Elf

The elves of Ardunor are unique. They are immortal beings who make their home somewhere between the mundane world and Arcadia, the home of the fey, in a place called the Wode. Some believe the Wode is connected to every forest in Ardunor.
Elves are the defenders of the fey. They isolate themselves from the rest of the people of Ardunor. Elves will only ever leave the Wode when it is in defense of Arcadia, or their homes. Therefore, seeing an elf in a major city is a rare occurrence, and often portends a disastrous event.
Every elf has the power to control magic, and are often powerful. Stepping into an elven city is often like stepping into a dream, as each city is protected by countless magical wards. These wards not only defend the city, but enhance the laws of nature in… mysterious ways.

DM Note

Elves are not a playable race in Ardunor, except in rare occurrences. These are a rare and powerful people who don’t live typical lives. If you choose the elf ancestry, you are actually playing a non-pureblood elf (usually dominantly elven). As described in the half-elf section below, most people of this ancestry live in tree-top villages deep within the forests of Ardunor.
For simplicity's sake, I will be referring to non-pure elves in the following section simply as "elves". These traits refer to what you get if you choose "elf" as your ancestry, though you are not a true elf. True Elves are very powerful beings, and not suitable player characters.

Elf Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

Ability Score Increase

Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age

Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

Alignment

Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others’ freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception; their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous. Drow are more often evil than not.

Size

Elves range from under 5 to over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is Medium.

Speed

Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision

Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Senses

You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Fey Ancestry

You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

Trance

Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is “trance.”) While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Languages

You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.

Elven Origins

As stated above, by choosing the “elf” ancestry, you are actually playing a half-elf, albeit one with more elven blood than not. The origins below describe where in Ardunor you might have grown up, which affect how you view the world and what your skills are.

Elf of the Wode

As an elf of the Wode, you have grown up with True Elves in the incredible world known to outsiders as the Wode. This magical place is a world in between Terra and Arcadia, the realm of the Fey.

Wood Elf

As a wood elf, you have keen senses and intuition, and your fleet feet carry you quickly and stealthily through your native forests. You grew up living in the forests throughout Ardunor. You are a defender of these woods, as well as the Wode that links all the forests of the world to Arcadia.

Drow

The drow of Ardunor are a sinister, evil lot. Their society thrives on murder, backstabbing, and torture, and the individuals echo that lifestyle. The drow live in the Underdark, in cruel, jagged cities devoted to worshipping a spider god. It is a matriarchal society, and the men are considered inferior in every way.