Our History

The Cat Elves inhabit the southern areas of the World of Two Moons. Descended from the elves that settled Blue Mountain (and would later become the gliders), they broke away from the main group and traveled south across the great desert. With much difficulty, they crossed over the World's Spine mountains and descended the other side to the edge of a great savannah. There, the weary survivors were viciously attacked by humans from a nearby tribe and pursued into the grasses. In desperation, the ragged band of elves eluded their pursuers by fleeing across the savannah and into the dark, tangled jungle beyond, making their first encampment by a large river.

The early Cat Elves quickly adapted to their new home. They became smaller in stature to better hide in the dark undergrowth much as the Wolfriders did, and developed a will to survive that grew stronger as they did. They learned to move unseen through the jungle, to avoid the watchful humans that still hunted them along its edge. Many elves befriended, eventually bonding with, the great panthers that were quite common along the great river. While their practice of magic waned, the Cat Elves quickly became superb hunters and trackers, unsurpassed by any other tribe in the area of survival and combat.

As the tribe thrived and grew larger, however, the danger of discovery by the humans increased. The chieftain realized that something needed to be done to protect his tribe from the dangerous giants, but could not get a majority to agree to any one solution. After months of bitter argument, the tribe fractured into two groups. Part of the tribe left the Encampment, moving west through the unexplored jungle and disappearing. The rest scattered into widely spaced families, only meeting for group hunts or festivals held at the Encampment with the chief and tribal elders.

As the Cat Elves grew in security and strength, they began to expand their hunting grounds into the savannah. With their shorter lifespans, the humans began to believe that the elves were no more and eventually forgot about them altogether. After several hundred turns, a pair of hunters following prey into the dense western jungle stumbled across a strange elf near a gorge. The stranger turned out to be part of a tribe of Cat Elves living further west in the middle of a small mountain range, descendents of those who had left so many turns before. He returned with the hunters and contact between the two tribes was quickly re-established. The western trail was well-worn with travel as each tribe traded to the other. Protected within their mountain valley, the western Cat Elves turned their attention to hunting the savannah and something more... openly attacking human hunting parties.

After many turns of conflict with the humans, the five-fingered ones withdrew to their village along the northeastern edge of the savannah and avoided hunting too close to the jungles. The western Cat Elves, confident in their secure home and arrogant at the capitulation of the humans, continued to hunt the western savannah almost exclusively. The eastern elves, preferring to stay mainly in the jungle, did occasionally move into the savannah for hunts. On occasion, large hunting parties would pursue longtooths through the savannah and into the badlands, although this was rare. The western elves continued to press their advantage along the edge of the humans' hunting grounds.

Angered by the insolent spirits, the aged shaman of the humans read the signs in his hut and decided that it was time for his tribe to take back their land from the evil ones. Summoning the swiftest runners in the tribe, he sent them to the edge of the western savannah and wait in the tall grasses. After a day of waiting, they spied a couple of young hunters making a quick kill and followed them unseen back to the crevice that was the way to the valley of the western Cat Elves. Elated, the runners went back to the humans' village, to tell the shaman what they had seen. After a day and night of preparation, the humans painted their faces and left their village to kill the elf spirits by the dark of the moons. They found the crevice and entered with weapons drawn and blood in their eyes.

The western elves were fortunate, in that they had set many traps and pitfalls in the tunnels leading to their valley, along with a few sentries to watch for intruding animals. There was barely enough time for the tribe to rouse before the humans found their way into the valley. Fighting as though possessed, the five-fingered giants set fire to the valley and killed every last elf until the rocks were covered with blood. Only a handful of kits, led by an elder, managed to escape through the eastern tunnel used to pass through the mountains, down the trail to the eastern tribe. The eastern Cat Elves accepted the orphans into their tribe, concealing themselves as the humans came triumphantly back to their village with the news of the massacre. Convinced that the evil spirits were no more, they gradually forgot the elves over the course of a few more hundred turns.

After some time, Rashina, Chieftess of the eastern Cat Elves, decided to leave the tribe and announced that Kaer would be the new chieftain. When he stepped down, many turns later, Kaer appointed Kiala in his stead. Kiala led the tribe for a brief period before making her second, Katra, chieftess in her stead and disappearing into the badlands. Strong-willed Katra led the tribe for a number of turns, eventually turning the chieftainship over to Rork, then her lifemate and Lead Hunter. Young and somewhat hotheaded, Rork led the tribe for a time until the discontent of several tribal members convinced him to step down. As his replacement, the herbalist Kiera was chosen for her wisdom and popularity amongst the elves. Known more for her healing herbs than for her equally formidable skills at hunting, many elves were surprised when the gentle chieftess lost her temper.

Unfortunately, after what, to elves, was a brief interlude, Kiera was killed in a skirmish with a wild boar, passing the leadership of the tribe on to Shado. When Kaer at last returned from his travels, he stepped back into leadership and currently leads the tribe with his lifemate and second, Rahna.
* According to Cat Elf history, as the result of a visit to Blue Mountain by Kaer in his first chieftaincy, the Cat Elves and Gliders share an agreement of non-interference and peace. Basically, no Cat Elf shall attack any Glider, and vice-versa. Catelves usually concern ourselves with what's at home anyway, but this had special meaning. To disobey would be like attacking a relative, and would bring dire consequences from the Chief, or Lord of Blue Mountain, if caught.