Elf

On average, elves live to about 750 years old. The average 60-year old elf resembles what a human may refer to as a "tween". As a result, the threshold of legal adulthood is considered to be age 90. As such, the rearing of a single child can be rather time-intensive; many opt to have only one or two children, and families larger than four children are rare. It is not uncommon for several generations of a family to remain in the same home for their entire lives, each generation contributing to the rearing of the newest.
Virtually all elves have Natanis as a divine ancestor. Genetic and magical bottlenecks led them to become a distinct race of people, and has also made them more sensitive to magic than many other peoples.
The Drow are a distinct subgroup of elves who settled in the far north of the Eastern Continent.

Civilization and Culture

History

Unlike the other races of Ostrov, the elves were not a distinct people in the beginning. All of them descend from four demigods of Natanis who formed a distinct community very early in Ostrov’s history. Almar, Kilyn, Tinesi, and Lethonel were all raised together, having been born to different mothers only a few years apart. All four were passionate about learning, love and magic, and created a homestead for themselves on the north western shore of the Eastern Continent.

Almar was interested in the workings of nature and strove for harmony with the natural world. He built his house into the very heart of a large tree, and set the tone for what would become the elven style of architecture. Kilyn was the greatest mage of the four and was deeply interested in the craft of magic for its own sake. They undertook several rounds of study with Iden to learn the deeper lore that, at the time, only the god could teach. Tinesi was a great craftswoman, having learned from her father and older siblings. It was said that there was no craft she could not put her hands to and be successful. Finally, Lethonel was skilled in the arts of war. While that early in world’s history there wasn’t much more than border skirmishes to worry about, but he was nevertheless fascinated by mastery of the martial arts.

As the Four Founders settled into their new commune, they inevitably attracted interested people who wished to follow them. The demigods chose lovers from among their neighbors, and before long there were several generations of people descended from them. Because the community tended to be on the small side, even second or third cousins ended up having a closely woven divine lineage, and this inevitably led to some changes in their lifespan, magic potential, and appearance. Natanis kept a close eye on his children’s growing family and was able to advise them enough that while many traits bred true, nobody ended up truly inbred. By the time the elves began to venture forth from their enclave, they had become a separate people.