Users of blood magic, the elves had a magic breakthrough with the creation of super-blooded plants and animals just before the human divine magic breakthrough. Elves breed very slowly, but create a lot of half-elves to be their agents and to try to breed back real elves. Elves also often carry modified animals which may have powers of their own.
Elves have natural empathy with other elves, and an instinctive empathic dominance, such that upon meeting two elves immediately work out who is the leader and who the follower. Their empathic dominance also works on most half-elves and all domestic orcs, but not on feral orcs which are feral precisely because they have lost this trait.
Compared to humans, elves tend to be lightly built and a little tall. They are not significantly less strong. Their skin coloring is always pale, but their hair may be white, blonde, brown, or black. Elves do not tan in the sun.
Elf Racial Keyword: Elven Culture, Speak Elvish, Elvish Literacy, Empathy, Empathic Domination, Immortal, Keen Senses
Suggested Traits: Old, Cautious, Contemptuous of Non-Elves, Half-Elf or Orc or Animal Servant, Animal Handling
Elven culture is based on the obvious superiority of elves and the obvious superiority of some elves over others. The concept of equality is completely foreign to them - a human demanding to be treated "fairly" will cause confusion followed by a probably fatal irritation.
Elves are also slow to breed, so their numbers are few. This is probably a result of generations of inbreeding, though the elves would never consider such. Many of the elves experiments with half-elves can be traced back to an attempt to breed just a little human blood into the elvish line to create basically full-blooded elves who can breed more successfully. Elves who inter-breed with humans (almost always male elves) are actually quite fertile, but the children are never real elves and can so far not be bred back into real elvishness. Elves can inter-breed with half-elves and even technically with orcs, though any children from such a union would surely be treated as research subjects.
Because of the focus on personal superiority, elven culture is almost devoid of morality - anything done by a superior specimen is by definition superior. Other elves may or may not imitate superiors, but are more likely not to - quality is innate and there's no point in pretending to be like someone you are not. You can of course try to strengthen yourself to become a more powerful individual - elven hierarchies do change as the individuals within them wax and wane in power, though slowly to human eyes.
The human cultures now controlled by the elves are run along similar lines, though humans change status more quickly than the immortal elves. One feature that appalls humans outside the elven dominion is the tiend - every seven years the elvish rulers of a human area take a certain number of young humans for breeding, blood magic, or whatever they desire. Humans are not often used as trusted servants, however, because the domination does not work on them.
The elven language is fairly complex, especially in the existence of several parallel forms of many words for use in addressing superiors or inferiors, or in discussing the actions of one to the other. In Elvish, "She gave him the book" might sound almost completely different depending on the relative status of the two parties and their status compared to the speaker. Formal elvish writing is most similar to Mayan pictographs, but there is also an alphabet of greatly simplified pictures which is used when time is a factor.
Half elves are humans with elvish blood who are not fully elvish, although they could be very close - half is an estimate, not a rule. They generally live in elven communities as helpers to the elves and either second-class citizens or first-class domestic animals. The distinction is rather fine. Half-elves are generally subject to elven domination, but are significantly hampered in using it on elves themselves (-40) though they can use it freely on other half-elves, and usually do. Half-elves who do not have this ability ability and are thus not subject to domination are generally considered human by elves and half-elves no matter what other elven traits they may possess. Half-elves may have full-blown empathy, but this is rare. The lifespan of a half-elf is more like that of a human than an elf except in very rare cases. Physically, half-elves are a mix between their elvish and human parents and vary widely in appearance.
Half-Elf Racial Keyword: (with options) Elven Culture, Speak Elvish, Animal Handling, four of: (Elvish Literacy, Empathic Domination, Empathy, Specific Human Culture, Speak Human Language, Read Human Language, Know Place in Elvish Society)
Suggested Traits: Diplomacy, Adaptable, Subservient or Rebellious
Orcs were first created about 200 years ago by the elves from half-elven stock with significant goblin, hobgoblin, and even animal inmixing. They were created and bred to be the elven war machine, and have served well in the wars of elven expansion. Recently small populations of orcs have gone feral, escaping elven control, though the oldest of these orcs are only 40. Orcs are subject to elven domination as half-elves are, though they have no empathic abilities. Feral orcs, unlike the rest of the race, are not subject to elven empathic domination.
Orcs were made to be warriors, and are strong, fast, agile, and durable. They average seven feet in height and are broad of shoulder, with sharp teeth; their skin is tough and almost black, and their hair is usually black or brown. Contrary to common belief, orcs are not any more hairy than humans, generally having minimal body hair. Orcs prefer a diet of uncooked meats, but can subsist on any reasonably human diet with larger portions for their greater energy needs. Orcs are partially color-blind, only able to see bright, dark, and red, although they can make out shades of red no other race can. They have excellent night vision.
Orc Racial Keyword: Speak Elvish, Strong, Tough, Be Dominated, Night Vision, Know Place, Color-blind, Spear Fighting or Sword and Shield Fighting or Axe and Shield Fighting
Feral Orc: remove Be Dominated, add Spear Hunting
Suggested Traits: Brave, Angry, Fear of Elves, Subservient, Proud
The dwarves traditionally don't use much magic, and they have withdrawn from the surface and only exiles, with their memories wiped, still have contact with other races. As little as 200 years ago the dwarves still had limited contact with surface folk, but that time is now over. As far as anyone on the surface knows, there are no dwarf children or female dwarves. Dwarven lifespans are quite long - histories record dwarves living for hundreds of years - but the surface world and the exiles do not really know exactly how long.
Dwarves are good at crafting but typically bad at magic - they practice a form of ritual magic, but only on themselves and their crafts. All the dwarves of the community will participate in order to enhance their champion or to forge a mighty weapon. No exile is ever left with the knowledge of these rituals, except that it is one of these rituals that is used to wipe the memory of the exile.
Dwarves don't kill dwarves, ever, even when fighting dwarvish wars, which are something like giant wrestling matches. Accidental killing generally results in the dwarf trying to make amends to the family and clan of the deceased for years. Deliberate killing is an exiling offense, no matter what the original reason. Other exile offenses include large or repeated theft, treason, or rape. Exiled dwarves generally do not even know what they were exiled for, though they retain knowledge of the culture and can make a guess.
Dwarves are short and stocky, averaging four and a half feet tall, and always bearded though not otherwise hairier than a human. Dwarven skin is pale pink, but they do tan, unlike elves. Many exiled dwarves try not to, on the assumption that underground dwarves don't, although some instead try to tan themselves almost black.
Exiled Dwarf Racial Keyword: Speak Dwarvish, Dwarvish Literacy, Tough, Knife Fighting or Pick-Axe Fighting or Wrestling, Speak Human Language, Keen Hearing, Blind-fighting, Work in the Dark
Suggested Traits: Guilty, Proud, Blacksmithing, Stone masonry, Sculpting, White-smiting, Angry, Withdrawn