| rdfs:comment | - To folk from other lands, the Ellyrian steppes appear to stretch on forever. Indeed, time and distance work strangely here. A traveller can walk directly towards his destination for hours upon hours, growing ever more distant from his starting point, yet never coming closer to his goal. The Ellyrians know the secret paths and ways through their land, for they have learnt them from the horses, but such secrets are seldom shared -- even amongst the Elves.[1a]
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| abstract | - To folk from other lands, the Ellyrian steppes appear to stretch on forever. Indeed, time and distance work strangely here. A traveller can walk directly towards his destination for hours upon hours, growing ever more distant from his starting point, yet never coming closer to his goal. The Ellyrians know the secret paths and ways through their land, for they have learnt them from the horses, but such secrets are seldom shared -- even amongst the Elves.[1a] The Horsemasters of Ellyrion live in harmony with their mounts. They prefer not to break their beasts' spirits with harsh treatment; rather, the horses are enchanted and serve willingly when called. The Elves repay this loyalty with kindness and protection. Those who harm their steeds are severely dealt with -- even in a realm as civilised as Ellyrion, it is still possible to die a most uncivilised death. 'Better to harm the brother of an Ellyrian than his horse' is a well-known saying in Ulthuan.[1a] Ellyrians are a wild and proud people, quick-tempered as Elves go, and swift to avenge any stain on their honour. They are flamboyant and skilled riders, capable of performing staggering feats of archery and acrobatics on horseback. It is said that they learn to ride before they learn to walk. This is almost true -- at a young age, each Ellyrian child is bonded to a specially selected foal who will be their mount in later life.[1a] The Ellyrian cavalry is constantly called to battle, for Ellyrion is one of the main areas that the Dark Elves of Naggaroth will raid on those occasions when they get across the mountains. The Horsemasters maintain constant patrols across their lands to warn of any incursion, and running battles between Ellyrian Reavers and Dark Elf raiders are a common occurrence. The Naggarothi often raid Ellyrion solely for the purpose of stealing black horses from the great wild herds. Such conflicts are notably bitter and hard-fought affairs for, in the eyes of the Ellyrian, no blacker villain can exist than a Naggarothi who stoops to the matchless infamy of horse theft.[1a] The capital of Ellyrion is Tor Elyr, a city built on a series of island castles linked by a web of silver bridges. Each castle is a palace, sculpted from the living rock of a peaked island, decked with statues of Ellyrian princes and their steeds. Beneath Tor Elyr, the waters of the Sea of Dusk churn wrathfully, their foam-flecked tips dashing against the city's alabaster walls. Ellyrians believe that the spirits of their fallen steeds dwell within those waves, and indeed horse-shaped figures rise from the white crests every dawn. Should Tor Elyr ever fall, they say, the spirits of the waves will rise up one last, terrible time to drown the city and all within.[1a]
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