Elf

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. As an ancient people, elves have seen great change and have the perspective that can come only from watching the arc of history. 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.
If you want a character who is graceful, mystical, and mysterious, you should play an elf.

History

Physical Description

With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.
Elves’ coloration encompasses the normal human range and also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and almost bluish-white, hair of green or blue, and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. Elves have no facial and little body hair. They favor elegant clothing in bright colors, and they enjoy simple yet lovely jewelry.

Personality

Elves can live well over 700 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. Elves value intellect and beauty, with many elves striving to improve their manners, appearance, and culture. They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They're slow to build friendships and enemies outside their kinsfolk and even slower to forget them, as elves who spend their lives among shorter-lived peoples often become morose after watching generations of companions age and die. Elves are often emotional and capricious, yet they hold high ideals close to their hearts. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.
Like the branches of a young elven livewood tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy. Elves take up adventuring out of wanderlust. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented from day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace. Elves also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater magical power, and adventuring allows them to do so. Some might join with rebels fighting against oppression, and others might become champions of moral causes.

Culture

Elves live in a tight-knit empire knotted throughout the forested Emerald District within Drakkenfall. Elves hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, and their skill and magic allow them to support themselves without the need for clearing and plowing land. They are talented artisans, crafting finely worked clothes and art objects. The inborn patience and intellectual curiosity of elves make them excellent sages, philosophers, and wizards, and their societies are built upon their inherent sense of wonder and knowledge. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though a few elves make a good living by trading crafted items for metals (which they have no interest in mining).
Elven culture also regards all life as sacred and to be cherished and this is why elves hope that by maintaining this fearsome reputation outsiders will avoid meddling in their business which could end in losses too great for the elves to recover from. Unlike in other societies, crimes, which are extremely rare within elven communities, are always solved diplomatically as elves value life, stories, community, art, traditions, and the natural world more than anything else.

Elf Milestones

Minor Milestones

• Complete an Exploration quest within an Elven landmark or region.
• Gain a Favor from the Elven Diarchy.
• Acquire an Elven magical item of rare or greater rarity.
• Complete a Cleanse quest related to a rival ancestry.
• Teach a PC or NPC the values of Elven culture.
• Complete a Hunt quest who's target drops rare or greater resources.
• Discover a Fey region or landmark.
• Solve a hostile situation with diplomacy, rather than with violence.
• Befriend a wild beast that poses a threat to the party.
• Establish a Haven or Settlement under thr Elven Diarchy’s control.

Major Milestones

• Complete an Exploration quest of Tier 3 within an ancient Elven territory or region.
• Gain Authority within the Elven Diarchy.
• Acquire an Elven magical item of very rare or greater rarity.
• Complete a Hunt quest who's target drops very rare or greater resources.
• Discover a Tier 3 Fey place of power.

Zenith Milestone

• Reclaim the ancient Elven capital of Myrindel.
• Relocate the Wyldwood and end the curse poisoning the region.

Basic Information

Type
Humanoid

Lifespan

750 years

Average Height

5-6 ft.

Average Weight

100-150 lbs.

Related Organizations

• Allegiant Kingdoms
• Grand Alliance

Skin Colors
Same range as humans plus shades of copper, bronze and bluish-white. Dark elves possess shades of dark blue and purple
Hair Colors
Same as humans with dark elven hair being a pure white
Eye Colors
Same as humans plus further chromatic colors such as orange, purple, red and yellow
Distinctions
Pointed ears, slender frame, little to no body hair and innability to grow beards

Being an Elf...

You Likely...

• Carefully curate your relationships with people with shorter lifespans, either keeping a careful emotional distance or resigning yourself to outliving them.
• Adopt specialized or obscure interests simply for the sake of mastering them.
• Have a deep longing for the former success of your ancestry in the world, finding yourself jealous of those with powerful dynasties outside of your own.

Other Races Probably...

• Focus on your appearance, either admiring your grace or treating you as if you're physically fragile.
• Console you about the loss of your empire, but most likely don't truly fret it as much as you.
• Worry of your xenophobic culture and that you privately look down on them, or feel as if you're condescending and aloof.