Owen the Watcher
The strange, tattooed elf known as Owen the Watcher originates from the Deep Forest, far to the south of Rotan. He is a member of the race known to most humans as "wood elves". These notes on the wood elves were put together by the librarians at the Great Library of Lemonaris, following a request by the eminent scholar and wizard (not to mention sponsor) Souriin Draco.
The People
Although outsiders usually refer to them as "wood elves" (or sometime "sylvan elves") their own word for their race means simply "People of the Land". Unlike the other sub-races of elves, the wood elves do not revere any gods but instead hold the Land itself sacred. The wood elves believe that they are the original elven race. They view other elves as splinter groups enticed away from the Land by the whisperings of power and knowledge and the sometimes-mad ramblings of gods.

Alone amongst the elves, the wood elves have stuck to the lore of the Land, as it was laid down at the birth of their race. In order to maintain their way of life, the People tend to shun contact from the outside world. They live very closely with nature and the elements, close to the centre of the deep forest (this has changed recently with the coming of the "Shimmering").

A small subset of the People is particularly in touch with the balance of forces. They are known as Watchers and they believe that they have been appointed to keep the universe balanced.

The Godswar
The People believe that in the time long ago, an immense war between the gods reduced the world to tatters, leading to a dark period of endless duration. In the aftermath of the godswar, a being known as "Aga’thra the True" met with each of the gods.

Aga’thra asked each god to agree to limit its powers and influence on the world. Henceforth, gods would no longer touch the world directly (for even the lightest breath of a god was enough to send events spinning uncontrollably), but must instead work through mortal followers and representatives. The People refer to such instruments of the gods as Chosen Ones or "Karith" and believe that they alone have the power to affect the weaves of fate.

The Oath of the Sabeth
The rules of godly influence on the world were drawn up and became known as the "Sabeth". Aga’thra asked each god to swear an Oath agreeing to the Sabeth.

However, once this was done, the gods began to bicker over the details of the rules. Seeing his tentative truce disintegrating before him, Aga’thra agreed to give up his essence to create beings who would be responsible for monitoring the Oath. Aga’thra broke his own Oath of the Sabeth and shattered his essence into countless fragments

The Watchers
These fragments were scattered in the heavens and across the world. Sometimes beings are touched by a worldly fragment of Aga’thra’s essence. They are inspired to keep the worldly balance and be forever vigilant against the influences of the deities and their Karith. It is said that the stars are the fragments of essence remaining in the heavens and that they guide those touched by worldly fragments.

The beings touched by Aga’thra’s fragments are known to the People as Watchers.

And so it was, six winters ago, that one known to the People as Owen the Watcher collected his staff and set off on a journey to fulfil his fate...