Although Darokin is primarily made up of humans, they have ample room for most types of non-humans to make significant contributions to nearly all aspects of society. This is done for the same reason Darokinians do anything – they see the potential for profit in it.

Most merchant houses welcome non-human traders as partners. While most deal only with the countries that are of their race (Rockhome, Alfheim, the Five Shires) to begin with, those that show talent are soon given greater responsibilities – just like any other employee. Currently, non-humans fill many key positions in the Darokin economy, including the leadership of several medium-sized merchant houses.

Perhaps most importantly to the economic establishment of the Republic, non-humans are a significant market for imported goods, especially those from the nations founded by their race. And since non-humans make up just under 15 percent of Darokin's population, their needs cannot be ignored by a responsibe economy.

It should come as no surprise that of all the non-humans in Darokin, there are more elves than any other type. after all, the elf homeland of Alfheim is entirely surrounded by Darokin. Of course, most of the elves who live in the area prefer the forests of Alfheim to Darokin, but there are still many elves getting along just fine, and even prospering, in the cities towns and villages of the Republic.

Oddly enough, the one part of Darokin life that elves seem to have no taste for is the constant buying and selling of the merchant. Given elves' long lifespans, love for nature, and carefree attitude about material possessions, their disinterest in acquiring vast wealth is understandable. And there are some notable exceptions in the Darokin merchant community, elves who do quite well and are formidable negotiators.

On the other hand, elves seem to make wonderful diplomats. The Darokin Diplomatic Corps accepts elven applicants almost automatically, though the number of elves in the DDC is not as high as they would like. The only caution the Corps must take is not to assign elves to diplomatic situations where the parties they deal with may be prejudiced against the elven race.

For the past few hundred years, Darokin and Alfheim have enjoyed excellent relations. The natural result of such friendship between governments has been the formation of personal friendships between the citizens of the two states. Often, friendships evolve into romances and marriages between elves and humans are becoming more and more frequent in the area around Alfheim. Although children are not as common to such couples as they are to those who marry within their race, they are still a fairly frequent occurence in Darokin.

The children of elf/human pairings favor one of their parents rather than becoming a fusion of the two races. Still, it is normally clear the individual has mixed blood for he will have physical features of both races. Thus a child who favors his human parent will be, for game purposes, a normal human but may have the pointed ears of an elf. The reverse is true of children who favor their elven parent.

History

Elves have an advantage over other races with shorter lifespans in that they are much closer to their own history and are able to remember history that much of the rest of the world has forgotten.

Long before men had words, the elves grew great in the wondrous land of Evergrun. There, they first learned the way of the forest and they were content.

But, in a far land, the evil empire of Blackmoor grew and when the fat merchant-priests landed on the shores of Evergrun, they were welcomed. They eventually brought their corruption to the elves, many of whom learned to practice the black arts taught by the interlopers.

Over time, the forests of Evergrun turned foul, and the wisest among the elves fled far away, and by this the elven race was saved. Soon, the gods stepped in and brought the horrible catastrophe known as the Rain of Fire down upon Evergrun, which was destroyed.

The elves that were not killed met again in what was then called Grunland. Even then, some still practiced the dark magic they had learned. It was then that Ilsundal, the wisest of the elves, led a group of faithful followers on a long and treacherous journey northward to the wild continent.

The cost of the journey was great, but the elves made a new home for themselves which they called the Sylvan Realm. Shortly thereafter, Ilsundal became an Immortal, and created for his people the Tree of Life. With this artifact at their disposal, the elves helped the forestland to grow great.

But there came a time when the Sylvan Realm could no longer hold all the hunters and magic of the elves. Mealiden Starwatcher, another wise elf, led several clans to seek out a new land. Born from the original Tree of Life, new Trees of Life were given to each of the clans as they set out on another long journey.

Elves born in Darokin are descendants of a clan whose homeland and Tree of Life most likely is in Alfheim, or possibly Karameikos. For more information on elves in these lands, return to the place of origin selection and follow the steps for creating an elf from Alfheim or Karameikos.

Naming your character

Elven names tend to sound Celtic or Norse, such as Leadyl, Dylen, Feadiel, Thalaric, Quillan, etc. Some elves have last names that match that of their clan or family name, while others have last names such as Elm-Grower, Oaktree and Wildflower.

To choose a class for your character, go ahead to Step 3...

To pick a different race for your character, move back to Step 2.