Grey elf

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Greyhawk Creature
Grey elf
A grey elf wearing traditional armor and weaponry, illustrated in AD&D Monster Cards Set 3 (artist unknown).
General information
Size:Medium
Type:Humanoid
Patron deity:Seldarine
First appearance:Supplement I: Greyhawk

Grey elves, also known as faerie[1][2][3][4] or fey elves,[4] and meadow elves[5], are a sub-race of high elves native or indigenous to Oerth and Greyspace.[6]

Description

Standing nearly as tall as humans,[7] grey elves have tall, slim builds and pale grey skin. Their hair tends to be a silver hue while their eyes are like amber. Some grey elves have pale-golden hair and violet eyes.[1][7][8][9][10]

Grey elves tend to favor bright garments of gold, silver, yellow, or white.[1][7][8][10] Especially wool tunics in those colors.[9] hey most often wear cloaks that are deep shades of blue or purple.[1][7][8][9]

The grey elves have been described (in fifth edition) as a type or subtype of high elves "which includes the gray elves and valley elves of Greyhawk."[6]

Personality

Grey elves often have arrogant attitudes and an outlook comparable to those of silvanesti on Krynn[11] and sun elves on Toril—very and believing themselves to be superior to other races, even elven races.[6][12] They consider themselves to be the purest form of elf.[10][12] Although this does not mean they are less than gracious even to those who do not meet their lofty standards [6] and not all grey elves possess a pretentious demeanor.[13]

Though in fifth edition, grey elves are a type of high elf in fifth edition, they continue to be noted as being "haughty and reclusive, believing themselves to be superior to non-elves and even other elves", as opposed to the more common high elf sometimes found in the company of humans and mixing with other cultures.[6]

These elves also tend to be highly intelligent,[1] the most intelligent of all elven races according to some estimates,[14] and such a quality is very valued in their society.[8]

Combat

Grey elves frequently wear winged helmets with shimmering suits of plate mail[9] or chainmail while carrying shields,[8][1] particularly elven chainmail.[15] They typically fought with bows, spears, swords, and two-handed swords.[8][1]

However, they "trust less in physical prowess than they do the mind".[12] Many grey elves take up of the profession of a mage, though they usually do not become specializist wizards.[12] Those who do specialize tend to take up roles as bladesingers or spellfilchers.[16] "Bladesingers form an elite cadre of warrior-mages in the kingdom of Celene. Some of these agents work beyond Celene’s borders, wielding blade and magic against the queen’s enemies. The art of the blade song is unknown beyond that kingdom; no non-elf has learned its secrets."[17]

History

Grey elves are occasionally encountered by travelers in the forests of the Savage Frontier region of the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in 1370 DR,[18][19]

Society

A grey elven mountain city, illustrated in PHBR8 by Terry Dykstra (1992).

Grey elves are a very reclusive people.[1] They highly value this seclusion, viewing it as independence from a corrupting outside world, and will fight fiercely to remain secluded from all,[8][12] sometimes even from other elven groups.[12] Outside of that, they spent much of their lives indoors,[20] seeking scholarly pursuits, such as studying, researching, contemplating, and writing treatises.[8][12]

Their societies are rigidly defined, hereditary monarchies.[20][21] Because grey elven culture tends more toward Lawful than Chaotic, personal freedom is not as valued as much as in some other elven cultures, though far more than in drow culture.[22] Movement is carefully restricted,[22] with citizens of their cities being divided by a caste system.[23]

Their craftsmen are capable of making items which can hold the strongest of enchantments, with subtle charms worked into them that make the item more receptive to whatever magic a mage might use to enhance them.[12] One such item is the ring of faerie.[24] Their craftsmen are particularly focused on the creation of spellbooks and scrolls.[12]

They often have hippogriffs as mounts,[1][8] and giant eagles as guard animals.[8] Though a few grey elves are known to instead have griffons acting as both guards and mounts.[1][8]

Homelands

Faerie elves are known to inhabit isolated meadowlands[1][5] and "temperate plains".[25] Some are also found living atop temperate mountains,[26] where they build large citadel cities.[23] The entrances to these meadows and cities are hidden by powerful magic, ensuring that only elves can find them.[12] Their mountain cities are made almost entirely of stone and divided into five walled concentric rings, with inner rings having more decorations and ornamentation.[23]

These cities have some of the most extensive libraries of any city. These are communally open to all elves who wish to expand their knowledge and better themselves.[12]

Relationships

Of all elven sub-races, these are among the least tolerant of other races.[12] Grey elves almost never associated with other non-elven humanoids for long or frequent periods of time.[1] They fear the possibility of other, shorter-lived races changing their bloodline.[12] However, members of other elven races often readily chose not to befriend them, for they disdained how arrogant and serious they are. Some even feel their behavior and way of life is comparable to that of humans or dwarves.[20]

Because they spend so much of their lives studying, grey elves have many elves of other races as servants for menial and physical labor.[12] Though not harsh, they swiftly correct any servant that failed in a task or performed it poorly. Some elves of other races perceived these servants to be slaves—if not in fact, at least in spirit—since their servants tended to lack the typical elven love for life.[20]

Grey elves allow only a select few outsiders entry to their cities[7] such as very powerful mages and wizards, but even these individuals are treated with great suspicion.[12]

Publishing history

Grey elves first appeared in Supplement I: Greyhawk. As already noted, grey elves are also known as "faerie" elves.[5] In Supplement I, faerie elves are also known as "meadow elves". In the World of Greyhawk, the Player's Guide notes "Suloise, Oeridian, and humanoid invaders pushed the elves from their grassland and prairie homes. Fortunately, the elves willingly resettled to the forests, where they held their own as nearby human kingdoms rose, expanded, made war, and fell."[3] This is congruent with the fact that the main elven nation in the World of Greyhawk™, Celene, is at least half meadows and other grasslands, and is forested only along the Jewel River and in the Welkwood.

Trivia

  • Some of the oral traditions of the gray elves spoke of Atropus.[27]
  • Visitors to Toril who are familiar with this species of elves are sometimes confused, because that planet's "silver elves"[28] bear a resemblance to Oerth's grey elves,[29] and are also sometimes referred to as "gray elves".[28][30] On Toril, this term is considered by them to be pejorative.[30]

References

Notes

Citations

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l Monster Manual (1977), p.39.
  2. ↑ Monstrous Manual (1993), p.109.
  3. ↑ a b Player's Guide (1998), p.37.
  4. ↑ a b Living Greyhawk Gazetteer (2000), p.8.
  5. ↑ a b c Supplement I: Greyhawk (1976), p.5.
  6. ↑ a b c d e Player's Handbook (2014), p.23.
  7. ↑ a b c d e Monster Manual v3.5 (2003), p.102, 104.
  8. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k Monstrous Manual (1993), p.109-110.
  9. ↑ a b c d PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.16.
  10. ↑ a b c Player's Option: Skills & Powers (1996), p.28.
  11. ↑ PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.24.
  12. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.17.
  13. ↑ PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.13.
  14. ↑ PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.80.
  15. ↑ DMGR3 Arms and Equipment Guide (1991), p.30.
  16. ↑ PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.88, 90.
  17. ↑ Sword Coast Adventurer's Guide (2015) , p.157.
  18. ↑ The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier/The Wilderness, p.12.
  19. ↑ The North: Guide to the Savage Frontier, p.Table 1-15.
  20. ↑ a b c d PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.18.
  21. ↑ PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.26.
  22. ↑ a b PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.48.
  23. ↑ a b c PHBR8 The Complete Book of Elves (1992), p.65.
  24. ↑ Unearthed Arcana (1985), p.93.
  25. ↑ MC5 Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix (1990), Encounter Tables.
  26. ↑ Monster Manual v3.5 (2003), p.102.
  27. ↑ Elder Evils, p.16.
  28. ↑ a b FOR5 Elves of Evermeet (1994), p.104.
  29. ↑ Demihumans of the Realms, p.95.
  30. ↑ a b FOR5 Elves of Evermeet (1994), p.19.

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index

The Encyclopedia Greyhawkania Index (EGI) is based on previous work of Jason Zavoda through '08, continued by numerous other fans. The EGI article has a list of sources, product names, abbreviations, and a link to the full, downloadable index.

Topic Type Description Product Page/Card/Image

Camaron, Elerion Non-player character Elf, grey, [R9/M12], Polyhedron magazine #030 6, 7, 8
Camaron, Zered Non-player character Elf, grey, [M15], Polyhedron magazine #030 6, 7, 8
Darg Blonke Non-player character Elf, grey, Pre-gen [F7], D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth 22
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Dragon magazine #315 52, 53, 54
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, From the Ashes: References Card #08
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, From the Ashes: References Card #09
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, From the Ashes: References Card #10
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, GDQ1-7 Queen of the Spiders 17
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Ivid the Undying 9, 74, 75, 116
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, AD&D Monster Cards, Set 3 Not Numbered
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, MC1 - Monstrous Compendium Volume 1 Insert (Elf)
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, MC5 Monstrous Compendium Greyhawk Adventures Appendix Encounter Tables
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Monster Manual 1, AD&D 1e 39
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e 104
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.5e (Premium Edition) 104
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, Monster Manual 1, D&D 3.0e 87
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, PHBR8 - The Complete Book of Elves 10, 11, 12, 13, 16-18, 33, 37, 48, 65-66, 80
Elf, Grey {Faerie, Gray} Monster Native of: Material Plane, World of Greyhawk boxed set (1983) 9
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], From the Ashes: Campaign Book 79, 80, 87
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], From the Ashes: References Card #13
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], Living Greyhawk Gazetteer 161
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], Living Greyhawk Journal #2 4
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], Living Greyhawk Journal #4 6
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], Living Greyhawk Journal #5 IBC
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], The Adventure Begins 70
Elraniel Tesmarien Non-player character Elf, grey, [M13][3e M13], WGR4 The Marklands 39
Fage the Kexy Non-player character Elf, grey, Pre-gen [C7], D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth 21, 22
Filanda of Courwood Non-player character Female, Elf, grey, [R7], Slavers, AD&D 2e 13
Grendena Non-player character Female, Elf, grey, [Wiz2/Rog3], 1992 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set 354
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Artifact of Evil 114, 115, 116, 118, 119, 134, 136, 137, 150, 153, 164, 175, 234, 235, 236, 263, 264, 265, 267, 268, 269, 277, 281, 287, 288, 299, 300, 301, 303, 304, 305, 307, 309, 311, 314, 315, 316, 318, 319, 325, 326, 333, 334
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Oerth Journal #12 7
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Oerth Journal #13 14,15
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Oerth Journal #14 5
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Oerth Journal #21 58
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], Oerth Journal #29 7
Keak Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, [F9/M12], WGR5 Iuz the Evil 90
Kirshar Endurell Non-player character Male, Elf, grey, Pre-gen [F8/M8], WGR6 City of Skulls 31, 63
Lythia Elaewyn Non-player character Female, Elf, grey, [Mu5], 1993 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set 366
Solus (of the Dim Forest) Non-player character Male, Elf, Grey, [War9/Wiz10], 1992 TSR Trading Cards - Gold Set 596
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], The City of Greyhawk: Folks, Feuds and Factions 2, 43, 44, 61
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], The City of Greyhawk: Gem of the Flanaess 88
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], From the Ashes: Campaign Book 8, 11, 81, 82
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], From the Ashes: References Card #13
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], Living Greyhawk Journal #2 5
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], Living Greyhawk Journal #5 4
Vesparian Lafanel {Vesper} Non-player character Elf, grey, [M7/T7], The Adventure Begins 41, 63, 70, 124, 126
Ycore Rixie Non-player character Elf, grey, Pre-gen [F7/M11], D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth 21, 22
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