Elves

"For the first time in my life, I knew beauty. The raised marble structures of Asawami rose above the white coast of Eastern Agutar. Entranced, I stood taking in it's breathtaking beauty. The trees and vines from the forest still grew within the city, and the coast was home to a number of beautiful coral reefs, connecting this place wholly to the earth around it, albeit making it difficult to access this coastal city by sea.

''Finally I stepped into the giant elven metropolis, with beautiful colored birds singing melodies flying over my head, and the Temples of Eternal Flame burning above the rest of the structures in the city. Here, in one week, The Sun Lord Toma would come to his summer home with his immediate family. It would be here, in this city of unwordly beauty, that I would try to kill him."''

- Folwin Morio, Confessions of a Regicide, as recorded by the Elven Guard-Master Elves are a magical people of otherworldly grace, living in the world but not entirely part of it. They live in places of ethereal beauty, cities built in ancient forests, or silvery spires glittering with faerie light, where soft music drifts through the air and gentle fragrances waft on the breeze. Elves love nature and magic, science and artistry, and see themselves as stewards of the world.

Slender and Graceful
With their unearthly grace and fine features, elves appear hauntingly beautiful to humans and members of many other species. They are slightly shorter than humans on average, ranging from well under 5 feet tall to just barely over 6 feet. They are more slender than humans, weighing only 100 to 145 pounds. Males and females are about the same height, and males are only marginally heavier than females.

Elves' coloration encompasses the normal human range and also includes skin in shades of copper, bronze, and a pale bluish-white. They also boast hair of green, blue, black, white, blonde, and brown; and eyes like pools of liquid gold or silver. Elves have no facial and little body hair. They favor elegant clothing in bright colors, and they enjoy exquisite and beautiful jewelry.

A Timeless Perspective
Elves can live well over 700 years, giving them a broad perspective on events that might trouble the shorter-lived races more deeply. They are more often amused than excited, and more likely to be curious than greedy. The tend to remain aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether adventuring on a mission or learning a new skill or art, elves can be focused and relentless. They are slow to make friends and enemies, and even slower to forget them. They reply to petty insults with disdain and to serious insults with vengeance.

Like the branches of a young tree, elves are flexible in the face of danger. They trust in diplomacy to resolve differences before escalating to violence. They take threats to their homeland heavily and are quick to put up a powerful defense. Further, elves have a natural inborn curiosity about the world and love to travel all over and build big cities around the world to act as centers of magical and scientific research.

Giant Metropolis' and Hidden Wooded Realms
Most elves dwell in large coastal metropolis', constructed for the express purpose of research and magical advancement. Elves of all different disciplines gather in these cities to practice their arts, and being master artisans, are known for holding the best smiths, armorers, architects, wizards, and artificers in all of Agutar. Elves however, living such long lives, are in tune with the effects their actions have on nature. They will often build metropolis and villages into nature, choosing to build upwards in tall silver towers rather than outwards, which would cause deforestation and displace more animals in Agutar.

Still, a large number of elves also dwells in small forest villages, hidden among the trees. Elves hunt game, gather food, and grow vegetables, again with enough skill to support themselves and their coastal cities without clearing or plowing the land.

Elves encountered outside their lands are commonly traveling minstrels, artists, or sages. Human nobles compete for the services of elf instructors to teach swordplay or magic to their children.

Exploration and Adventure
Elves take up adventure out of curiosity. Since they are so long-lived, they can enjoy centuries of exploration and discovery. They dislike the pace of human society, which is regimented in the day to day but constantly changing over decades, so they find careers that let them travel freely and set their own pace.. Elves also enjoy exercising their martial prowess or gaining greater magical power or scientific knowledge, and adventuring and colonizing allows them to do so.

Elf Names
Elves are considered children until they declare themselves adults, some time after their hundredth birthday, and before this time are called by child names.

On declaring adulthood, an elf selects an adult name, although those who knew him or her as a youngster might continue to use their childhood name. Each elf's adulthood name is a unique creation, though it might reflect the name of respected individuals or other family members. Little distinction exists between male names and female names; the groupings here reflect only general tendencies. In addition, every elf bears a family name, typically a combination of Elvish words. Some elves traveling among humans translate their family names into Common, but others retain the Elvish version.

Child Names: Ara, Bryn, Del, Eryn, Faen, Innil, Lael, Mella, Naill, Naeris, Phann, Rael, Rinn, Sai, Syllin, Thia, Vall

Male Adult Names: Adran, Aelar, Aramil, Arannis, Aust, Beiro, Berrian, Carric, Enialis, Erdan, Erevan, Galinndan, Hadarai, Heian, Himo, Immeral, Ivellios, Laucian, Mindartis, Paelias, Peren, Quarion, Riardon, Rolen, Soveliss, Thamior, Tharivol, Theren, Varis

Female Adult Names: Adrie, Althaea, Anastrianna, Andraste, Antinua, Bethrynna, Birel, Caelynn, Drusilia, Enna, Felosial, Ielenia, Jelenneth, Keyleth, Leshanna, Lia, Meriele, Mialee, Naivara, Quelenna, Quillathe, Sariel, Shanairra, Shava, Silaqui, Theirastra, Thia, Vadania, Valanthe, Xanaphia

Family Names (Common Translations): Amakiir (Gemflower), Amastacia (Starflower), Galanodel (Moonwhisper), Holimion (Diamonddew), Ilphelkiir (Gemblossom), Liadon (Silverond), Meliamne (Oakenheel), Nailo (Nightbreeze), Siannodel (Moonbrook), Xiloscient (Goldpetal)

Elf Traits
Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, the result of thousands of years of elven refinement.

Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.

Age. Although elves reach physical maturity at about the same rate as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass worldly experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can over 700 years.

Alignment. Once, elves were a good natured people. Over years of dominating the Agutaran continent, they have spread far and wide, and care more about the welfare of their nation and how it affects the earth rather than caring about seeding out evil throughout the realm. As a result they tend to be more neutral about world politics. Elves also generally have a high regard of their civilization and it's mechanisms. They pride and respect the laws and legal systems of their empire in general. Dark Elves are an exception; their exile into The Forsaken Lands has made them vicious and dangerous. Dark Elves are more often evil than not.

Size. Elves range from well under 5 to barely over 6 feet tall and have slender builds. Your size is medium.

Speed. Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Darkvision. With your superior elven eyes, blessed by the Sun God to take in as much light in any given area as possible, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet of you as if it were dim light. You can't discern color in darkness, only shades of gray.

Keen Senses. You have proficiency in the Perception skill.

Fey Ancestry. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep.

Trance. Elves don't need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. (The Common word for such meditation is "trance.") While meditating, you can dream after a fashion; such dreams are actually mental exercises that have become reflexive through years of practice. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish. Elvish is fluid, with subtle intonations and intricate grammar. Elven literature is rich and varied, and their songs and poems are famous among other races. Many bards learn their language so they can add Elven ballads to their repertoires.

Subrace. Ancient divides among the elven people resulted in five main subraces: high elves, wood elves, mountain elves, light elves, and dark elves. Choose one of these subraces.

High Elf
As a high elf, you have a keen mind and a mastery of at least the basics of magic. In general, there are two groups of high elf. The inland elves are haughty and reclusive, believing themselves superior to non-elves. The other are the coastal elves, who are more common and generally friendly, often encountering non-elves in their large cities. Coastal elves have bronze skin and hair of copper, black, or golden blond. Their eyes are golden silver or black. Inland elves are much paler, with alabaster skin sometimes tinged with blue. They often have hair of silver-white, black, or blue, but various shades of blond, brown, or red are not uncommon. Their eyes are blue or green and flecked with gold.

Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.

Elf Weapon Training. You have proficency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it.

Extra Language. You can speak, read, and write one extra language of your choice.

Wood Elf
As a wood elf, you have keen senses and intuition, and your fleet feet carry you quickly and stealthily through your native forests. These elves hail from The Marches of Talzaria and are untrusting of most outsiders.

Wood elves skin tends to be copperish in hue, sometimes with traces of green. Their hair tends towards browns and blacks, but is occasionally blond or copper-colored. Their eyes are green, brown, or hazel.

Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.

Elf Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, shortsword, shortbow, and longbow.

Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to to 35 feet.

Mask of the Wild. You can attempt to hide even when you are only lightly obscured by foliage, heavy rain, falling snow, mist, and other natural phenomena

Light Elf
The light elves are the least numerous type of elves left on Agutar. It is believed that centuries ago, after the Eladrin vanished, all that was left were these original children of the Eladrin. The elves, however, believe this means that the Light Elves are the current most Sun-touched creatures on Agutaris. To the elves, the eladrin were the direct children of the primordial being of light known as Kalnor. Being the most direct descendants of the Eladrin, the Light Elves are revered in Elven society. As a result of this, the throne of the Sun King is left within Light Elven families who can most directly prove their lineages. Haughty and arrogant, Light Elves commonly believe themselves not only better than non-elves but many other elves as well.

Light Elves are a bit taller than most elves, generally being over 5 feet tall, and have a glowing semi-translucent skin. Their glowing luminous skin is a golden yellow usually, but sometimes may be a fainter glowing blue, green, or purple based on how much contamination has entered into their blood. The most pure-blooded Light Elves, however, glow a pure gold, with the essence of light baked so into their very being that it is physically noticeable. Their hair has a supernatural glow to it as well and is usually white, blond, or silver hair with colored silvery or golden speckles. Characteristically, their eyes also faintly glow and are usually gold, silver, light hazel, pale blue, or gray.

Ability Score Improvement. Your Constitution score increases by 1.

Elven Weapon Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, short sword, shortbow, and longbow.

Sun's Protection. You have resistance to radiant damage.

Noble Lineage. You have proficiency in the History skill.

Mountain Elf
Mountain elves reside in the Western Agutaran Empire, predominantly on the badlands at the bases of mountains and on top of them, these elves tend to stay away from the High Elves' coastal cities. It is said that these curious elves are the result of elven and dwarven breeding, and are generally looked down upon by those elves in the Central Agutaran Empire.

Unlike most elves, Mountain Elves grow thick beards, but are not allowed to until they claim adulthood by the laws of their society. They often coinhabit dwarven mountain-top strongholds and are able hunters. They boast a thicker and more leathery skin than other elves, and come in roughly the same colorations as humans but trend towards earthy red-browns for those in the badlands and grey-browns/blacks for those in the mountaintops. They are stockier and heavier than most elves and lean towards the high end of 5 feet. They have dark brown, black, or red eyes and generally darker hair colors including black, brown, auburn, and gray.

Ability Score Improvement. You Strength score increases by 1.

Mountain Weapon Training. You have proficency with the shot sword, longsword, hand axe, greataxe, and spear.

Roughland Runner. When moving on your turn, you may ignore 10 feet of difficult terrain.

Natural Climbers. You have a proficiency in the Athletics skill, and a climb speed equal to your normal movement speed minus 10 feet.

Dark Elf
Dark elves, descended from an earlier Eladrin-like dark elf, are the result of an ancient primordial war. The First War was waged not between two kings but between the light and the void themselves. The light created all that was good and birthed the Eladrin, but some of these Eladrin sought to utilize the powers of the Void. Betraying Kalnor, and turning to the power of the void goddes Morega, they were cursed so that whenever they may look upon Kalnor's gift to mortals, their eyes would sting and burn. They were driven to the North, in the Forsaken Lands, where they lie in wait worshipping their dark god.

Due to the darkness of the lands they inhabit, the dark elves have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They commonly have very pale eyes (so pale as to sometimes be mistaken for white) in shades of lilac, silver, pink, red, and blue. They tend to be smaller and thinner than most elves.

Dark Elf adventurers are rare.

Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma increases by 1.

Superior Darkvision. Your Darkvision has a radius of 120 feet.

Sunlight Sensitivity. You have disadvantage on attack rolls and on Wisdom (Perception) checks that rely on sight when you, the target of your attack, or whatever you are trying to perceive is in direct sunlight.

Drow Magic. You know the dancing lights cantrip. When you reach 3rd level, you can cast the faerie fire spell once per day. When you reach 5th level, you can also cast the darkness spell once per day. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for these spells.

Drow Weapon Training. You have proficiency with rapiers, shortswords, and hand crossbows.