Sylvari Elves

Travelers

Skilled in both magic and warfare, the Sylvari Elves- "The Servants" as they call themselves- came to Banather ages ago, building a vast and powerful empire long before the rise of humans. The days of the great Sylvari nations are now long past, and many Elves have withdrawn from the world into isolated sylvan realms, or set sail across the Numa Sea to the Sya’nuva.
Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live in places of ethereal beauty, in the midst of ancient forests or in silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world.

Elven Decline

Unlike dwarves, who developed subraces in the world, Elves brought their divisions with them, settling into separate kingdoms by type. Beings of immense power, the first Elves explored and settled the world, bringing about a golden age of art, magic, and civilization. At the height of their power, the Elves performed a High Magic ritual intended to return to their world. They failed, something disrupted the spell that was cast.
Then came the War of the Rose, a series of conflicts between the great Elven peoples lasting an untold amount of time. These battles devastated much of eastern Banather and resulted in the River Elves departure from the main Elvish body, as well as the supposed extinction of the Winsa’Fey. Reeling from these calamities, the Elven empires went into a long, slow decline, and many of their kind left the politics and fighting. As the Elves increasingly withdrew from the world, other races and civilizations rose to prominence in Banather. The Elves drew together following the human Invasion, which united the Elves against these unknown creatures.

Lifespan

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

Average Height

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

Sylvari Elf Traits

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
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.
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.

The Elves of Naria

Ancient divides among the elven people resulted in seven main subraces: High Elves, River Elves, Wood elves, Winged Elves, Eladrin, Sea Elves, and the Fallen, who are commonly called drow. Also found among the main groups of the Elves are the Half-Elves, half-breeds born through the union of Elves and the other humaniod races.
High Elves. High elves have bronze skin. Their eyes are black, metallic gold, or metallic silver, and their hair is black, metallic copper, or golden blond. High elf culture and civilization is highly magical in nature, thanks to the race's many accomplished wizards, sages, and crafters.
River Elves. River Elves have pale skin with a bluish tint. Their hair runs the gamut of human colors, and some River elves have hair of silvery white or various shades of blue. Their eyes are blue or green and have gold flecks. Given the race's love of travel, exploration, and new experiences, many River elves become adventurers, utilizing their talents of woodcraft, wildlife, and forestry.

We Elves have had a long glorious history. Yet the older I have grown, and the wonders that I have seen, I have no doubt in my heart that our time on Banather is coming to an end. We might last another couple hundreds of years or perhaps even millennia. But as a people who rarely change, this world will move on without us. It will be our duty to raise our children to tackle the future challenges. Hopefully we have taught them enough to weather those storms.

— Lord Aekian Sylvari, High Lord Warden of the Deepwoods

Wood Elves. Wood Elves have tan or coppery skin, with hair of wood brown, golden blonde, black, or a shining metallic copper, and eyes of green, brown, or hazel. Skilled naturalists, wood elves often take up professions that allow them to remain close to the wild or to make use of their knowledge to protect their forest realms.
Winged Elves. Winged Elves often have white or brown plumage similar to that of eagles or hawks. Elder Winged Elves have been known to perform rituals to shed their birdlike form and regain their Elven appearances. Being cautious following centuries of seclusion, Winged Elves make natural scouts. They often take to the wing to investigate ahead of their compatriots or check out the surrounding lands.
Eladrin. The Eladrin have recognizably Elven features, however they are often found to possess attributes of Fey they have encountered. Ancient Eladrin, who have spent a majority of their lives in the Feywilds have been known to have lost their Elven features altogether. Due to their relationship with the Fey, Eladrin often gain skills or the magics of their counterparts. Some Eladrin have been known to take these magics to protect the Eladrin people as druids or even taken to travelling the lands spreading tales of the Fey as bards.
Sea Elves. Sea Elves skin is often a darker shade of blue or bluish-green as a form of natural camouflage. Male Sea Elves typically possess a smaller crest than female Sea Elves, however male crests can be more colorful. Having served as guardians of the Sea for as long as they have, Sea Elves tend to be more good. Their military upbringing also distills discipline and personalities tend to be more lawful.
The Fallen. Descendants of an earlier, dark-skinned race of elf, the Drow were banished from the surface for following the goddess Lolth down her path of evil and corruption.
Half-Elves. The “rugged”, human side does little to diminish the features of the other Elven parent. A Half-Elves ears may become rounder or their eyes may lean more towards a humans almond-shape, but the Elven heritage is still very clear. It can also be difficult to hide some of the features from specific races of Elf. A Half-Sea Elf might still possess gills or a Half-River Elf might still possess blue hair.