Elf
Elves are a race that is native to Osthas. Long-lived (the natural lifespan of an elf is about 600 years) and graceful, the elves were long called the blessed of the gods, and dominated the continent of Osthas for much of recorded history, with their borders expanded immensely into non-elven territories by the Axani Dominion. However, the effects of the Godslaughter and the Deicide were felt, perhaps, strongest by the elves of all the races, as much of their pantheon was wiped out.
In the millennium since that event, elven power has waned considerably. Though the nations of Farith, Anafetha, and Thahil control some half of the lands within Osthas, their birthrates continue to fall. Some believe that elves will become entirely sterile by the time the next thousand years has passed. After the Axani Civil War and the other wars of the early centuries, the elves have realized that their numbers are becoming more and more precious. In addition, the swaths of territory they occupy are too large for the remaining elves to administer and work on their own, so that many of the inhabitants of Farith, Anafetha, and Thahil are humans who are either the descendants of slaves or servants from the days of the Axani, or else workers who have migrated into the elven territories forced to pay a premium due to labor shortages. On the whole, elves tend to look down on humans, but more and more their civilization is propped up by human workers.
Most elvish civilization tend to be heavily matrilineal, as women are held up to be the root of every elvish clan and entrusted with the authority and wisdom to guide their civilization. This has influenced human civilization, especially where it borders elvish territory or lies within the former borders of the Axani Dominion.
Basic Information
Genetics and Reproduction
Elvish reproductive rates are incredibly low naturally. During the time before the Godslaughter, the elvish goddess of fertility Loalë was one of the most important deities in every Elvish pantheon due to her ability to bestow her favorites with the ability to reliably conceive. She was also well-known to hold a strong dislike of males and was known to withhold her blessing even from her favorite daughters if it would entail a man being responsible for multiple conceptions. Loalë's death at the end of the Celestial Age saw birth rates plummet to near zero. Many elves are essentially sterile, and great honors and attention are paid to those honored few who prove to be capable of conception. When conception does happen, however, it typically occurs in the form of several fertilized eggs. Female elves will naturally retain the majority of these eggs and only gestate a single one at a time. The specifics of how later pregnancies are prompted are a carefully guarded secrets among the various elven clans.
Scientific Name
Cultro aurem
Geographic Distribution
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