Elf

Elves (Theen: Ethye) are a sapient species found throughout the world, though the majority of their population is concentrated on Tevhetra and its surrounding islands. They are the most commonly found species of the Fair Folk.
Elves are most notable for having two bodies: a base body of their shared species, a bipedal omnivorous mammal, and a body of a different vertebrate animal. Elves can shift between these two bodies at will, with the unused body stored in a pocket dimension that they are connected to from birth.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elves are four-limbed, straight-spined bipedal mammals with opposable thumbs and no tails. It was initially assumed that they were close biological relatives to humans due to their similar appearances, this is no longer believed to be the case; in particular, the flexibility of the elven spine and arch of their feet may place them closer to felines or viverrids than primates, though the fact that they're omnivores raises more questions. (Taxonomy is a relatively new science in Tevhetra.)
As Fair Folk, elves naturally process quintessence, enabling their connection to a second body stored in stasis in a pocket dimension that they can switch between at will. If one of their bodies is somehow destroyed while they are not in it, the elf as a whole will survive, albeit unable to transform into the other form ever again. However, they will die when the body they're in dies. They also have a strong reaction to iron; touching it with their bare skin causes it to blister and can leave to permanent burn-like scars, while ingesting too much can kill them. Elven blood contains a chemical that neutralizes the iron in heme proteins, enabling their bodies to function. This chemical also causes elven blood to look purplish. 
Elves have hair all over their body, though other than the hair growing from their scalp, their hair is usually short and near-colorless unless shaved, in which case it will grow back slightly darker. Elves do not grow noticeable facial hair. An elf's hair color will match that of their animal body's fur, feathers, scales, etcetera. As such, many have stripes or different-colored patches in their hair. Hair can be straight, wavy, or curly.

Biological Traits

Elves traditionally divide themselves into five 'courts' of ancestry, named after the seasons of their ancestral homeland: spring, rain, summer, autumn, and winter. These courts match up with the habitats of their animal forms; spring with grasslands and temperate coastlines, rain with tropical and warm coastal climates, summer with deserts and arid scrublands, autumn with heavily forested or mountainous territory, and winter with sub-artic and artic lands. An elf's court also usually determines their skin color; spring elves are usually violet or pink in coloration, rain elves in varying shades of blue, summer in a variety of human-like browns, though a few are pinker, autumn elves are green or dark teal, and winter elves have gray skin, though a few dark purple or indigo winter elves exist. However, as the courts are more of a formality than anything these nights, intermixing is common, and some elves may have a skin color that does not match the court of their animal form. In that case, they usually identify with their animal court rather than the one determined by appearance.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Elves as a whole are omnivorous, though an elf's preference for food will usually match their animal form's diet. They are capable of safely consuming some organisms who are too toxic for other species to eat. Whichever body they're in will draw on the fat and calories stored in it when possible, but in an emergency they can draw on the energy reserves of their other body. Some elves will exploit this by gorging themselves in one body, then switching to their other for a long period of time without needing to eat.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

An elf's eyes will always match the shape and color of their animal form's. While outwardly human-like, other traits of their faces such as shape may resemble their animal form's as well. Elves also have large, triangular ears.

Average Intelligence

Elves will maintain that they are the wisest of all sapient species, much to the annoyance and disagreement of virtually everyone else. That being said, elves do have very strong memories and suffer less memory degradation with age compared to the average sapient.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Regardless of what their animal form is capable of sensing, elves generally have strong hearing and low-light vision. They can also feel when a large amount of quintessence is around them.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Traditionally, elves have a personal name given at birth and an ancestry name determined by their animal form. The personal name is usually not given by the parents but someone else close to them (grandparents, a parent's Suvet or sibling, etcetera) out of the belief that they can be more 'objective' about the child and give it a more honest name. As an elf's ability to shapeshift usually won't be controllable until they're about three years old, they won't be referred to by their ancestry name until them. These ancestry names are compound kennings used to describe their animal form and have been in use since before the Nightfall.
Elves who enter the clergy will usually change their personal name, though those who knew them before are welcome to use their old name (unless they experienced a severe religious awakening and reject all facets of their old self). Members of the Wild Hunt take on a hunter's name that they use exclusively while in the mask. Nickname are important in Nuanat culture, and only one person is supposed to use a nickname for an elf (exceptions are granted for young children who may not understand these social complexities and just repeat what the adults say).
Elves who are currently indentured are not allowed to use their ancestry name during the term of their indenture, and many masters will make a point to refer to their servants with simplified or deliberately mispronounced versions of their names to demean them.

Genetic Descendants

• Kymra

Average Height

5'6" - 6'6" (adult)

Average Physique

The stereotypical elf has a limber, tightly-muscled build. In reality, however, there are a wide variety of elven physiques from large and muscular to stout and plump. An elf's physique will usually correspond with their animal form's, and is a product of their genetics.