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, in the midst of 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.
With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.
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. They favour elegant clothing in bright colours, and they enjoy simple yet lovely jewellery.
Basic Information
Growth Rate & Stages
Living in Reverie
A memory is a curious thing. One can come into consciousness unbidden, evoked by an unexpected scent or the words spoken by a friend. A memory can also be elusive, foiling all attempts to recall it and sometimes remembered only after the hunt is abandoned, like a word on the tip of one's tongue. Some memories pull at the heart, weighing it down and holding it there as an anchor moors a ship. Others buoy it up or make it flutter joyously like the wings of a bird. Some memories lie in wait like predators, ready to leap out when the mind or the heart is vulnerable. Some linger like scars, not always visible but ever-present. Perhaps more so than any other race, elves are familiar with all aspects of memory. From birth, elves don't sleep but instead enter a trance when they need to rest. In this state, elves remain aware of their surroundings while immersing themselves in memories. What an elf remembers during this reverie depends largely on how long the elf has lived, and the events of the lives that the elf's soul has experienced before.Childhood
The number of years that are classified as Childhood for a young elf is much greater than with most other races. This makes a lot of sense when you account for the fact that an age of 700 is perfectly normal for this mysterious and reclusive people. There is no set age at which an elf transitions into Adolescence it is their First Reflection that marks this new stage in life.Adolescence
By the time an Elf reaches Adolescence, it would be considered well into adulthood for any other race. Much of these decades will be spent gathering the information and skills needed throughout the rest of their long lifespan. Much time will be spent in a Trance, going over each memory of the waking world. The longer they do this, the harder it becomes to gaze beyond the Veil.Adulthood
Adulthood dawns at the closing of an Elf's first century, when the Veil is drawn closed for good. Once this has occurred, Elves see it as the time to move out into the wider world and gain new memories and the skills that come with them. They tend to seek any way to set a mark upon the world so others will remember them. It is not uncommon for an Elf's skills to clash wildly, like a talented bard showing surprising skill in the brewing of certain drinks from far off lands.Elder Elves
It takes centuries for an Elf to become an Elder, with a race with such a long life, this is to be expected. Elders have what is known as the 'Remembrance' or 'Revelation', they will begin to experience memories that are not their own but those of a past life. The change is slow but steady as it draws them away from their adventurous lifestyle and back to their roots where it all began. Every Elf is affect differently but it is extremely rare for one to not succumb to these other-life visions.Aging and Death
Ageing and Death as with all races are a natural part of the elven cycle. Some elves spend their last years trying to relive their youth while others take the time to ponder what their future incarnations will learn from the life they have lead.Additional Information
Average Intelligence
With their natural affinity for magic and long history elves are an intelligent people. This being said, they are no more out standing than the other races of Eternium.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, elves have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim light within 60 feet of them as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. However they can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Civilization and Culture
History
A Race Divided
Long before elves existed, Corellon Larethian danced from world to world and plane to plane. A being of consummate mutability and infinite grace, Corellon was a god like no other- able to take the form of a chuckling stream, a teasing breeze, an incandescent beam, a cavorting flame, or a crackling bolt of lightning. On nothing more than a whim, Corellon's body could become a school of fish, a swarm of bees, or a flock of birds. When consorting with other gods, Corellon often adopted their appearances- male, female, or something else- but just as often kept their company in the form of a rose blossom or a delicate doe. Corellon's flamboyant, mercurial personality showed through no matter which form the entity took. Corellon loved wholeheartedly, broke oaths without reservation, and took pleasure from every encounter with the other divine beings of the multiverse. Most of the gods accepted Corellon's mutability and passionate behaviour, but these traits infuriated Gruumsh, the greatest of the ore gods. Gruumsh's wrath was almost universally respected, even among the divine powers, but Corellon blithely took no heed of him. Perhaps it was this seeming hauteur that enabled Gruumsh to get close enough to wound Corellon, igniting the legendary conflict that cost Gruumsh one of his eyes. Depending on who does the telling, the battle was a clash of titans fought across many planes and worlds, or it was little more than an annoyance to Corellon. But the legends all agree that the first elves emerged from the blood that Corellon shed. These primal elves were much akin to Corellon, not nearly as powerful but just as changeable and audacious. Splendid fey creatures, they travelled in Corellon's shadow, sparkling like the reflections from a finely cut gem. When Corellon came to notice these glorious echoes, the god tarried with them in the place that became the realm of Arvandor. While enjoying the company of these primal elves, Corellon came to appreciate their ideas, which were both novel and familiar, and singled out those of great repute for special treatment. Corellon gave each of these luminaries a unique name: Aerdrie Faenya, Keptolo, Solonor Thelandira, Erevan Ilesere, Hanali Celanil, Rillifane Rallathil, Labelas Enoreth, and many more- and with each name uttered, a new elf god was born. One of these beings, although privileged to be elevated above the rest of the primal elves, was not satisfied with being one of Corellon's trusted underlings. She-for she had declared herself thus- saw in the multiverse around them other beings making an impact in various worlds. The entity who called herself Lolth spoke to the other new gods and wove an enticing tale of how the elves could attain superiority if only they could relinquish a bit of their individual freedom. Together, united in purpose, the gods could be the vanguard of this effort. Wasn't losing freedom to achieve greatness worth the price? Through this argument, Lolth persuaded the primal entities to take static forms, largely resembling what elves look like today, and thereby turn away from the example of Corellon's wild, ever-shifting ways. As these primal reflections of Corellon changed their nature and defined themselves, they came to see Corellon and Lolth in new lights. They now viewed Corellon as their father, the one who had sired them, and Lolth as their mother, the one who set them on the path to their destiny. Each of the other primal elves, as children will do, favoured one parent or the other. Corellon was revolted by this perceived betrayal and railed against Lolth's intrusion. Some of the primal elves rose to her defence. They argued that no entity who sprang from Corellon, no matter how rebellious, should be attacked. Those who remained advocates of Corellon insisted that their sire also wanted greatness for the elves and that such greatness could be achieved if all the primal elves followed Corellon's lead. The primal elves gathered in great hosts around Lolth and Corellon as each entity pleaded its case. At a time when Corellon became distracted and lost in thought, Lolth crept up on him and sought to strike a mortal blow. The elves who favoured Corellon helped to blunt the attack, but those in Lolth's camp remained aloof and detached, doing nothing to prevent her onslaught. This act rent the elves asunder. Lolth and Corellon parted ways, Lolth to become a demon lord in the Abyss and Corellon to become the de-facto leader of a pantheon that could no longer be trusted. The elf gods who sided with Corellon became the Seldarine, and those who fled along with Lolth became the twisted reflection, the Dark Seldarine. Save for those who had been named gods, Corellon cast out the primal elves from Arvandor and consigned them to a physical existence on the Material Plane and other worlds of the multiverse such as the The Feywild and the Shadowfell. From then on, all elves would be mortal, fixed in the forms they had adopted in defiance of Corellon's will. The elves who most revered Lolth became Drow, and the others divided themselves into a multitude of surface-dwelling groups, each worshiping some or all of the Seldarine in their respective enclaves. As a consequence of this rift, no elf would ever fully return to Corellon's embrace to enjoy life eternal in Arvandor. Instead, when an elven soul returns to Arvandor, it is adopted by the other gods of the Seldarine and given respite from the world for a time, during which it is left alone to contemplate its creator's disappointment. Then the soul emerges from Arvandor, to be reborn into a lissom, graceful body that lives for an incredibly long time- evidence that their creator holds a love for them that, deep down, is boundless.The Elven Diaspora
The primal elves cavorted on various planes of existence before the rift between Corellon and Lolth. Outside the glory of Arvandor, their favorite place was the Feywild, also called Faerie-a realm of unbridled passion. It is to that place of splendors that the elves fled after they were flung from Corellon's presence. It is in that place where they transformed from fey creatures into humanoids. Afterward, they often wept as they realized what they had lost, their sorrow made even deeper by the influence of the Feywild. But it was also in the Feywild where they discovered the potential joys of being a person in a world of fixed forms. Most of the elves eventually spread from the Feywild to other worlds, as wanderlust and curiosity drove them to the far reaches of the multiverse. In those other worlds, the elves developed the forms of culture and society that a re now associated with their people. In some places, the name Corellon has passed from the memory of the elves, but the god's blood flows within them still, even if they know nothing of its source. No matter where they are in the multiverse, elves of all sorts feel a special connection to the realm of Faerie, for it was their race's first home after they were cast adrift. Even if they can't name that realm or don't know how to return there, vestigial memories of the place sometimes glimmer in their minds when they trance. One group of elves, the Eladrin, never left that first refuge. After being exposed to the pervasive magic of the Feywild for centuries, these elves have a supernatural quality not shared by their cousins on the Material Plane. Some Eladrin have been transformed so thoroughly that they have become fey creatures again and have been permitted to return to Arvandor, where they are a fascination and a delight to the Seldarine.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Elf
Lifespan
700 - 750 years
Average Height
Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall with no real distinction between genders.
Average Weight
Elves usually weigh between 100 - 145 pounds with males being only slightly heavier than a female of the same size.
Average Physique
Elves are well know for their slender form and the natural elegance that comes with it.
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