Elves

Elven women remain fertile from around the time of their coming of age to approximately their 550th birthday. Elven fetuses gestate for approximately twelve lunar cycles (from new moon to new moon) of the Selunite moon (900 days, 30 months). At some time between the sixth and seventh cycles, the child's budding consciousness reveals itself to the mother. Over the coming cycles, she gradually begins to sense what kind of person her child will become. She selects a name for the growing baby, which it recognizes and accepts. 

Drow operate from new moon to new moon of the Eilistraeen moon instead; 360 days, 12 months. It is common for pregnant Drow to carry twins or even triplets. In such cases, multiple births remain rare as the strongest of the fetuses feeds on its siblings in the womb. Pregnant Drow sometimes feel these mortal combats occur in their bellies. Such prenatal battles produce in their mothers a euphoric sensation, referred to in the Undercommon Tongue as "Chad-zak." The feeling is infinitely stronger than anything normally produced in the bedchamber, and can occur up to four times per multiple pregnancy. It usually happens early in the third trimester. Mothers who experience repeated chad-zaks usually feel them in quick succession, once every one or two days. The final chad-zak indicates one fetus's successful slaying of its rivals. 

Drow children grow up faster than other elves; as by the age of 8, children can walk, talk, and speak. All drow children, even those unable to walk, feel an instinctive homicidal impulse toward their siblings. Most drow youngers happily kill playmates if given opportunity. Students might be caged, doused with scalding or freezing water, poked with sharpened sticks, poisoned, burned, or simply pulverized with fists and clubs as punishments for misbehavior.

Captain of the Watch

• Commands patrols that roam the area around settlements.
• Ensures that the patrols evenly cover the desired area, receives reports, and passes along useful information to the ruler and elders.
• When large gatherings occur, she may assign a patrol of guards to maintain peace.

Watch Patrols normally consist of a handful of elf warriors led by a slightly more experienced warrior or fighter.

• Patrols keep watch for intruders, predatory beasts, and anything unusual, such as trees dying for no apparent reason. No creature is challenged unless it appears likely to approach within a defined distance of the elven community. A challenge usually consists of a warning shot accompanied by a verbal warning to stay clear, if the intruder is a sentient being.
• Watch parties may be assigned to hunt in the forest if supplies of meat are low in the community. 

Master Builder

• Coordinates building within the elven community. Anyone wishing to build a dwelling or other structure must consult with the Master Builder and convince them of the suitability of the chosen site before building may commence.
• The master builder ensures new buildings do not crowd others and fit in aesthetically with the town. If requested to do so, Master Builders may also provide advice and guidance in the construction process.
• Master Builders decide when a community has reached maximum sustainable size based on available resources. When this occurs, no more new houses may be built in that area. Elves wishing to build new dwellings must depart and find another location in which to found a community. 

Stores Master

Charged with keeping sufficient food & water stores for sustaining the community through periods of drought or other disaster.

• Periodically checks the community's stores of dried meat and fruit, root vegetables and grain, as well as cisterns in which grainwater is stored. Checks the stored provisions to ensure they have neither spoiled nor poisoned or otherwise rendered unusable.
• When supplies dip below the levels needed to sustain the entire community for three months, the stores master reports the deficit to the ruler, who sends scout parties to search for food. 
• In some communities, the Stores Master also monitors stores of nonedible supplies such as lamp oil, tindertwigs, alchemical items, parchment, ink, tools, and weapons. Other communities delegate the responsibility for such items to different officials or do not track them at all, entrusting individual citizens to meet their own needs for these materials. 

Guardian of Nature

This official is responsible for ensuring that the elves live harmoniously with nature in their area.

• Often a druid, they oversee the community's gardens and cares for the local wildlife.
• He also ensures that the community replenishes what it takes and that its presence does not harm the natural world.
  

Keeper of Lore

They gather and archive magical knowledge and advancements from the community and records them for posterity.

• Keeps the scrolls and tomes that contain this knowledge in a large, central library that is open to all citizens.
• On occasion, the library may be made available to outsiders with special needs, but only with the permission of the keeper or the ruler.
  

Master of Arms

• Trains the young elves in the community in the use of weapons and teaches them self-defense. Under her tutelage, they learn to move soundlessly through the woods and melt back into the trees after attacking.
• She also plans expeditions for hunting, exploration, or other purposes.
• In some communities, the master of arms manages the armory, ensuring that the weapons used by the watch patrols are honed and ready for use at all times.
  

High Priest 

Usually the senior cleric of Corellon Larethian, though the post can be held by a cleric of any deity revered in the community.

• The high priest coordinates the functions of the various temples to ensure that the spiritual needs of the community are met.
• High Priests officiates at most of the weddings and funeral services, tailor- ing them for the specific individuals and families involved.
• In times of war or hardship, the high priest coordinates not only the clerics of their own church but also those of the other churches in the community to provide healing, emergency food, and other aid.
  

Unlike Dwarfs, Elves value art for its own sake - needing to be only beautiful to be prized. Turning mundane objects into things of beauty no matter how strictly utilitarian is joyous to Elves. 

• Visual Arts
  • Includes paintings, sculpture, textiles, fashion design, metalwork, weaponsmithing, armor-smithing, jewelry making, pottery, and all manner of crafts. Translating one's feelings into an enduring object of beauty is high achievement in elven culture. 
• Architecture
  • Most valued of elven arts, designing structures of grace & style is a dream to which many young elves aspire. Most cases see the loveliest elven 'buildings' fit seamlessly into the natural environment. Examples include houses built into tree branches, crystal-carved caverns, flower-festooned arbors in the wilderness. Ornamentation is generally simple yet elegant, done in a manner enhancing rather than overwhelming the basic lines of structure. 
• Music
  • Often lilting and cheerful, sorrowful and deep, or any style in-between. They prefer flutes, lutes, harps, and other exotic stringed instruments that create delicate melodies. 
• Drama
  • Most settlements hold plays throughout the year. Many elves enjoy acting, especially as the skill aids in delicate negotiations with other races. 
• Literature
  • Their flowing script and lyrical language frame poetry and prose of inestimable beauty, filled with a depth of emotion rarely seen in mortals. It is through this Elves' depth of feeling is truly obvious, where little is held back. 

Elves are raised with respect for a few qualities. 

• Individualism & Harmony with land and fellow creatures
  • This attitude engenders an expectation that other beings are equally able to care for themselves unless ill or injured - which sometimes makes elves appear haughty, uncaring, and unhelpful to Humans, Dwarfs, and other less chaotic races. This is out of a respect for the boundaries of others, preventing them from offering aid to those seeming more or less capable and have not requested help.
  • How a creature lives their life is a personal choice that should be respected - yet even so, members of less "civilized" (more staid) races are looked upon with smug amusement by Elves. A well-brought-up elf considers the habits & outlooks of their companions to be none of their business - "Only those allowed to make their own mistakes can ever truly succeed." 
  • Laws are more lightly enforced than in Human settlements as every situation is considered unique. Disputes are infrequent compared to mortal communities due to Elves' mindfulness of the rights & boundaries of others as they try befriending all. Those unhappy with resolutions to disputes may leave without stigma, as it is a personal choice to do so. 
  • Elves who enter a new elven community are treated with reserve for a few decades until their neighbors know them well. 
  • Love frightens Elves more than it would Humans due to its infringement upon independence; elves prefer to be noncommittal, an issue that only arises between Elves due to mortals' having lifespans too short for 'long-commitments' to ever truly be long for the Elf. 
• Self Sufficiency to Self Indulgence 
  • Trusting others is challenging for elves, particularly other races as mortals' shorter lifespans lead them to hasty actions.
  • Each elf prefers to perform all tasks related to basic living themselves - no matter how long it takes, leading to nonspecialization. As such, elves may struggle with asking others for help in this regard outside of instructions to performing the task themselves. This does, however, lead to every specification of the house being known to them and meeting their tastes. 
  • May be relentlessly focused on projects - forgetting all else from friends to family, even stopping to gather food until hunger threatens focus and well-being. Elves rarely worry about family who extensively "disappear" into their work. Disturbing the focus of an elf absorbed in their work is taboo. 
  • Elves consider themselves as responsible for their own enjoyment as much for their own meals. 
  • Although self-indulgent, it is never enough to classify as "greedy" for they're taught to take only what they need for personal livelihood and projects lest they interfere on others' individualism. Elves have little patience for races that cannot see this truth.
  • They are unused to working with others in groups at first and must come to realize although others have areas of specialty, they can support one another in ways jacks-of-all-trades cannot. 
• Self Expression
  • Free expression of sorrow/joy is a personal right and societal necessity. Public emotional displays are common in elven societies, though they learn to curb their emotions in public outside elven communities - often resorting to dry humor to mask profound feelings. 
• Personal Privacy
  • Utmost important to any elf, a designation of personal space is crucial to self expression. Establish your own and respect that of others. Approaching another elf too closely-or, worse yet, touching one- without invitation is the height of rudeness. 
  • By the age of 25, each elf should have an entire dwelling. Only families in poverty can only afford to give each elf only one room to themselves. An elf's private chamber is an extension of their own personal space, effectively considered off-limits to others unless express permission is given to enter.