Elf

## Appearance

### Distinction

Slim build, pointed ears, no facial hair, adept with magic, doesn't sleep, no infirmities with age

## Sociology

### Religions

Cult of Mim Kapal (high elves), Cult of Orcus (wood elves)

### Languages

Old Elvish, Low Elvish

The **elves** were a humanoid race that lived in Cisteria, Tyrrhos, and the Arpasian Sea for centuries following the Sehanine, and formed important cultural collectives including the Hellastians. Their influence ranges from genetic, as their "Jade" blood is widespread across the Old World, to political, as is the case with the Jade House of Lords.

In elvish lore, the Sehanine marks the period when the eladrin began to bear only high elf children at the conclusion of the Ionian Wars. However, the settling of Hellastians in Tyrrhos and elsewhere has led to disagreement about at what point elves distinguished themselves from the eladrin, or if there are factors that lead to eladrin becoming elves.

There are several different types of elves, though they all entered and left the light of history at different times. The high elves entered the latest, succeeding Cisteria from the eladrin and records of elves appearing infrequently into the Tenth Era. In contrast, the wood elves and sea elves are mainly drawn from ancient sources like Oepitorus and most stories are either apocryphal or only determined through study of ancient ruins in places like Espios.

Though the twilight elves are still very much in existence, and isolated hamlets of elves can still be found by chance throughout Cisteria, they are in such low number that they are usually considered extinct.

## Types of elves

There are several different types of elves descended from the eladrin of Preliturgy. They are here by order of appearance in historical records.

### Wood Elves

#### History

The wood elves were first noted by authors in Espios as hostile natives to the woodlands of the Grand Line, between the plains that once comprised *Lydia* and the feeble coastline of *Shashania*. They were distinct from the eladrin as they did not exhibit changes with the seasons, and are noted for being exceptionally fast runners, being tawny in complexion, and having almost entirely black eyes.

Wood elves revered Orcus and had a complex tribal grouping based around the concept of oaths and social debts. They feuded with Espios and other humanoid settlers in Tyrrhos for millennia before Muzdash rule led to a vast majority of the wood elves being enslaved and either moved south of the Amtari Plain, to the loamy plateaus of *Balencia*, or sold off to the Sasceri. After the fall of Arcadian society, they mixed with the native Sasceri to form the Omerads. Any remaining elves in *Balencia* either perished over time or went into hiding.

### Sea elves

#### History

The sea elves are mainly found in apocryphal stories from the Ionian Wars, and have sometimes been argued by later high elf historians to have been fabricated as propoganda to provoke further response the Hellastians. The sea elves are recorded by Oepitorus in his *Histories*, and some journal entires circulated after the conclusion of the Ionian Wars.

Sea elves are only described as pirate-like entities that come from "the exploitation of the eladrin women in precarious situations with a disparity of power between her and her Ionian captors," a euphemism for the forced rearing of triton-eladrin children by Ionian soldiers and their Hellastian captives. They are depicted as being lawless, opportunistic, and savage, though there is no physical evidence of their existence outside of these stories from the Ionian Wars.

## Game mechanics

*Use this as your guide to creating an elf character. Note that all elves in this world are made by using this same template.*

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Dexterity increases by 2.

***Speed***. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

***Languages***. You know all dialects of Elvish and one additional language of your choice.

***Darkvision***. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark areas. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were bright
light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You cannot discern color
 in darkness, only shades of grey.

***Keen Senses***. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

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

***Natural Ascetic***. You roll advantage on Constitution saving throws against exhaustion caused by a lack of food, water, or air.

***Trance***. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, your dreams can foretell portents and depending on your age can help you relive past lives. While resting in this way, you gain the same benefits of a long rest.

### Children of the Sehanine

There are several different races of elves, each from different locations in the world. Though the wood elves and sea elves have not been encountered for millennia, and dark elves are usually banished from elf society, they are by no means completely gone from the world.

#### High Elf

Most elves from Prace are one of two distinct subraces: moon elves and sun elves. High elves from Prace are keen of mind and are the closest to the nymphs of their heritage. They possess innate magical abilities and have a deep passion for the arts and humanities.

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Intelligence increases by 2.

***Elf Weapon Training***. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

***High Elf Magic***. You know a cantrip from the Wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for this spell.

***Glory of the Sun and Moon***. You can cast *chromatic orb* without any material components. You cannot use this trait again until you finish a long rest. The damage type must be radiant, and you must be wearing an appropriate pendant. If you are a sun elf, the glowing orb is a splendid golden orb, and you must be wearing a gold-and-jade pendant; if you are a moon elf, it is a magnificent silver orb, and you must be wearing a silver-and-jade pendant.

***Extra Languages***. You know one additional language of your choice.

#### Twilight Elf

Elves that witnessed the Defilement of the goddess Shi became cursed, becoming the twilight elves that live just to the south of the Lake of Twilight. They are solemn and have an unfathomable tie to the Otherworld, even more than other elves. Their innate magic abilities exceed even the high elves of Prace.

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Constitution and Charisma both increase by 1.

***Walking Dead***. You have resistance to necrotic damage.

***Sight of the Destroyer***. The image of Shi is burned into your race's memory, which you can bestow on another creature with a mere touch. When you make a successful attack roll against a creature, you can give it the *blindness* condition. The condition ends at the end of the creature's next turn, and you cannot use this trait again until you take a short or long rest.

***Otherworld Grace***. As a bonus action, you can magically teleport up to 30 feet to an unoccupied space you can see. Once you use this trait, you can't do so again until you finish a short or long rest. Starting at 3rd level, you also gain resistance to all damage when you teleport using this trait. The resistance lasts until the start of your next turn. During that time, you appear ghostly and transparent.

#### Wood Elf

Elves that migrated to Tyrrhos became accustomed to the great jungles and woods of the northern Grand Line, and the fearsome life they encountered there made them capable warriors and the worst enemy of early humans. Their current existence is debatable, as they have not been seen since the time of the first Wayfinders of Espios.

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Wisdom increases by 2.

***Elf Weapon Training***. You have proficiency with the whip, net, dart, and shortbow.

***Fleet of Foot***. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.

***Mask of the Wild***. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, darkness, and other natural phenomena.

***Natural Landing***. You can fall 20 feet before you need to roll against taking fall damage.

#### Sea Elf

The eladrin that were taken from Prace during the Ionian Wars became the somewhat mythological sea elves, who too worship the Leviathan and live among undersea life. They are the most aberrant of the elves, being the farthest from their original nature, being both inscrutable and inherently violent.

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Constitution and Strength both increase by 1.

***Elf Weapon Training***. You have proficiency with the spear, trident, light crossbow, and net.

***Child of the Sea***. You have a swimming speed of 30 feet and can breath both air and water.

***Emissary of the Sea***. Aquatic beasts have an extraordinary
affinity with your people. You can communicate simple ideas to any beast
 that breathes water. They can understand what you are communicating to
them, but you have no special ability to understand them in return.

***Lord of the Depths***. Adapted to living in the ocean, you ignore any
drawbacks of an underwater environment.

***Languages**.* You know Aquan Primordial.

#### Dark Elf (Drow)

The dark elves are such elves that have been cursed with dragon's blood. They are often banished and shunned from normal elf society, being considered blasphemous and evil at heart. If an elf becomes a dark elf due to being afflicted with dragon's blood, then they lose their original subrace benefits and gain the benefits listed below.

***Ability Score Increase***. Your Charisma increase by 2.

***Superior Darkvision***. Your darkvision has a radius of 120 feet, and you can see up to 60 feet in darkness as if it were bright light.

***Elf Weapon Training***. You have proficiency with the rapier, shortsword, and hand crossbow.

***Dark Elf Magic***. You know the *dancing lights* cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the *faeries fire* spell once, and regain the ability to do so after a long rest. When you reach 5th level, you can cast *dragon's breath* once with this trait and regain the ability to do so after a long rest. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

***Sunlight Sensitivity***. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight while in direct sunlight.