Elves

Elves are the empowered species of Garruth, the Greater God of Life. Because of this, they are intricately connected to nature and all living things; symbiotically connected to it.

Traits
Physically, Elves are very interesting creatures. Being one with the forests and the beasts that live within it, they are deeply connected to the different aspects of the wilds that are around them. They are able to commune with wildlife, control the growth of plants, and even breathe literal life into inanimate creations.

Elves do not die as humans do - instead, they go through a process of reincarnation and rebirth just like the nature they spring from. As they get older, their form changes between their equivalent of a child, an adolescent, and an adult, then the process restarts.

They are known to be extremely agile, fast, and athletic. This is due to the fact that they are extremely lightweight - their bones are hollow and their statures are slight. Despite that lightness, their musculature is quite robust, giving them physical strength close to that of a human. This combines to give them the incredible speed and gracefulness they are known for, but also makes them extremely fragile to attacks. They also lose their extreme mobility if they carry too much weight.

All this combined has forced elves to become masters of ultra lightweight materials and ranged combat.

History
Thousands of years ago, the elves lived a peaceful existence on the surface of Taelmoor, and cooperated closely with their brethren who lived underground, the dwarves. Humans lived on Rodash, far to the south, and were mostly ignored.

But, 2000 years ago, a catastrophe in Rodash scarred the very fabric of reality. It killed hundreds of thousands instantly - not just humans, but countless plants and beasts. The pain was so profound that the elves could not remain in Taelmoor, close as it was to Rodash, and so they retreated over the oceans to their unclaimed continent far to the west, Alaindur.

According to the Elves, it took around 2000 years for Verden's wounds to finally heal enough that some of the elves could stand to return. They found it drastically changed and occupied by millions and millions of humans. Today, more and more elves are returning, and hope to reconnect to the land itself and help it finish its healing.