Elf
Elves (called "Olve" or "Olvenfolk" in Flan) are a demihuman race that has inhabited the Flaeness for countless centuries, dating back to well before the fall of the Baklunish and Suloise empires. Diverse and populous, elves have survived incursions on their lands by humans and humanoids alike and are the dominant power in a number of different holdings on the continent, serving as a bulwark for civilization.
Additional Information
Geographic Origin and Distribution
The major elf-ruled lands are those of Celene (gray and wood elves), the Duchy of Ulek (wood and high elves), and Lendore (aquatic and high elves). The lands of Ulek, Urnst, Sunndi, Highfolk (especially), and the Valley of the Mage (a unique case) are dominated by mixes of demihumans, of which elves comprise a majority. Veluna has always had a strong population of high elves and gnomes, and the Gran March and Keoland have had their ranks swelled by high elves and mountain dwarves fleeing Geoff and Sterich.
Civilization and Culture
Common Dress Code
Elves normally attire themselves in pale forest hues, though they favor more intense colors in urban settings. Generally, males wear a blouselike shirt over close-fitting hose and soft boots or shoes, while females favor a frock with sash, or a blouse with an anklelength skirt. Hunting garments are typically in neutral colors like shades of brown, tailored for silent and easy movement. Gray elves wear complex gowns and flowing robes of pure white, sun yellow, and silver and gold set off by polished leather of contrasting colors, accented by jewels. Wild elves usually wear kilts, boots, and rough shirts. All elves favor cloaks, especially when traveling, typically gray or gray-green.
Culture and Cultural Heritage
Long-lived and curious, they enjoy exploration and remember much. Elves are concerned with life itself and spend long periods contemplating natural beauty. Their frolics are usually joyous events, though some gatherings have a melancholy tone. Elves are fascinated by all types of magic, especially illusions and charms. They also produce superior and elegant magic garments, weapons, and armor, though also very much appreciate the fine arts.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Elves measure kinship in terms of broad, ethnic divisions, though family bloodlines, particularly among the nobles, often cross these ethnic boundaries. Valley elves are unique in that they have no social relationship with other elves in the Flanaess, being hated by them for unknown reasons.
Common Taboos
Half-elves are the offspring of humans and elves. They are highly versatile but not always welcome in elven or human society. They are disproportionately represented among adventurers as a result.
History
Elves were present in the lands east of the Crystalmist Mountains for uncounted centuries prior to the rise of the first human kingdoms there. Slowly driven from open country to more secluded and better defended strongholds by the growing strength of both human and nonhuman folk, elves still held a number of forest and upland realms at the time of the Twin Cataclysms. The invading humans, orcs, and others pressed them further, until some prominent elven realms made military and political alliances with dwarves, gnomes, and halflings, and even with certain major human tribes (usually Oeridian). Today, elves are dominant in Celene, Sunndi, Highfolk, the Vesve Forest, and the Lendore Isles.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Elves of the Flanaess are divided on the issue of political intervention in the Flaeness. Bright Veluna has a strong elven presence that works unstintingly for good. Nyrond and Furyondy elves are vigilant against evil. The elves of the Highfolk bow no knee to Iuz, but the rulers of Celene are divided and currently favor isolationism. In Sunndi, the gray elves are warlike, aggressive, and hostile; in Lendore, the dominant high elves are philosophers, mystics, and otherworldly. There is no simple racial division within the elves, either; it is not the case that high elves are more inclined to be actively opposed to the evil of the Flanaess than gray or wood elves.
What can one say of this timeless people? Some are the greatest hope of the Flanaess, while some seem to do nothing as the world threatens to collapse about them.
Elven Subraces
Made up of five distinct sub-races, Elves are far and away the most populous and diverse of all the demihuman races in the Flaeness, living anywhere from dense forests to mountainsides to even underwater.High Elves
High elves tend to mix with other races most easily, and are thus the most often-encountered of the elves. They favor the Town of Highfolk, Duchy of Ulek, Archclericy of Veluna, and the Spindrift Isles. The shortest of their race, high elves average only about five feet in height. They have pale complexions, dark hair, green eyes, and tend to dress in greys, greens, and pastels.Grey Elves
The second most common elf, Gray elves are reclusive and keep to themselves in the Kingdoms of Celune and Sunndi. They have silver hair and amber eyes or golden hair and violet eyes. The elves of Sunndi have been forced to add warmaking skills to their culture due to the threat of the Scarlett Brotherhood and the former Great Kingdom.Wood Elves
Also known as sylvan elves, sylvan elves tend to be even more reclusive than the gray, avoiding even other elves when possible. They make their homes in the Kingdom of Celene, the Duchy of Ulek, the ancient forests of the Flaeness, and the Town of Highfolk. Their skin is darker than that of the high elves, and they dress in browns and greens.Wild Elves
Grugach, the wild elves, live in tiny isolated bands in the temperate forests. They are short like the high elves and very pale, but otherwise resemble sylvan elves.Valley Elves
Valley elves are treated with suspicion by other elves for reasons not clear to humans. These unusually tall (up to six feet in height) elves live exclusively in the Valley of the Mage. They are known to practice unusual magic presumably taught to them by their leader.Aquatic Elves
Aquatic Elves breathe water as well as air, and have webbed fingers and toes. They prefer temperate and tropical oceans and seas. Near the Spindrift Sound and the Spindrift Isles, the aquatic elves are allied with the high elves.
A pair of elves readying for war.
Lifespan
1500+ Years
Average Height
4'7" to 5'5"
Average Weight
82 to 157 lbs.
Related Ethnicities