Dhe’nar versus Faendryl

Make no mistakes, the Dhe'nar are unified. They are perhaps one of the most unified races on the face of Elanthia. Nothing means more to them than their family and their heritage. This is a trait they share with their distant cousins, the Faendryl. To someone uninitiated to the Dhe’nar way of thinking, the two Elven offshoots likely seem quite similar. But there are differences.

A Dhe'nar will just as happily see an opponent dead as a Faendryl would. But where the Dhe'nar is more likely to slit an enemy’s throat or use them for target practice with a bolt spell only after systematically dismembering them, the Faendryl is more likely to look up from his book, stick his nose in the air, sniff disdainfully, blast his foe, and return to his reading. Where the Dhe'nar are arrogant, the Faendryl are snobbish. Where the Faendryl are loathe to physical or close interaction with their foes, the Dhe’nar relish in the torment of their prey.

Faendryl morals are often questionable and they will follow any path to achieve their goals, no matter the cost. They are power-hungry -- they scheme and involve themselves in century’s long machinations. They want power in the here and now, in this world, and will do whatever they need to get it.

Where the Dhe'nar look to better their race by following the Way in order to rise, as a race, to a status above the Arkati, the Faendryl have no such lofty or noble goals.

The Dhe'nar do not care about politics, except when they serve to stabilize the Dhe’nar. The Dhe’nar see governmental and power structures as a means to end; the ascension of the Dhe’nar people to their proper place among, or even above, the Arkati.

The Faendryl are politicians. They see political power as an end unto itself. They covet the power and wealth these political positions offer and they often manipulate, assassinate, and scheme to get these positions.

The Dhe'nar and the Faendryl are similar in that both races are very unified, dignified, and powerful. But the differences are marked. Some people will tell you that the Dhe'nar are the "better" people for their beliefs in a unified Elven people and in their goals to ascend to something much higher.