Elf

Elves are humanoids with fey ancestry. They are known for their pointed ears, lithe build, and exceedingly long lifespans.

Appearance
Elves are similar to humans in many respects, though they are first identified by their long, pointed ears. Elves often have an almost supernatural beauty about them, a hint at their fey origin. Elves are slightly shorter than humans, ranging from less than 5 feet tall to just over 6 feet. They tend to be lighter than humans weighing around 110 pounds, though there are exceptions.

Most elves have skin tones akin to humans, those native to northern climates (such as the Greying Wildlands) often having pale skin, while those originating from the deserts of Marquet have dark skin. Their hair typically matches those of humans as well.

Drow often have dark gray skin, though it can also range from deep blue to dark purple. Their hair is typically white. Dark elves are also shorter than other elves, averaging around only 5 feet tall. Pallid elves have pure white skin and hair, with pure black eyes. Sea elves' skin ranges in shades of blue-green.

Personality
Most elves are born with the same lust for life as any other being. But as the years take over, witnessing and contemplating the terrors of the Scattered War or sorrows of the Icelost Years, elves have tendency to become haughty, aloof, and unconcerned with the day-to-day joys and sorrows of the shorter-lived races.

History
The elves are the first race believed to have been created by the gods on Exandria. These "First Children" were made by Corellon, the Arch Heart. It is possible they were created in Corellon's image, or that Corellon and similar-minded gods took the form of their creation.

During the Calamity, the elves of Wildemount fled to the Feywild and performed a ritual encasing their entire civilization in ice, hoping to avoid the wrath of the warring gods. Once they emerged safely back in Wildemount, the elves found that the Calamity had wiped almost all traces of elven civilization from Exandria, leaving only scattered ruins of their former might.

In the face of adversity, elves of Tal'Dorei, who called themselves gwes’alfen (elves of Gwessar), made the same journey to the Fey realm, although they did so by gathering in Syngorn and transporting the entire city via the magic of Threshold crests.

Tal'Dorei
Elves were the first people to live within Tal'Dorei, which they called Gwessar. Their society, the Court of Ullusa, fell at the beginning of The Calamity, and part of the survivors fled to the Feywild, returning a generation later when it was safe and moving to the Verdant Expanse. Within the city of Syngorn, the high elves tend to hold themselves to the highest standard, thinking little of those that leave the city to wander elsewhere, and shunning those who marry with humans.

Within the Rifenmist Peninsula there exist the Orroyen Tribes, nomadic groups of wood elves (related to the ones in Syngorn) who embrace the natural world. Few of these elves ever leave the jungle, content to wander and protect their wild domain. Other elves left Syngorn to find their way to the northern side of the Cliffkeep Mountains, founding the elvenpeaks of Lyrengorn, soaring across the skies on wyvernback.

Deep beneath the Stormcrest Mountains in the subterranean city of Ruhn-Shak, the dark elves are on the brink of destruction. While many follow the brutal, cut-throat ways of the Spider Queen, many others are consorting with the dark powers of Tharizdun. Amid the chaos, many drow have fled their subterranean home to live in peace among the surface. While they are shunned from Syngorn, some have found sanctuary among the peaks of Lyrengorn.

Wildemount
The largest population of elves on Wildemount are comprised of the dark elves of the Kryn Dynasty. These drow have shunned the worship of Lolth in favor of a new, relatively unknown god known as the Luxon. As such, these drow live on the surface of Wildemount in the region known as Xhorhas, underneath night-shrouded skies of the city Rosohna. Through the power of the Luxon, the drow of the Dynasty are capable of reincarnating into new bodies after they die, through a process called Consecution.

Within the Greying Wildlands, many elves once called the city of Molaesmyr their home. However, it was destroyed in a mysterious cataclysm that warped the forest around them, killing the elves living there and forcing them to flee. These elves settled in two places. Some fled north, to the dwarven city of Uthodurn, where they were accepted and now live together in harmony. Others fled to the west and founded the treetop city of Bysaes Tyl, where they lived in seclusion until they were discovered and forced to join the Dwendalian Empire.

Within the Menagerie Coast, there are groups of elves, each with a different point of origin. Most elves of the Coast are descended from travelers from the desert realm of Marquet, where they along with native elves of the Ki'Nau founded the city of Gwardan. Beneath the waves of the Swavain Islands the water breathing sea elves make trade with merfolk, rarely surfacing due to their distrust of the surface folk. Meanwhile, high in the Cyrios Mountains in the secluded Pallid Grove, a group known as the pallid elves have begun to venture from their subterranean home for the first time since The Calamity.

Powers, abilities, and subraces
Despite the various differences in subraces, all elves have many traits in common. Elves are renowned for their dexterity and keen senses, capable of seeing within dim light and even darkness. Due to their fey ancestry, elves are resistant to being beguiled, and magic cannot put them to sleep. In fact, elves do not even require sleep, instead needing only to meditate in a trance for four hours.

Dark elves
Dark elves, also known as drow (or myrk'alfen in Elvish), are often charismatic. Due to living in the Underdark, drow have superior darkvision compared to other elves. However, they are unused to the light of the sun, and have difficulty seeing outside on sunny days. Drow have some natural magic ability, being able to create dancing orbs of dim light that fly under their control. More powerful dark elves are able to unleash a spray of these lights at their enemies to mark them as targets, and can also create pockets of magical darkness.

High elves
High elves (also called lyren'alfen) tend to be studiously minded. Many high elves train themselves in the arcane, learning some basic wizardly magic.

Pallid elves
Pallid elves are as wise as their wood elf cousins, and are supremely insightful. They also have a modicum of innate magic like dark elves, able to cause small objects to brightly glow with a touch. More powerful pallid elves can cause others to fall into a magical slumber, and can wreath themselves in invisibility.

Sea elves
Sea elves are the most constituted of elves, able to withstand the chill of the deep ocean. As such, they are adept swimmers and capable of breathing underwater. Sea elves also speak Aquan and are capable of rudimentary conversation with undersea beasts.

Wood elves
Wood elves (called syn'alfen) tend to be some of the wisest of their kind. Elves of the wood are fleet of foot and train themselves to remain hidden in the natural environment.

PCs

 * Lieve'tel Toluse: A cleric of the Raven Queen in the city of Vasselheim; helped Vox Machina recover Grog from the plane of Pandemonium.

NPCs

 * Mikael Daxio: Leader of the Tal'Dorei military forces at Fort Daxio, his namesake.
 * Syldor Vessar: Father of Vax'ildan and Vex'ahlia.
 * Tyrelda: High Warden of Syngorn.
 * Highbearer Vord: Spiritual leader of the Platinum Sanctuary in Vasselheim.

Critical Role: Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting

 * Yenlara Alderwreath: Sorceress who led the wood elves back from the Feywild to the Verdant Expanse after the Divergence.
 * Enchanter Yurek Windkeeper: Founder of the Arcana Pansophical.
 * Wardens of Syngorn:
 * Verdant Lord Celindar: Head of the Verdant Guard.
 * Ouestra, the Voice of Memory: Grand Historian and Vocalist.
 * Guildrunner Rawndel: Head of commerce and the treasury.

NPCs

 * Dairon: Expositor monk of The Cobalt Soul.
 * Ludinus Da'leth: Archmage of Domestic Protections and leader of the Cerberus Assembly.
 * Yussa Errenis: A powerful mage and owner of the Open Quay district in Nicodranas.
 * Leylas Kryn: Bright Queen of the Kryn Dynasty.
 * Essek Thelyss: Former Shadowhand to the Bright Queen and current member of the Mighty Nein.
 * Avantika: Chosen of Uk'otoa, former pirate captain in the Revelry.

Tal'Dorei Campaign Setting Reborn

 * Kalydria Darkeye: A Ravager slaughter lord.
 * Nalys Ildareth: Moon Domain cleric and leader of a Syngornian sect of Sehanine worshipers.

NPCs

 * Jiana Hexum: A wealthy elder woman from Jrusar.
 * Vali Dertrana (possibly): A liaison between Mahaan houses in Jrusar.
 * Tuyen Otwana: The manager of the Prism Emporium.