Sylvans

The Seleniel are a bipedal Species often called “elves” in common speech, derived from a term coined by Humans. In their own words, they are called “Seleniel” which means, roughly translated “the children,” which is assumed to reference Selenis, their mother goddess, from whom they all claim descent, and many still worship. There are many different kinds of elves, each one evolved and adapted to some circumstance or environment.

Description
On average, the Seleniel are slightly shorter and slimmer than Humans. They can have the same range of base skin colors as humans, but they often bear a mottled pattern to their skin, with various shades of green, brown, or gray spotting. Their hair can come in any shade of brown, red, or green, and may change color with a Seleniel's age.

The most striking feature of a Seleniel is the unique way that each one carries what appears to be carefully cultivated plant life, woven into their appearance. In truth, each elf carries within it a curious symbiotic network of plants that are called the Ardyn. All elves live in a state of symbiosis with these plant-like entities. Each elf bears a unique manifestation of what they call Selenis's Blessing. The Ardyn manifests differently in each elf, but it unites them too. Despite their distinctiveness these Ardyn seem to have an ability to reach out to each other. In some cases, this allows elves to communicate wordlessly, and even share memories. Such powerful uses of the Ardyn are rare, but not unheard of. These plants are as varied as the elves themselves, and each individual has its own unique manifestation of the Ardyn. Some elves appear to have flowers in their hair, while others bear leaves upon their chests, or patches of skin as rough and hardy as tree bark. The exact composition of an elf's Ardyn is derived from those of its parents, often favoring one parent more heavily than the other.

Youth and Beauty
Despite the fact that their own name for themselves means “the Children of Selenis,” the Seleniel are one of the most long-lived races on Vantowyn. They live to be almost 500 years old on average, but they mature substantially slower. An elf is considered a child until it approaches the age of almost 50 years, despite being physically mature by the age of 30.

The Ardyn within each elf manifests itself in a different way, resulting in a myriad of beautiful appearances for the Seledin. Their eyes appear like a Human's but their irises are rarely a solid color, with most actually incorporating one or two colors blending into each other from either side of their pupils. Many elves have hair like Humans, into which their symbiotic Ardyn weaves its floral manifestations. Others might only have leaves upon their head in place of hair. In either case, the Ardyn causes a Seleniel to have a strange, otherwordly beauty to them.

Selenis' Gift
Of all the different ways that the Ardyn can appear in a Seleniel, they generally fall into a few distinctive types. These types are described based on the abilities they confer to their host elves.


 * Ardyn Gail generally appear as bright spring flowers, appearing in various places upon the host's body. For some, it means long strands of grass sprouting from their body where a Human might have hair. Many carry a mix of both of these kinds of features. Elves with this kind of Ardyn are called Gailiel.


 * Ardyn Coeth often manifest in their hosts as tough bark-like skin. Many also appear as coats of leaves or pine-like needles, depending on the plant life of the region. Elves with this kind of Ardyn are called Coethiel, and are one of the most common kinds of elves, able to adapt to most climates. 
 * Ardyn Ocov are considered perverse by many seleniel, being borne exclusively by the Ocoviel, or dark elves, which defied Selenis' teachings and were banished beneath the ground, or into the cold dark. These Ardyn can manifest as any number of fungi, lichen, or moss, apparently growing out of the body of the host elf. Sometimes these can glow luminous, and sometimes they surround their host in a harmless cloud of drifting spores. 
 * Ardyn Dure are found only in coastal and wetland regions, where they manifest in their host as bright green algae or seagrass in place of hair. Others manifest as wetland grasses or water lilies. Elves which carry these Ardyn are called Duriel, and often prefer to dwell in wet conditions, and are easily prone to dehydration should they venture into less humid climates.

The Shadowed Ones
There exists another common kind of elf, which bears a symbiotic entity much like the Ardyn, called the Corthyn. Superficially, the Corthyn behaves much like the Ardyn does, but the two seem violently opposed to each other. Elves bearing Corthyn are very apparent to those bearing any kind of Ardyn, and the presence of such an elf seems to trigger stress in virtually all elves that carry the Ardyn in them.

There is only one common kind of Corthyn, despite a substantial variety of appearances in the host elves. Called Corthyn Dru, this entity can appear much like any kind of Ardyn, but in every instance, the plant-like manifestations appear withered, blackened, or pale and lifeless. This has led many to speculate that the Corthyn is some kind of corruption or perversion of the same Ardyn that many Seleniel carry, although it is uncertain how such a thing occurs. Elves which carry this entity are called Druviel.