Elves are often considered frivolous and aloof. In fact, they are not, although humans often find their personalities impossible to fathom. They concern themselves with natural beauty, dancing and frolicking, playing and singing, unless necessity dictates otherwise. They are not fond of ships or mines, but enjoy growing things and gazing at the open sky. Even though elves tend toward haughtiness and arrogance at times, they regard their friends and associates as equals. They do not make friends easily, but a friend (or enemy) is never forgotten. They prefer to distance themselves from humans, have little love for dwarves, and hate the evil denizens of the woods.

Their humor is clever, as are their songs and poetry. Elves are brave but never foolhardy. They eat sparingly; they drink mead and wine, but seldom to excess. While they find well-wrought jewelry a pleasure to behold, they are not overly interested in money or gain. They find magic and swordplay (or any refined combat art) fascinating. If they have a weakness it lies in these interests.

The elven race is inherently magical, shaping natural elements of the world to their will and keeping things in balance. Elves possess a high level of dexterity as well as infravision—the ability to see infrared outlines of creatures in the dark. Theosyn’s elves are haughty creatures; they consider themselves superior to the 'lesser' races.

There are six types of elves on Theosyn: Gold, Silver, Emerald, Sapphire, Avian, and the Drow. Elf player characters are always assumed to be of the most common type -- silver elves -- although a character can be another type of elf with the DM's permission. To the eye of outsiders, the differences between the groups are mostly cosmetic, but most elves maintain that there are important cultural differences between the various groups.

Sapphire (aquatic) elves spend their lives beneath the waves and have adapted to these conditions. Gold (gray) elves are considered the most noble and serious-minded of this breed. Silver (high) elves are the most common. Emerald (wood) elves are considered to be wild, temperamental, and savage. Avian elves are assumed to be extinct. All others hold that the subterranean Drow (dark) elves are corrupt and evil, no longer part of the elven community. The unifying characteristic of all these races is that they remain isolated from other races and generally ignore (or seem very aloof and unconcerned about what happens) the rest of the world.

Silver Elves

The most commonly seen of all elves, the silver elves are also the most open and friendly.  They have no compunction about traveling in the world outside their lands, and they do so much more often then than other elves.  Since they have the most contact with the non-elven world and since there subrace is more adventurous than other elves, most elf PCs are silver elves.

While at first they may seem aloof and arrogant, a glimmer of true self can be learned with little effort.  Silver elves know the value of friendship and alliance with the other good races of the world.  However, they are not always easily befriended.  Many silver elves are cautious about trusting the shorter-lived races; quite a few have learned to distrust humans and dwarves in their younger days.   Thus, although silver elves serve the cause of good, one can never be sure of what the reception from them will be.

Silver elves are very pale.  Though they spend a great deal of time outdoors, their skin simply doesn’t tan, no matter how long they are in the sun.  However, their skin is less a corpselike pallor than the color of new cream.  Their hair and eyes fall in to two major variations.  One is fair not only of skin, but of hair as well.  These elves generally have blond hair and blue eyes.  The other variation equally numerous, seems far more mysterious.  They have dark hair, ranging from sandy brown to sheerest black, and intense green eyes.  These two varieties of silver elves have no other significant differences, but they are nonetheless often treated differently simply because of their appearance.

Silver elves prefer light pastel shades over the colors worn by gold elves.  Since they rely on hunting and woodsmanship, they often wear cloaks of green for camouflage in forests.

Their preferred weapon in the bow, but they are also adept with long and short swords.  In battle, they wear their gleaming elven chain mail beneath cloaks “woven of the essence of the woods,” which allows them to move silently through forests, strike quickly, and then retreat.  Although they may befriend giant eagles and occasionally use them for transport, they rarely use mounts because horses and the like are too unwieldy in the forest. Only on the long-distance journeys or on the open plains will the silver elves use mounts.

Silver elf civilization is much like it is rumored in children’s fairy tales.  Elven homes are enchanted, the lands under their jurisdiction places of goodness.  The realms of silver elves are fabled in the lands of men, and the highest aspiration of many a human is to slip into the arms of death while basking in the serenity of the elf lands.

These elves do not place a great deal of value on society, preferring instead to live as they wish rather than how someone tells them to.  Their villages are peaceful places, for the elves all look out for one another.  They have a royal bloodline of sorts, but few elves pay it much heed.  The do not respect someone purely on the basis of birth.

Silver elves live in a constant relationship with nature, never taking more than they need and giving back ever more.  They replenish the forests and the plains constantly, ensuring that there will always be nature within their world.  As such, they are often regarded by the other good-aligned races as the highest epitome of goodness.  Although those who prefer law over freedom do not always agree, they nearly always have respect for the quality of elven life:  Freedom, nature, and the sheer vitality of being alive comprise the daily existence of a silver elf.

These elves have few cares or worries, and their lives are often characterized by idyllic splendor.  While they face problems from rampaging humanoids or the encroachment of humans, they seem to live free of the cares that so often plague other elves.  Because they live so closely in harmony with nature, they have little trouble finding sustenance in the areas near their homes.  Game proliferates near silver elf communities, and the earth is fertile for them.  However, should the silver elves roam farther afield; they often discover a different matter entirely.  A band of elves on the march must sometimes rely upon the generosity of others.

The Other Elves

Gold
These are the 'grey' elves of Theosyn. They consider themselves to be the "purest" elves—in fact they fought the Kinslayer War because of it. Emeraldast, the traditional elven homeland, went to war with the other elves to preserve their purity and to root out the half-elves born through illicit unions of elves and humans. After the war, the elven nation split, and those choosing to remain in Emeraldast became even more set in their ways.

Emerald
These 'wild' elves live in the forests all over Theosyn. Emerald elves generally are stronger and bigger than their civilized cousins and dislike the hustle and bustle of the big cities, preferring the quiet atmosphere of their forests.

Sapphire
The Sapphire are 'sea' elves who live off the eastern coasts of Verdalei. Rumor has it that the Sapphire were originally land elves mariners and were transformed into aquatic elves. Though little is known of them, the Sapphire have blue-green skin, as well as webbed feet and gills. In addition to being able to breathe water, some Sapphire are able to transform themselves into dolphins.

Avian

Little is known about the Avian or 'winged' elves, if they truly exist.

Drow

The 'dark' elves are an evil and recluse bunch. Again, not much is truly known about the Drow.