Elves
Elves, the long lived, etherial and magical cousins of humans, exist around the world. They were the first race formed by the Gods, but the gods found them too slow, to boring. They remain, as a highly magical race, but frozen in time.
While they tend to change rather slowly, they do live for incredibly long periods, which leads to the most powerful wizards and druids tending to be elves of various kinds, and as such they tend to dominante the upper levels of the Guild of Magicians. In the past 3000 years, for all but 40 years, an elf has been Archchancellor of the Guild of Magicians. They can typically be found in rather high up advisor positions for various nobles, as they have loyaly served that family for centuries.
While they tend to change rather slowly, they do live for incredibly long periods, which leads to the most powerful wizards and druids tending to be elves of various kinds, and as such they tend to dominante the upper levels of the Guild of Magicians. In the past 3000 years, for all but 40 years, an elf has been Archchancellor of the Guild of Magicians. They can typically be found in rather high up advisor positions for various nobles, as they have loyaly served that family for centuries.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Similar to humans, just slighlty shorter, skinnier, and generally fairer, the elf is a strange creature. Heavily touched by divine influence, they have incredibly long lives, and are far more effected by the spark than any other race.
They also have a more consious control of their mind than the normal human. Instead of requiring sleep to convert memories to long term storage, they can trance for half the time, remaining consious the entire time. They gain this ability from extensive training during this childhood, not from any physical differences.
They also have a more consious control of their mind than the normal human. Instead of requiring sleep to convert memories to long term storage, they can trance for half the time, remaining consious the entire time. They gain this ability from extensive training during this childhood, not from any physical differences.
Genetics and Reproduction
An elf carries their child for 24 months, a full two years. Even after this period, the baby is born quite simple, and it takes another 4-5 years for it to be able to stand and begin speaking.
Elves are incredibly fluid in terms of releationships. While most elves will get married at some point, that is an incredibly long term commitment, and so it typically takes 20 or so years before it is undertaken. As such, children are sometimes born out of wedlock, but both parents will gladly suppoert the child in its development.
Eladrin, being even more magical than their bretheren, as well as a few sparked high elves, have the ability to change their form between the many possible visages of an elf.
Elves are incredibly fluid in terms of releationships. While most elves will get married at some point, that is an incredibly long term commitment, and so it typically takes 20 or so years before it is undertaken. As such, children are sometimes born out of wedlock, but both parents will gladly suppoert the child in its development.
Eladrin, being even more magical than their bretheren, as well as a few sparked high elves, have the ability to change their form between the many possible visages of an elf.
Growth Rate & Stages
An elf is an infant for the first 4-5 years of its life. After this, continues growing until somewhere in its early 30s.
At this point, it is sexually mature, but elves do not consider an elf emotionally mature until at least 80, and more typically its early 100s. After this, elves change very little, until they reach around 300, when they slowly begin to fade away mentally and even physically.
Most elves reach their 450th year, and around half reach their 550th, but beyond that few live for more than another hundred, and only the rarest see their 7th century, with only around 1/100 seeing the second half of it.
Eladrin are an exception to this. Being essentially ageless, they simply slowly tire of life after reaching maturity, and after a while, give up. This is typically happens before the end of their second millenium, but some eladrin live on. A very few are still around that were born in the first age.
At this point, it is sexually mature, but elves do not consider an elf emotionally mature until at least 80, and more typically its early 100s. After this, elves change very little, until they reach around 300, when they slowly begin to fade away mentally and even physically.
Most elves reach their 450th year, and around half reach their 550th, but beyond that few live for more than another hundred, and only the rarest see their 7th century, with only around 1/100 seeing the second half of it.
Eladrin are an exception to this. Being essentially ageless, they simply slowly tire of life after reaching maturity, and after a while, give up. This is typically happens before the end of their second millenium, but some eladrin live on. A very few are still around that were born in the first age.
Ecology and Habitats
Elves tend to live in small villages and towns suspended in old forests. A few cities exist, which tend to be more typical on the ground constructions, but will still encorporate nature. High elves are more likely to live in larger cities and towns, while wood elves tend to live in small mobile or stationary communities around an area of forest.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Elves are mildly herbivorous, but they are perfectly capable of eating meat. They tend to be gatherers, hunting only on special occasions or for feast days.
Biological Cycle
Elves are timeless, and the mere passage of years barely effects them.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Elves have a very flat social structure. While often a smart and charismatic elf will act as the spokesperson for a group, they are not in command of the group. Elves practice total democracy within their small villiages. In the wider community of villiages, once a decade they will send a representative to a gathering in a secret place to trade news, request assistance, or simply stay in touch. However, these gatherings have no power, and while they may make suggestions, they cannot command any elf to do anything. There is however an overal council of elves that is permanantly called, that represents the region of Fosia in Albion. With representatives from each of the parts of the duchy, they act as an overarching power structure for the region, preventing the humans or dwarves from encroaching.
Facial characteristics
Elves are most obviously distringuishable by their pointed ears. However, they are only slighlty larger than those of a human, and they are nearly always folded along the skull and so are not always noticable if the elf is trying to hide them.
Elven faces are slighlty taller and narrower than those a human, with pointed jaws and lighlty slanted eyes.
Elven faces are slighlty taller and narrower than those a human, with pointed jaws and lighlty slanted eyes.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Elves are found everywhere in old growth forests, though mostly in small groups. They frequently travel between different forests where elves are found, and so geographic variation is almost unknown, with elves being nearly identical throughout the world.
Wood elves are more common in slightly younger forests, while high elves are mostly found in forests that are at least 2000 years old.
They are found mostly between the 60th lines of latitude, and rarely in the central desert.
Wood elves are more common in slightly younger forests, while high elves are mostly found in forests that are at least 2000 years old.
They are found mostly between the 60th lines of latitude, and rarely in the central desert.
Average Intelligence
Elves tend to be slighlty more intelligent than humans, escpecially high elves. This is mostly due to their long lifespans and rigourous mental disipline, but their natural abilities do help.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Elves have far sharper eyesight, escpecially in dim light, as their cat like pupils can expand to twice the diameter a humans can.
Elves are far more likely to have a spark than a human. All Eladrin have sparks, around 1/2 High Elves have one, and around 1/10 Wood elves do. As such, the Eladrin and High elves have magic everywhere, and have excellent comprehension and study of magic. However, it typically takes them far longer to learn magic than a human. Due to their perfectionist tendancies, and their long time scales, a spell that might take a human a week to understand will be meditated on and studied by an elf for months if they have the time.
Elves are far more likely to have a spark than a human. All Eladrin have sparks, around 1/2 High Elves have one, and around 1/10 Wood elves do. As such, the Eladrin and High elves have magic everywhere, and have excellent comprehension and study of magic. However, it typically takes them far longer to learn magic than a human. Due to their perfectionist tendancies, and their long time scales, a spell that might take a human a week to understand will be meditated on and studied by an elf for months if they have the time.
Civilization and Culture
Major Organizations
Elves do not have a primary organizational structure. All elves of Albion are at least nominally part of the great elven diaspora, which is ruled by a council of representatives from all the elven races, but day to day most just go about their lives in their communities. If they wish to leave, they leave. If they wish to stay, they stay. The oppressive lord vassal relationship of the human lands, or the clans of the dwarves are not visible in the elven lands.
Beauty Ideals
Due to their features, they tend to appear quite beautiful to humans, but most elves tend to prefer mental attributes to physical ones, mostly due to the long time scales they must spend together.
Gender Ideals
Elves are quite androgynous, but not as much as the dwarves.
Relationship Ideals
Elves typically gather in smaller groups than humans, and so tend to form closer relationships with those people in their group. While a group is fluid and can change, most will continue for decades.
Average Technological Level
Hunter Gatherer, but with extreme craft and magical proficiency. They understand agriculture, but dislike it. While individual elves can apply themselves to create weapons, tools, armour that can easily best any produced by any other race, they do not have the institutionalized production of the dwarves or the drive to progress of humans. As such, the progression of an individual elf means little to the progression of the race.
History
Elves have an excellent grasp of their own history, owing to their sharp memories and long lifespans. It was within 12 cycles of living memory that the First Age ended with the final defeat of Tiamat, the root of evil. The beginning of their race, just 400 cycles of living memory ago, is still recorded in much the same way that humans remember the events of the end of the First Age. While their knowledge of the time before the fall is limited, as they are still rebuilding from it, they have a much better understanding of the events than most other races.
The elves were the first humanoid race created. After creating dragons based on their own form, Bahamut and Tiamat decided to create a smaller race. However, they felt the elves were too long-lived, too slow, which lead to them creating humans.
While rebuilding after the fall, elves discovered that these humans had begun clearing their forests and inhabiting their land. While many are resentful, they feel this battle may already be lost, and are searching for new places beyond the reach of man.
The elves were the first humanoid race created. After creating dragons based on their own form, Bahamut and Tiamat decided to create a smaller race. However, they felt the elves were too long-lived, too slow, which lead to them creating humans.
While rebuilding after the fall, elves discovered that these humans had begun clearing their forests and inhabiting their land. While many are resentful, they feel this battle may already be lost, and are searching for new places beyond the reach of man.
Common Myths and Legends
Elves do not so much have myths and legends as actual history. The great events of the fall are as old to them as Richard the I is to us.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Elves are rather annoyed at humans in general, encroaching on their land. In addition though, they tend to see the other short lived races with a bit of disdain, after all, you get to know them and poof, they are gone. Dwarves are a bit of a nuisance, but they keep to themselves, and dont tend to bother with forests. Gnomes are nice enough, but a little too hectic and manic. Halflings just exist, and very rarely bother elves, so they are ok.
Genetic Descendants
Scientific Name
Homo Serenus
Lifespan
550 years
Average Height
1.4-1.6 m
Average Weight
45-50 kg
Average Physique
Elves are lean, skinny, slighlty shorter than humans, and have graceful, long features.
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
All Elves can be of any colour, but high elf hair tends to be quite pale colours, like blond, silver, or a very light brown. Wood elves however have slighlty darker hair, but never black.
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