Elves

**Elves**, much like their living ancestors, the Archfey, are a long lived race of beings found originally most commonly in forests, shrublands, and other wildernesses. Elves have organized strong nations, though with far less frequency than Humans, in some cases adopting even a nomadic lifestyle. Almost all elves worship the Seldarine, amongst other Gods, and the elves are generally, though not always, good in nature.

## ​Description

### ​​Physical Characteristics

Elves stand at average from 5'4" – 6'4" (1.64 – 1.98 meters) and weighing in from 130 – 170 pounds (59 – 77 kg). Usually, true elves are a naturally slender and athletic race. Elves have a similar range of complexions to humans, with wood elves typically coppery or pale skinned and wild elves having darker pigmentations. Often, elven hair is dark, either brown or black, with copper red or blond hair also found amongst wood elves., although orange or even green hues are not completely unheard of. Elven eyes are commonly brown, hazel, or an emerald green. Elves, like their cousins the eladrin, are fair and beautiful, handsome, and have pointed ears and no body hair except eyebrows, eyelashes and hair.

Elves mature at roughly the same rate as humans, though they are not usually considered past adolescence until they reach 110 years of age. Unlike humans, elves do not age dramatically as their lifespan comes to a close, with the most obvious changes being a change in hair color, alternatively graying or darkening. Most elves remain healthy and full of life up until their death, which, if age-related, is usually between two and nine centuries.

### ​Abilities

Elves have a number of abilities that set them apart from other humanoid races. Like their kin the eladrin, elves are agile, dexterous creatures. However, elves can move slightly faster than their eladrin kin and can move swiftly through even the roughest terrain. Elves are also more preternaturally aware of their surroundings than eladrin, as well as possessing better common sense. This aids elves in many ways, allowing elves a high degree of perceptiveness that they can lend partially to allies. Additionally, elves are extremely accurate in their attacks, having a degree of precision that would be unusual for other humanoids.

Many elves do not sleep, instead finding their rest in a meditative state called “reverie”, which is as restful as true sleep but leaves them aware of their surroundings. This is similar to an eladrin’s ability to enter a trance.

## ​Subraces

There are at least seven different sub-races of elves:

Wood Elves

Normally the most tanned elves, who decided to remain in their native forests, Wood elves are the most populous of the elven races. Many of them saw themselves as guardians of their ancestors forest homes. Easily distinguishable from other elves their darker skin and green, brown, or hazel eyes. Wood elven hair is usually brown, yet blondes and blacks are also common. Hues such as copper red were also found.
Accustomed to a harsh, naturalistic lifestyle, wood elves loved to wear leather armour, even when they were not under immediate threat. Wood elves were roughly identical to other elves in height and build, with males larger than females.

High Elves

Highly civilized, light-skinned elves with a natural gift for wizardry. Represented by two subraces, the moon elf and the gold elf.

Wild Elves

Feral, reclusive elves who scorn civilization and its trappings, preferring a wild existence close to nature.

Drow

A dark-skinned sub-race of elves that predominantly live in the Underdark.

Half-elves

While not strictly a sub-race of elves, the result of a human and elven mating is a half-elf, whereas the offspring of an elf and a half-fiend is a fey'ri.