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Among the first-born of the races, elves are spontaneously brought into the world as savage creatures, and slowly gain sentience through learning as they claw their way through life. Because they do not need to procreate or feed, elves rarely form cities, and devote much of their lives to hedonistic or introspective activities.

In addition to +2 and -2 to any one ability score and +2 to two skills, Elves receive +2 to Wisdom and possess low-light vision. 
=Racial Characteristics=
==Appearance==
Elves tend to come in two extremes - short (between 4' and 5') and tall (6'2" to 6'6"). They weight about the same regardless of the size, so the taller elves are usually extremely gaunt, and the shorter elves more plump. With textured skin tones ranging from mossy green to a deep red, elves tend to correspond in colour to the season and area in which they appeared (elves have been known to generate underground, but those that do are either albino or a muddy neutral colour owing to the lack of reliance on light in such conditions). When they appear, feral elves have long hair on their heads and faces that usually matches their skin colour; adult elves usually do not retain the facial hair, but many do, apparently through force of will. Elves usually shun personal decorations, but they are fastidious about keeping their appearance tidy and can spend hours braiding hair if the fancy strikes them.
==Lifespan==
Elves are biologically immortal - their development is almost entirely mental. As they age, however, the ropy muscles that are the hallmark of a feral elf disappear. As elves do not lose their strength, it is theorized that part of an elf's physical composition reverts back to primordial, non-physical nature. The fact that older elves are less heavy seems to support this theory.

Elves that are, say, beheaded, are just as dead as any other creature.

=Elven Lands and History=
==Brinkwood (Elves)==
Brinkwood is the ancestral homeland of the elves, insofar as a race like theirs can have one, and lies to the west of the Great Host, nested between the peaks of the Greyjaws and the waves of the Inner Sea. It was here that the first elves appeared, clashed with orcs and kobolds, and then retreated into heavily forested areas to hide when it was clear they would lose that war. The sudden appearance of elves continued elsewhere, but for a very long time, it was only here that they would make it to maturity, and then organize themselves to push back against the orcs and kobolds. Brinkwood is still the most civilized of all elvish lands precisely for that reason, and it is usually here that traders come when seeking their goods. Even gnomes tend to stay away from other elvish lands, as their interests in mortal societies are not piqued often by this race of ageless loners.<br>

	When the humans appeared, driven west through Brinkwood by orc attacks, they naturally came in contact with the elves. There was no love lost between the tired humans and paranoid elves. Many of the fortifications and other settlements built during the war against the orcs were destroyed when elves discovered that humans tended to hunker down in these places and try to use them, instead of continuing their journeys. Thus developed the notion of “elvish hospitality,” meaning that the host would readily burn down his own house if it meant inconveniencing his guest. Eventually, humans left the elvish lands, mostly by dying, though many made it to the west and created their own kingdom. <br>

	As they do not need to eat, elves never went through the hunter-gatherer stages of society. All that they required for survival was not being killed by anything, including other elves, which encouraged a more individualistic lifestyle. Groups of elves are usually formed during their feral stages, with a pack leader ruling largely by force. As the elves mature and get stronger, their need for protection declines along with their respect for the alpha, and eventually the group will disperse completely. The long memories of elves help them remember this stage of their life for a long time, so it is not uncommon for an elf to recognize the passage of a former pack-mate that he has not seen for decades. They often communicate this way, by leaving messages woven with plants that other elves will recognize, and can organize themselves quickly without having to speak a single word.

====Adventuring in Brinkwood====
Skirmishes between the humans and the elves still happen from time to time, and pirates raiding along the Inner Sea sometimes think that the ungoverned elven lands are ripe for the picking. The lack of large concentrations of people and abundance of wilderness makes this an ideal place for beginner adventurers just learning the difference between the two ends of a spear. There are also many opportunities to hunt exotic game here, as the elves themselves rarely bother, and sometimes even defend their wildlife against hunters if the fancy strikes them. The individuality of elves makes it difficult for any one of them to have a good idea of what's going on in every corner of the region, so there may well be many mystical and incredible places in Brinkwood that nobody cared about enough to map.

==Shadowvale (Elves)==
Though elves had established a land of their own in Brinkwood, their wanderlust and need for excitement resulted in many elves travelling outward, through the lands of other races. As they did so, they discovered feral elves pretty much everywhere, though most were hunted as vermin by the locals. Determined to create a place for these elves, the wanderers banded together and, through a mix of negotiations and military action, won a place for the elves of the south-west to congregate. Shadowvale, so called because it lies in the shadows of the Greyjaws, is surrounded on the other three sides by human colonies. The only thing separating it from frontier regions is the concentration of elves – Shadowvale contains some of the deadliest monsters known to anyone. Many adventurers, mostly humans, dwarves, and kobolds from the Tail, come here to test their mettle, hoping that the large elvish presence makes the enterprise somewhat less risky than delving into uncharted territories. Two rivers bordering Shadowvale make it easy for traders to service the area, but human control of the sea shores to the west into which these rivers drain gives them a tight stranglehold on what actually gets to its destination. It is common to find goblins in this land, fleeing the mountains for any number of reasons, from rival clans to attacks by primordials.<br>

====Adventuring in Shadowvale====
Many adventurers are attracted to Shadowvale due to its solid dragon population, mostly because the thick forests provide good cover when the fight turns against you and you want to escape. The goblin presence is a boon for adventurers - sometimes they need killing, and sometimes they come asking for help, but there's usually a reward just around the corner as soon as you see a goblin shamble into your line of sight. Many criminals attempt to evade justice by heading into Shadowvale, but they rarely make trouble once they actually get there. The bounty hunters coming after them, on the other hand, are a constant problem.

==Windgrove (Elves) ==
Just as travelling elves from Brinkwood that headed west, east-bound travellers discovered many feral elves throughout orcish and dwarven lands. Unable to extract any concessions from either race, these elves merely headed further south to establish their sanctuary. Like Shadowvale, it is bordered by rivers that make it easy for adventurers and supplies to come in, but as these rivers drain into the Inner Sea, the amount of traffic that Windgrove receives is far larger. Most of that traffic is because orcs control that shore, and trade with the Tusk Islands brings in many ships riding in on the constant winds that give the area its name.<br>

	Bordered by orc colonies to the north and east, and dwarven lands to the west, Windgrove’s remaining border is with the frontier lands. Mottled Lake stops many of the continent’s nastier monsters from wandering into Windgrove by accident, and orcish colonies further south-east draw the attention of the rest. This makes Windgrove an ideal place for many beginner adventurers to acquaint themselves with the frontier without the risk of being overrun by a large number of foes.

====Adventuring in Windgrove====
Bandits plaguing orcish supply lines that run along the shore of the Inner Sea usually make their camps in Windgrove, taking their plunder to the Deeplands for trade. Mottled Lake is also a common route for those who think they can get away with raiding the Great Host and then disappearing back into the forests. Many of these pirates have grown wealthy through their work, and it is not uncommon to have a bounty for the capture of a pirate be considerably smaller than the fee paid by that pirate for helping them traverse the riskier monster-ridden routes. 

=Religion=
All elves are known to build small shrines of dedication to other elves that they respect, but elves rising to godhood have touched the entire race in some way or another. Considering that elves are usually individualistic and selfish, this is a very rare thing indeed. It helps that all elves have a connection with the world around them that is not entirely natural which, combined with a keen sense for their surroundings, allows them to register actions affecting their environment on a subconscious level.

Some elven gods are mischievous, and the only reason they are worshipped is that the elves find their pranks funny. The Green Trader (an inaccurate translation from Elvish that may actually mean Green Thief) is almost never seen, but he is known to steal items from those that pass through the forest and drop them for other travellers to find (sometimes years or decades afterwards). The Green Trader controls the portfolio of Thievery. 

There is a deity that all elves resent if not outright despise. Called the Obligator, he takes the form of a young, almost feral elf, with colours of turquoise and azure like the seas. He never speaks a word, and appears only to help out an elf in need. It is universally understood that such assistance binds the elf into helping the next person they come across (though not necessarily in the way they would like - in fact, most elves do as little as they can get away with to be clear of this requirement). The Obligator has the portfolios of Charity and Luck.