Below is an alternate history, just like my previous post concerning Dwarves. Again, it includes a twist that GM’s may want to keep secret from their players and let them discover it hint by hint. Maybe following a researcher that left notes similar to the Wanderer.
Unknown researcher’s Journal
What sources in history can we trust? With writing outlawed by the same individuals that shaped history one must sift through more fabrication than actual documentation.
The history of Elves is a special case. Long lives and a strong oral traditions give a lot of material to work with. But how reliable is any of this with a race that prides itself on its cunning and ability to deceive? Compared to my earlier works concerning Dwarves and Half-Giants, this may contain even more conjecture!
The only reliable facts are that again a champion of Rajaat failed to exterminate a race during a 1500 years war. And again, the descendents of that race seemed to have changed significantly compared to those that lived roughly 3500 years ago.
This could be attributed to the assumed elven magical prowess, especially of a rumored forest dwelling type. Supposedly many pockets of thriving nature exists like Gulg or beyond the mountains.
At some point various elven tribes took to the desert, and became the running kind we all know and eh… may have mixed feelings about. What if the war to cleanse them and the formation of these tribes were one and the same thing? A scheme to divide and conquer, changing a way of life instead of ending.
Rumors of nature based Elves strangely mention them of smaller size. This could be in error, mixing legends of elves with those of halflings, but could point to changes similar to original Dwarves being very different. These wars could have inspired many to seek psionic and elemental magic, some may change their very beings. This change, passing to offspring, creates special bloodlines. One type may have resulted in a smaller frame, another in the tall version of elves we see today.
How Andropinis, the Champion of Rajaat tasked with Elves, influenced this is a mystery. He may simply have aided one kind to wear down another. Mixed tribes of tall desert running elves supporting one of the magical strongholds could weaken them from within or just mix blood without anyone knowing. This all would mean instead of trying to wipe out elves, he helped forge the elven tribes of today. This might inspire to investigate the nature of Balic, with three Merchant House pitted against each other and otherwise closed and xenophobic. What other plans may be in motion here now and to what end? Are these his own or did he follow instructions just as Rajaat planned?