ELF

"We do not deign to acknowledge the slanderous propaganda spread by the stunted humans who call themselves dwarves. The little miners have always had a rather, shall we say, biased outlook on history and the true workings of reality. They call themselves the finest creatures to grace the worlds with bodies like that, we suppose one would have to have an active fantasy life.

"For those graced with true vision, Elves comprise the finest race in all the worlds. We are that which other race aspire to be: Our longevity, our beauty, and our craftsmanship are all the stuff of legends. Certainly, each of these attributes can be recreated in some fashion by the lesser race, but theirs is an artifice of face and form and creation never as fine as those that come naturally to us.

"Our lives are long and filled with happiness, for we recognize the impermanence of all things, excepting ourselves. Indeed, we do not suffer death as do the mortals. Only through violence, accident, or disease do we die at all.

"Although we vanish from the ken of mortal knowledge after something over a thousand cycles of existence on this plane, you may rest assured that we continue on elsewhere. Even those who perish on the battlefield do not truly die, but instead become part of the earth's cycle of growth and rebirth. Our spirits linger on, for we are intimately tied to the world and its core. Indeed, we are the integral part of that core.

"We would turn now to other matters, for to continue on in this vein would, no doubt, lead you to believe that we are boasting of elven prowess. We do not boast. Anyone who has seen even the slightest fraction of elven ability knows the truth of what we say here.

"Yes, we are a proud race, but do we not have just cause? Are we not Elves—creatures of most wondrous might? Simply understand that we are what we are and that nothing you can do will change us—then may we become good friends. But beware: We are a complex race, and the workings of our lives will ever be a mystery to you, our dreams foreign from yours. You will never truly understand us, no matter how you try.

––Anastrianna Galanodel, elven mage

Once, and probably still, the most powerful and advanced race on the planet, the elves have placed themselves into a self-inflicted exile in Arvandor, aloof from the rest of the world. They are militant isolationalists, intolerable racists, and vengeful for all that they have lost. They are renown for their poetry, dance, song, lore, and magical arts. Elves favor things of natural and simple beauty. When danger threatens their woodland homes, however, the elves reveal a more martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and magic.

Personality: Elves are more often amused than excited, more likely to be curious than greedy. With such long lives, they tend to keep a broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether an adventurous mission or learning a new skill or art, they can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Physical Description: Elves are short and slim, standing about 4½ to 5½ feet tall and typically weighing 85 to 135 pounds, with elven men the same height as and only marginally heavier than elven women. They are graceful but frail. Their skin ranges in tone from brown to grey, the color, but not the texture, of living bark, their wild, untamed manes of hair change color with the seasons, and their clear eyes reflect the colors of the world around them. Elves have no facial or body hair. They prefer simple, comfortable clothes, especially in pastel blues and greens, and they enjoy simple yet elegant jewelry. Elves possess unearthly grace and fine features. Many humans and members of other race find them hauntingly beautiful. An elf achieves majority at about 110 years of age and can live for over 1800 years without her physical appearance changing.

Elves do not sleep, as members of the other races do. Instead, an elf meditates in a deep trance for five hours a day. An elf resting in this fashion gains the same benefit that a human does from ten hours of sleep. While meditating, an elf dreams, though these dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. The Common word for an elf’s meditation is “galarevar,” as in “five hours of galarevar.”

Relations: Elves consider dwarves to be traitors to their freedom, having given in to the Regents. They consider all of the other races to be outsiders, intruders on their world, and minions of the Regents. They see all of these other races as an adult sees an unruly child.

When in lands other than Arvandor elves are polite, gracious, and pleasant to those whom they have need to deal with and short, condescending, and haughty to those they have little use for. In Arvandor, and its surrounding lands, the elves tend to shoot first and then dispose of the refuse.

Alignment: Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression. They lean toward the gentler aspects of chaos. Generally, they value and protect others’ freedom as well as their own, and they are more often good than not. However, amongst nonelves, one would be hard pressed to identify these traits.

Elven Lands: Elves live on Arvandor and its surrounding islands, mostly living in woodland clans of less than two hundred individuals. Their well-hidden villages blend into the trees, doing little harm to the forest. They hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables; their skill and magic allowing them to support themselves amply without the need for clearing and plowing land. Their contact with outsiders is limited, for the elves want none of what the outside world has to offer.

Elves encountered in other lands are commonly messengers, ambassadors, or spies. Human nobles compete fiercely for the attention of these elves, hoping to learn their powerful magic or graceful swordplay.

Regents: Elves are never aligned to the Regents. When an elf is subjected to a baenrahl it quickly drains her life giving magical energies away, killing her in a matter of days. The elves are the only race that has been able to stay completely independent from the Regents; they value and protect this freedom of action viciously. As a people, the elves look down on the other races that have been bent to the will of the Regents. The elves recognize the Regents and the Urathear in particular as something less than divine and worship the one who cannot be named, called simple €Enna. This being is believed to be the protector and preserver of life. The elves credit this being with the creation of all things and honor her through their magical study, arts, dance, and poetry, as well as through their prowess in battle.

Language: Elves speak a fluid language of subtle intonations and intricate grammar. They call this language, Aeldor. While elven literature is rich and varied, it is the language’s songs and poems that are most cherished. Many a bard has died on the shores of Arvandor in an attempt to add a few Aeldor ballads to their repertoires. Others have simply attempted to memorize a once heard Aeldor song, and sing it by sound alone. The Aeldor script, which is as flowing as the spoken word, also serves as the script for Silvyc, the language of dryads, pixies, and other fae.

Names: When an elf declares herself an adult, usually some time after achieving her hundredth birthday, she also selects a name. Those who knew her as a youngster may or may not continue to call her by her “child name,” and she may or may not care. An elf’s adult name is a unique creation, though it may reflect the names of those she admires or the names of others in her family. In addition, she bears her family name. Family names are combinations of regular elven words.

Male Names: Belólas, Calomir, Celebring, Celorfimbor, Ceril, Eärewyn, Eärumir, Elvondir, Elvyriand, Eowithrarion, Galaramir, Galel, Galul, Nél, Nil-Garil, Sorfindir, Thralith, Tinóndir, Tioldur, Tomir.

Female Names: Anithradia, Belórith, Celedith, Calil-Gadien, Elaraclya, Elrédien, Eowulith, Febrithiel, Galaraviel, Galithralindë, Galyng, Glioniel, Hebring, Lóminiel, Mádia, Nédia, Niodë, Paclya, Sithien, Sorficlya.

Family Names: Alushtasahinue, Amastacia, Amakiir, Amneenial, Enyornai, Galanodel, Holimion, Ilphukiir, Ivaebelath, Laniilphu, Lathgala, Liadon, Meliamne, Nailo, Quarlanihinue, Siannodel, Tarinerevanthas, Thamnodel, Thuenrilis, Xiloscient.

Adventurers: Elves take up adventure out of wanderlust. Life among the other race, however, moves at a pace that elves dislike: regimented from day to day but changing from decade to decade. For this reason, and many others, elves rarely visit the lands beyond Arvandor. Elves among the other race are generally on some important mission, and never settle into careers or wander aimlessly. Elves enjoy demonstrating their prowess with the sword, bow, or arcane arts, feeling that it keeps the other race in their proper place and away from the elven lands.

Elven Racial Traits

• ECL=1: All elves begin with an Effective Character Level of 1, this is added to the character level for determining the XP required to reach the next level.
• +4 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, -2 Strength, -2 Constitution: Elves are graceful but frail. An elf’s grace makes her naturally better at stealth and archery.
• Medium-size: As Medium-size creatures, elves have no special bonuses or penalties due to their size.
• Elven base speed is 30 feet.
• Immunity to magic sleep spells and effects, and a +2 racial saving throw bonus against Enchantment spells or effects.
• Low-light vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Proficient with the iaverym (elven sword); proficient with the ravathel (elven bow). Elves esteem the arts of swordplay and archery; so all elves are familiar with these weapons.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5-feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door. An elf’s senses are so keen that she practically has a sixth sense about hidden things.
• Elves with Intelligence scores of 10 or higher may cast 0-level spells from the wizard/sorcerer list, 3 + Int Mod. spells per day. All Elves can cast spells without need of components or spell books. They are still subject to the armored failure rules.
• Elves cannot be Templars or Champions. Because of their hatred for the Urathear and their inability to bare a baenrahl elves are forbidden from being templars or champions.
• Automatic Languages: Comon and Aeldor. Possible Languages: Bhen, Darastrix, Denwarfrey, Kesir, Maundling, and Sylvan. Elves commonly know the languages of their enemies as well as Darastrix, the language commonly found in ancient tomes of secret knowledge.
• Favored Class: Wizard. Magic comes naturally to elves, they stole its secrets from the dragons’ eons ago, and fighter/wizards are especially common among them.