High Elves

The members of this subrace are so common that they are, for all considerations, the main elven bloodline. Of shorter stature than humans and with frail-looking frames, high elves are extremely agile and graceful in movement and speech. Their skin is pale and does not tan regardless of how much time an elf spends under the sun.

The Quintessential Elf

Author Alejandro Melchor
Publisher Mongoose Publishing
Publish date 2002

Society

The society of the high elves is loose at best, anarchic at worst. Small villages blend with the surroundings and are ruled by a council of town elders, who may defer to a strong chief or a noble who has his residence in the town. Some high elves group in guilds according to their Profession but, unlike their counterparts in the cities of other races, these guilds are more an association of like-minded individuals who share their secrets and discoveries, instead of an economic and political force.

High elven communities send envoys and couriers to neighbouring towns and cities to keep in touch and aware of the perils and news from every corner of their lands. This network of villages is the best indicator of where an elven ‘kingdom’ ends. High elf nobles live in towns not much larger than the average village, with a bigger house being the only sign of their stature. The high elves build few fortresses or cities as other races understand them, trusting the cover of the forest and their own ability to protect it.

This subrace is the most likely to start relations with outsiders, though, as their curiosity and openness push them forward to meet others and possibly learn from them. This attitude is a sore point with the grey elves, with whom they have several disagreements in philosophy as well as politics. They get along with wood elves as long as they respect each other’s territories, and have a strong friendship with sea elves along coastal territories. Wild elves accept grudgingly the relations with high elves, but there is a mutual healthy distrust. Of the rarer races, the high elves have most in common with the wanderer elves, as they are both free spirits. They have little contact with sky elves and they hold the mist elves under careful scrutiny. High elves are the most passionate enemies of the drow, as they represent everything that the fair elves are not.

The most important aspect of the high elves’ culture is their sense of community. While they encourage individualism and the fulfilling of personal dreams and goals, they retain their sense of communal unity. This cultural trait colours many of the high elves’ attitudes, from their hauntingly beautiful choral music to their guerrilla tactics. Elves are expected to grow and better themselves, so that their talents contribute to the good of all.

High elves have an egalitarian society where young, old, male and female all have their place and are all deserving of respect. Elven children are cared for and raised by the entire community, and the old are de facto leaders out of reverence for their accumulated Wisdom. Men and women can be found practicing any Profession that attracts their interest, and belonging to any character class.

Player Character Information

High elves are the standard elf race.