Elf

List of Elven Noble Houses of Aeriador
 

The elves of Aeriador are varied and complex.  There are many races and subraces of elves throughout Aeriador, and their history is vast, existing long before even the world began.

The first elves in Aeriador were, according to legend, awakened from a slumber and found themselves in a new world. A magical world new and fresh, one they could make their own. A world where the boundary of fey and elf was blurred. They are the Tel'Aeridan Elves, but some legends simply call them the Wanderers. The  Tel'Aeridan elves gave birth to the first generation of elves that would become the elves we know and see today in Aeriador. There is rumor that the mages of the Tel'Aeridan elves discovered a path to immortality through fey magic, and that rumor says a small number of the Tel'Aeridan elves still live to this day. Through all the ages of Aeriador have they lived, and their knowledge and power is above all others.

The Eldar

The Eldar of Aeriador are elves who were born in the First Age of Aeriador and have lived into the Second Age, meaning they are typically over 1000 years old and have lived through at least the final war of the Great Demonic Wars. The number of Eldar of Aeriador are dwindling. Elves die, eventually, or the pass on to Arvandor to live out the rest of their lives, and so the number of Eldar dwelling in Annun continues to dwindle. In the later years of the Second Age, SA 800-Present, the Eldar are often called the Wise by other folk. 
 

The elves of Aeriador are a beautiful race. There are no fat elves. There are no ugly elves. These measures are relative to humans, where humanity has a much greater diversity and variety in sizes and appearances than elves do. The elves of Aeriador are more consistently slim, lithe, and beautiful.  They are, in a sense, cousins to celestial beings. Virtually all elves can sing well, and certainly better, on average, than humans. In game stat terms, if Appearance or Comeliness were "stats" as Strength, Intelligence, and Charisma are stats, then elves would have a minimum "Appearance" of 8, barring some magical spell or accident that reduces this lower.  Elves born under normal circumstances have an Appearance of 8 to 20, with an average elven Appearance of 14.  This places the minimum elven beauty at the lower end of human average, and the average elven beauty at 14, or the 90th percentile of the total population.  Therefore, the ugliest elves of Aeriador are the same as average beauty for humans. To calculate a random Appearance stat in-game for an elven PC or NPC, roll 4d4+4. This will yield an Appearance stat between 8 and 20.  Because the Appearance stat has no effect on game mechanics, simply choosing an Appearance stat is also appropriate in establishing the narrative of the PC or NPC.
 

Appearance:
8, 9, 10     - generally not considered fair to behold among elves
11, 12, 13 - considered borderline fair; lower end of fair to behold
14, 15, 16 - fair to behold
17, 18       - very fair to behold
19, 20       - among the most fair of all elves
 

Elven Appearances

The elves are , in general, very tall compared to mere humans. Of man, only the Danemar compare to the elves in nobility and stature. The  elves are a graceful race, and each subgroup of elvenkind have their differences. The Gold Elves are the tallest of all elves, they have golden blonde hair, but can range from platinum blonde to a deep golden hue with the very rarely red colors appearing. Silver elves have dark hair colors, ranging from light browns to black. Five to ten percent of Silver elves will have a silvery-white hair color, and this is considered a blessing among them. Silver elves are second in height to Gold Elves. Grey elves have a broader range of hair colors than do Gold and Silver, ranging from sandy blonde to dark browns, with a much higher occurrence of red hair than do the Gold elves.  The red hair of the Grey Elves is closer to an auburn color, whereas the reds of Gold elves are a deep reddish golden colored hair, easily distinguishing the two.  

The ancient Tel'Aeridan Elven Family (the elves of awakening)

These are the elves that saw the world before Aeriador and chose to stay in Aeriador. These elves came from noble families, learned in the arts of arcane magick, martial combat, music, and lore keeping. They are the fathers and mothers of all elvenkind in Aeriador. 
 

  - Gold elves of Evermeet
  - Silver elves of Evermeet
  - Grey elves (identical stats to Silver Elves)
 

  - Green elves of Evermeet
  - Vanyar Elves of Aman in Middle Earth (they primarily mix with Gold elves)
  - Noldor Elves of Aman in Middle Earth (they primarily mix with Silver elves)
  - Teleri Elves of Aman in Middle Earth (they primarily mix with Silver elves and Grey Elves) 
  - Sindar Elves of Beleriand in Middle Earth (they primarily mix with Green elves, comprise the nobility of the Green Elves)
  - Silvan Elves East of Beleriand in Middle Earth (they primarily mixed with Green elves, comprised the 'common' Green Elves)

These elves are the Fathers and Mothers of the elves existing in Aeriador today. The elves of Aeriador are now mixed with the elves of Evermeet, and Aman and Beleriand of Middle Earth.

Modern elves of Aeriador (Tel'Aeridan)

These elves are the children of the original Tel'Aeridan. 

High Elves  High elves can live for more than 6000 years, significantly longer than most races of Aeriador. Half-elves with High Elven lineage can choose to live as an elf or follow their non-elven line. Half-elves who choose to live as an elf have all the characteristics of High elves including their longevity. Half-elves who choose to live as their non-elven lineage have normal half-elf statistics but generally live for well over 300 years.

The High Elves include the following:

• Tel'Laurien (Gold elves)-  (these elves are descendants of the original Gold elves of Aeriador), Gold elves stand taller than all other elves, averaging 6'2" for men, and 5'9" for women.
• Tel'Celien (Silver elves), Silver elves are the most crafty of elves, and the smiths of the Silver elves have created many of the most beautiful artifacts and jewelry. Silver elves are tall standing over 6'1" for men and 5'8" for women
• Tel'Uinaen (Grey or Sea Elves)  these are not "aquatic" elves, but are rather elves who are lovers of the sea. Grey Elves, also sometimes called 'Sea Elves', are a sub-group of Silver elves that settled the southern and western coastal areas of Arvandor with a large group settling in the islands of Gelmar, and although technically Silver elves by descent, they have come to be known as Grey Elves, or Sea elves for their love of the sea. They are the greatest ship builders in all of Aeriador. Grey Elves are tall averaging over 6'0" for men and 5'7" for women. They are very similar to their Silver elf family, but over ages of time they have gained an unparalleled love of the sea.  Physically they resemble their Silver elf ancestors, but they have a greater occurrence of dark hair than their Silver elf cousins. They use the same statistics as Silver elves.

*Gold elves of Aeriador are statistically the same as Gold elves of Forgotten Realms; Silver elves and Grey elves of Aeriador are statistically the same as Silver elves of Forgotten Realms*

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Sun_elf

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Moon_elf

Green Elves

Though less noble than the High Elves, the Green Elves are no less elven. Many consider them more elven as they are closer in spirit to the fey and the flora and fauna of the world of Aeriador. Many elven rangers and druids will be of Green elf descent. Green elves, sometimes called Sylvan Elves, generally live for more than 5500 years. Half-elves of Green elf decent have all the normal statistics of half-elves but generally live for at least 300 years.

• Tel'Lasien (Green Elves/Sylvan Elves) -  These elves are in many ways similar to Silver elves, but they have become more isolationist in their lifestyle, hiding in the forests of Aeriador and not allowing outsiders to see or learn about their people or culture. The Green elves of Aeriador are less tall and noble than their Gold and Silver elf cousins. Green elf men typically average 6'0" in height and the Green elf women average 5'6" in height. 
   

*Green elves are statistically the same as Wood elves in Forgotten Realms

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Wood_elf

Aquatic Elves

The Tel'Nénien, or Aquatic elves, are a race all to their own, and even the other races of elves consider them far different from themselves. Aquatic elves are generally shorter and lighter than their land bound cousins. They have webbed hands and feet and their skin has every shade and hue of the ocean and seas in which they live. They can breathe under water and on land, they can see normally under water and they can swim as well as others walk or run. Aquatic elves generally live for more than 2000 years on Aeriador, and some have been known to live as long as 3000 years rivaling even the Gold elves in longevity. Aquatic elves, though the shortest of the elves with men averaging 5'11' and women 5'5" tall, are as tall as most humans.

Tel'Nénien, Aquatic elves of Aeriador are statistically the same as those elves of the Forgotten Realms.

https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Aquatic_elf

Elven Life

Early Life

Elves are born about one year after their begetting. The day of their begetting is remembered, not the actual birthday itself, because bringing forth children is an act of will, and it required a "greater share and strength of their being, in mind and in body" than takes place "in the making of mortal children."By their first year, Elf children can speak, walk, and dance, and their quicker onset of mental maturity makes young Elves seem older than they actually are. Elves' bodies developed slower than those of Men, but their minds developed more swiftly. In their twenties, they might still appear physically seven years old, though the Elf-child would have mature language and skill, whereas Men at the same age are already physically mature.

Physical puberty is generally complete by their fortieth year (by age fifty they reach their adult height), but they are not considered full-grown until seventy years have passed.

Daily Life

Elves preoccupy themselves with various arts, such as: smithwork, sculpture, weaving, music, lore, and healing. Males and females have equal skill in all things, not concerned with the bringing forth of children; however, the females often specialize in the arts of healing while the men go to war. This is because the Elves believe that taking life interferes with the ability to preserve life. Women who hunted would not specialize in healing, and men who healed would refrain from hunting and only fight when absolutely necessary, for "the virtue . . . in this matter [of healing] was due . . . to their abstaining from hunting or war."