Elf
In the age before the Arcane Cataclysm, it is said that all elves were immortal. Ageless, immune to all disease and the failings of old age, and possessed of natural healing that made them near impossible to kill by sword or poison, the elves of the Great Arcane Era were among the most powerful of all the races in the world. Wise due to their years, but always appearing young and beautiful, the elves tended to see themselves as the guides and leaders of all other peoples.
There are a multitude of stories of how the elves came into their immortality; some claim they were handmade by the gods themselves, akin to angels sent to walk upon the earth. Still others tell stories of the strange developments in the Feywild and the powerful magic created by the Archfey who lived there. And some talk of a trickster hero of long, long ago, who stole the secret of immortality from the Elder Elementals .
Still, whatever the true cause for their agelessness, it is undeniable that, when the Arcane Cataclysm occurred, the elves became mere mortals. Although their lifespan is nearly ten times that of humans, they have never forgotten that once they were like the gods. Many still wish to recover their lost immortality, and will seek any means to acquire it.
As a general rule, elves are insular and secretive, no longer sharing their wisdom with the other races. The occasional young elf may leave their guarded enclaves to seek knowledge or quest for a source of immortality, but for the most part, they remain among their own kind. Few members of other races are allowed to enter these elf grottoes.
A notable exception to this general trend are the Lanirieth , a nomadic ethnic group which have been known to travel across the world, performing, seeking knowledge, and sharing their experience with everyone they come across.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Elves are not particularly sexually dimorphic, with females possessing extremely small breasts that only swell when in late pregnancy and nursing, and males incapable of growing beards and having narrow shoulders. Even totally naked it is sometimes possible to mistake male and female elves at a distance, as both sexes grow bushy pubic hair and when not aroused the penis and testicles are generally quite small in male elves. Female elves who have been pregnant may have somewhat wider hips than male elves, but this difference often goes unnoticed by humans and other races.
Growth Rate & Stages
Although they reach sexual maturity at about 20 years of age, most young elves are not considered truly "adult" until they turn 100. Most elves have the appearance of 20-year-old youths from the age of 20-200, and then begin to age at a very slow rate, around ten times that of humans. They begin to appear middle-aged between 450-500 years old, and do not appear aged until well over 600.
Ecology and Habitats
With a few notable exceptions, elves tend to prefer cool, temperate climates in heavily forested areas. Although there do exist desert, jungle, and arctic elves, these groups are unusual off-shoots and are generally seen as atypical elves.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Elves are omnivores, although unlike humans they find no ill health effects from living off an entirely plant-based diet. Some elf cultures praise a vegetarian diet above all others, and some forbid the consumption of meat entirely.
Civilization and Culture
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
Elves generally hold themselves apart from other races, and disdain interaction with those they view as "outsiders."
Elves and humans are capable of interbreeding and producing fertile hybrids, the half-elves. Half-elves are rather rare, as the elvish tendency to isolate themselves from other species means that interaction between humans and elves is generally minimal. However, half-elves are common among the Lanirieth , and it is said by some that the Lanirieth are actually more human than elf at this point.
In 2243 PAC, the elf warlord Huidon the Slayer created the orcs by magically transforming a few of his own followers into powerful, fast-breeding soldiers. Most elves view orcs as their greatest shame, malformed abominations that should be either killed or cured. Some elves take it upon themselves to eradicate all orcs by hunting down and killing orc tribes, while others study magic to seek a way of reversing orcish "corruption" and turning them back into elves.
Although a theoretical elf-orc hybrid is possible, most elves detest orcs with such a deep hatred that no documented cases of this kind of hybrid exist.
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