Lore & History

Elves, much like their living ancestors, the eladrin, who are also commonly called elves, are a long-lived race of the Tel'Quessir found most commonly in forests, shrublands, and other wildernesses. From time to time the elves organized strong nations, though with far less frequency than eladrin, in some cases adopting even a nomadic lifestyle. Almost all elves worship the gods of the Seldarine, and the elves are generally, though not always, good in nature.
Elves stood on average 5′4″‒6′0″ (1.6‒1.8 m) and weighed 130‒170 lb (59‒77 kg). Usually, true elves were a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves had a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentation. Often, elven hair was dark, either brown or black, with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves, although orange or even green hues were not completely unheard of. Elven eyes are commonly brown, hazel, or an emerald green. Elves, like their cousins the eladrin, were fair and beautiful, handsome, and had pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair.
Elves matured at roughly the same rate as humans, though they were not usually considered past adolescence until they reached 110 years of age. Unlike humans, elves did not age dramatically as their lifespan came to a close, with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, alternatively graying or darkening. Most elves remained healthy and full of life up until their death, which, if age-related, was usually between two and nine centuries.
Elves had a number of abilities that set them apart from other humanoid races. Like their kin the eladrin, elves were agile, dexterous creatures. However, elves could move slightly faster than their eladrin kin and could move swiftly through even the roughest terrain. Elves were also more preternaturally aware of their surroundings than eladrin, as well as possessing better common sense. This aided elves in many ways, allowing elves a high degree of perceptiveness that they could lend partially to allies. Additionally, elves were extremely accurate in their attacks, having a degree of precision that would be unusual for other humanoids.
Many elves did not sleep, instead finding their rest in a meditative state called "reverie", which was as restful as true sleep but left them aware of their surroundings, similar to an eladrin's ability to enter a trance.

Although there are many elf species, the following are the ones known by the sages: