Post by Rhabuka on Oct 27, 2004 22:40:45 GMT -5
(From www.angelfire.com/rpg2/vortexshadow/elventips.html)
These are general guidelines for those that might not be familiar with elves and are looking for a place to start. Please don't think we expect every elf to fit this mold perfectly.
The single most influential aspect of elves is longevity. Elves are the longest-lived sentient race. This fact molds everything about an Elven character.
The second most influential aspect in the life of an elf is his or her connection to the gods. Elves are very devoted to their gods. Even Elves that follow gods of other pantheons tend to be among the most devout of followers.
The next most influential aspect in the life of an elf is their connection to the magical weave and nature. All elves have innate magical ability to some degree, even though not all are mages. Likewise all elves have a deep seated love of nature and are very comfortable in all of nature's aspects.
Elves are not destructive like other races. They know how long nature takes to repair the damage done by sentient races, and they go out of their way to live in harmony with nature, as opposed to the attempts to control and dominate nature by the other races.
Elves rarely make close friends with members of the shorter-lived races because they know these folk will live for but a few decades. This can make them seem distant at times.
Elves are patient. This patience pervades all aspects of their lives.
Elves are difficult to provoke, being just as content to watch an enemy die of old age as to directly confront them. They have the luxury of waiting decades to get revenge on someone who has wronged them. They will never jump into a fight unless given no other choice.
Elves love the stars, the moon, and the sea. They are more nocturnal than other races, seeing just fine under starlight. Since they can sense weather patterns better than most, they make excellent sailors.
Since elves are more in tune with the world around them, they notice temperature and weather extremes less than others. They can be comfortable in freezing weather or tropical weather while wearing the same clothing. In fact, clothing is not always a major concern for elves. Elves are equally comfortable in groups in or out of clothing. Clothing is worn for the sake of utility and propriety, not modesty.
Elves gather knowledge. It’s what they are best at. They try not to act on something unless they are satisfied they know everything about the subject there is to know.
Elves tend to be arrogant and racial elitists. They lament the destructive nature of the shorter-lived races, and tend to have more accumulated knowledge and experience, which can make them seem aloof. They often believe they are better than other races. However, they also believe that all forms of life are important, and if the shorter-lived races have a serious fault it’s that they don’t share this belief and tend to destroy and manipulate other living creatures. The only exception to this is the Orc. Elves hate Orcs more then any other creature existing. Many Elves will attack Orcs on sight without a second thought. Orcs were created to bring about the destruction of the Elven race.
Elves have a low birth rate. There’s no need to have a child every few years when you live for centuries. As a result, elves tend to be more promiscuous and have fewer moral dilemmas where temporary relationships are concerned than other races. Elves have been known to produce children with beings of other races, however the offspring of such relationships are often looked apon with disdain or in many cases pity. They are never truely accepted into elven society as true elves. Many elves find a need to express sympathy for the unfortunate "mistake" of the child's birth. The elven gestation period is 1 year.
Elves usually must wait a very long time before finding their soulmates, if they ever do. Once two elves do recognize each other, they bond. An elven bond is something far deeper than the typical marriages of the other races. Breaking a bond, unlike divorce, is practically unheard of. The elven bond does not mean that the elves must be monogamous, though some do practice such. Elves do not, for the most part see monogamy as neccesary to a loving relationship.
These are general guidelines for those that might not be familiar with elves and are looking for a place to start. Please don't think we expect every elf to fit this mold perfectly.
The single most influential aspect of elves is longevity. Elves are the longest-lived sentient race. This fact molds everything about an Elven character.
The second most influential aspect in the life of an elf is his or her connection to the gods. Elves are very devoted to their gods. Even Elves that follow gods of other pantheons tend to be among the most devout of followers.
The next most influential aspect in the life of an elf is their connection to the magical weave and nature. All elves have innate magical ability to some degree, even though not all are mages. Likewise all elves have a deep seated love of nature and are very comfortable in all of nature's aspects.
Elves are not destructive like other races. They know how long nature takes to repair the damage done by sentient races, and they go out of their way to live in harmony with nature, as opposed to the attempts to control and dominate nature by the other races.
Elves rarely make close friends with members of the shorter-lived races because they know these folk will live for but a few decades. This can make them seem distant at times.
Elves are patient. This patience pervades all aspects of their lives.
Elves are difficult to provoke, being just as content to watch an enemy die of old age as to directly confront them. They have the luxury of waiting decades to get revenge on someone who has wronged them. They will never jump into a fight unless given no other choice.
Elves love the stars, the moon, and the sea. They are more nocturnal than other races, seeing just fine under starlight. Since they can sense weather patterns better than most, they make excellent sailors.
Since elves are more in tune with the world around them, they notice temperature and weather extremes less than others. They can be comfortable in freezing weather or tropical weather while wearing the same clothing. In fact, clothing is not always a major concern for elves. Elves are equally comfortable in groups in or out of clothing. Clothing is worn for the sake of utility and propriety, not modesty.
Elves gather knowledge. It’s what they are best at. They try not to act on something unless they are satisfied they know everything about the subject there is to know.
Elves tend to be arrogant and racial elitists. They lament the destructive nature of the shorter-lived races, and tend to have more accumulated knowledge and experience, which can make them seem aloof. They often believe they are better than other races. However, they also believe that all forms of life are important, and if the shorter-lived races have a serious fault it’s that they don’t share this belief and tend to destroy and manipulate other living creatures. The only exception to this is the Orc. Elves hate Orcs more then any other creature existing. Many Elves will attack Orcs on sight without a second thought. Orcs were created to bring about the destruction of the Elven race.
Elves have a low birth rate. There’s no need to have a child every few years when you live for centuries. As a result, elves tend to be more promiscuous and have fewer moral dilemmas where temporary relationships are concerned than other races. Elves have been known to produce children with beings of other races, however the offspring of such relationships are often looked apon with disdain or in many cases pity. They are never truely accepted into elven society as true elves. Many elves find a need to express sympathy for the unfortunate "mistake" of the child's birth. The elven gestation period is 1 year.
Elves usually must wait a very long time before finding their soulmates, if they ever do. Once two elves do recognize each other, they bond. An elven bond is something far deeper than the typical marriages of the other races. Breaking a bond, unlike divorce, is practically unheard of. The elven bond does not mean that the elves must be monogamous, though some do practice such. Elves do not, for the most part see monogamy as neccesary to a loving relationship.