"Elkari" in the Elkari language
From their cities of brass and bronze all the way up on the Shattered Moon, the Elkari live and thrive. They worship queer gods, build even queerer machines, and devote themselves to the sciences and higher mysteries. What wonders they would bring should they ever return to El-Bayir!
- Ulimar of Meradarath, historian and scholar
The Elkari, meaning Children of Elkor in Elkari, commonly called the Brass Elves, are a race of reclusive and advanced Elves. Unlike most Elvish peoples, the Brass Elves devoted themselves to technological advancement. They were essential in the creation of the Warforged, lending their great knowledge of machinery and magic to form them.
When they introduced themselves to the Mannic people, they were called Shadar-Kai, meaning Siblings of Brass.
According to Elkari tradition, the first Elkari were created by Elkor, who crafted them out of the first ingots of brass and bronze ever forged, giving them a distinct spiritual connection to the two metals and to technology as a whole. This seems to carry true to Elkari technology, as many Elkari technologies, most notably those which bind with flesh (such as prosthetic limbs) only work on Elkari.
The Elkari migrated to the moon of El-Duram in great brass ships to escape the Great Flood, and have resided there since, even surviving the ruinous War in Heaven and shattering of their world. Due to this, they are often called the Moon Elves.
Brass Elves are distinguished by having either tanned or blue skin, eyes without pupils, dark hair, and beards. Brass Elf males usually grow large beards, which they braid and decorate with various brass trinkets. As the Gods worshipped by the Elkari do not have beards, it is seen as a cultural faux pau for a male to not grow a beard, as this can be interpreted as attempting to imitate the Gods.
Besides the selling of small brass trinkets and jewelry through envoys, the Elkari remain almost entirely detached from the rest of the world.
The name "Brass Elf" is a reference to the value that the Brass Elves place on brass. Most of their armor, architecture, automatons, jewelry, and weapons make significant use of brass.
META: These replace the Shadar-kai
The Brass Elves' technological prowess has even allowed them to perfect the creation of artificial limbs
Brass Elf men often wear their beards and hair with elaborate braids and brass trinkets
Brass Elf women often wear elaborate braids in their hair with brass trinkets and brass headdresses
Examples of traditional Brass Elf attire