Half-elf (Legal)

*Current Realm and Enneade*: Eternal Suns, Progenitor, Tuat, Atlas, Kess’Aai, Mirrormark, Qedseba and Inet’Saret

#### **Statistics**

***Age***: Half-elves possess a lifespan of about 180 years. Culturally and biologically, they reach adulthood as fast as humans do.

***Characteristic*s**: Manipulation +2, and two other ability scores of your choice increases by +1

***Languages***: Ancient Markish, your home Realm’s language, and Elvish

***Size***: Half-elves have the same body type as Humans. Your size is Medium.

***Speed***: 6 m base walking speed

***Darkvision***: You can see in dim light within 12 m of you as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

***Fey Aspect**:* You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put you to sleep.

***Skill Versatility***: You gain 4 skill points.

#### **Appearance**

Spawned from the union of human and elf, the **half-elf** combines traits from both races. Slender, but not as slender as the elves. Long-lived but not as long-lived as the elves. Elven features, but not as distinct as the elves. Half-elves hair, skin, and eyes can have any shade that an elf or a human can be born with. Male half-elves can have facial hair, but it does not grow as thick as it does for a human male. The half-elf does not enter into the elven trance when they sleep. However, the half-elven sleeping pattern is dominated by the dreaming phase, where their memories and imagination mingle. Just like humans, half-elves do not usually remember their dreams after they have awoken.

#### **Lore**

##### ***Children of Love and Loss***

The encounters between humans and elves in the Age of Genesis sometimes resulted in half-elven children, but never the creation of the half-elven race. The reason why elves and humans can have children with each other is because of Gera. Gera was one of the seven who created the human race and then instructed her ally, Isismia, on the secret of life. The unconscious result was biological compatibility for children. Something unique for Enna and humans. During this age, the half-elves never amassed enough members to replenish the half-elven race; instead, half-elves were created and lost.

If the half-elves would live with the elven community, the chances of further reproduction were slim. Half-elves in human societies usually fizzled out the elven heritage after two generations. Many elves blame their fey kinship for their lack of judgment regarding their involvement with humans. Whenever their fey nature gets the better of them when they are amongst humans, the creation of half-elves can become a reality. The elves would usually never cultivate romance with humans, knowing what fate they will bring upon their offspring and their human mate. Few find themselves able to emotionally deal with a child and a human partner who will inescapably die before them. Often the elven parent leaves the child in the hands of their human parent and tries as hard as possible to forget both of them.

In theory, the half-elven race seems ideal, blending the elven traits of patience, artistry, and refinement with humanity’s passion and drive, but the reality was far more often tragic. Stuck on the border of two kingdoms, few half-elves felt at home in elven or human communities. Half-elves in human cultures were often mistrusted and somewhat excluded from the group, mostly due to their emotional differences. Half-elves also distanced themselves, usually after they lived for a century, as they watched their human friends and family grow old and die. It is common for old half-elves to have trouble forging bonds with humans. In elven communities, their fervor and zeal could be frustrating for both them and other elves. Many half-elves describe their ordeal of living with an elven community as if they and the elves experienced time differently. Childhood elven friends that the half-elf grows up with become alien to them in the end. They became adults while their peers remained children. It was typical that half-elves escaped their childhood homes to search for a place they belonged. Consequently, it is typical for half-elves to devote themselves to an organization or a cause, viewing their newfound purpose as their family, rather than choosing between the human or elven community. Even so, half-elves have always struggled to find their place in society. This forces the half-elven child to become at least adept with their social skills quickly.

##### ***The Seven’s Attention***

After the War of Collapse, as Frostmark turned into a prison for the humans, the half-elven race was almost extinct. But as the Seven controlled their share of the human population, they realized one after the other that they had made no such promises for the half-elven race. As half-human, half-elven, there were unanswered questions regarding the half-elven Soul. Maybe they inherited a part of the unique qualities of the human Soul? Indeed, as a race with no Enneade as a clear creator, half-elves choose which Enneade to devote themselves to, just like humans. Hence, the Seven started to experiment, facilitating half-elven children’s births and then transferring them over to their respective Realm. Once there, the Seven allowed them to flourish and build their numbers.

From being a rarity, the half-elven race amassed stable populations. If circumstances do not change, they will become the dominant species one day in the other Realms due to their human nature. Somewhere along this process, the Seven realized, one after the other, that the half-elves do possess stronger Souls than other Enna. However, the difference is so meager that it doesn’t have any profound impact on the power of the Enneade. Furthermore, the half-elf does possess the opportunity to choose their Enneade, but it is not the same as a human’s free will. The half-elf’s Soul intrinsically yearns for a purpose and a patron, and thus they often attach themselves to the first best thing that comes their way, while a human can go without worshipping an Enneade their whole life.

After the Age of Collapse, the half-elves have become a force to be reckoned with. Because of their passion and devotion to the causes they serve, as well as their patience and perspective to make wise choices. They also possess an absolute resolve to protect and nourish the budding half-elven communities that are starting to emerge—a novelty in their history as a race.