Elves

Elves (singular: elf) refers to a race of beings from the Continent who migrated to Eíre and Prydain as as result of persecution by the followers of the One God.

The first elves came to Eíre in the seventh century. A large family who had been driven from the deep central regions of the continent took residence in the high mountains. Nearly a century passed before another clan of elves - this one from the north eastern lands of the Continent - arrived in Eíre. Twenty years later a third group of elves immigrated from the north, fleeing both the persecution of the One God zealots as well as the violent depredation of the North Men.

Each of these groups of elves bears significant physical differences from each other. The first group of elves, whose skin is dark brown and sometimes black, are known as Dark Elves. They are secretive and solitary, rarely interacting with humans, and often looking down on the other elves who choose to live close to or even among other races. The second group of elves, from the northeast of the Continent, are small of frame and pink in complexion. They are however quite friendly and adept with finance, and were the fist elves to secure friendly relations with humans. The third group of elves, who immigrated from the Northlands, are skilled craftsmen and hunters. They are tall and solitary as well, though they did not dislike humans as their darker cousins did.

A fourth and quite populous group of elves began arriving in Eíre in the ninth century. These elves are similar in physical stature to humans. Their eyes and ears also more closely resemble those of humans. These elves had often been able to live safely in the continental cities passing as human. When the kings of Eíre declared amnesty for all religious refugees, these elves left the continent in large numbers, often crowding such cities and Wicklow and Dubh. These elves not only interact with humans more than the other elves, they also have been said to inter-marry with humans in some distant mountain villages.

The difference in physical stature is the most noticeable characteristic of the different groups of elves. Most humans catagorize elves according to their physical size. The people of Wicklow, for example, tend to refer to the elves in their city as “the tall ones, the little ones, and the ones the same as people.”