Elves

## History

Though the Elves are now a peaceful people, in ancient days, they were a people at war. Famously, there was the long, bloody war with the Humans - but a lesser-known fact (to non-Elves, anyway) is that the Elven clans also fought among themselves, and didn't officially unite until shortly after the end of the war with the Humans.

There are six Elven clans:

1. Clan Minith [MIH-nith --- “th” as in “this”]
2. Clan Raymes [one syllable - RAYMS]
3. Clan Linn [like the name Lynn]
4. Clan Arvor [AR-vore]
5. Clan Cevandir [that’s a hard “c” - kev-an-DEER]
6. Clan Ellanyn [ELL-ah-nin]

As each clan had its own unique culture and values, they often found themselves battling for dominance and power in their region of Tirisea.

However, as time went on, the Humans became more and more of a menace to all of Tirisea - and the six Elven clans found themselves working together to battle the Humans as a united front. When the Humans were eventually defeated, the six Elven clans found they had lost their appetite for war, and felt that life would be much better for everyone if the clans united into one Elven nation. It was not a simple process, but after much discussion (some talks more respectful and level-headed than others), elders from each of the six clans settled on a unified set of laws and processes, and elected Galahad Cyfiawn, a well-respected military commander from Clan Minith, the first ruler of the new nation: Dyffryn Caidris. (One of his first decrees was to make the Minith dialect, the official Elven language.)

To this day, the clans are happily united - but that doesn’t mean there aren’t leftover prejudices, and some teasing does still occur (even if it is, mostly, good-natured). Elves still tend to live in towns populated mostly by a single clan, and they tend to marry within their clans, too - but it isn't unheard of to marry someone from another clan, especially in the larger cities where clans intermingle. Each clan retains its pride in its unique traditions, as well: Clan Raymes is proud of its reputation for beautiful harp music, for example, and Clan Arvor is proud of its portable (hand-held) spiced meat pies.

Though these divisions by clan do remain, the Elves in general have stayed a peaceful people through these recent centuries, preferring to avoid any further war as best as they can.

(**Note:** For more on the day-to-day lives of Tirisea's Elves, see the Dyffryn Caidris page.)

## Physical Characteristics

Elves are tall, slender, and graceful - but still, surprisingly strong and powerful. Their long, pointed ears are a defining feature of their race, as are their almond-shaped eyes (with irises in many varied, vibrant colors). Their hair and skin colors also widely vary, often depending on where they live. (For example: the Elves of Dyffryn Caidris - where most Elves in Tirisea live - tend to be pale-skinned, with red, blonde, or sandy brown hair.) Both male and female Elves typically wear their hair long and straight; very few of the men choose to wear facial hair.

Their clothing is generally simple: long tunics over leggings; boots; cloaks, when weather makes them necessary. They wear bold, deep colors, but they are always coordinated.

Elves can live for multiple centuries (their average lifespan is 700 years), but physically, they appear to age very slowly: a 450-year-old Elf would look hardly older than a 45-year-old Human, for instance. However, this disparity becomes more pronounced over time, so younger Elves actually do appear to be the same age as their peers in shorter-lived races. (A university-aged Elf and a university-aged Human would be around the same age, in years - and they would still look to be the same age, by appearance.)

## Temperaments

The Elves, for the most part, are now a peaceful race - though that was not always the case. They prefer to keep to themselves, in harmony with Nature, and keeping their vibrant, artistic culture alive in their communities. However, they are welcoming and friendly to strangers, of all races (even Humans, now), particularly those who come to learn: the Elves place a very high value on knowledge and education, and Dyffryn Caidris houses Tirisea's oldest university (Privisgal Caidris). Still, they are slow to truly open up to anyone who is not an Elf themselves.