Elf

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elves are bipedal humanoid mammals. They stand slightly shorter and more slender than humans on average, ranging from four and a half feet tall to slightly over six feet, and typically weighing between 100 and 145 pounds as adults. Males and females tend to be around the same height, with males only just slightly heavier than females. Elves are known for having delicate facial features and having relatively androgynous appearances when compared to humans, especially given their lack of facial or body hair. Elves also do not require sleep, only requiring to be in a semiconscious meditative trance for hours to attain the same level of restfulness which a human would normally regain in eight hours of sleep.

Genetics and Reproduction

Elves reproduce sexually, gestating their children for roughly the same length of time as humans. However, unlike humans, elves tend to have far fewer children over their lifespan. For elves, each birth represents a soul that has been reunited with Correllon and then returned, and elves rarely produce more than a single child every hundred years if that, and elven siblings (aside from the rare set of twins), are often separated by decades if not hundreds of years.
Elves are also one of the few races known to hybridize with some regularity. Half-elven children are occasionally born to elven and human couples. From the elven perspective, the birth of a half-elf represents a disruption of the natural order of reincarnation. Elves in different communities and across different worlds have numerous ideas about the nature of the disruption, because the gods have never given an answer that seems applicable to all. The soul of a half-elf might be an elf soul whose connection to the Seldarine has been weakened, or it might be a true elf soul trapped in the body of a half-elf until death, or the soul that lies beneath one's elf-like visage might be human.
Many elves, especially the younger ones, view the existence of half-elves as a sign of hope rather than as a threat- an example of how elf souls can experience the world in new ways, not bound to a single physical form or a particular philosophy, but the subject is a continuing source of tension within the community.

Growth Rate & Stages

Although elves mature physically at the same rate as humans, elves tend not to reach emotional maturity until significantly later in life, generally not claiming adulthood and taking an adult name until they reach a more worldly perspective, typically somewhere between their seventy fifth and hundredth year. This stage is signified by when elves stop experiencing primal memories during their trances, and start experiencing memories of their present life. Once reaching adulthood, elves seem to hardly experience the passage of time, typically not reaching old age until their fifth or sixth century, and regularly living three-quarters of a millennia. In some cases, particularly ancient elves have been known to live more than a millennia, with some particularly proficient magic users seemingly attaining complete timelessness. Elves in their old age start to experience memories of past lives in past times, signifying they have entered the twilight of their lives, followed by the appearance of crescent-shaped cataracts that appear over their eyes while in trance which evidence the elf's time is rapidly approaching. While there is no clear sign of exactly how much time an elf has left once these crescents appear; days, months, years), the advent of these cataracts are considered a divine sign for the elf to set their final affairs in order.

Ecology and Habitats

Elves are widespread around the world, and can thrive on the coldest tundras or harshest deserts. They are attracted to places of natural beauty, and their natural ties and attunement to the faewild and magical world mean they frequently settle at the convergences of magical leylines and places where the border between the faewild and material plane are thinnest. In other cases, elves live nomadic lives in harmony with nature, traveling and following natural cycles.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Elves have a similar dietary needs to humans, but most elves are vegetarians by choice. Elven cuisine tends to feature subtle but complex tastes, and while to less developed senses of taste this food may seem bland or plain, to the heightened tastes of an elf food bursts with flavor.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Elven features are noticeably more delicate than humans, and they tend to be sharper, narrower, and more angular, a legacy of their fae origins.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Worldwide

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Elves are known for their keen senses and their natural affinity for magic. Elven sight is superior to that of humans, capable of seeing in better details at further distance, in addition to possessing the ability to see clearly in low light or light that would otherwise be indistinguishable to humans. Elven taste, hearing, touch, and smell are also all more refined than that of humans, rendering elves generally more attuned to their surroundings. Moreover, given their origin in the Faewild and perceptive senses, elves have a natural resistance to being charmed by magic.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Elves consider themselves children until they declare themselves adults, some time between their seventy fifth and hundredth birthday, and before this period they are called by child names.
On declaring their adulthood, elves adopt an adult name, although those who knew them as a child may still continue to use the child's diminutive. Each elven name is a unique creation, thought it might also reflect names of respected individuals or other family members. Elven names generally bear little distinction between male and female names. Finally, elves typically have a family surnames (often a combination of two words in elvish), which they occasionally translate to common, but just as frequently (and within their own communities) keep in their original elvish.
Child Names: Ara, Bryn, Del, Eryn, Faen, Innil, Lael, Mella, Neill, Naeris, Phann, Rael, Rinn, Sai, Syllin, Thia, Vall
Adult Names: Adran, Adrie, Aelar, Althaea, Anastrianna, Andraste, Antinue, Aramil, Arannis, Aust, Beiro, Berrian, Bethrynna, Birel, Caelynn, Carric, Drusilia, Enialis, Enna, Erdan, Erevan, Felosial, Galinndan, Hadarai, Heian, Himo, Ielenia, Immeral, Ivellios, Jelenneth, Keyleth, Laucian, Mindartis, Naivara, Paelias, Peren, Quarion, Quelenna, Quillanthe, Riardon, Rolen, Sariel, Shanairra, Shava, Silaqui, Soveliss, Thamior, Tharviol, Theirastra, Theren, Thia, Vadania, Valanthe, Varis, Xanaphia
Family Names (Common Translations): Amakiir (Gemflower), Amastacia (Starflower), Galanodel (Moonwhisper), Holimion (Diamonddew), Ilphelkiir (Gemblossom), Liadon (Silverfrond), Meliamne (Oakenheel), Naïlo (Nightbreeze), Siannodel (Moonbrook), Xiloscient (Goldpetal)

Major Organizations

Elves maintain a number of major geopolitical organizations worldwide. In the east, the Eternal Empire rules over the largest population of elves, and is itself a direct continuation of the first elven empire. In the west, the Silmarene sovereignty represents the largest elven power, while exclaves such as the Faefrost exist on the periphery. Along the summer sea, elven powers guard Summergate and retain holdings in Dugriedor and Aldumere, and elves control distant outposts like Syndenstar, the Isles of the Moon, and Odadell, while remnants of old elven realms cling on in Thaïs, Ceastre, Sintrum, and Syrene. 
Many ancient magical and religious orders are also maintained primarily by elves. These include the organizations of those elves faithful to the elven pantheon, the Seldarine, and their associated orders, along with ancient druidic and martial orders tracing their roots well beyond the Age of Heroes.

Beauty Ideals

Elves are constantly seeking out beauty, although their sense of the beautiful might seem somewhat hard for humans to comprehend. As elves regularly live more than seven centuries, this trait affects their attitude and outlook toward beauty. Fine jewelry will tarnish and lose its filigree, and even the most beautifully crafted weapons begin to lose their sharpness and architecture begins to weather and wear, succumbing to the ravages of age long before the years of their elven owners come to an end.
Elves therefore tend to pay special interest to the ephermal,  and are fascinated those things that can be experienced only once or experienced uniquely each time, and those things which change and evolve, fixing these moments in their memories and resisting them during trance for the rest of their lives. The changing of the leaves, sunrises and sunsets, bubbles in water, illusions, eclipses, rainbows, and musical performance are all things of great beauty to elves which they seek out. This fixation on the mutable and fleeting isn't to say that elves don't produce art, jewelry, and architecture of immense beauty and durability, but the subjects of such artwork and their purpose still tends to focus on a piece's place in time and on how it is experienced.

Gender Ideals

Just as Correllon Larenthian seems to eschew traditional gender roles, so too does elven society, and elves generally make no distinction between males and females in their laws, traditions, or hierarchy. Whatever their gender identity or sex, elves can be found at all levels of society. 
As children, elves are not assigned a fixed gender to better understand the true identity of their soul, as that elf's soul may have been a different sex in a past life. Aside from reproduction between an elf couple, the issue of an elf's sex only rarely comes up, and so elves, ever focused on the mutability and fluidity of life, tend to forego conforming to the more rigid gender roles assigned to humans.

Courtship Ideals

Elven courtship is a lengthy affair, rife with intricacies and ritual, and can take decades or even centuries before the relationship culminates in a union. Most feature some form of musical or artistic component, while all feature lengthy periods of deep personal intimacy and connection during which bonds can be formed which last centuries. 
Its exact traditions differ from culture to culture, but generally focus on either reuniting linked souls across their reincarnations, or in forging new connections with new soulmates.  Marriage and divorce are somewhat foreign concepts to elves, as view relationships as too free and mutable to be constrained by such rigid rules, and elves tend to view their relationships as  personal bonds of love and informal unions for the purpose of raising children, generally formed after decades of deep personal intimacy. In either case, courtship is never undertaken lightly, as an elf will be bonded to their partner for many years and perhaps across cycles of rebirth.  In some cultures these relationships are for life, while in others these relationships may come and go over the centuries as new soulmates are discovered and relationships evolve.

Relationship Ideals

Elves view their relationships as the most important parts of their lives. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. Elves have difficult times forming strong relationships with the members of the other races, as in elven culture it may take decades or even centuries for elves to forge a relationship they consider a real friendship. Among elves, a hundred years of acquaintance between individuals is considered a good foundation for a close relationship. Elves will resist memories dozens, hundreds, or sometimes even thousands of times over the course of their lifetime in trance, and their keen memories mean they still feel the emotions from these memories almost as keenly as when they were first experienced. Therefore, it pays well for elves to be selective in their close relationships, as a particularly traumatic or painful memory or relationship may be relived for centuries. 
Although elves might be stingy with their affection for others, most are strong judges of character, and their first impressions are seldom wrong, though it might be years later before the relationship becomes deeply personal. Elves prize patience in their relationships, and this trait is almost second nature to them. This can sometimes give the elves an impression of aloofness or emotional distance. Nevertheless, elves are devoted and loyal in their relationships and consider personal character and honor among the most important traits, and reputation and character are among the few things which endure through an elven lifetime.

Average Technological Level

Elves exist on roughly the same technological level as the other sapient species, though they are extremely slow to adopt new technological advancements in keeping with their languid outlook. Elves are fascinated by the ways new technology can be used to produce art or better capture a moment or feeling, but otherwise have little use for the purely mechanical or mundane technological advancements. 
Where elves truly excel is in their magic and craftsmanship, and while elves may be slow to adopt a new advancement or technology, elves can be counted upon to refine it to perfection. Ancient magics and enchantments lost to history are still studied in elven libraries and thrive in elven cities and villages, and elven mages, wizards, and sorcerers are amongst some of the finest in the world, honing their abilities over their long lives. Elven smiths still practice ancient techniques long lost to history, and over centuries of practice and refinement, elven artisans are routinely capable of producing works of beauty and craftsmanship paralleled only by those masterworks produced by the great dwarven smiths.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

Elves speak their own language, which they refer to as "Seldarine," a language which they believe comes directly from their gods themselves, and in which they believe some of the inherent magic of the faewild and Arvandor are imbued. Although elves have diverged into a number of subgroups, the long cultural memory of these groups means the various dialects modern-day elves speak are all mutually intelligible, as these groups tend to have diverged linguistically from one another less than three millennia ago. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races, and many a bard learns Elvish to add an elven ballad to their repertoire. Ancient elvish, such as that from before the age of heroes, is significantly harder for modern day elves to speak, and occurs only rarely in ancient scrolls, artifacts, and carvings.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

As elves generally find paper too short-lived, elven cultural legacy and heritage is typically passed down through oral histories, often in the form of epic poetry and songs. Elves routinely gather during festivals and feasts to recite these histories and legacies, using these moments as an opportunity to strengthen and reaffirm cultural bonds and solidify communal identity. In many cases these songs and celebrations are the same as those which have been celebrated for generations or even millennia, and recite such varied topics as the origins of the elves, great heroes, popular myths and legends, and histories of prominent individuals, families, and organizations.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Elves gather routinely during prominent celestial occurrences, typically holding large celebrations which include dancing, feasting, and their famed poetry and songs. These celebrations can last throughout the night, and are generally exceedingly private.

History

Elves are among the oldest races on the planet, only slightly younger than the dragons (and perhaps contemporaneous with the Giants). During their many millennia, elven empires have risen and fallen, and elves have left an irrefutable mark on the world.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Dwarves. "Dwarves are dull, clumsy oafs. But what they lack in humor, sophistication, and manners, they make up in valor and loyalty. And I must admit, their best smiths produce art that approaches elven quality. 
Halflings. "Halflings are a people of simple pleasures, and that is not a quality to scorn, for they know how to appreciate the beauty in the world. They're good folk, they care for each other and tend to their gardens, and they have proven themselves tougher than they seem when the need arises. 
Humans. "It's so hard to befriend humans because they hardly know themselves. All that haste, their ambition and drive to accomplish something and understand themselves before their brief lives pass away- human endeavors seem so futile sometimes. But then one looks at what they have accomplished, and one has to appreciate their achievements. If only they could slow down and learn some refinement.

Elf

ability score increase: Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

age: Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.

alignment: Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly towards the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. The drow are an exception; their exile into the Underdark has made them vicious and dangerous, and most Drow tend toward evil.

Size: Medium

speed: 30 ft.

Languages: You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous amongst other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add elvish ballads and epic poems to their repertoires.

sub races:
High Elf
Wood Elf
Dark Elf (Drow)
Shadar-Kai
Deep Elf
Eladrin

race features:
Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.
Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.
Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.
Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. The common word for such meditation is "trance," and while meditating in such a way, you can dream after a fashion. Such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Genetic Descendants

• Half-Elf

Lifespan

750 years

Average Height

4'6"-6'0"

Average Weight

100-145 lbs.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Elven coloration encompasses the normal human range, and also includes skin pigments in shades of copper, bronze, or an almost bluish-white, to a near-black purple and obsidian. Their hair comes in a similar range of colors to those of humans, but also includes shades of green (typically a brownish dark green or sandy light green), or blue (typically appearing as dark navy blue or blue-white). 
Their eyes also tend to be striking when compared to humans, seemingly brighter than those of humans (in-fact, this is due to a greater number of photoreceptors, meaning elven eyes literally reflect more light), and also come in shades of gold and silver.