Elves

Wood Elves are reclusive legends in most areas.  Centuries before, they were spread across the northland and controlled much of the mountainous terrain.  After the end of the Magewars and the northern push of the other races, the Wood Elves withdrew to their northern home of Vastness Forest.  Visitors to the area report "ghost of the woods" who act out natures vengeance upon transgressors.  Those who befriend the reclusive Wood elves, know the legends to be true.  Wood Elves have trained giant owls as mounts and patrol their lands with vicious precision.

Adventuring Wood Elves are rare in the present day.  Those who chose to leave are either unsatisfied with the xenophobic lifestyle of their brothers or are seeking fulfillment outside of the wilderness.  Also, Wood elves suffer from the same educational dysfunction as Barbarians and are Illiterate.  Wood Elf sorcerers are not unknown but most are adepts instead.  Their favored class is the ranger.  A Wood elf ranger or druid has a 25% chance to start play with a giant owl companion.  These creatures are friends of the elf and have grown up with the fledgling elf on his passage to adulthood.

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, -2 Intelligence, +2 Wisdom.
• Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +10 racial bonus on Hide and Move Silently checks while in a wilderness setting.
• +4 Search, and Spot checks.  Wood Elves are particularly adept at spotting hiding creatures.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Ranger.

Wild Elves compete in the rugged north with both Orc and Human barbarian clans.  Tribal and clan structured, these elves roam the northland and are a terror for those who oppose them.  These elves breed a rugged horse as mount and companion.  The sight of Wild elf cavalry is enough to strike fear into the hearts of northern people.  Elven horses, when sold outside of the Wild elf lands, go for as much as 2,000 gold pieces.  These horses have incredible speed, stamina, and life spans far surpassing their cousins.

Adventuring Wild elves are often found with their mounts.  An adventurer has a 50% chance of starting play with one of these prize mounts.  All Wild elves gain the feat Mounted Combat as a bonus feat.  Also, Wild elves who retain the same mount for over 5 years gains an empathic link with their mount.  This link acts as the Alertness feat as long as the rider is within 25 yards of his mount.  

• +2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence.
• Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven.
• Illiteracy: Wild Elves do not automatically know how to read and write. A Wild Elf  must spend 2 skill points to gain the ability to read and write any language the elf  is able to speak.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Barbarian.

Grey Elves were the great archmages of the Elven society.  After the Magewars, the Gray elves were in shambles.  The Veil had taken most of their nobility and leadership.  Their grand cities began to crumble and fail due to the elves being unable to maintain the magic.  It was in their greatest time of need that new allies came to them. 

Lord Dracten Koelar, a kobold sorcerer, forged an alliance with what was left of the Gray Elf aristocracy.  Hoards of Kobolds flooded into Gray elf lands.  Magic supplied by their reptilian allies was saving the Gray elves great cities.  Other elves began to pull away from their cousins as rumors of an alliance with a "lower" race began to circulate.  In response to the other races reaction, the Gray elves sealed their forests and began to drive intruders out of their lands.

The Gray elves are ruled by a council now.  This council is made up of the three remaining Noble houses and four powerful Kobold sorcerers.  Due to their isolation, and the draconic lineage of their Kobold allies, most other races view the Gray elves with fear and suspicion.  To further this, the council has been fielding Dragoons to keep outsiders from their forest.  These Dragoons are hand picked by the elven nobility and then trained by Kobold taskmasters to be the face that the world sees of their domain.

Adventuring Gray elves tend to retain their aloof natures with other races.  Often, they will hire themselves out as guards to merchant caravans or exotic guards to nobility.  Many Gray elves will mutliclass as either a Wizard or Sorcerer.  The Gray elf wizards are held in great esteem by their society.  Often, a child who shows magical potential is "adopted" by one of the noble houses.  These children are given great advantages and are seldom driven to leave their homeland but are sometimes sent as spies into enemy territory.  

• -2 Strength, +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence.
• Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door.
• Automatic Languages: Common, Draconic, and Elven.
• Bonus Languages:  Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Sorcerer.

The Drow are as feared and hated as in any other campaign world.  Deep in the bowls of the earth, they have grand cities where they practice their depraved acts in private.  Dark elves found within these cities seldom vary much from the archetype.  Through some fluke, the underdark insulates these elves from the effects of the Veil.  Consequently, Wizards are still as powerful as ever in the great darkness.  The major drawback is that denizens of the underdark have no access to either the ethereal or the astral plane except through their gods.  Fear has made these elves stay far away from the surface world. 

Renegade Drow elves sometimes flee the oppressive matriarchal society and settle near the surface world.  These elves have begun to evolve along different paths as their subterranean brethren.  Males favor the ranger class instead of wizard.  Female drow still favor the cleric class but they never worship Loth.  Surface dwelling Drow loose most of their special abilities.  Drow elves retain their +2 racial bonus to Will saves, Darkvision up to 120 ft, and Light Blindness.  Their Spell resistance and Spell Like abilities are a side effect of living in the deep earth. 

Aquatic Elves have retreated into the ocean depths.  The Bay of Tears used to be home to a thriving Sea Elf community.  After the Magewars, these elves retreated into deeper, calmer waters to recuperate their losses.  These elves wage a constant war against the Sahuagin and their aquatic allies.  The Sea Elves are a matriarchal society whose queen rules absolute power through her chosen. 

Sea Elves who come out of the deep waters often seek a living as sailors or find other work where they can stay close to their beloved sea.  Sometimes, these elves travel deeper into land to start minor settlements at some land bound lake.  These elves are almost always small families who have felt the ravages of the Sahuagin and are attempting to flee them forever. 

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Intelligence.
• Low-light Vision: Aquatic elves can see four times as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of low illumination.  They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Goblin, Sahuagin, and Sylvan.
• Swim 40 feet.
• Gills: Aquatic elves can survive out of the water for 1 hour per point of Constitution.
• Favored Class: Fighter.

The Wind Elves once had great cities that were the envy of humanity.  Once the most prolific and prosperous of the elven races, the Wind Elves are still the most common elves that are found in Traykon.

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution.
• Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Gnoll, Gnome, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Ranger.

The Snow Elves are a unique sub race of elves that has evolved in the southern mountains of the Empire.  Few people in the world actually ever see one of the Snow Elves and most inhabitants of the Empire see them as mythic creatures to frighten children.  For the Yuan-ti, the Snow Elves are a frightening reality.

Snow Elves have been infused with ancient magic.  They normally grow to a height of over 6 feet.  The energies that they have worked with over the years has bleached their hair a dull silver and turned their eyes either a light gray or blue.  Making their homes in the highest reaches of the mountain range known as Giant's Reach, they Show Elves thrive in an inhospitable environment.

Adventuring Snow Elves are extremely rare.  Most live their lives in their mountain homes and seldom ever venture into the world of "lesser" races.  The Yuan-ti rulers of the Empire have a standing bounty of 1000 gold for the head of a Snow Elf.  The only Snow Elves that are found outside of the confines of the Empire are renegades and criminals.  These Snow Elves can never return home and are in constant threat of being used to enhance the wealth of others.

• +2 Dexterity, -2 Constitution, +2 Intelligence, -2 Charisma.
• Low-light Vision: Elves can see twice as far as a human in starlight, moonlight, torchlight, and similar conditions of poor illumination. They retain the ability to distinguish color and detail under these conditions.
• +2 racial bonus on Listen, Search, and Spot checks. An elf who merely passes within 5 feet of a secret or concealed door is entitled to a Search check to notice it as if she were actively looking for the door.
• +4 Bonus to Hide and Move Silently checks.  When in snow covered areas, this bonus increases to +10.
• Snow Elf base speed is 40 feet.
• Automatic Languages: Common and Elven.
• Bonus Languages: Draconic, Giant, Gnoll, Goblin, Orc, and Sylvan.
• Favored Class: Runeweaver.