Elves and Half-Elves

During the last of the great wars between Elves and Dwarves in Meridiem three thousand years ago a desperate group of Elves fled a burning city into the waters of The Ring in an attempt to reach any land not involved in war. Through shear luck they managed to discover a peninsula south of The Shield mountains and were the first to travel between the two continents. The peninsula was heavily wooded and contained massive amounts of wildlife, the likes of which no Elf had known in Meridiem which was heavily devastated by war at the time. Though they were safe from the war these Elves faced many new challenges. Over time they were able to establish a city somewhere in the center of the peninsula. These Elves did not set out to make the same mistakes as their forebears in Meridium, namely they kept their population in check and avoided the Dwarves who they knew lived to the north. The Dwarves of the Shield ignored the peninsula, since it did not appeal to them and as far as they knew only wild beasts lived there. Eventually the Elven population tapped into natural magic and druidic practices, unlike their kind on Meridiem who had abandoned that lifestyle in exchange for arcane magic and great lavish cities long ago. They remained this way for a thousand years and in that time, they invented a method of making the trees far more durable and pliable than normal which became known as Ironwood. Then, from where nobody knows, a great plague wiped out the Elves on Aquilonium. All that remained of them was their overgrown city with written history, and the Ironwood which grew on its own. One thousand years ago, while Humans were settling their newfound home on the peninsula, they discovered the Ironwood and the Elven city. Left behind was a written history of the Elves who lived here, including a description of where they were from. This was the first time the races of Aquilonium had any idea Meridiem even existed. Previously they had known about The Ring but assumed that’s where the world ended. The Ring was far too treacherous to cross due to violent weather and massive beasts that would attack any ship that strayed too far from shore. However, with the Ironwood they were able to build a single great vessel they would use to send a delegation of Humans and Dwarves to engage in diplomacy with Meridiem. Diplomacy was difficult at first, but since the Dwarves and Elves of Meridiem had ended their war in peace centuries before the Aquilonium races were able to establish peace with the southern continent. Now that there was a way to cross The Ring, trade began. This aided the Humans in settling the peninsula (which at this point was named Initia, but that would later change) and connecting the Dwarves of Aquilonium and Meridiem. Knowing now that there had once been an Elven population on Initia, the Elves sent archaeologists and scientists there to investigate. Unable to replicate the methods used to create Ironwood due to their lack of talent with natural magic, the Elves decided to simply manage the resource as it already was. Demand for Ironwood was high, especially during the construction of a safe method of transportation between the two continents. In order to keep the trees from being clear cut to extinction, a colony of Elves was put in place to be the Keepers of Ironwood. At this time there was only one Human kingdom on Initia and a treaty was signed between the Elves and the kingdom of Initia. Elves would manage the Ironwood and keep to themselves, occasionally sending a delegate to the King of Initia to keep the kingdom updated on the resource. When the Civil War broke out and Initia split into two kingdoms, a new treaty was signed and the Elves remained impartial and worked with both kingdoms to manage equal shares of Ironwood. Over time Elves and Humans crossbred, though it happened rarely. Elves tend to keep to themselves and Humans see the Elven ‘holier than though’ attitude as off-putting. Half-Elves are openly accepted by both cultures and are often recruited for their diplomatic skill.

Additional Information

Social Structure

High Elven society is one that favors logic and reason above all else. After they made peace with the Meridiem Dwarves, they shifted their focus almost entirely to perfecting their arcane techniques and pursuing a better understanding of science and their world. (read: basically Vulcans who can cast spells)
Wood Elves find themselves following a different path. Due to their mission and exposure to nature, Wood Elves tend to favor preservation and peace above all else. They have no desire to perfect their natural magics. The way they see it, as long as they can maintain the natural order within their borders they are just fine. However they do concern themselves with the politics outside of their borders, but mostly in order to guarantee the healthy existence of the Ironwood or forests in general.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

The two Elf subraces, Wood and High, have their origins separated by the continents. High Elves are those more attuned to arcane magic and come from Meridiem. Their presence on Contra or Aquilonium is typically explained by a mission or objective they were given by superiors on Meridiem. Wood Elves are those who can tap into natural magic, and this is only accomplished from being exposed to nature for hundreds of years.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

There are very subtle differences in naming traditions between the Elf sub-races, but to such a small degree that it is only noticeable by other Elves. Half-Elven naming traditions are decided by the individuals parents so they can have either Elven or Human naming conventions.

Major Organizations

The primary organization with Elves on Contra are the Keepers of Ironwood. There is also a small number of High Elves passing through Contra seeking to explore the northern regions.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Elves crossbreed exclusively with Humans due to their physical similarities. However, for this to happen both parents would have to possess an unusual amount of patience. The cultural differences can be very difficult to overcome, not to mention the vastly greater lifespan of the Elves.

RPG Datasheet

Rules As Written in 5e rulebooks.
However, in this setting I am attempting to distinguish arcane spellcasting from natural, as such there may be some class limitations for Elves. Am willing make exceptions for player characters, as long as I can adapt the setting.