Half-Elf

Key Similarities with Faerun's Version

• Half-Elves are the offspring of one human parent, and one elf parent. As such, their features resemble a fusion of both halves, often manifesting itself in subtle ways. Their eyes are somewhat alien in shape like an elf, but maintain more human-typical colorings. Their ears are pointed like an elf's, but much shorter and wider, like a human's. They would have little facial or body hair, but still more than elves, and so on, and so forth.
• These folk exist in a kind of world between the human and the elven worlds. Elves will often find the human nature of the half-elves to be too unpredictable to be trusted, and many will feel uncomfortable forming intimate relationships with half-elves, since they have about 1/3rd of their lifespan. On the other hand, humans often see half-elves as a threat to them - longer lived, often more beautiful and seemingly more clever, many humans worry that having to compete with half-elves (particularly a worry in more insular homogenous communities) will always see them coming up short. Because of this, half-elves, perhaps more than any other race in Adra, have to rely on their own kind first and foremost - nobody truly understands the life and challenges of a half-elf better than another half-elf. See Half-elven Culture for more information.

Key Differences with Faerun's Version

• Half-Elves were not always a possibility in the history of Adra. Indeed, while there are some naturally occurring hybrid races, the most common of which are half-orcs, elves are the direct descendants of fey, and each carries a bit of Eldar in their heart. For such beings to be able to reproduce with other races of Kith, something incredible had to happen - legend has it that long ago, a human and elf were in love. Their love was so powerful, so transformative, and so true, that the gods themselves interceded, and granted the two kinds the ability to have offspring with one another. Whatever the truth of the matter is, there does seem to be something magical about the process. No matter how many generations ago in one's lineage it was that a human and elf originally coupled up, half-elves will always find that their children will remain just as much a half-elf as them, with a complete blending of human and elven features. This has led to half-elves, more than any other hybrid race, to form into their own communities.
• Not just any elf can take part in raising a half-elf child. It seems that Eladrin cannot, perhaps because their fey blood is far too strong, and it also seems that the Shadar-kai cannot either, perhaps for their association with the Shadow Plane. Drow can, though it seems that a half-drow is far more rare than other half-elves. Whereas Half-elves usually come about 1 in every 3 cases, Half-drow come about only 1 in every 10 cases.

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