Elves

The Children of the Forests, scions of the Elverin from the Days of Fury. Natural tenders of the land and its living things.

Speak various dialects of Elvish (which is called "Dorei'i" in Elvish).

The elves are the oldest-living intelligent species known to Meridians, and are thus regarded with a mixture of awe and suspicion by many of the other races that interact with them. They seem able to attune to the world and its living things more keenly than other species, and some claim to be old enough to have lived through the Age of Frostveil in its entirety - nearly 4,000 years. Many of the elves in Meridia can claim the Tel’Darin Forest as their home, but like humans, there have been sightings of elves from other regions of the world since the dawn of the modern age. And of course, following the dark elf occupation of the Drow Wars of the recent past, many Drow or half-Drow descendants can be found peppered throughout society.

## **Land Elves (Shin’dorei)**

Tel'dorei - Wood elves - are the fiery-hearted grove guardians of the Tel’Darin Forest, whose communities serve as the natural defense of the elven capital within Tel’Darin. They willingly take on a more natural lifestyle in their forest dwellings, and regard ecological preservation as paramount. Wood elves typically have tanned or leather complexion and dark brown or black hair.

### **Linked to the Land**

Shin’dorei closely study and practice the druidic arts and lifestyle, incorporating nature into much of their culture, architecture, and thinking. Many Shin’dorei serve as druidic council to the humans and other species that seek to commune with the land.

## **High Elves (Shal’dorei)**

If the Shin’dorei cast the stereotype of elves being nature-oriented, the Shal’dorei cast the perception of elves as mysterious and elitist. Very few non-elves claim to have entered the elven capital that sits somewhere within Tel’Darin Forest, where high elves apparently maintain elven society. Many Shal’dorei maintain an air of superiority around other races while they serve as diplomats, mages, philosophers, or tacticians for Meridia. They are marked by their paler complexion and hair, and higher, longer ears.

### Magic-Infused, Arcane-Addled

While wood elves appreciate the natural order and tap into elemental energies, high elves show a predilection - some call it an addiction -  towards arcane magic, and understanding mana’s metaphysical properties and applications. They revere the Lumis Moon as much as, if not more than, the land.

## **Dark Elves (Drow’dorei)**

Before the Drow Wars, there were old stories and legends of the “dark elves of the earth” - wicked monsters with all the speed and cunning of elves, and none of the intelligence or decency. When the Drow’dorei legions erupted from the deep places and spilled into the “Overworld”, they proved they were very much capable of intelligence - though acts of decency were few and far between. Though most of the Drow were driven back into the deep earth by War’s end, their occupation left stark reminders: some Drow were kept as slaves, and a generation of half-Drow offspring were born. Drow have ash to charcoal-dark skin, silver or white hair, and vivid eyes.

Drow'dorei speak Drow'dorei'i - an elven variation of Undercommon

**The Scum of Society**

Most Drow are treated with derision by all but the most civilized or kind-hearted of Meridians - the cost of a War most of the currently living Drow have never even experienced is still fresh in many other species’ minds.

## **Elves of Other Lands**

Though their varied ethnicities and places of origin have only recently begun to be tapped for political gain by Meridia, elves of foreign birth have been seen throughout Meridia since the Winterthaw that preceded the current Age of Mending.

**Mer'dorei - Sea Elves**

**Sol'dorei - Sun Elves**

**Dal'dorei - Moon Elves**