Elf
Once the rulers of the Great Nation of Elysior - 'the great elven empire', they call it - the elves of current day find themselves clinging to scraps of history that remain behind. Their salvaged lore speaks of their once great empire that spanned the entirety of the known world, which was then brought to an abrupt and violent end by means unknown - many elves assume that humans were the cause. Most of their culture has been lost, preserved in bits and pieces by the Clans of the Free People that still remain roaming the world. For a long time, elves were enslaved by humans, and in some places such a relationship continues to exist, although in most of the ‘civilized’ world the practice of owning slaves is outlawed. Instead, elves that live together with humans and other races are seen as second-rate citizens, forced to live in the slums and only employed as servants or workers. It is difficult for an elf to get into a position of influence, albeit not impossible. The Church of Aidios teaches that elves were the ones to blame for sin entering the mortal world, and that by their nature elves are sinful creatures - hence their natural penchant for magic.
Sociological Classification
Aside from their specific sub-heritages, elves are divided into two categories: The City Elves are descendants of slaves or elves who had been brought into human civilization so long ago that the city life is all they know now. They live in slums, with men working hard labor jobs and women working as maids and servants. They are seen as second-rate citizens, and often mistreated by human nobility. Despite their harsh conditions, they continue to persevere. Many of their customs are a mixture of human and elven cultures. Some city elves believe in the elven Gods, while others worship the Maker - others still pray to both to some degree. They are a close-knitted community within their slum-cities, distrustful of outsiders and willing to stand up for each-other no matter what. The Wild Elves, or the Free People as they themselves call it, are elves that were never imprisoned. They cling to what they have managed to salvage of their culture with determination and reject all human traditions. These are nomadic people that have no true settlement, but rather move around from place to place within forests and other barely-claimed territories of human kingdoms in groups called Clans, of which there are seven major ones. The leaders of these seven Clans sometimes convene to make decisions for the elven people, but such occurrences are rare. Most of the time, they function individually. The Clans never stay in any one location for too long, weary of attracting the attention and ire of the nearby human settlements, although each Clan tends to migrate around the same general area.Biological Classification
Biologically, elves are categorized into one of the following sub-categories based on unique characteristics. These categories are rarely differentiated by other races, though the elves themselves know instinctively when someone is 'one of them' or not.High Elves.
Though still referred to as 'high' elves, the title is all but a distant memory now. Elves believe that, at one point, the high elves were the rulers and nobility of their empire, however years of enslavement by humans dulled their abilities until only traces of their reverence and grace remain. The vast majority of city elves are descendants of high elves of yore, though they retain only a small fraction of their once-endless magical potential. But even after years of slavery, high elves continue to be naturally attuned to magic, able to pull it from within their bodies from early ages. They are quick learners and tend to be quite intelligent as well, which endlessly annoys some humans.Wood Elves.
The free-loving wood elves are believed to have once made up the ranks of hunters and scouts in the elven empire of old. Naturally attuned to nature and instinctively protective of their freedoms, most of them are found among the Free People. Few of them remain among the city-dwelling folk, and those that are tend to be reckless troublemakers or adventurers - and frequently meet an early end as a result. Wood elves are naturally fast on their feet and keen in their senses. They, by nature or by circumstance, tend to be distrusting of non-elves.Pallid Elves.
Called Children of the Moon by other elves and Pale Striders by other races, the pallid elves are believed to have arrived in the world during the fall of the third moon, Euros, several hundred years ago. They are, unfortunately, a hot commodity for slavers and other unsavory folk due to their strange appearance and innate magical talents, thus few are ever found among the city-dwelling elves (and those that do often go ‘missing’). At the same time, they are considered oddballs by the Free People as well, as they tend to worship Selune, one of the Old Gods and the goddess of the moon, instead of the typical elven deities. Some pallid elves are considered 'touched' by the divine, leading to their appearance, and thus it is not uncommon to see pallid elves dedicating themselves to the worship of Selune or another deity.Sea Elves.
They say that long ago, a band of elves desperate to flee their captors dove off the highest cliff in what is now Jurai Province. Their bodies, broken and barely clinging to life, floated to the bottom of the ocean, where they were found by merfolk. Taking pity on the poor creatures, the merfolk bestowed upon them the gift of life underneath the waves. The forgotten deep magic changed the bodies of the elves, granting them the ability to breathe underwater via the use of gills. Among the land-dwelling folk, the existence of sea elves is merely a legend, much like the existence of merfolk and tritons. Land-dwelling elves tend to use the story of the creation of the sea elves as either a warning tale to not go too far off the beaten path, or a romantic tale of overcoming adversity and finding one's true home. Few give the stories any actual credit.Elladrin Elves.
In Elvish, the word 'Elladra' means 'to protect, to guard, to defend'. As such, it is believed that the elladrin elves were not, in fact, a sub-classification of the elven race, but rather a profession. Much how clerics and paladins are blessed by their deities, the warriors of the old elven nation were blessed by the Fey Courts, granting them unique powers and appearances. This, of course, is purely conjecture, a theory concocted by elves that vehemently pour over the scraps of literature they have left, and the few scholars that study elven history in more depth than simply what is given to them by the Church. The elladrin have not been seen for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years, assumed to have been entirely annihilated when Elysior fell - but elven fairy tales tell that when the need of the elven people is great enough, the guardians of old will rise once again. Some elves cling to this hope for dear life, while others remain skeptical - if it is not bad enough now, when will it be?Shadar-Kai.
Like the elladrin, the Shadar-Kai are less a people and more an organization. Followers of the Old God, Vhaidra, they turned from the light of day and instead chose to cloak themselves in shadows, dedicating their lives to their cause. Not quite dead, not quite alive, they became mere tools by which their goddess enacts justice. This, of course, is also speculation. Only one record of the Shadar-Kai organization exists in elven texts - "They come in the night, and none shall escape their dark justice. The eyes of the ancient god cannot be blinded, nor are her blades, her Shadar-Kai, ever dulled". Over the years, many rituals have been devised to 'summon' the Shadar-Kai to enact vengeance, for a price - though the most common outcome of such rituals is the accidental communion with demons, and a swift execution as a result, by the Order or by their fellow Free People. Whether the Shadar-Kai truly exist, ever existed, and why elves would worship an Old God instead of one of the Elven Pantheon, remains a mystery.Dark Elves (Drow).
The term "dark elf" seems to have little meaning in non-elven society, used simply to refer to the purple hue of skin that make drow stand out. They are believed to be a strange mutation, a sickness of some kind, and any human that comes in contact with such an elf tends to stay far away, believing them to be carrying some kind of plague - not that many humans want to deal with an elf to begin with, regardless of skin color. Even among elven society, the term 'drow' is antiquated, used only in a precious few pages of surviving ancient texts. The lore seems to speak of a group of elves that delved deep underground in search of something - the object of their search is lost to history - and were corrupted by something deep underneath the earth. In those clans that remember that legend, mothers tell children of terrifying underground creatures that will steal them away in the night if they do not behave, dragging them underground, never to be seen again. It is incredibly rare for a drow to exist on the surface - never mind difficult, with how the sun burns their skin and eyes - and those that do are rarely without their demons.Basic Information
Anatomy
Characterized by their long, pointed ears (which can go farther than the elf's shoulders) and large eyes, elves are slightly shorter than humans on average, with slender builds and lighter frames. They have narrower shoulders and hips, and overall thinner physiques. Chubby elves are a rarity, as their natural metabolism makes weight gain difficult. In fact, it is more common to see a malnourished elf, both among the city-dwellers and the Free People. At the same time, they also suffer from poor thermoregulation, leading to them preferring more temperate climates to avoid being cold. Even in warm weather, however, they tend to have cold hands and feet. Elves are considered to be beautiful by humans standards, and even those that despise the elves cannot help but be just a little entranced with the gracefulness of their movements.
Elves do not require sleep the way humans do, instead spending several hours in a meditative state. During this time, their bodies maintain low levels of functionality, but their minds have ventured into the dream realm of the Veil. Elves are natural Veil-walkers, being aware that they are there at all times, unlike humans and other non-Fey-touched ancestries. This makes them uniquely able to leave whenever they wish to by just severing the connection - but it also makes them more attractive to the things that dwell in the Veil, which may attempt to latch on to the dreaming elf to come along. Elves are incapable of growing facial hair (for which they are often looked down on by dwarves), and their body hair is sparse and generally light-colored. They take great pride in the hair on their heads, however, and in many elven communities, cutting one's hair is considered a punishment, for both men and women.
Growth Rate & Stages
Elves age slowly and gracefully. Their appearance changes little after they reach their early to mid twenties, as their rate of physical growth is similar to that of humans. Around their twenties is when most elves reach physical maturity, as well as reach their full height and weight. From that point, it is difficult to guess exactly how old an elf is by appearance alone, and oftentimes elves are mistaken for being vastly younger than they actually are. Elves are not considered full adults until their 100th birthday, though city-dwelling elves tend to follow conventions more akin to that of humans (in order to fit in better, perhaps). Although elves live for a very long time, they do not actually age, retaining their youthful appearance until their death (a 700-year-old elf looks around the age of 30 by human standards). They do, however, die of old age eventually, and an elf is able to tell when death is approaching - they refer to this as 'the Song of the White Lady', in reference to the Alabaster Doe.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Elves are well-known for their keen sense of sight and perception, and this extends to their ability to see in the dark. It is believed that the magic flowing through their bodies caused changes to their biology, though some scholars claim that such abilities are the result of being descended from the Fey (as other Fey-touched ancestries often exhibit a similar capacity for darkvision). From their Fey heritage, the elves retain their natural charisma and resistance to magical influences.
Civilization and Culture
Relationship Ideals
Elves are extremely monogamous, often maintaining the same relationship for hundreds of years. Free Elves have prolonged courtship periods, longer than many humans' lifespans, as they believe marriage to be one of the most sacred rites their people still maintain. They do, however, also have arranged marriages, typically involving magic-wielders. These are done to ensure that a clan never has more mages than they can handle, as well as keeping the Clans from dying out. There are myriads of unwritten contracts between the Clans to keep them all functioning. Even with arranged marriages, however, a proper courtship protocol is observed, with frequent forays between the two Clans that later help determine which Clan the couple will stay with. The Free People do not believe in divorce, as their marriages are overseen and blessed by the Four Divine Beasts themselves, and breaking such a bond is considered heresy. As such, they take their marriages very seriously. City Elves, on the other hand, can rarely afford the luxury of a prolonged courtship, and most marriages are arranged by the parents of the bride and groom to be. It is considered a high honor to be able to marry well - City Elves typically have little to their name, and they try very hard to marry into families and cities where their lot may be better. Those who do not have parents to set up such a match are often left with less-desirable matches, or remain forever alone. Those that marry for love are often both envied and respected.
Elves have very low reproductive rates, even among themselves. An elven couple may have one or two children over the entire span of their 750+ year lives. They are incapable of producing offspring with dwarves and other ancestries that are withdrawn from magical energy. On the other hand, they can, very rarely, produce offspring with beings of pure magic, such as elementals, devils, and celestial creatures, resulting in the offspring being genasi, tiefling, or aasimar respectively. Such occurrences are extremely rare, however, as elven reproductive rates outside their own species are even lower than between elves. Long-term human-elven couples are rare, with most encounters being a result of temporary flare of passions or less desirable circumstances, and the offspring always end up being half-elves.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Elyor, or Elvish as it is commonly known today, is a fluid and melodious language of few words, but very many intonations that cue the listener in as to the context of the words, as well as the speaker's mood. The grammar of Elvish is believed to be among the most complex among all the spoken languages of Aradia. Unfortunately, little survives of the beautiful language as it was spoken in the empire of old. The Elvish that is spoken today is a mere adaptation, taken from the few words and sentences that survive in literature, with heavy addition of Alltongue dialects. As a result, many humans are capable of understanding or speaking at least some Elvish. The 'true language' of the elves is believed to be lost to time.
Many elves pick up other languages aside from Elyor, specifically Feyspeak (Sylvan). Niflsvern (Undercommon) is typically picked up by those who tread in the Underdark (though it is not at all unique to the drow), and Gillspeak (Aquan) is naturally picked up by those who live underwater (it is often the main language of the sea elves). Depending on where the elf is raised, they may pick up other languages from the local city-dwellers or the communities surrounding where their Clan roams. Elves are quick studies, and pick up languages rather quickly.
History
Legends speak of Elysior, an ancient and powerful elven empire that spanned the entire continent of Aradia and beyond. The exact history of this empire and its eventual fall is difficult to pinpoint.
The elves believe that their distant ancestors enjoyed ageless lives and magic that flowed through them as freely as it did through the air. Then, the humans came from across the ocean and razed Elysior, destroying the empire and subjugating the elves that they did not kill. For decades, the elves remained slaves to the humans, and in those years their sorrow made them lose that connection to the old magics, making them mortal and robbing them of their once-infinite power. Many elves resent humans for this, even now, many years later. Their lore is scrambled, with very little remaining. The Free People consider themselves carriers and protectors of the lore, and cling desperately to what few traditions they have managed to keep.
Meanwhile, the Church of Aidios tells a different story. Once, humans and elves lived in harmony in the lands of Aradia, both ancestries free of magical interference. They all walked in the light of the Maker's blessing, and together they endeavored to build a tower to ascend the heavens and unite land and sky. However, some elves turned from the true face. Seduced by the promise of power from false deities, they polluted the minds of humans and tried to take the Seat of the Maker for themselves. The Maker, angered by this, struck down the Tower of Beginning and tore open the wall that held back the Primordial Sin. From beyond the wall came magic and disaster, infecting the mortal world and seeping into every being. For their folly, the Maker cursed the elves to always carry within them the disastrous magic, making them prime targets for demons and creatures of the Veil. Disaster upon disaster befell their Elysior, until nothing but scraps of lore remained. Since then, the elves have been paying for their sins.
It is difficult to say which account is the true one, if either are. Little information remains that can be turned to for clarification, and both sides maintain their story with vehemence, leading to a constant, quiet conflict between humans and elves.
Common Myths and Legends
Elves believe that their souls are recycled, given new bodies in newly born elven children when they die, thus no elf is ever truly alone or family-less. This also explains why thy have so few children - elves live very long lives, and there are only so many souls that need to find new homes. As a result, births of children are treated as both joyous and melancholic occasions, meant to celebrate not only the life gained, but the life lost, whoever it may have been. It is uncertain how half-elves fit into this belief.
Though many city elves believe in the Maker and his Bride, those who choose to adhere to the 'true' elven traditions worship and pray to the Four Divine Beasts - Verminculo, Virdant, Ceruleae, and Alabastrum. Elves believe that their deities arose from the Mother of Earth, the original goddess that gave rise to everything, and that they watch over the world and protect it from danger. Some claim even to have seen one or more of the Beasts in their time of greatest need, while others have shown to have supernatural powers they believe were gifted to them by one of the Beasts. Free elves also praise nature spirits and often leave small offerings to the fae or other good nature beings when they set up camp in a new area.
Genetic Descendants
Origin/Ancestry
Fey-Touched
Lifespan
750
Average Height
5 to 6 feet tall
Related Ethnicities
Related Myths
