Alfar
Living deep in the most secluded areas of Midgard, the mysterious and ancient race known as the Alfar (or more commonly, Elves) are generally held in awe and fear by mortal men, who see them as alluringly beautiful, but aloof, uncaring, and potentially dangerous due to their innately magical nature and fierce protection of their homeland. In the Achaean Empire, they are sometimes called Nymphs.
Physical Attributes
Physically, Alfar are somewhat slimmer than humans and extremely agile, with angular, well-chiseled features and pointed ears that vary in length depending on their race or tribe. Contrary to some tales, male elves can grow facial hair, but most only do so after reaching several centuries of age, and none grow beards as long and thick as that of a man or dwarf. Most other races consider them alluringly beautiful, and they have a reputation - mostly unwarranted - for seducing people to entrap them, like a siren.
Most Alfar, even the Light Elves, prefer moonlight and starlight over daylight. They are most active at night or during the twilight hours, and their eyes work better in darkness than sunlight, aided by their keen hearing. Their nocturnal nature is responsible not only for their large ears, but their pallid complexion as well. Besides the Svartalfar with reddish or gray skin from their demonic nature, pretty much all Elves have pale white skin. Even those who stay in the sun enough to tan rarely get as dark as the average human. Their hair color varies more widely, but most have pale hair and eyes, with green eyes being unusually common, and some stranger colors occurring as well, such as pale pink hair.
Elves are close to nature and spirits, and even death. Most feel at least some level of connection to the Fay and the spirit realm. They are drawn to nature and have an innate empathy for animals and plants. They can also sense the spirits of the dead, and some learn to communicate with them. Their nocturnal nature and relation to death are more reasons that many other mortal races fear and mistrust them.
Immortality
All Alfar are immortal, living to extreme ages with little or no physical change. They are not, however, invincible - they can still be killed by most things that would kill a mortal man. Long life may bring them great wisdom, but it can also change their outlook on the world. Time passes more quickly for them, days and weeks slipping rapidly by without a care. Some Alfar will spend months doing virtually nothing, where a human would become agitated and restless. This, coupled with their relatively low sexual drive and slow breeding, means that they have not spread outward over a large territory like humans.
As they grow older, the thoughts of the Alfar tend to grow inward, and they spend more and more time in deep meditation. Eventually, most choose to "ascend" to the immortal realm of Alfheim, taking their spirits as well as their physical forms into the afterlife. The exact process of this ascension is known only to the Elves who have accomplished it. Though it is the closest thing they have to "death from old age," this ascension is voluntary, and is considered a thing to be celebrated rather than mourned.
History
One of the most ancient races of Midgard, the Elves existed in the First Age, the Age of Creation. They worshiped the elder gods, mainly the Vanir and Titans.
Culture
The Alfar were among the first intelligent races to inhabit Midgard, with Life Elves being most likely the first, followed by the Ljosalfar created by the Vanir, and the Dvergar created by the Aesir. They tended to the gods' creation and helped to beautify it. When the Jötnar created the Chaos Races, the elves began doing battle with them to protect their homeland. The rise of mankind took the Alfar by surprise.
Alfar tend to avoid contact with humans to an even greater degree than dwarves. Many men will pay a high price for exotic and finely-crafted elven jewelry, weapons, and other goods, but the Alfar are reluctant to engage in trade. This is partially because it makes them a target for human raiders, and partially because they consider men unworthy of owning such items. Luckily for the Alfar (and probably the raiders, who would find robbing an elf city far easier said than done), elven settlements are nearly impossible to find, some hidden by magic as well as by nature.
Some tales say that elves are all female. They often appear in Achaean tales as Nymphs, Dryads, and Naiads, perhaps confused with nature spirits because of the defense of the land and use of spiritual magic. These stories may have arisen from the typically beardless, beautiful, long-haired male elves being mistaken for women.
Races
For a list of the elven races, see Category:Elves.
