Please, dear friend, do not mistake me for one of my cousins. While I admire and appreciate all that the Silvanesti have done and have accomplished, I do not find their attitude toward the other races unconditionally agreeable.
Of all the elven nations, the Qualinesti elves have the most interaction with the others races of Krynn. Though some Qualinesti prefer to remain in their forest homes, others can be found exploring the continent as merchants, priests, wizards, and travelers.
Personality
Because of their relatively long life spans, Qualinesti accept the past without regret and look forward to the future. They patiently pursue their goals and have an optimistic view of life. While they grieve for what has been lost to them through the years, the Qualinesti do not allow themselves to dwell on negative emotions, preferring instead to look forward to the next new day, the next new challenge.
The Qualinesti elves take pride in their abilities, tending to look with disdain upon the “crude” work by the obviously inferior races. Although Qualinesti are more tolerant and outgoing than the Silvanesti and relate well with other races, the Qualinesti still consider themselves the chosen of the gods. They are opposed to interracial marriages and, although they may offer sanctuary to half-elves, the half-elves are never fully accepted by the Qualinesti.
Physical Description
Slightly smaller and darker than the Silvanesti, Qualinesti elves average just under 5 feet in height. Their bodies are willowy and graceful. Hair color ranges from honey-brown to blond, and eye color tends to be either blue or brown. They have strong, soothing voices and a friendly, open manner. Qualinesti dress favors woven trousers and jerkins for men and long dresses for women. Their clothing is skillfully and artfully designed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Earthen colors predominate, ranging from rich goldenrod to dark umber, with splashes of color used sparingly and to maximum effect. Though not quiet as hauntingly attractive as the Silvanesti, the Qualinesti possess a grace and beauty that impresses members of other races, particularly humans. A Qualinesti achieves adulthood at about 80 years and lives between 550-700 years.
Relations:
More sociable and tolerant of other races than the Silvanesti, Qualinesti elves have more dealing with those outside their forest home. They can be just as arrogant and condescending as the Silvanesti, though their disdain often takes a more subtle form, such as an “accidentally” dropped phrase, a sidelong glance, or a bump on the shoulder.
Alignment
The Qualinesti are proponents of independence, self-determination, and freedom. They tend to be mildly chaotic, with a strong tendency toward goodness. Qualinesti who embrace evil become outcast dark elves.
Qualinesti Lands
During the Age of Dreams, the Qualinesti established their homeland in the forest dividing Thorbardin from Ergoth in western Ansalon. Prior to the Fifth Age, their greatest city was Qualinost, a city of great beauty. Qualinost boasted the gold-burnished Tower of the Sun, where the Speaker of the Sun resided. Instead of city walls, Qualinost was surrounded by four arched bridges that ran from guard tower to guard tower.
The Qualinesti are ruled by a Speaker of the Sun, who must be a blood descendant of their most famous ancestor, Kith-Kanan. The Speaker servers primarily as an arbitrator over a senate called the Thalas-Enthia, whos members are appointed to represent various guilds and communities of Qualinesti.
Religion
Elves are the children of the gods of Light, and as such they place a greater emphasis upon the worship of Quen Illumini (Mishakal), Mantis of the Rose (Majere), the Blue Phoenix (Habbakuk), Astra (Branchala) and Solinari, though they respect Chislev as a deity of nature. The deities of Darkness are rarely spoken of, and worshiping them is considered heresy. Qualinesti rituals tend to be spontaneous and from the heart.
Language
The Qualinesti language has its origins in the same tongue as that spoken by the Kagonesti and the Silvanesti. Unlike the other two languages, the Qualinesti language borrows and incorporates words from other races.
Names
Children are given intricate, beautiful names, a unique combination of syllables that signify the child's unique and special nature. Since the Qualinesti are a patriarchal society, the father's name is appended to that of the child, signifying the child's lineage.
Male: Armantaro,
Gilthanas, Harmanutis, Solarinas.
Female:
Ailea, Deanna, Gilleana, Kaylan, Laurana
Adventurers
Qualinesti take up adventuring for practical reasons, although some travel for curiosity or pleasure. Most do not stay for long in one place, instead seeking to see and do as much as they can before returning home.