Magical maturity:92
Maximum age: 700
Elsyven are a race of rare beings that share the most physical resemblance to humans, though to a relatively basic degree. The elsyven are as are agile, lithe, and possess an ethereal element to their features. However, some do find their features alien and their demeanor off-putting. They also seem ageless and indeed live the longest of all Calamian races.
Just like humans, elsyven have skin, hair, and eye color that can vary greatly. Akin to nature, elsyven can have skin, hair, and eye colors in just about every color found in nature. They wear their hair in varying styles, though most of their society favors long hair. Their hair can be extremely curly and thick to stick straight and thin as silk. Even skin, hair, and eye hues in tones such as pink, red, violet, green, blue, etc. However, they do not possess any form of skin adornment such as moles, beauty marks, or freckles. The males also do not grow any facial hair. Their eyes are quite large and wide in comparison to a human’s, with long lashes. Their features are sharp but also delicate. Their noses are never wide, though can range from small and round to long and pointed. They have high cheekbones, high foreheads, pointed chins, and distinct angular or sharp jawlines. They also have long legs and shorter torsos. Besides their large eyes, one of their most defining and unmistakable features are their ears, which can range in shape and size but are always large and long, tapering off to a distinctly pointed tip and sticking out and upward from the sides of their head through their hair. It is not uncommon for other races to mistake a male for a female or vice versa.
Elsyven never seems to gain weight and is always on the lean side. Some look delicate and fragile, while others appear athletic and leanly muscular. However, elsyven can never build their bodies to bulky sizes. They can range in height between 5 and 6 feet tall (152.4cm to 182.88cm), no shorter or taller. Elsyven females never gain ample cleavage like a human, so are often endowed with small or average-sized breasts. Their fingers are somewhat long and dainty, with thick clear nails that men and women will often grow long and paint with lacquer. Those who do not grow theirs long for whatever reason will still tend to paint them similarly.
Elsyven on average can live up to about 700 years. An elsyven reaches maturity at about 92 years of age, and some gain their magical maturity at the same age. The elsyven seemed blessed with an eternally youthful appearance, making even the eldest of their kind look not a day over forty. As they grow into their primes their aging is very subtle and hardly noticeable except maybe seen through their eyes, with slight creases at the corners, and a few very fine lines on the face. Graying hair would be uncommon and only happening when they’ve pushed up towards their maximum age. This gray hair would only occur around the temples.
The elsyven have only one nation for their race, Ithirra, with a few outlying cities and city-states that are elsyven controlled. It is not uncommon to see elsyven in human cities, but certainly uncommon to see them in human villages.
The birth rates for elsyven are low, making them one of the least populated races in Calamia. Why this is unknown. Eleven females carry a child for 16 months before giving birth. Elsyven giving birth to twins is exceedingly rare and considered a blessing from Fedroa. Elsyven can breed with humans, creating the half-blood called a huvel. A woman, elsyven or human, carrying a half-blood would give birth in 9 months. To learn more about the human/elsyven offspring, see the Half-blood section.
An elsyven’s age does not necessarily make them wiser or more knowledgeable than the other races. As with any race, wisdom and intelligence are dependent on the individual. Elsyven just have the advantage of living longer and seeing more. To them, the other races tend to seem fast-paced and hasty. A common analogy for the elsyven is that humans are flowers, and the elsyven are trees.
Elsyven view their people as connected with the natural world, and so their society will be build around and in tune with it. Their cities are tiered, with many gardens and vistas for viewing the beauty of nature. Elreal is beautiful, crafted by earth magus using natural stone molding, so that buildings look like they are constructed from one solid piece of stone.
All Elsyven love jewelry and often sport many bracelets, necklaces, rings, and some form of hair adornment. Elsyven takes their crafts and creativity to a whole new level and tries to create beauty in everything they make. Their artistry typically is inspired by nature, and so will be delicate and flowing, and will typically have animal, leaf, vine, or flower motifs. They wear light or earthy colors, favoring flowing garments of fine design. Elsyven takes a great appreciation for art and the natural world around them. They enjoy music and dancing, and their music is light and lilting, mystical.
Elsyven likes to eat fruits, vegetables, herbs, and assortments of nuts, bread, and cheeses. Elsyven are not strictly vegan, but they do not consume red meat. Elsyven drinks light fruit wines and avoids human-crafted spirits, especially ale, honey mead, and hard liquor, for it tends to have a highly intoxicating effect on their systems.
