Elf

Generally, Elves are medium sized humanoids with a wide range of body shapes, hair color/texture, and skin tones. On average, Elves are taller than most other humanoids excepting Orcs. Regardless of body type, Elves tend to have sharper features. Elves are most notable for their pointed ears similar to various Fae species.

Like Humans, Elves are highly sensitive and adaptable to their environment across generations. Unlike humans, Elven connection to the Aether results in more extreme changes to their biological, magical, and morphological structure resulting in a wide variety of different sub-species better suited to their various environments. Due to their longevity, family groups can sometimes show this shift dramatically in real time.

The following sub-species of elf has been noted:

• Sea Elf
• Drow
• Wood Elf
• Sun Elf
• Eladrin (Extinct)
• High Elf (AKA City Elves)

Like Orcs and Angels, Elven influence is quite potent, often resulting in crossbreed offspring with other species. These 'half-elves' tend to retain a significant amount of their elvish appearance, though they can lack their intrinsic connection to the Aether in many cases.

Elves participate in live birth like other humanoids, but have an extended gestational period of sixteen months. During this time, pregnant elves have increased environmental sensitivities which can have a lasting impact on the outcome of the baby. For example, a pregnant Sun Elf who spends the majority of their pregnancy within the Underdark has a significant chance of producing a child with more Drow-like properties. This environmental impact appears to be more significant in many cases than Elven parentage when the two elves are of different sub-species. Because of this, many elvish cultures have particular traditions and taboos around the treatment and travel of pregnant elves.

In terms of cross breeding with other species, Elves hold dominant genes resulting in most half-elves more closely resembling their elvish parent. There are some notable exceptions to this rule, however:

First, Orc genes, more often than not, appear to supersede Elf genes in terms of physical expression.

Second, Half Elves born to smaller races always seem to be taller than their smaller parent while never quite reaching the height of their elvish parent. Proportions of these half-elves also tend to vary much more widely than others.

Elves age much slower than any other humanoid with childhood development lasting through the age of seventy-five years old. Unlike other long lived races, Elves seem to age fairly linearly with a noted lifespan of approximately 500 years. However, elven infancy is a much shorter period comparatively, aligning more closely to Human infancy.

Due to their ability to adapt to a multitude of environments, the dietary needs and habits of elves is tied heavily to their sub-species. In general, most elves appear to be omnivorous with a preference for lighter foods and smaller meals spread throughout the day.

The different sub-species of elves have some differences in biological cycle when examining seasonal changes. Day to day, however, most elves are crepuscular preferring to be active in the mornings and evenings. Some sub-species lean further in one direction or another; Sun Elves, for example are more active during daylight hours. Drow appear to be notable exceptions to this, as daylight is sparse in the Underdark.

Most elves have dark vision, giving them the ability to see in very low light conditions. This is due to the fact that most elves are also crepuscular. Ocular degeneration is uncommon among elves, excepting Drow.

Elven connection to their environment seems to have improved their overall sense of perception, with most elves experiencing all manner of heightened senses, including magical connection.

While there is something of a common Elvish language, the major sub-races have all developed their own languages over time with many of those languages containing regional dialects that can make communication difficult at times. Common Elvish or 'Trader's Elvish' is the most common language in mixed communities.

Most elves are also capable of speaking Sylvan, the language of the Fair Folk, despite the connection to that realm being severed by the Calamity.

It is said that it was the first Elves that inspired Aevitas to create the Sylvari which would indicate that they are quite ancient. Unfortunately, much of ancient elvish history was lost during the Calamity as most Elvish culture relied heavily on oral tradition. Some storytellers remain, but the lingering histories don't always align neatly with modern calendars and records.

Elves view most other species with a deep sense of interest and curiosity, though their views on shorter lived species can often come across as controlling or condescending. This, however, is still quite a generalization as opinions tend to shift wildly based on sub-species and geopolitics.

Most other species views on Elves tend to be influenced by the type of elf they are most likely to encounter with many species occasionally viewing 'all elves' as if they are of that familiar type. For example, residents of the forests of Torzma are more likely to view all Elves as similar to the local Wood Elves while those in the Bays of Balia are more likely to view them as more akin to the local Sea Elves.