Elf
Elves are capable of interbreeding with humans (thus producing half-elves and quarter-elves) and dryads. Though elves are incredibly long lived, only young elves are fertile, thus elven populations tend to reproduce at a slower rate than humans.
Like other nonhumans, elves are often persecuted by Nordlings. Because of that, many elves were members of the Scoia'tael guerrillas allied with Nilfgaard during the empire's second invasion of the Northern Kingdoms . In return, Emperor Emhyr var Emreis gave the elves a state of their own in Dol Blathanna and made Enid an Gleanna its queen.
Elves believe that they were created, unlike humans, who evolved. For this reason, some elves consider humans to be little more than hairless apes. Aside from Aen Seidhe, there exists another group of elves called Aen Elle that inhabits another world.
Appearance
Characteristic features of elves include pointed ears and small, identical teeth without cuspids (canine teeth). Elves tend to be very tall and lean, and due to their longevity often appear youthful. Elves are often considered attractive by humans. Like humans, Elves choose to wear a variety of different clothing styles, although Scoia'tael are known to favor furs and hides, particularly those of squirrels and other forest dwelling creatures.Culture
The elven culture places an emphasis on naturalism and living in harmony with the land, rather than bending it to one's will. Urban elves tend to be very scholarly or artistic, but can take up a variety of professions just like humans. Rural elves that do not live amongst humans live a somewhat simpler lifestyle, hunting, gathering, and living off the land as needed. In battle, elven warriors favor bows and metal swords, as well as light armor made out of furs and hides. They tend to be skilled at sword fighting from horseback.Language
Most elves speak Elder Speech, the traditional language of the Aen Seidhe. Almost all elves have at least a rudimentary familiarity with Common Speech, but many, particularly city dwelling elves speak the common tongue just as well as any other human.Technology
It appears many elven clans in the North have a tradition of hunting and gathering, as elves of Dol Blathanna are unfamiliar with agriculture and concepts such as crop rotation. Though many now are destroyed, elves were once capable of making great cities and palaces out of stone, but they did not make castles or fortresses. However, by the time of the Witcher series many of these settlements have long been destroyed or occupied and altered by humans . Elven bows are renowned for their light weight and ease of use, and experienced hunters often favor them over human bows. A style of Elven bow known as a zhefar is shorter in arc length and formed from a composite of wood and animal sinew. The human hunter Milva claimed that though lighter than human yew bows, zhefars will launch an arrow at a higher velocity and with a reduced spread of accuracy.Society
Elves created magnificent towns and palaces before the arrival of humans to the continent, destroying many of them following conflicts, as they did not wish for elven architecture to fall into the hands of humans. Many modern human cities including Novigrad, Oxenfurt, Vizima, Tretogor, Maribor, Cidaris, and the city of Cintra are built on the ground of destroyed elven cities. Many elves and half elves have managed to integrate into human society but are still faced with prejudice on a day-to-day basis. Others have chosen to live in the wilds in secluded clans, living off the land and avoiding all contact with humans if possible.Religion
Elves once, before humans arrived on the Continent, worshipped a diety similiar to Melitele, in that they worshipped a goddess of harvest and fertility.History
Elves travelled to the Continent on their white ships approximately two-and-a-half thousand years before the arrival of humans, most likely from another world travelled from by a portal. For a thousand years, the elves colonized much of the Continent, mostly through peaceful means, though they did clash with several races, such as vrans, werebbubbs and dwarves, taking control of the vrani city of Loc Muinne.By the time of the First Landing and the arrival of humans on the Continent, elves mistook their intentions and underestimated the threat of human colonisation. As they continued to refused to commit to a human-elven war, fearing thousands of casualties, they chose to keep fleeing to the east, hoping that the invaders would eventually stop expanding, abandoning many of their cities in the process. Eventually, a peace treaty was signed amongst the humans and elves, although this was broken just a few years later when Redanian forces, led by Milan Raupenneck, attacked and slaughtered the inhabitants of Loc Muinne. Thus, the second elven-human war started, which quickly resulted in an elven defeat and their retreat further east, a blow from which their race has never managed to recover from.
Many years later, another peace treaty was signed with the weary elves, which allowed them to live in the mountains without attack from humans if they submitted to them, which was their fate for several years, until about two hundred years ago, when Aelirenn led her people, against the wishes of their elders, towards a suicidal battle against the humans, which resulted in her and all her warriors' death.
