Elves

The Elves of Amestria
There are 2 species of elves that live in Amestria, the one that is most common are the Alorian Elves. There is an unknown race of elves native to Amestria however.

The Alorian Elves
The Alorian elves are not native to Amestria, they arrived by ship from a land far across the sea in the great unknown. These elves had varied customs since they were divided into 3 groups. However the vast majority of them claim to be from southern Deandroc, wherever that place may be. These elves behave much like humans and have complex societies and social architecture. They live very much like any human would, however they share some important differences from the humans. First of all they live to be roughly 2000 years old at the very most. Secondly is their physical appearance. And lastly is their agility and aptitude for the arcane arts. The lifespan of Alorian elves is most likely not the same on their home soil. Some claim that Amestria exists in a different magical plane and when they cross over it their lifespan changes, however scholars have not found any proof of this yet. The elves have pointy ears and very pale skin almost white. Some can get fat, and others too thin. It is rumored that over centuries of living like humans have caused them to move away from their natural state, which in any case clearly shows. The elves are still very agile, and can beat a human in a race any day. They also have an aptitude for magic, although not much more then humans. They cannot breed with humans for reasons still unknown. Their social architecture is defined by a few ruling families and noble families under them, then lastly the commoners that heed the noble's wishes. Although this system of theirs is reminiscent of the humans, they surprisingly do not have corruption unlike countless human noble families.

Now the Actual History The first Alorian elves arrived by a ship that had crashed on a reef, the survivors fled to the nearest landmass. They wandered the wilderness wondering where they were, until they came across the town of Haru. Please note that this happened only recently in the history of Amestria. After the elves had found shelter, the humans that inhabited the town welcomed their presence. They worked like the humans did, and decided to go into the trade business. After many wise decisions, a few rich elves decided to leave and start their own towns in which they may reside.

The Native Elves
The elves native to Amestria were not discovered until a brave few explorers passed through the Southern Landmass looking for the ominous Z Ruins. They inhabit the whole Southern Landmass, and have been there for longer then any other race in Amestria. They also are very tribal in nature, opposite to the Alorian Elves. The native elves live in various villages scattered across the Southern Landmass, however every year they take a pilgrimage to their capital city of Eldaris. During this yearly event, great feasts are served and exciting games are played. There are also sacred rituals, which in fact an entire day is devoted to the greatest ritual. For a single day the elves will gather around the Shrine of Eldari in rows of circles and sit in silent meditation, during this time visions, premonitions, past memories ect are experienced. The capital of Eldaris is a city inside a great tree, which dwarfs all the other trees in comparison. In the smaller villages, their homes are made from hollow trees and brush that has been grown into the shape desired. The majority of the elves are scouts, responsible for keeping foreigners out of their land. Children are trained from age 7 to become scouts, learning various magic and traps to make explorers to turn around in fear without noticing the elves' presence. Of the various other jobs that elves may partake, there are the Priests who serve the elders and keep the traditions of their culture untainted, the Hunters that keep wild beasts in check, the Druids that use magic to accelerate the growth of food in addition to harvesting it, they also build the structures by using magic to cause plants to bend and grow to their will. And finally there are a few elite who fight evil in every form, these heroes are the Centurions. Native elves do not wear cloth or leather clothing, however sometimes leather will be used for armor. Their clothing consists of mainly thatched materials made from plants, the only piece of cloth clothing is their sash or loincloth, which has a unique elaborate pattern for every individual. However the elders may wear the most beautiful cloth robes. They have green markings all over them, as part of a ceremony at birth. They also sometimes wear feathers or other ceremonial strands. The scouts use spears, and bound straw as armor in most cases, they also use thatched shields. Native elves are vegetarian, however the food they eat has been enriched and has more nutrients then any other food. It also contains magical residue from when it was grown by the Druids. The elves live to be 20000 years old, and in some cases much longer. They maintain their youthful appearance until they are about 18000 years old in which they start to visually age, but they will never fully degrade like the humans do. These elves are fast, not kidding. A cripple could beat the fastest Alorian elf in a race. They are also extremely attuned to magic, it is like a sixth sense to them. Their skin is pale but not quite as pale as Alorian Elves. Just like Alorian elves, they cannot breed with humans, but... There has been rumors that a strong magic used by the oldest elders can be used to enable the possibility. These hybrids have skin only slightly paler then human skin, almost unnoticeable. They also are endowed with godlike magical senses and ability, and they have a powerful sensitivity to good and evil. They are so rare however that only two have ever existed in the history of the entire race, the few that existed became the greatest heroes in the world. However they only live to be roughly 1200 years, but they stay youthful until they die. The childhood of both types of elves is only a little longer then that of a human.

And now the history... As we know it. The native elves were discovered by an explorer called Hanakio. Hanakio was a scholar that worked in Central City until he was inspired by the adventurer Yuuki. He was walking through the forest, having just passed the border of the Central Landmass and Southern Landmass, unaware that he was being watched. After a mile, he had fallen into a magical illusion, which caused him to turn around. But one of the elves made a mistake and tripped, which Hanakio heard. He swung around and saw nothing. He realized it was magic and used a scroll to dispel it. It was then he realized that he was in the company of elves. However it was not long that he was sent back to Central City, for reasons still unknown. Later other explorers gathered info on the race and have since then created a section in the Central City library devoted to them.