Created by the god Corellon, the first elves could change their physical forms at will. The elves lost this ability when Corellon exiled them from Arvandor for plotting with another elven deity named Lolth, who tried and failed to usurp Corellon’s dominion. When Lolth was cast down into the Abyss, most elves renounced her treachery and earned Corellon’s forgiveness, but that which Corellon had taken from the elves was lost forever. No longer able to shape-shift at will, the elves retreated to the Feywild, where their sorrow was deepened by that plane’s influence. Over time, wanderlust and curiosity led many of them to explore other planes of existence, including various worlds in the Material Plane. Elves have the mystical ability to take on characteristics of the environments with which they are bonded—drow to the Underdark, high elves to fey crossings in the Material Plane, and wood elves to forests. These connections grant elves access to certain kinds of magic.
Elves are blessed with long lives and long memories. From birth, they don’t sleep but instead enter a trance when they need to rest. In this state, elves remain aware of their surroundings while immersing themselves in their own memories. What an elf remembers during this reverie depends largely on how long the elf has lived and the events that have shaped the elf’s existence.
Elves have pointed ears and tend to be light on their feet. Another common physical characteristic of elves is their lack of facial and body hair.