Half-Elf

Mule- The offspring of a donkey and a horse, typically sterile and used as a beast of burden
Human biology is remarkably adaptable. Given enough generations, they can adapt their physiology and surroundings to comfortably exist in a wide array of environments, from cold winter peaks to hot deserts.
Elven biology is remarkable, but not adaptable. With their neigh infinite lifespan, they have little need for change.
Half-Elves are mules, a sterile result of a crossbreeding of humans and elves. While they can have some of the best features of both parent races, their unique circumstance is often viewed as a tragedy and results in half-elven groups being forced to live on the scraps and in the edges of existing cities.

Ancestry

Elves and Humans have similar breeding methods (a fact that puzzles physicians of both races), and thus can produce a half-elf should a human and elf decide to mate. It is nearly unheard of for a human and elf to be a married pair, and most half-elves are the result of short, passionate trysts between an elf under the The Curse of Wanderlust and a human.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Half-Elves have characteristics reminiscent of both parents, which can manifest in either a "blend", a half-elf that visually resembles a normal looking human with hyper-symmetrical features and slightly pointed ears, or a "mutantti", a grotesque humanoid with a mis-match of features from either of its parent races, typically resulting in a single abnormally long limb or eyes of drastically different size and color.
Both types of half-elves will always appear somewhat emaciated with visible rib-cages, regardless of their food intake. Half-Elves live in a state of constant hunger, a result of their half-human biology unable to process the metaphysical concept of "beauty" that Elves rely on in part for their longevity.

Genetics and Reproduction

Half-elves are always sterile and incapable of producing children, except in cases of divine or magical intervention.

Growth Rate & Stages

Half-elves grow at a slower rate than humans but at a rapid rate compared to most elves, reaching adolescent years by around 30 and being fully developed by around 45.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Half-elves have the same dietary needs as an average human, but an untrained half-elf will consume food to the point of illness in an attempt to stave off it's existential hunger.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Half-Elven groups tend to congregate within the shadows of Elven cities, feasting off the scraps in the large amounts of trash and waste produced by elven carousing. It is a capital offense according to elven law to raise an ugly child, and half-elves always count as ugly children and thus most elves don't want to risk their own death.
Half-elves in these groups tend to be bitter and xenophobic, quickly and mercilessly killing any non-elves out of fear and mistrust and cowering from the more powerful Elves.
The rare half-elf born in a human society may never meet another of it's kind, though it will always outlive all of it's friends and family. Many half-elves in these situations tend to become adventurers, either as a nascent form of The Curse of Wanderlust or just out of an awareness that their longevity and constant hunger make settling down amongst humans a sorrowful prospect.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Particular sensory capabilities vary from half-elf to half-elf, but most have above-human hearing and sight.
All half-elves inherit the human capability to forge and fully-perceive swords.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Half-Elves born in Elven cities are never given names by their parents, but will be given short monosyllabic identifiers by other half-elves in their group. Some examples include "Scar", "Trick" or "Trash".
Half-elves born to human cultures are usually named according to local customs.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Elves
• Humans

Lifespan

500 years

Average Height

2+ meters