Elves

The Elves are one of the Eight races, made by Air and Water The Elves are naturally peaceful, but highly territorial. Many of the tresspassers in their forests don't know they are being trailed until far too late.

Biology
Elves resembled Drow physically-though, to the respective races, they consider their differences as pronounced as men and Dwarves.

They are usually around 6' and 120 lb-taller and a touch lighter than their subterranean cousins. They live for around 300 years, much like Drow. They typically have smooth skin in pale colours, some even possessing an almost ebony skin tone. On very rare occasions elves born in more southerly climes than their main regions have tan or breown shades. Their eyes run all the usual shades of humanoid-with a few exceptional red shaded eyes being also somewhat common-and their hair tends to be black, blonde, or white. They have high cheekbones and a pointed jaw.

The forest dwelling of the Elves is evident in their senses, from their large pointed ears, offering hearing almost five times as acute as that of a man - perfectly suited to hearing snapping twigs in the woods. Their sense of smell is also the most sensitive among the Eight, and it is not a rare occurence for a particularly sharp nosed elf to be able to track scents like a hound.

However, Elf bodies lack strength, in favour of flexibility. Their build is light rather than strong, and a non ambidextrous elf is a rare sight indeed.

Culture
All elves traditionally live in kingdoms, each of which comprises a single continuous tract of forest. They are ruled by the oldest individual amongst them.

This comes from the veneration that elves - weaker than almost any other of the Eight - place on knowledge and art, which they find gives them an ability to defend themselves without resort to violence. Thus the eldest amongst them are seen much as rulers of other races. This valuing of intelligence and wit leads to the odd situation where many elves will not directly lie, but instead rely on double meanings, and outsiders are often fooled by these word games into thinking they are safe, especially given that the elves have only once in known history gone to war.

This is not the case however. Elves live simpke lives, prefering music and literature to industry, and see the forset as their provider. Thus they treat any intruders into their homes as they would a direct threat to their people. It is the right of any elf within a kingdom to kill a non-elf, unless they come bearing signs of peace, which are unique to each kingdom. Those that do bear such a sign are still brought before the region's elder to be judged, which can still result in death.