Elves

There are two ways to think about what elves are to this world. One is as an immortal race of dimensional travelers and planetary stewards—and they are that, certainly. The other is as they interact with other humanoid species at the personal level, in the daily lives of the other peoples of Menelon. Information on the former is scarce, even for scholars in Fernwall who have ready access to the elven wood in the city. Therefore, for the purposes of this article, we'll be dealing mostly with the latter

Land, or "Wood" Elves

The elves of Menelon are an incredibly ancient race, and with them you get some of what you get in any other fantasy setting—pointed ears, somewhat fragile, large, angular eyes (needed to accommodate vision into the UV range¹), nature dwellers (wild-crafters), magically-gifted, and either long-lived or immortal, depending on how one looks at it.

Their genetic material is a mix of alien and native genome material that gives them their generally distinctive appearance. Along with the some of the trope-standard characteristics (mentioned above), land elves on Menelon tend to have nut brown skin ranging from pale to tan, depending on UV exposure, hair in any of the colors of autumn leaves, and any eye color including shades like lilac, chartreuse, and rose. Overall, they are a tall race. Males average over 6' in height, while females can be considerably shorter. Skeletally, their lighter bone structure means that they tend to be slender as well.

Their natural life span is indeterminate—so long it's most effectively measured in millennia. The elves claim their elders have been on the planet "since the beginning", which would be literally millions of years! They are also immune to most humanoid diseases. The illnesses to which they are susceptible are those of the mind and the spirit. An elf literally can die of despair, for instance, or succumb to what's known as "the quiet," a near-catatonic state of anhedonia so profound their hearts simply stop beating.

The actual number of elves living on Menelon is very small, and limited to a handful of settlements, usually in primeval forests, remote from human populations.  These are typically known as "elven woods" and one exists on every known continent on the planet. (The exception is the elven city of Meril in the Sea of Orahn, which is mentioned in short story, The Archmage of Brechtmal.) Within each wood is a "faeling circle," an interdimensional portal that is maintained and used by the elves for study and interdimensional travel. Elven homes, workshops, and meeting places are some distance from the circle itself, however, as it is the equivalent of a super-highway for the fae, and the elves prefer to to give their playful cousins their space when possible.

Because of their small number—usually considered to be no more than a few million—and because the elves mostly keep themselves to themselves, most humans will go through their lives without ever seeing an elf. There are some exceptions, like in the City of Fernwall, which hosts an ancient, if small elven enclave in the middle of the city. People in that part of the city are more likely to encounter younger  elves. Because, as they age, elves tend to have less and less in common with the mortal races. So it is very, very rare to see them outside of their home wood or enclave. Younger elves tend to be more curious about humans, and so are more likely to become involved in human undertakings. Some enjoy humans so much that half-elves are not quite so uncommon in areas where elven and human settlements are in proximity to one another.

Some History

On Menelon, they were humanity's allies in the Great War, and throughout human history have been generous with their knowledge and experience, assisting humans for as long as humans can recall.

In fact, elves have been resident on Menelon since the late Ordovician period , when complex life first formed on the planet. (They're planetary curators, remember?) It was at this time that they developed the faeling circles into usable portals for the elves and fae. Interestingly, with only a few highly trained exceptions, humans who've attempted to use the circles to emulate the elves' ability to travel interdimensionally tend to disappear, forever. In spite of the multi-dimensional maps and almanacs they maintain, the elves have never been able to discover where humans go when they enter the circle. They only know they've never emerged into a known locale, anywhere, again.

Peace-loving, harmony-loving, rarely intrusive, and never dictatorial, the elves as a race have simply always been around with an astute observation or a helping hand. They've had a civilizing influence on their human neighbors and seem to expect little in return other than to be allowed to pursue their own interests in peace.

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The Slaughter at Tinhellerin Wood

manity's only recorded instance of armed conflict between humans and elves occurred relatively recently, in 469 CE, and among elves it is known as The Slaughter of the Elves and the Dwarves in Tinhellerin Wood (translated from the elvish). It occurred under the reign of the Balcheri King Gunter who, under the malign influence of a dark elf sorcerer, led his armies into Tinhellerin on a mission to slay the elves or otherwise drive them out of his kingdom. Knowing the king's mind was in the grip of the sorcerer (whose identity they learned, but too late to stop him), and under the ancient vow of her people to nurture life rather than destroy it, the elven "queen"² drew upon the power of the faeling circle to cast a powerful enchantment over the wood using the willing spirits of the last of her people as they died defending it.

As of 580 CE, the wood remains haunted with the spirits of the elves and dwarves who died there. True to their vows, those cursed spirits will not take sentient life, but they've no scruples about driving mad any sentient who attempts to enter.

Sea Elves

Yes, there are sea elves, though technically they're not actually related to elves at all. There is, in fact, vast civilizations of sea elves under that vast expanse of ocean. They will be covered in a separate article.

Half-Elves

Half-elves have their own wiki page.