Elves

A High Elf Warrior.

Elves, or Aeldr in their native tongue of Sylvan, are a race of long lived beings renowned for their beauty, grace, and skill with magic. They arrived to Ondorwis during the latter part of the Elder Days, making the journey from several worlds that had existed within the old Aeldr dominion, coming in several waves known as Exoduses.

In the modern age, elves as a whole are in decline. When once, great kingdoms of Aeldr were found across the land, and before that, a mighty empire dominated most of Arvinder, now, only a few scant pockets of elven power remain. Humans have been the chief cause of their decline, expanding into elven territory at every opportunity.

The two races have clashed frequently throughout history, and relations are somewhat tense in the present year of 1216 CE. Elves are a rare sight in human settlements, and usually draw notable attention, and the same is true of humans in elven domains.

## History

### Before Exodus

According to ancient tales, the original Aeldr came from a world far distant. In those days, which the elves call the First Era, they were short lived, enduring for only a few short decades before passing on. Their domain was not limited to their home realm, however, for even then, their magic allowed them to travel across the stars, enabling them to colonize distant worlds and subjugate the races upon them. However, the elves eventually drew the attention of a race of terrible spirits known only as the Nightbringers, who descended upon the elven realms, slaying whoever they found and devouring their souls. Panic set in, and refugees fled across the stars, but the Nightbringers hunted them wherever they went.

One group of refugees, lead by a hero named Valenwe the Navigator, reached a world that was shielded from the sight and touch of the spirits. There at last, the elves found refuge. Though they arrived in the fullness of the terrible War of Thunder, where the dragons and giants clashed, Valenwe lead her people to southeastern Arvinder, where they built a home for themselves, building the modern day city of Pharos, which means "new dawn", in Sylvan.

### The Second Era

Following their arrival to Ondorwis, Valenwe declared a new Era upon the elves, beginning the start to their race's Second Era. For some six hundred years, the elves remained in their sequestered corner of the continent, occasionally fighting off incursions by dragons or giants as their war continued to wage. While neither of the great races was willing to expend the resources to crush the fledgling Aeldr civilization, the devastation of their war still claimed tens of thousands of elven lives, and left them living in terror, wondering whether one day, dragon or giant might turn their full might upon them, and scour them wholly from the earth.

Unable to countenance these continued attacks, the leaders of the elves send diplomatic parties to treat with both races. The envoys sent to meet with the giants in the capitol of Forzammar never returned, while those sent to the dragons were unable to find a single leader. However, they did find one dragon, old and mighty, who was receptive to hearing what the tiny newcomers had to say. Her name was Nessarion, known as the Sage, or First-Named, among the elves today. Nessarion captured the attention of several other mighty dragons, and together with the elven high council, they formed a pact, forming an oath of eternal alliance between their two races. The dragons would have a chance to end a long and bloody war, which they were slowly losing, whilst the elves would gain security and the chance to live without fear.

And so, the Soul-Pact was made. In a great ritual, fueled by the magical might of the dragons and the directed sorceries of the elves, the two races were joined. According to legend, nine elven archmages had their hearts carved from their chests, and replaced with an unhatched dragon's egg. Then each of these great heroes was engulfed in dragonflame. What emerged from the fire were nine new beings who were elf and dragon both, body and spirit, able to shift between forms at will, possessed of the magical power of dragonkind and the world-weaving skill of the elves. The effect on both races was immediate. The dragons, hitherto cunning but able to communicate only through telepathic image and impression, gained the power of language. The elves saw even greater benefits, as every one of them felt an increase in their magical power, and each had their lifespans lengthened many times over.

Many paragons of dragon and elf race were joined as well, connected in thought through the first Dragonbonds, and those were even mightier, with Dragon and Rider joined to become one heart in two bodies, those elves so directly bonded gifted with lifespans even greater than their peers. Greatest of all, were the nine who had emerged from the flames. Akin to living gods they were, and in the years to come, gods they would be. They became known as the Eldunar, the Exalted.

## Appearance

The Aeldr are a humanoid species, and at first glance, appear to be very similar to humans. Their most notable physical difference with humans are their ears, which taper off to short points, rather than being rounded, and their facial features tend to be more refined and delicate. Elven features tend to be very sharply defined and angular, with most appearing much more physically attractive then most humans could ever hope to be. Even the most common elf would at least be described as gorgeous to human eyes, while those elves who are renowned for their looks even among the Aeldr have an almost hypnotic, otherworldly beauty to them.

On average, elves stand slightly taller than most humans, though there is a less pronounced height difference between elven sexes. The majority of elven females are about 5'10''-6'1'' tall, while most male elves stand between 6'0'-6'3''. Elves are naturally inclined towards athleticism, and tend to have lithe, muscular physiques, with minimal levels of bodyfat.

Arvinderian elves usually have relatively fair complexions, much as the humans of the continent do, but they are universally untouched by many of the lines and blemishes that humans often face, with elven skin being remarkably clear and lustrous. While not immortal, elves remain eternally youthful, up until the moment of their death.

The hair of elves comes in many of the same colors as it does with humans, though they are sharper and more vibrant, with most elven locks being straight and luscious. The brown that is common among humans is found, as is black and blonde and red. Elven red often comes in true red, however, not merely the fiery orange found in humans. More exotic colors include hair that shines like spun gold or silver, or gleams as white as snow. Elves are possessed of hair in the same places as humans, though on average it is softer and less dense. Male elves are capable of growing facial hair, though it is more customary to remain clean shaven.

The eyes of elves are perhaps their most alluring and exotic feature. While some of the general colors are the same as those found in humans, such as blue or green, such colors in elves are far more rich and vibrant. Blue might be as pale as ice or as dark as the midnight sky, green the color of jade or emerald or rich forest pine. Black and grey are known colors as well, as well as colors not seen normally in humans such as orange and yellow, purple and red, silver or gold.

## Life Cycle

The elves are not a fertile people, and many scholars speculate this lack of fecundity is a trade off for the long lives and lack of aging they attained through magic millennia ago. When elven pregnancies do occur, they last for twelve months at a time.

Elves mature slower than humans, though quicker than dwarves, beginning to crawl at age three or four, and starting to walk somewhere between four to seven years old. They enter resemble adolescent humans between in their late teenage years and mid twenties, and tend to fully physically mature by the time they are around forty years old, after which they will show no further signs of wear or aging through their lives. Unlike other races in the pubescent stage, elves do not experience the usual emotional upheaval or sexual maturation common in children at that stage of development.

Instead, such upheaval strikes sometime in an elf's forties, and young elves become moody, impulsive, and interested in sex, much like a human teenager. This stage is referred to by elves as the *faenor* (which translates roughly to "raging spirit"). The *faenor* lasts a painfully long time, approximately five decades or so, but by the time most elves reach about a century in age, it has passed, and they are considered to be mature young adults within elven society. Notably, elves in *faenor* are notably more fertile than in other life stages, and are far more likely to successfully conceive children than later in life, though they do remain capable of conception until the moment of their death. One such case is recorded, when Pelinor the Latecomer impregnated his young wife on their wedding night, Fading directly during the act of conception, much to the bride's distress, at the age of six hundred and seventy seven.

While elves do not show any signs of age after maturing, there still exist social views about certain ages within elven society. A hundred year old elf is viewed much as a twenty year old human would be; as a young adult, but likely inexperienced in the ways of the world. By the time an elf reaches about a hundred and seventy five, they are looked upon as more experienced, though still on the younger side, like a human in their thirties. An elf who has lived for a quarter millennium is looked upon as having left their youth, but is not viewed as old yet, like a forty year old human, while an elf who is around three hundred years old is looked upon as being well into the middle of their years. An elf who has reached four centuries of age is viewed as quite old, while one who has lived to five hundred or more is looked upon as venerable indeed.

Having lived for half a millennium or more, elves enter a stage they call the *valinor*, or "fading spirit". At some point during the next several decades, an elf will peacefully pass away (which elves call "Fading"), the strength suddenly leaving their bodies, oftentimes after having settled down for a final sleep. The oldest elf on record to have achieved their age without the use of dark magic was Tirithiel the Wise, who lived to the age of seven hundred and fifty four before Fading whilst napping one afternoon in his garden.

## Abilities

Physically speaking, elves tend towards lithe and graceful physiques, and are innately capable of finer levels of dexterity than most humans are, being able to easily achieve feats of flexibility and grace that would take a human years to master. They also tend to be able to put on muscle far quicker and with less effort than humans can, meaning that the average elf is more athletic than the average human. Additionally, elves are immune to a number of diseases which afflict other races, are highly resistant to poisons, and also heal faster than most other races.

Elves also possess particularly sharp hearing which allows them to hear ranges inaudible to humans, much like canids. Their eyesight is also superb, allowing them to make out details over vast distances, like birds of prey, and granting them superior depth perception which makes them superb archers. While their night version is comparable to a human's, elven rangers often train their sharp hearing to help them navigate more easily in the dark, and it is commonplace among the elves to master spells which augment their other senses.

The greatest advantage elves have over other races, however, is their capacity for magic, with even the humblest of them boasting some degree of innate proclivity to its powers. As such, its use is ubiquitous in elven society, and it is commonplace to know spells which sharpen senses or bolster the physical capabilities of the body.