What are sea elves?

Cousins of land-dwelling elves and sometimes called aquatic elves, sea elves are water-breathing humanoids who fell in love with the otherworldly beauty of the oceans in the earliest days of existence. While most other elves traverse the many earthly realms, sea elves spend their time navigating the deepest trenches and exploring the endlessness of the oceans.

Sea elves often gather in small, hidden communities among the ocean shallows or the Elemental Plane of Water. On Toril, sea elves divide most of their kind between the Great Sea and the Sea of Fallen Stars. Despite their common ancestry, each culture has a characteristic difference in appearance. Sea elves from the Great Sea typically have deep green skin mottled and striped with brown, while those from the Sea of Fallen Stars usually have blue skin with white stripes and patches. Less prominent factions also exist with alternative coloring, though nearly all exhibit hues indicative of the seas.

Aquatic elves are strong and tall with slightly extended limbs and often carry deeper voices than their land-dwelling kin. Centuries of underwater life provided their kind with thick skin protecting them from the depths' freezing temperatures. They also developed webbed fingers and toes that extend nearly twice the length of most other humanoids. However, sea elves' gills are their most prominent feature, visible across their necks and abdomen.

Their eye colors included more humanoid hues like turquoise, blue, and green but could also exhibit white, black, or silver on rarer occasions. Sea elf hair is thick, stringy, rough, and often compliments their skin tones with aquamarine, emerald, sapphire, black, silver, or even red coloring. Most leave their hair long and free-flowing, though warriors often clip it short to avoid distraction during battle.

Where do sea elves live?

Though not as reclusive as their wild or wood cousins, sea elves isolate themselves from the surrounding world. Their communities are incredibly tight-knit, trusting very few beyond their clan and fewer outside of their kin. Unlike the surface-dwelling elves and countless other humanoid races, sea elves believe genuine community breeds survival and fellowship. They see rivalry, individualism, and factionalism as paths to certain destruction. Although, despite this acute wariness, they hold an intense curiosity for the world. Sea elves near the shore spend significant amounts of time observing other land-bound races, fascinated by their unfamiliar habits and practices.

While most live among the Sea of Fallen Stars and the Great Sea, small communities of sea elves also exist along the western coast of Faerûn. Typically, they seek out calmer waters that support the growth of coral reefs and seaweed forests that hide their settlements and provide the necessities of their diet. Sea elves subsist on cultivated kelp farms and oceanic creatures like fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other aquatic invertebrates.

Most sea elf colonies, generally consisting of one to four hundred elves, are almost wholly self-sufficient. Trade with others is a rare occurrence and customarily reserved for precious or scarce luxuries. When communication between communities is required, sea elves rely on wandering couriers to deliver verbal messages.

Looking for similar D&D Name Generators?