Overview

The elven people are some of the longest lived creatures on Vandeas, esteemed for their agility and precision as well as their stoicism and impassivity. The cities and civilizations of the elves have withstood the test of time far better than most, and as such their history is more intact than the majority of races.

History

The Yarrowsong Elves

A longstanding civilization of silver elves known as the *LINK*Yarrowsong Empire once existed on the eastern coast of *LINK*Landis, occupying the present-day lands of *LINK*Morden, *LINK*Forbidden Gruz, *LINK*Inaria, *LINK*Ryvhov, and *LINK*Bost. It is believed that these elves developed the first calendar system, aligned with the changing constellations. This proclivity towards the stars is also evident in their most prominent creations; the *LINK*Oraculus, a deck of cards used by soothsayers and mystics for far-seeing, and the concept of the *LINK*Darkling Song, a consistent motif in their creation mythos and folk tales. After an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 years, the empire suddenly collapsed around 450AC for poorly understood reasons; it's known that the heir to the throne vanished in the lands that would become *LINK*Forbidden Gruz, and soon after the remaining heir vanished as well, leading to total chaos. Some of their traditions remain in practice by the elves of *LINK*Inaria.

The Dragon War & Asharian Foundation

The veyish elves of *LINK*Rozarria were one of the first groups to come to the humans' aid during the *LINK*Dragon War, alongside the dwarves of *LINK*Domhelm. Following the destruction of the invading dragons and the Five-Fold Destroyer, *LINK*Tiamat, the elves of the Black Isles were the first to suggest a more permanent alliance between the three races. Particularly, Allianor Jayne became known as the First Councilor for their role in Asharian unification, and was later canonized as a saint. Veyish elves have continued to play a very prominent role in the expansion of the *LINK*Asharian Federation during the four thousand years following its establishment, often attributed in part to the long-term perspective their lengthy lives provide.

Description

Elves are widely recognizable from their pointed ears, slender builds, and ageless features. They have little body hair and completely lack facial hair. An elf's skin tone, hair color, and eye color depends on their subrace. Elves tend to be dexterous and graceful, and are famed for their skill with bows and swords.
Additionally, elves are largely genderless, and most elven dialects lack the proper terms to define gender; instead, names and notable characteristics are used to refer to specific individuals. Most elves in prefer to use they/them pronouns in Common and other languages, however an elf may choose to use different pronouns during their Naming Ceremony.

Fraying

"Subject One was clearly experiencing the final stages. I could see that her irises were dark pools reflecting the heavens, scattered stardust and cosmos glittering across the surface of her eyes. Her ailing memory only served to prove how frayed she'd become - though she was more than happy to answer my questions, I believe she forgot who I was halfway through the interview. With her condition as advanced as it was, she likely forgot about the interview altogether after I'd left her chambers."

- Ynir Sreshen, Untangling the Frayed: An Examination (c. 3400 AC)

When an elf begins to near the end of their life, sometime after their fourth century, they go through a process known as fraying. This can progress over as short a time as a few weeks, or as long as a year. Fraying begins in the mind as the elf starts to forget small details, their memory worsening until eventually they are unable to recall familiar places or people. The elf will slowly start to go blind and their eyes will develop opaque shimmering cataracts, along with becoming increasingly weak. Eventually they will be completely blind and bedridden, at which point their death is imminent. Throughout this process an elf will rarely develop feelings of discomfort, fear, or confusion; inversely, as the condition progresses most elves seem to be very at ease. While it is believed to be a "natural" cause of death for elves, equivalent to old age in other races, fraying exhibits the signs of a supernatural effect and many scholars have dedicated their lives to better understanding how the condition works.

Elven Ethnicities

Veyish

Veyish elves hail from *LINK*Veywyn, also called the Black Isles in *LINK*Common, and tend to have pale skin, light hair, and brightly colored eyes. The generally light appearance of these high elves contrasts with the deep gray soil of their home, and their proclivity for farming crops and trees further saturates their ashen islands in shocks of vibrant greens and yellows.

Skovi

The wood elves of *LINK*Elaskov tend to have tanned skin, dark hair, and brown or gold eyes. Believed to have originated from veyish elves that ventured too far into the *LINK*Blightwood, many skovi elves are born with or develop minor oddities in their physical appearance. Some of these include slit-shaped pupils, patches of bark-like skin on their joints, lengthened ears, slight protrusions from their spine, tiny animalesque horns, spindly pointed fingers, and abnormally sharp teeth.

Rillish

These elves originate from the forests of present-day *LINK*Morden, and tend to have dark skin, medium or dark hair, and green eyes. These wood elves have a reputation for excluding metals from their armor, weapons, and tools due to an intense dislike of fire. They instead utilize wood, leather, stone, and other such materials that can be processed without requiring a forge. Rillish elves’ aversion to fire also extends to food preparation, leading to a primarily vegetarian diet alongside occasional raw meat or fish.

Inari

The remnants of the *LINK*silver elves are known as inari, and tend to have pale skin, light hair, and light blue eyes. These high elves are quite rare to see outside of their homeland of Inaria, and have a tendency to be suspicious of outsiders. Though many of the old traditions of the *LINK*Yarrowsong Empire have been lost to time, they carry on the simple ritual of maintaining flower gardens, adorning themselves and their homes with vibrant blossoms.

Lyndelish

The lydelish elves are renowned as stalwart warriors, and tend to have tanned skin, green-blonde hair, and piercing yellow eyes. These high elves are often stockier than most, owing to their rigorous martial training. Originally known as "emerald elves" in the Yarrowsong Empire, a specialized warrior caste; they conquered the hobgoblin nation of Shozmog around 2000AC after a political rift within Inaria forced them to leave.

Eladrin

Believed to be particularly attuned to the the *LINK*Feywild, the Plane of Faeries, the appearance of these elves is entirely dependent upon their mood, which in turns alters the season to which they are currently attuned. Most are descended from a group of eladrin that crossed into the *LINK*Material Plane thousands of years ago, or the descendants of elves blessed by powerful fey.

• Spring eladrin are usually full of life and joy, their skin and hair appearing green or light pink mimicking saplings or budding flowers.
• Summer eladrin often have hot tempers and are aggressive, with a golden yellow coloration to their skin and hair.
• Autumn eladrin typically are calm and compassionate, their skin and hair usually the rusty orange or brown hue of fall leaves.
• Winter eladrin tend to have somber or melancholic dispositions, their skin and hair colored an icy shade of blue.

Sea Elves

In the depths of the *LINK*Cerulean Span lies an empire of underwater elves, that tend to have blue or green skin and brightly colored eyes. The hair color of these elves varies significantly; silvery-blue, deep seaweed green, and salmon pink-orange are the most common. They also commonly possess speckles and fish-like stripes on their skin, which in some cases can be bioluminescent. Sea elves generally keep to themselves, and thus very little is known about their vast submerged cities. However, it's known that they have a longstanding conflict with the *LINK*triton that has led to a number of conflicts over thousands of years. It's quite rare to see one of these elves on dry land; when they do make an appearance, it's almost exclusively in the Veiled Sea region of Rozarria.

Shadar-Kai

The rarely seen shadar-kai are believed to be close relatives of the inari, and tend to have pale grey skin, black or grey hair, and dark eyes. They appear devoid of color, and their black or grey irises lack pupils. Shadar-kai often possess a disquieting coldness and lack of emotion, their conduct mirroring the lifelessness of their appearance.

Drow

Rumors persist of a race of "dark elves" called drow living below the ground, though outside of vague ancient myths there is no evidence to substantiate such claims.

Elven Society

Though the particular customs and beliefs of different elven civilizations are quite varied, there are some commonalities between them all. Elven societies often have a closeness with nature, a respect for tradition, and a dedication to the graceful martial prowess that elves have become synonymous with.

The vast majority of elves have a given name and a chosen name. Given names are assigned at birth, while chosen names are picked by an individual when they reach age 50; this “Naming Ceremony” is also the point where most elves determine their preferred pronouns.

Veywyn

See *LINK* Veywyn for more information.

Elaskov

See *LINK* Elaskov for more information.

Morden

See *LINK* Morden for more information.

Inaria

See *LINK* Inaria for more information.

Lyndelia

See *LINK* Lyndelia for more information.

Notable Elves

• *LINK* Caiwyn the Conqueror ^†; a veyish elf that led the armies of *LINK* Karriban during the *LINK* Karri-Jadi War
• *LINK* Lyndel of Miveri ^†; a lyndelish elf known for establishing *LINK* Lyndelia after the *LINK* Sacking of Shozmog.