Half-Elf
An elf who looks upon a half-elf sees a human, and a human who beholds the same person sees an elf. Though this characterization is simplistic, it gets to the heart of what it means to be a half-elf in Eastern Farraway
To elves who have an extreme viewpoint on the matter, half-elves are emblematic of the decline of elven civilization, a dilution of the race’s heritage and culture that will lead to its eventual dissolution.
To the humans at the other end of the spectrum, half-elves have an unfair advantage over their fully human peers, and are seen as privileged or favored regardless of the actual circumstances of their birth.
For most folk in Eastern Farrway, the issue isn’t so cut and dried. Half-elves are generally tolerated wherever they go, or wherever they take up residence — with the proviso that a society that doesn’t look kindly on elves or humans is likely to feel the same way about someone who has the blood of both races. Conversely, a society that holds humans or elves in high esteem doesn’t usually bestow the same status on half-elves (though such individuals are generally not ostracized).
In the distant past, half-elves were scarce because humans and elves came into contact only infrequently. It is only since the second calamity, as the races have intermingled more and more, that the number of half-elves has increased so that they are now found throughout Eastern Farraway. Not surprisingly, half-elves enjoy the company of others of their kind, such that where half-elves congregate, they are likely to be joined by others.
Half-elves are a diverse lot, given the number of combinations of elf subraces and human ethnicities in their ranks. Most of them consider their dual nature a blessing more than a disadvantage, because it gives them a set of capabilities and a perspective on the world that full-blooded humans and elves can’t hope to match.
At the same time, the mixed heritage of half-elves dictates that they make an effort to fit in with humans or elves when possible. For instance, half-elves born and raised in human settlements tend to have human names, while half-elves in elven communities generally have elven names. In some places half-elf children are named according to the “other” parent, or with a mix of human and elven names, as a way of setting half-elves apart from the rest of their community.
Geographic Distribution
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