So I didn't have a lot of time this morning to kind of give some more teasers with the Kestel Varnen Elves but, to understand the Kestel Varnen (myst elves) you have to go back before the beginning.
In the world of Isadell (that's the world of SplinterWoods) Magic is like a drug. The more you use it the more you want to use it, the more you want to use it the more you need it and eventually go mad looking for it. Most Elves are Junkies in the extreme. The Kind of Magic they are looking for isn't readily available and they have to extreme measures to get at it.
The problem you see is that Magic is actually the life force of the world. In the before time all elves lived as ethereal beings in the Miasma of Magic that flowed through the universe. They were endless beings whose only pursuits were to learn from the Ancient ones. They learned about the Eb and Flow of magic. they also learned that the Ancients had sealed off 9 realms with eternity seals and they were told never to touch the seals or they would be unleashing Ancient evils that once free would corrupt their universe and the damage would be unrepairable.
All the Elves of the before time were immortals that could not die, and freely absorbed magic as was their whim.
For reasons the ancient elves either can't or won't say and without warning and in one great calamitous moment the universe collapsed in on itself and the Ethereal became corporeal, those ancient Elves became trapped in bodies of flesh and bone, the magic they so freely absorbed was now gone, used to create the world of Isadel and all the life on it.
For the First time ever the Ancient elves were cut off from the magic they breathed in so freely. the Fall from sanity was rapid, and unpleasant. Many of the elves from teh Dawn of time (as they are called by others) or more simply Dawn elves, either died or killed themselves in attempts to harness Magic that was far beyond the pale of their now mortal coil. Some of them turned to pleasures of the flesh to compensate and many of the Dawn elves gave birth to the Elder Elves, Passing on their legacy of addiction to an entirely new generation. The Elder elves wandered the world looking for any source of magic they could find. Among them were six elves of note. Erasabeth who eventually settled on the continent of Falien, her sister Ellasaph who married Thanellarell and became King and Queen of the Splinterwoods, Barnloff Crofthelm who after fathering a child with Erasabeth disappeared into the norther waste to re-appear many years later as the king of the Kestel Varnen Elves. The other two are Klinen Voleefus a mysterious Elf even to his contemporaries, and Alieceandra Fellinstone. Klinen talked little and eventually disappeared into the East and none know what has become of him. Aliecendra started a great city at the beginning of time, what went on there, what happened to her or the city none can or will say. what remains lies half submerged in the Kweli sea and forever guarded by the Merloms. What they are guarding and why they won't let anyone near the city is one of many of Isadell's great mysteries.
But What Makes Barnloff so important and what makes him special among elves? He quit. He turned away from magic in all it's forms. He was the first elf to turn away and has created a way that others can follow. they have no magic. they have instead turned to Science. If you can imagine what would happen to a tribe of elves who were cut off from the world and for nearly 2 centuries applied their minds and skills to science. they have an entire city that revolves around you, devices that defy the ideas of physics. while most races are still struggling with the ideas of crossbows, and some are starting to understand the importance of black powder, the Kestel varnen are using a type of heat based Krystallic fusion to make High power steam devices. even a few drops of water in the right conditions are enough to wreak face and move mountians. Among their military are multi armed steam driven sword masters, Bolt launching artillery weapons that have unlimited range and power, heat weapons and the terrifying atomen giant constructs of semi sentient steampower killing goodness.
here's some sketches of things to come ... all of these are going to be multi part models so that's why pieces are missing ..
sword master one
sword master re-do with leg extensions
sword master with Atomen
Mobile attack platform will carry underslung, steam power mini bolt launcher and back slung artillery bolt thrower.
Automen sketch 2, each Automen is owned and maintained by the Elf family that built it and though the technology that makes them is relatively the same each one is completely unique to it's family and will look very different from another Automen. Like a functioning family crest as it were.
quick sketch of long range artillery
and finally the dreaded refractorum
the thing is that Kestel Varnen Elves are very few and far between. on the battlefield what they lack in numbers they make up for in technology. the army will be very small but extremely deadly.