Race and Cultures: Elf

Race Elves: Children of the Eladrin

History:


Aging and Death:
Elves, perhaps due to their ancestral roots with the immortal Eladrin, are all but immortal themselves. Their life span knows no upper limit. Still the mortal mind can only stand so much and most tire of life after a few thousand years and seek release. Most find death well before this, as the world is a dangerous place and all elves have fearsome enemies. Sea Elves face the dangers of the deep on a daily basis, battling kraken, locatha, and other creatures for supremacy under the waves. The Drow battle the dangerous aberrations of the Underdark, although they are just as likely to fall to the blades of their kinfolk as to any other danger. The Dark Elves, free of Lolth, are nevertheless the favored prey of the Drow, who seek to hunt them to extinction. Wild Elves face the dangers of predatory monsters and rampaging barbarian tribes of man and orc. High Elves, alone, are the most likely to see a long and full life come to a point of stagnation, and seek to pass on to something else on their own terms. This may take a number of different terms and each Elf (and each Elven Culture) has its own favored means. Some Elves enter a deep trance (similar to a coma) and allow their bodies to waste away, leading to death. Their souls then travel on towards the plane of their final rest. This slow suicide is painless and usually done in complete isolation (as it can be painful to observe for family or friends). This is the most ancient of traditional means of passing on. Powerful practitioners of magic often choose a different path. They physical transport themselves, body and soul, to the outer plane of their preference, usually the Court of Stars, to continue their existence there. Rarely will a Drow do the same, joining Lolth in the Demon web to serve her in the Abyss. Those elves with a stronger connection to nature (wild and sea elves) may have their spirits become one with a particular natural environment, serving as protector and guardian to an area. Sometimes the spirit and body stay whole or is transformed (into a treant or other fey creature) and sometimes the spirit becomes transfused into the very elementals of the natural terrain. These guardians spirits can become powerful (and easily angered) as the ages past.

Race: Elf, General

Physical Appearance: Elves are about 5 to 5 ½ feet tall and weight just over 100 lbs. Elves have a very fey appearance with high cheek bones, slim noses, almost shaped eyes, delicate features, and upturned and pointed ears. They do not grow facial hair. Skin coloration varies widely, mostly a pale pink or flesh colored but sometimes with gold or even green hues. Hair and eyes tend to be intense with striking metallic, earthen colors, or even greens and blues. The Elves of Darkwood Green can trace their ancestry to ancient Elven Empires of old and tend towards the more earthen and subdued looks of those peoples. The Elves of Darkwood Green dress in traditional elvish colors, earth tones with blue and green for everyday wear and metallics for special occasions. Jewelry and such is kept to a minimum and often based in a nature theme. Aging: Elves do not have a maximum age and do not die of old age. Some individuals have been known to live for ten thousand years or more. Location: Any- Religious Tendencies: Druidic, Corelleon, Azuth, Ability Modifiers: +2 DEX, -2 CON Special Abilities:

• Medium,
• base land speed 30,
• immune to sleep effects,
• +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantments,
• low light vision,
• weapon proficiency with long sword, short sword, long bow and short bow,
• +2 racial bonus to spot, search, and listen,
• +1 on attack rolls made with longsword, shortsword, longbow, or shortbow,

Favored Classes: wizard, druid Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Nature or Knowledge Arcana, Racial Templates Available: Half Elf, Half Dragon, Aasimir, Tiefling, Cultures Available: Dark Elf, Drow, High Houses of Darkwood Green, Free City of Tranquility, Sea Elves of the Pearl Court, Virr, Veyden, Thornwood Elves, Nivkarinhs Bonus Languages: Elven Cultural Feats:

• Elven Racial, Rules- Feats: Elven Heritage Feats
• Forest Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Agile,Rules- Feats: Agility Feats
• Ranged Weapon Rules-Feat: Combat Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: +5%

Culture: The Free Dark Elves, The Unbound

There are no current cultural specific Dark Elven Regions of Origins. If you wish to play a Dark Elf, the following provides you a general description, mechanics, and cultural feats. Please create your own place of origin and background.
General Description:
Those former Drow not enslaved to the Spider Queen Lolth consider themselves simply as Dark Elves. They group in settlements in the darkest corners of the world or in secretive underdark enclaves. Because they must fear the constant discovery and blood retribution of the Drow, they are among the most secretive and paranoid beings on Aertrea. They retain many of the cultural facets that the Drow have although female and male Dark Elves are on equal footing in these cultures, which stress survival and necessity over traditional roles. Prior to the seduction of Lolth, Dark elves were masters of shadow magic, those free of the spider queen continue to make use of such mysteries.

Those Dark Elves found among other peoples may be fleeing the Drow (or other persecutors), maybe seeking the secretive sanctuaries of other Dark Elves, seeking to find their way in the world through adventuring, or perhaps all three. Physical Appearance: Drow and Dark elves appear as slightly smaller version of High Elves with yet Ebony or Dusty black skin, red eyes and white hair (although shades of blue, green and silver are often mixed in). The Dark Elves still prefer the white and black garb of their Drow days, although as the hold of Lolth grows more distant, more colorful garb is getting more common. Younger generations, especially those born free, have taken to rejecting Drow ways more thoroughly; they dress in all white and keep their hair cropped short.

Religious Tendencies: Nonreligious for most part.
Replacement Special Abilities: ,

• +2 DEX, -2 CON,
• Darkvision 120,
• +2 racial bonus on saves against poison,
• immune to sleep spells,
• Weapon familiarity: scimitar, whip, hand crossbow, are all simple weapons,
• +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantments,
• +2 racial bonus to listen, search, dungeoneering checks,
• light sensitivity,
• 1/day cast deeper darkness with caster level = character level,

Replacement Favored Classes: Dusk Blade, Rogue
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Dungeoneering,
Replacement Bonus Languages: Undercommon
Cultural Feat Replacements:

• Underground Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Scout Feats, Rules- Feats: Scout Feats
• Agile Feats,Rules- Feats: Agility Feats
• Dark Elf/Drow Racial Feat:Rules- Feats: Drow/Dark Elf Heritage Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: -10%
Role playing Hooks:
Dark Elves have two very strong pillars of their identity. They value their freedom above all else. Most would rather die then to face the tyrannies of the Drow and Lolth. Secondarily, they hate their former repressors and fear their might, long memories, and vindictive natures. Most Dark Elves, if they admit it or not, fear the day they are discovered by a band of the Spiderqueen’s servants. As such, they are paranoid, distrustful and often very cautious. Some have even accused the “free Drow” of being cowardly, but they know too well that the price for failure can sometimes be far worse then simply pain or death. They still feel in their souls, the weight of thousands of years of spider’s venom.

Elven Culture: The Drow, Servants of Lolth

There are no current cultural specific Drow Regions of Origins. If you wish to play a Drow, the following provides you a general description, mechanics, and cultural feats. Please create your own place of origin and background.
General Description
Those dark Elves who worship Lolth call themselves the Drow. They are a matriarchal society whom dwells exclusively in the Underdark. They seldom come to the surface other then raid, wage war, and on rare occasions, trade with surface races. Lolth enjoys and encourages a cut-throat behavior that sees the leadership of the Drow always plotting to betray and get ahead by any means necessary. The Drow are almost always at war, they prefer to let their minions do their fighting for them- they often have hordes of underdark creatures at their call including goblins, orcs, giant spiders and far more exotic creatures as well. While not busy fighting each other, they battle the aberrations of the Underdark; the aboleths, the mindflayers, and the beholders, for supremacy. When the opportunity arises they spill forth until the surface world for a night of raiding and looting. The only races they really have peaceful interaction with are the duergar, whom they consider inferior but find their metallurgy and stone-working skills to be very valuable. The Drow live in large underdark cities using both stone, magically created materials, and various compounds made of spider silk. Most communities consist of several Drow houses, each lead by a matriarch who is invariably connected to the worship of Lolth. Such Matriarchs plot against each other, and protect against such plots of their underlings, while attempting to increase the power and might of their people. The Drow are a very powerful and resourceful culture, fortunately for the rest of the world, the chaos and backstabbing inspired by their Goddess holds them in check.

Physical Appearance: Drow and Dark elves appear as slightly smaller version of High Elves with yet Ebony or Dusty black skin, red eyes and white hair (although shades of blue, green and silver are often mixed in). The Drow prefer the colors of their mistress, that is black, white and red. Dark purples and blues are the only popular splashes of color in most Drow cultures. Hair is kept long but usually kept up.
Aging: Like other elves, Dark Elves and Drow do not have a maximum age and can live for thousands of years
Location: Underdark exclusively
Religious Tendencies: Lolth almost exclusively.
Ability Modifiers: +2 DEX, -2 CON
Replacement Special Abilities:

• Darkvision 120,
• +2 racial bonus on saves against poison,
• immune to sleep spells,
• Weapon proficiency whip, hand crossbow,
• +2 racial bonus to saves against enchantments,
• +2 racial bonus to listen, religion, planes, rope use.
• 1/day cast deeper darkness with caster level = character level, light sensitivity,

Replacement Favored Classes: Cleric, Rogue
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Religion
Replacement Bonus Languages: Undercommon
Cultural Feat Replacements:

• Underground Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Assassination Feats, Rules- Feats: Assassination Feats
• Agile Feats,Rules- Feats: Agility Feats
• Dark Elf/Drow Racial Feat:Rules- Feats: Drow/Dark Elf Heritage Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: +10%
Role Playing Hooks:
The Drow are, first and foremost, the children of Lolth. As such, they are constantly in motion, playing her games of domination, subjugation, and betrayal. Its these games that fuel her divine powers, which is her one and true goal, the well being of her chosen race matters not at all outside of this. All Drow, from the earliest years, are taught Lolth’s game and no other race comes close to the skill and intensity that they play. Plots within plots, maturing over decades bring no end to the grief they Drow inflict upon each other as a matter of course. Only a fraction of the Drow’s cunning and cruelty is turned outward, but that which is, costs others, especially the other underdark races, mightily. Drow then are almost always sociopaths, completely without conscience, seeking only to advance their own positions. This is not say they do not understand the emotions that drive others, but that the understanding serves only to be used to manipulate and predict. Only a few individuals are able to break their psyches free of Lolth’s domination, those that do are at even greater risk, for they would be the first targets of all the Drow hatred.

Elven Culture: The High Houses of Darkwood Green (High Elf)

General Description: Darkwood Green is the most “traditional” community of Elves in the known world. Groups of High Elves live within the huge forest in various areas. Some live in large white-walled castles and others in towering Tree Cities. The Elves share the forest with many sylvan creatures and work hard at protecting it from the ravages of monsters, orcs from the north and various invaders from the Barrier Peaks to the East. They support the Seven Clans in holding the boundaries of civilization at those same peaks. That said, Darkwood Green has some regions that are still very dangerous, although those areas are warded by High House Guardians.
Replacement Favored Classes: wizard, ranger
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Nature or Knowledge Arcana,
Starting Gold Adjustment: +5%
Cultural Feat Additions:

• Wild Feats, Rules- Feats: Wild Feats
• Spellcasting Feats Rules- Feats: Spellcasting Feats

Role Playing Hook: Elves from the High Houses of Darkwood Green are the optimum of elvishness. They are more elven then your average elf. There are a couple ways this could be played. You might want to be one of the inward looking elves, somewhat oblivious to the world around you, too caught up in the ancient wonders and glories of the Elves. You might be searching for antiquities or answers from the past. Traditional elven enemies, the orcs and drow, would be high on you list of foes to vanquish. On the other hand, you might be one of the few Darkwood Elves who angrily rejects the blindness that affects the Houses and seeks to take

Elven Culture: Nivkarinhs (High Elves of the Frozen North)

General Description:
The Nivkarinhs are a little known group of Elves who live in the Far North wilderness. They dwell in a land that would prove fatal to almost anything else, rolling tundra and ice-choked seas. Some believe they live in caves warmed with hot springs and thermal vents. What little is known is that they also hunt seals and whales among the icebergs and have some semi-domesticated herds of caribou and reindeer. They are served by huge, horse-sized white wolves who appear to act as guards, companions and mounts. A lucky traveler or explorer who has run afoul of the bloodsucking Veshtiza may find succor with the Nivkarinhs, who appear to be one of the few peoples capable of resisting the Arctic’s vampires.

Physical Appearance: Elves are about 5 to 5 ½ feet tall and weight just over 100 lbs. Elves have a very fey appearance with high cheek bones, slim noses, almost shaped eyes, and delicate features. Skin tones are often very pale white. Hair is also white with shades of blue and purple. Eyes are a very pale blue, green or purple. Dress includes many shades of white, blue and pale green and purple. There is a shortage of precious metals and gems among the Nivkarinhs, they actually use magical preserves ice crystals as adornments Location: Arctic North Religious Tendencies: druidism only Additional Ability Modifiers: +2 WIS, -2 STR Additional Special Abilities: racial enemy: +1 on attack rolls against undead and monstrous humanoids, Replacement Favored Classes: druid, scout Additional Bonus Class Skill: survival Cultural Feat Additions:

• Arctic Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Wild Feats, Rules- Feats: Wild Feats

Role Playing Hooks:
The Nivkarinhs are truly isolationists who generally do not want anything to do with the outside world. Why is not entirely clear. Some suspect there is some weighty secret to be found among the arctic homes. They are not uncaring, as a people, if anything their daily struggle to survive and closeness to nature makes them some of the more down to earth and open elves on the planet. Those few found outside of their remote homes are either on a particularly important quest or have left for deeply personal reasons. They are most likely quiet, self contained individuals.

Elven Culture: Sea Elves of the Pearl Court (Sea Elf)

General Description: The Pearl Court is the most prominent and well known nation of sea elves. It exists of the western shores of the North and stretches across the top of the Jeweled Cities region. It’s a confederacy of united Sea Elf kingdoms, who have banded together for mutual protection. Most are traditional monarchies and tend to be small geographically when compared to land civilizations.

Physical Appearance: Elves are about 5 to 5 ½ feet tall and weight just over 100 lbs. Elves have a very fey appearance with high cheek bones, slim noses, almost shaped eyes, delicate features, and upturned and pointed ears. They do not grow facial hair. Sea Elves tend to be the colors of the sea, light green, pale pinks, and many shades of blue. Hair and eye colors include pale yellow and an orange coral color. In warmer waters, clothing is kept to the minimum, consisting of mostly of belts to secure pouches and equipment too. In colder water, hide and skins, provide form fitting clothing. Jewelry consists mostly of shells and gems.
Location:
Religious Tendencies: Primarily Mare or Druidic, also Corelleon, Madriel, Azuth, Tyr, Bahamut, Istus.
Replacement Special Abilities:

• Medium,
• swim speed 40 (includes a +8 racial bonus on swim checks),
• Base land speed 20,
• amphibious,
• low light vision x4,
• weapon proficiency: trident,
• +2 racial bonus spot, survival,
• +2 racial bonus on saves against enchantments,
• immune to sleep effects.

Replacement Favored Classes: cleric, ranger
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Nature
Replacement Bonus Languages: Aquan
Cultural Feat Replacements:

Scout Feats,Rules- Feats: Scout Feats

Spellcasting Feats Rules- Feats: Spellcasting Feats

Aquatic Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats

Wild Feats, Rules- Feats: Wild Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: +5%
Role Playing Hooks:
Sea Elves are a very diverse lot. There are groups of Elves who have never seen above the surface of the water and could care less about the world beyond. Others are worldly and knowledgeable, with deep connections, allies, and enemies in the world above.

Elven Culture: Thornwood Elves (Wild Elf)

General Description: The Wild Elves of Thorn Wood are some of the most xenophobic and hostile Elves to be found outside of the Drow. The Thornwood elves have completely adopted a feral lifestyle that is anti-civilization and anti-outsider to the extreme. Other elves, even other wild elves, find no safety among the ancient thornwood trees of their home. The Thornwood elves are few in number, living in a series of small tribal communities within the forest. The bands are competitive but do band together to deal with serious threats. There are large numbers of predator creatures prowl the forest, including many strange plant-monsters. There are also tribes of orcs and goblins with who the Thornwood Elves compete for food, hunting, and territory.

Physical Appearance: Elves are about 5 to 5 ½ feet tall and weight just over 100 lbs. Elves have a very fey appearance with high cheek bones, slim noses, almost shaped eyes, delicate features, and upturned and pointed ears. They do not grow facial hair. Skin coloration varies widely, mostly a pale pink or flesh colored but sometimes with gold or even green hues. Hair and eyes tend to be intense with striking metallic, earthen colors, or even greens and blues. The Elves of Thorn Wood tend towards earth tones with white, green or brown hair. Clothing for the Thorn is optional, most wear only basic clothing of bark, woven grass, and leaves. For special occasions robes and cloaks of living and growing plants are fashioned. Jewelry tends to be bones and feathers.
Location: Thornwood Forest, Northern Continent
Religious Tendencies: Druidism only
Replacement Ability Modifiers: +2 DEX, -2 INT
Replacement Special Abilities:

• Medium,
• base land speed 30,
• immune to sleep effects,
• +2 racial bonus against enchantments,
• low light vision,
• martial weapon proficiency with spear, short spear, long bow, and short bow,
• +2 racial bonus to spot, listen, survival, move silently, hide, all
• Thornwood elves with a level in a full base attack class also gain the poison use class ability.

Replacement Favored Classes: ranger, druid
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Survival
Cultural Feat Additions:

• Scout Feats,Rules- Feats: Scout Feats
• Wild Feats, Rules- Feats: Wild Feats

Bonus Languages: Elven
Starting Gold Adjustment: -15%
Role Playing Hooks:
The Thorn are truly feral. They are quite and stealthy, like hunting cats, who can explode into violence in an instant. They see civilization as the root of evil and wish all the world to return to simple times of hunting and gathering in the wilderness, one with nature and not opposed to it. Their folklore reminds them of elven arrogance that lead to the Great War that saw the Elves shattered from one to many peoples. The Thorn know they are right. If they possessed the power to topple cities and burn the fields, they would do so. But all but the youngest and most hot-headed know they cannot do this. They watch, like a hunting cat, from their forests with great patience, they know that the rest of the world will eventually fall and burn. They plan to survive and remake what remains in their own image. Thornwood elves speak seldom but act quickly. They are disdainful of the trappings of “civilization”.

Elven Culture: The Free City of Tranquility (High Elf)

General Description: Tranquility is the name for what is believed to be the largest High Elf city in the world. It has become the center for High Elven learning and activity in the North. It’s also the bastion for High Elven safety and serves as a refuge for all of Elven-kind. The city is protected by a massive magical force that prevents violence within miles of the city. The Elves of Tranquility are focused on two main things. The first is the gathering and protecting of knowledge, mostly elven knowledge, but all knowledge is considered worthwhile. This is accomplished by both study and research done within the Ivory walls of the city and by Seekers who gather arcane lore from throughout the wall for transfer back to Tranquility. Secondarily, Tranquility seeks to protect and nurture Elven culture. Unlike Darkwood Green, the elves of Tranquility, are not only concerned with elven traditions and glories of the past, they also look to the current and future generations. Just as they do not turn a blind eye of towards the future, the elves of Tranquility are concerned with current events. Their biggest priority has long been the protection of their city and its vast libraries and vaults. As a long-lived race, the High Elves know too well that descending Dark Ages have destroyed so much lore that would be so valuable to maintaining the ideals of peace, freedom and prosperity that the elves hold so high. Thus, the second overall goal of the Elves of Tranquility is one of protection.

Location: The North
Religious Tendencies: Corelleon, Azuth, Tyr, Celestian, others.
Additional Ability Modifiers: +2 INT, -2 STR
Replacement Favored Classes: Wizard, Fighter
Cultural Feat additions:

• Spellcasting Feats Rules- Feats: Spellcasting Feats
• finesse fighting featsRules-Feat: Combat Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: +10%
Role Playing Hooks:
The Elves of Tranquility are very worldly, they know much about everything and aren’t afraid to tell you about it. They see themselves as acquirers of knowledge and magic, to safe keep it for future generations. Sometimes they are not all that interested in what the current owners have to say about this. They also see themselves as protectors of elvenkind in general, and they feel they have the duty to step up and do what is needed. Their libraries are the greatest in the world and most are very educated. The are extremely comfortable with all forms of magic and psionics

Elven Culture: Veyden, The Unhomed (High Elf)

General Description: The Veyden once maintained a high level of civilization in the Gildenglade forest to the west of the Jeweled Cities. Three hundred years ago the Senpat Empire invaded and after a heroic but futile defense, the Elves of Gildenglade fled rather then face enslavement or extinction. Naming themselves the Veyden, which means Unhomed in elvish, they have lived as refugees since. They have slowly moved east, continued to face attacks by the Senpat. They briefly lived among the Tanuhk and have sought sanctuary with each of the Jeweled Cities as they move eastward. The reception there has been poor, sometimes simply locked gates, other times hurled javelins, as each of the cities has feared to anger the Senpat, whom already breathe down their necks. Only the city of Opal has not turned them away. Although they will not allow them en masse into the city, they have offered an area northwest of the city of dry pine forests (Yurinda Woods) and rocky hills and provided assistance and protection.
Location: Jeweled Cities, Yurinda Woods outside of Opal.
Replacement Ability Modifiers: +1 DEX, +1 INT, -1 STR, -1 CHA,
Replacement Favored Classes: Ranger, Swordsage
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Knowledge Nature
Cultural Feat Additions:

• Desert Terrain, Rules- Feats: Terrain Feats
• Scout Feats,Rules- Feats: Scout Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: -5%
Role Playing Hooks:
There are two distinct groups among the Veyden, those older Elves who remember their homelands and hope to either return someday or find a new and similar refuge. They tend to be brooding with a competing streaks of pessimism and stubbornness. They are very much high elves in nature, aloof and superior, but with a dark edge of fatalism. The second group is the young generation of Veyden. They have never known any home for long and have come to maturity in a world that sees them constantly fleeing. These Veyden have been influenced greatly by the eclectic Tanuhk tribesmen and many have adopted their “laugh in the face of death” bravado. They would prefer to stop running and really bloody the nose of the Senpat, even if it meant their destruction. The young Veyden are angry and bitter, ready to prove their bravery and courage and skill to any who would question them

Elven Culture: The Virr (Wild Elf)

General Description: Like the Veyden, the Virr are a group of elves displaced by the expansion of the Senpat Empire (who prefers to destroy elven communities then attempt to assimilate them). The Virr were separated into a number of tribes located in the Ghost wood and hills northeast of the Empire. They had many wild elf trappings but still practiced a high level of civilization. The Senpat struck them quickly and over a few short years drove them from their lands. The Virr retreat, but not far. For the last hundred years the Virr have lived in the mountainous region just to the west of their destroyed ancestral home. The Senpat burned their forests and corrupted their land, creating a waste land of necromantic energies inhabited only by undead and a few escaped evil outsiders. From these mountains the Virr continue to resist and strike back at the Senpat. They live a bare-bones existence and have fully descended into feral status. They live only to continue the struggle against the Senpat. Only a few of the Virr still dream of finding a new peaceful homeland. Most have become dour and fatalistic warriors whose only wish is to die taking as many of the Godkings servants as they can
Location: Ghostwood forest and hills and mountains to the West
Religious Tendencies: druidism
Replacement Ability Modifiers: +2 DEX, -2 INT
Replacement Favored Classes: ranger, scout,
Replacement Bonus Class Skill: Survival
Replacement Bonus Languages: Senpat dialect of common
Cultural Feat Additions:

• Scout Feats,Rules- Feats: Scout Feats
• Ambush FeatsRules- Feat Ambush Feats

Starting Gold Adjustment: -15%
Role Playing Hooks:
The Virr are a people who know they are going to die. They have no delusions about their long-survival. They have decided, as a people, that they will make a stand and that they will bleed the Senpat, who destroyed their home. The Virr then, have only two priorities, survive and continue the fight, and two, fight. Their hatred for the Senpat compares to the bloodlust and consuming fury of any orc horde. The Virr tend to be quiet, paranoid, and tightly wound. They have made peace with their destiny and await it with bared blades.