Lore

Harvest Elves are a term used collectively to refer to most elves, and they come in nearly as many skin tones, hair, and eye colors as humans. Harvest Elves are distinct from High Elves, an aristocracy and higher social caste than 'The People' with distinct bloodlines. Elves, regardless of if they are born of deserts, in forests, mountains, or born in cities are each referred to politely as 'Harvest' Elves which is considered a more polite term than 'Low' or 'Lowland Elf' by the High Elves that rule over and (normally) protect their interests.

The Elves as a people have a rich history and once had an empire that once spanned much of the known world. The region around Orcrest was but one portion of that mighty empire, although the empire of Aer Arnad has retreated and their people are in decline, Elves are still amongst the most populous people in the region of Orcrest - although humans are still the majority.

Though elves, when born are given names by their parents, these childhood names are often set aside or discarded as the elf comes of age and reaches maturity. Members of their immediate family and childhood friends may or may not continue to call the elf by their childhood name -- any given elf may resent, be embarrassed by, or still appreciate their childhood name depending on family relationship and history.

Harvest Elves are typically shorter and slighter than humans, but have an unusual strength for their size. Although elves tend toward art and leisure, because of their long lives, often accrue great wealth and usually prefer to keep apprentices and servants to perform most menial work, while laboring at a fine craft or other duties. Elves can be amongst the most accurate and detail-oriented craftsmen. Elves labor with a meticulous and immortal patience that few save The Dwarves can match.

Because even a young elf is often far older and more experienced than even the oldest humans, Elves often have trouble considering them equals - though they are rarely rude about this and it is only because of the slow decline of the elves that humanity has begun to rise in prominence. Because of the rise of men, The People have finally been forced to take humans seriously in politics and warfare.

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Quirks

• Though a given Harvest Elf my be born into a High Elven family, this does not make them a 'High Elf' who are a legally distinct nobility, and are typically in line for a specific noble title, though a Harvest Elf may earn this distinction later in life, this is rare.

• All Elves are capable of hearing the heartbeats of creatures within five meters of them.

• Elves due to their racial origins in the Feywild do not sleep, and cannot be physically or magically compelled to do so, tending to rest for up to four hours a day while performing leisurely tasks such as reading, writing, drawing, or meditating.

• While every elf is treated as a Citizen of the Empire of Aer Arnad and will be afforded rights there, many elves are actually born abroad in independent regions, and may be from virtually any surface city or land in the realm that other races hail from.

• While Harvest Elves do not tend toward the racial pride of High Elves, older Harvest Elves have difficulty being comfortable around humans and often find conversation with them exhausting, and tend toward loyalty to The Old Empire. Many Harvest Elves tend toward a mild but non-confrontational prejudice but maintain necessary politeness and an interest in the affairs of the other races.

• Regardless, younger elves tend to be eager to ally with or at least attempt to live around humans, finding their dramas, struggles, and emotional highs and lows to be a fascinating contrast to the controlled stability of traditional elven culture.

• Elves younger than 100 years of age are considered and typically appear as children. Though they often have more mature outlooks on the world than many humans they may not be played on Orcrest.