Elves

Elves (, Erufu) are people that bear numerous similarities to humans, but with sharp elongated ears and long lifespans.

Overview
Elves come in variations, but overall they are noted for their otherworldly beauty and sharp elongated ears. Unlike most races, they hardly age and, they can live for many thousands of years. For elves, having children is often only considered after centuries of marriage, likely due to their longevity. They have a distaste for fire that goes to the extent of them setting up wards to combat it. Their language is said to have the rhythm of a song or spell. There is an enmity between them and the Dwarves that is said to be as old as the Gods. Elves possess a unique connection to animal life, thus can immediately calm a rowdy horse with a simple pat.

Elves do not eat meat or fish out of a desire of balance. According to Forest Princess' husband, fruit ripens quicker compared to an animal and is more abundant. Additionally, the ecosystem would be threatened if they had to hunt for food. As such, Elves mainly subsist on grasses, fruits, berries, and bugs, which provide a highly varied and easily replenished source of protein.

Their long ears are quite mobile and emotive, being completely a part of their body language.

In the north, to see an Elf or Álfr was a rare sight to the Vikings. Those who lived in the lands of the north either kept clear of human dwellings or else had disappeared seamlessly into human society.

High Elves
High Elves (, Hai erufu) are descendants of faeries that sport longer ears than other elves. They are said to contain heritage that runs back to the Age of the Gods. High Elves make for a rare sight, as they don't often leave their forests; rarer still are ones that decide to become Adventurers to sate their curiosity about the world.

Dark Elves
Dark Elves (, Dākuerufu) are a variant of their kind who generally pledge their loyalties to chaos and become Non-Prayers. However, there are a handful who do not choose this path and a dark elf can return to the side of order from time to time. Unlike their Elven cousins who prefer to make their homes and settlements in nature, Dark Elves prefer to to build vasts cities within the Earth like Dwarves. The women are mistakenly thought to always be 'well-endowed', possibly owing to some mistaken lore from ancient ballads.

Half-Elves
Half-Elves, as the name implies, are the offspring of an elf and human. They retain many of their Elven features. It is unknown whether they retain other Elven features like longevity, but it is likely they do not adhere to the same principles of marriage or adulthood as elves.

As half-elves appear to be a regular sight, it is apparent that elves in general do not have a problem with marrying humans.

Changelings
Changelings are an extremely rare and unique sub-set of Elves, as they are born to human parents but sport Elven features which include pointed ears, longer than a Half-Elf but shorter than pure-born Elves and Dark Elves, and an aptitude for magic. The reasons for this rare special existence is not clear, but some scholars theorize that the humans parents could have had some Elven ancestry and the child is an example of a genetic throwback. Changelings are so rare and unique that it makes them especially susceptible to slave markets and kidnappers.