Elf

Elves are the one of the most numerous people on Earth, after humans and dwarves, with a total population in the tens-of-millions-range. They are spread on all four of the discovered continents, but are found in the highest concentration on Akroasia. Leading their own nations, equal citizens of other states, and minorities in many places, elves seem to be ever present in most civilizations. They are considered by many to be Earth's third most dominant species.

Elves share a common ancestor with humans and goliath, all having evolved from the archai. The particular archai whom would turn into elves dwelled in the Feywilds, giving them a natural connection to fey magics. As a result, the elves are magically compatible with numerous races, capable of producing offspring through mating with humans, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, halflings, dragonborn, half-dragons, beastfolk, tieflings, moonborn, many types of fey, and even vampiric creatures.

Description

Almost as diverse as humans, an elf's looks depends on a myriad of factors according to their ethnicities, lifestyles, and origins. There are, however, some common traits. Elves are usually taller than humans on average, while their slender build makes them lighter. Their "lack of meat on their bones" (as a dwarf would put it) gives elves sharp features such as pointy joints and pronounced jawlines.

Distinctly known for their luscious hair, they surprisingly have little to no body hair to match. Elves are even more unlikely to grow beards than the goliath. What does dot an elf's face, however, are freckle-like scars, approximately the same color as their hair. And no description of an elf is complete without mentioning their pointy ears. There is a great variation in shape and size of ears, but females tend to have longer, pointier tips than the men.

Origins

Very little is known about the archai, and the following statements are more like myths than facts. Archai magic consisted of rituals both arcane and superstitious, a pre-cursor to modern spells. It is presumed that one or more arcane rituals opened a plane tear, or at the very least a portal into the Feywilds. Those that entered and eventually left the realm of magic, emerged changed, molded by the mystical powers of the foreign plane. This new race brought back with them the abilities to craft and cast spells without relying on tedious rituals. Thus it is presumed that elves were the first creatures to cast spells on Earth.

Lifespan

~700 years

Average Height

~190 cm

Average Weight

~65 kg

Below: As archai emerged from the Feywilds as elves, their faces were covered in scars. Modern elves still have these marks, though they are less prominent, looking more like freckles.

by Midjourney

Society and Sub-races

Caiyang

Caiyang elves have a nation of their own, a hyper-authoritarian kingdom on Akroasia. They are extremely hostile to all but Lao-Hua, whom they trade with on occasion. Even other elves will not find allies in them as they respond to most foreign interactions with violence. Thus very little is known about Caiyang society.

by Midjourney

The Caiyang tend to have pale, light-grayish skin. Their hair color comes in all shades of gray, same as their eyes. Even among other elves they are known to have particularly sharp jawlines, and are noted for being lighter than the average elf, and shorter than the average human.

Drenov

by Midjourney

The drenovi are adapted to life underground, dwelling deep beneath the Cravv Isles, where they have built their matriarchal empire. Ever since the birth of the current Avatar of Misery as a drenov, their civilization has largely been dominated and corrupted by Misery. Cruelty, domination, and power are virtuous traits in their evil society. They thrive economically on slavery, secretly running all major slave trades in Cravv and Ortal. The rarity of these elves has led to people forgetting of their existence, and those who know of them regard them as mythical beings.

by Midjourney

Some feature found on a drenov can be pretty unique compared to other races. Their skin comes in black, shades of gray, or shades of purple. Add white to that mix and you have their range of hair colors. Their eyes glow faintly in the dark, and while their natural eye colors can be green, blue, purple, or red, it is common for them to enchant them with illusion magics, opening up the entire spectrum of colors. They consider their facial scars as beauty marks rather than blemishes, and many conduct various methods of self-harm to enhance them.

Gardian

The gardian elves get their name from the continent of Gardemoor. The second race to arrive after humans, these particular elves conformed to the human society already established here.

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Populous, but still a minority, they are seen as equals in the countries of Gardelinden, Sadinfroe, Avena, and on Cravv. They are firm believers that Harmony is a force of good, and make up a large part of both members and clergy in the Church of Harmony.

A number of dissident elves left mainland Gardemoor during the GE era. Some went as far as Cadenar to live in the newly-founded city of Marûagir. Most, however, settled on Ruun Kholmen, an island in the sea of Ruun. Disagreements and infighting among them led to numerous splits into individual factions. The island remains to this day as an unstable collection of petty elven kingdoms.

The gardian elf has a lot in common with the gardian human, no surprise as they surely are interbred by now. They share traits such as fair skin, blue, brown, or green eyes, and hair colors ranging from blonde to brown to red. Taller on average than humans, they have similar structures of natural body fat. While they are still lighter than an average human, they are by far the heaviest elves.

Huan

Huan elves claim to be the oldest of the elvish sub-races, as they have "always" been part of the world's oldest civilization, Lao-Hua. There are about as many Huan elves as humans, making them equal citizens of Akroasia, and the most numerous of elvenkind. Particularly skilled in the arts of illusion magic, they have influenced Lao-Hua society to such a high degree that most buildings in every major city are decorated with illusory effects.

As is the case with gardian humans and elves, huan elves share a significant amount of physical traits with huan humans, as they have lived together for millennia. Their eyes are narrow and are usually tones of brown or green, and their hair is brown, green, black, white, or gray. They usually have fair or tan skin, which is known for being exceptionally smooth.

by Midjourney