ELVES — SPECIES

Salorras species: Elves — the oldest living people of the world, a legendary philosopher-race whose power grows with age. Built on the 2024 Elf chassis (Darkvision, Fey Ancestry, Keen Senses, Trance) with two Salorras signatures: Elven Insight and The Philosopher’s Calling (which replaces the standard Elven Lineage).

Origin: Khalendianil — the oldest living people of the world, unchanged since prehistory Stature: A little below the human average, slender and elegant — almond eyes, silken skin, metabolically lean Lifespan: Adult at one hundred and ten; the Philosopher’s Calling in the third or fourth century; Philosopher Kings approaching and beyond the millennium Bloodlines: anardil · isil · lumel · nendili · tavari · walda — six kingdoms, six sister philosophies Faith: Eone — the first philosopher among them, honored universally alongside each bloodline’s own traditions Languages: Native — Elven; honored — the ancient dragon-speech and the four elemental tongues; esoteric — the lost tongues of giants and other vanished peoples

The elves are perhaps the oldest people of Salorras whose foundations remain unchanged to this day. Centuries-old creatures who seem to have stepped out of human fairy tales, elves are a rare sight and take no part in the affairs of the other common peoples. Secluded in the elven lands of the elder continent of Khalendianil, this mythic people lets no one trespass uninvited upon their territory. A people deeply interwoven with the world’s prehistory, elves abide in their ancient traditions, upholding an idealized model of philosophers who rule with the support of their own mages; their population is tiny, owing to a difficult reproduction that happens only between compatible pairs in true affection — the “attunement” they speak of. In youth, elves leave their homelands on a quest to find their identity and see with their own eyes all they were taught.

Character

Elves stand out for the gentleness and wisdom that govern them — creatures of boundless patience who always act thinking of the impact of their deeds on the future and the balance of the world. Every elf learns from childhood to tend mind and body alike; they are troubled at the sight of pointless violence, yet rarely involve themselves in matters that do not concern them. They love the arts in all their forms and seek perfection in what they love — and since time flows differently for them, adult elves are masters of their craft. The image of the philosopher-king under the aegis of the occultist mages is, for them, a life’s calling.

Appearance

Elves are little shorter than the human average, their limbs long and slender; their skin is almost always fair and soft as silk, their silhouette lean, for their metabolism never lets them carry extra weight. Their hair, black or blond, is straight, though the rest of the body is hairless; their almond eyes have heavenly pupils of light shades, though some have been seen pitch-black and lusterless. Elves come of age after their 110th year, and as an elf matures, facets of personality and bodily ability unfold, so that they differ markedly from one another by age.

Neighbors and Rivals

Elves bond with others only with great difficulty, for their nature demands far more time than a human’s; yet a friendship, once formed, is sacred and honored forever. They regard the other common peoples as a “little” sibling, preferring a neutral stance inclined toward peace — but if they must change a “variable” they believe is unbalancing the cosmos, they will not hesitate, however harsh it seems. To most peoples, elves seem remote and “forgotten” from the depths of prehistory; in most of the world, humans have never even seen an elf — for them, the “elves” are the elmaers — and dwarves call them xenophobic and withdrawn. On the rare occasions an elf appears in open view, reactions vary: admiration, awe, fear, or hatred.

Faith

Religion is a sensitive chord in elven culture. The beliefs in the spirit of Eone — one of the first elves — are an inseparable part of their culture, a doctrine that aims to identify with the world’s energies and become great philosophers. To a greater or lesser degree, all elves hold in their hearts the doctrine of Eone and the teachings of their people’s traditions.

Conscience

The morals of elves are unpredictable to other peoples. Their stance is seemingly neutral, though in practice it may differ: at times they intervened in the most appalling way under the pretext of “balance,” while in other texts they appear as saviors. These long-lived creatures have watched the world change more times than they can count, which makes them seem remote and arrogant — regardless that they are not driven by racism.

Elven Domains

The ancient elven people appeared on the elder continent of Khalendianil, and there their kingdoms still hold seat, deep in the mountains and the open valleys of the north. Their kingdoms divide into the six peoples the elves named from within — the anardil, the isil, the lumel, the nendili, the tavari, and the walda — each with its own history upon shared foundations, each land sacred and untrodden by unworthy outsiders. One enters only by the “Philosopher’s Invitation”; trespassers rarely lived to tell the tale. Beyond Khalendianil the elves hold no material domain; myths speak of an ideal land in the notional Continuums that ring the planet, but nothing has been confirmed.

Wanderers and Seekers

Adventure and seeking have occupied the elves since the dawn of the world. One of their foremost traditions is to send the young to travel the world and armor themselves with knowledge and experience. It is rare to meet an elf beyond their homelands, and if it happens, we almost always speak of one young in age.

Language

Elves have their own tongue, Elven — melodious, for the humans who have heard it say it sounds like “a flowing brook.” Beyond their own tongue, elves often know the ancient speech of dragons and, not unlikely, the tongues of the four elemental energies; as learned creatures who delight in languages, they may know any tongue — even some of lost civilizations, such as that of the giants.

Elf Starborns

There is no known elven starborn in history to date. A myth speaks of the first elven starborn yet to come, who will bring deliverance to the balance of energies — while other versions tell of the world’s revelation.

Names

Every elf is baptized by the philosopher-kings, who decide the name according to the positions of the outer dimensions and how they influence Salorras — whether waning, neighboring, or waxing, and whether through the shadow or through the aether.

Male names: Aerendyl, Adorellan, Avithmisir, Biarmirin, Elinthyr, Elorfindal, Evindilir, Ioliisir, Liorimas, Iliriasin, Kalaerin, Phaendar, Myrdin, Naerakir, Raelfir, Synamrel, Thrimilin, Valamaerm. Female names: Anaryiliis, Abrylane, Briliria, Calanthra, Ealmyrna, Ellavria, Freyalia, Ghelnia, Ioliis, Kleavi, Liviria, Maluriavi, Nyavela, Olivandria, Phalminia, Quyern, Selviria, Trisvarma, Valenthra, Ylmariis. Family and House names: Amarigalyr, Aranthyle, Caulthor, Eleminor, Faylirinth, Ilvinorimyth, Kyelmar, Larimor, Myatharandir, Nellerimor, Otriamaranth, Quillisar, Sythrantyle, Valaminyr, Ylfarantis.

Elf Traits (5e 2024)

Whatever an elf loses in physical drive is repaid in perception, wisdom, and communion with the powers around them. Your ability scores come from your background, as in 2024.

• Creature Type: Humanoid.
• Size: Medium.
• Speed: 30 feet.
• Darkvision: 60 feet.
• Fey Ancestry (Elven Heritage): You have Advantage on saving throws to avoid or end the Charmed condition, and magic can’t put you to sleep.
• Keen Senses (Twilight Senses): You gain proficiency in one of the following skills of your choice: Insight, Perception, or Survival.
• Trance (Meditative Repose): You don’t need to sleep, and magic can’t make you Unconscious to put you to sleep. You can finish a Long Rest in 4 hours of Trance while remaining dimly aware of your surroundings.
• Elven Insight: The flash of clarity that deepens with the centuries. After you roll the d20 for an attack roll, saving throw, or ability check, you can add 1d6 to the roll. You can use this trait once, regaining the use when you finish a Long Rest. (At your DM’s option, an elf of great age regains a second use on a Short Rest — see the Philosopher King below.)

The Philosopher’s Calling

Where the 3.5e elf unlocks a philosophical path with the centuries, the 5e elf chooses that calling at 1st level — the path their long life will grow into. Choose one of the following. (This replaces the standard 2024 Elven Lineage.)

• Philosopher of the Arcane. You learn one wizard cantrip of your choice; your spellcasting ability for it is Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma (chosen now). Starting at character level 5, you can also cast Detect Magic and one 1st-level wizard spell of your choice once per Long Rest without a spell slot, using the same ability.
• Philosopher of the Blade. Choose one weapon as your bonded arm: you gain proficiency with it, it counts as magical for you, and while wielding it you score a critical hit on a roll of 19 or 20. You can change the bonded weapon when you finish a Long Rest spent in drill.
• Philosopher of the Arts. Your words steady an ally in crisis. As a Bonus Action, you give one creature within 30 feet a d6 that it can add to one attack roll, ability check, or saving throw it makes within the next 10 minutes. You can do this once per Long Rest, and the die becomes a d8 at character level 5.
• Philosopher of the Divines. You are a conduit of divine energy. Once per Long Rest, when you hit a creature with an attack, you deal an extra 1d8 radiant damage (2d8 at character level 5).
• Philosopher of Transitions. You slip through the shadows between places. You gain proficiency in Stealth, and you can cast Misty Step once per Long Rest without a spell slot (using Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma — the same ability as your Calling, if any).

Philosopher King

Only the rarest elves live long enough to become Philosopher Kings — beings who have harmonized mind and body with the rhythms of the world. This is the elder pinnacle of the species, and a table that wants to reflect it may grant a venerable elf the following at high levels: you can’t be Charmed or Frightened, you regain the use of Elven Insight on a Short Rest as well as a Long Rest, and you add your Wisdom modifier (minimum +1) to your Initiative.