The eladrin are a subrace of elves who adopted the Feywild as their home. After centuries of exposure to that plane's magic, they acquired supernatural abilities not seen on most of their kin from the Material Plane plane and were effectively transformed into Fey. Sometimes called noble eladrin, they were capable of changing their physical appearance and powers according to their mood, assuming characteristics of the seasons.
A Touch of Fey
With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other races. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.
Eladrin are similar to high elves but are considerably more slender. It was common for their eyes to shine, giving away their connection to the magic of the Feywild. Their hair and skin colors changed to reflect their moods, which could each be identified to a particular season of the year. How frequently eladrin changed their appearance was an individual choice. Some eladrin spent their entire lives in the same season or followed the seasons of the place where they lived, while others could change as frequently as once per day.
A Timeless Perspective
Elves can live well over 700 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. They tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.
Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy and compromise to resolve differences before they escalate to violence. They have been known to retreat from intrusions into their woodland homes, confident that they can simply wait the invaders out. But when the need arises, elves reveal a stern martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and strategy.
Hidden Woodland Realms
Most elves dwell in small forest villages hidden among the trees while the eladrin typically dwell deep in forest homes within the Feywild. They are all talented artisans, crafting finely worked clothes and art objects along with melodious songs and ballads. Their contact with outsiders is usually limited, though a few elves make a good living by trading crafted items for metals.
Elves encountered outside their own lands are commonly traveling minstrels, artists, or sages. Human nobles compete for the services of elf instructors to teach swordplay or magic to their children.
Elves of the Fey
Eladrin are elves native to the Feywild, a realm of beauty, unpredictable emotion, and boundless magic. An eladrin is associated with one of the four seasons and has coloration reminiscent of that season, which can also affect the eladrin’s mood:
- Autumn is the season of peace and goodwill, when summer’s harvest is shared with all.
- Winter is the season of contemplation and dolor, when the vibrant energy of the world slumbers.
- Spring is the season of cheerfulness and celebration, marked by merriment as winter’s sorrow passes.
- Summer is the season of boldness and aggression, a time of unfettered energy.
Some eladrin remain associated with a particular season for their entire lives, whereas other eladrin transform, adopting characteristics of a new season. When finishing a long rest, any eladrin can change their season. An eladrin might choose the season that is present in the world or perhaps the season that most closely matches the eladrin’s current emotional state. For example, an eladrin might shift to autumn if filled with contentment, another eladrin could change to winter if plunged into sorrow, still another might be bursting with joy and become an eladrin of spring, and fury might cause an eladrin to change to summer.