Moon Elves

## Description:

Moon Elves are a subrace of the Elves, considered by many to be the most distant and alien of all Elf races. Moon Elves, unlike their counterparts, are not native to the Material Realm; instead, Moon Elves are all native to the Twilight Realm. As such, Moon Elves prefer damp, cool environments in low-light conditions (but not total darkness). Moon Elves tend to stand anywhere from five (5) foot ten (10) inches to six (6) foot eight (8) inches, and develop lean and athletic builds naturally, often weighing in at around one hundred and forty (140) pounds.

Moon Elf eyes can be pure white, pure tan/beige, pure grey, pure black, or any of those colors with a normal pupil/sclera; all Moon Elf eyes, regardless of color, glow a slight white. Moon Elf hair tends to be grey, pure white, or black; whiter hair among Moon Elves is considered a blessing. Additionally, Moon Elf hair floats in the air slightly, as if made lighter than normal through some unseen force, and will reflect light. Moon Elf skin tends to be incredibly pale, often bordering on outright sheet white or an unnatural grey, caused by the lack of direct sunlight they experience in their homeland; Moon Elves are not allergic to the Sun like their Drow cousins, however. Moon Elf skin, like their hair, will reflect moonlight and give them a pale outline of light when standing under the night sky. Additionally, Moon Elves, in a parallel of Sun Elves, gain sustenance and energy from moonlight; while under the moon's light, or when in the Twilight Realm, Moon Elves do not need to sleep, eat, or drink to survive.

Moon Elves are considered to be beautiful in a strange and alien way by many races of K2, often mistaken for spirits, ghosts, or angels by the less-educated or less-informed, and are considered strange and mysterious even by other Elves. Other Elves often consider Moon Elves to be blessed, sacred individuals that hold greater places in the universal cosmology than them, treating all Moon Elves with a great degree of respect due to their blessings by their goddess and necessary role as guardians and escorts of Elven souls in the Twilight Realm.

Moon Elf intelligence rivals that of other Elves, making them generally smarter than humans or other humanoid races. Moon Elves are often far wiser than even other Elves, given decades of spiritual education and philosophical knowledge by their leaders and mentors in the Twilight Realm; this wisdom often manifests as a mysterious and tranquil personality, usually unbothered by the goings-on of mortal men with an understanding of the greater picture and their small place within it. Moon Elves maintain a very low level of technology, and consider technology to be a foreign and barbaric concept only used by the races of the Material Realm; most technology does not function in the Twilight Realm, which has facilitated the Moon Elves' development of magic as opposed to a reliance on technology. As a result, Moon Elves are some of the most magically-advanced and active individuals in the K2 Universe, even among other Elves; their holy duty in the eyes of other Elves and in the eyes of their goddess have granted them further power and privilege afforded to no one else.

Moon Elves reproduce in a manner unique to most races, even other Elves; Moon Elves are the reincarnated souls of other Elves placed into new bodies crafted by the priests and priestesses of their people. It is this process of birth and rebirth that has influenced the intense wisdom of Moon Elves and their civilization. Due to this process, Moon Elves are "born" as fully-grown adults in their physical prime, enchanted with enough knowledge to function in their society from a few minutes after creation; Moon Elves do not have conscious access to the memories and experiences and knowledge of their past lives, but instead come to access these memories through magical rituals, through the guidance of their older priests/priestesses, and through their dreams. Not all Elf souls are reincarnated as Moon Elves, with only the most heroic, morally upright, and dutiful of Elves being given the intense honor to serve eternal alongside their goddess in defense of Elf souls in the Twilight Realm. Moon Elves are not made frequently, and not all Moon Elves that die are brought back into new bodies; the creation of new Moon Elves is a very sacred and important ritual, reserved for only a select few individuals, those with important knowledge or skills, and those who have been chosen or blessed by the Moon Elf goddess, Lunanine. The creation of Moon Elves, even the rebirth of previous Moon Elves, is rare, kept at a minimum to prevent overpopulation and to prevent a spiritual imbalance within the Twilight Realm. Moon Elves, like High Elves and Sun Elves, do not have a maximum natural lifespan, and are biologically immortal.

### Personality:

The goal of all Moon Elves is simple: preserve the Twilight Realm and the integrity of the souls contained therein for all eternity in order to ensure the continued existence of the Elven pantheon and Elf races. All Moon Elves work towards one or more of those interconnected goals in some capacity. As a result of this, Moon Elf society reflects their ultimate goals in its structure; unlike the societies of other Elves, Moon Elf society is loosely structured, with few official ranks of office and no official nobility. Moon Elves seek to protect the Twilight Realm, their people, the souls of Elves entrusted to them, and to venerate their goddess as much and as frequently as possible; additionally, all Moon Elves despise Undeath wherever it is found and in whatever form it is found, and will conduct hunts to eradicate as many Undead as possible on the Material Realm before returning to their homeland.

Moon Elf wisdom also influences their personalities, making them incredibly well-tempered and patient individuals. In a parallel of their Sun Elf counterparts, Moon Elves experience emotion in a diminished capacity to most sentient beings in K2, which often makes them appear to be aloof, apathetic, uninterested, or mysteriously distant; Moon Elves are incredibly slow to anger or negativity, and conduct their business as quietly and efficiently as possible. Moon Elf emotions, or the lack thereof, contribute to their mysterious auras and unusual presences among other sentient beings, and their silent nature and astral responsibilities only add to this effect. Moon Elves are not interested in egos of any kind, and care not for the insecurities of others; Moon Elves consider themselves to be a small piece of a greater, cosmic whole that renders their individual senses of importance meaningless. Therefore, Moon Elves consider egos, arrogance, and self-importance to be foreign and barbaric concepts, a general attitude that only fans the flames of dislike and distrust between Moon Elves and other sentient races, other Elves especially. This being said, Moon Elves are simultaneously very respectful of others, and will respect the etiquette or customs of others without issue, considering such superficial matters to be of little to no importance and therefore not worth squabbling over.

Moon Elves, in another parallel to Sun Elves, detest the concept of slavery. This strong opinion stems from their goddess, who is considered the goddess of freedom and journeys, alongside her many other conceptual responsibilities, by most Elves; this opinion also stems from the common goal of the Moon Elves in the form of their guardianship of Elven souls. As a result of this, Moon Elves and Sun Elves frequently come into conflict with one another.

Moon Elf society is devoid of hedonism, although Moon Elf cities are often considered to be some of the most beautiful and lovely places a mortal can find in their finite lifetime. Moon Elves considered hedonism to be a waste of time and effort, with their diminished emotional capacities also working to nullify any interest in things like exotic drugs, sexual pleasures, or other vices; while Moon Elves often remember such deeds through their past lives, their diminished emotional responses exhibited by their new forms keeps them logical in the face of such temptations. Art plays an important role in Moon Elf religious practices, with Moon Elves treating all constructions and works a chance to venerate their goddess and impart their devotion to her; as such, all forms of art are critical to Moon Elves, even if their stunted emotions prevent them from fully appreciating it as members of other races often can. Sculpting, architecture, textiles, painting, woodworking, and dance are particularly emphasized forms of art among Moon Elves.

Moon Elves are not a trusting people nor are they a paranoid people; Moon Elves respect other living beings as much as they can, but are not naïve enough to blindly trust or follow everyone they meet. Moon Elves are capable of intrigue and lying as much as any other sentient creatures are, but often treat such behaviors as inefficient and troublesome compared to honesty or other virtues. Due to the reincarnated nature of Moon Elves, some will be more distrustful than others. Moon Elves trust each other far more than they trust other races, assuming that other Moon Elves are working towards the same ultimate goal as them and treating other Moon Elves accordingly.

### Abilities:

Moon Elves are comparable in physical prowess to other Elves, although they are often less strong than others; The Moon Elf focus on magic and agility lends them to be stronger than most humans but weaker than other Elves, at a level closely equivalent to Sun Elves. Moon Elf sight is considered superior to those of other Elves, beaten only by High Elves, and their other senses are often equivalent to those of humans.

Moon Elves are resistant to magic, and immune to certain forms of soul manipulation. Their dampened emotions makes them resistant to forms of manipulation and enchantment magic. Moon Elves possess an innate talent for soul-based magics, and are capable combatants as much as they are capable of being healers and spiritual guides. As a result of their responsibilities and nature, Moon Elves are immune to Vampirism and being turned Undead.

## Culture:

Moon Elf culture is perfectly in line with their individual goals as a race; Moon Elf society is directed towards the veneration of their goddess and the protection of the Twilight Realm and the Elven souls contained therein. Moon Elf culture, as stated previously, is loose and fluid, with few designations or specific ranks or titles, as a stark contrast to the societies of other Elves. Religion is the most important facet of Moon Elf society, and is treated with the utmost amount of respect.

Moon Elf society is often considered to be a theocracy, with the religious heads of the race also acting as the political and military leaders. Moon Elf society is inhabited solely by Moon Elves, with no strangers knowingly allowed to stay within a Moon Elf city as it leaves the Material Realm, and the presence of outsiders within the Twilight Realm is considered a grievous offense.

Moon Elves speak their own language, supposedly given to them by their goddess directly, and is considered a beautiful sing-song language similar to that of the High Elves. Fluency in their language is reserved only for Moon Elves, with very few outsiders being given the privilege of learning.

### Hierarchy:

Moon Elf society lacks many official ranks, with such titles only existing within the Moon Elf religious orders as a way of dictating the wisest and eldest members. A list with short descriptions is provided below: