Sylvan Elf
There is almost nothing in our world, besides the gods themselves, that can compare to the magical prowess of a long-living elf. They have the talent and the time to reach for magical spheres that we humans can only dream of. It is their gift of birth.
by Drackzahn
Abilities
Exceptional Senses
Elves have heightened senses compared to most other species, more in the area of senses. There is one that jumps to the eye when reading about elves and that is their natural feeling for magic. Like an itch on their skin, they can feel magical energy, no matter if Soul energy or Pink Mist. This also allows them to sense most beings and their presence in their surrounding. The only ones they cant sense like this are beings with no magical power in them at all, which is rare on Bardor, but common on Earth.Telekinesis
Even elf babies are able to lift small little stones or their toys with their minds. This ability slowly strengthens over their long lifespan. Centuries-old elves are able to lift themself or others through the air with their telekinesis. The maximum carry weight and size depends on the elf's willpower, their magical power, the magic in the air around them, and their experience with the flow of mana. Ancient elves are able to lift not only people but even merchant carts over small distances.Telepathy
The telepathy is not comparable to those of the Spola Infection, yet it is still a mighty power for them. They can send small sentences between each other, or simply their emotions. The exact length of the conversation parts and the distance that can lie between two elves depends on their magical power and experience. Due to the mana consumption, most elves prefer using words instead of their telepathy in casual conversations.Magical Prowlness
The might and power of the elves and their civilizations lie in their natural talent for magic. Learning spells as Magisters is faster and easier for them. They have not more natural mana than other species, but their feeling for magic allows them to wield it far more efficiently than others. Where most non-elf archmagisters master one or at most two magical schools, an elf archmagster can master four or even five. Their long lifespans also help them out here and allow them to vault a huge pile of experience with magic.Basic Information
Anatomy
Elves, like most species of the known universe, have a humanoid shape with two arms, two legs, and a head on top. Their important organs are located in their torso and their head. The biggest difference compared to Humans are their pointy ears and their increased height, as well as their natural beauty. Elves are blessed by perfect skin, hair, and shapes of their bodies, which makes them nearly unnaturally beautiful in the eyes of most other species that are comparable to them.
Elves are almost exclusively female. The rate of female babies to male ones born is 10.000 to 1. Only a few dozen exist in an area at the same time. Male elves are hard to differ from female ones, due to their naturally feminine nature. Most humans will falsely identify most male elves as females on first look.
The bodies of elves are more fragile than those of humans or other more physical species. Their wounds heal quickly, but their skin is easy to cut. Only their agility and reflexes allow them to stand in melee fights against other species.
Biological Traits
Even with a potential infinite lifespan, it is not rare that an elf dies before they reach the millenium of age. Most die simply during accidents, fights or illnesses. The average lifespan of these elves that life in secured areas like big cities is far higher than those that life in small groups in the wilderness.
Depending on the ethnicity, the elves vary in height and muscles. While the Blessed Elves are more elegant, high in size and fragile in body, the Hilar Elves are smaller, but also broader and have visible muscles. In nearly all groups of elves, the females dominate not only the numbers, but also the society and hold all key positions.
Genetics and Reproduction
Due to the low population of male elves, their genetic allow them to exchange genes between two females of their species. They can reproduce in three different ways. The most common one is by two female elves exchanging genetic material and one or both of them becoming pregnant. This method has a high fail rate, but due to their long lives, they have enough time and endurance to gain children by this method. The second is by having sex with one of the rare male members of their species. The success rate is near 100%, and preferred by many elves due to the high rate of pregnancies. This rarely gives the male a powerful position and often it is the females that use and dominate the male elf. The last method is my sex with similar species like humans or nekos. The success rate is low, but mixed births are possible. Most of these births will result in elf children if the mother is an elf.
Pregnancy for elves is generally 15 months long but differs slightly by the age of the elf. Older elves often have shorter pregnancies. The reason is unknown.
The general reproduction rate is low for elves due to their long lives and missing sexual desire for reproduction during most stages of their lives.
Growth Rate & Stages
Humans! They learn new skills in a matter of weeks or months whereas we elves take our time. We do not rush things. Remember child, it is better to take your time instead of rushing things like them. Their low lifespan always sits on their neck. We take our time and we master our skills properly. In the end, we are superior to them.Elves are generally known for their long lives and slow growth. We can separate their life loosely into several stages, beginning with childhood.
Childhood
The growth rate of elvish children is loosely double the time compared with humans. They require around 30 years to be fully grown out and during this time, they are heavily dependent on their parents and their family and clan. Elvish children learn slowly, but steadily to master the basic skills they require for life.Young Ones
Elves who are fully grown out physically, but not mentally are called young ones in most of their societies. Most elves are called young ones til they reach 100 years of age. During this time, they explore the world, try out many things, and try to find out their place in this world. Many simply follow the steps of their forefathers, while others want to make their own path through the world. During these years, elvish minds are comparable to young adults of humans for their adventurous spirit and the will to try out new things and find new hobbies.Adults
With the age of 100, elves are seen as full adults. Most have found their place by then and are beginning to become masters of their crafts. At this age, they also begin to take an increased interest in founding their own family and finding a partner for life. Adult elves also become more traditional and conservative often, resulting in less will to experiment and do things in the old good way.Elder
There is no exact age or trigger to tell the time when an elf officially becomes an elder of their species. Most elders are the oldest members of their families, clans, or villages and are several centuries old, if not a millennium old. They are often a strong pillar for not only their environment but also respected in the crafts they chose during their adult years. An elder smith of the elves is able to produce the best weapons known in most of Bardor and elder magisters often have fully mastered at least one school of magic. Elders rarely change their way of handling things anymore and are stubborn like rocks.Ancient
Elves who are so old that their lifespan spans ages are called ancient. They are often several thousand years old, most even forget their exact time of birth or even where they were born. They are more comparable to forces of nature than to young elves of their own species. Each single ancient elf is a powerful being, master of their craft, and most often a powerful magister of magic. They have an understanding of the world that is not reachable for most species. This goes to a point where most assume they can soothsaying the future itself, simply due to their experience and knowledge. Ancient elves are rare, even in their own societies. Most die long before being even close to reaching this stage of their lives.Ecology and Habitats
Sylvan elves prefer a temperate climate with mild winters and summers. Their fragile bodies make extreme temperatures or humidity hard to endure without proper equipment. Elves are a rural species, preferring to live in homes with two or three others, most often other elves. They build small but elegant homes for themselves. Even the big elfish towns and cities in the Blessed Nation of Syl are often more comparable to wide-spreading villages, missing dense urbanization or collection of many big and tall buildings and structures. Elves enjoy having nature around themselves and often plant trees in their villages and cities. Most of their cities are green and full of plants, ponds, artificial or real rivers, as well as extended greenery between the buildings.
Dietary Needs and Habits
The biology of elves makes them omnivores, yet they prefer a herbivore diet. Most elves eat meat rarely, if even. Their bodies are good at maintaining their calories, allowing them to miss out on eating for weeks if required. Plant-based food, especially fruits from trees or berries is enjoyed by most elves. A purely meat-based dietary is rare for most of their civilizations but exists in these tribes that require a calorie-rich diet for their environment or life. Most elves take their time in making their meals and eating them, transforming them nearly in a ritual, much to the dissatisfaction of guests of other species.
Behaviour
Elves are well known for being high and mighty, feeling they are entitled to more for being one of the few 'immortal' races and having chosen their home to be beneath the Tree of the Goddess. However, among themselves they are Civil and proper, often trying to look as elegant as possible to distinguish themselves. They claim they are above pettiness and 'racial bias' but its fairly clear that they do partake in such things. However, some younger Elves are known for their kindness.
Elves hold themselves proud of their Intelligence and experience and often find themselves being leaders of organizations or teachers. Their slow learning is a strength in their minds, as they do not simply learn new crafts, but master them fully instead.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Elves honor wisdom and age strongly. Their socities are based on the words of their elders and their knowledge and wisdom. The old paths are often taken instead of newer ones. Tradional values play a strong role in their society, like the tradition that women are in power. Due to their demographics, nearly all elvish societies are dominated by their women.
The society of elves is slow in allowing new impulses in and often tries to uphold old values and traditions more than progress. New things are in general seen as something suspecious by most elves and structures are rarely changed. This makes elvish societies stable. Civil wars between themselves or revolts are extremely rare.
Facial characteristics
Do not look at an elven face for too long. You will be entranced by their natural beauty. Perfect skin, no facial hair, and an elegant smile are all it needs to let most humans fall in love with them.Elves are generally beautiful and elegant in their facial structure. There are rarely asymmetries in their faces and their skin is soft and without visible flaws. They take good care of their beauty and are known for it. Their hair is most often silk-like and blonde. The eyes of most elves are big and sharp.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The elves have spread of nearly all continents of Bardor. The absolute majority of the population calls the Blessed Nation of Syl their home. Most elves also live in the Sylvan Lands, while there are also big populations on Atlanesis.
Elves tend to gather in big population centers with villages spread around these few centers. Most of them prefer to live together with other elves.
Average Intelligence
Elves are not in general more intelligent than other sapient species like Humans or Nekos, but their long lives and slow way of learning allows them to gain more experience, wisdom and knowledge than most other species. This often leads to the idea that elves are in general more intelligent and wise than all other species.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
The senses of elves are sharp like their ears. They have especially good hearing, only topped by the Nekos in the Sylvan Lands. Most other senses are comparable to Humans who have trained and sharpened their senses over the years. Elves have additionally a natural sense for the flow of Magic and Pink Mist in their environment. Like an itch on their skin, they can locate sources of mana, may it be soul energy or the chaotic forces of the pink mist. This natural sense of magic allows them to sense all beings who have magic in themselves. This means that sneaking on an elf is nearly impossible if you have magic in you.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
The biggest organization of the Sylvan elves is the Blessed Nation of Syl. It is the center of their species and where most of them have their home. Additionally, they have spread into several other nations on which they had a strong impact over the centuries including the The Desert Sands of Yani, Arcanacracy of Mani, Teuhali Order, and Woodlands of Arana.
Average Technological Level
Sylvan elves had a huge impact on the development of magic over the centuries. They also were greatly involved in many discoveries on Bardor, like farming, mining, metal smithing, advanced construction methods, and more.
Most of their nations have a technological level comparable to a magical medieval nation.
History
The Sylvan Elves developed on Bardor around the river Sylvia's Stream around 80.000 years ago. They quickly began spreading in the following ages and soon could be found over the whole Sylvan Lands, which gave them their name. They were one of the first sapient species that developed on the planet and dominated their territory. The first nation of them was the Blessed Nation of Syl, to which history the elves are highly connected.
During and after the War of the Gods, many sylvan elves were abducted and sold as slaves towards Atlanesis, which allowed their species to spread there as well.
Today, there exist several different ethnicities with many different cultures of Sylvan Elves on Bardor.
Common Myths and Legends
Many sylvan elves believe that they are the chosen ones of Sylvia. Their holiest place is the Blessed Seat of Syl under Sylvia's magical tree. Many of their legends tell about how Sylvia brought the elves to the Sylvan Lands and personally allowed them to build their nation in her own territory.
Scientific Name
Pure ar Nún
Origin/Ancestry
Blessed Elves
Lifespan
Infinite
Average Height
2,1 m / 7 feet
Average Weight
60 kg
Average Physique
Elves are often high, slender, and fragile in their physique. They have soft skin with not much hair covering it. They are often missing the visible muscles like the humans have them, but instead rely on their agility and their magic. Many elves use physical enhancement spells to close the physical gap towards other species during fights.
Geographic Distribution
Related Organizations
Related Ethnicities
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