High Elves

The most commonly seen of all elves, the high elves are also the most open and friendly. They have no compunction about traveling in the world outside their lands, and they do so much more often than other elves. Since they have the most contact with the non-elven world and since their subrace is more adventurous than other elves, most elf PCs are high elves.

While at first they may seem aloof and arrogant, a glimmer of true self can be learned with a little effort. High elves know the value of friendship and alliance with the other good races of the world. However, they are not always easily befriended. Many high elves are cautious about trusting the shorter-lived races; quite a few learned to distrust humans and dwarves in their younger days. Thus, although high elves serve the cause of good, one can never be sure of what the reception from them will be.

High elves are very pale. Though they spend a great deal of time outdoors, their skin simply doesn't tan, no matter how long they are in the sun. However, their skin is less a corpselike pallor than the color of new cream. Their hair and eyes fall into two major variations. One is fair not only of skin, but of hair as well. These elves generally have blond hair and blue eyes. The other variation, equally numerous, seems far more mysterious. They have dark hair, ranging from sandy brown to sheerest black, and intense green eyes. These two varieties of high elves have no other significant differences, but they are nonetheless often treated differently simply because of their appearance.

High elves prefer light pastel shades over the colors worn by grey elves. Since they rely on hunting and woodsmanship, they often wear cloaks of green for camouflage in forests.

Their preferred weapon is the bow, but they are also adept with long and short swords. In battle, they wear their gleaming elven chain mail beneath cloaks "woven of the essence of the woods," which allows them to move silently through forests, strike quickly, and then retreat. Although they may befriend giant eagles and occasionally use them for transport, they rarely use mounts because horses and the like are too unwieldy in the forest. Only on the long-distance journeys or on the plains will high elves use mounts.

High elf civilization is much like that rumored in children's fairy tales. Elven homes are enchanted, the lands under their jurisdiction places of goodness. The realms of high elves are fabled in the lands of men, and the highest aspiration of many a human is to slip into the arms of death while basking in the serenity of the elf lands.

These elves do not place a great deal of value on society, preferring instead to live as they wish rather than how someone tells them to. Their villages are peaceful places, for the elves all look out for one another. They have a royal bloodline of sorts, but few elves pay it much heed. They do not respect someone purely on the basis of birth.

High elves live in a constant relationship with nature, never taking more than they need and giving back ever more. They replenish the forests and the plains constantly, ensuring that there will always be nature within their world. As such, they are often regarded by other good-aligned races as the highest epitome of goodness. Although those who prefer law over freedom do not always agree, they nearly always have respect for the quality of elven life. There is no doubt that the high elves lead a fine life: Freedom, nature, and the sheer vitality of being alive comprise the daily existence of a high elf.

These elves have few cares or worries, and their lives are often characterized by idyllic splendor. While they face problems from rampaging humanoids or the encroachment of humans, they seem to live free of the cares that so often plague other elves. Because they live so closely in harmony with nature, they have little trouble finding sustenance in the areas near their homes. Game proliferates near high elf communities, and the earth is fertile for them. However, should the high elves roam farther afield, they often discover a different matter entirely. A band of elves on the march must sometimes rely upon the generosity of others.

(See also Monstrous Manual, Player's Handbook, and Player's Option: Skills & Powers)

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