Willow's End - Jera Skyspear
Elvish words/phrases linked to Glossary OR hover mouse to see translation.
Thumbnail sketch of 'my' brand of elves all mooshed together from bits here and there and over there...

Elves have begun to more freely mingle with other races. They may or may not be welcome. Depends on the experience of each group, ie, previous encounters or the persistence of certain folktales. They can live in most any geographical area they choose, but will likely never feel truly at home there. They are well known for their poetry, dance, song, lore, and magical arts. Elves generally favor things of natural and simple beauty. When danger threatens, however, elves reveal a more martial side, demonstrating skill with sword, bow, and battle strategy.

Personality: Elves are more often amused than excited, more likely to be curious than greedy. With such long lives, they tend to keep a broad perspective on events, remaining aloof and unfazed by petty happenstance. When pursuing a goal, however, whether an adventurous mission or learning a new skill or art, they 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.

Physical Description: See also, Sub-Races. High Elves (ala Jera) are tall and slim, generally at least a head taller than the tallest of the other elves and human counterparts (by gender and relative age), some even more so than that. Even high elven women would be in the neighborhood of 6 ft tall, on average. They are exceedingly graceful, usually pale-skinned with light blonde, silver-blonde or white hair. Their eyes are usually in the range of green to pale blue or light grey. I'm working with Bill's concept of Sithryn elves as best I can. If elves are a 'super race', then the Sithryn are a 'super elf race'.

Elves have no facial or body hair. They prefer simple, comfortable clothes in the rainbow of colors from nature. They enjoy simple yet elegant adornments. Elves possess unearthly grace and fine features. Many humans and members of other races find them hauntingly beautiful.

Aging: (Varies greatly with every storyteller and even individual characters.) An elf achieves adulthood somewhere around 80-100 years in age and can live many centuries, virtually immortal, but can be killed. Life phases occur the same as with humans but the years involved are different. See Elfage page for further details on this part of elf lore.

Elves require rest, although it need not be sleep, per se. Instead, an elf may meditate into a deep trance or to change their awareness from the near and present. Traveling or experience which takes place in elf dreams or trances may be more than symbolic and actually be like astral travel or such. Often though, a good long restful ordinary sleep is just the thing. Everyone needs to refresh.

Relations: Elves may consider humans rather unrefined, halflings a bit underdeveloped perhaps, dragons as other-kin, and dwarves not at all fun. They may look on half-elves with some degree of pity. To particularly haughty elves, the mixed bloods may even be considered abominations. But as a whole, elves are generally pleasant and gracious even to those who fall short of elven standards (which, after all, consists of just about everybody who's not an elf).

Bonds: As soon as I figure out how this works, I'll make better notes. So far I understand that there are friendships and family bonds, but beyond that are Heartbonds and SoulBonds. These are obviously stronger and allow mind-to-mind communication between bonded persons. As Bill explains in The Lost XXII: "The Sithryn believe that all their folk are woven into [Triads], each Soul having two others that it is called to, a Soul Bond, the person they are meant to spend their life with, and a Heart bond, the friend closest to the heart. Each member of a Triad can have different roles in another, so that the fabric of the Sithryn people is one grand weave, each Triad a link that makes up the whole." Now... how the bonding occurs technically... I don't yet know.

Language: Elves speak fluid language of subtle intonations and intricate grammar. While Elven literature is rich and varied, it is the language's songs and poems that are most famous. Many bards learn Elven so they can add Elven ballads to their repertoires. Others simply memorize Elven songs by sound. The Elven script is as flowing as the spoken word which is more lyrical, like singing.

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