Elves
The undying first folk of Tephra.
Basic Information
Anatomy
As a wolf is to a dog, an Elf is to a human. Longer and sharper, with nimble fingers, Elves are much stronger than they look.
Biological Traits
Elves do not sleep as other beings do, but they enter a waking dream for several hours a day. In this state, they relax, sing their beautiful songs, and remember things they've seen and done.
Genetics and Reproduction
Elves reproduce at the same rate as humans, and an adult Elf will likely have three children over the course of a hundred years. After birth, the parents go their separate ways and leave the child in the terrible and dangerous Forest.
Growth Rate & Stages
Perhaps one in five Elves will live to see their tenth birthday, and it is around this time they start to develop social skills, joining a pack of other young Elves so they can hunt larger animals. Infighting, accident and hubris claims at least half of these before the age of 40. But the lucky survivors are usually clever and tough enough to be truly dangerous. An Elf is fully grown by this age, but some never stop changing in appearance, shifting to different faces or looking old and wise as the years roll onward.
Ecology and Habitats
Elves are known to reside in great forests, some of which are magical enough to get a capital F. There must be plenty of wild game to keep the wilder Elves fed and entertained, but they will eat plants as well.
Behaviour
Elves usually have a hard time appreciating the value or emotions of other creatures. Even to each other, they can be callous or indifferent. Fear holds their interest for a time, and beauty will sometimes captivate them, but all things are temporary to these immortals.
Additional Information
Social Structure
Powerful Elves sometimes gather their fellows into some type of court or coven or alliance. These are usually as dangerous as living alone in the Forest, but with politics rather than instinct deciding who lives and dies.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Elves are most common in three areas of Tephra, claiming or adapting to the magical woods and Forests. Alfheim in northeast Estier, the Stillwood in the south of Estier's Shielded Lands, and a broad expanse simply called the Forest in Dorend. Some Elves even dwell in the ocean, swimming between small islands or making their home deep beneath the waves. Scholars wonder whether these sea Elves are born ready for the water or choose to alter themselves with magic to have fins and gills.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Elves can see in the dark, their eyes turning almost completely black as their pupils expand. Some Elves train and refine their other senses as well, able to hear an owl on a windy night.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Lots of young Elves like to change their name or use haughty titles they don't deserve yet. Older Elves generally have one name, and their fey nature means this name is important. If you speak an Elf's name, they must give you their attention (so most mortals living near the Forest are careful with their words. Better safe than sorry.)
Relationship Ideals
Relationships between Elves are usually not long-lasting, especially in the life of an immortal. Elves tend to be attracted to those whom they see as equal in beauty, strength, artistry or some other regard. Sometimes even humans or other folk will take their fancy for a year, and there are ballads of "the Elf King and his mayfly bride" that bring audiences to tears. Half-Elves are rare, but generally have some tale of how their parents parted ways.
Major Language Groups and Dialects
Elvish is a complex and evolving language, with multiple words and phrases that have the same meaning. Two Elves from different continents might spend years developing a new shared dialect, absorbed in each other, only to abandon the project for something else.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Some Elves hold a grudge against the gods, since legends say the Founding Pantheon viewed their creation as a mistake. But making generalizations about Elves is impossible - the high priest of Obad-Hai, and many followers of Sekolah and Olidammara are Elves.
Common Taboos
Elves have an innate distaste for iron and steel due to their long association with the fey. They're also unwilling to read more than a word or two at once, though some loremasters say the Elvish condition actually makes them unable to read and write. The Elves don't seem bothered by this, as they would probably live long enough to see anything they wrote crumble into dust. Their memories are all they need to share knowledge.
“Elves are wonderful. They provoke wonder. Elves are marvellous. They cause marvels. Elves are fantastic. They create fantasies. Elves are glamorous. They project glamour. Elves are enchanting. They weave enchantment. Elves are terrific. They beget terror. The thing about words is that meanings can twist just like a snake, and if you want to find snakes look for them behind words that have changed their meaning. No one ever said elves are nice. Elves are bad.” ― Terry Pratchett, Lords and Ladies
Lifespan
Elves live forever unless injury or disease takes them.
Average Height
5 to 6.5 feet
Average Weight
100 to 150 lb
Geographic Distribution
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