Ely

The Ely are a nomadic and parasitic race whose origins are unknown. They first appeared in Maia around 150 years ago, and have been present in Aira for just over 100 years.

Biology
Ely have several 'stages' of life and do not seem to age in the same way as the worlds' native races. Some individuals, such as The Three, are thought to have been present since their kind first appeared, and as such may be at least two centuries old. Similarly, the name of the Ely 'queen', Lady Eressae, has been cited in records equally far back.

Although they can eat and drink, they do not need to: Magic is what sustains an Ely. To survive, they drain the magic energy from the lands around them, moving on to new areas as the land dies in their wake. They are also capable of draining the magic energy directly from Mages (unless interrupted, this usually results in the death of the mage). Ely in their second or third life stage are able to use any magic they absorb to cast extremely powerful spells of their own.

The life-cycle of an Ely is thought to begin with a larval stage that eerily resembles a Human male. Whether this is a coincidence or a conscious decision on the part of the Ely to try to aid their infiltration of Human societies is a matter of great debate. These 'larval' Ely tend to fall within the normal range of Human height, and appear equivalent in age to Humans in their prime, never showing any signs of ageing beyond around 30 years old. They are usually slender and physically quite weak, with some small horn and antenna-type growths around their skulls, but little else to distinguish them from a Human. They consume magic energy passively at all times, and are capable of actively drawing it from living creatures, though they lack the skill to channel or use it, using it merely as a food source.

The second life-stage of an Ely may visually seem to be a half-way point between their larval and true forms. However, this is the form in which most Ely, including some of the most powerful such as The Three, choose to stay. Ely in their second life stage have more insect-like features, larger horns (these can vary dramatically in size and shape between individuals) and a set of membranous wings. These wings may appear deceptively fragile, but they are able to support fully-grown Ely in flight. Because of this fact, it is thought that Ely's internal body structure is likely to be significantly different to the native races of The Twin Worlds, leading to them being much lighter in comparison, perhaps as a result of partially-hollow bones, if indeed they have bones. It is unknown what triggers the transformation from the larval stage to this second 'form' - It is certainly not a set part of the Ely's ageing process, as civilians tend to remain in the first life stage indefinitely, whilst almost all Ely soldiers exist in the second. Some scholars have suggested that the transformation is triggered in moments of physical or emotional upheaval.

The Ely's third and final life stage is the most insect-like of all, larger and stronger with natural chitinous armour covering much of its physique. Ely of this form seem less inclined to use magic and instead rely on their physical might in battle. It is thought amongst some researchers that in progressing to their final life stage, Ely sacrifice a degree of their intellect in exchange for this animal strength, as third-stage Ely are most commonly directed in battle by second-stage commanders. It could be that this is why many Ely choose not to progress past the second stage.

Ely methods of reproduction are unknown and it is a common myth that they are androgynous, as no sighting of an Ely female has ever been recorded. However, given the apparent hive-like structure of Ely society and the fact that their armies march on the orders of 'Lady' Eressae, who is presumed to be a living figure, it is thought that there is at all times at least one breeding female per Hive. All that is known for sure is that on reaching Aira, the Ely began to multiply steadily, and at a great pace.

History
It is thought that the Ely arrived in Maia (though where from is unknown) some 150 years ago. They gradually infiltrated and then overtook The Darklands from within. Due to this country's isolated nature, most of Maia remained unaware of the threat as the Ely constructed their hives and began to build their armies.

Thirty years later, the full invasion of Maia began. It took less than ten years for all but The Warlands and Maia's Mage College to fall to them. When it became clear that Maia was truly lost, the Mu performed an ancient magical rite to close The Gateway Between the Worlds, preventing the Ely from passing into their sister world of Aira (see The Fall of Maia).

Most of the Ely armies were indeed trapped in Maia, where they drained the last of the world's life before meeting their inevitable end. Some, however, including The Three and (it is thought) the Ely Queen, did escape into Aira before the Gateway was sealed.

Over the next four decades, the Ely took much of Agranica and founded their First, Second and Third hive cities. Over this time, unbeknownst to much of Aira, they slowly rebuilt their armies until, no more than seventy years ago, they began their invasion of Aira in earnest.

Despite the best efforts of The Resistance, the Ely invasion continued largely unhindered and they now control most of Aira's great cities. All that remains free are the Kestran Isles, the deserts of Calionelen and the great Eradonian city of Serena, together with a handful of her surrounding towns.