Elf

Elvenkind are Humanity’s closest relatives, said once to be the same, only newly parted. Unlike humans, they are slow to gain fat or muscle, tending toward leaner builds. They are incapable of growing even a single whisker of hair anywhere but their scalp and even that grows thin. Their skin is rarely dark and can be anything from beige to pale blue; however, their eyes are said to be the most diverse out of any common race, having practically any eye colour under the sun among their kin. Aleid’s features are also sharper than their Human brethren, sporting elongated ears, pointed chins and oval faces. Further, cross-breeding between terribly uncommon due to the strangeness of their possible offspring.

#### **Society**

Elves tend toward honour and purity, typically dressing in hooded-thobes to cover their skin. Further, whilst being closely related to Humans, they are in almost the polar opposite situation; the Aleidian Empire, ruled over by the Winter’s Queen Avatar, (Insert name here), Elves are the most prosperous of all races. With little in the way of a competitor, Elves have taken Humanity’s spot as the most common and well-travelled race of Scylla. Despite this vast spread, Elves tend toward racial bias due to their religious beliefs, usually forming tight-knit communities even when beyond the Aleidian Empire’s boundary. The Aleidian architecture is something often marvelled at. Elves build for beauty, their structures being primarily wooden, filled with symmetry and curves. Decorations are plentiful, and most Elves own housing-jewellery, which adorns their Asianic homes in metals, plants and coloured clothes depending on the season. Similarly, Elves wear jewellery on their thobes that depict weather changes as well as their ethnicity.

In Aleidian society, there is a strict class system in which people are born, and only by marriage can they climb out of. At the bottom of the hierarchy are merchants of coin and knowledge, seen as unproductive to the society, they are often ridiculed by those in classes above. Those of the merchant class have none of the basic rights afforded to even those of the servant class and are often bullied by those above them in gruesome ways. Despite this, many merchants in recent times have come to great prosperity, finding debts in the noble class or wealthy outlanders. The rung above merchant is servant, a class which is indented toward one of the noble class, afforded all the rights a piece of property owned by one of the noble class is afforded. Warrior class is above this, who are given the right to own land for direct servitude to those of the royal class. Equal is social standing, nobility and religious are gifted the right to justice, the right to law and the right to faith. Royal class is aloft the entire hierarchy, being effectively nobility with the right to rule.

Matriarchal in nature, most Aleidian cultures (except Storm Elves) default to a female heir in all manner of inheritance, royal or rural. Further, rarely are Elves monogamous, many having multiple partners who all join a single household. Elves also view marriage and romance as binding by time, but not by person, so there is no officially sanctioned way to divorce, but marriage outside of divorce is considered normal.

#### **Magic**

The Magic of the Elves is purely that of the church. Blights, in their eyes, are truly demonic curses; rather literally blights upon a man. Seeing as their magic is devout and avatar based, as well as that magic being an integral part of their society, it is rare to find an Elf outside of their organised religious with any form of magical power. Moreover, Elves tend to put these divine magic-users in positions of power, most notably the Winter’s Queen Avatar who will always be queen.

## **Subraces**

*(Subraces are simply the possible choices when you pick a race - you cannot be an average dwarf or elf. for this, look to the Aleidian Pantheon lore to find why Winter Elf are not a possible subrace.)*

#### **Summer Elf**

Fair skinned with orange-red blood, the Summer Elf are the second most common of elvenkind and make up a large populous of the Aleidian empire. They are often considered to be the most artistic and soulful of all races among Scylla, each and everyone seemingly talented in some facet of artistic expression. With a flair for the dramatic, it is often said that their stories carry the weight of history against the winds of time. Due to their affinity for art Spring Elf take up positions as craftsmen and architects, and are credited for the creation of the Aleidian empire. Moreover, Summer Elves’ passion is so well known that is not uncommon for each to find a monogamous partner among another Summer Aleid, unlike most Elves.

#### **Spring Elf**

Beige skinned, with bluish-red blood the Elf of spring are the most similar to humankind second the most common of all elvenkind. Famous for their affinity to the natural world and the land, spring Elf often take up positions as healers and caretakers for their race. Priests are also common among spring Aleid, practising devotion magic suited towards healing and aiding others.

#### **Storm Elf**

Pale to bright blue skin and blood of a rich purple hue, these white-haired Elf are amongst the less common elves, much like the autumn Elf however to a much lesser extent. Whilst honour often rules Aleid society, a Storm Elf might commit what is often referred to as a ‘warrior’s price’ if they are bested in battle. Notably, clerics of such Elves bare the greatest combative power, acting as a fraction of holy knights among the Aleidian Empire, hunting Witches and Blighted alike. The highest position among all male Elves is seated here, as the Storm’s King’s Champion, and who is often claimed the be the greatest warrior within Scylla.

*(The sub-race below must be applied for.)*

#### **Autumn Elf**

Ashen grey skin, with hauntingly black eyes and ink-like blood, Autumn Elves are most unlike their brethren. Most notably, they have their fair share of body hair, often baring thick beards. This, more than skin or blood colour, marks them as outsiders to Aleidkind. As of this, they rarely call themselves Aleid, despite being biologically the same species, opting for the colloquial ‘elf’ instead. Moreover, these Elves retreated from Aleid lands to the Dwarven, Dwaergarian kingdoms, stowing deep within the Cinder Dwarven slave mines. Over the generations, they became the most well-known slave race among the Dwarven peoples, their skin now hard as leather and fingernails hard as cold stone. Interestingly, they are also more likely to appear with blights as Humans are.