LIGHT ELVES vs. DARK ELVES

The planet Ayandoh (eye-an-doh) is home to two races of elves: the light and the dark. It's important to note that these terms have nothing to do with appearance. Both types of elves are as varied in appearance as human beings, which also means that they aren’t all beautiful. After all, true beauty comes from within. 

LIGHT ELVES

The light elves are also known as the Loinnai (lo-in-eye). Like most elves in works of fantasy, they are wise, graceful, benevolent, and possess superior/heightened senses. The Loinnai can either be Born or Elevated. The Born are purebloods with two Loinnai parents. The Elevated were originally mortals whose kindness and purity made them worthy of Elevation upon death. Physically, the Born and the Elevated are indistinguishable, including pointed but human-sized ears.

The Elevation ritual is known only to the Loinnai. No matter how old or unhealthy a Chosen mortal is when they die, their initial Elevated appearance is that of a healthy, robust adult who would appear to us to be around twenty years old. This means that all Loinnai children and adolescents are Born purebloods.

Loinnai are mortal and do age, but at a rate that is imperceptible to humans, making them appear immortal. One hundred human years approximates one Loinnai year. Likewise, they can be killed.

Because Loinnai exist in perfect balance with nature, they can access each of the magical elements (earth, air, fire, water, aether) equally.* They can also perform Runic magic and Basic magic and are masterful potion, armour, and weapon makers. Some are also powerful healers, having undergone additional training.

Loinnai live on an island called Bontiritir (bon-teer-it-teer). Its exact location is unknown and humans are forbidden. Portals connect the continents to Bontiritir, but only the pure of heart can use them. In other words, humans are out of luck, but animals can be taken through the portals in the company of Loinnai. The locations of these portals are kept secret and their magic cloaks them from view. Loinnai can also travel back and forth between the continents and Bontiritir via flight (aboard gryphons) or teleportation, also known as Transommination (or, as Lexi likes to call it, Transamming). It is too great a distance for them to fly on their own.

The Loinnai are descended from the goddesses and gods and were sent to Ayandoh soon after the planet’s creation.** Their purpose was, and is, to serve as advisors to the humanoid inhabitants of all five continents (including non-human races such as halflings, dwarves, and grotts) and as guardians of the planet and nature.

Loinnai can procreate with humans, producing half-elves, although choosing to do so is rare. They are ruled by a Council, at the head of which is the elf lord/lady. The Council includes a Seer and a Potions Master, among other positions.

The most revered of the Loinnai are the shapeshifters, aka shifters, who can assume the appearance of any non-humanoid mammal. In today’s terms, we would probably call shifters gender-fluid or non-binary due to their androgynous appearance. That is, they appear neither male nor female. They use the pronouns they/them.

Loinnai sound pretty great, right? Well, the same cannot be said for the dark elves, also know as Selenites (sel-le-nites).

DARK ELVES 

There are no Born Selenites. They are all created from the worst, most evil and cruel, examples of humanity. The process of becoming a Selenite is called Transcendence. It was created by the first Selenite, a former Loinnai who was sent to investigate Selith Island and became corrupted by the magic contained within the crystals. He is the only Loinnai in history who became a Selenite.

Because Selenites are evil and destructive, and because they are not natural-born species, they exist completely out of balance with nature and cannot perform Elemental magic. Instead, they derive their magic from purple crystals, called Selith crystals (sel-lith), that are sourced from their home island. This creates their major limitation--they cannot perform magic unless they are in contact with Selith crystals. Therefore, all Selenites wear jewellery made with the crystals. Some even go so far as to embed them beneath their skin.

The crystals are also seen as a status symbol. The higher the Selenite’s rank or status, the more crystals they wear and have access to. Punishment and demotion include limiting or barring a Selenite’s access to the crystals, including stripping them of their adornments.

The supply of crystals is finite and the magic they contain depletes with use, like a battery running out of power. Selenites have not yet discovered a way to recharge them.

Selenites do not have portals, but they can Transomminate and they have flying mounts called wyrms that are similar to dragons.

The Selenites are the source of Earth’s vampire legends. They possess sharp upper fangs and survive on blood. Every Selenite bears on their chest a tattoo of a Selith crystal surrounded by an ouroboros (a serpent eating its own tail). Once they attain elite status, wings and other details are added to the tattoo, transforming it into a wyrm. Their eyes are the same colour as the crystals. Like Loinnai, they have pointed, human-sized ears.

They can be killed by decapitation or a stake to the heart, and they are vulnerable to silver.

The only creature they fear are the Loinnai.

 

 

*The magic system is explained in another post.

**The creation of the planet is explained in another post.

ABOUT the DAUGHTER of VENUS SERIES

Wondering what the series is about and what to expect? Find out here!

Daughter of Venus takes place in a parallel world on the magical planet of Ayandoh (eye-an-doe). Earth and Ayandoh are connected by Veils that are scattered around both planets. These Veils only open during the Transit of Venus, an astronomical event in which Venus passes between Earth and the sun, appearing as a small black dot on the sun’s surface. Transits occur in pairs less than once per century, with the two transits separated by eight years. The most recent Transits occurred in 2004 and 2012. There won't be another until 2117. Each Transit lasts approximately six hours.

Lexi Guinel, an eighteen-year-old Canadian (specifically Guelph, Ontario), accidentally stumbles through one of these Veils just before the 2004 Transit ends and the Veil closes, trapping her in Ayandoh for eight years. See the blurb for book one, A Journey Unveiled, below.

Representation is one of my goals for the series. I believe everybody deserves to find characters they can identify with. For example, Lexi, the main character, is biracial. Her father is a descendant of Haitian slaves, while her mother is Irish. Yendar, the potions master of the light elves (the Loinnai, pronounced lo-in-eye), is a gay Black man. Note, however, that much of Journey takes place in a small town with a limited cast of characters. Representation increases in book two, An Enemy Defined, as the world expands. 

In addition to disabled characters, several of whom hold esteemed positions, you’ll meet characters of a variety of races and sexual orientations and identities, including shifters, the most revered of the Loinnai. Shifters appear neither male nor female and use the pronouns they/them.

I based some of Ayandoh’s humanoids on Earth’s paleontology, an interest of mine since my undergrad years at the University of Guelph. However, I took liberties with such characteristics as their intelligence and linguistic abilities. Grotts are based on Neanderthals. My halflings are based on Homo floresiensis, fossils also known as the Hobbit or Flores Man.

Earth myths and legends inspired some of Ayandoh's creatures. I imagined these myths being spawned by Earthlings who crossed to Ayandoh and back and described the creatures they saw there, as well as by Ayandonians who passed through Veils to Earth. For example, the dark elves, aka Selenites (sel-le-nites) closely resemble our vampires and are the source of our vampire legends.

Respect for nature, including kindness to animals, is one of the series' major themes. And because I’m appalled by the lack of Holocaust awareness in today’s society, not to mention outright Holocaust denial, the series contains a Holocaust allegory. With genocides occurring to this day, including in Gaza, along with the rise of Nazism and antisemitism, this topic remains all too relevant.

I confess, I am a huge geek. That's why you'll find references to Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia, and Indiana Jones. I also pay homage to my favourite TV show, Supernatural, through some of the names I chose and created, among other things.

Front cover design and character art by Raphael Barrington, copyright Amy Maltman

DAUGHTER of VENUS BACKGROUND HISTORY

Daughter of Venus takes place on a parallel world: the planet Ayandoh (eye-an-doe). The story of Ayandoh's creation will follow in another post.

The country of Gowerland exists on the continent of Nebella. The continent contains two distinct regions, separated in the northeast by the impassable Mountains of Meeshatri. Prior to the arrival of Godric and Bain Gower (aka Godric the Grave and Bain the Banisher), the entire continent was known as Nebella.

This map contains the locations mentioned in book one, A Journey Unveiled. Each book contains a progressively more detailed version, reflecting Lexi's exploration of the country. 

The power-hungry brothers passed through a Veil in northern Nebella during 1639's Transit of Venus. High-ranking officers in the British Army, they were accompanied by a party of soldiers and carried with them the best technology of the time, including compasses, telescopes, and, of course, guns. To Nebellians, these objects were magical. As such, they decided Godric and Bain (and, to a lesser extent, their inferiors) must be powerful witches of a foreign magic.

Rather than disagree with or mock Nebellian beliefs or try to force Christianity on the population, Godric and Bain were wise and cunning enough to play along, using the Nebellian faith to their benefit. They pretended to be fellow believers and claimed to have been sent by the goddesses on a mission to protect and defend Nebella. So impressed were the Nebellians that they brought Godric, Bain, and their party before The Council, Nebella’s form of government. Outwardly, the Gower brothers and their men pledged their allegiance, only to plot and scheme behind closed doors.

The brothers and their men soon found allies among Nebellian citizens of all classes. Through them, they learned that whoever possesses control of the Tablet of Destiny becomes the ruler of Nebella. Currently, this was the queen. Unfortunately for them, the Tablet was under heavy guard that included magical wards and enchantments only the queen herself could lift.

Another problem the brothers encountered was the Loinnai (lo-in-eye), the so-called light elves. Kind, benevolent, and wise, the Loinnai were sent to Ayandoh by the Mother (goddess Ayanella) to serve as guardians of the planet and advisors to its citizens. Seeing the brothers for what they really were, the Loinnai attempted to convince The Council and the citizens of Nebella not to trust them. After being openly insulted and dismissed and their counsel ignored, the Loinnai left Nebella. This lifted their protection of the continent, which allowed the Selenites (dark elves) to access Nebella for the first time in history. The Gowers quickly made allies of the dark ones.

Ultimately, Godric tricked the queen into showing him the Tablet, seized control of it and the country, and became the first Gower king. Bain became his Hand, or second in command. They quickly set upon clearing the land of “lesser” races, such as dwarves, grotts, and halflings. The brothers also wanted to rid the country of witches (aka Vedosh) because they were afraid of their magic, but they decided to exploit them first. The Vedosh were rounded up and given a choice: fight for the Gowers or see their loved ones killed one by one until they either agreed to fight or were themselves killed.

The citizens revolted, but because the Nebellian culture had always been one of peace, weapons and skilled civilian fighters were scarce. With the army, the Vedosh, and the Selenites at their disposal, Godric and Bain won the war. The surviving members of the decimated non-human races were either enslaved or sent to small, contained territories near mines and other natural resources. The true purpose of these territories? Work camps, much like Nazi concentration camps.

Once their rule was secure, the Gowers ordered the death of all but the most loyal Vedosh. All future Vedosh were given the same choice: serve the Gowers or suffer the consequences. As time went on, each generation of Gower kings became progressively less tolerant of and more deadly to the Vedosh. Under the current reign of King Ulric, Aeric’s father, the only Vedosh permitted to live are Seers, also known as oracles. Vedosh still exist in Gowerland, but their numbers are few and they hide their powers for fear of detection, capture, and execution.

The formidable Mountains of Meeshatri protected the area northeast of Gowerland from the scourge of the Gowers. These Nebellians regained the Loinnai’s trust and counsel, once again earning protection against the Selenites. To this day, Nebellians continue to follow traditional Ayandonian customs, including a matriarchal society and treating nature with respect. As such, they avoid bloodshed as much as possible, including living a vegetarian, near-vegan, lifestyle.