Elf

ext to the humans in numbers and political power are the elves. Although nobody can know for sure how elves, or any of the other races, were created during the Changers' War, it is commonly believed that elves are a sort of perversion of the human race. In fact, it is implicitly stated in the Tomes of the First Settlers - the spiritual and legal doctrine of Marn - that elves are a twisted form of humans.

Elves are naturally quite gifted in the magical arts and can "feel" a connection to various magical and natural forces. It is more common for an elf to be able to visit the astral plane while dreaming, and elves are in general more artistically talented and intelligent than humans, although this comes with inherent faults such as arrogance, emotional instability, and tendency for over-analysis.

The elves tend to be taller, quicker, and more dexterous than humans, however they suffer from a certain kind of inflexibility. Where humans come in all shapes and sizes, elves have a more homogenized phenotype which can limit their potential as a race.

Elves can live much longer than humans - up to three centuries - although in practice it is difficult to dodge death when the reaper comes knocking and most don't make it past 150. This holds especially true in the region of Thar Shaddin, where life is harsh and survival is more difficult than in the elven homeland of Darleone Island.

Elves mature at a similar rate to humans until they hit the age of twenty-five. The elf adolescence begins anywhere from age 15 to 20. At the age fo 25, the body clock slows and aging occurs less rapidly than it does in humans. From ages 25 to approximately 99, an elf maintains the youthful appearance of a young adult. The next 100 years progress from the equivalent human age of 35 to 60 over the course of 100 years. The last 100 years progress from human age equivalent 60 to 100. Elves very rarely live past the age of 250 - 275, or roughly 80 to 90 years in human terms, but some on Darleone have been known to live to the venerable age of 300 before passing quietly into the Dreaming.