Elves

**Elves**, referred to collectively as **elvenkind**, are one of the major sapient species that inhabit the Blessed Earth. Elves can be divided into roughly four distinct cultural groups: Alvuni'i, Exodial, Guviri, and Melthian. The Guviri elves are native to the Guviri Isles, while the other three groups primarily inhabit the Sovereignties. Very few elves inhabit the Southlands or Xanadu.

## Biology

### Lifespans

Elves are highly noted for their very long lifespans. The lifespan of an elf can be divided roughly into four periods: childhood, fertile years, maturity, and elderhood. Infancy lasts until an elf is around 5 years old, at which point most elves are able to walk upright and communicate verbally. Childhood lasts for decades, with the onset of a long pubescent period that defines the thirties and forties of an elven child. An elf's fiftieth birthday is considered a major point in their life, and marks the official entrance into adulthood. An elf is considered to be in a stage of young adulthood for another 100 to 150 years. By the age of 400, an elf is considered an elder of their community, though signs of old age are still minimal at that point.

Due to the extremely long lifespan of elves, it is rare for an elf to reach the end of their natural life cycle and die of old age. The median lifespan of elves is somewhere in the 300s, with most elves dying prematurely of illness, accident, injury, or starvation. It is very rare for an elf to reach the age of 600, though elves of that age are considered venerable leaders of their local communities, and are deeply respected. Though extremely rare, elves have been recorded living well into their 800s, indicating that elves have one of the longest lifespans of any sapient creature, second only to dragons.

### Fertility

Compared to other species, elves are fertile for only a small portion of their lives. After the onset of late pubescence in their forties, elves are only capable of reproducing for a relatively small proportion of their adulthood - elven women typically lose their fertility after the age of 150, with the fertility of elven men usually lasting just a few decades after. Elven pregnancies tend to last around two years, and are considered a great accomplishment in elven society. Because of these relatively small windows of fertility and low rates of impregnation, elven families are unusually small. A elven family with four children is considered large, and families with more than six children are very rare and considered extremely large.

Elves are capable of interbreeding with humans and orcs, suggesting a common ancestor of all three species. Elf-human pairings are rare, but not unheard of - elf-orc pairings are theoretically possible, but rare enough as to be nonexistent. The offspring of elves and humans are usually referred to as half-elves, and have a distinct blending of features from the two species. A human with a single elven grandparent is considered a quadroon, and a human with a single elven great-grandparent is considered an octoroon. Elven ancestry in smaller fractions than 1/8th is considered negligible biologically, though might make for a more interesting family tree.

Reactions to cross-species relationships are highly variable within both human and elven communities, often trending negative.

### Appearance

Elves have a highly distinct appearance that clearly sets them apart from humans. Elves tend to be more slender and lightly-muscled than humans, and are often shorter. Facially, elves have sharp, angular features, with pointed chins and high cheekbones, along with more widely-set eyes. Elven eyes may also come in colors nonexistent in human eyes, with elves capable of having yellow and (more rarely) purple eyes. Most famously, elves have long, pointed ears, capable of growing over a foot long. Elven ears are more sensitive to sound than human ears are, but not to the extent that it is often believed (human claims that "elves can hear a fly shit a kingdom away" are highly exaggerated).

Though elves are seen as highly androgynous by non-elves, elves do not appear as such to other elves. Most notably is the angle and direction of ear point - male elves tend to have ears point that point backwards and up, while female elves tend to have ears that point to the side and at lower angles. As such, perpendicular, flat ears are seen as highly feminine, while high, backwards-pointing ears are seen as highly masculine. The size of an elf's ears are also seen as reflective of virility by other elves, with large ears being desirable and indicative of one's sexual health.

Skin tone varies considerable between elven cultural groups. Alvuni'i elves tend to have fair skin, comparable to the average human from the Sovereignties. Guviri elves have darker skin than the Alvuni'i, olive-hued in its complexion. Melthian and Exodial elves have lighter skin than the Alvuni'i, often pale. Some Exodial elves have skin close to pure white in color.

Height is another quality that varies considerably between elven groups. Guviri elves are the tallest, with an average height of 5'10" for men, and 5'7" for women. Alvuni'i elves average 5'6" for men, 5'3" for women. Melthian elves average 5'5" for men, 5'4" for women. Exodial elves are the shortest, averaging 5'3" for men, 5' for women.

## History

### Age of Elves

The earliest evidence of advanced elven civilizations in the Sovereignties date back to 4,000 years in the Dark Age, with powerful elven kingdoms emerging over the course of the 4th millennium DA, forming mostly around the Therian rivers and the Chetone. Yhlthyr was the first and most powerful of these kingdoms, and its name is still used to refer to the river delta of northern Theria. Much of the history of this era has been lost to time, but it is believed that the elf-kingdoms of old were skilled in the use of magic and capable of building great cities and wonders. Though some of their achievements may have been overstated, especially by elven historians, some parts of the elven legacy still remain - the city of Irsilnor was built by the elves, and its sewer system is still unparalleled throughout the Sovereignties.

Humans lived alongside the elves at the same time, either in their own tribal communities, or as a slave class in the service of elven masters.

Predating the first elven kingdoms, there is some evidence that elves migrated to the Sovereignties on seafaring vessels, likely from the Guviri Isles. How long before the first elf-kings came to power this migration may have taken place is unknown - it could be that elves had been in the Sovereignties for thousands of years, or the first kings could have been invaders from across the seas.

### The Dragon War

The Age of Elves, regarded as the golden age of the elven peoples, lasted around 1,500 years, and would be brought to an end by the advent of the Dragon Wars.