Editing Aquatic Elf (section)

==Mystara==
[[Mystara]] is home to two major water-based [[elf]] civilizations; of the two, only the '''Aquarendi''' fit the definition of aquatic elf we are using. The others, the Meditor or "Water Elves" of Minrothad, are more of a [[High Elf]] race whose civilization is centered on sailing and seafaring trade. The two are related, but the Aquarendi are the ones who actually have evolved to live an amphibious lifestyle.

Aquarendi elves typically sport blue or green hair, and those from more isolated communities may have bright blue or green skin as well. Brown or black hair is a recessive trait, found only amongst those with particularly large amounts of land elf blood in their veins, and the semi-regular influx of land elf blood likewise means that light tan colors are the predominant skin tones for the sea elves. They have webbed fingers and toes, and gills, but otherwise could pass for any other elf. They are noted for their stealthiness, and their unique ability to communicate with dolphins and whales, but maintain the common Mystaran elf affinity for magic.

The communities of the Aquarendi are typically placed in reefs or on lagoon bottoms, with the buildings carefully designed to blend into their environment, similarly to how [[Wood Elf|wood elves]] work to blend their cities into the forests. Each community usually has at least one "Frarandal" or "Cavern of the Sun"; a cave that reaches from the sea floor up to above the water, creating a dry, enclosed area where the Aquarendi can come to safely spend time out of the water. A Frarandal is usually shaped from the landscape through a combination of decades of careful sculpture and selectively applied magic. Whils important, it's not technically sacred - that honor goes to the "Kellaalri" the "Cavern of the Frond", which is the resting place of a community's Frond of Life. This is their version of the magical Trees of Life used by land elves, and in addition to allowing Aquarendi to gain higher levels than standard, it can also be used to produce Ships of the Deep (magical submarines), luminiscent Oil of Sunlight, Potions of Water Breathing, enchanted shell armor, and magical spears and tridents that don't rust underwater.

The history of the Aquarendi, in short, is that they hail from Mystara's ancient past, in the age of [[Blackmoor]]. Specifically, they descend from Evergrun elves who realized that Blackmoor's technological ways would bring destruction to the world, and sought to escape it preemptively by seeking the patronage of the [[Mystaran Immortal]] known as [[Manwara]]. The Immortal granted them their amphibious nature, and they fleds to what is today known as the Sea of Dread. When the Great Rain of Fire devastated the world, they survived in their undersea bunkers, although the turmoil of that era and the great elemental upheavals that followed split them into many small tribal communitiesi. Still, they fared better than most land-dwelling races, and survived relatively unchanged since that time. Eventually, they reconnected with their surface-faring sailing cousins, the water elves of Minrothad, who now act as go-betweens to allow the Aquarendi to benefit from trade with the surface world without having to actually risk exposing their existence to humanity.

If you want the full story, check out PC3: The Sea People.