ellyll

Ellyllon (/ɛɬəɬɔn/^listen), more commonly known as season elves, are a subspecies of elf. Ellyllon, as their common name implies, are the children of elves who are infused with some form of fey energy, transforming them physically and mentally. The exact nature of the energy depends on the season in which the ellyll is born.

Physical Description

Ellyllon are physically similar to elves in most respects, being slim and lean. They have angular, refined features with high cheekbones and pointed ears and chins. Much like elves, they generally stand between 4'6" and 6' tall and weigh between 90 and 160 lbs, though there are rare outliers. The major difference is their skin and hair colors, which are decided by the season in which the ellyll is born. Spring ellyllon have light green skin and dark green hair, with thick strands that evoke thoughts of grass. Summer ellyllon have reddish skin and frizzy, red hair which tends to float in the wind like wisps of flame. Autumn ellyllon take after the falling leaves, their skin running from golden yellows to light orange with yellow hair that is coarse and curly. Winter ellyllon have icy blue skin and white or blue hair that hangs straight and heavy like icicles.

Senses

Much like other elves, season elves are capable of seeing in the dark. However, they do seem to lack the other enhanced senses that their brethren have. Their sense of hearing and touch are rather ordinary compared to other sapient species, though this means they deal with pain better than other elves.

Life Cycle

Most ellyllon are the children of two ordinary elf parents, usually those without any evidence of ellyllon heritage in their family trees. At some point during the pregnancy, the mother becomes touched with fey energy which transfers to her unborn child. This fey energy then transforms the child into an ellyll, though this is not apparent during the pregnancy. Where this energy comes from, how it comes to affect a specific elf, the mechanism behind the transformation, and why it seems to be tied to seasons is not understood. Roughly 1 in 10,000 elves is born an ellyll.
In all recorded cases, an ellyll's type is determined by the current season on the realm on which they are born. This happens even if the mother travels between a number of different realms while pregnant; it is solely the realm she is on while giving birth that matters. Ellyllon born in the Sora itself are extremely rare; it seems to only happen if the mother had spent time realmside within the past week. As official reckoning of seasons can vary within a realm, ellyllon born close to the start or end of a season seem to be determined by the weather where they are born. For instance, an ellyll born a few days before the traditional start of summer may be a summer ellyll if it was unseasonably hot, while one born near the end of summer might become an autumn ellyll if it is cool and rainy.
An ellyll can have children with other elves; such children tend to be ordinary elves, though the same 1 in 10,000 chance appears to apply. Two ellyllon who have a child, however, are almost guaranteed to have another ellyll. It is through this that ellyll communities have sprung up throughout the Sora, with some realms being home to millions of ellyll. The only exception to this is a child born in the Sora to a mother who has not been on a realm in at least a month. Such children are instead born as ordinary elves.

Diet

Ellyllon are mostly vegetarian, just like ordinary elves. The major difference in diet comes in their preferences and tastes. Most ellyllon find themselves enjoying vegetables and fruits which are seasonal to their type. For example, summer ellyllon often like beats and apricots, while winter ellyllon prefer carrots and acorn squash.

Distribution

As noted previously, ellyllon can be found almost anywhere elves can be found. Roughly 1 in 10,000 births is an ellyllon. There tend to be slightly more summer and spring ellyllon than winter and autumn due to elven preference for warmer climates and realms with longer green months.