Chapter 14-386: The Elven Race (2/2)
“Elves have the ability to inspire others to greater heights, and add magic and mystery to a group’s dreams that draws greatness to the things they attempt. Of the truly good and great civilizations that have developed on other words, most of them involved elves near their hearts, who abandoned their species-centered ambitions and truly lifted the world around them to glory.”
The Holo strolled through city after town after realm, some shining, some glowing, some growing. All of them had a mixture of styles and cultures, and inhabitants of many races mingling to produce good and greater things. They rose and grew into truly great things... while in the distance, dark things yearned for what they made together.
She flushed and smiled despite herself at my affirmation of her position, while my eyes moved to Earl Mynaek. “Your movement is centered on elves for elves, on the belief that what is best for your people is all that is important, and you are a driving force for isolationism from the world outside, interacting with other species only out of necessity.” I paused significantly as he flushed.
“Unfortunately, you do not control the rest of the world, and such isolationism will, in the end, only backfire upon you. Perhaps if this were two thousand years ago and the rest of the world was ignorant of magic you might be able to maintain that position. But in this day and age, with information sharing, the knowledge of how to Level out there, and the simple fact that you do not have the numbers or power to maintain your borders, trying to do such a thing is a death sentence for your people.
“Try all you like, the rest of the world is not going to go away, and when it comes knocking on the door, if you try to kick it in the teeth and tell it to go away, there will be adverse consequences.”
He paled as the holos behind me showed border conflicts and intrusions becoming skirmishes, elevating to fights that drew blood, and continued misunderstandings elevated further into conflicts that razed forests and sent elves fleeing.
“You do not have the power or numbers to do what you want to do. If isolationism is what you want, then you are going to have to leave this world completely, and find another elven nation that will take you.” I leaned forward slightly. “And given your roots are human, an elven nation that shares your views will not take a people as unclean as your own.”
He flushed hotly at my words, as behind me a dozen different elven nations in finery and armor and whatnot sneered down at him from cold and beautiful faces, and made gestures of dismissal or turned away in disdain.
The Druidess, Countess Ilvia, was last. She was trying to look scornful and resentful, but my Aura wasn’t helping her composure. “You, madam, champion the back-to-nature movement of the elves that exists because of their natural status as Powered. Forgoing science for magic, desiring self-reliance instead of interdependency, and regression to progress.
“Elves are among the absolute best species for living at a primitive level. Unfortunately, global society has already advanced beyond the low standard of living that elves excel at, and has moved closer to parity through use of science.
“Ignoring the isolationism which is also required to do this successfully, you still have neither the numbers nor the power to pull this off, and your neighbors are going to get better and stronger while you get weaker.
“Come now. You are not a fool. Even if gunpowder won’t work, technology has improved many things, and magitech will be developed to supplement it. If you think your pure magic and primitive tools are going to be a match for societies which have the same level of magic as you do and more advanced tools, well, the American West is rife with examples of bows and arrows against firearms.
“Press on with your view, and your people are committing suicide and degenerating into irrelevancy.”
Golems and geared Constructs blew out gouts of flame as they advanced through burning forests. Chain-firing autobows scythed through archers. Steam-belching war wagons and hoversleds carrying troops easily crashed through lines of elven spears and stag riders. Magic shot back and forth, countered and countering, doing nothing, and technology and raw numbers came crashing down on them.
I sat back, and the elves gasped despite themselves as my Presence backed off.
“Your methods have been used in the past, and doubtless persist on many worlds,” I told them all comfortably, and they winced as they realized nothing of what they had planned was original. “On those worlds, the elves had two advantages: time to establish themselves and their nations, and enemies who did not possess their level of magical development.
“It is not hard to keep your lands as you wish when your foes are tossing spears, and you are tossing Fireballs, or when your homeland has had centuries or millennia to make many more elves and raise them to Levels only the most exceptional among your short-lived opponents can equal.
“The elves that Master Tolkien wrote about are those kind of elves. Millennia of history behind them, magic and power wielded that lesser mortals cannot equal, each of them equal to five, ten, or a hundred mere humans... or hobbits.” I steepled my fingers and looked at them all in consideration as Master Tolkien tried to remain stern and not to smile.
“You are not those elves.
“You are a long-lived race that matures slowly. Prince Tistian is old enough to have outlived some of the humans he knew as a child, but has a reputation as a hothead reminiscent of a high-schooler yet, because elves achieve mental maturity after about a century. Your children take long to mature compared to other races, even the dwarves and gnomes. It is a great gift, and an equally great disadvantage.
“Your sole advantage as a race is that all of you are Powered, and are potentially adept Wizards. I have now broken that very temporary monopoly you had on high Wizard Levels, which would have been broken anyway after the Shroud fell. You were driving yourselves into a rut that would have led to stasis and oblivion soon enough.
“You are not a major species. You are a minor species, simply because of your numbers. There are more urukhar and halvyr in the world than elves, and more members of all the other sapient species, even the orcs, then there are elves!”