An Elf Ranger as originally presented in Warhammer Quest.
Elf Rangers, or the Dispossessed as they are known among themselves, are the descendants of High Elf colonists who refused to abandon their lands in the Old World following the conclusion of the War of the Beard. They are particularly the descendants of those settlers originally from the Ulthuani kingdom of Tiranoc.[1]
Now active in the Elven communities of the nations of Men that rose up on the continent, Elf Rangers often wish to reclaim the lost treasures of their households, and so will become adventurers to do so. In their quests for their long lost glory, Elf Rangers will even tolerate the prescence of Dwarf adventurers in their parties, seeing them as a necessary means to an end.[1]
History[]
Legend tells of the time when the High Elves left the Old World and returned to the land of Ulthuan in the west. It is said that the Dark Elves threatened their ancient home, and that the Elves knew they could never win their longstanding war with the Dwarfs. Whatever their true purpose, the Elves departed for good, leaving only a few isolated communities behind them.[1]
In the Old World, the great Elven cities of Athel Maraya and Tor Alessi had been sacked by the Dwarfs, and many other smaller settlements had also been destroyed, but many Elves had come to see the Old World as their home. These Elves saw the decision to withdraw from the Old World as a betrayal. The Phoenix King Caradryel of Ulthuan declared that if they wanted his protection, they would have to give up their realms and return to the island-continent. But the Elven colonists were proud and refused to give up their new lands.[1]
In truth, many of the Elves had nowhere left to go in Ulthuan. Their homelands had originally been in the realm of Tiranoc on Ulthuan, much of which had been consumed by great tidal waves in the time of the great Sundering with the Dark Elves. As great seafarers and explorers, it had been these same Elf households who had been mostly responsible for establishing contact with the lands to the east of Ulthuan, which would in time be known as the Old World. They were too proud to countenance living in sufferance in Ulthuan in lands which were not truly theirs to do with as they pleased. Caradryel washed his hands of the Elves who refused to return to Ulthuan, denying them any protection if they persisted in staying in the Old World. So it was that these High Elves declared themselves free of the rule of the Phoenix King and the Lords of Ulthuan.[1]
The best known of these Elves are the Wood Elves or Asrai of Athel Loren. Since the departure of their kindred to Ulthuan, they have largely departed from the ways of the High Elves. They have made their home in the vast Loren forest in Bretonnia, the mightiest Elf realm in the Old World. Content and happy with their way of life, these Elves seldom think of their haughty cousins over the sea, and rarely venture beyond the bounds of their forest home.[1]
From the ruins of Tor Alessi eventually sprang the Bretonnian city of L'Anguille. This beautiful city was built as the result of the combined efforts of the remaining High Elves of Tor Alessi and the new Bretonnian kingdom of Men. In return for their labour and advice, the High Elves maintained a degree of independence within the city, living in their own Elven quarter.[1]
The same story can be told in many of the cities in the Old World, and some say that where a beautiful city stands, the handiwork will inevitably stem from the Elves in some part. The Elf households struck deals and pacts with the new Human kings, swearing to fight for them in time of war and giving them learned advice and lore on many subjects of which Mankind was largely ignorant. In return, they demanded their own rule and lands within the Human realms. And so the proud Elf households, once of Tiranoc to the far west, still endure in the Elf quarters of the Old World's cities of Men.[1]
The Elves of the Old World never forget their heritage, and still cling to the old traditions and the old ways from before the time of the Sundering. In some respects, they are closer to the High Elves of the ancient days than the Elves living in Ulthuan today. Or so they tell themselves. Certainly the blood of the ancient High Elves runs strongly in their veins, for the children of Tiranoc are extremely long-lived and well-versed in arts which are not even practised in Ulthuan anymore.[1]
These Elves call themselves the "Dispossessed," the forgotten children of Tiranoc. Their stories tell that one day their lands will be returned to them in full, in both the Old World and in Ulthuan, and that they will at last receive reparations for all that was done to them.[1]
The Elves of the Old World are great wanderers and powerful warriors, searching the world for answers to their bitter plight, and cleansing the cold rage in their souls in the blood of Orcs and the other foul creatures who stole their title and lands from them. Bitter, haughty, proud and noble, these enigmatic Elf lords are somewhat mistrusted yet carry a reputation as great wizards and warriors.[1]
One of their enduring hopes is to recover some of the lost treasures of the ancient High Elves, so they can return in glory to Ulthuan and be granted a new realm of their own. Their greatest dream is to recover the lost Phoenix Crown from the Dwarfs, either by force of arms, or by handing over such lost treasures that the stubborn bearded folk will hand back the crown of their own free will.[1]
Characteristics[]
Elven Rangers are far from humble or mild-mannered. They can rival the Dwarfs in their bearing of grudges, and the grudges of these Elves go back a long way. Remember that as far as an Elven Ranger in concerned, the rest of the High Elves abandoned their kind to their fate -- even the Wood Elves who slunk off and hid in the forests.[1]
The Dwarfs compounded the betrayal by crushing the High Elf cities in the Old World once the support of the Phoenix King was withdrawn, and therefore cannot really be trusted. Men are by and large primitive and crude, having not been in existence for long enough to really have any valid claims on the realms they declare their province. They believe that even the current High Elves of Ulthuan are but a pale shadow of their former selves.
This is not to say that Rangers are morose or miserable all the time. They are, however, seen as aloof, mysterious, and invariably arrogant and patronising by almost everyone they meet. At the same time, the Rangers have a reputation for being honorable, proud lords of an ancient and powerful tradition. They have brought much knowledge to the Old World, and greatly helped in the establishment of many of the cities of Mankind. In short, they are generally treated with a careful and grudging respect.[1]
An Elf Ranger will be interested in almost any adventure which will give them a chance to travel a great distance, deal a punishing blow to the enemies of their kind (the list of which is easily expandable to include almost anyone) and to retrieve some ancient and powerful artefact. As long as they are treated with the respect they know they deserve, they will make a stalwart companion, willing to lend their admittedly superior skills and abilities to the adventure at hand.[1]
Dispossessed Noble Houses[]
The Dispossessed of Tiranoc maintain the ancient traditions of their kind even though they now have no lands or armies of their own. They are still a powerful force within the High Elf communities of the Old World, maintaining noble houses within the Elf Quarters of many great cities in the Empire and Bretonnia. Here they may keep to themselves, maintaining a proud aloofness from the rest of the community.[1]
Other Elves are welcomed into these vaunted halls, spending time amongst their kin to discuss the events in the world, and to recount the ancient stories, invariably about their betrayal and downfall. Elf Rangers are great travellers, and their network of noble houses is very well-informed about the goings on throughout the Known World, from Ulthuan to Araby, from Norsca to the Border Princes and beyond.[1]
Rangers have a great interest in news and happenings from faraway places and regard the inhabitants of the cities they live in as introspective and dull. In this regard, they make little distinction between Dwarfs, Elves or Men, seeing them all tarnished by the same inward-looking attitudes. Whilst in their noble house, the Ranger will pick up on the latest news and reports from across the world. This will involve specific information about certain monsters, lairs and hidden treasure, as well as news from Ulthuan and Athel Loren.[1]
Every time the Ranger visits a noble house, he is welcomed with open arms as a long-lost son or brother. There are few enough of the Dispossessed left, so the arrival of any Elf Ranger is cause for great celebration. Within each noble house, there is usually at least one resident Ranger who is nominally in charge and deferred to by all who visit. Often, this individual is old beyond telling, and runs the noble house as its lord.
These great lords rule the Dispossessed noble houses by right of birth, because of their great accomplishments in the past or through sheer presence of will. The Ranger lords seldom venture out of the noble houses, content to run their affairs by gathering information from those who pass through. The ancient Elves who control the Dispossessed noble houses are among the wisest creatures in the entire world, and there is much to be learned from them by other Rangers.[1]
One of the first things a Ranger must do when they arrive at a Noble House after a prolonged absence is to visit the lord of the house. Not to do so would be considered the height of rudeness and such behaviour will not be tolerated more than once. To ignore the lord of a noble house is to be shunned throughout the other Dispossessed noble houses of the Old World as the news travels through the network.[1]
It is customary to offer gold or treasure to the lord of the noble house, as a token of gratitude for the lord's protection whilst the Ranger stays in their halls. In exchange, the lord will stay closeted with each visitor for anything up to a day, discussing events in the world, and giving the Ranger the benefit of their great knowledge and wisdom. Most Rangers emerge from such a meeting tired yet enlightened, having often learned something of value to help them in their next adventure.[1]
Training[]
The training of an Elf Ranger is less formal than the training for many other warriors. Within the Dispossessed noble houses there is no "training ground" as such and there are no formal instructors. However, it is almost certain that there will be another Ranger passing through the noble house at the same time as the Ranger wishing to train, and they spend time honing their skills and exchanging useful information.[1]
This tends to focus the Ranger's mind, and after a period of time in the other's company, they both part having learnt much from each other. Elf Rangers recognise that the Dispossessed noble houses must be maintained in order to fulfil this essential function, and so they pay much gold to keep the ancient traditions alive. The closure or abandonment of a noble house is a cause for great concern amongst the Dispossessed, as with it dies a part of their dwindling heritage.[1]
It is not always certain that the Ranger will be training with an Elf of a higher calibre than themselves. Sometimes, they may spend time in discussion with a relative newcomer to the Ranger way of life. Still, there is usually something to be gleaned from such a meeting, one way or another.[1]
Miniatures[]
Canon Conflict[]
Warhammer Quest states that the Phoenix King who ordered the High Elven retreat from the Old World was Caledor II rather than Caradryel, who is cited in more recent sources.
High Elf Rangers, introduced in the Total War: Warhammer II DLC "The Warden and the Paunch" as an infantry unit for the High Elves, are based on the Elf Rangers Warrior for Warhammer Quest, a role-playing adventure board game set in the Known World.
Despite this, the depiction of High Elf Rangers seen in the PC game differ significantly from the Elf Rangers of old. Rather than being descendants of High Elven colonists who stayed in the Old World, High Elf Rangers come from the more rural parts of Ulthuan.
While the old Rangers resented the High Elves for abandoning the Old World and wish to reclaim their ancestors' glory in Ulthuan, "new" rangers are proper High Elves and are freely recruitable in High Elven armies. Lastly, while the "old" rangers were depicted as individual adventurers that may join a party, even able to specialise into being Ranger Mages or Ranger Knights, the Rangers in the Total War: Warhammer series are simply a light infantry unit, with no option to bring an individual Ranger character to battle.
Sources[]
- 1: Warhammer Quest: Elf Ranger by Andy Jones