Half Elf

Half-elves is a generic name for those whose ancentry is comprised of human parent and elven parent. Most half-elves are of High Elf descent. The reasons for this are simple: Sea Elves cannot live with humans; Sehan Elves will not knowingly approach humans in such friendly circumstances; Wood Elves would simply flee or hide; and drow would slaughter the fool who trusted them. There are always exceptions to these generalizations, of course. Some elves will always break the mold of their kind by doing something unpredictable. A few Sehan Elves consent to speak freely with humans, and it is possible one could consort with a human out of love. Not all Wood Elves elves are recluses, nor are all Drow ruthless, evil killers. Sea Elves are not as unreachable as they might seem, for humans have long used magic to visit the underwater realms. Since they have difficulty being totally accepted in either world, half-elves tend to be travelers and loners, alternating between human and elf societies. When life sours in one, they move to the other for a time. They have come to see the best of both worlds.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Since they are human and elven both in demeanor, half-elves are generally easily recognizable as such. They are taller and heavier than the average elf, though their hair and eyes often reflect those of their human parent. However, they also take on some of the features of the elven parent. The skin of those descended from sea elves is a blend of human and elven flesh, often appearing as a pale green or a very light blue. Their hair echoes that of their human parent, though it can contain a hint of green or blue.

Genetics and Reproduction

Although there are rare exceptions, halfelves are predominantly also half human; elven genes typically cannot cross with anything other than human genes. The children of two half-elves generally appear as did their parents. In cases where a half-elf's parents were descended from different subraces of elf, the results are varied. Fifty percent of the time, the child will take on a mixture of the parents' characteristics; 25% of the time the child will resemble the mother, and 25% of the time resemble the father.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Some half-elves are not readily accepted in either elf or human communities, and they often become introverted, sullen, and embittered. Lucky half-elves gain access to both races, for often elves and humans find half-elves fascinating. Largely, it is a matter of the half-elf in question and the societies with which he or she deals. Half-elves are never accepted in Sehan Elf society, for half-elves serve as a palpable reminder of all that the Sehan Elves wish to eradicate.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Obviously, half-elves do not have an easy time integrating themselves. They are often outsiders, playing out their roles on the borders of society. There is a pervasive racism inherent in many of the societies in which half-elves take part, although not many will admit to it. Such racism exists in both human and elf lands, and it is often hard for half-elves to form attachments to either race. Instead, many create their own communities, where all are free to live as they will. Unfortunately, many half-elves have allowed their experiences with humans and with elves to sour them toward both races; in half-elf communities, the members of their parents' races are not always welcome.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Sehan Half-Elves

Sehan half-elves, while extremely rare, exist only in human society, since they never find homes with Sehan Elves. They are less easy to spot than many other half-elves, for the hair and eyes of Sehan Elves are often close to human standards. The hair and eyes of these half-elves are of a lighter tinge than many humans, but aside from the pointed ears, these half-elves can be confused as smaller humans.

High half-Elves

As with Sehan Elves, the descendants of high elves can easily be mistaken for humans for a short while. Since the high elf coloration is nearly identical to that of humans (although the skin is somewhat paler), their half-elf children pass among the shorter-lived races with few problems. As long as they keep their ears covered and perhaps do something to disguise their angular features, they can usually remain unnoticed.

Wood Half-elves

The half-elves of sylvan blood have the easiest time passing through human lands. Since Wood Elves are the largest of their breed and their skin tans, the wood half-elves can pass themselves off as humans fairly well. These half-elves take to the forest easily and often become rangers; since they are on the fringes of society anyway, it is only natural that they would take a life that reflects this.

Drow Half-elves

The half-elf children of drow are the most unusual in appearance of all half-elves. Their skin is dusky grey, their hair bleached white. Their ancestry is perfectly obvious to all, and they typically find no solace or sanctuary in either elf or human communities. Even worse, the drow will often seek out the individual in order to expunge the blot on drow honor.

Human Relations

Humans, despite their fascination with half-elves, hold half-elves in some suspicion. Since many half-elves turn to a life of carefree adventuring or even outright thievery, they cannot be trusted with great responsibility. In addition, they are a mingling of the blood of two disparate races, and no one can ever be sure of what the result of such a union will be. Many half-elves are also the unhappy byproduct of war crimes, and they are feared to echo the circumstances of their conception. Their motives are, for humans at least, suspect.

Elf Relations

Elves, on the other hand, typically see these children as inferior mongrels. They may try to tolerate presence of half-elves, but they view them as simply longer-lived humans. Thus, while half-elves are not often driven from elf lands, neither are they made to feel overly welcome, even as children, nor are there tears at their departure. Neither humans nor elves seems to recognize the unique gifts half-elves have to contribute. As beings longer-lived than humans, they are in a position to understand the elven point of view. Likewise, as creatures who have the weight of impending mortality over their heads, they can comprehend the curious speed at which humans go about their lives. They are thus perfectly suited as ambassadors from one country to the other. They are guaranteed to be impartial, as they have relations on either side. They can become virtually any class and are multifaceted individuals in more ways than can be listed. However, elves and humans cannot forget the fact of parentage, and they lose a valuable opportunity for understanding each other.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

Related Organizations