Elves

**Elves** (singular **elf**) are one of the default races you can choose when you join Elysium by clicking on the red block at spawn. Usually tall and graceful beings with pointed ears, they often have an affinity to nature.

*The information on this page is regarded as "official" and is compliant with the official Elysium events which are hosted by members of Staff. Players may choose to use as much or as little of this lore as they like. There is no requirement for players to follow the lore during a personal RP.*

Elves are divided into 3 subgroups in Elysium:

* Ancient Elves
* Wood Elves
* Dark Elves

## Ancient Elves

Ancient Elves were formed by the goddess Eldari in the Second Age, the first elf being Nithral, who ruled over the elves in the city of Val Khar Von for most of the Second Age. Nithral was the first and strongest of many, the others being created by Eldari after him. His power far surpassed that of others of his race, giving him the level of demi-god. Ancient Elves are mostly marked by fair hair and blue or hazel eyes. Beings of pure light, they have varying levels of ability to manipulate both light and life-force, enabling living things to grow rapidly, and healing wounds.  Ancient Elves of Nithral's own family are bestowed with white hair and violet eyes, and an increased strength in their natural abilities.

In the 3rd Age the Darkness, also known as Ityaak Ortheel - the elf-eater - emerged from the void and began to wage war on the Ancient Elves. As Nithral led the elven armies to fight the Darkness on the battlefield, his Queen, jealous of his affair with Eldari, sneaked the Darkness into the city where it waged widespread destruction. In a desperate effort to prevent the Darkness from triumphing, Nithral entered into battle with it alone, finally locking the Darkness and himself away in a sealed mountain, where they remained until the Seventh Age. Ityaak Ortheel's imprisonment marked the demise of the Ancient Elves, only 2 branches were known to survive, a secret faction led by children who had escaped from the Darkness's rampaging over the city, and those who became the Wood Elves.

## Wood Elves

Seeing the destruction wrought by Ityaak Ortheel, and men, women, and children being consumed in his rampage, an unnamed young elven general in Nithral's army led his warriors away from the battle and gathered up as many civilian elves as they could find among the scattered masses to take them deep into the forests of Elysium. Hidden away from the elf-eater, they waited, hoping to survive its destruction. From this small band of 21 elves, the new Wood Elves were born, learning to survive on the resources the woodlands provided, aided by their skill in encouraging things to grow. Even after the Darkness was imprisoned, they found themselves harassed by the vampires and werewolves its rampage had created, these new creatures were constantly at war with the Wood Elves who considered their dark origins as a stain upon purity of life which needed to be combatted. From this the first Templar order was founded, created by the elven general who had led them, who was given the name Abelaslan, to fight the Vampires and protect the races of Elysium from destruction. So the Wood Elves endured during the dark times of the Fourth Age, the age of Vampires.

## Dark Elves

Not all the wood elves opposed the new races and the dark powers that Ityaak Ortheel's arrival had unleashed. Many sought to understand and utilize these dark arts. Disagreement over their use led to a fierce war between Wood Elves and Dark Elves in the Fifth Age, the latter retreating far into the mountainous regions of Elysium to practice and hone their skill, where they encountered and experimented upon other races. It is believed that some branches of Orc are descended from experiments the Dark Elves enacted upon themselves and other mountain creatures.

## Other Factions

After the departure of the Dark Elves, over the ages the Wood Elves fragmented and re-grouped in many different factions, often spreading into other regions, to form new colonies of Meadow Elves, Snow Elves and Frost Elves. All are considered factions of Wood Elves, and share similar skills and powers, along with new abilities honed in their surrounding habitat. While young elves are quick to join the Templars upon reaching maturity, following many years of survival and war in their early days, most Elven nations will only bare arms against the undead or to protect the innocent, preferring to war with words in complex diplomacy than war with blades. However, during the Darkness's emergence in the current Seventh Age, the elven races have joined forces with the other nations and creatures of Elysium to fight for their survival.

## Features

* Ancient Elves: blonde or white hair, pale skin, blue, hazel or violet eyes. Powers centred around light and life.

* Wood Elves: blonde or dark hair, pale skin, blue or green eyes. Powers centred around growth and healing.

* Dark elves: Black or dull grey hair, pale or sallow skin, yellow, green, or brown eyes. Powers centred around death, darkness and flame.

* Meadow Elves: red or brown hair, and dark skin, brown or green eyes. Powers centred around growth, wind and speed.

* Frost Elves: pale blue hair, pale or blue skin, blue or grey eyes. Powers centred around ice and water.

* Snow Elves: White hair, very dark or very white skin, ice blue eyes. Powers centred around ice and air.

Wood Elves come to maturity at the age of 3000, an adult of 5000 years of age would be in appearance like a 30 year old human. Apart from disease or injury, elves can live indefinitely, showing only superficial signs of aging. Elves are vulnerable to physical attacks, and corruptions that were formed when the Darkness entered Elysium being especially vulnerable to vampirism. However their length of lifespan enables them to become fierce and well trained fighters, combatting their physical weakness. Ancient elves are often significantly more powerful than those of later races, and their light and life-based
abilities can combat and even purge vampirism and other aspects of Darkness from others.