~The Elven Subraces~

Preface..

There are many different worlds on which Elves exist. Consequently, there are many different and varied races of Elves, each with their own philosophies, appearance, and societies. There are six "standard" subgroups of elves: Aquatic, Dark or Drow, Grey, High, Sylvan, and Half-elves. First we will discuss the standard subgroups, and then give a world by world view of Elves as we know them.

The Six Subgroups of Elves...

Aquatic Elves:
Also called sea elves, these ocean-dwellers patrol the deeps, holding court beneath the waves. Aquatic elves have gill slits much like fish, and can survive out of the water for a short time by breathing. Their skin is typically silver-green, and their hair is also green or bluish green. These elves play an important part in the underwater ecology, keeping the waters safe for inhabitants. They hate sharks intensely and organize hunts against this menace. Sea elves commonly travel with elven ships, defending those on board from attacks beneath the waves. Aquatic elves are feared by pirates and those who would prey on elven craft.

Aquatic elf society consists mainly of those sea elves who dwell within a five-mile area. There is a titular king or queen to whom they pay homage, but has no real power over daily life. Sea elves live as they please, coming together under a ruler only in times of underwater emergency or great trouble for the world in general. The lords and ladies of the ocean cities escort visitors and conduct trade, while the rest of the population are artists, hunters and farmers. These elves have cities of living coral, supplemented with glittering crystal domes.

Dark Elves (Drow):
The Underdark is the home of these evil cousins of the surface elves. The drow are reputedly as wide-spread as the other subraces of elves, perhaps even more so. No one knows exactly how far the underground holdings of the dark elves extend. They are also well known for having a certain grasp on interdimensional magic, for they use it to travel long distances. They hate the light, and have researched ways to travel while avoiding the sun, which is an anathema to them. Drow are typically shorter than other elves. They all have white hair, glowing red eyes and black skin. In all other respects, save their height and coloring, they resemble their above-ground cousins.

Drow craftsmenship is truly a marvel to behold, wrought with strange and intricate designs. Their works are unstable however, and will disintegrate over time when away from the radiation of the Underdark.

Drow society is matriarchal, with the female drow holding power. Male drow are intrusted with the relatively unimportant jobs of swordplay and some sorcery. The females on the other hand, command the important positions in drow society. They are priestesses of the dark goddess Lolth, Demon Queen of Spiders.

The drow are rigidly class-structured and divided. A drow can advance in her caste, but cannot advance beyond it. When one seeks advancement, it is usually done through death.

Grey Elves:
The most noble and reclusive of the gentle race are the grey elves. They see themselves as the protectors of good in the world, but will stir from their mountains and meadows only when faced with a great evil. Grey elves act much like human knights, supercilious and condscending, full of their own importance. They think nothing about speaking their own minds, and are often haughty, disdaining contact with most others, including all other elves save grey elves.

When arming for battle, they don shimmering suits of elven-made plate or chainmail, and protect their heads with distinctive winged helms. Mounted warriors ride gryphons or hippogriffs into battle, swooping down on the enemy with dreadful perfection.

Taller and more slender than other elves, grey elves typically have silver hair and amber eyes, some rarer elves have golden hair and violet eyes and are often known as 'faerie', and are probably those who made first-contact with humans.

Grey elves disguise the entrances to their mountains and meadows with powerful magic, ensuring that only elves, or those familiar with the elven dweomer, are allowed access to their retreats.

High Elves:
The most commonly seen of all elves, the high elves are also the most open and friendly. They are also the most adventurous of elves, and have no conpunction about exploring the world outside their homelands.

At first, high elves may seem aloof and arrogant, but with little effort, a glimmer of true self can be learned. High elves know the value of friendship and alliance with other good races of the world. Trust is hard-earned however, thus, although they serve the cause of good, one can never be sure what the reception from them will be.

High elves are very pale. Their skin does not tan and is the color of new cream. Their hair and eyes fall into two main categories. Those with blond hair and blue eyes, and another equally numerous variation with dark hair, ranging from brown to sheerest black, and intense green eyes.

High elves do not place a great deal of value on society, preferring instead to live as they wish, not as someone tells them to. They live in a constant relationship with nature, never taking more than they need, and giving back ever more.

Sylvan Elves:
Although wood elves are descended from the same stock as the other elves, they are far more primitive than their kin. Sylvan elves, by their very nature, seem more prone to violence than their civilized cousins. Their muscles are larger, their complexions more florid. They have yellow to coppery-red hair, which contrasts with their lightly tanned skin. Their eyes are generally light brown, although bright green is not uncommon.

Wood Elves do not care about the proceedings in the outer world; only when such acts imapact their realm do the wood elves take interest. Even then, that interest is only in removing the nuisance and in returning to the wildlands as quickly as possible. Only other elves can break their solitude without suffering potential death.

Half Elves:
Although not properly elves, half-elves are included here because they do possess elven ancestry. There are rare exceptions, but most half-elves are also predominantly half human. Elven genes cannot typically cross with anything other that human genes. Most half-elves are of high elf descent, though again, there are always exceptions.

Half-elves are not readily accepted into either elf or human communities. They often become introverted, sullen, and embittered. Largely, it is a matter of the half-elf in question and the society with which he or she deals. They are never accepted into grey elf society, for half elves are a reminder of all that the grey elves wish to eliminate.

Since they are human and elven both in demeanor, they are easily recognizable as such. They are taller and heavier than the average elf, though their hair and eyes often reflect those of the human parent. In all cases they will still have the pointed ears and angular features of the elven parent.

A World by World View of Elves...

The Elves of Oerth (Greyhawk)

The elves of Greyhawk are the stereotypical elf, resembling the 'standard' elf in every respect. There are two subraces that are unique to Oerth, Valley elves and the Grugach.

Valley Elves:
This subrace of grey elves derives their name from their home in The Valley of the Mage. As servants or allies to the Mage, they protect the land in exchange for the Mage's ability to protect them from outside threats.

Most other elves despise valley elves. The common belief being that they have sold out their dignity and their independence for the fleeting protection of a human mage.

Grugach:
Like sylvan elves, grugach live in the deep pristine forests of unpopulated areas and also tend to be much less civilized. One area in which they do differ is their savagery.

While ordinary sylvan elves are onery and unfriendly, the grugach are downright vicious. Sylvan elves resent intrusion into their lands, but grugach will usually kill those who do so, regardless of race. Grugach cannot stand the company of any other humanoids not naturally of the forest. This includes druids and other elves, although it does not apply to nymphs or dryads. On the other hand, they possess a close kinship with the animals of the woodlands, dealing with them more equally than with humanoids.

The Elves of Toril (Forgotten Realms)

The elves of this world possess all the standard elf abilities, but their appearance is markedly different. They are of human height and taller, though there the resemblance ends. Like their more typical cousins, they are much more slender and delicate in appearance. There are five separate and distinct subraces in the realms.

The elves of the Realms are one of the oldest races native to this world. While humans were living in caves, learning to hunt one another, the elves flourished. Their nations spread across Toril, and they lived in harmony with the land. But, as humans became more and more civilized, the elves had to retreat.

Although they were once the most powerful group of the Realms, the elves are a race in sad decline. They retreat from the world in ever-growing numbers. One day, humans will find the Realms devoid of elves. The greater world will no doubt miss their presence.

Gold Elves :
Some also call them sunrise elves or high elves, although they do not closely resemble the standard high elves and, indeed, seem more like grey elves. Gold elves are generally viewed as the most civilized and, at the same time, the most contemptuous of the other races. They are the nobility of elves on Toril, leading the other elves in the Elven Way. They are equivalent to the Silvanesti on Krynn.

Silver Elves:
Also known as moon or grey elves, although again, the name is the only similarity to the typical grey elf. They more closely resemble high elves than grey elves. (note: this is a name only issue, gold elves are grey elves, silver elves are high elves.) They are the most commonly seen elf on Toril, and the most adventurous. Although moon elves are considered less noble than gold elves, the Queen of Evermeet, Amlaruil, is a moon elf.

Green Elves:
Also called wild or forest elves, they are equivalent to the standard sylvan elf. They deal almost exclusively with other elves, keeping any contact with other races to a minimum. Since they try to live far from humankind, they are one of the least seen races of elves. Although they do not have a kingdom of their own, they permeate every elven nation.

Sea Elves:These too are fairly uncommon, but are not as reclusive as wild elves. They swim in two waters: the Great Sea, and the Sea of Fallen Stars. There is only a slight difference between the two, one race breathes salt water and the other fresh water, but they can survive in either. Sea elves make their homes anywhere, but are most commonly seen around the island retreat of Evermeet.

Dark Elves:
Like their drow cousins, the dark elves are almost universally shunned for their evil. Cruel creatures living underground, these drow emerge only at night, trying to avenge themselves on their "oppressors", the elves responsible for their underground retreat.

The Elves of Krynn (DragonLance)

The high elves settled the world of Krynn long ago, and their history on this wondrous world is rich. On the continent of Ansalon, the main branch of elves was called Kagonesti, the source from which all other elves sprang. These others quickly abandoned the sylvan role, taking up more civilized pursuits.

Silvanesti Elves:
The first realm of elves on Krynn was called Silvanost, after their great leader in the first Dragon Wars. The Silvanesti are a fair skinned race with eyes of blue or brown and hair ranging from light brown to blond-white. Hazel eyes are a sign of the line of Silvanost. They are reminiscent of the grey elves in their attitude and outlook, for they are haughty and most concerned with racial purity.

Qualinesti Elves:
The Qualinesti broke from the Silvanesti centuries later over a dispute on how to best deal with the non-elven world. Under the command of Kith-Kanan, they left Silvanost when it became clear that the Silvanesti had stagnated as a society. They travelled west until they found a place where they could live in peace and freedom from the structure demanded by the Silvanesti. The relations between these two are strained at best.

The Qualinesti most resemble high elves, and are the most commonly seen elf on Krynn. They are slightly smaller and darker than the Silvanesti, with blond to honey-brown hair and blue or brown eyes.

The Qualinesti are more friendly than the Silvanesti. They have traded more openly with other races, and built the mountain fortress of Pax Tharkas as a joint effort with the dwarves of Thorbardin.

Kagonesti Elves:
The sylvan elves of Krynn are the Kagonesti. Although they are the first race of elves to ever set foot on Krynn, they are disregarded by the other races, shunned as wild and uncivilized. The Kagonesti, however much they dislike this situation, have chosen to reject civilization and it's "corrupting" values. They prefer, instead, the wild harmony of nature, the contact with the earth that the other elves seem to have thrown away in their quest for newer and better forms of government.

The "wild" elves are about the same size as both the Silvanesti and Qualinesti, but are much more muscular. They are very tan and draw designs on their faces and exposed flesh with clay and paints. Their hair is dark, ranging from black to light brown, with a rare throwback to the silvery-white of their ancestors. Their eyes are hazel.

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