Elves

Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. Elves love nature and magic, art and artistry, music and poetry, and the good things of the world.

## Appearance

Elves are tall, almost cat-like, slender humanoids who are greater in height but more slender in build than humans. Elves tend to be elegant, in both appearance and movement, possessed of an almost supernatural grace.

Their colouration varies far less than humans', with most elves being quite pale and fair skinned, though almost none possess freckles or blemishes. Elves tend to have bright green or dark blue, ranging to nearly black, eyes. The irises of the elven race are far larger than those of other humanoids, often making it seem like they have little or no white in their eyes. This trait can often make elves seem alien and unreadable to humans and dwarves. Their hair, which is typically naturally straight and healthy, usually ranges through the normal spectrum of fair hair, though some possess pure colourless white hair. Neither elven males nor females go bald, and indeed they show little in the way of discernible signs of aging. Elven ears are lynx-like generally between six to nine inches in length and point backwards, angling upwards slightly to end usually parallel to the crown of the head.

### Dress

Elves maintain an otherworldly beauty, and whether found in their magnificent wilderness communities or cosmopolitan civilizations, are often well-dressed and sometimes even glamorous.

## History

The elvenkind are shrouded in mystery, their orgins unknown even to themselves.

## Society

Elvenkind are the most widespread of the mortalkind, being found in nearly any environment in the world.

### Language

Elven is a complex language, but sounds poetic in tone and cadence. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elvish ballads to their repertoires.

## Subraces

### Arctic Elves

Arctic elves are shorter and broader than most elves, and tend to be very secluded.

### Coastal Elves

Coastal elves, often called sea elves, are the most thrill-seeking of the elvenkind, feeling a natural pull to adventure.

### Desert Elves

Often called the dwarves of elvenkind, desert elves are the most resilient and stubborn of the elves, sometimes to a fault.

### High Elves

The most arcane attuned, graceful, and prideful, of the elvenkind often appearing with a slightly golden hue to their skin, and gold eyes.

### Jungle Elves

The most cat-like of elves, even having very cat-like eyes, and a grace that matches that of the high elves, but also drawn to gold and other precocious items, usually magical.

### Mountain Elves

Athletic and strong, the nomadic mountain elves move along the mountainous regions in clans, each member sharing a strong bound with family, they very rarely leave their clans unless to start their own.

### Night Elves

Dark skinned, white haired, and mostly nocturnal, night elves are by far the most mysterious of the elvenkind, very rarely seen and never for very long.

### Wood Elves

The most spiritualistic of the elves, and are often considered the most attuned to nature of any other race of mortalkind.