Elves
Elves were created not long after Humans to represent various cycles of change in nature. They can live to around 600 years (a century per cycle), giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply.
Although they can be haughty, elves are generally gracious even to those who fall short of their high expectations—which is most often non-elves. Still, they can find good in just about anyone. They just… have an arrogant way of putting it sometimes.
They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.
Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy.
Then there are the Vens.
Vens are a branch off the Elven tree, somewhat of a subrace if you will. All Vens are Elves, but not all Elves are Vens.
As such the two Vens; Stygvens and Lethvens are sometimes referred to as the Dark Elves and the Light Elves respectively. However, while the Vens care little for the specifications of this, some take some offense to this. The Vens are of a different creation, using Elves as a template a step after all the Elves were created together. Stygvens came from the Dark and Lethvens, from the Light - two forces directly opposing rather than representing a cycle they represent a constant battle, even down to their biology.
Similar to Elves with their unearthly grace and fine features, Vens appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and other races, but even more so that they become just off-putting enough in the right - or wrong - light.
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