Grey Elves

Grey elves are at once the most noble and most reclusive of the elves. They have withdrawn from the world after making their mark, which was to ensure that the world was well on the path to goodness. The grey elves view themselves as the protectors of good in the world, but they will stir from their mountains and meadows to protect the "lesser" races only when they are faced with great evil.

Grey elves act much like human knights—supercilious and condescending, full of their own importance. They think nothing of speaking their minds, provided that this remains within the bounds of elven decorum. They are often haughty, disdaining contact with most others, including all other elves save grey elves.

This subrace garbs themselves in wool tunics of gold, silver, white, or yellow. Over these, they wear cloaks of dark blue or purple. Their dress alone often makes them the most striking of the elves, and their elegant bearing and pure beauty make them almost appear as supernatural creatures.

When arming themselves for battle, they don shimmering suits of plate or chain mail, protecting the head with winged helmets. Their weapons, created by master elf crafters, shine brightly under any light. Mounted warriors ride griffons or hippogriffs into battle, swooping down upon their enemies with dreadful perfection.

Taller and more slender than the other elves, grey elves typically have silver hair and amber eyes. This does not give them any special abilities, but it does serve to distinguish them from their high elven brethren. Somewhat rarer are those grey elves who have pale golden hair and violet eyes. These elves are often known as faerie and are probably those who first made contact with humans.

While not exactly bigoted toward other races, the grey elves do believe in the purity of the elven line. They are the least tolerant of other races, and they take pains to ensure that they remain secluded from all—sometimes even other elves. Only the mightiest mages of other races are allowed within their mountain citadels, and these are greeted with suspicion. The grey elves are not rabid in their dislike of the shorter-lived races, but they do fear the corruption that the other races can bring to the elves.

Because of their reverence for the sanctity of elven blood, grey elves have striven to maintain their original ideals. They consider themselves to be the purest form of all elves. They believe that, since the other elves do not concern themselves with maintaining their purity, their role in the elven world is less than that of the grey elf. These elves feel that they are the "true" elves and that others are somehow lesser versions. The grey elves staunchly believe this to be true, despite the fact that they are an offshoot of the original high elf line.

Grey elves disguise the entrances to their mountain meadows and remote cities with powerful magic, ensuring that only those who are elves or familiar with the elven dweomer can discover their retreats. If members of another race find their hideaways, the grey elves are not averse to casting a high-level forget spell. They have worked long and hard to achieve their hidden lands, and they welcome not those who stumble across them.

Of all elves, grey elves rely the most on their intelligence. While other elves are by no means stupid, grey elves trust less in physical prowess than they do the mind. Their line breeds more mages and mage combinations than any other, and some of the most esteemed of their subrace are scholars.

Their entire existence is based on developing and discovering new knowledge, and they therefore spend less time on the pleasurable pursuits that occupy other elves' lives. Their mages are without peer in the elven world. Even mages of greater power from other races speak of the knowledge of the grey elves with no small measure of fascination.

Because the only wizard specialties available to elves are Diviner and Enchanter, grey elves usually do not become specialist wizards. Instead, they learn more about magic in general; their long lifespans ensure that they are among the most knowledgeable mages on any world, though not necessarily the most powerful.

However, like all elves, their crafters have had centuries to perfect their art. Since the grey elves have a much fiercer dedication to perfection than other elves, their products are finer than any others in the world. Only some dwarves can rival the expertise shown by grey elves—but even then they cannot rival the sheer beauty exhibited in elven manufacture.

It is a guaranty that almost any grey elven work can hold the strongest magicks and enchantments. The very qualities of the manufacture work subtle charms into the item, making it more receptive to whatever potent magic a mage might use to enhance it. The grey elves have produced most of the magical items attributed to elvenkind. They are particularly devoted to the creation of tomes and scrolls.

Grey elves often have the most extensive libraries of anyone in the world. Any grey elf community of more than 50 years will have a communal library rivaling those of any major city or wizard. Such libraries are open to all elves who wish to better themselves and increase their knowledge. Since the grey elves value the constant expansion of their stores of books, many spend their lives in research (either magical or scientific), writing learned treatises.

Because they spend so much time in research, grey elves often have little time to spare for physical labor, although this does not preclude craftsmanship. In order to maintain their cities, they must rely on "lesser" elves for the upkeep of their realms. Since almost all of these servant elves have been brought up in the particular atmosphere of the grey elves, they believe that their lot in life is to serve the grey elves. Although some do leave, most do not have the spirit to do so. Many are truly happy performing tasks for their masters and would not dream of departing. The stratified society offers them security and comfort.

Grey elves are not harsh taskmasters, but neither are they forgiving. When a servitor elf fails in a task or performs it poorly, punishment is swift and to the point. Few make the same mistake twice.

Grey elf society is among the most rigidly defined in any world. They are ruled by a hereditary monarch, either male or female, who can be succeeded by any of the other members of the House Royal. This is subject to approval by a majority of the House Noble. The ruler must have all decisions ratified by such a majority.

Beneath these two Houses are the Merchant Houses, of which the Guild Houses are a part. The House Protector is equal to the Merchant Houses. Beneath the Merchant Houses are the Servitor Houses. Beneath them are the casteless elves, who have almost no voice in grey elf society.

Interestingly enough, most other elves do not readily befriend grey elves, for they see the grey elves as far too serious and arrogant. Indeed, some elves think the grey subrace is far closer to the word "human" than "elf." They think the grey elves have lost the elven joy of life, for the grey elves prefer to spend their time with books rather than revel in the outdoors and the goodness of life. Instead of exploring the boundaries of life, they are learning to be serious.

In some elves' eyes, grey elves have even gone so far as to enslave other elves—if not in fact, then at least in spirit. The grey elves' "servants" have none of the typical elven love of life, nor do they have that spark that is so particularly elven. This causes many elves to shun much contact with the grey elves. Even though the servitor elves are there by choice, such order and lawfulness inherent in the grey elf society seems repulsive and even dwarvish to most elves.

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

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