Night Elves

A subgroup of Elves, they serve as primary field agents and lesser government agents in the Ehranian Empire. They are also some of the most prominent scientists, magicians, and scholars.
They have a complex rivalry with the Sun Elves, as they see their own kind to be more worthy and fitting to rule the Empire. Throughout history, different groups of Night Elves have used various means to try to gain control of the land, with differing amounts of success. Today there are many in the upper echelons of the government, and they generally do their best to serve the Empire as a whole, yet have an unspoken connection with their tribe that often serves more sectarian interests.

Transformation: Keres

The oldest, wisest, and most magically practiced of the Night Elves become a kind of Nymph known as a Ker. Wreathed in permanent darkness, these figures are widely feared, many serving the Elven god of death or providing their aid in war, but just as many pursue entirely non-threatening tasks, albeit with an unwavering clarity and focus that is resistant to magical tampering.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Mura, Ereium, Allator, Sanatal,Shilecaro

Masculine names

Maldegil, Bentenal, Aldacas, Ourundin, Muric

Unisex names

Eltenel, Rusashanell, Sanatal, Algazir Belenec

Family names

Sushacar, Fallas'tar, Manatar'alein, Rushalanain, Acaralen, Nalaneirdid, Rendalein, Rullunirded, Ballatirnen, Someshin

Culture

Shared customary codes and values

They commonly hold knowledge and wisdom in high reverence, and sometimes overlook social niceties and rules if something can be learned by doing so. Many have been accused (falsely or not) of transgressing ethical boundaries in the name of knowledge. However, as a group they claim that all advancements are in the name of Elfdom as a collective, and many have willingly shared their discoveries with others, asking little or nothing in recompense.

Average technological level

Night Elves are generally at the forefront of Elven science, frequently making new discoveries and inventions. Most of these are promptly distributed among the Empire for all citizens to use, though a few are retained for security purposes, because they're considered too dangerous for public use, or occasionally out of pure ego. Some of the advances they have made are shunned or at least disregarded by the Elven community, especially those that concern the alteration of plants and animals; however, many of these types of results are welcomed.

Art & Architecture

Many, especially those who live in cities, use the same glades made by Wood Elves and inhabited by other tribes, their cloisters being little distinguished from others except by the nocturnal habits of their inhabitants. Those who live among their own kind, however, often dwell in caves, crevasses, and other craggy natural features. These may or may not be artificially enlarged to suit their purposes. The entrances to these structures will be hidden behind foliage, the goal being to make them impossible to find for any who are not invited.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

For Night Elves, the ideal time to give birth is at night under a full moon. The degree to which these conditions can be met is considered prophetic of the child's future, with the position of the moon given far greater prominence than of the sun. Regardless of the conditions of birth, the child is sanctified and named at midnight under the next full moon and given an emblem, usually made of silver, that bears their name. This "namesake" is kept on their person at all times and expected to be easily found, if not openly displayed.

Coming of Age Rites

When an Elf reaches the appropriate age and is deemed by their relatives and colleagues to be suitably mature, they undergo a simple ritual among their family and peers in which they declare their own adulthood. Shortly after, they are to hide the namesake given to them at birth. Over the next month, their community passively looks for the token, and if it is found, they are considered to have failed and must wait a year before they can try again. Once they have lasted the month, they are considered an adult henceforth, and if the token is found after this point, it will be considered a mark of great shame to them, but not of a lack of adulthood.

Funerary and Memorial customs

When a Night Elf dies, their body is returned to their immediate family, to be interred in a special plot kept by the clan for the purpose. The burial is accompanied with a ritual that takes place at midnight under the full moon, among the deceased person's closest family and friends. The name is recorded on a plinth near the entrance to the burial area, with clues pointing to the location of the interred so that visitors can find them only if sufficiently motivated. If the body cannot be retrieved, a facsimile is used during the burial ceremony.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The Night Elves adore the moon, and idealize anything which visually invokes its image: silver and pearls are common adornments, and they prefer cool colors. They also play on the contrast between light and darkness, typically wearing dark or black clothing with glittering jewelry, imitating the appearance of the night sky.

Nicknames (least to most pejorative): Moon Elves, Moon-kin, Night-walkers, dark-lovers, cursed ones, sunbanes, day-killers Height: 1.6-2.1m (5'2"-6'8")
Skin colors: Dark gray or black with blue or white sheen
Hair colors: Silver, white, or black with white sheen
Eye colors: Silver
Lifespan (Average/Maximum): 1100/1790