Elf

Elf
Homeworld:
Average Height:	1,65m - 1,98m
Average Lifespan:	650 years
Classification:	Mammalian
Language(s):
Government:	Constitutional Monarchy
Notable Traits:
Affiliation(s):
Status:	Existing

Overview

Elves are one of the oldest races in the known universe. They value enhancement and development of their physical and mental abilities over technological progress and are one of the most magically attuned races. To others, the elves often appear as distant, aloof and sometimes even hostile. Between themselves, they are however passionate and open and happy to share ideas and knowledge. This drastic difference in how elves usually are and how they are perceived comes from their secrecy and their unwillingness to allow members of other races to visit their core worlds or get deeper insights into their technology and knowledge.

Physical Characteristics

• Elves are tall and, while they generally look like humans, their bodies are thinner and seem to be generally narrower and without distinctive curves. They rarely seem to be gaining weight. Elves are often in great physical shape as this is one of the things their society values the most. This might however differ with elven societies that developed outside of the core worlds and those places that are directly influenced by those.
• The only hair they have is found on their heads. It is normally straight and worn long for both males and females.
• Elves have very keen senses and are able to see in low light level conditions. They tend to have sensitive ears.

Abilities & Strengths

• Their physiology often gives them a high level of dexterity and it is easy for elves to attain mastery in physical fields like acrobatics or running. The dexterity also makes them renown artisans and artists.
• Thenks to their atunment to magic, Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and benefit from a high resistance against enchantment spells and effects. However this effect is very dependant on the individual and their individual atumnment. Many elves actually even lack this ability outright.

Weaknesses & Limitations

Individual elves can be often single minded and focuses fully on the path they have taken in life. They might sometimes just refuse to do something else, seeing that their skilsl would be wasted if they are not turned to achieve true mastery in their original field of work.

Culture & Society

Elves are often seen as arrogant but in truth, they are actually secretive about their technology and abilities. The unknown and devastating attacks they suffered in the past made them hide their strength and abilities and often have a mistrust towards other races. They do not partake in the general galactic sharing of information and are not connected to the galactic data sphere.

Elves are known to be great artists and often posess great mastery in many different fields. But usually, an elf will be very focused on their special field they decided to study and reach mastery in. It is fairly rare for elves to switch away form a path they have taken.

While Elves are weary and do not trust others easily. Once they do, they tend to be seen as great friends and will stand by those they trust through the worse of times.

Elves like undisturbed nature and will try ot build their cities so that they work and exist within nature and form a symbiotic relationship with the land around.

While elves are secretive when it comes to their home worlds. They can still be found often traveling or even living in other places. Somtiems those elves have individual quirks that make people think, that those might be the strange ones who have been thrown out of their society. They are however substantial elven ocmmunities on toehr planet who, after many years of separation, do not have much connection to their home world anymore and have generally adopted to the culture of the worlds they live on.

The elves in your setting likely have their own ancient and sophisticated language, shaped by their long history and magical heritage. Given their secretive and isolationist nature, their language might be rarely taught to outsiders and could serve as both a cultural identifier and a tool for encryption in their technological systems. Possible Names for the Elven Language

Here are a few name ideas, depending on the tone and aesthetic you want:

   Elënari – A graceful and flowing name, evoking an old and refined civilization.
   Sylvaerin – A name that ties into their affinity with nature.
   Thael'sha – Suggests an older, more mystical tongue.
   Aurelian – A high, noble-sounding name.
   Isil'naë – Elegant, with an ethereal quality.

Linguistic Characteristics

   Highly Structured & Precise – Elves see language as an art form; ambiguity is avoided.
   Vowel-Rich & Flowing – Words often have a musical quality, with soft consonants and elongated vowels.
   Magical Notation System – Their writing system may incorporate runes or symbols that double as magic glyphs.
   Strict Formality – Different registers exist for addressing rulers, scholars, and commoners, reflecting status and mastery.
   Difficult for Non-Elves – Outsiders struggle with the nuances of pronunciation and layered meanings.

Usage in the Galaxy

   The language might be used in official documents, sacred texts, and technological systems.
   Many elves might refuse to speak other languages unless necessary, reinforcing their secretive nature.
   In diplomacy, they may insist on translations being verified by elven scholars, ensuring no misinterpretations.
   Non-elven societies might have fragments of their language, adopted into high academia or magical studies.

Government

Elves have a constitutional monarchy with elected rulers.

Seats in the parliament are given based on merits and elves who reached enough mastery in any task and became known around the wider society, can be selected to serve on the parliament as well. This ensures that the parliament is fileld with people from all paths of life.

While elves have relations with other species, their secretive nature and unwillingness to share, makes them refuse to be part of any actual formal allience or greater galactic organisation. They usually only have observer status in those.

Economy

Elves place almost all of their industry in orbit and are hapy to limit economical growth and production in orderto avoid damaging the planets they elected to live on.

Military

In combat, elves relay on their high tech weapons and senosrs as well as speed and manuverability. They prefer precission attacks on selected targets and will try to avoid large scale destruction whenever possible.

Just like with any other profession, elves who choose to follow the path of the warrior, will focus and train until they achieve true mastery of their craft. Making them very dangerous opponents both an an individual level and as part of units. Renown commandrs will often draw the best warriors to them just like a renown master of a craft will be able to gather the best students more easily.

History

Data attack that hit the humans happened before already and it was targeted at the elves. It made the elves retreat from several worlds as treid to preserve their core empire. The expirience made them fortify their borders and give up parts of what they once owned.

It lead to various changes in the society and the separation of the dark elves away from the rest of the society.

Before the attack, the elves had many different nations with sometiems different forms of government. Facing the trouble and hardships in the aftermath of the data strikes, the elves unified much more and build up in amore ocntroleld way that lead to a much stornger unification of society and its customs and ideas too.

The data attack that struck the elves was a catastrophic event, likely on a scale that fundamentally reshaped their civilization. Unlike humans, who may have experienced it as a rapid collapse of infrastructure and widespread chaos, the elves—given their long history and structured society—likely faced it as a slow-burning existential crisis, responding with a calculated yet painful retreat to preserve their core worlds. How the Elves Survived the Data Attack

   Pre-Existing Technological Caution
       The elves were already secretive about their technology before the attack, which likely meant they had closed systems and avoided full integration with galactic networks. This reduced the initial spread of the data corruption.
       However, trade, diplomacy, and espionage meant some exposure was inevitable.

   Early Warning & Containment
       Some elven researchers or information specialists detected anomalies early. The nature of the attack was likely something beyond conventional hacking—possibly a form of magic-infused digital corruption or a highly advanced AI-driven virus.
       Once it was clear that the attack was spreading through data networks and AI systems, the elves shut down and isolated entire planetary and station-based data systems.
       Entire planets may have gone dark, cutting communication with others in an attempt to quarantine the infection.

   Strategic Retreat & Sacrifices
       The elves realized that attempting to fight the attack everywhere at once would lead to a total collapse.
       Instead, they made a painful decision: abandon outlying colonies and fortify the core worlds.
       Many elven-ruled or elven-influenced territories were cut off, either because they were too compromised or too difficult to hold without risking further contamination.
       This decision was controversial, and some groups (possibly the ancestors of the modern Dark Elves) refused to accept it.

   Purge & Rebuilding of Data Systems
       Unlike some civilizations that attempted to salvage and clean their data networks, the elves purged their infected systems entirely.
       They destroyed corrupted archives, shut down compromised AIs, and physically dismantled networks that could not be secured.
       From that point onward, the elves adopted an entirely different approach to technology:
           No direct integration with galactic networks.
           No AI reliance for critical functions.
           Strict manual oversight of all major technological systems.
       This led to a slower, but much more secure technological infrastructure.

Reorganizing the Empire: The Fall and the Rebirth

Once the worst of the attack had been contained, the elves faced a fragmented empire, with much of their previous territory lost or abandoned. The restructuring of their civilization was a monumental challenge, leading to major societal and political changes. 1. The Loss of the Outer Realms

   The outer colonies—whether due to data corruption, economic collapse, or military weakness—were lost.
   Some of these regions may have fallen under human, dwarven, or even Dark Elven control.
   Others became isolated elven enclaves, disconnected from their former empire and forced to adapt to new realities.

2. Political Unification

   Before the attack, the elves were divided into multiple nations, each with different government structures.
   The crisis forced them to unify, creating a centralized empire to ensure survival.
   The new government became a constitutional monarchy, blending ancient traditions with a structured meritocracy.
   The parliamentary system ensured that only those who had proven mastery in their field could participate in leadership.
   This change was not without opposition—some elves resented the loss of autonomy, contributing to further divisions in their civilization.

3. Militarization and Fortification

   The elves heavily fortified their core systems, turning them into nearly impenetrable bastions.
   Many previously open worlds became restricted, accessible only to elves or trusted allies.
   They adopted a new military strategy, emphasizing precision strikes, elite units, and rapid deployment rather than large-scale engagements.

4. The Split with the Dark Elves

   Not all elves agreed with the retreat and restructuring.
   Some factions—those who would later become the Dark Elves—believed that the elves should have fought harder, refused to retreat, or embraced more radical methods.
   In the aftermath, these groups were either exiled, left willingly, or broke away, forming their own secretive and militant society.
   The Dark Elves, in contrast to their more isolationist kin, embraced espionage, AI-enhanced technology, and ruthless pragmatism—a path that would later bring them into conflict with their former brethren.

Current Attitude Toward Technology and Information

As a direct result of the data attack, the elves have fundamentally altered their relationship with technology:

   No Connection to the Galactic Data Sphere – Elven systems are completely isolated, preventing outside influence.
   Heavily Encrypted & Analog Redundancy – They now rely on physical backups, analog fail-safes, and manual oversight.
   Extreme Caution Toward AI – AI is strictly controlled, never fully trusted, and always paired with manual supervision.
   Secrecy & Restricted Access – Outsiders are not allowed to access or study elven technology freely.
   Reliance on Personal Mastery – Knowledge is passed down through apprenticeships rather than automated databases.

Long-Term Consequences

   Cultural Shift Toward Secrecy
   → The elves are now even more reluctant to share knowledge, fearing a repeat of past mistakes.

   Loss of Former Influence
   → The once vast elven-controlled territories have shrunk, and they no longer dominate entire regions of space.

   Tension Between Tradition & Innovation
   → While elves still advance technologically, they do so with great caution, avoiding rapid or untested innovations.

   Survivor’s Guilt & Internal Divisions
   → Some elves still debate whether they should have fought harder instead of retreating, leading to ideological splits within their society.

Final Thoughts

The data attack was a turning point for the elves, forcing them to abandon their outer empire and reorganize their society into a more unified but secretive civilization. While this ensured their survival, it also left them distrustful of outsiders, highly protective of their knowledge, and deeply wary of AI and data networks.

Technology & Notable Creations

Elves see technological progress of limited and dangerous and focus mostly on developing and advancing their mental and physical abilities. They already have considerable technical skill, but their goal is to develop mental abilities that would allow them to limit the use of AI and related technologies even further (think: mentat etc.).

Trivia

A common theory about the very similar look between humans and elves say, that both races actually have common ancestors and their genetic code has been engineered or spread by an unknown race that is either extinct or has left the galaxy so long ago, that no traces are left that could shed light on this mystery.