"Oh yuck, monsters..."

        Rym's elven population derives much of its bloodline from the faerie kin - elves tend to be a little smaller than humans or even non-Rym elves for that matter. These elves also sport extremly long, sensitive ears, large, complex eyes, and short prehensile tails. Unlike humans, elves have only four fingers and toes, and no nails whatsover. Most have warm, tanned skin and long, spiky hair of nearly any wood-hue, from pale birch to deep mahogany. Elves are renouned for their agility and speed, as well as their keen marksmanship and extremely long lifespans. They speak the language of forest animals and frquently the common tongue, which allows them to play tricks on those who enter their forests. These elves, while friendly enough among their own kind, can be somewhat xenophobic around other races, and are often rather ignorant of the feelings of non-elves. This mild shallowness is often attributed to vanity - elves pride themselves on their good looks.

        Once a powerful nation and allies of the Solinar Order, the elves have sinse been forced into hiding within the vast forests of Arthandur. These forest elves are the last of several breeds eradicated by the Spiral's tailored plague, Nithrus, and they have survived by remaining invisible and highly-mobile. Their former kingdom has been reduced to a guarded territory, their monarchy living in exile, and over the centuries they have maintained the belief that their people are the only ones who have not been conquered or poisoned by the Spiral. From this belief stems their mistrust of other races, and many races simply do not have the lifespan necessary to overcome elven mistrust.

        Elven life is one of fading beauty. Their clans have been able to stave off physical encroachments from the greedy Erdani and the Spiral, but the Wasting has begun to kill the forests, and it is only a matter of time before they fade along with it. This has left them a little bitter, and filled their society with a well-contained rage. Their music, songs, and art have faded, their lives now filled with the sounds of the forest dying around them. Only the younger generations still have any semblance of hope - their parents having seen for themselves the fall of the Solinar Order. Elven villages are very rare, built in the deepest and darkest reaches of Arthandur's woodlands. These villages are so well camouflaged that there is only a 10% chance of non-elves spotting them even while standing in the town square.

         Recently, the elves have begun work on a mysterious project that (it is said) will save their people from the Spiral. Only a small cadre of elven wizards is fully aware of the full extent of 'The Ark', lead by the ancient architect, Taizal. Whatever it is, the ark has begun consuming elven society from within. More and more resources are being pulled away from the elven people by the increasingly powerful and influential Ark Wizards, and a rift has developed between those still loyal to the royal family, and those caught within the folds of the great project.

        Elven PCs are likely to be a tad more open-minded with regards to other races, as it is more than likely that they've left their fading homeland and been forced to deal with outsiders on a regular basis. Some may be contracted by the Ark Wizards (possibly without their knowledge) to retrieve or courier unusual items such as rare books, artwork, seeds, or animals. In any case, most elves have a bone to pick with the Spiral in one way, shape, or form, and will more readily accept other enemies of the undead as companions.

Social Alignment: Elven government has been in decline sinse the fall of the Solinar Order. Once a highly-structured monarchy, the elven nation has been reduced to semi-independant localized government, with each community having its own (somewhat powerless) royal affiliate. Most of the political structure is now held together by the Ark Wizards, who are set to replace the fading monarchy. The elves are good and decent folk by nature, even if this behavior is limited to those within their own species. Individual freedom has been popularized by the Ark Wizards in order to gain more support from the elven people in this period of transition.
Economic Structure: Like humans and many other races, the elves make use of material currency such as coins and other precious things. However, their extremely long lifespans allow them to evolve well beyong the usual mentality that surrounds the acquisition of wealth. To them, it's just a means to a greater end. For this reason, elves are more likely to do 'favors' for each other rather than exchanging currency, though they will still resort to coin when dealing with members of other species.
Family Structure: Elven families tend to be quite small and closely knit, with family units remaining together for decades, if not centuries. Elven parents tend to shower their offspring with affection, building bonds that keep their community strong even in times of crisis. This mentality is reinforced by elven society, which frowns upon any parents who fail to provide for their young, and by the sheer amount of time which goes into the education and upbringing of each individual child.

COMBAT: Elves are astounding archers. This goes beyond the usual expertise of years, and transcends the supernatural. From absolute camouflage, they can rain down a killing hail of arrows without even being seen by their enemies. They will leap from tree to tree, fire upsidedown or in mid fall, and vanish into the leafy canopy without a trace. Even when not using bows, they fight while running or leaping, favoring small, short blades. Their clan mentality allows them to work well in small groups, but one will never see an army of elves.

SPECIAL ABILITIES:

Marksmanship: Elves are natural hunters. Their eyes polarize slightly to filter out the common colors of their background (this vision 'undoes' camouflage). This also helps them spot motion as well as heat traces (infravision). When using bows, elves extend each range category by 50%. Elves also receive a +2 bonus to hit with long or short bows.

Camouflage: There's camouflage, meant to fool anyone, and then there's elven camouflage, meant to fool everyone. In woodland settings, elves impose a pentalty of -4 to enemy missile fire due to their increased movement (18) and blending ability. If unarmored and unencumbered, elves also 'Pass Without Trace'. Like conventional elves, they are 90% undetectable in woodland settings, and even their villages are virtually invisible to non-elven eyes.

WEAKNESSES:

Other Settings: Without the forest around them, elves often feel naked and vulnerable. They lose morale outside of woodland settings, and their true (rather diminutive) stature is made aparent. In non-forested areas, elves are reduced to their normal movement rate (12), and obviously do not impose their attack penalty and camouflage effects. In addition, they suffer an initial -4 reaction penalty when dealing with non-elves for the first time (they're somewhat awkward around strangers and can insult them without knowing it). Elves have only recently ventured out of the forests, some unable to bear the sounds of it dying around them.

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