Elves

lves are a mysterious race of which information is difficult to obtain. They try to avoid attracting attention and very few have ever had the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into their society and their peculiar way of life. Therefore most of the information accessible is derived from rumours and third hand reports, whose reliability is disputable.

The elves were one of the first races to appear in Illarion. They are taller than humans and have slender, almost gracile limbs. Their ears are pointed and their facial features appear to most as being noble and fair. Another distinctive feature of the Elves is their fabled longevity. In truth no one ever has set eyes upon an old looking Elf and they seem to be even less forthcoming concerning their ages as they are secretive on general principal. But it is rumoured that there are Elves aged six or seven thousand years. Be that as it may, Elves do not reach majority until they are 180 years old. Such a thing does point to the fact that they actually get much older than all other races.

lves are quite close to nature. It is apparent that they look upon nature as a sentient being in its own right and attend it with all due respect. They tend to avoid leaving damaging traces on earth. Thus depletion of nature is an alien concept to them. What they extract from nature they try to restore in an equal manner. In accordance with this ideal their cities and settlements were erected around untouched nature, and still they remain to this day. Their houses are built in such a way that they fit perfectly in their surroundings. There are some reports of travelers, who got lost in the woods and passed by an Elvish settlement without noticing. The houses were only noted by outsiders, when the elves started pointing to their existence. These rumours led to the belief that Elves possess some kind of magic enabling them to render their dwellings unperceivable for any outsiders. Some even believe that Elves can cause the trees to grow in a way creating rooms, stairs and terraces. But if these fantastic tales have any speck of truth in them, I cannot safely say. The only thing consistent is that all who have visited an Elven city tell of its tremendous beauty. It may be mentioned in this context that Elven architecture is very subtle, almost appearing fragile, as if the Elves would be only guests in their own dwellings, at all times being prepared to return the gift of this location to its owner. This may also rest on their perception that everything is transient and that striving for worldly possessions is folly, which has been disclosed to them in their long years of existence.

he Elvish society has a clan structure that has a rather decentralized organization. An official government in the form of a kingdom or any other type of aristocratic leadership is nearly unknown to them. The determining factor for the position inside their society seems to be the age of a person. Consequently in every Elvish settlement there is some type of Council of Elders, which discuss the issues which affect the rest of the populace. In addition there exists an unsaid but common agreement upon the aims of the entire race. At least a publicly debated dispute is unknown to the Elves.

n general the character of an Elf is quite mild–tempered and friendly, also towards people of other races; still they prefer the company of their own kind. But it appears that there is a distinct period in their life, in which they choose to wander around the world and leave their homeland. This often happens in their youth. In doing so it is quite common that they maintain contact with other races or even seek their company. The reason or meaning of this wandering, which is called Navro’anai by the Elves, is as of yet unknown to us.

The aforementioned balance and serenity of the Elves has the effect that, with the exception of very young Elves, disputes with them are seldom to be perceived. Their long lifespan may also aid the belief that problems are of a temporary appearance. Elves do have a lot of time, which they put to use by letting demanding times come to pass. The proverbial patience of an Elf may be a great challenge to representatives of other races. But this should not lead to the assumption that Elves are defenseless, even though they would take up arms only in the face of greatest needs. They are traditionally very adept in handling bows or in the use of long, one–handed swords. Due to their choice of weapons and their way of warfare, in which they try to avoid open battles, they prefer only light types of armor. Their senses are very well developed and even in the darkest night can they perceive things, which are invisible to the eyes of others.

n nearly all magic schools Elves are extremely talented and because of their deep rooted love for nature do they have a distinctive aptitude to herbal lore and all related arts. But they are also no strangers to the arts of artisanship, in which they can reach a very sophisticated level and which is featured by the beauty of the manufactured objects. Perhaps with the exception of woodworks, they don’t actually have a distinct talent in these crafts; however they are blessed with the ability to put a tremendous amount of time into the perfection of a task. Thus may the pointed remark of a human knight be forgiven, who said, that only the son of his son shall be graced in battle with the expensive and gorgeous weapon he had ordered at an Elvish master smith.