Elf
Elves are the younger cousins of the eladrin of the feywild, having migrated to the material plane around 2054 E.G. They have since changed significantly to more fit in to the material plane, though they still retain some eladrin features. Elves on the material plane are sub-categorised into five types: high elves, wood elves, dark elves (also known as drow), sea elves, and shadow elves (also known as shadar-kai). High elves are descendants of the eladrin of the summer forest, wood elves are descendants of eladrin of the spring forest, drow are descended from the eladrin of the autumn forest, sea elves are descendants of the eladrin of the winter forest, and shadar-kai are descendants of the pallid elves, appearing the way they do due to the separation of their ancestors from the pallid conduit, a connection that was broken the moment they crossed over into the material plane. Elves, while they are usually able to procreate with other races, when it comes to two elves attempting to reproduce, the vast majority of the species are infertile. While there are, technically speaking, new elves that are and have been born in more modern times, this is very rare. As such, the number of elves on the material plane are dwindling.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Elves share certain characteristics with the eladrin they are descended from, including their long, pointed ears, average height of around 6'2", and smoother features. However, they also share many features with creatures of the material plane, including flatter teeth and a lack of the antlers and glowing eyes of their eladrin ancestors.
Growth Rate & Stages
Elves, like their eladrin ancestors, live as long as they are not killed by an external force. Due to this extremely long lifespan, especially compared to the average lifespan of the other creatures of the material plane, elves have a tendancy to keep to themselves. Elves reach physical adulthood around the age of 40, but are not considered mature until at least 200 years of age. However, despite being biologically immortal, elves are not immune to disease and illness, and they can be killed as well through normal means, such as grievous injury, poison, blood loss, etc.
Additional Information
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Due to having spent so many generations outside of the feywild, elves have lost the ability to innately sense the magic around them. However, Old Elves (those born before the God War) are able to recognise other Old Elves and know that they are kindred spirits.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Elves have, for the most part, kept the naming traditions for given names of their eladrin cousins. However, some elves of the material plane - more specifically, those born after the god war have begun to adopt the surname traditions of other creatures native to the material plane. Elven surnames consist of the name of one of the elf's parents, along with one of three suffixes: -ar or -lar for male elves, -el, -elle, or -ele for female elves, and -ol or -rol as an additional gender-neutral suffix that can be used for any gender.
Old Elves, however, do not have surnames - and there are few enough of them remaining in the world that one name is enough for them. Instead, Old Elves have titles - see more below (Relics of a Bygone Era).
Clarifications: Elven vs. Elvish
The terms “elvish” and “elven” are often confused for one another. Both are words and are correct in their own right; the difference, however, is the context of their usage. The term “elven” is used to describe people - an elf who is a woman is an elven woman. The term “elvish”, on the other hand, is used to denote objects or places associated with elves. A city inhabited by elves is an elvish city, and a blade crafted by an elf is an elvish blade.Relics of a Bygone Era
There are still some elves alive, though few in number, who were born before the events of the God War. While not physically different from younger elves, these Old Elves have seen times of distraught, destruction, and horror more than any other events in history. During the times of the God War, these elves saw firsthand the gods forsaking their creations, only worried with their own survival. There were very few gods that cared at all to try to prevent the material plane and Dulūn from falling entirely, and the majority of those gods are long dead, killed in minor skirmishes like the one that left the blemish carved across the middle of the continent of Vehasi. The Old Elves saw the end of an age filled with magic and prosperity, and watched the world be thrust back into dark ages when people were too scared to leave whatever scarce shelter they could find. The elves that survived the end of their era have been solidified into legends, their stories told in books collecting dust in the back of libraries, murals painted or carved of them in the crumbling walls of ruined building built soon after the end of the war. These elves each acquired a title, a suffix after their name denoting their place in history: examples of this being Sha'Ren the Lost, Alianna the Haunted, or Morvel the King. These elves, though they do not all necessarily know each other, are able to recognise one another easily: they can see the horrors they have experienced reflected in one another's eyes. Many of these Old Elves have died in the centuries after the God War, and only a handful remain today, as their number slowly dwindles.
Lifespan
Biologically immortal
Average Height
6-7 ft.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
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