Elves Qintarra - The Races of Arcanum

lves are philosophical in most things, and the classic elven arrogance most often displays itself as a mild distaste for other races and their company. This distaste is very seldom elevated to the passion that one might call "hatred"… except in the case of orcs, whom elves will kill at any opportunity that presents itself, and ogres, whom they regard as the epitome of all things big, stupid and violent - qualities which they despise. As to the much-discussed congress between elves and humans, elves have little to say about it, save for this: most humans do not understand that the elves they tend to meet abroad are very young. For the first few centuries of their lives, elven children are expected to run a bit wild. They wander in search of new experiences and adventure, and this is the time of their lives when they are most likely to form relationships with humans; both male and female elves very often "sow their wild oats" among humankind. In maturity, elves tend to settle down and keep to their own; it may be that burying several generations of short-lived friends and spouses causes them to lose the taste for human company.

The Fair Folk are highly territorial, and group themselves by region; Glimmering Forest elves consider themselves a breed apart from the Gray Mountain elves. This is explained somewhat by the deep communion that all elves enjoy with Nature, especially the living forests of their birth. Some observers claim that they have seen elves speak in animal tongues, commanding a beast in its native speech; sometimes they swear an elf can hear the trees cry out, when they are felled by a woodsman's axe. Whether this is true or not, elves certainly exhibit a great love and respect for all living things, despite the pride they take in their skills as hunters and bowmen. Elven hunters kill only out of need, or in self defense, and never for pleasure; they despise those who deliberately go abroad to collect trophies.

It is impossible to make any final guess at the possible lifespan of an elf. The best estimate we can make is that they might live some 1,000 years naturally, without prolonging the duration of their lives by magick. However, it is very rare for elves to willingly allow themselves to die, or even age naturally, when magick comes so easily to them! A simple effort of Will can keep them alive and young for centuries. This being the case, it is considered very gauche to ask elves how old they are, especially if the elf is a lady. An elven maid who looks no older than seventeen may have seen five generations of men turn to dust in her time. If one has occasion to visit an elven city, it is best to take one's cues from other elves; usually one elf can sense automatically how old another elf might be, and will tend to address the person accordingly. If two elves of the same region meet, and are roughly the same age, they will call one another "brother" or "sister". If the elf one meets is a stranger from a different region, he or she is called "cousin". An elf who is centuries older is called "mother" or "father", unless one is trying to flatter. Elves over a thousand are called "auntie" or "uncle", indicating both affection and respect. Truly ancient elves may be referred to as "grandfather" or "grandmother". I have been in the presence of the Silver Lady of Qintarra, and heard even quite ancient elves call her "Elder"; what unimaginable length of life this may indicate, I cannot say