The Death of Elves
There are those who consider the elves to be virtually immortal. While they can die through accident or violence, no one has ever seen an elf die of "old age." That is because no truly old elves remain in the world known to humans; "old" elves have left the world and journeyed on to a place called Arvanaith. At about age 550 years old, elves feel an irresistible urge to make one last journey. An elf can defy this urge only marginally more than a man can defy death when it comes.
PC elves, with the permission of the DM, can continue adventuring rather than succumbing to the siren call of the beyond. Of course, if they do, they stand the chance that the doors to the otherworld will be forever closed to them. If so, they will never know the delights that await them there in Arvanaith. The DM should stress that few elves make this choice after having experienced all that the world has to offer; change-by way of Arvanaith-is an attractive option at old age.
With the spells available for prolonging one's life, elves do have the choice of temporarily forestalling the inevitable. However, because of their attachment to the natural cycles of the world, most elves feel disdain for those who attempt to avoid the unavoidable. Only those elves who feel no respect for the tuggings of the seasons or those who have crucial tasks yet unfinished take this option. Otherwise, old elves travel to Arvanaith, the hidden elven homeland. No elf who has traveled to Arvanaith has ever willingly left that land, nor has any elf regretted such a journey. The sylvan glory awaiting all elves there is beyond any ever experienced by humans-and is barely conceivable by the elves themselves.
Avarnaith is a place full of natural beauty, hidden away from all but elves. Some human sages have speculated that this pocket is a piece of Arvandor on the Plane of Olympus, but none have ever been able to reach it-save through death. Those sages who have made such a journey and were able to return to their original plane are unable to speak of Arvanaith. The memory of the beauty is too intense for their human minds to bear. It is truly a realm only for the elf.
Those elves who have passed into its wooded glories can experience anything they've ever wanted for as long as they want. Unimaginable happiness lies in this realm, and every elf can expect to enter Arvanaith upon his or her departure from temporal kingdoms.
The only way to return from Arvanaith is through reincarnation, resurrection, or some way of retrieving the spirit from this realm. (The last two methods are always done against the elf's will.) A very few return voluntarily, having spent millenia enjoying the splendor of Arvanaith; they volunteer to be reincarnated, and their souls begin anew. Those who leave seldom regain their original bodies. They find themselves reincarnated in the form of any animal ranging the spectrum of the animal kingdom. Sometimes these elves return as creatures so low on the evolutionary scale that they lose their elven spirit altogether.
Only a legendary few have ever returned through time to their original forms. These elves have returned to complete quests of epic valor and salvation. More likely, those truly heroic elves who have requested to be reincarnated are reborn as a new elf.
Some elves are ripped from Arvanaith by the spells or prayers of those still on the mortal plane. A very few of these survive the shock of returning to their old bodies; they regain their mortal lives, albeit their spirits are now touched with a strange sorrow. Most elves, however, fight to remain in Arvanaith. Their spirits do not willingly leave the glorious forests of this most ancestral land. Should powerful magicks force them against their will, the elves will return-but at great cost. Such elves usually succumb to madness and despair; a few cannot survive the return and are transformed into banshees.
In Arvanaith, all things are possible. Anything elves might want, including forgetfulness or even oblivion, is available. The winds of Arvanaith are enough to soothe even the most troubled spirit, causing it to set aside his or her fears and torments. Only those few who refuse to give up their sorrows retain the memory of former troubles.
Instead, memories of friends and happy times make up an elf's new life, along with new dreams and challenges. Troubling memories remain largely in the back of an elf's mind, serving only as a reminder and measure for the goodness of existence in Arvanaith. Most elves are happy to relinquish the memories of their suffering, retaining only the knowledge of its passing to more fully appreciate their current happiness.
Of course, no elf is forced to stay in Arvanaith against his or her will. However, only a few elves have chosen to return to the mortal plane-and then only after centuries have been spent in Arvanaith. It is largely inconceivable that any elf would not want to remain in the eternal lands.
It should be noted that elves don't die the way other mortal races do; in fact, elves only rarely suffer true death. Those that do are mourned for months, for their spirits can never return to nourish the earth once again. Their children are cherished in hopes that they will carry on the works of their parents, provided the parents did not die dishonorably.
There are only a few ways that elves can suffer this fate. The attacks of certain undead, suicide, dying in an unnatural place, and other extraordinary circumstances can completely eradicate the existence of an elf. The only way to recover these brave elves is through magicks no less powerful than a wish.
The bodies of those who have died the true death are often burned. This prevents the undead life force from occupying the body. Elf villages have learned from experience that an unwhole spirit is worse than an undead one.
Seemingly unlike many other races in the worlds, elves try to avoid violence. Their actions are typically more cautious, despite the fact that they seem impetuous. This is more true of older elves than younger ones. When embarking on a course of action, elves remind themselves that it could be their last. This has sobering effect on even hotheaded elves.
Elves live long enough that they don't want to risk their lives on an insignificant issue. Only truly earth-shattering events and dire emergencies will stir older elves from their retreats in the forests or mountains. Nothing less will entice them to risk their lives; although they are not cowards, they have no desire to lose a life for something petty.
This is one of the reasons why elves have become legendary for their skill with the bow; it keeps their foes at a safe distance, affording the elves little danger. At closer distances, elven training with the sword is proficient enough that few need worry. Still, elves have no foolish notions about killing an opponent "honorably." The method of least resistance is more likely to preserve precious lives.
Unlike most races, elves have no ingrained fear of death. Their longevity ensures that they have a healthy respect for the cycles of life and-because of their interrelationship with nature- they accept death in nature. Indeed, elves look forward to their "death," for it signifies the journey to Arvanaith and a new way of life rather than the surcease of life. However, elves do fear death by other means.
Elves also fear the violation of their spirits and their free will, for these are essential in entering Arvanaith. Any creature that feeds on the lifeforce of another is zealously avoided (or slain, if the means are available) by elves, for these creatures are among the few who can inflict true oblivion upon an elf. Even those elves who live under the shadow of evil find no kinship in these creatures.
If an elf suffers a fatal accident or is murdered, she cannot re-enter the grand cycle, that mystical rhythm that hurtles the earth through the spheres. Instead, her body lies cold and useless wherever the physical death occurred, her spirit cast out and swallowed by the nameless void surrounding her. If her body is returned to the land of her birth, the story is another matter.Only then can the elf's death once again have meaning, for there her physical form can contribute to the well-being of her world, nourishing the plants and animals of her birthland. Her spirit is free to enter Arvanaith and partake in its glories.
Any elf of good or neutral alignment is allowed in Arvanaith. Even drow so aligned are welcomed and allowed to share in the beauties of spirit found in Arvanaith. In Arvanaith, subrace is not important as long as the soul is good or neutral. Any spirit residing there has earned the right to do so, regardless of what it might have been in life. This is truly a reward for those who lived their lives under a pall of suspicion simply because of the circumstances of their birth.
Aquatic elves, too, are welcome in Arvanaith. Although they probably had no real contact with the surface-dwelling elves in life, they can revel in the company of these elves in the afterlife, for in Arvanaith all things are possible. Aquatic elves and land elves mingle in a world where the air is water and water is air; there is no difference to them.
Since most elves pass on to Arvanaith, their passing is not mourned for long. Although it is unlikely that they will return to the earth in the same form as they had assumed before or even with the same personality, their spirit continues on. As such, death rituals are more often a celebration that the elf has achieved the joys of Arvanaith. While the elf may be missed for a while, others know their companion has passed on to something better.
The ceremony surrounding each elf funeral varies even from village to village. Some gather with great pomp to watch the body be interred in the ground, with speakers expounding on the merits of the deceased. Others bury the body with dispatch; they regard it as a mere husk from which the life force has departed. After ridding the shell, they celebrate the spirit of the elf who once resided there. Still other elves believe that burning is the only way to truly rid the spirit of its earthly ties; not only does it free the spirit for Arvanaith, it prevents anyone from using the body for nefarious purposes. Each burial is typically related to the nature of the elf, so that the burial is personalized and the point made that the spirit has left the body.
