Star Elves

The elves of the land call themselves the elvelín, or the "people of the stars" (and use the term elvelénath, or the "people of the firmament" to describe all of elven-kind). It is, in fact, a corruption of this term that the human "elven" derives, and then "elf" for one of the elvelín. The elvelénath say this name isn't merely fanciful: they claim that each star in the sky has an earthly counterpart, an elf whose very soul is the light of that star. They divide themselves into four peoples, one for each season during. A winter elf's star can be seen in the sky during the winter months, and likewise a summer elf's during the summer.

The legends of the elves claim they were the first to awaken in the mortal lands, before any other folk. Indeed, they claim to predate the sun and moon, incarnated when the light of the stars shone down on the waters, giving rise to their other name, the "children of the starry waters" (ellornhîn). It is said that the thing most sure to draw elves out of their homes are dark, moonless nights where only the stars shine down, for these remind them of the Aduialfuin, those ancient primordial days of gloaming when the world was lit by the cool lights of the stars alone.

Beauty & Grace

The elvelénath are tall and graceful, with smooth skin (ranging in hues from pinewood-like paleness to ebonwood-like darkness) and long flowing hair (which ranges from straight to wavy to curly). Their bodies are lithe and quick, with dextrous fingers and nimble feet. They are lovers of beauty and grace, in both aesthetic and philosophical senses. The light presence that does not disturb the land, the soft tread that leaves no track, the whisper over the shout, the word that cajoles over that which commands: these are the embodiments of the highest grace among the elvinfolk. In art, they prefer things that are near and close to natural beauty, organic flowing things with graceful lines and delicate features.

The Graceful Lands

So great is the elven need for such things that a type of magic pervades their homes (rarely spoken of but called the minaglar, or the "between-beauty/beauty of between"). No one truly knows if this magic naturally occurs where the elvelénath gather, or if they only make their settlements in places that bear this magic, but there is an undoubtable magic to elven homes. The weather does not beat down on those who live there as it might in other places: the sun is gentle and shade plentiful, the cold crisp instead of biting, and the rain simply does not seem to touch the elvinfolk who live there.

Likewise, the needs of their incarnate bodies are lessened – hunger and thirst are rare, and come only after many weeks, so there is no need to bother with foods and drink that merely sustain. The elves themselves seem slightly numinous, as though suffused with an inner, twilight glow that they claim is the starlight of their spirits made visible by the minaglar.

Non-elves may also benefit from this inherent grace, albeit not to the extent that elves do (although this effect grows the longer a visitor stays); unfortunately, those non-elves also experience their time with a distant, somewhat dream-like quality. Indeed, they may find themselves sleeping longer and stranger hours, and their dreams difficult to separate from their waking hours in the memory. Still, dwelling in elven lands is an idyllic, healing experience for some folk, particularly those who have known tragedy or spiritual corruption.

Elves who depart from their homelands are as required to seek sustenance and rest (although never truly sleep) as any mortal might, so many choose not to leave. To elven sensibilities, the outside world is harsh, a place of furious elements, painful bodily processes, exhaustion, grief, and ugliness. Indeed, elves refer to the lands outside their homes as dôrnaeth: the "places of woe."

Elven lands can be difficult to find for those who are not themselves elves, or bestowed with the title of elvellyn, or "elf-friend." Dedicated searchers or those who know the woodlands quite well can sometimes find them, though they are just as likely to be intercepted by the settlement's guardians.

Elven Art

Freed as they are from so many of the demands of survival, elvenfolk spend a great deal of their time in the pursuit of art. They are fine wood-crafters and weavers, finesmiths and glaziers. Elven sensibilities are such that they prefer art that blends with rather than overwhelms (or worse, replaces) natural beauty. The height of elven aesthetics is the structure that one does not even notice is a building until one has drawn close to it.

Indeed, it is the nature of the elven lands that such structures do not need to serve as shelter, so they are utterly devoted to aesthetics: open roofed buildings whose gleaming floors are never dirty or leaf-strewn, and gates that seem to blend into the trees of the forest from which they're wrought. There is a particularly elven craft to their woodworking, it is said, which allows them to shape the wood by the use of secret arts that does not kill the tree.

Likewise, the fleeting pleasures of food and drink are well-beloved by elven folk, who consume such things not to survive but for pleasure. Elven breads are said to be imbued with the life-sustaining virtues of their homelands, making them favored waybreads for those who can acquire them. Likewise, elven wines contain some measure of the dreamlike lassitude of the elven lands, causing a sleepy, warm euphoria whose main impact is to cause long sleep afterwards, with none of the sickness of mortal drink.

Elven cultures speaks of the Antollui, or the "Eight Gifts." These are entire disciplines of craft and art created by elvenfolk in ancient days, and given as gifts to other cultures. In the dawning days when elves met dwarrowfolk, men, and shirefolk, they freely taught them some of their crafts. Elven philosophy accords two gifts for each of the seasons:

• the Ethuil Tollui (Gifts of Spring) are alchemy and woodcarving. Elven philosophy teaches that alchemy is the transformation from one state to another and benefits from the awakening powers of spring in the world. Because elven woodcarving is worked on living wood, the season when plantlife is growing and awakening from winter's slumber is the best time for the practice of that art.
• the Laer Tollui (Gifts of Summer) are glassblowing and smithcraft. The summer's arts are those which require the fires of the summer flame, as both glaziery and smithcraft do.
• the Lasbelin Tollui (Gifts of Autumn) are leatherworking and winemaking. The autumnal gifts are the gifts of the land's harvest, making goods from the hides of animals and the pressing of grapes and berries into strong spirits.
• the Rhîw Tollui (Gifts of Winter) are calligraphy and weaving. The gifts of winter are those arts which are done indoors, passing the time of the long dark winter months. They are also sometimes called the "lightwrought arts," as the delicate detail they demand usually requires additional source of light, which are often welcome in winter's darkness.

The Dimming of Starlight

Elvenfolk use the term firiath ("mortal"; firion for a mortal man, or firiel for a mortal woman) to describe those outside themselves. Though many believe that this may be hyberbole, the elves claim that those of their people who never leave the grace of their homes are functionally immortal. Rare is such a being, though, and even the elves may die of violence, illness, and old age given the touch of the dôrnaeth outside their homes.

Still, they use the term "immortal" for themselves with good cause, because they believe that when they die, their star-spirits are incarnated once more upon the world. Indeed, the reverie elves fall into when they rest is nothing less than the dreamlike recollection of the memories of their previous incarnations. (It is noteworthy that the elven term for "immortal" is alfirin, which means "flower-like," referring to a cycle of constant blossoming and wilting as immortality, rather than a static, unchanging immortality).

This does not mean that the elvenfolk are all light-heartedness, however. There is a particularly melancholy air to the ellornhîn, for all of them are capable of recalling, to one degree or another, the primordial star-days before the sun and moon, and to the joy of existence for their people during those times. Though they take delight in what is fair, it is tinged with the grief of never again knowing that joy. This melancholy is called the gwathral, though elves do not give name to it outside their own company lightly.

The Gwannim

Indeed, this grief has driven elves from the mortal realms. Those who do so are called gwannim (or "those who flee"), and are looked upon by elven sensibilities as tragic if understandable. Some (called merennim, or "the joyful") flee to the Feywild, the faerie realm whose entirety is imbued with the graces of the elven homelands, although doing so means flight from the stars of the firmament forevermore, and likely service to the Archfey.

Others (called the môrnim, or "the darkling") seek out the dark embrace of the Shadowfell, which is lit only by the wan light of the stars, though is also a realm of death. Those who die within the Feywild are always reincarnated in the mortal lands, while those who die in the Shadowfell may be reborn among the môrnim as the shadow-elves, or the elvdúwath, who are notoriously wicked and twisted. While many among the gwannim seek the sanctuary of the Shadowfell, most of them do not intend to do so forever, seeking only a starry respite.

Elven Names

Elven Maturity & Immortality

There is another reason that a century is the marking point of maturity for elvenkind: it is only after a full century of immersion within the graces of elven homelands that true elven longevity is invested in the individual. An elf who leaves their homelands for extended sojourns among the world of mortals endanger their longevity by such. Such elves typically have half the lifespan of most elves, or less. Still, some headstrong youth risk mortality for the wonders of the world beyond the thresholds of elven homelands.

The idea of choosing one's own name is strange to elves. Though they bear many names through their long lives, none of them are self-chosen. One's parent-names are given at birth by one's parents, and retained until adulthood. It is worth noting that elven folk do not give children gendered names, and it is considered wildly inappropriate to do so, with gendered names (such as Glaurgund, which means "golden prince") being considered for adults. This sudden transition is often quick and unexpected: suddenly, an elven youth's neighbors are all calling them by a new, adult name, one given to them by their community who have seen some virtue in the elf worth basing a name on. Although many elves are physically mature by their twentieth years, the given of a maenenneth, or "grace-name" (as the adult name is called) almost never happens before the elf has reached a full century in age. Many elves are given multiple names over their centuries, and will use a full litany of their names to give context when they meet other elves.

Though some consider the elven giving of names to be strangely at odds with the elven individualistic streaks, the reality is that elven philosophy says that names belong to the community because an elf does not need a name for themselves – they know themselves so intimately that a single word will ever be insufficient to express that truth. So, names belong to communities. The elven streak for individualism comes to the fore where families are concerned, for elves do not use familial or clan names, and only ever use place-names to describe their origins.

Children's Names: Pige (tiny), Morn (black/dark), Arod (noble), Devor (who tries), Annúngil (western star), Rimben (cold mountain pool), Gostor (who fears), Celeb (silver), Istor (who knows), Eithor (who aids)

Male Names: Aeron (man of the sea), Tondir (tall man), Raenor (crooked/bent man), Thadhrion (son of the kindled), Pellon (he who fades), Berendir (bold man), Lînor (he of the pool), Tingon (man of metal), Tirdir (man who watches), Padrion (the walking son)

Female Names: Leithiangwen (liberating maid), Forvemes (wife of the north), Tarathel (sturdy sister), Hastril (woman of the cut), Carvril (speaking woman), Ethirhel (maid of the river mouth), Saelbes (wise wife), Glîrdes (woman of song), Peldis (she who fades), Awarthriel (daughter of abandonment/forsakenness)

Elf Traits

Your elf character has a variety of natural abilities, manifestations of their starlit grace in the world.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Dexterity score increases by 2.
• Age. Though elves reach physical maturity at about the same age as humans, the elven understanding of adulthood goes beyond physical growth to encompass wisdom and experience. An elf typically claims adulthood and an adult name around the age of 100 and can live to be 750 years old.
• Alignment. Elves love freedom, variety, and self-expression, so they lean strongly toward the gentler aspects of chaos. They value and protect others' freedom as well as their own, and often do not understand expressions of stoicism and overly-intrusive order into peoples' lives.
• Size. Elves are usually tall and willowy, averaging just at six feet in height. Your size is Medium.
• Speed. Your walking speed is 30.
• Darkvision. Accustomed to twilit forests and the night sky, you have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. You can see in dim light within 60 feet in front of you as though it were bright light, an din darkness 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.
• Elven Grace. You have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can't put you to sleep. Indeed, you don't need to sleep at all, instead falling into a "reverie" for four hours a day, during which time you explore the inner memories of your previous incarnations, all the way back to the Twilight World before the sun and moon were born. After resting in this way, you gain the same benefit as a human gains from 8 hours of rest.
• Languages. You can speak, read, and write Common and Elvish.
• Lifetime of Learning. Gain proficiency in an additional language or a tool, reflecting the lore picked up during your long years.
• Subrace. Depending on when your star is ascendant in the sky, choose a subrace. If it is ascendant in the spring, you are elvethuil, one of the "people of spring". If it is ascendant in the summer, you are elvelaer, one of the "people of summer". If it is ascendant in autumn, you are elvlasbelin, one of the "people of autumn". If it is ascendant in winter, you are elverhîw, one of the "people of the winter."

Vernal Elves, or the Valley Elves

The elvethuil have eyes of pale limpid greens and blues, with hair that is pale and often golden or very light brown. They are fond of merriment and artistic endeavors, and are given to hedonism and distraction as their means of dealing with the gwathral. If an elven troupe are come upon frolicking in glade or spring, merrily calling out to those mortals they meet to join them, they are likely the people of spring.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Charisma score increases by 1.
• Music Training. Gain proficiency in the Performance skill and one musical instrument tool.
• Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the bard spell list. Charisma is your spellcasting ability for it.
• 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.

Summer Elves, or the Wild Elves

The elvelaer have eyes of amber and limpid browns, and their hair is often very dark in hue, from deep honey-golden to sheer black. They are fond of martial undertakings and skill in arms, and are given to violence as their means of dealing with the gwathral. Most of the elven guardians visitors to elven settlements come upon are usually made up of the people of summer.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Strength score increases by 1.
• Elven Armor Training. You have proficiency with the longsword, the shortsword, the longbow, and the short bow.
• Fleet of Foot. Your base walking speed increases to 35 feet.
• Sun-Kissed. You are resistant to fire damage and heat-related environmental hazards and penalties.

Autumn Elves, or the Wood Elves

The elvalasbelin have eyes of gold and orangeish-red, with hair of auburn and coppery brown. They are contemplative and intellectual, often losing themselves in the scholarship to fight off the gwathral. Most elven mages, historians, and scholars are the people of autumn.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Intelligence score increases by 1.
• Elven Magic. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. When you reach 3rd level, you may cast detect magic once per day. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Lore Training. Choose one of the following skills to gain proficiency in: Arcane, History, Nature, Religion

Winter Elves, or the High Elves

The elverhîw have eyes of pale blue and silver, with hair that has a white or silvery hue, sometimes with blue or purple or grey tones beneath it. They are frequently cold and unfeeling, giving themselves over to careful contemplation and disassociation rather than succumb to the gwathral. Elven scouts and healers are frequently people of winter.

• Ability Score Increase. Your Wisdom score increases by 1.
• Elven Magic. You know one cantrip of your choice from the cleric spell list. When you reach 3rd level, you may cast sanctuary once per day. Wisdom is your spellcasting ability for these spells.
• Winter-Kissed. You are resistant to cold damage and cold-related environmental hazards and penalties.