Elves

Throughout the ages, the deeds and struggles of the noble race of Elves have been entwined with the very history of Middle-earth. They remember all too well the devastation caused by the tides of evil that once darkened the land - a shadow which threatens to do so once again. In ages past, the Elves divided into many different groups, and settled throughout Middle-earth, primarily in the ancient forested realms where they yet live. Tall and strong, fair and graceful, Elves have keen senses and a deep affinity for the beauty of the natural world around them. Elves do not "die" in the way understood by Men; Elves often live in the lands of Middle-earth for thousands of years, suffering neither the effects of time nor disease, though the body of an Elf may be struck down in battle. At the end of their days in Middle-earth, the Elves travel to unknown realms across the western sea.

Long ago, the Elves welcomed the "younger" races of Middle-earth and allied with them when the need was great, but centuries of war, betrayal, and hardship have made them fiercely protective of their seclusion. Now, as the Third Age draws to a close and the War of the Ring is at hand, the Elves are once again stirring from their forested realms and hidden valleys, allying with the Free Peoples of Middle-earth against the darkness which grows from both the North and East.