Elves

Before the days of I'Awarthod the elves of the Fey lived and died by their political system, the Seelie and Unseelie courts of the Feywild. For the Fey creatures of the Prime Material Plane, these days are long gone, a forgotten memory to all but the oldest of them.
Modern Elves of Doremval are survivors, some may remember the days long past of time spent in the Feywild, while younger ones rely on stories told by their elders of a world filled with grand forests and woods, trees that seemingly reached up to the gods themselves and kingdoms that were built into them, but no longer.
Since I'Awarthod (The Stranding) the elves have had to find new places to call their home, some taking up refuge in the forests of Orzadama and creating vast networks of homes in the trees and in one instance transforming the entirety of the forest around them into a great kingdom (Cerza'Ghalthur), now the seat of power of the more traditional Elves of the region. Others have taken to city life, becoming absorbed in and even influencing the cultures around them. Others still have taken to a life with no place to call their home, living their lives as mercenaries and hired blades. the last few decades have seen many elves turn to lives on the sea, be it as traders or as privateers.
No matter where they choose to call home, or how many generations removed from I'Awarthod, the Elves cannot help but feel as though a people displaced, treading a line on the fringes of a world they've made their own and one that calls to them from just beyond reach.
Seats of Power: Cerza'Ghaltur

Traits

Age: Elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, and once lived for centuries. The last few generations of Elves have seen drastically reduced lifespans, the oldest of them not making it to 3 centuries.
Size: Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.
Speed: Your movement speed is 30 ft.
Darkvision: Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses: You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Fey Ancestry: You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Trance: Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep. If you meditate during a long rest, you finish the rest after only 4 hours. You otherwise obey all the rules for a long rest; only the duration is changed.
Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and either Elhien or Enyal. Elhien is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elhien literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elhien ballads to their repertoires.

Subspecies

Dark Elves

Whispers and rumors dance through the Feywild, wafting from ear to ear speaking tales of what was once the Dark Elf empire, from a time before time, before the courts were established. These stories changed everywhere you go, usually handed down through Elven families. Now the Dark Elves are no stronger or weaker than the rest of the Elvish. Most have accepted the way things are, and while they generally favored the Unseelie Court, it is not uncommon to see Dark Elves in the Seelie Court, perfectly content in answering to a Silvanesti or Qualinesti master.
There are rumors of a sect, a small group that still dreams of overthrowing the Courts and reestablishing a great empire of the dark elves.
Modern Prime Material Plane Dark Elves have long since forgotten about the courts, much like their extended brothers and sisters and now cut their teeth making their was just as the rest do. Most rifts between clans were healed in the first century that followed I'Awarthod as all of elvenkind had to band together to find their way through the world.

Traits

Superior Darkvision: Having spent so long in the darkest reaches of the Feywild and in the shadow darkened woods, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Dark Elf Magic: You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day; you must finish a long rest in order to cast the spell again using this trait. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
Dark Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.

High Elves

There are two types of High Elves.

Silvanesti: The Silvanesti are what most people in the Realms envision when they thing about the Highborn. Slender with bronzed skin and usually golden blond hair with eyes of honey to match. These Elves are haughty and reclusive, seeing themselves as superior to all others, elves and non elves alike. In the Feywild they tend to favor the Seelie Court. They usually adorn themselves with bright, fancy, and expensive clothing or armor, never willing to miss a chance to remind those below them of their status.

Qualinesti: The Qualinestri are often found to be easier to get along with, their personalities rarely cling to pride or vanity, dismissing it for the hopes of friendship and company. While the paler, silver or black haired siblings of the Silvanesti often seem to be much simpler they are anything but. The fact is that the Qualinesti have as much of a motive as anyone else, but veil it well behind the caring stare of green or blue hues. The Qualinesti usually prefer simple armors that offer movement and convenience over the flashier armors of their siblings.

Traits

High Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.
Cantrip: You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.
Extra Language: You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choosing.

Common Elves

Common Elves is what one would expect to often encounter when coming into contact with the children of the Feywild. They make up the majority of the known elven communities and include Wood Elves, City Elves, and the seafaring Elves and all things in between. There are far fewer specific expectations to the inherent culture of common Elves, as they have spread far and wide, some choosing to immerse themselves in the culture of the people and places around them, while others have created their own culture on the seas, and others still cling to the traditions of their ancestors.

Traits

Elf Weapon Training: You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow or the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.
Fleet of Foot/Child of the Sea: Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet or you have a swimming speed of 30 feet and can hold your breath for twice as long as normal (1+CON Modifier x2 minutes).
Mask of the Wild: You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena.

Nostiel

The stories say that when the Drin were confronted with whatever it was that created the night monsters known as Vampires they had a very strange and unique reaction. Instead of going through the transformation that all the rest suffered through these high elves were changed n a different way. They gained no weakness to the sun, and while they would be nagged at by their thirst for blood they did not find themselves driven to the point of madness or starvation by lack of it. They still consumed solid foods though they found that they no longer had the ability to rest through trance, instead requiring a full nights sleep to feel rejuvenated (or to feed on a large amount of blood). These ancient ones then went on to spawn others of their kind, a bite from one of these ancients was a sure way to turn other elves (be they high or not) and soon the 4 ancients dubbed themselves the Blood Chiefs and separated into clans, the Kalstra, the Nirka, the Ghont, and the Faulk. The 4 Blood Chiefs come together when needed to make major decisions or to discuss important matters with the courts (with whom they share no affiliation with).
After separating into these clans the Blood Chiefs quickly learned that when a non Blood Chief attempts to turn another being they become a Thrull, losing all sense of self and mutating into a bone carapaced mindless monster.
The Nostiel are typically pale, tall and slender, with long, elegant necks and broad shoulders. Bony horns protrude from their shoulders, elbows, hands, and head, and they are often augmented by the layered plates of their armor, clothing, or accessories. Their canine teeth are slightly elongated, but not enough to protrude between their closed lips, and their eyes a blood red, a glimmer noticeable at night or in darkness.
While the Blood Chief are capable of turning other elves, Nostiel are still capable of having children. With all elves the results will always be a Nostiel, though with other partners the chances vary, averaging about a 50 percent chance.

Traits

Superior Darkvision: Having spent so long in the darkest reaches of the Feywild and in the shadow darkened woods, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 120 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Blood Thirst: You can drain blood and life energy from a willing creature, or one that is grappled by you, incapacitated, or restrained. Make a melee attack against the target. If you hit, you deal 1 piercing damage and 1d8 necrotic damage. The target's hit point maximum is reduced by an amount equal to the necrotic damage taken, and you regain hit points equal to that amount. The reduction lasts until the target finishes a long rest. The target dies if this effect reduces its hit point maximum to 0.

Blood Rush: When you drain blood with your Blood thirst ability, you experience a surge of vitality. Your speed increases by 10 feet, and you gain advantage on Strength and Dexterity checks and saving throws for 1 minute.

Vampiric Vitality: You have resistance to necrotic damage but can no longer trance.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Elhien is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elhien literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elhien ballads to their repertoires. This is the classic traditional language of the Elves, spoken in the Feywild and in Cerza'Ghalthur.
Enyal is a more modern take on the language, changed over time as they incorporated words from other popular languages across Orzadama and along the sea routes. This language is brave, brash, and bold, full of passion and rolling letters off of your tongue.