Elf

Elves view themselves as the first and foremost sapient humanoids on the planet, believing the term "elder race" applies solely to them.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Elves have slender, athletic builds and tend to have high dexterity. Their most telling feature are their elongated, pointed ears.

Genetics and Reproduction

Elves reproduce sexually, with males mating with females. Their reproductive cells are compatible with humans (which results in half-elves) and goblins (which results in goblins).

Ecology and Habitats

Elves are comfortable in open, natural settings or within their own urban centers. While Wood Elves are content in the urban centers of other species, they prefer to live in or on the fringes of forested environments. Dark elves are sensitive to sunlight and prefer subterranean or covered environments (such as beneath a heavily canopied forest) and are known to be quite comfortable in any urban setting so long as there is ample amounts of shade or covered areas.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Surface elves are primarily vegetarian, taking their protein from plant sources. They can consume meat if desired to no ill effects, but culturally it is not preferred. Western Dark Elves cultivate fungi for consumption (and hunt sentient fungi as sport AND a food source). Eastern Dark Elves will eat anything, including other Dark Elves, due to the nature of their affliction.  Northern Dark Elves are vegan, consuming subterranean plants, fungi, and harvesting animal byproducts such as milk and eggs from deep goats and chickens.

Additional Information

Facial characteristics

Narrow, thin faces with piercing eyes and pointed ears.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Elves are the dominant species on Rusolte, ruling 80% of the landmass. They are widespread on Esverde and have integrated with human and dwarven cultures, with one Elven urban center where their kindred may gather in peace. Beneath the surface, Dark Elves are the dominant ruling species in 70% of the deep ways.

Average Intelligence

Highly intelligent, being the eldest of the civilized races (though this is disputed by Dwarves).

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Elves have darkvision, seeing up to 60ft. in darkness.

Civilization and Culture

Culture and Cultural Heritage

Hyne elves are the most populous, numbering in the billions on Rusolte with thousands more spread out across Urth. They are the shortest of the group, typically no taller than 5'6" with black hair, skin tones ranging from light-tan to brownish, and narrow eyes. Culturally, their hair is kept longer and often set into a single tail set high upon the head or low against the back. They are known as a rigid, stubborn people, and a common yet severe insult is to compare their attitude to that of dwarves.
Sylvan elves are the second largest tribe, exclusively found on Esverde and numbering around a few million. They tend to be around 5'10' in height, with hair colors ranging from light reddish to dark brown and lighter skin tones. Their hair is often shorter or styled in more practical ways, though their styles are still considered beautiful by other species. Culturally, they value freedom of will and the sanctity of life, even for their enemies, and readily integrate themselves and others into their societies with one exception: The Sylvan City of Vaerdhavon, where visitors of other species is allowed only with permission of the ruling council.
The Calastre or Caladore as they prefer to be called are Dark Elves. They stand around 5'10' in height, with silver-white hair and skin tones ranging from purplish-black to coal black. Culturally, the Caladore value discipline, self-reliance, and martial might. For years, they formed the backbone of Elven armies, facing against fiendish foes and Orcish or Goblinoid hordes with an unflinching zeal and courageousness since unmatched. Today, their presence is limited solely to the subterranean Deep Ways, due to the edicts of the Elven High Council of Lushan following the First Elven Schism.
Lessian elves are a small subset of Caladore dedicated to the worship of Elessae, they are physically identical to Caladore but culturally opposite. While they too believe in self-reliance, they adhere to Elessae's precepts of inner peace, calm, and stillness. Numbering fewer than 500,00, they are found primarily in their hidden city beneath the ice-floes in the north, with scattered wanderers appearing all over Esverde and the fringes of Rusolte on their coming-of-age pilgrimages.
Sulien elves reside primarily on the edges of the Lushan empire. They appear similar to Sylvan Elves with the exception of golden blonde hair and deep-green eyes. While their alliance with Lushan affords them protection, they are primarily recognized as the magicians and sorcerers of Elvenkind. They currently run an academy of magic within Lushanese borders and train many of the magicians found in the Lushanese military.
Wylhessian elves are found on the western coasts of Rusolte and are commonly known as sea-elves. While not explicitly allied with Lushan, they are granted the universal protection that the Lushanese Governing Body extends to all Elven nationals who are not subject to exile. They are culturally similar to Sylvan Elves with the main difference being they value the seas, shipbuilding, and navigation of the ocean over woodland realms.
Cenalisse elves are another tribe of Dark Elves. This tribe was afflicted by Xeetj the Corruptor, eternal antagonist in the Infernal Waltz. As a sub-tribe of the Caladore, the Cenalisse are responsible for the suggestion of using Goblins as a weapon of mass destruction to the former noble houses of the Caladore, resulting in the First Elven Schism. Today, the Cenalisse forever infest the Deep Ways of Rusolte, refusing to surrender and holding fast to their madness.

Common Taboos

Surface elves and Elissian elves see death as something that should be delivered as quickly and painlessly as possible, and thus view the use of blunt or bludgeoning weaponry as brutish and uncivilized, since such weaponry is less likely to cause instant death on errant or weak strokes.  They are trained to shoot for the head or to disable an attacker depending on need. Dark elves generally do not share this concern.

History

Elves allege that their civilization represents the first intelligent humanoid on Urth, with their species tracing history back over 16,000 years.
Early Elven stories tell of a nomadic people, who wandered Rusolte as hunter-gatherers until they mastered magic with the aid of dragonkind. Because of their early days as hunters, Elves mastered use of the bow and once they developed smithing, blades.
Elves typically attribute the mastery of magic as the true beginning of their society and count the years of the First Age as those following said mastery. Most elves accept the following tribes as the original groups of elven culture: Hyne, Sylva, Lessia, Wylhess, Sulien, Calastre, Cenalisse.

Common Myths and Legends

Oral traditions credit the first Elves as the Children of Eluver, the God of Creation. They believe that originally, the Elven Gods were brought into being by a visitor from the Fae, who discovered Urth following the defeat of the first fiendish invasion by the original Dragonbrood. Seeing Urth as a world of potential, this visitor entreated with Bahamut, who was more than eager to welcome them to the nascent world. This visitor was Eluver, and along with Bahamut, created the first Elven Gods to act as his agents and aid Bahamut against the forces of disorder and evil.
With Bahamut's aide, Eluver bound several greater elementals of air and water, harnessing their energies and combining them with his own. From this, Larethel, The Forefather was born along with Celendria, the Mother of Life. Soon after, more gods emerged: Cerah and Aztariell
Larathel, seeing a world filled with magic and covered in magical ley lines, quickly adopted the realms of magic and knowledge as his domain. He agreed with Eluver's vision of order from the chaos and subsequently added the realm of light to his domain, seeing it as essential to the goal of holding chaos at bay. Energized by his newfound purpose, Larathel would then desire to set about to aid the work of Bahamut until he came upon the countenance of Celendria.
Celendria emerged soon after Larathel wakening to a world of great magical energy, but devoid of the beauty that came with life. She saw Urth as a plane of roiling infernos, raging tempests, swelling deluges, and barren earth and despaired. She bowed her head in tears, overwhelmed by the enormity of the task which lay ahead of her. Before she took her first steps however, a hand gently touched her chin and lifted her face. She found herself gazing upon Larathel, who with tears in his own eyes declared that as the most beautiful being he'd ever gazed upon, he would shoulder her burden as well and add his strength to hers in the completion of her dream of the beauty of life. From that point forward, Larathel and Celendria would ever be as one, united as husband and wife, and their offspring would be the first elves. Celendria would take upon herself the realms of life, beauty, and wisdom as her domains, to complement those of her husband.
Unbeknownst to Celendria, another Elven God emerged at the same time as her. Cerah, the sister of Celendria, emerged to the same world and took in what she saw. However, instead lamenting the great emptiness of the world, Cerah immediately felt her sister's despair. Her heart broke over the sadness of her sibling, and she immediately knew what her purpose would be. Reaching out, she felt the presence of Larathel and called to him, whispering the name of Celendria to him and letting him hear her cries. When he found Celendria and the two swore their eternal bond, Cerah knew her purpose was true. She then instilled upon them a great drive to accomplish whatever they set their will upon, united in their glorious cause. Satisfied with her work, Cerah claimed the realms of love, hope, and ambition for her domains, swearing to impart her blessings to the children of Larathel and Celendria, as well as passing her values to her own children.
Celendria celebrated her newfound love with a shower of life, bringing forth the first tree in existence on Urth. From this tree sprang fruits of all kinds which ripened and fell to the ground in a matter of seconds. This eruption brought forth a grove of vegetation bursting with flowers of all colors and scents. Tiny reptilian demi-wyrms, offspring of Bahamut's broodlings who had come to celebrate their forebear's newfound allies drank into the fae energies and emerged as feathered birds of all shapes and sizes. While this occurred, a new being awoke to the world. His first vision was that of joy, with Larathel and Celendria celebrating their newfound union amid a bounty of colors and lights. Though a great celebration was at hand, the new being, Aztariell could focus only on Cerah. Though Celendria radiated beauty, Cerah too was quite fair to look upon. Where Celendria had spun herself hair of gold, Cerah had hair weaved in a rich reddish brown atop a tender face with a radiant, loving smile. And though it would have pleased Aztariell to gaze upon Cerah indefinitely, he had a greater concern. The explosion of fae and magical energies caused by the union of Larathel and Celendria had attracted a denizen of the hells. A devil had appeared, disguised, and was approaching dangerously close to Cerah. From sheer will, Aztariell cloaked himself in the shadows, becoming unseen to all. From the fallen scales of a metallic wyrmling who had transformed into a bird, he used his powers to fashion two daggers of the purest silver. Ever silent, he positioned himself behind the devil before it could strike at Cerah and beheaded it. Emerging from the shadows to the stunned faces of Larathel and Celendria, Aztariell threw the severed head of the devil upon the ground. Horrified at the sight, but grateful for her life, Cerah threw her arms around the stoic Aztariell. In that moment, Aztariell made a solemn oath that so long as he existed, no harm would come to Cerah. To this end, Aztariell adopted the realm of shadows and the realm of the kill as his domains, to forever safeguard his love and their children. Though he took solace in his newfound love, Aztariell turned to Bahamut and asked why he did nothing to stop the devil, to which Bahamut indicated he wanted to test his new allies. Aztariell spit upon the ground at the response and decided from that point on his loyalties would lay only with Cerah and their kin, for the forces of evil would always try to undo that which he loved while the forces of good stood by and did nothing.
It would be many years before more Elven Gods would appear, ascended from the ranks of mortal elves. Other gods and their dispositions are as follows:
Evelastina, Goddess of the Hunt and Archery - Neutral Good
Cal-Nicon, God of War - Neutral Good
Aenavarah, Goddess of Bonds and Oaths - Lawful Good 
Celcacican, God of Trickery, Mischief - Chaotic Neutral
Vannah - Goddess of Fortune - Absolute Neutral
Aeriean, Goddess of the Sky - Chaotic Neutral
Celar - Goddess of Murder - Neutral Evil
Ellessae - Goddess of the Moon, Stillness, Peace - Lawful Good
The Dark Lady - Goddess of Combat, Mastery, and Independence - Lawful Evil

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Elves have had a centuries old grudge against goblins, due to the latter's preference for Elves as a breeding stock. The Lushan Empire systematically eliminates Goblins from Rusolte while Sylvan elves take steps to either avoid individual goblins or destroy nests once they are identified. Sylvan elves do recognize Goblin rights to exist to an extent, whereas High Elves will exterminate them on sight. Dark elves see Goblins either as slave labor or an enemy, depending on if they can subdue them.

Scientific Name

Fae Eluvatum

Origin/Ancestry

Elven

Lifespan

750 years

Conservation Status

Elves are the dominant species on Rusolte and can be found in isolated concentrations on Esverde. Sylvan (wood) elves have also integrated into human and dwarven communities. Dark Elves are predominant in the Deep Ways and are the ruling species beneath the surface.

Average Height

5'11"

Average Physique

Slender

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Varied, ranging from pale white to deep brown.

Related Organizations

• The Kingdom of Volkarde