Lhûren

The Celestial Elves (Aurlûnoren: Lhûren) or sometimes Dragon Elves (Aurlûnoren: Lûnren) are elves that are the most populous residents of the Aurlûnor Velande. They make up a majority of the population of the nation, and is the largest ethnic group within the country.

Etymology
The name Lhûren would be a combination of the name given to them by the Almadorians known as the "Lûnlie", while the many humans of the region called them the "Lóngren". Prior to this, the people were commonly called the Merifinrën or the black-haired elves. Upon the reign of Queen Hellenis the Wise, the people would call themselves the Almalie or the Fortunate Elves. This term is still used by the very few remaining pre-Lhûrenification of the Celestial Elves. Sometimes, Lhûren are mistaken as High Elves but many High Elves deny this.

For many years, Lhûrens deny their elven identity, and are often extremely offended whenever they are called "elf" by other people, and usually correct them by calling themselves "Dragons" or "Children of Dragon Scales", disconnecting them from their elven identity.

Appearance
Celestial Elves are one of the tallest humanoid races in Rathnir, with their heights usually averaging from 5'6 to up to 6'5 at the most. Male Celestial Elves can grow to be all the way to 6'8, though this is usually rare, and this usually is seen with them being stocky as well. But at the most, a normal male can grow to be 6'4 or 6'3. A female can grow to a similar height but up to 6'6, with the average female growing to at least 6'2 to 6'1. Female Celestial Elves tend to grow very fast at around their preteen years, while male Celestial Elves grow later at around their later teenage years.

Celestial Elves are a long-lived people, and can grow to be around 300-350 years old, with their age of maturity coming at around 50 years of age. It is considered to be middle-aged at 240. However, this does not apply to all Celestial Elves, as multiple figures had seen living to the age of 700, or even 1,100 years of age though this is incredibly rare, and is only seen by selective few people. It is rumored that some Celestial Elves practiced immortality, and some go through immortality rituals and even journeys to achieve it, but only five people so far, had even achieved such feats.

Celestial Elves have dragon-shaped eyes, which do not look very notable at first, as the lack of any sort of semblance to dragons is on them. Celestial Elves have dragon blood, and with that dragon blood, they are much more resistant to fire. Their skin is tougher than normal elven skin, being able to withstand hotter temperatures if exposed to, at the maximum of 160°F (71°C). As a result, colonization by Celestial Elves is usually easier than other elves who weren't built to the temperature. On rare occassions, they will grow a draconic tail, in which will have a different color, with the most common ones being black, yellow, blue, red and green, with sometimes it being bearded as red and yellow. Sareariel Lelya-Earcala is said to have a long golden bearded white tail. The ones with tails are often nobility.

The way Celestial Elves managed to gain their unique genes is unknown. This transformation process had begun no later than the Five Kingdoms Period, where the first reported sightings of the Lhûren were spotted in the United Principalities of Anga and Yen, namely in the town of Shenhua. This would eventually spread among the people who would convert to Twin Dragon until becoming a majority within the country. Today, the Almalie who are now referred to as the "Pre-Lhûren" live within Sachómar and Estecónmar, but are considered to be apart of the greater Celestial Elven race, and are treated equally as Lhûren.

Cultural groups and Society
Today, the Celestial Elves make up multiple groups, some of which are not exclusively found within the Aurlûnor Velande. Due to where they live, despite their long lives, and the impact of the Almadorian Warring States Period, distinctive cultures had formed.

Heartlanders
Heartlanders are an ethnic group that live within the heartlands or Endanor which namely consists of the City of Lhûmar, the Velanima Province, and the Melwende Province. They are regarded as the most cosmopolitan group, with their tolerance being the highest out of the other ethnicities, abiet, a pregidus view of the world. Although these days they are welcoming, during the First Dark Age, many Heartlanders were skeptical and xenophobic toward outsiders. The word "kalimbo" was often used to regard foreigners. Although the use of the word had reduced, Heartlanders are starting to open up themselves to the outside world, allowing themselves to explore the world, and to meet new peoples and ethnicities.

Heartlanders are always regarded as warm, welcoming, hard-working, yet serious, pompous, and deviant, expecting others to do things for them. Heartlanders take great pride in knowledge, and to adhere to meritocratic principles, although a more favorable thing, looking down mostly on lower classes. Heartlander males are unique, as militaristic and civil official Heartlanders tend to allow their facial hair to grow. However, higher class poltiicians and the Imperial Family tends to shave to keep their civility in check, while military men do not.

Angans
The Angans or the "Bayou Dwellers" are located around Nir and northern Hampo Provinces. Adapted to the environment of the Bayou, these Celestial Elves developed better immunities to the local diseases such as yellow fever. They are known to be fantastic fishermen, rice farmers, spice masters, and live together with the Yi'yen that are in the region. They are said to be more conservative, and do not really enjoy foreigners, especially the Angans who live further in the swamps.

They are said to be the most humble of the Celestial Elves, not really caring much about the amount of stone used on the building, but the amount of fish they are going to catch that day. For this reason, many in the Heartlands usually tease the Angans, calling them "Swamp Toads". Almalie take it a step further, ridiculing Angans for living in wooden hovels, and sometimes straw or hide hovels, and often referred to them as the "Poorest Lhûrens".

Another source of pride or ridicule is their diet. Many Angans will consume almost anything that comes out of the swamps or sea; they tease other Lhûren for being squeamish, while the Almalie and Heartlanders deride their diet as borderline barbaric. Lingremian, made with fried fish and either rice or wheat noodles, is a common dish, as is zongzi made with Arundinaria (swamp cane) leaves. They also eat many kinds of shellfish, game birds, turtles, frogs, alligators, and even monkey soup. Richer and/or diaspora Angans may shy away from these more exotic dishes, or embrace them as cultural icons.

Almalie
The Almalie or the Pre-Lhûren used to rule over the Kingdom of Almador. Since the fall of their Kingdom, many of their people have been separated, and fought a long bloody warring period against eachother. Many of them would later become Lhûren following the spread of Twin Dragon, though, there was also some who remained loyal to the Almadorian Pantheon. Following the Red Canal Incident of 246ACA, many Almalie would convert to Twin Dragon for their own safety. Oddly though, they would not become Lhûren, and remained the same looks as they did prior to the Celestial Ascension. Almalie would become officially citizens during the later 700ACAs, and be recognized as Lhûren. Today, many Almalie would reside within Sachómar as a majority, and Estecónmar as a sizeable minority, though sizeable minorities of them can be found throughout the former Kingdom of Almador in small pockets or communities.

Almalies are regarded as xenophobic, and do not like outsiders or foreigners. They tend to look down on many outsiders with suspicion, including their own if they are not from the same city as they are. Although this attitude had changed considerably since the First Dark Age, suspicion of the amount of foreigners that have entered the country started to rouse suspicion within multiple circles of the Almalie.

Unlike the other groups, Almalies would retain their pre-draconic features, although their blood is the same as a Lhûren's. They possess no tail, and their eyes look more elven than draconian, although some have been seen with draconian eyes. Some families of Almalies can be seen with more Lhûren features through interbreeding, but this is usually discouraged. "Pure Blooded" Almalie as a result do not have the same respect for those who are known as the "Tainted", or a mixed Almalie. They are viewed as the most racist group of Lhûren, which is likely where the Elven sterotype originates from.

Zhanundeoran
The Celestial Elves east of the Aurlûnor Velande are known as the Zhanundeorens or the people of the wartorn lands. This refers to Ryzan as well as it's predecessor states. They make up a sizeable minority within the eastern areas such as Malyan Province and in cities such as Tossagrad, Highguard, Volkoregrod and various others. Zhanundeorens and Ryzanis have anamosity ever since the dissolution of the First Aurlûnoren-Ryzani Empire, which saw the two groups live together in an uneasy peace. Multiple times, mostly in Volkoregrod, they were targeted by Soleannen, Tossanist and mostly Athiest Ryzanis during riots, especially the one that saw a dramatic decrease in Twin Dragon worship when Titan was executed for heresy by Sareariel Lelya-Earcala herself in Volkoregrod. As a result, Zhanundeorens do not like Ryzanis, with the ones living in Volkoregrod living in their own community, isolated from Ryzanis and Olthaics. The ones in Deutzmar have tensions with the Ryzanis and Deutzanis, which is often seen as problematic for the local, provincal and imperial governments. The War in Ryzan has left many Zhanundeorens displaced, with most of them moving to the Aurlûnor Velande and into Andorn as refugees from said crisis. Two major genocides were committed against the Zhanundeoran, which saw some of the largest genocides in Ryzani history. The Zhanundeoran appear to look more akin to a frost dragon in terms of their scales, as they appear to be more light blue-ish, and their eyes being more frostier. Their blood is also reportedly more colder than the other ethnics. Although, the ones in Deutzan appear to be similar looking to a Heartlander, plusthe bluer scales and eyes.