Elves

An ancient, powerful race who's influence stretches across Timor

Elves are a magical people, who live in places of ethereal beauty. In the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves generally love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things in the world.

They see themselves as wardens of nature, and the world at large. They have existed on Timor for time immemorial, and have always lived primarily on Alvas as long as anyone can remember. The now enormous city state of Issoire was first recorded as a city around 10,000 years ago, and was already immense.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elves are generally graceful and with fine features, and are often said to appear almost hauntingly beautiful to those who see them. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet to just over six, generally with slender builds.
They are also more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are around the same height and males are only marginally heavier.
Elven skin coloration encompasses the human range as well as skin in shades of copper, bronze, and blueish white. Elves don't commonly have facial hair, but often keep long silky hair on their heads.

Growth Rate & Stages

Elves are very long lived, with an average life expectancy of around 850 years. Although they reach physical maturity at around the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An average elf would consider themselves as an adult around age 100.

Ecology and Habitats

The habitats of elves in Timor vary greatly across their home on the vast continent of Alvas. The high elves reside in the great cities of the south, the wood elves live in the dense and vast forests of the midland, the snow elves live in isolation in the mountains to the north, and the dark elves live underground in the vast caverns of those same mountains.

Additional Information

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Elves are slender and dextrous, more so than the other races of Timor. They have keen eyes and are perceptive, and are able to naturally see in the dark having become accustomed to twilight and dim locations. This is often claimed to be a feature of a common fey ancestor.
They are difficult to charm and show greater immunity to magical sleep effects, also felt to be related to their presumed fey origins.
Elves don't need to sleep as other races do, instead they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for four hours a day, an act many refer to as a 'trance'. While in a trance, most elves practice mental exercises which hone their abilities and enhance their rest.