Elves

The elves of Davokar are but an offshoot of a greater people; part of a holy guardian order. Initially, the order involved elves from the virgin regions to the west, where humans have not yet reached and where the elven civilization is in bloom. Unlike humans, an elf ’s long life is interrupted by periods of dormancy wherein the elf grows into the next stage of their life-cycle. Most elves encountered are in their summer cycle, the second phase of elven life.
A majority of the elves in Davokar were born into the order. This order – known by humans as the Iron Pact – is tasked with preventing the evil that slumbers beneath Davokar’s roots and moss from awakening and spreading across the world. They have never been west and will never go there; to them the elven lands of old are and remain a dream that will never come true. From when they are young, they are told that their duty lies in Davokar and that they are not welcome in the old lands. The Iron Pact even has a ceremony to initiate young elves into the order, where weeping elders – led by Prince Eneáno – beg newly awakened summer elves for forgiveness for having forced them to be born, live and die in the Forest of the Death Shadow, Davokar.
The life of the pact members is dangerous, their numbers are dwindling and the once so mighty Prince Eneáno is entering his soul’s winter – the increasing unpredictability of the Prince has made it possible for other, disagreeing leaders to position themselves for the upcoming power struggle. The dispute concerns the tactics of the battle against the dark – whether it should be fought with arrows and spears or by forging alliances.
The spirited fairies who wake up after their first dormancy enter the phase of the summer elves, and it is they who constitute the backbone of Davokar’s guardian force: vigilant hunters armed with spears and bows. Many of them die in battle with abominations or taboo-breakers from the less and less cautious humans in the south. Those who survive eventually reach their second dormancy, a time of tearful grief for the elves. The members of Davokar’s Iron Pact all live with the bitter truth that few elves will ever awaken from their second slumber; most wither away before reaching the next life phase.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the holds and forest castles of the Iron Pact always echo with sorrowful songs, lamenting the fallen and withered. Davokar’s elves grow fewer and fewer; not even the ever increasing number of abductions can fill the gaps in their ranks. There is, however, a faint light in the gloom: more and more humans are willingly seeking to join the Iron Pact, and the elves working for alliances point out that there are even Ambrians among them.
Elf Backgrounds
As a suggestion, player characters of elven origin should be summer elves, in the second phase of the elven life-cycle. Sure, it is possible to play older elves, but autumn elves would fare better in a campaign where the other characters are also very powerful since these elvish beings tend to overshadow most humans in terms of skill, power and insights regarding the deep mysteries of the world.
In any case, elves are uncommon in human settlements and need very strong reasons to travel to such places.
Avenger
Elves tend to live, hunt and fight in small groups with strong internal ties. Maybe the others died as a result of treachery by some supposed ally, and you survived, by chance or after having managed to escape or beat down the villain’s henchmen? As the lone survivor you might feel guilty and will not return home before the traitor has paid for their crime.
• Skill Proficiencies (choose one): Athletics or Acrobatics
• Tool Proficiencies (choose one): Gaming set or musical instrument
• Equipment: A kit to match your tool proficiency, supple leather clothes and 4d6 + 1 ortegs.
Feature: Tracker
When you are in a wilderness area and in pursuit of a creature that you have seen before, you have advantage on the first Wisdom (Survival) check of the day to follow their tracks.
Suggested Characteristics
Many avengers have taken their quest on as a personal burden and you must choose how your mission has affected you.
Exile
Elves who act against the rules of the collective are very uncommon, but are not unheard of in corrupted Davokar. Maybe you are one of these? Alternatively, your exile is self-imposed, as a result of you feeling as if you had been disloyal or dishonorable, therefore choosing solitude for a while. Or forever.
• Skill Proficiencies (choose one): Deception, Intimidation or Performance
• Tool Proficiencies (choose one): Carpenter’s tools, tinker’s tools, weaver’s tools or woodcarver’s tools.
• Equipment: A kit to match your tool proficiency, elvish clothing and 10d6 ortegs.
Feature: Unpredictable
You choose your own moments to act, even in the thick of combat. After you roll initiative, but before combat begins, you can choose to change your initiative count to any number smaller than your result, to a minimum of your Dexterity modifier. Once you pick your new initiative count, it remains fixed for the remainder of the combat.
Suggested Characteristics
You have taken on a life outside the forest and chosen to interact with others, however this does not relieve you of your obligations unless you have totally rejected elven life.
Mediator
You have been sent to establish relations with a group of humans and try to teach them about the value of the forest and the dangers of exploration. Your mission can be self-imposed but is more likely based on the orders of some superior autumn elf.
• Skill Proficiencies (choose one): History, Insight, Performance, or Persuasion
• Tool Proficiencies (choose one): Any musical instrument
• Equipment: The musical instrument, elven clothes, and 4d6 + 1 shillings.
Feature: Orator
Your strength with words is such that you can make enemies hesitant to attack you. If the enemy can hear and understand you, and you have spoken within 1 minute before combat begins, then those enemies have disadvantage on their initiative rolls.
Suggested Characteristics
You have chosen, or been chosen to be a peace offering between your people and the others. You may not appreciate this or you might have high ambitions.
Scout
You have been sent to gather knowledge, to assess the enemy’s strengths and weaknesses before the battle that is sure to come. Your mission-giver is probably a superior and older elf, either a diplomat or a warmonger.
• Skill Proficiencies: Stealth
• Tool Proficiencies (choose One): Carpenter’s tools or mason’s tools
• Equipment: A kit to match your tool proficiency, thick working clothes and 1d6 + 4 shillings.
Feature: Adept of the Wild
When you are in a wilderness area, you can choose to take advantage on your Dexterity (Stealth) check. If you do so, you can’t use this feature again until you take a short or longer rest.
Suggested Characteristics
You are a dedicated member of the Iron Pact, seeking knowledge today to prevent disaster tomorrow. As you gain knowledge of the world outside the forest will you remain resolute in your decisions?

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 2. Increase any other ability score by 1.
• Age. An elf that has reached the summer life phase is about a hundred years old and will be active for up to a century and a half before feeling the call of the deep sleep again.
• Size. Summer elves are about five-and-a-half feet tall and average around 120 pounds. Your size is Medium and you have a d8 Hit Die. At first level you have 8 hit points plus your Constitution modifier. When you gain a level in any class, you gain an additional Hit Die and 5 (1d8) plus your Constitution modifier hit points.
• Speed. You have a base speed of 30 feet.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to the gloom of Davokar, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
• Pariahs. Ambrians detest elves and the barbarians fear them, so elves have disadvantage on Charisma checks with all humans. You can try to impersonate a changeling by wearing human clothing and imitating their behavior.
When directly interacting with a human, make a Charisma (Deception) check against their passive Insight.
On a failure, they recognize you as an elf and the Pariah effect applies.
• Wisdom of the Ages. Through the eons, the elves have amassed a vast collective wisdom; a deep well of knowledge and insights which many elves can access through meditation. The character is one of those who may use the know-how of previous generations to solve problems at hand.
When you take an extended rest, you can select a skill. You are proficient with that skill until you take another extended rest, at which time you select a skill (the same or another).
• Languages. Elves speak their own language, and often know the troll languages as well. Those that have cause to be in human lands also learn one of the human tongues.