Elf

Elves are a long-lived, pointy-eared humanoid species in Diaghal. Once immortal fey beings, elves were believed to have been bestowed mortal lives in order to prevent them wasting away after Corellon left the world during the Shattering.

Physiology

Elves 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. Elves have very little sexual dimorphism; males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females. Elves’ appearance encompasses the normal human range, with additional unique skin, hair, and eye colouration depending on their ethnicity. Elves have no facial hair and little body hair. The most obvious, unique feature of elves are their long, pointy ears. Elves mature at the same rate as humans, physically reaching adulthood in their late teens, but were not considered adults until an individual declared themself to be soon after reaching their centennial birthday. Elves could live to be around 750 years old. Elves have a lower rate of fertility than most other humanoids, leading to the myth among non-elves that elves could control the fertility of their sperm and eggs.

Culture

According to tradition, elves categorize their cultures according to three groups, often called subraces: Los’Alfar, Myr’Alfar, and Dok’Alfar. These subraces identify varying factors, such as origin, divine purpose, and cultural similarities. In addition to these, there is sometimes considered to be a fourth subrace, Miosh’Alfar, that identifies mythical, extinct, or extraterrestrial elvish ethnic groups.
Los’Alfar, also known as High Elves, are usually considered to be sedentary, with a cultural value on arcane magic. According to myth, Corellon created the Los’Alfar in order to be the guardians and safekeepers of magic. The Anwyn, Tsekito, and Eladrin elves are considered to be part of the Los’Alfar identifier. The Anwyn, also called Sun Elves or Gold Elves, are primarily found in Western Tuatha, with continental Tylwythir holding the largest population. Of the Los’Alfar, Anwyn are considered to be the most proficient with magic. The Tsekito, also called Moon Elves or Silver Elves, are primarily found on the eastern continents of Diaghal, with the largest population in Tsekitiro. Tsekito are famed for being excellent weaponsmiths. The Eladrin, also called Fey Elves or Seasonal Elves, are primarily found in the Feywild, but can be found in large populations in the Tylwythirian island of Nysig. While most Los’Alfar are sedentary, many Eladrin are followers of the Seasonal Maidens, and as such, live nomadic lives.
Myr’Alfar, also known as Wild Elves, are usually considered to be nomadic, and attempt to live in harmony with the natural world. According to myth, Corellon created the Myr’Alfar to be the guardians and safekeepers of nature. The Fhianna, Anua, and Hantula are considered to be Myr’Alfar. The Fhianna, also called Forest Elves or Green Elves, are primarily found in Olcaris, Lurean, and northern and central Tuatha. They are famed for their knowledge of herbs and medicine. The Anua, also known as Desert Elves or Red Elves, are primarily found in Lurean, Ysen Tei, and southern and central Tuatha. More guarded towards strangers than their other Myr’Alfar kin, Anua are famed for their beast-taming abilities. The Hantula, also called Sea Elves or Blue Elves, are found throughout the Inner Seas of Diaghal. While once widespread, encroachments from Pelavayan and the Tavanuan Khaganate have pushed most of their sovereign territory to a few scant islands in the Coravian Sea, the largest of which are the islands Kunat and Arana.
Dok’Alfar, also known as Dark Elves, are elvish groups that are more reclusive than their kin. Unlike other elves, Dok'Alfar cannot recall memories of previous lives when they trance. According to myth, the Dok’Alfar were created when different deities stole the souls of the elves that Corellon sent back to Crith to live out mortal lives. The Caillaghyn, Drow, and Shadar-kai are considered Dok’Alfar. The Caillaghyn, also called Twilight Elves, are considered to be both the most amiable and isolationist of the Dok’Alfar. Unlike most of their subrace, who were taken by deities, the Caillaghyn were stolen by the Twilitwoods itself, where they reside. The Drow, also called Deep Elves, reside throughout the Underdark. Drow, while one ethnic group, have many different societies, usually based on which deity they worship. The Shadar-kai, also called Shadow Elves, are found primarily in the Shadowfell, though they keep settlements on the island of Shadar-eil. Few people see Shadar-kai, and sight of one is considered a bad omen, as most Shadar-kai on the material plane have been sent to gather information, objects, and immaterial things for the Raven Queen.
Miosh’Alfar, also called Mythic Elves, are elvish cultures believed to be extinct or non-native to Crith. The Miosh’Alfar classification includes the Avariel, the Grugach, and the Palidar. The Avariel, also called Winged Elves, were believed to be created by Eadro, and have feathered wings sprouting from their back. The Grugach, also called Snow Elves, were believed to be created by Kord, and have furred ears. Both are widely thought to be extinct, hunted down by orcs that follow Gruumsh. Rarely seen and not native to Crith are the Palidar, or Astral Elves, elves with skin that look like nebulae, who ride strange ships that can travel through space.
The native tongue of the elves is a group of mutually intelligible languages called Korai, usually known in Common as Elvish, but which could be literally translated as “language” or “speak”. Elvish languages include Awnnish, spoken by the Anwyn, Tsekigen, spoken by the Tsekito, Eladrin, spoken by the ethnic group of the same name, Glakorai, spoken by the Fhianna, Yanfikoh, spoken by the Anua, Umai, spoken by the Hantula, Caillaghyn, spoken by the ethnic group of the same name, Zhearl, spoken by the Drow, and Shadarese, spoken by the Shadar-kai. Drow also used a type of sign language, usually just called Drow Sign.
Elves are famed for being more sexually liberal than most other humanoids. Many elvish cultures are polygamous. Lower and middle class elves often have multiple spouses, and noble elves, where marriages are considered diplomatically important, have a primary spouse with other spouses. Lolthite and Kiaransaleean drow societies are usually polyandrous.
The most widely practiced and traditional faith amongst elves is the Seldarine. According to myth, elves were originally created as divine beings by Corellon, who then gave them mortal forms in order for them to survive the Shattering. In addition, in most elvish denominations of the Seldarine, practicing the religion is the only way that elves will continue to reincarnate, a socially and culturally important part of the elvish outlook. However, most Dok’Alfar either do not follow the Seldarine, or follow unique faiths descended from it. Drow follow the Dok’Seldarine, literally “Dark Seldarine”, a henotheistic faith partially based on its surface world counterpart. Shadar-kai follow Kirism, a religion based around the Raven Queen that they share with the Rondians. Caillaghyn are traditionally agnostic.
Some elves hold customs to not cut their hair. Because elves do not grow old at a rate similar to other humanoids, this tradition was usually used as an identifier of an individual's age.
Most elvish cultures have vegetarian cuisine, or at the very least, had a reduced portion of meat compared to other humanoids.

History

According to Seldarine myth, elves were created as amorphous fey spirits by Corellon during the Firstborn Era. Corellon shed pieces of themself from themself, and from it came the first elves. When humans came to Crith, they often supposedly interacted with humanity in forms that looked similar to them. Elves lived in their fey forms until the Shattering. When Corellon left for the Feywild, the elves weakened, and Corellon knew the elves would die out if the deity did not do anything. So, Corellon called the elves to the Feywild, and explained to them that they must take mortal forms in order to survive. However, when they died, they would find their way to Arvandor, and live there in splendour for a length of time. After their time in Arvandor was done, they would return to the material plane and be reincarnated. Corellon instructed their elves to find humans as soon as they set foot again upon the world, as the first human they met would be the basis of their appearance. Then, Corellon sent their elves forth. However, two other deities, Lolth, Corellon’s daughter, and Shauril, Corellon’s sister, felt the return of the elves to the material plane. When they witnessed the elvish souls pass by them, they captured them, and, to spite Corellon, turned them into mortal elves loyal to them. These captured elves became the Drow and the Shadar-kai. As well, the great evil of the Twilitwoods siphoned away the elvish souls that passed by them, and those souls took mortal forms that would become the Caillaghyn.
During the early Arcane Age, elves were thought to be the only humanoid race with spellcasting knowledge. According to Seldarine myth, this is because Corellon bestowed the knowledge upon them, though some scholars and other faiths posit that elves might have simply been the first to discover the technique of casting most forms of magic. As a result of both this, and that elves had no homeland to call their own, many were captured and enslaved. Enslavement of elvish populations became far less practiced after the spread of the knowledge of spellcasting throughout the world. Elythir, which is recognized as the first elvish nation, came about during the mid-Arcane Age, in what is now northern Tylwythir. Founded by King Larenthian, it lasted for around 200 years before it was destroyed by the Ruustrith-daantiir orc tribe, a few years after Gruumsh killed Larenthian in battle. In the modern day, Larenthian is believed to have been an avatar of Corellon, and worshipped as a god of warfare and protection.
In modern times, the two primary elf-ruled nations are Tylwythir and Tsekitiro. A commonwealth of kingdoms, elves are found in the northern and central parts of Tylwythir, primarily in the kingdoms of Hysenthir and Kogwynar. Founded a little over a century ago, Tsekitiro was created by non-human separatists from the former empire of Hitochi. The largest ethnic population in this separatist organization, known as the Sylvan Sovereignty, were Tsekito, and as a result, are the most populous ethnic group of the nation. While not considered a formal country internationally or by its residents, the islands of Kunat and Arana are also settled almost entirely by Hantula elves.

Origin/Ancestry

Fey

Lifespan

750 years

Average Height

4'5" - 6'2"

Average Weight

77 - 200 lbs