Elves

Most Elves you meet during your travels are of the Sylvan variety. This is because their seafaring cousins don’t like to venture far from water and are therefore most often encountered along the coast line or in the rivers of the great Siimessalo forest. Although very different in appearance, these two races of Elves have learned to work together for mutual protection. The magnificent Elven capital of Siimes consists of several layers of habitation; Where the sunlight reaches down to kiss the foliage of the great trees, there are temples, palaces and marketplaces on raised platforms built in and around their trunks and branches for the Woodland Elves. Further down, the shade-loving Sea Elves dart nimbly along the water-filled canals and into their cozy caves dug amongst the roots.

All Elves are lithely built and on average shorter than humans. The skin color of the Woodland Elves resembles tree bark, with the skin of elderly Elves taking on the thickness and texture of bark as well. It is believed that the trees of Siimessalo are actually the bodies of very old Woodland Elves, who still watch over their descendants long after they have been rooted to the earth.

Sea Elves, by comparison, have countershaded skin, with a lighter-colored front of the body and a darker back and sides. Their lower limbs taper off into two eel-like tails, which makes them clumsy on land, but extremely agile in the water. They have large, fin-like ears and long, sleek hair. They have little need for clothing, as their skin is thick and coarse like leather.

The Elves have a dual-monarch system known as the Two-as-One: at any time, there is one king or queen that is of Sylvan and one that is of Sea Elf descent. These two work together closely, representing not only the interests of their respective peoples but the Elven kingdom as a whole. Ideally, their reigns overlap so that when a new Sylvan Elf king/queen comes to power, they are guided by their older and more experienced Sea Elf co-ruler, and vice versa. There is generally no expectation of a romantic partnership between the two rulers, but it is not unheard of; however, no Sea-Sylvan offspring has ever been born of such a union.