Elves

For most of those on Miranda the elves are a tall and stately people known to be generous in peace and terrible in war. It was an elven army that destroyed the Holy Irillian Empire and stopped the advancement of Xian army. However, the elves of Miranda are no longer what they once were, they have been changed as the world itself has changed since their arrival.

For the history of the Elves, see Elven History.

For the society of the Elves, see miranda_elven_society

The elves have a long standing (millions of years) animosity with the dwarves. This dates back to the very creation of each of the current species' oldest ancestor and the reason they were created. As a general rule elves find the dwarves overbearing and a incapable of adapting to the constant ebb and flow of the natural world - change in inevitable in all living things. Their constant desire to resist all change is antithesis to the elves.

• Durinthi; One of the oldest True Elves on Miranda

Although there are two species the Lost Elves are simply elven spirits that have rejected living in their bodies. As they have no bodies, Lost Elves are incapable of producing offspring.

The elves have not branched since Ellowyn first brought them from the Well of Life. The elves represented here refer to these elves.

If there was anything that all elves could ever agree upon it would be the tragedy of the lost. Lost elves are those that have forsaken the physical shells in which their fae spirit resides. Instead they have bound their spirits to this world and thus they can never return home nor ever again be an elf. These spirits are often found in places believed to be enchanted and oftentimes regarded as being dangerous. The lost elven spirits can be very powerful and rare are those who would be considered benevolent.

Because of The Fall there are currently four kinds of elves living on Miranda. The True Elves are those elves unaffected by the Fall and are still seelie. The Great Elves are those that were born after the Fall, but were not touched by the spirit of Mardac. The Dark Elves are those born with the touch of Mardac after the Fall, or chose to follow Mardac before the Fall. The Half-bloods, or Half elves, are those that have an elven spirit in their ancestry, but they are not pure-blooded elves. The Forsaken are those elves that have turned away from both the communal Great Elves and the warrior Dark Elves. The lost are simply those elves that have forsaken the shadowlands and given up the bodies that house their elven spirit.

Physically Great Elves, Dark Elves, and Forsaken are so similar that even elves cannot tell the difference from their physical appearance. The spiritual differences determines their community and it is possible for an elf to become one or another during their lifetime.

By far the smallest number of current elves, the True Elves were the first elves that came to this world, when the elven race was whole and served as both the masters and servants to the world. After the Night of Blood and the Kinslayer War, these elves began to give birth to elves not of their kind. Thus those called Great Elves were born and the elves were never whole again. There are still some True Elves alive from before this time as well as the occasional True Elf birth; however so rare are these births that a single child born a True Elf is cause for a great celebration for years.

For all purposes a True Elf is considered Immortal. Even if their physical body is destroyed, their spirit will simply return to the Faerie Realm and when they return to the world their body will reform in the shape they desire. Only by destroying their elven spirit in the Faerie Realm, or forever trapping it in this world, can a True Elf ever be destroyed.

Physically True Elves are taller, more slender, and with a Regal Appearance that would cause even the most jaded to follow their every word and action. Their hair is always white or a blonde so light as to appear white and their eyes are colorless with only a subtle hint of pale blue. Their skin is pale enough to be considered translucent with sharp facial features granting them a otherworldly look. Their physical beauty and grace is unsurpassed by any other race upon Miranda.

A Great Elf is an mortal elf that has bonded their spirit to the Great Tree of Ellendar. In many respects these are the elves rarely seen, but most likely to be those of legend. The Great Tree has its roots buried deep within the fae lands and when a mortal elf bonds with the Great Tree they take on some of the aspect of the fae. Their physical features can often change and they take on a more otherworldly visage.

A dark elf is an elf that either willingly joined with the warrior spirit of Mardac or is a decendent of an elf that joined with the spirit. The warrior spirit always breeds true for all children of a mating. Thus if either parent is a dark elf any children born of that union will also be born with the warrior spirit. This has caused the elves to hunt down any dark elves and kill them before they can breed more of their kind.

However, if a dark elf is joined with the Elder Tree their warrior spirit will typically be diminished by the strength of the great communion and they will become a Great Elf. If their warrior's spirit is too strong there is a possibility that the Elder Tree will reject the dark elf and refuse to allow the union.

The Beserker's Rage attributed to dark elves is actually the full manifestation of their warrior spirit. It is possible for a strong elf to resist the full nature of this spirit, but for most they fall under its control, which forces them into unbridled rage until all enemies fall before them.

Physically most dark elves appear as Half-bloods and only once their warrior spirit has been unleashed can anyone tell the difference between them and a Half-blood. Wrestling with the warrior spirit is very taxing on the soul and thus few Dark Elves live more than 200 years before they seek a permanent solace for their spirit in the faerie realms; however for those that can strike a balance they can live for 450 years or more.

Called Halfbloods or Half Elves these are the offspring of the elves and another race, or the first child of a half elf, and are considered outcasts from any elven community. The most successful offspring are those that come from human-elf matings, but much to the shame of all elves elf-orc matings are also possible. Half elves typically more strongly favor their non-elven parent, but have some physical claim to their elven heritage (eyes, hair, skin tone, build, etc.). Typically the live about twice as long as typical for their non-elven parent.

Once an elven spirit enters a family bloodline it always breeds true to the first offspring of each generation. The first child of a Half elf and a mate of the other parentage always results in a half-elf, while other children are not. Further children can have many of the physical characteristics of their elven parentage, but do not hold within them a measure of the elven spirit of their half elf parent. A half elf that is human-elf cannot have a half elf child with an orc.

While a half elf does have an elven spirit residing within them they have never been able to successfully mate with a full elf. Children of these matings have been produced, but the children are always sterile. Because childbearing is considered one of the most wonderful experiences to any elf the idea of giving birth to a halfchild (as these sterile children are called) is repugnant. This is a further reason why half elves are driven from elven society.

The elves called Forsaken by the Great Elves are actually those that most non-elves encounter; although they do not make up the majority of the elves. These elves have rejected both the warrior spirit of the Dark Elves, as a well as bonding themselves to the Elder Tree like the Great Elves. Instead, they have chosen to reject both and make their own way in the world. Many of these elves find community with other races and may even live in small communities with other Forsaken elves inside of a larger non-elven community.

The Tainted is what happens to a successful mating between an elf and a orc - any successful birth between an elf and an orc will always result in a Tainted. This mating can happen between any type of elf, except a True Elf. A child born of two Tainted will always be Tainted - both the elf and orc bloodline will breed true.

The Tainted have enough elven blood in them that most people would take them for a disfigured elf. It would be a startling sight as elves are beautiful creatures devoid of any physical deformities. Only rarely would enough of the physical appearance of an orc be visible to make one wonder. Wondering out loud is a good way to end up killed as the elves do not take kindly to others knowing about this shameful mating.