Elf

Despite the fact that elves (or Fair Ones as they are sometimes known) are among the most common of Golarion's humanoid races, they are a people in decline. Their culture peaked thousands of years ago, and they have been unable to repopulate the many places they once called home. The remaining few are largely concentrated in the wholly elven nation of Kyonin, and to a lesser extent on the island of Mordant Spire in the Steaming Sea, in the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse, and in the wilds of the nation of Varisia.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elves are tall, slender humanoids who are greater in height but more slender in build than humans. Elves tend to be more frail than humans, though their natural lifespan is measured in centuries. Elves tend to be elegant, in both appearance and movement, possessed of an almost supernatural grace.
Their colouration varies far less than humans', with most Avistani elves being quite pale and fair skinned, though almost none possess freckles or blemishes. Elves tend to have bright green or dark blue, ranging to nearly black, eyes. The irises of the elven race are far larger than those of other humanoids, often making it seem like they have little or no white in their eyes. This trait can often make elves seem alien and unreadable to humans and dwarves. Their hair, which is typically naturally straight and healthy, usually ranges through the normal spectrum of fair hair, though some possess pure colourless white hair. Neither elven males nor females go bald, and indeed they show little in the way of discernible signs of aging.[citation needed] Elven ears are generally between six to nine inches in length and point backwards, angling upwards slightly to end usually parallel to the crown of the head.

Sexual dimorphism

There isn't as much sexual dimorphism in elves as in other humanoids. Males tend to be taller and broader, though rarely broader than a human male. They tend to be naturally lean and fit, with inhumanly good metabolisms. Males do not grow facial hair, or indeed much body hair. Many have at least shoulder-length hair. Female elves are slender and willowy, considered beautiful by most. They are almost as tall as human males, though lighter of frame and weight than most human females. Their faces tend to be austere and beautiful, with high cheekbones and delicate symmetrical features.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Elves have low-light vision and can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.

Civilization and Culture

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Elves speak Elven, but have learned that being fluent in Taldane is quite useful. Elven is believed to be among the eldest, if not the eldest of the languages mortals speak on Golarion. Scholars conjecture that it was formed when elven speakers of Sylvan tried to introduce grammatical rules and vocabulary from both Celestial and Draconic. The elven alphabet contains 33 letters (24 consonants and nine vowels). It is a complex language, but sounds poetic in tone and cadence.

Common Dress Code

Elves maintain an otherworldly beauty, and whether found in their magnificent wilderness communities or cosmopolitan civilizations, are often well-dressed and even glamorous.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Burial customs

Most elves prefer to be buried in natural surroundings, such as being mummified in a bog, or interred in a still forest beneath a small sapling. Because death among the elves is such a long-expected if inevitable event, others prefer to elevate their death by being laid to rest in a stone tomb where others can remember them for all eternity.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-Elf