Elven People

The Elven People

The most beautiful of all the Children of the World, Elves are tall beings, lithe and graceful, with slight frames and long, delicate fingers. Never renowned for their physical strength, Elves are fair and frail, yet possessed of keen minds. No other race can match the Elves in intellect, and only the bird-boned Aracoix are their equal in speed and agility. Born in the Age of Twilight, that dimly remembered time before the kindling of the Sun, Elves can see quite clearly even in the dimmest light, and their large, haunting eyes are as keen as any cat's. Elves' pointed ears are instantly recognizable, and grant them superior hearing.

Though the distinction is lost on most other races, three distinct types of Elves have emerged over their long history. Only the wisest Human mages have learned the names of the Elvish peoples, though to Elves the distinctions are painfully distinct. The Dar Khelegur, or 'High Ice Lords' in the old speech, dwelt of old in the frozen mountains of the North and founded the Deathless Empire. Their fair skin is as white as alabaster, white as the snows of their homelands. Tallest of the Elves, the Dar Khelegur are known for their mastery of magic and their limitless cruelty. The second Elvish race call themselves the Gwaridorn, 'Masters of the Sea,' and in their skin the green of the seas can faintly be seen. Of old they dwelt by the shores of the great Western Sea and built mighty ships, and were the strongest of the Elves in battle. Last of the Elvish peoples are the Twathedilion, the 'Elves of the Forest,' whose faces are touched with the brown of the trees of their homelands. Stealthiest of all the Elvenfolk, the Twathedilion are also their greatest artists, and are known for their mastery of the bow.

The first Elves were born before the creation of Time, and are thus immortal, though few of these Firstborn have survived the tumult of the Ages unto the dark present. Every Elf born since the beginning of the Age of Days was born mortal, although their lifespans measure many centuries. Of all the peoples of the World, the Elves have had most cause to accept the Turning, for with it their immortality has been restored. They greatly resent, however, that in this dark age they must share their immortality with the lesser races of the World.

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Also See: Their Ways, Their Lore