Elf
Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live in places of ethereal beauty, amid ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world. Elves were created from the blood of their god Corellon and there is only a limited amount of elven souls in existence. When an elf dies, their soul is reincarnated into a new elf in the elven heaven of Arvandor.
Basic Information
Anatomy
With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. Elves’ coloration encompasses the normal human range and also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and almost bluish-white, hair of green or blue, and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. Elves have no facial and little body hair. Their brains are also somewhat magical and are constantly sending out signals along the strands of the weave that contain their emotions and trace amounts of thought. These signals are then picked up by other elves, giving them an idea of how the sender is feeling and thinking. These signals have long been a part of elvish culture, and elves can't imagine what it must be like for other races to be completely alone with their thoughts.
Growth Rate & Stages
Elves are incredibly long-lived people who normally live around 750 years and don't physically age until late in their lives. Their growth stages are not determined by age, but by the state of their Revere. When a young elf starts recalling their past experiences during Revere (normally around 100 years of age), they are considered an adult. When an elf is around 600-650 years of age, a glowing symbol of Corellon in the shape of an 8-pronged star will appear on their foreheads during Revere. This is the signal that their time is soon coming, and the gates of Arvandor are open for their soul to pass over and be reincarnated. After the first appearance of the star, they will start physically weakening and becoming what other races would consider elderly.
Ecology and Habitats
Elves are very adaptable and can adapt to almost any environment so can be found almost anywhere.
Biological Cycle
Elves are incredibly long-lived and this affects their perception of time. An elf perceives time as flowing much quicker than other races, seeing the milestones of humanity as inconsequential, as they will be gone come 100 years.
Behaviour
Elves are graceful and arrogant, often believing themselves superior to other races, which is true in some regard. Elves are naturally more intelligent, graceful, and flexible than humans and they are naturally better at settling disagreements amongst themselves. However, above all else, an elves' reason for living is to prove themselves worthy of returning to Arvandor, the realm of Corellon, their god. This is reflected in their aspirations. Every single elf strives to be the best they can be at everything they do, hopefully proving themselves worthy of returning to their heaven. An elf never excepts an average performance, and will only be satisfied with absolute perfection.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Most elves dwell in small forest villages hidden among the trees. Elves hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, and their skill and magic allow them to support themselves without the need for clearing and plowing land. They are talented artisans, crafting finely worked clothes and art objects. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though a few elves make a good living by trading crafted items for metals (which they have no interest in mining). Elves encountered outside their own lands are commonly traveling minstrels, artists, or sages. Human nobles often compete for the services of elf instructors to teach swordplay or magic to their children.
Average Intelligence
Elves have above average intelligence with an average intelligence score of 11.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Elves have the five usual primary senses (hearing, sight, taste, smell, and touch) but to a heightened degree to that of humans. An elf has the natural ability to hyperfocus their senses on one thing, often blocking out the world around them. This is why elves often seem aloof and like they are purposely ignoring people while in reality, they are just very focused on the task at hand. Elves also have a deep connection to the weave and with training, can faintly see it. Elves normally undergo this training at a young age and this ability allows them to perceive their surroundings even in complete darkness.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Click here for an elven name generator: https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/elf-names.php
Major Organizations
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Common Etiquette Rules
Elves always bow as a greeting, with the depth of the bow determining the amount of respect shown to the individual being greeted.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
It is a tradition of elvish culture to throw a party for an elf who has come of age and has stopped receiving visions of Arvandor during Revere. They do this in an attempt to ease the pain and trauma of losing such precious visions, though it is only ever a temporary fix.
Reverie
Reverie, or trance, is the elven state of meditation, which has certain sleep-like effects. During this meditation, elves were aware of the outside world, though breaking meditation in response to external events had an effect similar to disturbing the sleep of any other humanoid. During Reverie, elves relive past experiences of their lives in perfect detail as if they were there again. That is why an elf tries to fill their lives with exciting experiences, so they can relive them later through Reverie. An elf can also recall training sessions during their Reverie to further enhance the skills that the training retained. Young elves don't recall experiences because they don't have any. Instead, they recall past memories of the first elves before they were banished from their heaven Arvandor. These visions normally fade around 100 years of age, when elves start recalling their own experiences. The loss of these comforting visions is very traumatic for an elf, and other elves normally celebrate the occasion to try and ease the pain.Subraces
- Wood elf
- Silver elf
- Gold elf
- Drow elf
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