Half-Elf

Half elves are a people who many would say have inhereted the best attributes from both sides of their family tree; they have the long life and keen senses of their elven ancestors, and the adaptability and drive of their human ones. A typical half elf will likely say that they are a people slightly out of sync with every society that they have lived in. In elven society, half elves are full mature adults while the elves they grew up with are still children, and in human society, they find those around them growing old and infirm before they even reach middle age. Perhaps because of this, half elves tend to be wanderers, although as their population increases, small half-elf settlements have begun to spring up.

History

While Half-Elves have presumably existed for as long as humans and elves have co-existed, they have rarely appeared in the historical record, either blending into the societies which produced them or being deliberately ignored.

Before The Serpentfolk

Half-Elves are largely absent from the elven histories, which are among the only ones stretching back so far. The occasional mention is made of "so-and-so the half-blooded", but the elves seem to have generally considered them to be not worthy of mention.

The Reign of the Serpentfolk

Under the serpentfolk, Half-Elves were prized as slaves, but a combination of the elves successfully hiding from the serpentfolk and the serpentfolk's appetite for elf-flesh resulted in a small enough number of elven slaves that it prevented the serpentfolk from establishing a serious breeding program. By the time of the cataclysm, Half-Elves were all but non-existant in their empire.

After The Cataclysm

While the elves largely continued their isolation following The Cataclysm, they protected the territories around their cities vigilantly, and this included the human settlement contained within. These humans, known by the elves as the Hînoidór, or 'children of the land', came to view the elves as mentors and guardians. As their relationships with the Hînoidór matured, half-elves were the inevitable result.

Modern Times

Today, Half-Elves aren't an uncommon sight in any corner of The Shattered Continent, except perhaps the Eastern Wastes, where their status as valued slaves has driven them all either out or into hiding. They move freely through the human nations, largely being treated as humans, albiet exotic and beautiful ones. In some places, they have even gathered in large enough groups to form majority Half-Elf settlements, and many half-elves are descended from nothing but humans and half-elves back for several generations

Half-Elf Society

Half-elves are good at adapting to whichever culture they choose to live in, but it's usually the lifespan of their parent-culture which shapes them the most.

Half-Elves in elven Societies

Half-elves seldom stay in elven societies for their entire lives, finding life in them slow and stifling. They mature at over five times the rate of the elves around them, and elves often find themselves unsuited to raising a child over the course of a couple of decades rather than a century.

Half-Elves in human societies

Half-Elves who live with humans often find themselves deliberately distancing themselves from them, not wanting to become too attached to their shorter-lived countrymen. This often results in them either becoming aloof or consumate playboys, bouncing from relationship to relationship, never letting any become too serious. It isn't uncommon for Half-Elves to wait until past middle age to settle down, waiting until their remaining lifespan is closer to that of their prospective partner.

Half-Elves out in the world

Half-elves find fitting into most human societies fairly easily. Those who take up a trade find themselves able to reach extreme levels of proficiency over the course of their long lives, although some change professions a number of times. They can be found in nearly any occupation or job, as they are just as adaptable and flexible as their human ancestors.