High Elves

'To an outsider, it looks like everything the high elves touch is beautiful - their clothes turn all other tailors green with envy, and even the dwarves will admit that they're skilled masons. That's not even mentioning the high elves themselves, and that gorgeous land they've made their home. Sure, they can be slow to warm to people, but when you've got as many years as them, it makes sense, I suppose.' - Nesam Ceman, merchant

The elven residents of Pyandonaea are often referred to as high elves, or sometimes 'pure elves', though the latter name is typically used by more xenophobic groups. High elves are characterised by their particular affinity for arcane magic, as well as having the greatest lifespan, made even more notable by their reconnection to the Golden City that was their ancestral home. Many high elves can learn arcane magic with little to no effort, and have tremendously long lifespans allowing them to master a great many skills.

Basic Information

Ecology and Habitats

High elves are notable for being very poorly adaptable, only being really in their environment in the relatively idyllic weather of Pyandonaea. While they can function in other environments, their relative lack of sweat glands and body hair makes adjusting to different temperatures difficult, and they are often affected quite seriously by changes in altitude.

Dietary Needs and Habits

High elves are typically pescatarian, living on relatively light green plant matter and fish. They are capable of eating meat, but it is not a staple of the high elven diet, and as such, livestock agriculture is almost non-existent on Pyandonaea, though hunting is common amongst the nobility.

Biological Cycle

Elven biological development is a very lopsided process, maturing for the first 10 years of their life in much the same way as humans, followed by an adolescence that can often last a century. Following this, an elf's adulthood can last anything up to 900 years without magical extension, though it may prove that, with their reconnection to the moon, even this is a conservative estimate.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

High elves have by far the most prominent ears of the elven subspecies, some even considering ear length and angle signs of status and attractiveness. They also typically have the least facial hair of the elves, and often have eyes with a slight glow to the iris.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

High elves are typically given a traditional elven name at birth. Often, this is the name of an ancestor. Most high elves do not have any equivalent of a surname, though nobility may take the name of their house as a surname.

Major Language Groups and Dialects

High elves almost exclusively speak Elvish/Elven, typically with only those who have travelled outside of Pyandonaea having a second language.

Culture and Cultural Heritage

High elves culture is often summarised as striving for perfection - a high elf will often pick a single field, whether crafting, magical, or combative, and strive to be the greatest in that field. High elven communities will typically have a number of specific academies and universities due to this. As such, high elves typically excel in their field, with high elven craftsmanship and mages being some of the finest in the world, but are poorly rounded and lacking in other skills.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The high elves are on relatively friendly terms with many other 'civilized' species, although tensions are often high with the other elven subspcies.

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• Elves

Lifespan

Anywhre from 250-1000 years (though they may prove to live longer)

Average Height

Slightly shorter than humans, on average - a 6 foot high elf, while not unheard of, is notable.

Average Weight

High elves are typically very slender, and thus light compared to humans.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

High elves typically have relatively fair skin and hair, though still with a good deal of variation.