Selected passages from On the Mightiest, by Senior Heridath of Ithular:
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While it is most common for one to imagine a monster when speaking of an Elder creature, to do so is to deny some of the most influential members of civilized species their due. Just as a hydra is capable of surviving death by old age, or a dragon capable of transcending mere mortality, so too can an elf, a gnome, even a human or avior. Indeed, not many may think of them as properly ‘Elder’ beings, they nonetheless are classified as such by most scholars (though not without some level of controversy, as with the halfling).
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True Elder Dwarves are much rarer than might commonly be thought. While it is true that far more dwarves live past the century which is in theory their natural lifespan, this is primarily because dwarves possess among the easiest times claiming immortality for themselves via other means. Forging their bodies into ageless biological constructs, magical treasures, even blessings from their ancestors meant to alleviate the weight of time from their bodies.
This, of course, prevents them from becoming an Elder, characterized by utilizing or overcoming aging through purely internal means. For a dwarf, whose aging process involves the slow petrification of their own body, this involves the dwarf surviving this process, their spirit overpowering the inanimate stone and forcing it to behave as though it were still alive. In doing so, the Elder Dwarf becomes less a creature of flesh and blood but closer to an animate spirit controlling a body.
This new state of being confers upon the Elder Dwarf fantastic power of earth, stone, and creation; many of the mountain ranges which dwarves live in these days were raised by Elder Dwarves building their family a home. Some particularly powerful Elder Dwarves gain the ability to forge a spirit akin to their own directly into their creations, creating wholly alive and aware golems, truly living and truly able to grow under their own volition.
In addition to these impressive powers of creation, Elder Dwarves, being closer to an elemental than a mortal, can survive even the destruction of their original body, so long as they are near stone, earth, or metal. In lieu of passing on, the soul of the dwarf inhabits the closest suitable material and sculpts for itself a new form, often one more magical or stronger than the body they were in before.
Notable Elder Dwarves include King Vestri Ironstone and Diann Deeprunner the Mountainshaper.
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Elder Avorae are beings of the wind and sky; while all avorae are prone to arthritic pains of various forms, a fate not even future Elders are immune to, some simply transcend this limitation. While it is most commonly observed in those with an affinity for wind magics, it is not limited to them, and those without a particular connection to the element invariably develop one after becoming an Elder.
Elder Avorae internalize the winds in a way unlike any other creature. While they remain flesh and blood (and are the most likely of any species to maintain any of the foibles which come with advanced age as an Elder), their very presence inundates their surroundings with wind-type magics, enabling them to move anything near them as though it were nothing more than a moderately stiff breeze. They gain a perfected form of flight, can sweep away any who stand against them, and are capable of battering around massive boulders as though they were nothing more than motes of dust in a gust of wind. Some are even capable of extending this to a more physical direction, passing through solid objects as though they were not even there. Furthermore, they become exclusively reliant upon air to continue to exist; they no longer need to sleep, eat, or drink to live (but remain quite vulnerable to suffocation, as they require the constant connection to the air around them).
Notable Elder Avorae include Isres the Wise and Elder Flynn.
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Elder Elves may seem to be something of a paradox of terms: how could an elf, famed for being the only truly immortal ‘mortal’ species, outlive their natural lifespan? In truth, what it means for an elf to be considered an Elder of their species is different from most others: they must have transcended their bare mortal shell, becoming one with their surroundings in all things. Many elves have a soul which perfectly resonates with their home, but the Elders have a soul which effortlessly conforms to wherever they are.
Their body may or may not change to match their soul, but many Elder Elves have such superlative control over their own bodies that they can mold it with but a thought. Some are even capable of assuming forms far beyond the standard elven shape, taking upon the hides of beasts or the feathers of birds should the desire strike them.
Due to their perfect attunement with their surroundings, the Tapestry around them veritably leaps to their bidding. They possess little direct magical power (save for any which they may have mastered over the course of their long lives) as a result of this mantle, but not only does this perfect connection with their surroundings give them a nigh-inexhaustible source of power to draw upon, they may push their will out into the area, and may end or begin droughts with a word, dam up rivers or call upon them to sweep away any trespassers, and cause fields to lie fallow or flourish by simply passing through. They are the voice of the wilds, the voice of the earth, the voice of the heavens.
This is not a short process, and while there exist very few records to the age at which Elder Elves achieved such a status, but it is certain that it takes at least a millennia of extensive traveling to truly even stand a chance of achieving such a vaunted mantle.
The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
Notable Elder Elves include Soiran the Herald, Tesath the Singer of Rain, and The Blightfather.
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Elder Gnomes are barely recognizable as the species they were born as, behaviorally. Gnomes, after all, are defined by their obsessions in a manner not dissimilar to humans or dwarves. Their apparent age is directly tied to how strong their desire to live is, after all, and so is much of their appearance. When a gnome ages, their body either darkens or fades, until it is eventually pure white or pure black, and they pass away.
Elder Gnomes manage to survive this process, sometimes due to a genuine curiosity to learn of the other side of age, other times due to an awakened obsession with life itself.
Regardless of the reason, they of course cease aging; how could the Fading affect them, when they have already faded? Being pure black or pure white, they are the most immediately recognizable as Elders, and they wholly lack the obsessive need to do things which their younger brethren experience, leading to drastically different behavior from them.
Similarly, their innate magics change in response to their brush with death. While still capable of the same fey-like illusions and tricks as before, Elder Gnomes gain much more of a connection with the dead and the past. They may call upon the recently deceased- dead no longer than they have been an Elder, at most- to learn of the life of others, carefully considering and pondering every new piece of information they come across. In time, this develops into being capable of commanding echos of every soul they’ve communed with, calling upon all their skills into themselves and conjuring illusions with much of the might the individual or group had in life. This overall leads to Elder Gnomes being far less of an individual force of personality as their younger brethren, becoming far calmer and more relaxed, for they’ve touched upon death and found it insufficient.
Notable Elder Gnomes include The Pale One, Til’kazzilin Fetcher, and Horas Til of Gravestone.
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Elder Halflings arguably do not exist. That is to say, there has never existed a single halfling which has received substantial agreement that they are an Elder, and thus it proves quite difficult to ascertain what commonalities they share.
Simultaneously, it is very well-agreed upon that Elder Halflings do exist, or at least ought to, but theories for what an Elder Halfling would be like is controversial. Those curious may wish to read Under Hill and Over Streets, as an excellent exploration into the full suite of theories for what an Elder Halfling would be, however for simplicity only the currently predominant theory will be covered, though those interested are highly encouraged to undertake further research.
An Elder Halfling takes the standard breaks of luck that the Species is most well-known for and magnifies it. They are never in a position to die, for their luck always ensures that something is on-hand to prevent it. A coat of mail passed down across generations turning away a spear’s thrust, an assassin’s hand slipping and poisoning the wrong dish of food, a potion of youth becoming mixed in with the halfling’s morning breakfast. No halfling has accomplished immortality in the way associated with Elders, yet the prevalence of halflings accidentally stumbling upon agelessness in one way or another suggests a much stronger trend, particularly given how many of those accidental immortals have incredible strings of luck keeping them alive in other situations.
Accordingly, it is very difficult to truly say what an Elder Halfling’s typical capabilities might be, even more than it is for any Elder creature, as no two Elder Halflings are even close to similar beyond the strings of fate holding them to life. Should it be possible for them to ever be in a hazardous situation, they will escape unharmed, no matter how implausible such a situation might be.
Notable Elder Halflings of this sort include Lin Ersolin, Ergrain Kull, and possibly Seven-Fingered Jack.
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Elder Humans are in some ways reminiscent of Elder Dragons, there exist two distinct methods by which a human might become an Elder. The first is the most similar to other species; while the body of a human simply shuts down and begins to decay around them in normal circumstances, some humans- particularly those who regularly push their bodies to their limits- never surrender to any challenge, to any battle, refusing to allow their bodies to collapse around them, and some succeed. They manage to outlast even death, carrying on past the point of mortal exhaustion and into the transcendental state of becoming an Elder. These Elder Humans are truly physical and mental paragons, almost incapable of growing tired. With limitless stamina and a mind wholly immune to any external influence as only the start of their usual capabilities, Elder Humans may not possess the grand-sweeping magical prowess that other Elders may have, but with their strength, speed, and durability only increasing as they age, the mightiest Elder Humans are nigh-unstoppable juggernauts capable of felling mountains with an errant strike, can catch a falling star, and even defy minor gods yet survive unharmed.
The second form by which an Elder Human may take is controversial, in whether or not it ought to be considered truly an Elder classification. It is, of course, the dedication of themselves, body and soul, to the completion of a task. Oftentimes, this is the defense of a particular location, or the duty to watch over a sacred treasure until a worthy inheritor comes to claim it, or the swearing to pass along an important message. In some cases, the human may be so devoted to carrying out this duty that nothing can dissuade them. Oftentimes, this will result in a particularly driven spectre carrying out the body’s task it had even after death, but in others, death may never arrive. Their bodies may waste away or they may remain hale and healthy, but such Honorbound Elder Humans will only perish to the fulfillment of their task. Injury or poison, disease and starvation, none will prevent the human from completing their task. Wounds will heal, poison and disease will do nothing, starvation and dehydration may cause their bodies to wither, but their life will persist until such a time that their duty is complete. At that point, they pass away, often crumbling to dust or dissolving into motes of energy. Their life is complete, and so it is fulfilled. In the unlikely event that an Honorbound Elder does somehow die, they almost always linger as a spirit until their task is complete, at which point they too pass on.
Notable Elder Humans include Heru of Alnus, Maximilian Alexander, Xoat the Wanderer (of the normal type), and Watcher Eru (honorbound, naturally).