excluded middle. He does this by showing that their denial is in itself the destruction. Carried out to its logical consequences, the denial of these laws would lead to the sameness of all facts and all assertions. It would also result in an indifference in conduct. As the science of being as being, the leading question of Lucidnio's metaphysics is, what is meant by the real or true substance? Yifferhim’s tried to solve the same question by positing a universal and invariable element of knowledge and existence—the forms—as the only real permanent besides the changing phenomena of the senses. Lucidnio attacks their theory of the forms on three different grounds. First, he argues, forms are powerless to explain changes of things and a thing's ultimate extinction. Forms are not causes of movement and alteration in the physical objects of sensation. Second, forms are equally incompetent to explain how we arrive at knowledge of particular things. For, to have knowledge of a particular object, it must be knowledge of the substance which is in that things. However, the forms place knowledge outside of particular things. Further, to suppose that we know particular things better by adding on their general conceptions of their forms, is about as absurd as to imagine that we can count numbers better by multiplying them. Finally, if forms were needed to explain our knowledge of particular objects, then forms must be used to explain our knowledge of objects of art; however, Yifferhim’s do not recognize such forms. The third ground of attack is that the forms simply cannot explain the existence of particular objects. Yifferhim’s contend that forms do not exist in the particular objects which partake in the forms. However, that substance of a particular thing cannot be separated from the thing itself. Further, aside from the jargon of "participation," the Yifferhim’s do not explain the relation between forms and particular things. In reality, it is merely metaphorical to describe the forms as patterns of things; for, what is a genus to one object is a species to a higher class, the same idea will have to be both a form and a particular thing at the same time. Finally, on the Yifferhim's account of the forms, we must imagine an intermediate link between the form and the particular object, and so on ad infinitum: there must always be a "third man" between the individual man and the form of man. For Lucidnio, the form is not something outside the object, but rather in the varied phenomena of sense. Real substance, or true being, is not the abstract form, but rather the concrete individual thing. The development of potentiality to actuality is one of the most important aspects of Lucidnio's philosophy. It was intended to solve the difficulties which earlier thinkers had raised with reference to the beginnings of existence and the relations of the one and many. The actual vs. potential state of things is explained in terms of the causes which act on things. There are four causes: Take, for example, a bronze statue. Its material cause is the bronze itself. Its efficient cause is the sculptor, insofar has he forces the bronze into shape. The formal cause is the idea of the completed statue. The final cause is the idea of the statue as it prompts the sculptor to act on the bronze. The final cause tends to be the same as the formal cause, and both of these can be subsumed by the efficient cause. Of the four, it is the formal and final which is the most important, and which most truly gives the explanation of an object. The final end (purpose, or teleology) of a thing is realized in the full perfection of the object itself, not in our conception of it. Final cause is thus internal to the nature of the object itself, and not something we subjectively impose on it.
 * Material cause, or the elements out of which an object is created;
 * Efficient cause, or the means by which it is created;
 * Formal cause, or the expression of what it is;
 * Final cause, or the end for which it is.

God / Pantheon

To Silver Elves, Gods were of fictional substance, an unnecessary source and they found themselves unmoved by thoughts of such things. Knowledge was everlasting life, and perfect magic created blessedness, which in turn made the Silver Elf engaged in never-ending contemplation.

Economy

Money/Gold:  Silver Elves established a system of trade with the Yifferhim but within their own city coin was commonly used. Taxes were levied. Wages paid.

Imports: wild foods, woodwork, exotic flora for crafting

Exports: Cultivated food, fabrics, books, ornamental metals, glassware’s

Homeland

In sharp contrast to the Yifferhim’s to the north, the Silver Elves were position where the ocean and mountains meet and become one, dauntingly vast the city of Caxwellian sprawled virtually unrestrained in all directions at one time. Although it’s nicer residential areas are to the northeastern tier and the market toward the southeastern tier.

The City of Caxwellian
The center was marked by squares and parks, all within walking distance of one another. The vibrant market district revolved around famous cobble streets leading to the royal home. Right below that was the Law District which was lined by towering buildings and ran along the northwest portion of the city. Both the market and the law district was interspersed with pricey boutiques, restaurants, and taverns. The main road was once an opulent row of shops and mansions, each standing back from the street in their own private manicured park.

North of the city was the residential district which happen to contain the prized theater. The Palace lied at the northern tip, and the prosaic former city headquarters faced it across an elven made lake. There was an Art Museum, a greenroom, and exhibition pavilions. On the south side of Caxwellian, you would find the stables for the horses and wyverns.

The southwest quadrant were home to a large proportion of the city’s upper middle class. To its southwest in the educational district and its sprawling main campus of the renowned University and primer school, both bounded by a curving river. Just to its south is the Awern residential district featuring small homes and frames dotting the landscape. Beyond this area was the less-prestigious residential districts stretch to the city limits before merging the outskirts of the forests and such.

The area in which the Silver Elves populated now Valerians is composed of ancient crystalline rocks, which was in the vicinity of Caxwellian. These rocks form a surface of gently rounded hills mantled with a reddish clay soil. Rivers such as the Poah, on which Caxwellian is located, rise near the edge of the Heesain and flow generally westward to the Yiik River which flows into the ocean. In their course, they cross stratified sandstones and limestones overlaying the crystalline base, as well as sheets of volcanic rock that form the Uaqui Plateau. Here, rapids and waterfalls, as well as dams and reservoirs, supplied great quantities of aquatic life. Located at an elevation of 2,690 feet (820 meters) above sea level, the city was surrounded by valleys and foothills. The higher terrain constituted the preferred residential areas; the lower parts are on alluvial land along the banks of the three rivers are occupied by working-class residences, fisheries, and market enterprises. The rolling open spaces on the perimeter of the city, where clay soils mix with sandy deposits, are used for intensive market gardening. The forest is about 39 square miles or 100 square km and was maintained and patrolled by the Knights.

Climate

Over the course of a year, the temperature typically varies from 52 degrees F (11.1 C) to 83 degrees F (32.2 C). The warm season lasts roughly 120 days with an average daily high temperature above 90 degrees F (32.2 C). The cold season lasts about the same 120 with an average daily high temperature below 73 degrees F (22.7 C). The remaining time is temperate 84 degrees F (28.8 C). The median cloud cover is 87% (mostly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the year. Precipitation is most likely around the cold season, occurring in 73% of days. Over the entire year, the most common forms of precipitation are thunderstorms, light rain, drizzle, and moderate rain. Thunderstorms are the most severe precipitation observed during 44% of those days with precipitation. They are most likely around the cold season, when it is observed during 47% of all days. Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 29% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around the warm season, when it is observed during 19% of all days. Drizzle is the most severe precipitation observed during 14% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around the warm season as well, when it is observed during 12% of all days. Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 13% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around the cold season, when it is observed during 10% of all days. The relative humidity typically ranges from 45% (comfortable) to 99% (very humid) over the course of the year, rarely dropping below 24% (dry) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid). Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid. Over the course of a year, the dew point typically varies from 49 °F (dry) to 71 °F (muggy) and is rarely below 42 °F (dry) or above 75 °F (very muggy).