Half Elves

A child of two worlds

I noticed the eyes right away. That tinkle of starlight within them. But his stature was too tall and wide to be one of Yeno's folk. No, this was a half elf for certain. Charming to a fault too. That smile must have melted many hearts along the way. Course, I wasn't sure what side of this whole mess he was on. Could easily be half Brass Elf for all I know. So I kept my mouth shut about the operation, no matter how sweet he talked. We shared some bread and wine and then he was on his way, south road. Hard to forget someone like that... so, what did he do? You wouldn't be hunting a nobody.

- Dwarven Guard at the Hinterland Fortress

Naming Traditions

Family names

Half elves tend to take the names they are given. If they are raised by humans, then human names. Raised by elves they tend to lean toward that naming convention. Some take new name to escape any influence from either group.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

They will speak the language they were raised with, but usually find it easy to master the common tongue or elven language as needed.

Culture and cultural heritage

Half elves tend to stand out no matter where they are. Since they are rarely encountered, and their destinctive mix of elven and human qualities draws the eyes from both races. Reactions to them tend to be mixed.
Dwarves, halflings and the first folk races don't treat them much different from other folk. They may comment on their appearance but that it about it. Halflings in particular seem to be drawn to half elves charming nature.
Wood Elves like to believe they treat half elves no differently from their kin, but many times they come across as if they pity the half-blood. So close to Yeno's perfection and yet, so far. Brass Elves dispise half elves, and see them a blight to Yeno's glory. In the The Brass Horde and areas ruled by it, half elves are captured and used as slaves or arena fodder. Shadow Elves are even rarer than half elves, and so there is little known about their thoughts on the matter. A human/shadow elf child has never been seen or known in recorded history.
Humans treat half elves differently depending on the human culture's reaction to elves. In the southern areas, half elves are treated like any other person. But further north, where all elves are looked on with suspicion (and Brass Elves look on in fear), half elves are treated with immediate suspicion. They are seen as possible spies from the Brass Horde (even though that culture abhors the half elf). Most humans tend to find the half elf's exotic looks to be intriguing and alluring. This has lead to some half elves finding themselves in more trouble than they can handle in human lands.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

When it comes to religious beliefs, half elves are often torn in two directions. Much like the children of Yeno they share a resistance to certain magic effects and the inate affinity for the arcane. But they also have many physical qualities of the children of Ashtyr. For many half elves it becomes a personal choice on which goddess to follow. Some shift from one to the other over their lifetimes, depending on where life takes them.
Others find themselves drawn to other gods that feel more attuned to the mixed nature of their lives. Some see a kindred in Irev the consort of Yeno and patron of knowledge. Irev often takes a form most pleasing to Yeno, sometimes male, other time female. Many see this moldable nature going into actual physical traits, making Irev appear more human at times. 
Half elves are also drawn to Emid and his embrace of luck and variable. For many half elves they are never certain where life make take them, and Emid's blessing is always looked on as a good thing.
It has long been a question why the great Goddesses allowed their children to intermingle at a biological level. This is not the case with the children of Kor. While there is no answer in any books of the Goddesses some clergy believe that it was meant to unite the two races against a common foe, Chaos. Unfortunately it seems to have only created more confusion for these folk and even hardship in some communities that see them as impure creations of mortals. Brass Elves in particular see half elves as an unwholesome corruption of the purity of Yeno's gifts. They usually react with disgust upon seeing a half elf. 
Other believers feel they are doubly blessed, as a soul united by two Goddesses. They feel they have the best of both worlds, and when they end their time in this mortal world, they will be embraced by both of the Great Goddesses.

Encompassed species

• Elves