Elves of Cambrium

Elves are one of the most interesting and complex races of Cambrium, and perhaps one of the only races that have a wide array of subraces that remain distantly connected, but close enough for any subrace of elf to interbreed with another. The appearance of elves greatly depends on their subrace, which can vary dramatically, however in general most elves live for an average of 750 years, while in rare instances some have lived to 1000 years old. An elf is considered a fully matured adult at 130 years old, which is the equivalent of 21 in human years. Much like the physical appearance of elf subraces the culture and society of an elf varies greatly, however they typically take on the culture and society of the continent they call home. The most tell-tale sign of elves is their elongated, pointed ears, the length of which varies from person to person and also from different subraces. The most common subraces of elves are eladrin, high elves and wood elves.

All elf subraces, with the exception of drow, can produce half-elf offspring. While half-elves are generally more longer lived than their other counterpart they do not live as long as full blooded elves, living to an average of 375 years and becoming fully mature at 65 years old when they are half-human; other half-elf half-humanoids may have slightly longer or shorter average lifespans depending on their non-elf parent. They also lose several attributes of their elven side - for example, a half-elf avariel may be small with hollow bones but they would not grow wings, or a half-sea elf may be a strong swimmer but can't breathe underwater, and so on. Half-elves usually find themselves in the precarious position of not being fully accepted by either society, and face discrimination against full-blooded elves in particular. A common prejudice of half-elves from full-blooded elves is that they are 'impure' and seen as mongrels or shameful bastards to be hidden away, leading to half-elves usually take on the culture and society of their non-elf heritage.

Avariel

Avariel are a subrace of elves that are native to the sky islands, who developed feathered wings and hollow, light bones in order to be able to traverse across the floating peninsulas. Because of this avariel are incapable of wearing heavy armour unless they wish to remain grounded - instead they rely on their quick, nimble grace and movements to avoid enemy attacks. Not much is known about avariel culture other than the fact that they are typically a peace-loving subrace that shies away from conflict. They typically put importance on the balance of nature, and see themselves as protectors of flying animals and windborne plants. The patron deities of avariel are Khiimori and Calloanth. Description of avariel from other races typically liken them to fae - having playful, mischievous personalities but fearsome tempers when they feel they have been offended or their moral lines have been crossed.

Avariel are typically between four feet and five feet in height, due to developing into a flying race with hollow bones. While avariel skin tone and hair colour are usually warm, they can be a whole range of colours and shades, while Avariel eyes tend to take on bird-like characteristics. Avariel wing patterns also usually follow similar designs to real life birds, but not always. They, too, can also be a range of colours and shades, though mostly earthy, neutral colours. All avariel have feathered wings, and cannot develop wings without them.

Drow/Dark Elves

The drow, or dark elves, do not have the same evil connotations in Cambrium as they do in Forgotten Realms. Though drow are still seen as dangerous it is not because they are an inherently evil subrace, as Lloth is not their main deity. Native to all regions of the Underdark, drow do not worship the orthodox pantheon of deities and instead worship a figure known as the Woundfather, as do most of the subterranean sentient races. Drow are very noticeable due to their cooler complexions, ranging from navy blue and dusky purple to midnight black. White hair is the most common colour, however drow, like other elves, can have a range of hair and eye colours. Drow tend to have larger and wider eyes than other elves as they spend a majority of their lives in darkness and dim light, giving them a slightly alien appearance to other races, which also causes their sensitivity to sunlight. Having black or dark sclera is also common in dark elves. They are typically between five feet to six feet tall, but typically range on the shorter side due to living in the claustrophobic tunnels of the Underdark.

Drow in Cambrium are a female-only subrace, which means that biologically all drow are assigned female at birth. While it is possible that male drow can be born it is extremely rare, and what happens to the male drow that are born remains a mystery. Instead, in order to procreate drow will travel to the surface to search for a suitable mate that characterises what they wish in a child - strength, intelligence, cunning, certain looks, etc. Once a child is conceived they have no further contact with the male partner and return to the Underdark. A child conceived this way is always drow and will always be a full-blooded drow. This journey, when a drow decides to take it, is known as the Matriarch's Pilgrimage.

Drow excel in subterfuge, assassinations, poisons and illusion magic; this is what earned them their dangerous reputation rather than their worship to Lloth and questionable cultural practises. Although other races can be trained in the art form of the shadow monk it is an art form that originate from drow. Rather than spiders being the de facto symbol of the drow, in Cambrium it is a snake, specifically the black mamba.

Eladrin

Eladrin are one of the common subraces of elves, however their origin is a little more unique than others. Where high elves are considered the most connected to magic, eladrin embody the chaotic freedom of the wilderness and have the strongest connection to the Feywild. Most likely they have ancestors that are creatures of the Feywild or people who had been influenced or changed by the Feywild. Because of this connection to the fey it is expressed in the ability to transform their physical appearance that represent the seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. This transformation can take place when feeling a particularly strong emotion, when the individual's personal identity shifts and is better represented by another form, or simply following the seasons of the place they live in, some eladrin even stay as one season for their entire life and do not feel the urge to change. Their different forms can be represented as different physical genders, for example an eladrin may use their spring form the most and be female, but when they transform into another season, such as summer for example, they may become male. This does not happen to all eladrin but it is common enough that it is not seen as unusual for eladrin. They are native to Iskan, and can be anywhere between five feet and seven feet tall. Their appearance changes depending on which season they are currently representing, however this appearance is unique to the individual - for example a winter eladrin may have icy protrusions from their skull while others in their winter forms do not. The patron deity of eladrin is Yasei.

High Elves

High elves are one of the most common elf subraces throughout Cambrium, and are notable for their tall, willowy forms. Scholars are incapable of agreeing on where the prefix of 'high' comes from, with arguments ranging from it meaning they were once the dominant sentient race of Cambrium to literally because they are generally taller than other elf subraces, and high is the equivalent of tall in older linguistics. Regardless, high elves are considered the elf subrace that has the closest connection to magic, thus making them natural spell casters and scholars. High elves are native to Iskan, and typically put importance on intelligence and academic achievements, and so many young high elves find themselves pressured to perfect their schooling, especially against other races. As such, many wizards and artificers are high elves, and straying from this expectation can bring shame to a high elf household, even going so far as exiling or disowning those that fail to meet their parents' expectations. High elves are typically between five feet to seven feet tall, and are stand out amongst other elves due to being wiry or thin, which gives them a slightly more 'stretched out' appearance to other races. The patron deities of high elves are Yasei and Olmir.

Sun and Moon Elves

Sun and moon elves are a subrace of high elves, and take the position as most despised elf subrace due to their connections to the evil sun and moon deities Sköll and Hati. It is believed that these two subraces were created with a spark of divinity from the twin deities, Hati creating the moon elves first and Sköll, growing envious, making the sun elves second. Although sun and moon elves are not inherently evil, their culture is often looked down upon by other sentient races because of any real or perceived connection to the apocalypse deities. Their culture can be likened to Aztec and Mayan cultures respectively, sharing similarities but also having stark differences between them, while also constantly being at war with one another. This is because, at the heart of both of their cultures, they believe that it is their creator deity that starts the apocalypse, and so contends with the other in order to ensure their opposing prophecies do not come to fruition. This has caused many bloody, chaotic wars between them, though this conflict has died down somewhat in the past century.

While high elves are common sun and moon elves are much rarer, and some will actively avoid civilisation altogether in order to avoid persecution. Those that do choose to venture into cities and settlements that are not dominated by their own kind often find themselves met with suspicious glances, unfavourable treatment and sometimes outright refusal by vendors or merchants. Even those who do not follow the doctrine of the apocalypse deities find it a struggle not to be judged for what they were born as.

Sun and moon elves look similar to their high elf counterparts, however have a few notable differences. Sun elves have warm complexions, hair colour and eye colours, while moon elves have cooler complexions, hair colour and eye colours. Bronze and gold are common for sun elves, while silver and pale blue are common for moon elves - their skin also has an iridescent shimmer, particular in sunlight (for sun elves) and moonlight (for moon elves). They typically decorate their bodies in sun and moon motifs, particularly the ones that follow their patron deities. They tend to be between five feet to seven feet tall, with no particular leaning towards either end of the spectrum. Their patron deities are (naturally) Sköll for sun elves and Hati for moon elves.

Sea Elves

Sea elves are elves that have adapted to breathing and living underwater, typically in deep trenches that are dangerous for land-bound races to approach. In order to survive in watery environments the sea elves evolved several different adaptations - gills in order to breathe underwater, which are generally located on the neck or the sides of the torso, webbed hands and feet, and a nictitating membrane when swimming to avoid damaging the eyes. Sea elves often live in tandem with triton, however unlike the latter sea elves rarely leave the water for extended periods of time and typically show little interest in land-bound races. Because of this, sea elves speak Aquan as a native language rather than Elvish, and may not even learn Elvish throughout their lives. Sea elves consider themselves the protectors of underwater environments, particularly fragile coral reefs, as well as aquatic beasts and water elementals, while abyssal creatures are seen as their mortal enemies that they hunt and slay where possible. Sea elves can breathe in both fresh and salt water, though typically choose one over the other and face some discomfort when transitioning from one to the other.

Sea elves tend to have shades of blue or green for complexions, eye colours and hair colour, while their hair texture is usually similar to dreadlocks or seaweed, particularly mermaid's hair seaweed or witch's hair kelp. Their bodies are smooth and hairless, and may have fins on the backs of their arms and legs or may also have dorsal fins on their spines. They have developed a unique adaptation that allows them to voluntarily close the airways in their nostrils to prevent water from getting into their lungs for as long as necessary. Sea elves are generally between five feet to eight feet tall, as the pressure from living underwater tends to make organisms grow larger. The patron deity of sea elves is Ginnun.

Wood Elves

Wood elves, also known as primal elves, are a subrace of elves that typically live in areas of wilderness and tribal societies and one of the most common elf subraces. They are native to the Rajkali Swamps and Dagadhi Jungle of Jhenta and the continent of Valbane, which is mostly untamed wilderness. Due to the different climates of these specific areas wood elves can be separated into two further subraces - temperate wood elves and tropic wood elves. Temperate wood elves are native to Valbane while tropic wood elves are native to Jhenta, and have adapted to life in their equivalent climates. Despite this there isn't a large or noticeable difference between these two subtypes physically other than the tendency towards certain complexions and colours. For example, temperate wood elves tend to have lighter skin tones, from ashen grey to light brown in order to blend into the coniferous, snow covered forests, while tropic wood elves tend to have darker skin tones, from bronze to dark brown in order to blend into the leafy wetlands. Hair and eye colour varies throughout both subraces. They are usually between four feet and five feet tall, typically on the shorter side in order to move swiftly through thick forests and jungles, and are known to be excellent climbers. The patron deities for wood elves are Clan and Yasei, however temperate wood elves also worship Hrimnir as well.