Order of the Wild Elps

Often called "Plundering Pigs in the Dark," elps are crafty cave people, living in the deep, dark cave system of Mount Tragon. They have one of the most ordered societies of the cave peoples, calling themselves the Order of the Wild Elps, though they are far from "wild."

Appearance
Elps resemble pigs, at first glance, because of their prominent blockish noses. Upon closer inspection, however, adventurers find themselves looking into the bright eyes of deceptively intelligent beings. Elps have tufts of hair on the top of their heads, ranging in color from orange to blond to pink. Male and female elps lack facial hair. They stand tall, often in excess of two meters.

Society
Of all the cave peoples, the elps possess the most human-like society. In addition to Elpish, elps speak Comlang as well as various grunting dialects spoken by other cave peoples.

Arts are well-developed in elp society. Elps are famous for their warm cloaks, comfortable shoes, and staffs.

Technology
Elpish technology is exceptional. Perhaps elps are most famous for their elpstaffs—powerful, sentient staffs imbued with special capabilities.

Elps are highly skilled in working with living metals. Their most noteworthy accomplishment was in creating a drogue/stelrag alloy. This was a triumph because generally drogue and stelrag, highly emotional metals, refuse to be fused together. Through a process that took centuries to perfect, the elps were able to coax the two metals together, creating the simulated sentience which formed the basis for the elpstaffs. The sentience, though simulated, is so advanced, many elpstaffs hold positions in ruling bodies and advisory panels.