Elves

Slender, androgynous, beautiful past death. Bound to the forest of Quithayran no matter how far they've wandered.

The elves appeared in the western forests of Aarklash after most other races, and even the elves don't know where they came from or why their existence is bound to the forest of Quithayran. The closer an elf lives to the Eternal Forest, the longer their lifespan and the better their body resists outside harm — the spirits of nature (the Fayrees) seem to have this effect even on the "Maalivatë," the "those who have left."

The race has split into three peoples, each aligned with a different Alliance. Apart from minor morphological differences, they look much alike: slender silhouette, longer ears, almost androgynous features, weak body hair, immense beauty that lasts a lifetime. Most are born without infirmities. Average height ~1.7m. Life expectancy 60–120 years depending on proximity to Quithayran.

Elves and humans can interbreed; their children are the half-elves.

The Three Branches

Daïkinee (Paths of Destiny)

The original elven stem. Live closest to Quithayran. Many maintain symbioses with animals or plants that feed from their bodies and protect them in return. Daïkinee females suffer a curse cast by Scaëlin, matriarch of the Akkyshans: they die shortly after giving birth to the fruit of their first union with a male Daïkinee. Beetle culture.

Cynwäll (Ways of Light)

Slightly taller and stronger than other elves. Live far from the heart of Quithayran. No fear of heights. Builders of the great towers that still stand in Cadwallon's upper city — including Dyrsin Tower. "Cynwäll" means "exile" in the elven tongue; they were once a major civilization that left ruins in many places, including the foundations Cadwallon was rebuilt on. Dragon culture.

Akkyshan (Meanders of Darkness)

Often see in the dark as in daylight. Some warriors receive the blessing of their goddess Lilith and are gifted with arachnid features: additional limbs, overdeveloped reflexes, supernatural strength. Spider culture.

In Cadwallon

All three branches present, in roughly the proportions you'd expect from a neutral trading city. The Cynwäll ambassador in the upper city tower is the secretive face of Light-elven diplomacy. Akkyshan elves walked into the city as raiders in 983 and were beaten back; some have returned since, lawfully. Daïkinee tend toward the Observatory in the The Automaton fief (Mangrove Temple) and the magical groves.

The secret

Whatever the elves are bound to in Quithayran, they remember it. The Cynwäll ambassador knows things about Cadwallon's foundations that no living human does — and refuses to speak of them.