Elf

Elves were one of the first races to touch the soil of Melnara. Created by the Gods using chaotic matter from the universe, Elves were blessed with long life, a connection to the magical Weave that surrounds all things, and direct contact with the Gods who created them, being able to commune and speak with these beings as if they were their parents. Elves take many years to reach full maturity, not becoming adults until around the age 150. Due to this, elves tend to procreate more slowly as well, most only having 1-2 children in their lifetime.

Origins

The oldest events Elven tales, artwork, and ancestral memories recall the first Elves waking up, as small children, amongst a group of their bretheren in pre-Sundering  Melnara, around the start of the Age of Divinity. Even though each group was created with different strengths and afinities, the Gods raised them together. These first Elves learned magic from Vylos, writing and storycraft from Ebris, fine crafts from Xilus, and how to coexist with the natural world from Khonas.

Early Years

For a few centuries, the Elves grew and flourished under the direct care of the Gods. Before long, however, some displayed a cruiosity for the wider world, others desired new outlets for their creativity, and yet others desired children of their own. Proud of the ambition of their offspring, the Gods encouraged and guided the Elves on their first forays and adventures. They soon spread far and wide across Melnara, establishing many settlements and small communities. These communities slowly developed their own cultures over time, and by 1200 AD, complex political structures and trade networks had developed amongst groups of these settlements.

Reincarnation Cycle

All Elven souls originate from before the Sundering. When an Elf dies, their soul wanders in search of an appropriate unborn and empty Elven body to inhabit. Certain cultures use soul beacons or repositories in an attempt to keep their dead close to home, some as a form of self-isolation, and others out of a desire to remain with their loved ones. The Trees of Souls in the Faewild, for instance, hosts a vortex that pulls souls into the essence of the Plane itself to be reincarnated at the Plane's behest - many at the Tree of Life, but many others scattered across the Faewild. The Elves of Ilna Taylor, on the otherhand, allow their dead to roam free and choose their new hosts. 

Ancestral Memories

As a result of the Cycle, Elves carry memories of their previous lives. When born, they almost exclusively sail the seas of their old memories. As they mature, they learn to control these journeys, and eventually control when they go on them, how deeply, and for how long. Adolescents slowly lose conscious access to their previous lives, until as adults, Elves usually access their ancestral memories only during the trances they go into in lieu of sleeping. It's also in adolescence that Elves tend to pull and retain certain skills and presonality traits from their mental maelstroms; some may become innately adept at certain manupulations of the Weave, others may retain uncanny proficiency at a certain physical craft or scholarly field of study. The power of these memories partially contribute to how long an Elf takes to mature. An Elf in their 50s is still so lost in their mental travels that, to Humans, they appear to look and act like an 8 year old.