Elf

Maturity: 200 years old
Expectancy: 700 years
Normal Hair Color: brown, black, sandy blonde
Normal Hair Style: fine or wavy, long, braided
Eye Color: brown or blue
Eye Shape: almond-shaped
Height Range: 5 feet 6 inches to 6 feet tall
Weight Range: 140 lbs. to 160 lbs.
Health: healthy
Skin Tone: fine to light tan
Agility (1-5): 5

Ear Shape: human at bottom and pointed at top
Nose Shape: straight, close to face, and delicate
Learning Capabilities (1-5): 5
Trusting: yes
Racist: no
Confidence (1-5): 5
Strengths: bow and arrow, swordsmanship, stealth
Weakness: pride
Language: Faejesh
Relationships: humans - at war; human-elf hybrid - tense trust

Social Order:

1. King and/or Queen
2. Prince or Princess (age over gender)
3. Military General
4. Battle Strategist
5. Commanders
6. Soldiers and/or Guards
7. Mature (225 and older)
8. Children (under 225)

Naming Traditions

Family names

Given a name when born, but last name is where person was born. Written as "Name" of "Place."

Other names

Elven, Elvish-folk

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Native language is Faejesh, but elves are just as fluent in the common language of Inyish.

Common Customs, traditions and rituals

Custom: It is customary for a person that is saved from death to offer a life vow to their rescuer.
Tradition: After the death of the king and queen, the oldest child announces the day and time of when they will say their King's or Queen's Vows or they may announce their refusal of the role. If role is refused, it goes to the next highest rank elf.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Upon the death of an elf, the body is burned. If killed in battle, the leader (king/queen, general, or next in line) decides to either burn the bodies at the battlefield or return home with them. To burn the dead, a pyre is built and all bodies to be burned are laid on it. The forehead of each is kissed by their closest loved ones, then covered with the flowers and leaves of whichever tree is in bloom. The highest ranking elf lights the pyre and all bow their heads to say their final farewells as the bodies burn. Those that have loved ones burning may sing a song of farewell.

Common Taboos

To bond with a full human is considered the worst crime any elf can make. The punishment is imprisonment.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

The elves do not focus on outward beauty. They only look at the inner beauty of a person's character to determine who they feel is beautiful.

Gender Ideals

Gender limitations do not matter to the elves. No matter what the gender, they do what they excel at - military, harvesting, healing, cooking, building, etc. Seniority follows age, not gender. For example, the king and queen have a daughter and then a son - the daughter becomes queen when their parents die and the prince may do what he excels at unless the daughter is killed or refuses the role of queen.

Courtship Ideals

Once elves turn 220 years old, they must begin looking for a future mate to bond with but may begin looking as early as they wish. They must be together for a minimum of 5 years and must both be mature (225 years old) before being allowed to bond. They are not allowed to live with or mate with their chosen partner until they have been bonded together.

Relationship Ideals

They select one mate to bond with for their lifetime, regardless of how long either is alive. So if one person dies suddenly, the remaining person may not re-bond with anyone. Both parties must have reached maturity before they can bond.

Parent ethnicities

• Elf

Diverged ethnicities

• Elf
• Human-Elf Hybrid

Related Items

• Elven Travelling Cloak

Languages spoken

• Faejesh
• Inyish