TSR 2423 DSS3 Elves of Athas.pdf

Official Game

Accessory

Elves of Athas

by Bill Slavicsek

Credits

Design: Bill Slavicsek

Editing: Dori Jean Watry

Cover Art: Brom

Interior Art: Tony DiTerlizzi and Brom

Art Coordination: Peggy Cooper

Graphics Coordination: Sarah Feggestad

Cartography: Diesel and Dawn Murin

Typography: Angelika Lokotz

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2423

Introduction ................................................. 3

The Song of Creation ................................... 6

Music and Dance ...................................... 42

Courtship and Other Customs ....................... 43

Families .............................................. 44

Native Dress ........................................... 44

Chapter One: Physical Nature .......................... 9

Elves Under a Dark Sun ................................ 9

Physical Pursuits ....................................... 10

Elven Abilities .......................................... 10

Stages of Life ............................................ 14

Elves and Half-Elves ................................... 19

Chapter Four: The Elf Tribes ......................... 45

Sky Singers ........................................... 45

Wind Dancers ........................................... 57

Silver Hands ........................................... 62

Water Hunters ........................................... 69

Silt Stalkers ........................................... 74

Night Runners ........................................... 80

Chapter Two: Psychological Nature .................. 20

World View .............................................. 20

Intelligence and Wisdom ............................. 21

Elves and Outsiders ................................... 21

Tribal Bonds ............................................ 22

Independent Spirit ..................................... 23

Elven Honor ............................................ 24

Mental Pursuits ........................................ 26

Chapter Five: Athasian Elf Kits ....................... 86

Warrior Kits ............................................. 86

Savage Hunter (F) .................................. 87

Thri-Kreen Slayer (F/Ps) .......................... 88

Rogue Kits ............................................... 89

Free-Wanderer (T) .................................. 90

Procurer (Tr/T) ...................................... 90

Priest Kits ................................................ 92

Battle Dancer (C/F) ............................... 92

Element Singer (C) ................................. 93

Wizard Kit ............................................... 94

Arcanist (M) ........................................ 94

Psionicist Kit ........................................... 95

Brown Elf (Ps) ....................................... 96

Chapter Three: Elven Society .......................... 28

Tribal Life ................................................ 28

Optional Barter Rules System ....................... 31

City Life .................................................. 35

Wilderness Life ......................................... 36

Enemies .................................................. 38

Elven Beliefs ............................................ 39

Language and Nomenclature ........................ 40

Daled's Tale

us as the master pushed the wagons and pack beasts for-

ward. For two days we wandered blindly through the

storm, and those who could not keep up were lost to the

angry elements. The storm finally began to subside as the

second day neared its end, though more than half the

caravan was gone. What remained huddled around the

master, hoping for protection and guidance.

When the sun rose on the third day, there were still

large clouds of silt filling the air. But the dust was not as

thick or as violent as it had been, and visibility had

improved considerably. I almost wished it hadnt, for

what we saw sent a ripple of fear through the remaining

caravan members. Our makeshift camp was surrounded

by figures wrapped in tattered cloaks and clinging dust.

These figures were tall and thin, with long limbs and sav-

age bearings. There was no doubt in my mind that we

were surrounded by the dread desert runners: elves.

Two of the guards who still held positions at the cara-

van masters side moved to drive off the raiders. They

were cut down quickly and without fanfare. Then one elf

stepped forward and declared that our goods were now

the property of the Wind Dancers tribe. Any further

show of resistance would result in the slaughter of the

entire caravan. She spoke with a detached calmness that

was more frightening than any arrogant boast I had heard

from other raider leaders. I knew she meant what she said,

and so did the caravan master.

It did not take long for the elves to strip the caravan

bare. They moved with speed, grace, and an unnatural

silence that made us even more uneasy. When they were

done, not a single trade good remained. They even took

our weapons, food, and water. These elf raiders were not

blaodthirsy, but we would die as surely from lack of sup-

plies as if they had cut us apart with their weapons of

stone and bone. Without a word, they prepared to fade

away as silently as they had come.

If I remained there, without weapon, water, or even a

clue as to where I was, then I would die without complet-

I am Daled, dwarf and ex-slave, wandering the burning

sands of Athas like a faro leaf caught in a hot breeze.

This breeze is my focus, to learn all I can about the slave

tribes that fill the endless wastes, and it drives me in

directions I never contemplated going.

In my travels I have gathered more knowledge than my

focus would indicate. Perhaps it was inevitable. Knowl-

edge comes with experience, and my experiences have

been as varied as the viewpoints of a half-giantand as

fickle. At the least, all have been educational (at least in

hindsight).

My memories include long periods of thirst and

hunger, dark days under the lash of templars, and even

brief stretches of contentment. Let me share one of these

memories with you before the fire fades and the crimson

sun burns away the night. Let me tell you of the time I ran

with the elves of Athas.

In truth, it was but a single tribe of the long-limbed

nomads, and compared to the grace and swiftness of a

desert elf, the way I traveled could hardly be called run-

ning. But I kept up with them, for my life and my focus

depended upon it.

I was traveling across the Tablelands in the company

of a small merchant caravan of House Mke. The cara-

van was going my way, and I was glad for the companion-

ship and protection its wagons and crew offered. We

were on the road from Nibenay to Raam, moving through

a region of sandy wastes, when a terrible storm blew in off

the Sea of Silt. The winds were fierce, the dust as thick as

kank honey. The caravan tried to push on, but it wasnt

long before we were lost in the swirl of choking dust and

stinging sand. I cursed the caravan master for trying to

forge a path through the storm, but the words were

drowned in the raging wind.

For two days the wind swirled around us, whipping our

breath away and burning our skin raw. The sand pelted

ing my focus. This was unacceptable. There were still

slave tribes to visit, still experiences and knowledge to

add to my continuing chronicle. Worse, there were the

legends of what happened to dwarves who die with their

focus unfulfilledlegends as dark and disturbing as the

inner sanctums of the sorcerer-kings. I had to survive

my focus demanded it.

I called to the chief and insisted she let me join her

tribe. If she noticed the fear in my eyes or the urgency in

my voice, she made no mention of it. Instead, she listened

quietly, with an intensity that unnerved me even more.

My arguments steadied me, however, as I used those I

had heard in the slave tribes and even invented a few as I

rambled on. I offered reasons for accepting me into the

tribe, listing my skills and accomplishments. I even

called out challenges and demanded a rite of initiation,

knowing full well that my words could just as easily get

me killed as they could perhaps save my life. The chiefs

eyes examined me, measuring me by more than just the

sounds that emerged from my mouth. When I finished, I

thought I saw her smile.

So the dwarf wants to be an elf, the chief replied.

Then run with us, Short Sprinter, and we shall see.

And ran I did, though not swiftly and certainly with no

grace. Sheer force of will kept my legs pumping and my

eyes on the fading backs of the racing elves. For three

days I did my best to keep up. Then, when it seemed

weariness and thirst were about to overcome me, I crested

a sand dune to find the chief waiting for me beside a well-

traveled road.

The chief held out a skin of water, which I wearily

snatched. You were lucky, Short Sprinter, she said

through a wide grin. You gave us three days of laughter,

and laughter has been in short supply of late among the

Wind Dancers. For that, you have earned this drink. Fort

Isus lies along this road. Go there or not. The choice is

yours. She turned to leave, then paused and called back,

Remember the time you ran with the Wind Dancers,

because the Wind Dancers will remember you,

Sprinter. Her laugh followed her into the dunes, but Ill

never forget its wild, savage sound. . . .

They run across the burning sands like whirling dust

sweeps across the baked dunes and parched steppes of

the Tyr region. By day they are untamed winds, blowing

hot gusts of chaos from one end of the Tablelands to the

other. By night they are swift shadows, always in motion,

dancing beneath the light of Athass twin moons. They

are the elves of Athas, and the twisted path they trace

over the landscape is fast, furious, and more than a little

dangerous.

Like all of the accessories for the DARK SUN ® cam-

paign setting, this one requires the AD&D ® rule books,

the DARK SUN boxed set, and The Complete Psion-

ics Handbook to make full use of its contents. Elves of

Athas features details on the tall, long-limbed race of

desert runners. While they share certain similarities with

the elves of other AD&D campaign worlds, these elves

are definitely a breed apart. They are a race of mystery

and danger whose very nature is aliennot only to

humans, but to other elven species as well.

Because Athasian elves are so different from other

types of AD&D elves, much of those rules and concepts

do not apply. This book presents new rules and details

specific to the elves of the DARK SUN campaign set-

ting. While other AD&D books provide information on

elves, including the useful PHBR8, The Complete

Book of Elves, none cover the unique nature of Athass

desert runners. For this reason, the rules in this book

take precedence as far as the elves of Athas are con-

cerned. They enhance and expand upon the rules pre-

sented in the DARK SUN boxed set, providing all the

details needed to understand, run, and play elves on the

burning world.

Prepare to leave all you know or think you know about

elven nature behind. Whatever erroneous beliefs you

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