ELF

RACIAL SUMMARY:

Originally hailing from another realm far removed from Faerûn in the distant past, the elves have proved to be one of the most successful and diverse races to appear on Abeir-Toril. They have taken to the lands, the seas, and even the skies of Faerûn, colonizing and expanding through the ages. Today, the great elven realms may have retreated from the encroachment of humans and humanoids, but the elven influence in the world is unmistakable and pervasive.

Elves adapt and change dramatically to meld with their surroundings, so through the generations the various tribes of elves have become quite divergent in appearance and outlook. Despite this, all elves retain certain characteristics that set them apart from the other races of the world. Collectively, the elves know themselves as the Tel-quessir (translated into the common tongue, this means, “The People”). They refer to all other beings as the N-Tel-Quess, a less-than-diplomatic elven expression meaning “not-people.”

Elves are graceful, lithe, and beautiful. Regardless of their particular heritage, they are viewed by other races as a highly magical and wondrous people. This awe and respect has an unexpected corollary—many people view elves as haughty and shamelessly introverted as a race. The reasons for this are numerous, including jealousy, envy, and religious hatred. It is the nature of the elf to elicit such reactions from others, for it seems impossible upon first encountering the elves to react with anything resembling disinterest or apathy.

OVERVIEW
Many of Faerûn’s inhabitants believe there to be only six different subraces of elves, but there are at least seven. Most common on Faerûn are the moon, sun, and wood elves. The drow are easily the most notorious. Less well known are wild elves and aquatic elves, who dwell in distant, remote, and inhospitable regions that see few human visitors. Beyond these six subraces stands a seventh—the avariels, or winged elves. Driven nearly to extinction in ancient times, the last tribe of avariels is only now rekindling ties with the outside world.

Despite the incredible diversity of the various elven subraces, all elves share a number of characteristics. Perhaps the strongest thing they share is their affinity for magic. The use of magic pervades elven society at every level. The most impressive examples of elven magic are the mythals, powerful fields of magical energy created by the ancient elves to cloak entire cities with protective and useful magical auras. The elves’ natural resistance to enchantment spells is likely due in part to the fact that every moment of their lives is spent immersed in such magical environments.

Elven cities, even without the common magical enhancements that many carry, are beautiful sights indeed. To an elf, a building is little different than a mountain or a tree. They strive to fashion their homes and structures in such a way that they blend completely with their natural surroundings, adding to the natural beauty and purity of the landscape rather than detracting from it. The squat, functional buildings constructed by most humans strike most elves as ridiculous and intrusive.

Elven doors are of particular interest. Traditional elven architecture tries to blend into nature, and as a result external doorways into elven structures are often disguised cleverly in the side of a large tree, as a large stone on the side of a hill, and so on. Elven children quickly become quite well practiced at finding and noticing doors, and this skill follows them into adulthood. Secret doors built by other races often amuse the elves with their crude attempts at disguise.

Unlike other humanoid races, elves don’t truly sleep. An elf needs only to rest and relax in a trance known as a reverie for four hours every day. Most elven “bedrooms” more closely resemble lounges or studies furnished with comfortable couches or divans. The elven reverie has another interesting effect: An elven town never really seems to change in activity level. The length of the reverie allows most elves to enjoy periods of activity approaching 20 hours in a single day. In combination with their incredibly long lifespans, the reverie means that elves can afford to take their time with their projects. If the elves had the humans’ bustling need to complete projects as soon as possible, there would truly be no limit to what they could accomplish.

Although elves are thought of as a peace-loving people, their racial history is filled with bloodshed and terrible wars to rival any other race. Even today, all elves spend their formative years training with the traditional weaponry of their kind. A proper elf should be ready to defend her home with magic and with steel should the need arise. Despite this, elves do not succumb to feral savagery in their training. They view combat and other martial activities as yet another face of the natural world, and no less deserving of their careful attention and respect. As a result, the elves treat combat almost as a masterfully choreographed dance.

RACIAL HISTORY
The elves, despite their long history, are not true natives to Faerûn. They came to Faerûn from the realm of Faerie twentyfive millennia ago, passing through fey crossroads and backroads that have long since been lost. The first elves to arrive were the Sy-tel-quessir (green elves), the Ly-tel-quessir (lythari), and the Aril-tel-quessir (avariel). Of these original three races, only the green elves, now known as the wild elves, survive in any number. The avariel are nearly extinct now, having fought many terrible wars with the dragons of the ancient world. The lythari have changed so far from their elven roots that they are regarded by most Faerûnian scholars as a separate race from the Tel-quessir.

The second wave of elves to travel to Faerûn included the Ssri-tel-quessir (destined to become the drow). They were the most successful, emerging from the southern jungles of Faerûn and quickly establishing grand empires in their new home. At the same time, the Ar-tel-quessir (sun elves) and the Teu-telquessir (moon elves) arrived to the north. The Alu-tel-quessir (aquatic elves) appeared in the Great Sea not long after. The martial strength and magical prowess of the peoples in this second wave of elven immigrants brought the Time of Dragons to a close.

As the Time of Dragons ended, the First Flowering of the Fair Folk began, and the elves settled into five major civilizations along the west and south of Faerûn. Along the Sword Coast rose Aryvandaar of the sun elves, Illefarn of the green elves, Miyeritar, Shantel Othreier, and Keltormir. To the south, in what is now the Vilhon Reach, rose the three green elf nations of Thearnytaar, Eiellûr, and Syòpiir, while two more realms arose in the forests that once covered the Shaar: Orishaar of the moon elves, and Ilythiir of the dark elves.

These elven nations each grew and expanded and developed in their own ways. Unfortunately, these idyllic times were not to last. Some provocation—the emerging cruelty of Ilythiir, the continued and often violent expansions of Aryvandaar (which had fallen under the control of the Vyshaantar family), or another long-forgotten transgression—sparked the first Crown War. Over the next several hundred years, the elven nations slowly tore themselves apart. Just as one Crown War ended, it seemed that some new affront sparked a new one.

The nations of Ilythiir and Miyeritar saw the worst of the fighting in the early Crown Wars, but as the Fourth Crown War dawned, the dark elves of Ilythiir raised the conflict to a new level. Ages ago, a faction of the Seldarine, led by Corellon’s lover Araushnee, turned on their kin in an attempt to displace the Seldarine.

Corellon and his loyal kin defeated Araushnee and the other traitors, and banished them to the Demonweb Pits. Frustrated with their inability to eradicate their enemies, the Ilythiir elves committed an unheard-of crime: They called upon the traitor goddess Araushnee (now known as Lolth) and used the terrible might she granted to completely destroy Miyeritar. The decimated green elves never recovered, fleeing into the deepest forests. Some, hiding even from their own kin, became the wild elves; others merged with like-minded sun or moon elf refugees to become a new subrace, the wood elves.

Shocked and dismayed at the actions of the Ilythiir, the Seldarine intervened. By Corellon’s decree, the Ilythiir elves were cursed, transformed into drow, and banished from the surface world into the Underdark. After this, Corellon insisted that the elven elders come together in a great forest to the east to debate the cause of the divisiveness and strife at a place of decision and judgement. This place became the Elven Court in Cormanthor. After much debate, the Seldarine found that the Vyshaantar, sun elf lords of Aryvandaar, were culpable. The Vyshaantar were destroyed in the fifth and final Crown War that followed this verdict.

In the ten millennia since the last Crown War, many other elven nations have risen and fallen on the island of Evermeet, in the Vale of Evereska, deep in the High Forest, in the great forest of Cormanthor, and in the distant Yuirwood. Although these newer nations all achieved great things in their own time, none of them ever equaled the might and power achieved by those first nations established during the First Flowering. As the humans began to raise their own empires, the elves found it beyond their abilities to check the rash expansion and arrogant power of lands such as Jhaamdath, Coramshan, and Netheril.

Confronted by vigorous human expansion into the ancient forestlands of Faerûn, the second-born realms of the elves once again faced the prospect of endless cycles of warfare. The elves began to talk of retreating from the world of humanity to somewhere they could truly call their own. In 714 DR, the fall of Myth Drannor galvanized the surviving elven realms to action, and elves began to travel westward to Evermeet, abandoning their ancient lands. As more and more elves grew restless and disillusioned with life on the mainland, they heard a mystic call from over the waves to the west to the island of Evermeet. By the Year of Moonfall (1344 DR), the Elven Retreat reached its peak. Persecuted by numerous savage races such as goblinoids and orcs, and equally put off by the invasive and often shortsighted expansion of humans, many elves decided simply to pick up and move. As a result, the elven presence on the mainland fell to the lowest levels since the arrival of the Tel-quessir twenty-five thousand years ago.

Recent events on Evermeet—not least of which was a destructive attack by the drow—have convinced the elves that they cannot just turn their backs on the world and expect to survive. The Retreat is now over, and elves are slowly beginning to establish a stronger presence in Faerûn as a result. But it is clear that the day of elven empires sprawling over thousands of miles of forests is gone forever.

Descended from the original dark-skinned elven subrace called the Illythiiri, the drow were cursed into their present appearance by the good elven deities for following the goddess Lolth down the path to evil and corruption. Also called dark elves, the drow have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They tend to be smaller and slimmer than most elves.

Regions: Elf (drow), Cormanthor Drow.
Racial Feats: Arachnid Rider, Deepening Darkness, Highborn Drow, Improved Levitation, Lolth’s Blessing.
Level Adjustment: +2. Refer to the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting entry for drow racial abilities.

Of the various elven subraces, none are more notorious than the drow. Descended from the original dark-skinned elven subrace called the Ssri-tel-quessir, the drow were cursed into their present appearance by the good elven deities for following the goddess Lolth down the path to evil and corruption.

Also called dark elves, the drow have black skin that resembles polished obsidian and stark white or pale yellow hair. They commonly have blood-red eyes, although pale eyes (so pale as to be often mistaken for white) in shades of pale lilac, silver, pink, and blue are not unknown. They also tend to be smaller and thinner than most Faerûnian elves. Most drow on the surface are evil and worship Vhaeraun, but some outcasts and renegades have a more neutral attitude, and there are even groups of good drow who worship Eilistraee or other deities not of the traditional drow pantheon.

Though divided by endless feuds and schisms, the drow are united in one terrible desire: they seethe with a hatred for the surface elves. By their way of reckoning, they proved themselves the superior race in the Fourth Crown War, and the fact that the Seldarine (and Corellon in particular) punished them for their success is a poison that churns in their hearts and minds eternally. They burn with hatred for the Seldarine and their coddled children, and want nothing more than to return to the surface and bring to the elves there suffering a thousand times greater than that which the drow have been forced to endure over the past ten thousand years.

Drow have the life expectancy, age categories, and height and weight characteristics defined for elves in Tables 6–4, 6–5, and 6–6 of the Player’s Handbook.

HISTORY

In the beginning, the Ssri-tel-quessir were the most successful of the elven colonists to the new world of Faerûn. The nation of Ilythiir quickly became one of the most powerful of the early elven nations. But the Ssri-tel-quessir were not only the most successful of the elves of their time, they were also the most cruel and jealous. Despite their own accomplishments, they envied those of their neighbors all the same. While the First Crown War raged to the north, the dark elves waged their own war against their neighbors, seeking to dominate the elven realms of southern Faerûn.

Unsuccessful in three attempts to subjugate the neighboring realms, the dark elves of Ilythiir turned to a new and secret patron at the opening of the Fourth Crown War. The dark elves pledged their loyalties to the outcast Seldarine of the Demonweb Pits, and to Lolth in particular. The Spider Queen and her fellow exiles (with the notable exception of Eilistraee) granted the dark elves of Ilythiir great magical powers, fiendish allies, and support in return for their allegiance, and the Ilythiiri wreaked great havoc among the other elven realms. But their success and victory were short-lived, for Corellon was shocked and deeply enraged by the traitorous acts of the dark elves. By his decree, the Ilythiiri elves were cursed, transformed into drow and banished from the surface world into the Underdark. They became known as the dhaeraow (the elven word for traitor), and over the centuries this word has since given them the name by which they are known: drow.

After their exile below ground, the drow lived as nomads, scavengers, and feral beasts. Eventually, through the guidance of Lolth, they drew themselves together as a race and began to make the best of their situation, colonizing large portions of the Underdark. The first underground drow civilizations were established in southern Faerûn around –9600 DR. In –9000 DR, the drow seized the great cavern of Bhaerynden from the gold dwarves and established the first great drow kingdom, Telantiwar. Unfortunately, the drow of Telantiwar quickly fell into terrible civil wars, the eventual result of which were several massive magical explosions that collapsed the caverns of their nation and formed the Great Rift in southern Faerûn.

The few drow survivors of this cataclysm scattered throughout the Underdark, slowly settling regions farther and farther away from their original homelands in the South. In time, the drow built dozens of magnificent, terrifying cities deep underground, quite an achievement for a people so predisposed toward treachery, infighting, and civil war. Sshamath, the City of Dark Weavings, was founded beneath the Far Hills in –4973 DR. Menzoberra the Kinless, a high priestess of Lolth, established the city of Menzoberranzan in –3917 DR. House Nasadra, exiled from Menzoberranzan, founded Ched Nasad in –3843 DR. Many other cities lie beneath other parts of Faerûn, sometimes exerting their baleful influence on the lands above, such as the conquest of the human realm of Dambrath by the drow of T’lindhet in 804 DR, or the centuries-long rule of Maerimydra over Shadowdale hundreds of years ago.

Recently, the drow have begun to extend their influence to the surface in greater numbers than ever before, moving into abandoned elven cities and homes. They have begun training and conditioning to allow them to function in the brilliant surface world. Much to their surprise and delight, they have found that due to the Elven Retreat the presence of surface elves is much smaller and more poorly organized than they anticipated. Small bands of drow opposed to this return to the surface have made efforts to alert the surface world of this new threat, but so far no organized resistance to the drow invasion of the surface world has appeared.

OUTLOOK

Drow are, on the whole, sadistic, destructive, and treacherous. They view themselves as the rightful heirs to Faerûn and still remember the perceived injustice of their exile to the Underdark. They hate other races and either wish to make war upon them or view those others with contempt and tolerate them only as necessary for trade or temporary military alliances. Even among their own kind, drow are cruel and suspicious. There is little room for love and friendship in drow society. They may value alliances with other family members or acquaintances, but no drow truly trusts another. Drow forge alliances only when they are more powerful than an “ally,” possess blackmail-worthy knowledge, or have a common enemy that overrides their mutual hatred. Even then, they keep their eyes and ears primed for the slightest hint of treachery. The motto for the drow may well be, “Do unto others first so they cannot do unto you.”

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. A fair number of drow have come to value their position in the Underdark and now think of themselves as true natives of their dark realm. They have little desire to return to the surface and would rather rule in the depths than struggle to regain a realm they no longer hold any interest in ruling. Even more rare are those few drow who have atoned for their evil ways and think of their fellows as monsters that need to be stopped. These drow are either surface dwellers who are struggling to become accepted into new societies, or fugitives dwelling in out-of-the-way caverns deep underground. With the new expansion into the surface, more drow than ever before are being exposed to the truth on the surface, and many are realizing that life on the surface is much nicer than they were led to believe by the agents of Lolth and her kin. It is possible, with proper acceptance and encouragement, that the numbers of neutral or even good drow on the surface of Faerûn could skyrocket in the coming years. The priesthood of Eilistraee is in the forefront of this movement, desperately trying to divert the drow war on the surface into a mass conversion from the dark elves’ dreadful ways.

DROW CHARACTERS

The dark elves are renowned for their skill as clerics, fighters, rogues, and wizards. While many drow are naturally gifted enough to excel in almost any career to which they turn their attention, their society has long rewarded skill at arms, divine power (primarily in the hands of female clerics of Lolth), and arcane might (primarily in the hands of male wizards). Likewise, all drow have a deep-seated admiration for stealth, guile, and the unexpected blade in the dark. Dark elves are well-suited to make good bards, but few follow this path; the bard’s exuberance does not fit well in drow society, although all drow can admire a work of skill. Drow rangers are valuable, too, serving as scouts who can roam the tunnels of the Underdark, seeking out threats to the great cities of the dark elves. Drow do not often multiclass, as their society tends to reward specialization in the expected roles and skills.

Favored Class: Centuries of tradition and social pressure have resulted in a schism between male and female drow in regards to their favored class. Female drow are favored by society as clerics, because the Spider Queen favors clerics of her own gender. As a result, a female drow’s favored class is cleric. There is no similar favoritism for male drow, who have the standard elven favored class of wizard.

Prestige Classes: The most common prestige class among the drow is without a doubt the assassin. Many drow cities have prestigious and infamous academies that train prospective youths in various philosophies of death, and these assassin’s guilds have produced some of the deadliest and most successful killers in the Underdark. Blackguards are also common among the drow, as are other divine prestige classes such as the divine champion, divine disciple, and divine seeker. Any drow who wishes to thrive within drow culture does well to tie himself or herself to Lolth’s faith.

DROW SOCIETY

Drow live in militaristic societies with strong religious foundations. They are a matriarchal society, ruled by the most powerful drow priestesses. Drow do not form nations, but congregate in vastly powerful city-states located in massive caverns deep underground. Drow cities trade with each other but frequently fall into open warfare.

A typical drow city is ruled by a large group of powerful drow families, the strongest of which rule the city itself. Each family is in turn ruled by a Matron Mother, typically (though not always) a powerful cleric of Lolth. Infighting is common, even expected, among the ruling families of a drow city. The power ranking of the families shifts almost daily, although the top five or ten families are relatively stable.

Drow cities tend toward a haphazard organization, as the strong families seize the best territory for themselves and leave the common drow to build their warrens and feed themselves in whatever fashion they can manage. The various family estates are often grouped close together in the most defensible part of the cavern, but this is not always the case. Typically, a large public temple dedicated to Lolth is located in the same area, often as part of the ruling family’s estate. The city itself is usually a tangled, chaotic mess of hundreds of architectural styles. Magic items emitting faerie fire adorn the more prosperous buildings, as well as most of the family estates. For the most part, poverty, oppression, and desperation are the rule in the heart of a drow city.

Beyond the city proper are vast farms where slaves raise deep rothé, edible fungus, and other necessities for the survival of the city. Garrisons of the city’s standing army (segregated by gender) are located nearby, along with academies that cater to wizards, bards, rogues, assassins, and experts of various fields (even psions and psychic warriors, if you use psionics in your game). Often, a drow city enters an alliance with a powerful denizen of the Underdark such as a beholder or a deep dragon, encouraging the creature to keep a lair on the outskirts of the city. Menzoberranzan, home city of the famed exile Drizzt Do’Urden, is the most famous drow city-state and serves as an excellent example of how such locations are structured.

Surface drow have yet to form anything resembling a society of their own. For the most part, surface drow live as outcasts and hermits, interacting with established societies only when necessary.

LANGUAGE and LITERACY
Most drow speak Elven, Undercommon, and a language appropriate to their native region. Those with the time or inclination, particularly warriors, learn Drow Sign Language (see below) or languages commonly spoken by beings that settle nearby, including Abyssal, Common, Draconic, and Goblin. Drow also learn common languages spoken on the surface near the entrances to their particular corner of the Underdark, such as the Illuskan language. Drow have developed a unique sign language, Drow Sign Language, which allows silent communication with hand gestures up to 120 feet away as long as both parties can see each other. Drow Sign Language has no alphabet or written form. All drow characters are literate except for barbarians.

DROW MAGIC and LORE
The drow have developed an astounding number of unique (and often disturbing) spells; many of these have since filtered up through the Underdark and have become well known even on the surface world. Drow have a particular affinity for levitate spells and effects, and often build structures and defenses that require levitate (or some other form of flight) to get from one level to another. Many important or influential drow own a drow house insignia (detailed in the Magic Items section of the Appendix) that allows the use of levitate.

SPELLS and SPELLCASTING
Drow have an affinity for magical glyphs and runes, and have long warded their homes with potent magics woven into various sigils and runes placed where they can ward against intrusion. These glyphs are similar to those created by the glyph of warding or greater glyph of warding spells, except that they remain in place even after discharging power. Drow glyphs fall into one of three categories, way-marker runes (used in areas patrolled or traveled by drow but not inhabited by them), sacred glyphs (special glyphs placed by clerics of Lolth to protect areas sacred to the Spider Queen), and house defense glyphs (specialized glyphs developed by members of noble houses to protect their homes and families). These runes are placed by drow clerics who have become runecasters and often contain unique spells that have been researched specifically for a particular rune or location.

DROW MAGIC ITEMS
Drow are particularly fond of magic weapons and armor, and all drow in service to a powerful drow city or family can expect their arms and armor to have at least some minor magical enhancements. Drow are likely to carry drow house insignias, piwafwis (cloaks of elvenkind), and greater piwafwis. Because they are selfish and paranoid, drow sometimes craft their magic items so they can only be used by drow, which keeps the items out of the hands of their enemies—at least those that aren’t also drow.

DROW DEITIES
The drow worship a pantheon of deities known as the Dark Seldarine. These deities were cast out of the Seldarine ages ago and exiled to the Demonweb Pits. They are led by Lolth, the Spider Queen, and it is she whom the vast majority of drow worship. The second most popular drow deity is Vhaeraun, worshiped by most of the surface-dwelling drow. The other drow deities remain minor in the grand scheme of things, either too absorbed in their own interests to increase their worshipers (such as Ghaunadaur), or too afraid or comfortable as Lolth’s servants to make a move for more power (such as Kiaransalee and Selvetarm). A notable exception is Eilistraee, the solitary good-aligned deity in the drow pantheon. As more and more drow turn to the surface in an attempt to expand their domains, an increasing number are being converted away from their evil ways by the church of Eilistraee, which of late has significantly stepped up its efforts to “save” the drow from their destructive ways.

RELATIONS with OTHER RACES
The drow do not interact well with the various other sentient races of Faerûn. At best, the drow think of other races as merely laughable or contemptible. They hold low opinions even of their erstwhile allies, such as the kuo-toa.

Against most other races, the only way the drow know to react is with hatred and outright war. They have built up powerful city-states based on the notion that the path to power lies in the subjugation of lesser races and the eradication of those who pose a threat to their homes.

Prisoners captured in drow raids and battles are usually brought back to the cities to serve out the remainder of their lives as slaves. Orcs, hobgoblins, ogres, and other savage humanoids are common slaves. Most drow households have two to three such slaves for every drow in the house. The breeding and selling of slaves is a thriving business in drow cities, because these hapless thralls perform all menial and unskilled labor in a drow city.

The true focus of drow hatred, though, is reserved for the surface elves. They act quickly and cruelly to seize any chance to bring pain, suffering, and death to other elves they encounter. Even the few evil surface elves are seen as enemies. Drow sometimes enter into truces with other races or individuals if doing so helps them to realize their sinister goals, but these truces are by their nature temporary affairs. It’s only a matter of time until the drow turn on their allies.

DROW EQUIPMENT
Drow often make use of poisoned weapons. Their favorite is a powerful knockout toxin used to capture live prisoners. Drow poisonmakers extract this toxin from a slippery, black fungus that grows like great slicks of oil in certain Underdark caverns. Various natural predators of the underground, such as scorpions, purple worms, and especially spiders, are other common sources for poison.
Unique Item: Drow knockout poison (described in the appendix).

ARMS AND ARMOR
Drow prefer to fight with weapons that take advantage of their Dexterity, so rapiers are a favorite implement of the dark elves. Most drow are also well versed with the hand crossbow and use this weapon to deliver potent knockout poison with stealth and precision. They wear mithral chainmail or mithral chain shirts when they can afford it, but the drow eschew most other armors that hamper their agility or speed.

ANIMALS AND PETS
Drow do not keep animals as pets; they prefer pets that can fully comprehend the scope of their reliance and dependence on their masters. Accordingly, many drow keep a favored slave as a personal servant or thrall. These minions are, in truth, little more than pets for the drow, and they are generally treated as such.

The “pets” that most visitors to a drow city remember are the spiders. These vermin are the favored of Lolth, and because her church rules most drow cities, it is only natural that spiders would be common in drow lands. Smaller monstrous spiders are often kept as pets or simply let loose to wander the streets, serving as pest control. Larger spiders are often kept as guardians or even mounts in some cases. Training unintelligent vermin to do anything is exceedingly difficult, so many drow cities have bred specialized types of spiders to serve them. The sword spider is said to be one of the most successful of these.

The drow also use of various breeds of subterranean lizards. They have bred species with sticky pads on their feet for use as pack animals and mounts. Drow sometimes use bats of all sizes and breeds as scouts or alarms. Various molds, fungi (especially shriekers), and oozes see common use in drow traps or sanitation areas. More rarely, drow train cavvekans (see the appendix) as pets or guards.

Finally, the drow often bring in dangerous outsiders from the Demonweb Pits to serve as guardians or minions. Myrlochar (described in Monsters of Faerûn), bebiliths, and retrievers are the most common due to their spiderlike appearances.

SURFACE DROW REGION
Many drow have begun to train and acclimate themselves for life on the surface. The surface drow region reflects a drow from one of the Vhaeraun-worshiping factions of Cormanthor, such as House Jaelre or Clan Auzkovyn.
Preferred Classes: Cleric, fighter, rogue, wizard. A character of one of these classes may choose a regional feat and gain his choice of the bonus equipment below as a 1st-level character. A drow of any other class may not select one of the regional feats here and does not gain the bonus equipment at 1st level.
Automatic Languages: Common, Elven, and Undercommon.
Bonus Languages: Abyssal, Chondathan, Draconic, Drow Sign Language, Orc, Sylvan.
Regional Feats: Blooded, Daylight Adaptation, Highborn Drow, Stealthy, Survivor.
Bonus Equipment: (A) rapier* or light crossbow*, or (B) chain shirt* and potion (1st-level spell), or (C) hand crossbow and 3 doses of drow knockout poison.

Moon elves are the most common sort of elves in Faerûn. Also called silver elves, they have fair skin (sometimes tinged with blue) and hair of silver-white, black, or blue. Their eyes are blue or green, with gold flecks. They are the elven subrace most tolerant of humankind, and most half-elves are descended from moon elves.

Regions: The Dalelands, Elf (moon), Evermeet, the High Forest, the North, Silverymoon, the Western Heartlands.
Racial Feats: Gift of Tongues.
Racial Prestige Classes: Bladesinger, Spellsinger.

The most common of the elven subraces on Faerûn are the moon elves. They have fair skin, sometimes tinged with blue, and hair of silver-white, black, or blue; humanlike colors are somewhat rare. Their eyes are blue or green, with gold flecks. As far as the elves of Faerûn go, moon elves are most like the elves presented in the Player’s Handbook.

Moon elves prefer to dress in rustic clothes of simple cuts and fashions that are nevertheless of fine and exquisite make. They adorn their dress with embroidered patterns, beads, and similar trappings, preferring earthen colors for everyday wear, hues that make it easy to conceal themselves in foliage. In places of safety or in times of revelry, moon elves enjoy dressing in bold colors, the more brightly colored, the better. Hair is worn in braids or ponytails, twined with wires or beads. Moon elves sometimes wear body paint or tattoos in mystic patterns, although not to extent the wild elves do.

Moon elves have the life expectancy and age categories defined for elves in Tables 6–4 and 6–5 of the Player’s Handbook, but use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described on Table 6–6:


HISTORY
Although the moon elves were not the first elves to migrate to Faerûn, they comprised the largest migration. Even in the ancient past their joy for travel seems to have been present, for they came to Faerûn in great numbers indeed. The moon elves wanted to explore this new world rather than settle down, and so did not establish nations of their own for some time, preferring to settle in other elven nations, such as Othreier and Keltormir. The only one of the ancient elven nations that the moon elves could truly call their own was Orishaar, which was defeated in –11,200 DR by the Ilythiiri.

Following the Crown Wars, moon elves helped to raise many of the nations of the second generation of elven realms. Survivors of Orishaar, in conjunction with clans from other realms that had been destroyed during the Crown Wars, founded the secret refuge of Evereska in –8600 DR, and many moon elves populated the glorious realm of Cormanthyr, founded in –3983 DR in the woods of the Elven Court. One by one the old elven realms faded away, until the fall of Myth Drannor in 714 DR left Evereska as the last moon elf city in Faerûn. Many nomadic moon elf bands still roamed the great forests of northern Faerûn, but no new elven kingdoms rose after the fall of the second-generation realms.

Despite the fact that only a single realm of moon elves has survived the ages since the Crown Wars, the moon elves have fared well compared to many of their elven kin. Content to gather in small, secretive, and relatively short-lived settlements or to simply wander across the wild lands of Faerûn as their hearts call them, the moon elves have built few places worth destroying. When the Elven Retreat began, the moon elves were slow to heed its call, and even then answered the call in much smaller numbers than did the sun elves and other elven races.

OUTLOOK
Moon elves are more impulsive than the other elves, and dislike remaining in one place for any significant amount of time. Most moon elves are happiest when traveling, especially across the expanses of untrodden wilderness that still survive in Faerûn. This is probably the single greatest reason why they are so much more friendly and accommodating to other races than many other elves: They do not isolate themselves from the human lands behind impervious defenses. Moon elves have watched humankind for much longer than their sun or wood elf kin, and they know that nonelves aren’t as foolish and unimportant as most other elves think. They feel that engaging promising human realms such as Silverymoon and instilling elven values and culture in these young lands is a better way for the elven race to survive and thrive than hiding away and avoiding all contact with ambitious, grasping humans.

Moon elves are drawn to adventure through sheer wanderlust. They desire to see and do everything possible during their long lives. Like their allies the Harpers, moon elves believe that a single person of good heart who stands up to injustice or evil can make a big difference. The typical moon elf adventurer tends to be a wandering protector of the common folk, not a dungeonplundering slayer of monsters.

MOON ELF CHARACTERS
More so than other elves, moon elves are drawn to a variety of paths. They have a great love of music and make excellent bards. Moon elves do not possess the depth of reverence for the Seldarine the sun elves do, nor the bond with nature of the wood elves, but clerics and druids are not uncommon among the subrace. Many moon elves are skilled warriors and have at least some levels in the fighter class, as they have long made up the bulk of the elven armies. But moon elves prefer stealth over strength, and often choose to become rangers or rogues instead.

Finally, like all elves, moon elves are enamored of magic, and a great number take up the wizard’s arts.
Favored Class: Moon elves share a natural affinity for arcane magic with the sun elves, although they tend to be more impulsive with their spells. Unlike their more disciplined kin, moon elves frequently pursue two or more paths at the same time, combining the study of magic with the arts of the swordmaster or the rogue. Their favored class is wizard.
Prestige Classes: The moon elves were the first to develop the bladesinger prestige class, and they have the most bladesingers of any the elven subraces. Moon elves often become arcane archers, as one might expect. Any moon elf adventurer of good heart who has a little experience under her belt is likely to become a Harper and often chooses to advance as a Harper scout. Moon elves also make very good spellsingers.

MOON ELF SOCIETY
Moon elves are nomadic spirits who rarely settle down for long in one place. They are comfortable living among sun elves and wood elves, but just as often they live in areas dominated by humans, halflings, or even gnomes. Their homes tend to be simple, unassuming, and comfortable.

Moon elves are much less solemn and serious in their ways and actions than sun elves. Their songs and poems are lighter and often quite humorous; tragedies have their place but the moon elves prefer to balance such things with light-hearted and often bawdy tales and songs. They also enjoy a wide variety of art styles, including paintings and sculpture. Moon elves are fond of games of chance and gambling. Drinking, feasting, and reveling are all a strong part of their society.

A more serious side to the moon elves emerges in times of trouble. Moon elves are just as skilled with weapons and magic as their fellow elven subraces, and do not hesitate to act if a situation calls for violence as a solution. Even in warfare, they try to find hope and humor, for it is during these dark times that levity and joy are most valuable.

Moon elves gather in loose bands, composed of a dozen or so extended families. Leadership is democratic; all elves of the band have a say in important decisions, although the voices of one or two of the wiser and more experienced family heads tend to carry the day. In times of danger, the band chooses an elder or warleader to see them through the peril. Moon elves travel light and travel often, rarely staying in the same place for more than a season or two before moving on.

LANGUAGE and LITERACY
All moon elves speak Elven, Common, and the human language of their home region. Their nomadic nature encourages them to pick up additional languages as they travel as well, and most moon elves can speak at least one or two additional languages beyond these. Common choices include Auran, Chondathan, Gnoll, Gnome, Halfling, Illuskan, and Sylvan. All moon elf characters are literate, except for barbarians.

MOON ELF MAGIC and LORE
Moon elves crave magic like no other race (except perhaps their sun elf cousins). Arcane and divine spellcasters alike are encouraged to push the boundaries of known magic and discover something new, adding to the moon elves’ collective magical knowledge.

Magic is not just a vocation for a moon elf—it’s an avocation. The joy in casting a complex spell or creating a potent magic item is as profound and all-encompassing as any great work of art or music. While the sun elves have a stunning accumulation of spell-lore, the moon elves engage in ceaseless experimentation.

SPELLS and SPELLCASTING
Moon elves, along with sun elves and a few wood elves, are the only elven subrace to still practice High Magic, although sun elves still make up the bulk of those practitioners of this potent form of magic. Moon elf wizards usually prefer to focus their learning on discovering new forms of magic and methods of spellcasting.

MOON ELF MAGIC ITEMS
Creating magic items takes a long time and a willingness to stay in one place during that period. As a result, moon elf spellcasters focus on creating less powerful magic items so they don’t have to “waste” valuable travel time sitting around building things. Sun elves in particular find this trait somewhat embarrassing, but moon elves are comfortable with their own less-than-obsessive interest in crafting magic items.
Common Items: Boots and cloaks of elvenkind are among the most popular items made by moon elves.

MOON ELF DEITIES
Moon elves worship the Seldarine. A moon elf identifies with all the elven deities, but usually chooses one as a patron deity above the others. Unlike their sun elf cousins, many moon elves worship the elven deity Angharradh, who they believe to be a melding of the three goddesses Sehanine, Aerdrie Faenya, and Hanali Celanil. The moon elves view her as equal in power to Corellon Larethian, who is often regulated to the status of a consort. Moon elf religious ceremonies are exuberant, joyful, and loud. Even deeply religious moon elves recognize that some ceremonies and festivals are simply excuses for revelry.

RELATIONS with OTHER RACES
Of the elven subraces, moon elves are the most tolerant of nonelves. They travel extensively, and a moon elf can expect to interact with hundreds of different races throughout her life.

Moon elves find the diversity of Faerûn’s races to be intoxicating and forever surprising, and they especially value the insights of other races because they often think of things no elf would ever consider. This openness and willingness to accept new ideas is regarded as foolish and dangerous by other elves, so ironically their own kin often give moon elves the coolest receptions.

Despite their open minds, moon elves have little patience or interest in the various evil beings, and they hold orcs and gnolls in particular contempt. They avoid regions where such cultures hold sway, although moon elf adventurers often infiltrate these areas to spy on them. The moon elves share with the other elven subraces a hatred and loathing for the drow.

MOON ELF EQUIPMENT
Moon elf musical instruments are true wonders to behold. Their instruments are never less than masterwork in quality and often bear magical enhancements of some sort. These instruments are refined and delicate in appearance, often adorned with gemstones and made with precious materials.

ARMS AND ARMOR
Moon elves prefer to fight with longswords, rapiers, longbows, and shortbows. Moon elf armor, like moon elf garments, tends to look ancient or primitive at first glance. A closer look reveals impeccable artistry that both mimics and amplifies nature’s beauty.

ANIMALS AND PETS
Moon elves value the companionship of animals, beasts, and magical beasts on their travels, and they often keep at two or three pets at a time. Favored pets include hunting dogs, falcons and other raptors, and cats. Moon elves rarely keep mounts, as they feel they see more when they do their traveling with their own two feet. More powerful moon elves often take the Leadership feat to gain a magical beast as a cohort; common choices include blink dogs, pegasi, unicorns, and even dragonnes.

Sun Elves hail from Evermeet where non-elves are not allowed, and therefore are less common in Faerun than moon elves. Also called gold elves, they have bronze skin, golden blond, copper, or black hair, and green or gold eyes. These are seen as the most civilized and haughty elves, preferring to remain separate from nonelven races. Most sun elves lead a life of study and contemplation, which serves to sharpen their minds, but leaves their bodies soft.

Regions: Elf (sun), Evermeet, The North, Silverymoon, Western Heartlands.
Racial Feats: Gift of Tongues.
Racial Prestige Classes: Bladesinger, Elven High Mage.

The majority of Faerûn’s sun elves live on Evermeet, having abandoned what remained of their ancient realms during the centuries following the falls of Illefarn and Cormanthyr. They are only now returning to the mainland to reestablish their presence there. The sun elves are famed for their command of both arcane and divine magic, which exceeds that of any other living race. Works of elven high magic thousands of years old still survive in the hidden refuges of the sun elves.

Sun elves are responsible for the majority of the great elven cities of legend, although other elven subraces aided the construction of many of these cities. Myth Drannor is perhaps their most famous creation, although probably not their most magnificent. Sun elf realms are the stuff legends are made of, an integral part of the history of Faerûn for thousands of years. The sun elves certainly know this, for they distance themselves from nonelf races and often won’t let such “lesser beings” into their lands.

Sun elves have bronze skin, hair of golden blond, copper, or black, and eyes of green or gold. They favor contemplation, lore, and study over the quick games and light-hearted songs of other elves, but seem to embody the unearthly beauty, grace, and presence of the elven folk.

Sun elves dress in clothing that is at the same time magnificent and understated, favoring cool colors such as blue and green. They decorate their clothes with intricate gold- or mithral-thread embroidery in exacting patterns whose subtle designs are easy to miss at first. Jewelry is simple but painstakingly crafted.

Of all the elven subraces, sun elves are the most arrogant and haughty—even more so than the avariels, whose haughtiness is rooted in pity for the landbound races. Sun elves believe that they are the true elven race, the builders and the leaders of the elven realms, and that the other elven subraces fail to live up to the solemnity and dignity of their ancient stock. Sun elves are unusually long-lived, even for elves, and use the following aging effect characteristics instead of the ones in Table 6–5 in the Player’s Handbook:


Like most other Faerûnian elves, sun elves are comparatively tall and thin, and they use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described on Table 6–6 in the Player’s Handbook:


HISTORY
The sun elves migrated to Faerûn at the same time as the moon elves and the dark elves. Although they were the least numerous of the three peoples, they nonetheless quickly established several great nations, including Aryvandaar and Othreier. Under the leadership of House Vyshaan, a dynasty of sun elves, the nation of Aryvandaar in particular soon became the most powerful elven realm of its time.

The Vyshaanti were aggressive expansionists, and their obsession with increasing the size of their empire at the expense of the other races is thought to be the major cause of the terrible Crown Wars of ten thousand years past. After the Fifth Crown War, the Vyshaanti were finally overthrown, and the sun elves returned to a less aggressive lifestyle that has changed little over the intervening millennia.

The next great nation founded by the sun elves was Cormanthyr in the year –3983 DR. This time they chose to build a realm founded on compassion, lore, and subtle magic instead of military might and great battle-mages. As a result, the nation was much kinder and more powerful in the long run, and the elves of Cormanthyr accomplished many amazing magical wonders. For thousands of years, Cormanthyr stood as the most powerful realm in northern Faerûn, eclipsed only briefly by Netheril at its height. From their city of Myth Drannor in the heart of the forest, the Coronals of Cormanthyr checked for centuries the burgeoning strength of young human lands such as Cormyr or Sembia that rose in the years after Netheril’s fall.

The raising of the Standing Stone and the Dales compact of 0 DR, peaceful though they were, signaled the beginning of the end of elven might in Faerûn. Although Myth Drannor achieved its greatest flowering in the years of peaceful human and elven coexistence, its days were numbered. Cormanthyr finally fell in 714 DR, when an overabundance of portals in the vicinity of Myth Drannor weakened the boundaries between worlds, allowing a disastrous invasion of fiends.

Today, the bulk of Faerûn’s sun elves live in a third great nation, the distant island of Evermeet. First settled in –9800 DR by sun elves from Aryvandaar, the young realm’s remoteness protected it from the ravages of the Crown Wars and the ensuing rise of human power on Faerûn. For more than ten thousand years, Evermeet has been the safest haven for elvenkind and the hidden refuge of elven civilization. From Evermeet came the call for the Elven Retreat in 1344 DR, and the sun elves of Faerûn felt that call most deeply of all the elven peoples.

Now that the Retreat has ended, the haughty sun elves are among the last to return to Faerûn. Most sun elves still prefer to remain sequestered on their island nation, even though recent events have proved that Evermeet is not safe from harm. Today, the only large community of sun elves remaining in Faerûn is the hidden city of Evereska, on the borders of Anauroch.

OUTLOOK
The sun elves believe that they were selected by Corellon Larethian to be the defenders of elven tradition and history. They are also the most patient of the elven races, and they devote their time to perfecting a task rather than just merely completing the task. To a sun elf, rushing a job or finishing a project in anything less than perfection is betraying the elven ideal. As a result, they tend to have a much narrower range of skills than other elves, but they are the unrivaled masters of the skill, art, or craft to which they turn their efforts. The only exception to this rule is combat. Sun elves have no love for combat, but they are nevertheless well trained in its ways. They view combat as a necessary evil, and one that should be resolved quickly so the task can be done and one can return to more pleasant and constructive pursuits.

Sun elves are the least likely of the elven subraces to take up the adventurer’s path. They see little point in roaming around the world and meeting other peoples, especially when any sun elf can enjoy as much comfort, study, and contemplation as she likes by remaining in one of the hidden sun elf realms.

Most sun elf adventurers are more properly thought of as spies, dutiful scouts who make it their lifelong task to observe the other peoples of Faerûn and keep a vigilant watch for the rise of any threats to the elven homelands. A few sun elves are also drawn to the mystery of ancient power and seek to add to the lore of their people by exploring ruins of ancient empires all across Faerûn.

SUN ELF CHARACTERS
Sun elves favor the traditional paths of the elven folk: fighter and wizard. No sun elf could truly be described as a barbarian, although a sun elf raised among wilder kin might, on very rare occasions, choose to take levels in the barbarian class. They make good bards, and even if they are not noted for their light-hearted revels, the ancient songs and lore of a learned bard are worthy of a sun elf’s respect. Sun elves are also the foremost clerics and paladins among the elven races. The arts of stealth and archery are not widely practiced among sun elves, so rangers and rogues are relatively scarce among them.

Favored Class: Sun elf society and culture is steeped in a fascination with magic and learning. They often become incredibly talented wizards, and their natural intellect makes them powerful ones as well. Few sun elf adventurers do not take up the study of magic at some point in their careers.
Prestige Classes: Sun elves often choose prestige classes that allow them to continue their specialized studies. They are particularly drawn to the arcane devotee, archmage, and loremaster prestige classes, although some of the more warlike of the race practice the uniquely elven arts of the arcane archer and bladesinger.

SUN ELF SOCIETY
Sun elves are deliberate, patient, and solemn, and their society reflects this. Their buildings, while aesthetically beautiful and architecturally brilliant, tend to be ostentatious. Nevertheless, the sun elves take great pride in their buildings, believing that nothing less than perfection will do for the chosen defenders of elven tradition and history. Their art, poetry, and songs also reflect their deliberate and regal attitudes. They prefer tales of ancient battles, songs of the gods, and stories of great heroes beset with terrible tragedies.

Sun elves revere wisdom and learning. Even the humblest sun elf abode features a room or two filled with old scrolls, maps, and books. Sun elves have a strong tradition of rule by nobility, and most sun elf communities are ruled by a monarch who can trace his or her line back to the First Crown War. Where a human noble measures his power by the expanse of the lands under his rule and the numbers of soldiers at his command, a sun elf noble is known by the honor of her family name, the magical power and lore her family has accumulated, and the wealth and beauty of her palatial home.

LANGUAGE and LITERACY
All sun elves speak Elven, Common, and the human language of their home region. Although they often learn other languages (in particular Auran, Celestial, Chondathan, Gnome, Halfling, Illuskan, and Sylvan), they prefer to use magic to communicate with neighbors or simply insist that visitors learn Elven. Many sun elves choose to study dead languages such as Aragrakh, Loross, or Seldruin in order to increase their access to ancient works and lore. All sun elves are literate, except for barbarians, if any exist.

SUN ELF MAGIC and LORE
The pinnacle of sun elf knowledge is elven high magic, spells that can ward an entire city against evil, conceal an invading army, or cause a forest to grow up overnight. Such magic is not without its risks, a fact that the sun elves are keenly aware of since the fall of Myth Drannor. While the sun elves still remember the secrets of high magic, they refuse to share such knowledge and are hesitant to use such power themselves beyond the borders of Evermeet.

Sun elves have another key advantage—an unparalleled collection of spellbooks, laboratory notes, and other accumulated lore. For ten thousand years, the sun elves have been practicing magic, and the libraries of Evermeet and Evereska are full of magic secrets too numerous to properly catalog.

SPELLS AND SPELLCASTING
The art of high magic is still practiced in Evermeet by the sun elves, who in this day and age comprise almost all elven high mages. They guard the secrets of high magic jealously, and are reluctant to teach its ways to other elves (see the Elven High Mage prestige class in the Appendix).

SUN ELF MAGIC ITEMS
Whereas the moon elves prefer to focus on smaller, easier to craft magic items, the sun elves view such things as wastes of time good only for young wizards to practice on. To a sun elf, a magic item must be powerful and perfect in all ways. Sun elves know that their magic items often find their way into the hands of lesser races, and as a result they view these items as the true legacy of their race. To craft anything less than perfect is to do a disservice to the lesser races—and the reputation of the sun elves.

Common Items: Among the more affordable of sun elf magic items are celestial armor and elven chainmail, which is made of mithral and often magically enhanced.

SUN ELF DEITIES
Religion infuses every aspect of sun elf society. Sun elves believe themselves to be the chosen representatives of the Seldarine in the mortal realm, and are quick to offer prayers of thanks to their deities. These prayers and ceremonies are invariably long, drawn-out affairs during which loud voices, merry songs, or joyful worship are deemed disrespectful. Religion is a serious, solemn subject to the sun elves. They worship all the Seldarine equally, and most choose Corellon Larethian as their patron.

The sun elf devotion to magic, skill at arms, and the superiority of elven civilization means that they have a great and abiding veneration for the leader of the elven pantheon. Like their own nobles, Corellon is a wise, generous, and firm leader who brings forth beauty in the world, then defends his work resolutely. Clerics of the church of Corellon advise the rulers of sun elf communities, and Corellon’s clerics form the heart of a sun elf army when the sun elves must take the field to defend their lands.

Sun elves also venerate Labelas Enorath, the elven deity of longevity, time, and wisdom. While Corellon is seen as the divine leader and protector of the sun elves, Labelas is revered as a counselor and advisor, a source of wisdom in times of trouble. Clerics of Labelas are charged with the keeping of knowledge and records among the sun elves.

RELATIONS with OTHER RACES
The sun elves feel affection for the moon elves, although this affection is often unintentionally patronizing. They fear that their moon elf cousins are too flighty and irreverent, and they strive to help them return to the proper elven path with stern lectures and fatherly advice. They admire the wood elves and feel that they embody the elven spirit of nature. Relations are good between sun elf and wood elf, although the reclusive nature of the wood elves makes direct contact rare. Sun elves are a bit puzzled by the wild elves, and hope one day to civilize them.

Aquatic elves are thought of as near-equals, and the sun elves believe that their water-breathing kin were placed in the world to bring to the seas what the sun elves bring to the lands above. The sun elves deeply regret the sufferings of the avariels, and occasionally send out explorers to seek out avariel aeries and offer them a place on Evermeet.

Sun elf prejudice toward other races (humans in particular) can be quite severe. Many sun elves won’t even deign to speak to a human and would rather leave a dying man to meet his fate than to save him. This attitude is somewhat understandable, given the way humans have historically treated the sun elves and their lands, but it wins the sun elves few friends among their human neighbors.

If there is one race that the sun elves hold in absolute contempt, it is the drow. They view the dark elves as abominations and insults to the Seldarine, and often attack these hated enemies on sight. As word of the drow invasion of Cormanthor begins to spread through Evermeet, it is likely that more and more sun elves will return to the mainland, if only to bring war to the drow and force them from the ruins of what sun elves still consider their lands.

SUN ELF EQUIPMENT
Two things are almost certain about any item of sun elf manufacture: it’s of the finest quality and it’s exceedingly old. Given their long lifespans and obsession with perfection, sun elves make their goods very slowly, throwing them out if even slight imperfections are discovered. Their reverence for history encourages them to keep and treasure antiques. Even a beginning sun elf adventurer might wield a sword that’s several centuries old, and she can probably describe its history and the lineages of its previous owners in great detail.

Sun elves favor gold for decorative elements and mithral for anything that must be strong, such as weapons and armor. Sun elves also know how to make items from glassteel (see the appendix), although they have only used the transparent material on Evermeet and in the enclave of Evereska.

ARMS AND ARMOR
Sun elf weapons and armor are only rarely of less than masterwork quality. They are viewed as works of art in and of themselves and are carried or worn proudly into battle. Sun elves are known to make some of the most exquisite suits of chainmail armor in Faerûn. Some suits of elven chainmail actually contain entire texts of ancient elven works, the words of the work carved with painstaking detail into the very links of the armor.

Sun elves also fashion other suits of armor, including suits of streamlined, beautiful full plate. While the quality of this armor can rival the best work of the dwarves, the sun elves are so obsessed with perfecting every possible aspect of their creations that in the time it takes a sun elf armorer to build one suit of armor, a dwarven smith can crank out a dozen suits of equal quality.

ANIMALS AND PETS
Unlike the other elven subraces, sun elves do not usually keep animals in their homes or cities as pets. Their communities are at peace with nature, though, and the sun elves welcome the company of any animals who pass through the area or choose to make their lairs nearby or within a city. Sun elves are far more likely to call upon powerful elementals or outsiders than goodhearted beasts and woodland creatures to aid in the defense of their homes. More than the other elven subraces, sun elves are keen riders, though they favor winged mounts such as pegasi and giant eagles over more conventional steeds.

The wild elves were always close to nature, even more so than other elves, but they have forgotten many of the high arts and lore of their people, choosing stealth and survival over building and book learning. Wild elves are stocky and strongly built for elves. Their skin tends to be dark brown, and their hair ranges from black to light brown, lightening to silvery white with age.

Regions: Chondalwood, Chessenta, Chult, Elf (wild), or the Shaar.
Racial Feat: Tattoo Magic.

The wild elves of Faerûn are insular and savage, and as a result are rarely seen outside their forest homes. In ages past the wild elves (or green elves, as they were more commonly known) raised great kingdoms in the forests and fielded armies to defend their homes, but with the march of time they have abandoned the trappings of civilization, becoming a furtive, reclusive race. The wild elves were always close to nature, even more so than other elves, but they have forgotten many of the high arts and lore of their people, choosing stealth and survival over building and book learning.

Wild elves are stocky and strongly built for elves. Their skin tends to be dark brown, and their hair ranges from black to light brown, lightening to silvery white with age. They are quiet around anyone except their own kind, and quickly become hostile in these uncomfortable situations. Clothing is kept to a minimum among the wild elves, although they make up for this with body decoration of all sorts—tattoos, war paint, feathers, and beaded jewelry that shows a surprising streak of complex and beautiful artistry. Wild elves share the height of their moon and sun elf kin but are more heavily built. They have the aging characteristics described on Tables 6–4 and 6–5 of the Player’s Handbook, but use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described on Table 6–6:


HISTORY
The wild elves were not always the feral creatures they have become today. Ages ago the green elves, as they were then known, were the first elven explorers (along with the lythari and the avariels) to discover Abeir-Toril, and they quickly became entranced with the wondrous young world. Of this first migration of elves, the green elves were easily the most successful, and they established several territories destined to become great nations: Thearnytaar, Eiellûr, Syòpiir, Miyeritar, and Keltormir.

Unfortunately, with the coming of the Crown Wars, these nations were among the first to fall. Eiellûr fell to the Ilythiiri  (the dark elves) in –11,400 DR, and Thearnytaar in –11,200 DR. The realm of Miyeritar, located where the High Moor now lies, was utterly consumed by the Dark Disaster in –10,500 DR, and the other green elf realms fared little better. The peaceful green elves proved to be relatively easy prey for the cruel dark elves, and by the time the Crown Wars ended in –9000 DR, the idyllic world of the green elves had been shattered. Their great nations razed in centuries of relentless warfare, the green elves began a time they refer to as the Wandering. They never recovered fully from the setbacks of twelve thousand years ago, and raised no more great cities in Faerûn.

The Wandering of the green elves lasted for many long elven generations. Forced to live for centuries as fugitives, slaves, or rootless vagabonds, the surviving green elves receded further and further from elven society, withdrawing to the deepest forests and mountains of Faerûn. While the other subraces races raised the second generation of elven realms in places like Evermeet and Cormanthyr, the green elves placed their trust in secrecy and stealth instead of walls and might, remaining hidden within their forest homes. By the time of Jhaamdath’s rise around –5800 DR, the green elves had settled into several of the places that are still their ancient homelands: the Chondalwood, the Forest of Amtar, and other great old woodlands of southern Faerûn. Over the course of many years, the green elves forgot more and more of their ancient lore and skill, focusing on the only skills that mattered: stealth, survival, hunting, and hiding. They became first a clannish folk, then a tribal culture, and finally a primitive people.

They remained elves, of course, creatures of nobility and magic, but they lost the arts of crafting mighty spells and forging magic weapons. Their fleeting contacts with the rising human empires of the day reinforced the green elf reclusiveness, driving them deeper into the wilds and further from their old ways. Today, the green elves are more widely known as the wild elves, a race lost in time in the sweltering forests of southern Faerûn.

OUTLOOK
The tragic history of the wild elves has left them untrusting of outsiders. Their tactics for dealing with intruders vary from tribe to tribe. Some simply hide and allow the trespassers to go by unknowing, while others attack to capture such interlopers. They rarely kill those they capture, preferring to use magic to alter their memories and carry them far away before releasing them. They make friends slowly, and most nonelves simply don’t have the lifespans required to gain the trust of a tribe of green elves. They excel in combat and often revel in its chaos and primal fury. Little can match the fury of an enraged tribe of green elves.

WILD ELF CHARACTERS
More so than any other elves, wild elves value the martial skills. Barbarians and rangers are very common among the wild elves. The wild elves do not feel close to the Seldarine and do not often become clerics, instead venerating nature itself as druids of Mielikki, Silvanus, or Rillifane Rallathil. Wild elves have no written tradition and little patience for hours of study in any event and so rarely become wizards. Unlike other elves, they prefer the sorcerer’s arts.
Favored Class: Despite their lack of learning and skill, wild elves are just as naturally talented at arcane magic as most other elves. Their favored class is sorcerer, a path of power that rewards spontaneity and creative energy instead of hours of dry study in ancient, moldering tomes.
Prestige Classes: A small number of wild elf fighter/sorcerers follow the path of the arcane archer, but the most common prestige class among the green elves is the hierophant. Wild elves can become very powerful druids, and their leaders often turn to druids for guidance and support.

WILD ELF SOCIETY
Among their friends and kinfolk, wild elves are pleasant and outgoing, somewhat like the moon elves. Their feasts and celebrations are events of great joy, with singing, dancing, and all manner of merry-making. One of the most beloved ways to celebrate is to engage in a hunt. Hunts are tribal affairs in which all elves, young and old, have a part. The actual hunt itself is sometimes only a small part of the overall event, which also includes a religious ceremony and a tribewide festival.

The scattered, tribal nature of the green elves also means that no two tribes are exactly alike. Some have settled in permanent villages with crude huts, while others are nomadic, dwelling in tents and wandering over vast wilderness territories. Gender segregation is common; some tribes are exclusively matriarchal, while others are patriarchal.

Although they have a great interest in music and art, wild elves create few permanent works of art. To the wild elf, the joy of art lies in the creative process, the spontaneous creation of song or dance or effects. They view with distaste attempts to “capture” this process by making permanent works of art, recording songs or stories in writing, and so on, maintaining that to do so imprisons the ever-changing beauty of the world.

LANGUAGE and LITERACY
All wild elves speak Elven, Common, and the language of their home region. They are isolationists and do not trust outsiders, so they rarely learn the languages of their neighbors, especially their enemies. Common additional languages include Gnoll, Illuskan, Mulan, Orc, Shaaran, Sylvan, and Tashalan. Wild elf characters who choose a player character class (other than barbarian) are literate, but all other wild elf characters are illiterate.

ABILITIES and RACIAL FEATURES
Wild elves have all the racial traits listed in the FORGOTTEN REALMS Campaign Setting, except as follows: Proficient with halfspear, short bow, and long bow. Unlike the other elf subraces, wild elves favor weapons they can make without a source of metal and a smithy.

WILD ELF MAGIC and LORE
Although in ancient times the green elves were one of the key developers of elven high magic, their days as practitioners of this potent art are long gone. Today, their spellcasters are almost all druids or sorcerers.

SPELLS AND SPELLCASTING
Wild elf magic is often tied closely to nature. Although the theory behind their spells may be identical to that practiced by other races, wild elf spellcasters often add additional verbal, somatic, and material components to a spell simply to make it seem more naturalistic (see the Primitive Caster feat in the appendix). These additional components do not significantly increase the actual casting time of the spell.

WILD ELF MAGIC ITEMS
Wild elves eschew even the most powerful magic items if they appear to be too far removed from the natural world. They have a particular aversion to forged metal and to most clothing. Their own magic items appear to be crude and primitive, but they are just as effective as their more civilized counterparts. They are particularly fond of magic tattoos, and many wild elves take the Tattoo Magic feat (see the appendix).

WILD ELF DEITIES
The wild elves worship the Seldarine, in particular Rillifane Rallathil, but this worship does not approach the regimented, organized structure of the other elven subraces. Rather, the green elves worship individually when the urge takes them. They commune constantly with a pantheon of nature spirits, each representing an archetypal member of an animal or natural phenomenon.

RELATIONS with OTHER RACES
The green elves do not seek out relations with others, and they do their best to remain unseen and unknown. Nevertheless, wild elves have been known to interact with adventurers, explorers, and lost travelers. Usually, these people are captured, their memories magically erased, and then let go somewhere far from the tribal lands. Rarely, the elves allow a wanderer to visit their camp, usually in times of dire peril when they are forced to call upon outside aid. Those who manage to impress and even befriend a tribe of wild elves find that their friendship is strong and loyal, and such individuals are often gifted with wild elf tattoos or spirit animals.

WILD ELF EQUIPMENT
Wild elves prefer weapons and tools they can make and fix in the middle of a battle or hunt. Despite their disdain for “civilized” goods, wild elves are adept at crafting things in harmony with nature. Their treetop villages, for example, are inextricably part of the healthy trees that support them—an engineering feat that would baffle the best gnome architect.

ARMS AND ARMOR
Wild elves prefer using simple weapons that can be crafted from materials found in the wilderness: bows, crude bone daggers and knives, and clubs. They have a particular fondness for bows and halfspears. Wild elves prefer to wear hide armor, if anything at all. For the most part, wild elves find armor too restrictive, relying on concealment and agility for defense.

ANIMALS AND PETS
Wild elves are quite fond of animals, and most tribes use them as guardians and hunters’ companions. Wolves are commonly found in wild elf tribes, as are birds of prey of all kinds, great cats, and even wolverines. Dire versions of these animals are only slightly more rare.

Wild elves also believe that each of their kind is born with a spirit animal, a guide of sorts that serves as a combination of guardian angel and advisor to the natural world. All young wild elves undergo an involved ritual that demands several hours (often in excess of a day) in an enclosed area filled with steam and the smoke of burning herbs. At some time during this period the elf receives a vision of his spirit animal, and for the rest of his life he feels guarded and protected by this animal.

Wood Elves are reclusive and solitary although not as withdrawn from society as the nearly feral wild elves, so it is rare, but not unheard of, to see wood elves venture from their homes in the High Forest. Wood elves are uncommonly strong for elves, but also smaller and less intuitive than most elves. Also called copper elves, they have coppery skin tinged with green, and brown, green, or hazel eyes. Their hair is usually brown or black, with blond and coppery-red occasionally found.

Regions: The Dalelands, Elf (wood), Great Dale, High Forest, the North, Tethyr, Western Heartlands.
Racial Feats: None.

The wood elves are among the most numerous of Faerûn’s elven people, a young and confident folk who hold the old elven forest homelands in strength. Heirs to the second generation of elven nations, the wood elves see their realms as the natural successors to lands such as Eaerlann and Cormanthyr. Where the old empires expanded with strength and pride, the realms of the wood elves hope to grow with compassion and humility. The wood elves do not view their homelands as a land apart from Faerûn; they understand better than their kindred that for better or worse, their fates are bound up with the fates of the humans, dwarves, and halflings around them. Also known as copper elves or sylvan elves, these people have coppery skin tinged with green, and brown, green, or hazel eyes. Hair is usually brown or black, occasionally blond or copperyred.

Wood elves prefer to dress in simple clothing, similar to the moon elves but not quite so colorful. They favor a simple cut to tunic or dress, set off by common embroidery in natural designs. They are particularly fond of leather armor, and they often wear lovingly tooled and well-crafted suits even when they do not feel endangered. Their clothing, leather armor or not, is usually in dark shades of green and earth tones to better blend with their natural surroundings. They are a humble race and only rarely do they enhance their appearance with jewelry or similar accessories.

Wood elves are as tall as most other Faerûnian elves but more heavily built. They have the aging characteristics described on Tables 6–4 and 6–5 of the Player’s Handbook, and use the following random height and weight characteristics instead of those described on Table 6–6:


HISTORY
The wood elves are the most recent addition to the various elven subraces of Faerûn, although the history of their civilization still exceeds that of many other races of Toril. They also have the unusual distinction (often thought of as an honor by copper elves) of being the only subrace of elves to be actual natives to Faerûn. The first copper elves did not appear at once; their race coalesced slowly over the course of several centuries after the last Crown War, blending several of the older elven kindreds.

The Crown Wars brought down most of the great nations of the First Flowering. In the wake of these terrible wars, thousands of elves were left bereaved and homeless. Families were torn apart, and for many centuries (a time known to the elves as the Wandering Years) these elves simply led the lives of nomads. Some of Faerûn’s elves retreated to their ancestral homes and started to build anew, but on a smaller scale, raising the second generation of elven nations. But a significant portion of elves never felt the need to do so. These elves (mostly moon, sun, and green elves), vowed never again to let internal strife tear their kind apart, retreating to the deepest woodlands to seek shelter from the madness of the world.

Unlike the green elves, these self-imposed exiles did not slip into barbarism. Rather, they formed tightly knit societies that stayed in touch with other like-minded elven communities hidden away in other forests. Over time, these secluded elves grew closer to the natural world and further apart from the high magic and ancient lore the elves had brought from their first home, and became a new subrace of elves apart from their kin: the wood elves.

While the sun elves and moon elves founded realms such as Evermeet and Evereska after the Crown Wars, the great realm of the wood elves was ancient Eaerlann, a realm founded in the eastern High Forest around –4700 DR. The elves of Eaerlann engaged other young empires of the North in peaceful trade and diplomacy, befriending the dwarven realm of Delzoun soon after its establishment in –3900 DR, and tutoring the early Netherese in magic around –3830 DR. The human empire of Netheril soon eclipsed its elven neighbors, growing in martial and magical might at an alarming pace.

In –3533 DR the Netherese uncovered the Nether Scrolls in the ruins of Aryvandaar, eagerly exploiting magic so powerful and terrible that even the sun elves of the First Flowering had not dared to employ it. For centuries the wood elves of Eaerlann sought to quietly check Netheril’s pride and expansionism, but in –339 DR, the Netherese destroyed themselves as Karsus sought godhood and instead brought cataclysmic destruction down on his people. The elves of Eaerlann took in many Netherese survivors, allowing them to settle in the city of Ascalhorn.

The elves and humans of the North lived in peace for a time, but Ascalhorn too was doomed to fall through the folly of mages. Careless summoning of powerful fiends led to a sudden, terrible assault by an army of devils who overthrew the proud city in 882 DR. This time, Eaerlann did not survive the destruction of the neighboring human realm. Already gravely weakened by a year of battling against ferocious orc hordes, Eaerlann fell soon after Ascalhorn became Hellgate Keep.

In the years since the fall of Eaerlann, the wood elves have not raised any more great realms, choosing to put their trust in stealth and vigilance instead of castles and cities. Although they felt the call of the Elven Retreat, the wood elves did not respond. With the end of the Retreat, the wood elves have emerged from their secret homes in the depths of Faerûn’s woodlands as a strong and confident people whose wariness is tempered by compassion. The wood elves of the High Forest dream of reestablishing old Eaerlann, but this time their realm will be a realm of reclusive villages and watchful foresters, not walled cities and proud warriors.

OUTLOOK
Wood elves are calm, serene, and difficult to surprise. Their patience is legendary. They are at one with the world of nature, and are not comfortable in areas of heavy civilization. They have lost the urge to build and replace nature with walls and palaces; even the cities built by their elven kin seem to be foolish to the wood elves. They have come to believe that buildings of stone are transitory in nature, and that in time, the forest returns to overgrow the greatest of cities. Other races interpret this attitude as fatalistic or condescending, and as a result wood elves find it hard to understand anyone who isn’t a wood elf.

WOOD ELF CHARACTERS
Of all the elven subraces, the copper elves have the least fascination with arcane magic. They understand its power and a number of their folk study its ways, but ultimately the artifice of arcane lore is simply one more way of expressing dominion over the natural order of things, and the wood elves view it in that light. Wood elves make excellent fighters, rangers, and rogues, relying on their natural strength and quickness to meet challenges. Wood elves from particularly remote forests sometimes become barbarians. Clerics are somewhat rare among this people, but druids are very common and are the most prominent spellcasters of the race.
Favored Class: Wood elves are master hunters, and most train enough to possess at least one level of ranger. Favored enemies usually include orcs, gnolls, outsiders (planetouched), and other savage races that dwell near the traditional homelands of the wood elves.
Prestige Classes: When wood elves choose to take up a prestige class, they are usually drawn to the arcane archer or hierophant classes. Like the moon elves, wood elves are friendly toward the Harpers and all they represent, so they are commonly Harper scouts. Few wood elves become spellsingers or bladesingers.

WOOD ELF SOCIETY
Wood elves live at ease with nature, using what naturally occurs in the world to shelter or defend themselves. They are not nomadic, and claim large territories in the deepest woodlands of Faerûn. Some wood elves choose to do without houses, furnishings, and any possessions they can’t carry, using the high branches of great trees or natural caves in their roots for shelter and storage. Most wood elves instead prefer to dwell in small villages of permanent homes of natural fieldstone and lovingly carved wood, so carefully concealed among the surrounding wilderness that a human hunter might walk through the center of a wood elf village and not even notice that he had done so.

Wood elves adhere to a tradition of leadership by their oldest and most experienced druids, although most villages form a council of elders selected from the wisest and most experienced elves of each family to handle day-to-day affairs. The druidical hierarchy serves to unite wood elves of different villages and weld all the wood elves of a particular forest into a common realm. The druids do not presume to tell the elders how to run a village, but the elders generally give great weight to anything a druid chooses to say.

Wood elves excel in the hunt. They spend much of their time stalking their chosen territory on the search for food or intruders into their realm. The rest of their time is spent frolicking among the branches; in this regard, they are quite similar to moon and wild elves. With the end of the Retreat, wood elves are quickly coming back into contact with the civilized world. Although they are reluctant to allow others into their lands, wood elves understand that times are changing. If they are to survive as a people, it may be time to change for the copper elves to change as well.

LANGUAGE and LITERACY
All wood elves speak Elven, Common, and the language of theirhome region, if any. The average wood elf has neither the interest nor the dedication required to learn other languages, but those who do often learn Chondathan, Draconic, Gnome, Goblin, Gnoll, and Sylvan. All wood elf characters are literate except for barbarians.

WOOD ELF MAGIC and LORE
Among the wood elves, magic finds its truest expression in the power the druid is able to coax from the natural world. Wizardly magic is suspect—all that time among tomes divorces the spellcaster from the surrounding world—and clerics need to call on distant gods for help. By contrast, druids use the power of the forest itself. More importantly, druids use that power to protect and nurture the forest, and wood elves are pragmatic enough to judge magic by its end result.

SPELLS AND SPELLCASTING
While the wood elves are as magical as the other elven subraces, they have for the most part abandoned their interest in arcane magic. Most wood elf spellcasters are druids and rangers, and although wood elf bards, sorcerers, and wizards are far from unknown, they have developed no specific magical traditions of their own.

WOOD ELF MAGIC ITEMS
Wood elf magic items are invariably crafted from materials found in nature, much like those created by the wild elves. Unlike the work of the wild elves, these objects are not primitive in appearance; wood elf magic items are often quite beautiful and graceful. Druidic magic is most commonly used in their society to fashion magic items.

WOOD ELF DEITIES
Wood elves worship the Seldarine, but they hold a special respect and reverence for the ancient forest powers of Faerûn, Silvanus and Mielikki. Among the Seldarine, the wood elves hold a particular reverence for Solonor Thelandira, the Great Archer, and Rillifane Rallathil, the Leaflord. Solonor, as the deity of archery and the hunt, is viewed as the special patron of the wood elves, and before battle a wood elf will often invoke his name.

RELATIONS with OTHER RACES
In the five hundred years since the fall of Eaerlann, the wood elves have been forgotten by most of the other peoples of Faerûn. Only those humans and dwarves native to the North and familiar with the borders of the High Forest have seen copper elves, and even then, they most likely met a solitary hunter or ranger. While the wood elves shelter deep inside forbidding forests and are therefore inaccessible to their neighbors, they are ironically among the more compassionate and understanding of the elven subraces. Like the moon elves, they accept the power of humankind and seek to live alongside their human neighbors and guide their expansion instead of seeking ways to deter or intimidate the human lands.

Wood elves have a long history of cooperation with the shield dwarves, whose realm of Ammarindar stood alongside their own realm of Eaerlann for many centuries in the vale of the Delimbiyr River. By extension, they look favorably on most other dwarves, too. Gnomes and halflings are both greeted as friends and potential allies. On the other hand, the wood elves have a cold place in their hearts for creatures such as orcs and gnolls, who bring axes, fire, and slaughter to the forests the wood elves have sworn to preserve.

WOOD ELF EQUIPMENT
Wood elves do not often work with metal, but this is not because they lack the skill or knowledge to do so. Rather, they simply have no interest in working with metal. They prefer to fashion their weapons of wood and stone.

ARMS AND ARMOR
Wood elves are masters at building armor and weapons. In particular, they seem to have a knack for building bows of all kinds (but not crossbows). The wood elves have developed a large number of specialized arrows as well, including arrows that fly farther than normal or serve as signal devices (see the Equipment section of the appendix). These arrows are not generally sold to visitors because wood elves have little use for outside money in their society, but they often give these arrows to allies as gifts. Of course, the majority of wood elf arrows make their way into the world after they are shot at intruders. Any fletcher not trained by the wood elves suffers a –4 penalty on any Craft check made to construct these specialized arrows. Wood elves are adept at dying their leather armor in the exact shades of green and brown of the surrounding foliage. When in their home forest, wood elves wearing armor treated with the camouflage dye receive a +4 circumstance bonus on Hide checks (see the appendix).

ANIMALS AND PETS
Wood elves are completely at home with the other creatures of the woods and often ally themselves with any who live in the region. They do not necessarily keep them as pets, but instead just happen to share the same territory. Their favored animal companions are the various great cats, especially mountain lions, pumas, and leopards (treat all as leopards). Wood elves also share a kinship with giant owls, one of the only sentient creatures with whom they feel completely at ease. The two groups often live in harmony, with the owls serving as advance scouts for the elves and the elves serving as protectors in times of peril to the owls.

Star elves are the least common sort of elves in Faerûn. Also called mithral elves, they have fair skin (sometimes tinged with blue) and hair of silver-white, black, or blue. Their eyes are blue or green, with gold flecks. They are the elven subrace least tolerant of humankind, and few half-elves are descended from star elves. Star elves, or mithral elves, or Ruar-tel-quessir, as they used to be known, were a race of elves who spent around two thousand years hidden away in the extraplanar redoubt they called Sildëyuir, before trickling back to Faerûn.

DESCRIPTION
Star elves looked a lot like moon elves, with light skin and hair of gold, red, or silver. They had violet or gray eyes with occasional gold flecks in them. They were tall for elves, being about 5 1⁄2 to 6 ft (1.67 to 1.83 m) tall, and had a slender build. They liked to wear elaborate tunics but in neutral tones, so as to better remain unseen in the forest. They were strikingly handsome by human standards, even more so than other elves.

PERSONALITY
Aloof and cautious, star elves were unfamiliar with Faerûn and even other races. Isolated in the twilight realm of Sildëyuir, they had no contact with N'Tel'Quess and they liked it that way. It was the war-like and expansionistic humans that caused them to create the realm of Sildëyuir and flee their home in the first place. They generally got along with other elves, though they feared for the moon elves and half-elves of Aglarond who they believed were overly generous and a touch naive.

Perhaps not surprisingly, star elves as a race were generally chaotic in nature rather than lawful. They valued individual accomplishment and rights over the demands of society.

STAR ELF SOCIETY
After centuries of isolation, star elves have little understanding of Faerun. They were looking for a solution, either by finding allies that would help them to defeat the Nilshai threat or by finding a place were they could settle if Sildëyuir has to be abandoned. Star elves are not a devout race but worshiped and recognized the Seldarine with special reverence to Corellon Larethian.

As they had non or few contact with the outside world for centuries, star elves had little understanding of common humanoids races, such as dwarves and humans. They see in human a bellicose and imperialist race which use too easily weapons and magic to reach their expansion goals. They would have good relationship with other elven races, especially with wood and sun elves.

HISTORY
In −6950 DR star elves began to gather in the Yuirwood, where a number of green elves already lived. Shortly thereafter the star and green elf nation of Yuireshanyaar was formed in −6600 DR. They had over 5,000 years of peace during that time, largely isolated from the other events occurring across Faerûn. Around −1250 DR the human nation of Unther expanded to the southern coast of Aglarond and battled Yuireshanyaar. The elves lost, and retreated back into the woods. Less than 200 years later the elves were assaulted by orcs during the Orcgate Wars.

In −900 DR the elves begin to notice the rise of Narfell and Raumathar, and knowing that history repeats itself they foresaw disaster in the humans' misuse of magic. With the Untheric humans on their southern coast, orcs in the mountains due east, and two powerful and dangerous human nations to the north, the star elves decide that they needed to find a safer home. The elven high mages created a network of stone circles around the Yuirwood, which was then used to channel a spell that formed the demi-plane realm of Sildëyuir. Finally, in −699 DR the star elves completely abandoned Yuireshanyaar for Sildëyuir. Most of the green elves decided to remain behind.

The star elves of the Yuirwood retreated to this plane and stayed there for a little over two millennia, until they were forced out by alien sorcerers called Nilshai who corrupted their home with strange magic. They were suspected to return to the Yuirwood pushed away by this threat.

More closely related to wild elves than high elves, painted elves commonly dwell in petrified forests - which in ages past, they claim, were their ancestral homes. The painted elves take their name from the nature of the wastes in which they dwell, but also from their habit of camouflaging themselves with pigments derived from the mineral deposits found in such places. Though they rarely see visitors - since painted deserts and petrified forests offer little in the way of treasure - painted elves are extremely distrustful of outsiders, and can turn on guests at the slightest provocation.