Grey Elves - Terrasti

Terrasti commonly known as Grey elves are the closest to human of the elven races. They are about the same height as Ellasti, though there are less that fall on the tall side. Their skin is pale with a blue of grey tint. They have blonde to red hair and light eyes usually blue or green, though paler than you would find on a human. Like other elves, they are slim, and wiry and dexterous. Their closeness with humans could be because the Terrasti bloodline and human bloodline are more intertwine than any of the other races of elves. If fact, Terrasti culture is the only one of the three that does not disdain human-elf relationships. That being said, Terrasti have paid a great cost. They are not able to enter Arvandar. When a Grey elf dies, he dies as a mortal, passing on to Grazon to be sent on to the outer planes. They are also the shortest lived of the race of elves, having an average life span of 550 years. Whether it is their closeness with humans that cause their similarities, or the similarities that caused their closeness, Grey elves are the only elves that tend to get involved in human issues and politics. This is often a mark of contention between the races of elves, as the grey elves often push their sister races to leave their isolationism behind and get more involved in the world.

Habitat

Terrasti prefer wilderness living, especially woodlands. Like humans, they cultivate land, and build communities. The largest of these is Esendar. The main City of Esendar is a small forest, where the bulk of the elves live. The home of Esendar are made to looks like natural structures, and in many cases blend seamlessly with the trees of the forest. Around the forest, the elves work the land in large communal farms. Unlike humans, these farms are not owned by single elves. They are instead worked by those in the community who enjoy farming. Inside the city the elves live much as a human community would, with craftsman, laborers. While there are Elven merchants, they do not own the good they trade, but rather trade for the community.

Religion

Terrasti do not follow the traditionalist value of other elves. They worship Human Gods, and some have even taken to worship of the One. Elven Priest are not uncommon, and have no real discern able differences from Human priests. Elves are much less likely to worship darker gods such as Bennetar, or Tahkene, but it is not unknown.

Military

One tradition Terrasti have not turned away from is ensuring that every elf is trained with a bow and sword. This mean that in addition to any permanent military force a High Elf Community will have, they can call on any of the race to battle if need be.

Society

Grey elf society is much the same as High elves but there is a human element evident. The Elves Dual nature is also strong in Grey elves, they seem to invest in causes more readily. They do not have the burden of judgement on them and are freer with their actions than High Elves. High elves thing them hasty and too quick to action, a trait most do not admire of humans. Grey Elves still have large familial ties, that stretch to the extended family, but the families seem smaller and closer knit. Grey elves also have less relationships and tend to stay in them longer. Elder Grey elves seem to grow closer to their High elf cousins as the age, understanding the burden of their long lives, and they try to instill caution to their younger kin. Younger grey elves though tend to gravitate toward humans, and throw themselves around ideas. They support actions that their elders would rather wait and see the way the situation plays out. Grey elves have no King, but instead they are governed by the Grey elf elders. The top ten oldest make decision for the community. (Though sometime the “council” of elders may be smaller in smaller communities.)

Magic

Terrasti are much less magical in nature than the older Elven races. Their Elven blood makes natural born sorcerers much more common than human sorcerers, but they are still rarer than Terrasti Wizards. Most Wizards of the Terrasti, learn magic the same way a human mage would. Through a spellbook, and study. The Powerful Magic of elven elders has been lost to Terrasti, and is one of the few regrets that they have.

Relationship with other races

Like any other free race, any High elf's feeling towards another race are an individual thing, however there are some general feelings of the majority of the race toward certain other races. Humans – Grey elves are much more friendly with humans, and often have good relations with them. Elders try to caution the young against growing to attached to the relatively short-lived men and women, but often young Grey elves have to learn their lessons on their own. The elders are afraid that the humans may involve them in something that could harm the elves, and try to keep as much distance as they can, but with many younger kin pledging their support it is difficult to stay out of human affairs.

Dwarves – Grey Elves were not around during the time of the Runic Overlords or the Praxites, and do not understand the animosity between the dwarves and their race. They have a difficult understanding the thought of a dwarf and that causes them to be naturally suspicious, but they do not feel the deep-seated anger that other elves do for the race.

Halflings – Grey elves do not trust halflings. Their small race has carved out an existence among the rest of society often in ways that may hurt the larger community in the end. They see them as self-centered and selfish, thinking their survival is more important then the survival of the whole. This wars with their feeling of pity for the race. They understand that being small can mean being weak, especially when the halfling do not have the same warrior or magical aptitude as the elves do. They have to get by on their cunning, and while the Grey elves understand that, they still do not like the larger hurt their actions can cause a community.

Orcs, Goblins, Trolls — Grey Elf Hatred for these evil races are almost as strong as their High elf cousins. These races are known to hunt elves for sport and that alone is reason enough for the elves loathing. They also understand that these races are out to destroy everything the other good races of the word have built, and they will oppose them with everything they have.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Elves