Elves

Attributes: Increase Dexterity by 2
Speed: Elves have a walking speed of 30
Size: Elves are of medium size
Age: Elves have no determinate age, only growing older as they encounter stressors such as disease, intense emotional stress, or external physical harm. Presently, the oldest elf is estimated to be over 1200 years old (as per the Standard Augury Calendar)
Languages: Elves are fluent in elvish and one other language. View other languages here.
Dark Vision: Elves can see dim light as if it were bright out to 60 feet (and darkness as if it were dim, though you cannot see color in these circumstances).
Keen Senses: You can proficiency in perception
Sleepless: As an elf, you cannot be magically induced into sleep and you have advantage against being charmed. Further, you do not need sleep and only require 4 hours of semiconscious meditation per day.
Subraces: select your subraces from any official dnd sourcebook, following the same stat increases for each.

Monuments to Creation

A monument erected to the ideal of purity
Walking the lands as perfection's fascimile
Spared from corruption delivered by Melifi
Protected by the hands of the gracious Silse
Blessed with the gift of potential eternity
But never to reach it due to godly scrutiny

A monuments stands unweathered and tall
But allowed to erode, all monuments fall
Some shirk their gift with insipid gall
Only to arrive sooner at Saaurithale's call
Yet the other end shows an attempt to stall
A return to creation and the fate of all

— "Monument," by Alabaster Pluck

Above is a poem credited to Alabaster Pluck, a Tara-Jhen resident of Jerborg before its eventual conversion into Augur's End and modern day Newmot. With the advent of mixed cultures and people being relatively novel at the time, this day laborer became fascinated by stories of other sapient species abroad. Like many, he was fascinated with the concept of eternal life and eventually came to learn of the elves. Seeing the long periods of time they were able to live, he presumed there may be no limit at all. Pluck began collecting tales of elvish history, poetry, biology, and culture throughout his fascination and even began comparing the worship of Saaurithale as nearly synonymous with the Tara-Jhen's Quai in both perspective and rituals. The following synopsis of the elves seeks to delve into the poem above which encapsulates both the biology and origin of the elves.

Defended from Corruption

The origin of the elves is surmised to harken back to the creation of the universe. As the story goes, Saaurithale deconstructed itself so that the universe could begin, eventually giving rise to entities known as Silse, Authile, Guilime, and Melifi. As Saaurithale's constitution trickled down to these entities, they were left with the will to create the universe in its early stages: or rather, all were allowed to take part in creation aside from Melifi, who was gifted with the ability to alter and induce change. The goal of such a concrete entity was to serve as an educator and guide to the eventual inhabitants of the universe down the line. Unfortunately, Melifi grew jealous and attempted to create a universe as Saaurithale's had, though in his own image. Melifi would name his creation the Ourithanur.

Due to Melifi's core nature, the Ourithanur was an impossible achievement. Instead, Melifi would settle for extending his influence across the universe, corrupting everything that Saaurithale had created. The only exception was Silse and her creations, which were preserved and pure. It was Silse who eventually created the elves and their homeland, resulting in the elves being spared of Melifi's corruption: a unique trait amongst the inhabitants of Laminarum. Many believe that this is the source of the elvish lifespan, which is partially reinforced by research on Elvish Homesickness. Due to their unique biology, the elves are compared to monuments (popularized by Pluck), as a monument can hypothetically last forever so long as it is maintained and unweathered by external stimuli.

Elvish Culture

Elvish culture, while diverse, can often be split into three broad perspectives as seen throughout the eastern, southern, and western elvish kingdoms. Due to their elongated lifespans, communal society, and low generational turnover, change can come slowly for the elves in their homeland (named after their cosmic patron Silse). Most elves have a less direct view of gods compared to humans, seeing aspects of the universe as representative of their entities. Most cultures across Silse don't pray or congregate for worship, as the domain of their gods cannot be restricted behind the walls of temples. All of the entities outlined above are forces in the universe to be respected by reverence for what they have allowed to emerge. Be it nature, civilization, or existence itself, most elves live through a quiet reverence and dedication to the path that Saaurithale has unfolded since the beginning of time.
Due to this, when one elf claims that another has "abandoned the gods," they don't refer to the dismissal of an entity or pact; rather, they speak of fate's rejection. This can be seen in the Western Elves who believe the magical Waning Rock to be a way of escaping the "rails placed by Saaurithale," though other methods have been attempted before.

Western Elves

The western elves sprung from the eastern elvish kingdom during a time of uncertainty and alienation. Originally stationed at Fort Feneyl, the residents felt that their plights were being ignored by the River Kingdom of Nim. Faced with the daunting presence of hostile Constructs further west, the elves decided to declare independence and fight for their own security, eventually forming the Kingdom of Urale. 
Due to the elves' complex history with fate (as seen in a series of natural disasters such as The Exodus of Ghei Wyl and the Razing of Mailes ), early written history saw discourse about whether or not they should abide by the plans nature had for them. The Westerners championed this discourse, deciding to utilize Waning Rock to declare a secular nation. However, seeing as Waning Rock has several negative side effects, its wielders suffer biological aging when using it. While its effects are slow, it has led to Westerners living an average of 40 years. Above all else, the western elves wish to live fulfilling lives free of fear and any fate the universe has decided for them.

Southern Elves

The southern elves are a far cry from both of their cousins, neither revering the natural world nor shirking fate. Their presence as an important trade nation for every continent except Renad has resulted in a melting pot of cultures which drastically expedites its change. With large settlements and members of every sapient species around every corner, their liberal views on fate are to be expected, though their often idealistic view can lead to trade complications, as they always do their best to avoid embargos and bans.
Heralding from Fort Haerehel, the nation was originally barren, leading to more conservative perspectives as survival was decidedly more difficult than their original home to the east. However, as globalization grew and its position proved essential for trade, it eventually saw radical cultural shifts. 

Eastern Elves

The eastern elves hail from the River Kingdom of Nim, which is often considered the first elvish kingdom in written history. Originally formed by those who fled during The Exodus of Ghei Wyl, it currently exists as an anarchic kingdom, allowing its settlements to elect whether or not to remain part of the greater whole. This peculiar form of leadership has been subject to scrutiny by human scholars, though it is only considered possible due to unique elvish traits, such as their communal identities, long lifespans, and accepting nature.
Most Easterners abide by the fates set for them for good or ill. This perspective has allowed them to survive their exodus and the dark age of Ettermiddag while appreciating times of peace. While the Easterners have occasionally fought against entities that they believe to be agents of the gods, they don't view their destruction as harmful to Saaurithale's set fate. In contrast with the Western elves, the easterners avoid the use of magic and remain optimistic that peace is the fate that awaits them, rather than choosing to subvert a set future.

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Basic Information

Biological Traits

• Require less sleep than your average human, needing as little as 4 hours.
• Do not age consistently. Their biological age will progress as they encounter stressors
• Heavily influenced by their environment

Origin/Ancestry

Tsaoin, Eastern Silse

Lifespan

Unknown, potentially limitless

Average Height

5'7'' - 6'5''

Average Weight

120-180

Related Organizations

• Kingdom of Urale
• Western Syndicate

Related Ethnicities

• Western Elves

Related Historical Events

• 1112
  Dark Elves Banned From Urale
• 895
  Eastern, Southern El make Deals with the Ithitar
• 776
  Onothis, Eshiren take root in Silse
• 673
  Ocean Pride Block Gulf of Nim, Siege of the East
• 657
  Eyiliv Learns of Human Alliances
• 653
  Caripreet Declines Vhou's Alliance
• 653
  Eyiliv Seeks Alliance with Southern Elves, East Warned
• 647
  King Eyiliv Feneyl Seeks Allies Against Nim
• 640
  Vhou Riyael Unites the Independent Cities of Nim
• 636
  Eyiliv Feneyl Learns of Southern Elf Spying
• 635
  Death of Levrin Feneyl
• 595
  Vhou Riyael Investigates Waning Keep's Infrastructure
• 581
  Southern Elvish Forces Discovered Smuggling Resources West
• 525
  The Waning Rock Revolution
• 512
  Dour and Levrin Begin Construction of the Waning Keep
• 511
  The Hurricane of Ilobel
• 492
  Death of Uliyo Feneyl
• 485
  Completion of Ilobel
• 471
  Western Elves meet the Moonfolk
• 460
  Rise of Western Elf Nationalism
• 454
  Uliyo Orders the Construction of Ilobel, Movement on Veiel Ard Besme
• 451
  The Last Meeting of the Three Elf Kings
• 450
  "The Man from Nowhere" visits Uliyo
• 450
  The Feneyl Rebellion
• 450
  Collapse of the Western Syndicate
• 448
  Forced Retreat of the New Constructs
• 433
  Formation of the Western Syndicate
• 433
  Riyael's Response to the Constructs
• 433
  Re-emergence of the constructs
• 430
  Formation of the Southern River Kingdom
• 402
  The Haerehel Rebellion
• 368
  Expansion of outpost Haerehel
• 355
  Expansion of outpost Feneyl
• 315
  The March of Nim
• 315
  Establishment of the Nim Mountain Fortresses
• 305
  Construction of Hriya vuo Tsaoin
• 300
  The Nim-El Convocation
• 299
  Razing of Mailes
• 235
  Founding of Mailes
• 231
  Founding of Poueir
• 230
  The Exodus of Ghei Wyl
• 180
  The Founding of Ghei Wyl

Overview The elves are a communal and kind people. They have similar family units to humans, including 3 generations in one household, but they put more emphasis on the health of the larger community compared to humanity. Elves are notoriously a selfless bunch, voluntarily assisting those that need help, and they generally align as good, but there are exceptions.
Biology
The upper limit of an elvish lifespan is unknown, but they are not immortal. Maturing at the age of 20, an elf may maintain the biological age of a 20 year old so long as they remain in good health. Anything such as age-related disease, common illness, injury, and stress may result in aging, similar to humans. The core difference between humans and elves is that time does not seem to contribute to the degradation of elves, for unknown reasons. Their strange biology has made them the subject of legends, which tell of heroes that "die of sadness" or other overemotional stories. While this is somewhat accurate, your average elf will behave in a similar fashion to your average human, though perhaps with a more selfless and serene approach. At present, the oldest elf is Vhou Riyael, who is over 1500 but appears similar to a 40 year old human. Due to his "ancient" status, he has noted that he does not know his actual age, nor date of birth.
Elf males can not reproduce indefinitely, nor can females. This dilemma, paired with the long lifespan, has made the elves evolve to search for an "ideal" spiritual and physical connection. This ideal connection/ perfect partnership seems to stem from a combination of personality and genetics, with unideal partners often finding themselves incapable of mating. Elves often record the discovery of their soulmate as a "defining, noticeable, euphoric experience."
Elves have several subraces, including wood elves, dark elves, snow elves, western elves, and eastern elves. Generally, "eastern elves" are what individuals in Laminarum refer to when they say "elf." While there are also southern elves, they are genealogically similar to eastern elves. These ethnicities seem to mostly dependent on region rather than genetics, though. It is said that the ethnicity of a family line can switch in a single generation, so long as an elf is born in the right region. The only exception would be dark elves and western elves, which take far longer to change.
Elves believe all beings to be effected by the "dark waters" of Melifi's great rain, which tainted the creation of the universe, putting evil into everything that the cosmological elvish gods created; however, elves believe themselves to be the exception of this. Their legends tell that they were spared during creation, perhaps explaining their tendency towards selflessness, serenity, and optimism. Dark elves are the only subrace that are exempt from this, due to evil bargains their ancestors made during Ettermiddag. Fortunately, the elvish world is not a judgmental one, and elves hardly blame each other for the actions of their ancestors. Regardless of this starry eyed approach to society, dark elves tend to be subject to joining the ne'er-do-wells of society, likely because their complexion makes them more difficult to spot at night. While elves tend to push this idea to the side, claiming it is nothing but myth, humans have come to adamantly believe that dark elves should be avoided when traveling to Silse.
Culture
Elves are a selfless people. Their culture focuses heavily on helping those around you voluntarily and taking action to further society, rather than oneself. Their ideas have made them an idyllic group to live with, though their devotion is difficult to match. citizens in an elvish society tend to spend much time introspecting and philosophizing, which is generally considered the equivalent of worship. The people of Silse do not make churches, but will dedicate their creations to gods (such as monuments or the lands that they own, which is why their entire continent is named after various deities) as a way to "give back." The gods themselves tend to be primordial and cosmological creators of the universe that can scarcely be understood the further back their origination dates.
Elves are people of dedication in more ways than one. The best way to honor a fellow friend or family member is to "dedicate" something to them, the same as a community would for a god. When going away for a long period of time, it is not atypical for close friends or family to exchange articles of clothing or locks of hair. Gifts are generally common and they will look for any reason to celebrate when present in their own community.
The eastern elves live in communities that are overseen by a "king," but the elvish inclination toward volunteering has made an "anarchic kingdom" possible in a way that simply wouldn't work with humans (or any other peoples of Laminarum, for that matter). Their leaders present themselves as options for authority and are subsequently voted in by the people they will oversee, with the exception of their king (who was voted in and serves no term, though he can be voted out). Any territories within the kingdom may voluntarily leave the greater country without admonishment. Individuals may leave as well, but they can no longer reap benefits that the kingdom provides its citizens. Those that leave are given the assurance that they will not have their freedom rebuked in the future, nor their self found lands taken.
History and legends, as with any group, are a major part of elvish identity. Due to their long lifespans and disdain for destruction, elvish recollections and records of history are generally considered more accurate than the civilizations around them. Events as far back as Morgunn (as called by the Augury) are said to be accurate to this day. For this reason, Elvish maps and encyclopedias are widely sought after (though there is only one completed encyclopedia, as natives around the world have made elvish travels difficult).