Elf

Elves are the most ancient race to inhabit Mittelrelm, having been created in Aeither by the Luminous Divines after the Fey Spirits, and before Orcs.

## Arcane Ancestry

Elves are magical beings, being created to take advantage of the Aether realms abundance of Arcana. The only limit to the amount of arcane power that can flow through their bodies is the availability of arcana. The downside of this trait is that Elves are extremely reliant on arcana to maintain their health.

Arcana is not found naturally in Mittelrelm, and instead flows into the world through rifts where the barrier between dimensions is weak. Areas around these rifts are rich in arcana, which draws Elves to congregate there.
Elves with no access to arcana will become weak and sickly, live dramatically shortened lives, and sometimes become deranged and mindless.

## History

* Created on Aether to assist the Luminous-aligned Aethereals in their war against the Infernal powers.

* Suffer horrifying casualties as front-line warriors, causing the Luminous to create Orcs to replace them. Elves then serve exclusively as magic auxillaries.

* After victory in Aether, the Luminous create Mittelrelm as a world for the mortal races to call home.

* Elven society is largely united under their High King, and spreads over much of the world.

* Seeing the Orcs as a lesser, servile race, the Elves grow resentful of having to share Mittelrelm with them.

* The Wars of Inheritance are fought between Elves and Orcs, with the Elves gradually losing ground.

* Post war, Elves are divided and mostly cluster around arcane-rich spots where they were able to hold off Orcish attacks.

## Sub-Races

### Elves

The main genetic line of Elves remains mostly unchanged since their creation on Aether. Their reliance on arcana, and their loses in the Wars of Inheritance has led to them clustering in limited, hidden strongholds, where the flow of magic is strong. They live mostly in secret, difficult to reach places, especially deep forests, distant islands, and unforgiving tundras.

Still following the High King, they remain distrustful at best of younger mortals, and loath Orcs most of all.

### Astral Elves

Homesick and world-weary, the Astral Elves are a subset of elves who followed the Great Magister O' A'duin into the Astral Plane. Although they were trying to return to Aether, they remained in the newly-created Astral dimension, developing their own unique culture.

Astral Elves are otherworldy and distant when roaming Mittelrealm, a symptom of their disconnection from mortality and the passage of time.

They are nominally led by O' A'duin, now referred to as the Ascendant; however they are not strictly organised as a united faction and more often operate as clans or families led by an elder.

### Drow Elves

The youngest of the Elven sub-races are those who followed the Great Magister Liesa into exile. They are mysterious and extremely rare, their homelands having never been seen by outside eyes. Characterised by their curiosity and dogged determination, the Drow are those who would not allow tradition or morality to stand in the way of prosperity. When the elven race faced destitution and frailty due to their withdrawal from the arcane-rich Aether, they sought salvation through Liesa's exploration of Infernal powers.

Most Drow are fanatical followers of Liesa, Queen of the Shadow Throne, but as a particularly independent-minded people, there are also many who go their own way. There are few, however, who do not feel obligated to share their knowledge or power with their fellow exiles.