“A prayer for those far from Quilda’s light
A sacrifice for those who live in darkest night…”
—from an annual elven prayer on behalf of humanity
Humans, though loved equally by the gods, are lost souls. Their hearts know no rest; like the Dark Elves of the east, they—when faced with peace—make war on each other, not being content with idleness and the pondering of sacred mysteries.
We can see this in another aspect of humanity, even if we look past their bloody history. Magic, like action, reflects a race’s character. Humans to the immediate south—when gifted with such power— often wield fire or ice, destructive forces that cause imbalance. To the far south—in lands very distant from Quilda’s beneficence—they are gifted with powers of winds and gale, or bursts of lightning and thunder. Both are equally destructive.
Whereas, it is clear, that the elves do not value destruction. Among us—the Lamen people—we are known as great healers and light-bearers, menders of fell wounds and curers of the un-curable. To our west, even the Wild Elves have a manifestation of power that is not, by its nature, destructive: calmers of animals, speakers to beasts, the druids of the Umen use their powers to right the dark struggle of nature, halting the imbalance of predator and prey.
Thus, we can see even in our magical gifts that the humans are destructive, while the elves are constructive. Yet we should not look down on the humans, for it is well-known by the priests among us that they shall serve a purpose in the end. Thus, let the prayers for them never cease, and let the gods shew their mercy upon them.
—Danthemari the Star-Born, High Priest
