Elves in E'ahna

The Elves of E'ahna typically come from one of four major regions: Astrithyr, Shora, The Meliferan Wilds, or Kalara. The Drow, who live in the Underdark, are no longer considered by most (or themselves) to be a part of Elf-Kind, too far mutated into something else. For stat/trait information on Noble Elves, Green Elves, Twilight Elves, and Drow See Races & Homelands in E'ahna. Elves of course can also be found living outside of their larger domains. They are common within the free cities of Namiza, typically in Emenna or Leyline. They tend to avoid the human nations of Marasen and Belstrad as a long history of war between them has left them at odds. They can be found in Kardath, a country largely composed of half-elves. They are rare in the western continent of Kharza outside of the Meliferan Wilds, but individuals may find themselves lost or banished from their tribes and ultimately land in communities of Jacho, Va'Sehir, Heliamir, Luxumu, or even among the desert Tribes.

Astrithyrian Elves

Astrithyr (eastern Arna) is the original elvish homeland, a deep grove of ancient forest which, according to myth, grew through a rift directly from the feywild. It is a monarchy and most of the inhabitants are High Elves (aka Sun Elves) or Noble Elves as well as a slew of fey creatures such as fairies, sprites, and (rarely) eladrin. Astrithyrian culture is highly refined, hierarchal, with an emphasis on magical ability or artistic talent. Most are well educated and speak several languages. They tend to look down on non-elves but still welcome them within their gleaming cities, and if they are exceptional, within their magical university. They generally tend to have bronze skin, hair of black, blond, or copper, and eyes of gold, silver, or black. Noble high elves have eyes that appear not to have a pupil and shift between green, red-orange, gold, or blue depending on temperament, with a sclera matching the color of the iris.

Shoran Elves

Shora is a forest extension of Astrithyr which has snaked its way through the mountains and is currently invading and/or assimilating with the Langollyn Wilds of western Arna. The elves of Shora rejected the High Elves' obsession with the arcane, sticking to more druidic roots. Shoran elves, who have evolved over the centuries into Wood Elves, live mostly in nomadic clans based around patron animals (most led by a druid of high standing). Clan is often denoted by a specific design via face paint, or potentially a tattoo. They are more reclusive than high elves and tend to keep to themselves but may also keep the company of forest gnomes. They have one permanent settlement atop Mount Eriliath where all the clans may convene in troubled times or at the solstices. The largest of the clans are the Koelkiir (Wolf), Luedrei (Boar), Naerannis (Snake), Alvantha (Owl), & Quilathri (Elk) clans. There are a number of other smaller clans but most are not headed by a proper and powerful arch-druid and so therefore they hold far less influence among wood elf "society". Green Elves are sometimes born among them, though very rarely, and usually either grow to a druid of exceptional power or become entirely wild, forsaking their clan. Wood elves generally have coppery skin, hair of brown or black and very occasionally blond or copper, and eyes of green, brown, and hazel. Green elves are so named due to the fact that they often have green hair and eyes and even their skin can be tinged with green.

Meliferan Elves

Melifera is a region of dense jungle far removed from other elves and most other people. Meliferan Elves are Wood Elves, many of them are actually Green Elves, and their society is tribal and most often hostile to others. Their villages are scattered through the jungle but they constantly war with each other, leaving many villages in ruins. The elvish they speak is hard to understand even by other elves and many words have no equivalent. The Meliferan elves revere power and strength- they are lead by the most ferocious among them and they often have contests of strength to determine hierarchy. Many of them are shapeshifters- either druids or lycanthropes (were-tigers). The various tribes come together only to tackle their common enemy- The Yuan-ti. They look about the same as a shoran elf but they tend to be paler and you aren't likely to see one with blond or copper hair. Their features are not quite as angular and fey as their cousins on the other continent and their ears tend to be much shorter.

Kalaran Elves

Kalara is a small island south of Arn formed from an ancient volcano. It is home to the Twilight Elves, a fairly new subrace. Twilight Elves were once Drow, but they rejected Lolth and returned to the surface guided by a drow named Kalar. Kalar died and then rose to became a lesser deity of light who then transformed them, cleansing them of Lolth's demonic bloodline. Twilight Elf society is mostly nocturnal, but considering how the region they are in is most often cloudy and rainy, you can still find "day owls" going about during the daytime. They are about half adapted to the surface, fairing better than a drow but still with a measure of sensitivity in the sun. Though they have retained some societal elements from their former home, they do not partake in raids and enslavement. Twilight Elves have dark skintones ranging from ashy pink, purple, and blue in hue, hair of silvery white or black, and eyes of vivid red, blue, purple, pink, silvery white, or black. Their eye sclera matches their iris color, similar to Noble Elves or Drow.

Moon Elves

Moon Elves do exist in E'ahna but they live on an island far to the frigid south that has not had contact with any mainland since ancient times (except on one occasion when they arrived in Vaskira.). The only known story of these people is a myth that spoke of a group of elves born of unseelie fey that left Astrithyr in the early days of the world and headed far to the south to form their own new winter court. They were never heard from again and most thought they had returned to the feywild. No one knows they still exist today, and they don't know there is a world outside of their island as anyone who leaves does not ever return. This is because those that leave slowly begin to forget where they came from, the memory of their home island and people slowly erased. On that mysterious island, other non-elf races are a myth to them as they've been isolated for thousands of years and only know of giants, kobolds, white dragons, and the merrow who infest the sea around their home. Ask the DM about the possibility of playing a Moon Elf and how you came to end up so far from home. The racial statistics are identical to a high elf but they also have resistance to cold damage. Visually they have very fair skin, hair of black, blue, and silver, and with eyes of blue and green. Like the Meliferan Elves, their language has evolved and it has become incomprehensible to other elves at this point. If they are fresh from the island they likely will not speak Common. It is rumored among Vaskirans that deep within the forests are a reclusive group of strange pale elves that ended up stranded there many years ago, but it seems they do not wish to be found and have become somewhat of a cryptid in the region

Drow

The Drow of E'ahna live deep below the earth in massive underdark cities. It is a brutal society; cut-throat, industrious, and heavily utilizing enslaved people as its main workforce. The drow raid each other, duergar outposts, and the surface taking slaves and treasure all for the glory of their goddess, Lolth (a demon lord of spiders). Though each city is independent, they are all theocratic- run by temples & priestesses of Lolth and an aristocracy of Lolth's "favored" houses. The Original Drow of E'ahna made a blood pact with the queen of spiders, a ritual which transformed them and tainted them with her demonic bloodline. As a result many drow have spider-like features including multiple eyes and at times multiple limbs and the ability to produce webbing. The elven gods were said to be the ones who banished these abominations below, and they've become quite comfortable down there since, having little interest in the bright and aggravating world in the sun. They hold true elves and their gods in contempt. Drow have skin-tones ranging from alabaster white to charcoal black and all shades of warm gray in the middle. They have pin-straight hair, like spider silk that is silvery white or yellow-white, and eyes of milky light lilac, pink, blue, silver, and among Her favored, bright red. Drow have no pupils and the sclera of the eye is the same color as the iris.