Elves

The Elves are a magical people, living within the world but not entirely part of it. Gifted in childhood with an undeniable Purpose, Elves are crafters and researchers, intent on studying and capturing as much of the world around them as possible. Unstoppable in pursuit of their Purpose, Elves are responsible for many of the great advances in magic and technology across creation.

Appearance and Biology
No matter where you find them, Elves have an almost uniform appearance which seems not to have changed in millennia. While they are mostly human in appearance, their legs, arms, hands and feet are elongated, giving them the appearance of having been stretched. They also have long narrow skulls with dark deep set eyes, giving them a slightly otherworldly countenance. The only significant variation is skin colour, of which many different shades have been reported. An Elfmeet will typically contain all elves of one skin colour, whichever is most well adapted to the local area.

Elves are at least 6' tall on average, with many being taller. This combined with a stiff posture means that they are often head and shoulders above the average human crowd. They are always slender and they appear to need very little to eat in order to sustain themselves. They also have no need for sleep, instead spending at least 4 hours each night in deep meditation.

There's a common joke that it's impossible to tell Elven men and women apart, but in actuality Elves do not have two distinct biological genders. They consider their gender to be neutral, and the only words for gender in Elvish are loan words taken from other languages. When interacting with other races, they either choose which gender they would like to be referred to or use neutral pronouns such as 'they' or 'xie'. Where new Elves come from is somewhat of a mystery to other races, as no-one has seen an Elven baby or child and Elves politely but firmly refuse to let non-Elves into their Elfmeets. Asking individuals about it tends to return a vague answer about 'receiving a call and returning home', but none seem keen to discuss the specifics.

Culture
Elves are unique in that their entire culture is based around what they call a 'Purpose'. Each individual spends the first 70 or so years of their life strictly restricted to their Elfmeet engaging in constant meditation, and it's through this meditation that they come to realise their Purpose. A 'Purpose' is an Elvish concept where you have one all-consuming task in life and all other wants must come secondary to it. This could be as broad as 'Collect information about all types of martial weapon' or as specific as 'Learn everything there is to learn about this one specific species of butterfly'.

Elves do not choose their Purpose, it comes to them clearly through their meditation. Once a Purpose has been discovered, every subsequent meditation affirms this Purpose or adds more clarification if the Elf needs it. This is the reason Elves must meditate for at least 4 hours per day, to clarify and affirm their Purpose.

There are several schools of thought on where the Purpose comes from. For some Elves, it is seen as a message from a distant god, one that they refer to as 'Anahahn'. She is believed to be an Elven goddess who wishes only the best for her people. Others see the source of their Purpose not as a god, but as an unfeeling spirit of pure knowledge that tells the Elves how best to fill in the dark corners of the world. Still others believe that the Purpose comes from deep within themselves, and meditation is just a path to unlock it. What is clear though is that the Purposes are linked. All an Elfmeet is is a place where a group of Elves with the same Purpose come together. When a Purpose is completed, for example 'create the perfect strain of wheat', the Elves either collectively gain new Purposes or quietly die, their Purpose fulfilled. In many cases, once the Purpose is fulfilled the Elfmeet that worked towards it is abandoned, usually including all the research or items that were generated. After all, the Purpose is to do something or learn something - it says nothing about what should be done with the knowledge or items once the Purpose is complete. Because of this, it's common for abandoned Elfmeets to become a target for adventurers or those looking to harness secret powers.

As most Elves are single-minded towards their Purpose, relationships with other races can be difficult. While Elves are often forced to interact with the wider world in order to achieve their goals, they are often seen as cold, emotionless and alien. Elves have no real understanding of boredom or entertainment, and while they do have emotions they are typically not expressed in ways that make sense to other races. An Elf can go from incredibly polite to outright attacking you, all without moving a muscle on their face. Instead of through body language and tone, emotion is instead expressed through word choice and sentence construction. This has naturally been the cause of more than a few inter-racial conflicts.

History and Origins
As one of the most long-lived races in creation, Elves would be expected to be the best source of information about their race. But unless racial history is the Purpose of an Elfmeet, Elves really seem not to care about what happened in the past - the only thing that matters is working towards the future. This means that actual information about the history of Elves is surprisingly hard to come by. Even records of old Elfmeets are almost immediately lost by the Elves, recorded only in the histories of other local cultures.

There are rumours that, like the Orcs, Elves were once part of a larger Empire in the ancient past. Relics are sometimes found written in a strange form of Elvish that hints at a race of graceful Elves with unearthly grace and fine features. But the Elves themselves don't seem interested, and so far no-one else has made a concerted effort to find out if these relics are anything more than oddities.

One thing that does come up in the history of the Elves is the existence of Hollows, or Elves who have not found their Purpose. For whatever reason, sometimes no matter how much an Elf meditates they are unable to discover their Purpose. Such Elves are not exiled, but are instead completely ignored by other Elves as they are considered to be 'Hollow', a word meaning either soul-less or mad depending on their attitude towards the Purpose. For a Hollow Elf, there is no community with their people and the usual nightly meditation does not give them rest. Many die, and those who don't tend to live haunted lives within non-Elven communities.

Names
Until they receive their Calling, Elves are considered children and have no formal names. They are instead referred to by a nickname, usually related to their physical features or quirks of their personality. Once they have their Calling Elves choose their own first name, and take the name of their Elfmeet as their second name. Elven names are usually short and lacking in ornament, and many Elves choose a name related to their Purpose. For example, an Elf whose purpose is to catalogue butterflies might choose the name like Monarch or Fritillary. If not related to their Purpose, Elves tend to either choose a name that fits into the local culture, or a short nonsense name to reflect the general Elven attitude that names are just a label to tell each other apart to non-Elves. Some young Elves panic, and there’s usually at least one in each Elfmeet with a name like Chair or Sconce. Elves eschew surnames, but if pushed they will usually just use the name of their Elfmeet, or make something up.

Elves as Player Characters
Ability Score: +3 to any one attribute

Speed: 30' walking

Size: Medium, from 6' to 8'

Weight: 125 - 250 pounds

Darkvision: Accustomed to working through the night to achieve their Purpose, Elves have superior vision in dark and dim conditions. They can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. They can’t discern colour in darkness, only shades of grey.

Blockade of Reason: Elves have advantage on saving throws against being charmed, and magic can’t put them to sleep.

Trance: Elves don’t need to sleep. Instead, they meditate deeply, remaining semiconscious, for 4 hours a day. While meditating, the Elf contemplates their Purpose and can sometimes gain greater insight into how to achieve it. After resting in this way, Elves gain the same benefit that a human does from 8 hours of sleep.

Elven Purpose: At around 70, Elves discover their Purpose - a mission they have been given that they must put all other things aside in order to pursue. At character creation, choose a skill associated with the Elf's Purpose and the Elf gains proficiency in that skill. When they roll an ability check using that skill proficiency, they can treat a d20 roll of 5 or lower as a 6. At the DM's discretion they can use this ability on any skill they have proficiency with, provided it is directly related to their Purpose. Elves also have one additional bond, called the Elven Purpose. It should take the form of 'I have dedicated my life to ...'

Stone Faced: Elves do not show their emotions in their face or body language. Insight checks against the Elf have disadvantage.

Diet: Elves are omnivores.

Language: Siniath, one other of choice