Plan is to post some info on the setting I am working on in order to get it “done”.
First on the agenda is elves. A reminder for people who have forgotten or don’t know, I was concerned over their life spans. Partly due to the fact it was making a timeline difficult to create due to what is ancient to the short lived races was within the lifetime of many elves. The other reason is due to there being a hatred against immortal races which whether or not elves fall under they are at least close enough for many to consider immortal. This hatred festered due to many mortal races having been servient under the immortal races.
Recently though I think I was making a mistake, thinking of this as a problem rather than an opportunity.
Instead of shortening the life expectancies of elves and finding other traits to justify their existence as their own ancestry, I am currently thinking of ways for the long living elves to avoid persecution/genocide.
The four kinds of elves came about when the original elves began studying magic. As they furthered the practising of a tradition each kind developed a synergy with that tradition. Elves don’t exclusively practice the tradition matching their type, but those that practice others are rare.
Arcane Elves
Description: Elves that studied the Arcane tradition of magic. Survival Tactic: Arcane elves survive from a two part plan. First, most communities are isolated and don’t allow outsiders. Elves leaving the community only do so for short spans of time. The elves that leave the community frequently will pretend to be their own offspring. The arcane elves even spread the rumour that arcane elves pass memories down to their offspring to use as a cover for any slip ups that might occur.
Primal Elves
Description: Elves that embraced the primal tradition grew strong ties with nature itself. Primal elves have physical adaptations appropriate for their environment. For instance warm fur to keep an elf warm in cold climates or a jungle elf having vines for hair or bark skin. Survival Tactics: Rather than relying on trickery, the primal elves permanently transform into a local plant or animal.
Occult Elves
Description: Elves that branched off and investigated the occult tradition of magic. Skin is partly translucent in shades of obsidian, blue and purple. Survival Tactics: Most surviving Occult Elves are descendents of a single occult elf community that are cursed to die on reaching a certain age (100?). They remain youthful until their last moments when the curse takes their life. Some occult elves in their twilight years tend to be reckless, attempting to die unexpectedly. The ancient curse is suspected to have been performed by the occult elves’ ancestors themselves in order to avoid hostilities with their neighbours.
Divine Elves
Description: Have markings around their body that have a faint glow. Markings and colour are related to any outsider or deity that they are connected to. Survival Tactics: Most surviving divine elves spend their lives serving mortals or deities. Sticking to more humble social positions throughout their long lives has curved hatred against them.
The to be named elven Murder Suicide Cult - a cult that exists to wipe the remainder of the immortal races off the world. Mostly they target elves, both as potential members to join and to kill. Indoctrinated elves sign a pact to end their own lives after non members have been purged.
Junk
Isolation and convincing others that memories are passed down to offspring so that Ancestral (Arcane) - Some isolated elven communities have gotten away with convincing outsiders that memories are passed down generations, to explain why an elf who may be pretending to be their own offspring mistakenly recall an ancestor’s memory as one of their own. A tradition of retiring to their hometown has been practised, so outsiders have only ever encountered adult elves of that community.
(Primal) - Primal elves are more open to outsiders and upon reaching a certain age transform into a plant or animal relevant to their tribe to continue their life. A ranger or druid’s animal companion may even be an ancestor of theirs. Primal elves tend to have physical characteristics matching their environment. Bark skin and vines for hair in jungles. Warm fur in the arctic regions.