Forgotten Realm Lore: Elves Of Faerun

Hello everybody Let’s talk about Elves. Where do they come from, why do they have such pointy ears and arrogant personalities? Elves are found in all kinds of fantasy genres and they’re really different from one another. For D&D the elves seem to be very Tolkienesque rather than busy making your cookies or shoes. The elves of the Forgotten Realms come from Corel on, their ultimate deity. He got into a big fight with the Orc Deity Gruumsh and was injured. Elves of faerun is similar to the other races names like Aarakocra names, Kobold names, and Goliath names.

From his blood, the first elves arose. Which is different from other races who were created by their deity, the elves were created from their deity. Which might explain their long lifespan and innate magical abilities. Corellon because of an uprising from Lolth flug the elves from his presence. They were forced to take a physical existence on the Material Plane but favored the Feywild most of all. The Eladrin were the elves of the Fey wild and those elves that migrated to the Prime Material Plane on Faerun became known as Sun Elves, also known as High Elves, or Gold Elves. Really all elves came from the Fey wild but the Sun Elves most match the Eladrin. 

Sun elves are responsible for the majority of the great elven cities of legend. Although other elf races aided in their city building end eavors. Myth Drannor is perhaps their most famous city. Sun elves are arrogant! They believe they are the direct descendants of Corellon, and thus should be the builders and leaders of all elves. These elves migrated to Faerun at some point in history, no specific dates exist that I could find. Sun elves believe they are chosen by Corellonto to be the defenders of elven tradition and history. They are the least likely to take up an adventuring path, seeing little point in roaming around and meeting other people. They uphold wisdom and learning. 

The leaders of the Sun Elves are usually tied back to a family name. Where human nobles measure their power by their lands or number of soldiers, a sun elf noble is known by the honor of their family name. Also, the magical power and lore his/her family has accumulated. Sun elves get along and have an affection for other elves but at times do not understand them. The flighty nature of the moon elves confuses them. Wood elves are admired for their connection to nature and the spirit of nature. 

Wild elves are confusing to Sun Elves and they hope to civilize them one day. Bringing them into the fold of elf history and culture. You don’t see too many Sun Elves in Faerun, the majority of them left to live on the elven isle of Ever meet. Ever meet being the last major sun elf civilization. This island to the west of Faerun is protected by an array of magical defenses set in place by the Elf Pantheon of gods. It’s shrouded in a powerful illusion that conceals it from non-elven eyes. 

The elven population migrated in mass in 1344DR in what is known as the Retreat. Over 90% of the elves in the forest of Cormanth or migrated to Evermeet or the Moon Elf City of Evereska. The Sun elves are happy to remain on Evermeet, but not so with Moon Elves who seem to have a wanderlust to explore and adventure. Moon elves also came across from the fey wild along with the Sun elves. Also known as Silver elves they are the most common elf subrace in Faerun. 

Moon elves long to be on the road, traveling and exploring the untamed wilderness. They loved the other races, humans in particular, and when you meet a half-elf odds are one of their parents was a moon elf. Preferring a nomadic lifestyle a Moon elf doesn’t stay in one place for longer than a few seasons. They are comfortable living almost anywhere and in other cultures and are commonly found with sun elves, humans, gnomes, and even halflings. When the Retreat happened with the elves to Evermeet many Moon elves went in the opposite direction, wanting to explore Faerun further. Evereska is one of the last remaining realms of the elves in the north. It has become a haven for the elves in Faerun. 

It is situated on a large stone pedestal that rises nearly a thousand feet from the ground. Twelve hills encircle Evereska so that it’s not visible from the valley below. Carefully hidden and protected with magic is home to both Moon and Sun elf. Moon elves are seen as frivolous especially to Sun elves but they are just easy going and have a fluid nature to their culture, philosophy, and personality. You’ll find numerous moon elves as rangers, fighters, rogues, and even wizards. Clerics exist too as the magic of all kids is looked highly upon in elven society. 

Wood elves are next. During the Crown Wars, these elves left the war behind them to go live in the forests. Wood elves are more grounded in their beliefs and outlook on life. The fantastic elven kingdoms of the past were truly great but they created some great mistakes too. Not wanting to repeat their ancestor’s past mistakes wood elves strive to live in quiet harmony, not domination, with the wider world. Wood elves live close to nature and have created kingdoms within the forests. 

Most wood elves stay within their forests they don’t commonly emerge from their homes. Rarely do they encounter non-elves unless forced to leave their elven communities? Wood elves are also commonly referred to as CopperElves. The Sun Elves and Moon Elves formed great realms such as Evermeet and Evereska. The Wood elf equivalent would be Earlann, founded in the eastern High Forest. They befriended the Delzoun dwarves and the Netherese for trade, way back in -3900 DR. Finally there are wild elves, also known as green elves. 

When the Eladr in first arrived on Abeir-Torilthe wild elves were the first explorers. Pushing into the new areas and carving out several territories. After the Crown Wars in which they lost their homelands, the wild elves went into a period called the “Wandering.” They moved from land to land for many generations. The wild elves retracted away from society to live in forests and mountains. They had little contact with outside races and did not participate in the Retreat to Evermeet. 

They are often considered savage and are rarely seen outside of their forest homes. Over the course of many years, they forgot their ancient lore and focused on the skills they needed. Stealth, survival, hunting, and hiding. However, among their friends and kinfolk, wild elves are pleasant and outgoing. Although they have a love of art, to a wild elf the joy of art lies in the creative process. The act of creation is just as important as the creation itself. That’s it for today. I hope this gives you a better look at the different elves of Faerun. They are all similar yet have different quirks.