Elf

Elves are among the longest lived of all the races of the universe. They are noted as being tall, graceful humanoids, with elongated ears. Female elves are also renowned for their beauty. They follow the crystalline goddess Seren, who journeyed to Gielinor with them from their ancestral homeland Tarddiad. Elves have no need for human technology or magic, but instead opt for crystal-based weaponry, technology and magic power, granted by Seren. Due to their many years of isolation brought on by their beliefs and civil war, elves are generally regarded as a mere myth by humans. All elves are associated with a clan, each of which originated from the first elven families of Gielinor.

Abilities
The average elf has far greater agility and nimbleness than a human, yet some seem to be weaker than more formidable and trained humans in terms of physical strength, and have a longer lifespan, drastically increasing their wisdom, knowledge and experience. While humans rarely become older than a century, elves are able to live for thousands of years. Unlike some other potent magical races, such as some demon subspecies and the Mahjarrat tribe, the elves are at least partially dependent on Gielinor's inherent rune magic, created by Guthix using the Stone of Jas, as seen in the Book on Baxtorian, which tells us that King Baxtorian was himself a master of "rune lore", using the stones to control the elements. However, elves usually resort to using crystal tools, which require no magic, but special chants.

Elven Clans
The elves are each divided into eight separate noble clans, each of which specialises in a variety of different skills. These clans each controlled a segment of Prifddinas, prior to the Elven Civil War and shared the city in harmony. Following the civil war however, the Iorwerth Clan was able to seize control of Prifddinas and scatter the remaining elves from other clans across Isafdar. The eight clans and their specialties are:

First Age
The elves originate from the world Tarddiad, which is covered mostly in woodland, along with crystalline structures. Divided into clans, the elven families lived in peace with one another. At one point, they were discovered by the goddess Seren, who had recently left her own home, Freneskae. She approached them, and the elves welcomed her into their society. From then on, Seren would be the elves' patron goddess.

Prior to the beginning of Gielinor's First Age, the recently ascended god Guthix discovered Tarddiad using a powerful portal he had created, called the World Gate. He befriended Seren and later returned to her, having shaped Gielinor, and offered to take them with him. She agreed, and the two gods led the elves through the World Gate. Although they were hesitant at first, the eight clans that travelled to Gielinor, the Amlodd, Cadarn, Crwys, Hefin, Iorwerth, Ithell, Meilyr, and Trahaearn Clans, were mesmerised by the planet's beauty. They settled in the forest of Tirannwn, safe behind the Galarpos Mountains.

In a clearing north of the Isafdar forest, Seren created the Tower of Voices for the elves to communicate wit her. Around it, they cooperatively built an enormous city out of crystal which still exists today. This city, known as Prifddinas, is probably the oldest settlement in the history of Gielinor. All eight clans each had a tower in their own corner of the city, connected to the Tower of Voices. Below the city lay an enormous library, known as the Grand Library, containing enormous amounts of knowledge, although it was sealed by Seren. The elves were the first to discover the death altar, hidden deep inside the mountains. To protect the power of the altar, they built the Temple of Light around it.

The God War:
When the second age came to an end and the God Wars broke out, many elves fled from mainland Gielinor into the forests of Isafdar, where Prifddinas stood. Isafdar, being isolated from the rest of the world by the impassable mountains around the lands, guaranteed the safety of the elves during the God Wars. As they retreated beyond the mountains so many years ago, there are few scholars who know very much at all about the elves. Most traces of the elves' existence were wiped out during the wars. When Guthix awoke from his slumber, he put an end to the God Wars by creating the Edicts of Guthix, preventing the gods from walking on Gielinor. Seren was also bound by the edicts, and was forced to leave Gielinor; she did so by shattering into many crystals. The grand library and the world gate were sealed, cutting off the source of the elves' crystal. However, the elves could still make contact with Seren through the Tower of Voices.

After the God War:
Once the God wars were put to an end, elves were again able to make contact with the rest of the world. Many Cadarn clan elves travelled through the Mountain pass Arandar and soon a new kingdom was created, ruled by the elven king Baxtorian and queen Glarial. Once again, they made ties with humans and gnomes.

However, the Iorwerth clan soon made advantage of the fact that Prifddinas was lacking forces, and began to take control over the city. The elves fought back against the Iorwerth clan and in order to prevent them from winning, the elves converted the entire city into crystal-form. The crystal has been hidden inside the temple of light ever since.

Once king Baxtorian heard about the current events in Prifddinas, the elves made a mass exodus in attempt to reclaim the city. The mountain pass of Arandar had been closed off by Iorwerth clan. He sent five of his best elves through the Underground Pass, the only remaining route, but only one of them returned. The elf reported seeing "elves killing elves in the streets of Prifddinas". After years of failed campaigning, they retreated back to their kingdom, only to find it destroyed. King Baxtorian, who was in deep sorrow when he learned of his wife's death, buried himself alive inside the Baxtorian falls, which were named after him.

The Iorwerth clan took control over Prifddinas, but some elves retreated into Lletya and continued to fight.

Some elves can be found on islands to the far south of the Feldip Hills, working as mercenaries for hire, where their mage skills are used to fight against mercenaries of other races, such as dwarves and goblins. An elven champion can also be found in the challenge arena under the Champions' Guild, although no way to challenge him exists.

Settlements with a significant Elven population

 * Prifddinas - the largest elven settlement, a mighty city that dates from thousands of years ago, and is grown entirely from crystal seeds. Although no human has ever entered its walls, there are rumours of its beauty and the genius of its architecture - rumours which are repeated throughout every text on elven culture that has survived to make it to Varrock. The quest Within The Light reveals that the city has been reverted to seed, explaining its absence on the world map.
 * Lletya - a village found on the edge of Isafdar, inhabited by rebel elves.
 * Elf Camp - an Iorwerth campsite near Prifddinas.
 * West Ardougne - the Mourners of the city are now known to be elves in disguise.

Beliefs
The elves worship a deity called Seren, who communes with them via crystal seeds, which are also utilised by the elves to create buildings and tools. Seren first encountered the elves on Tarddiad, their homeworld, after leaving her creator, Mah, on Freneskae. Seren quickly realised that Mah had given her the ability to make mortal races follow and worship her by merely being in their presence, an ability she shares with her "brother", Zaros. Seren is a pacifist goddess who believes in isolationism so to achieve her goal of peace and growth. As a result of this, the elves have become separated from the rest of Gielinor. She is widely accepted as goddess of the elves, however, in the Fourth Age a group of elves distinguished themselves from the rest of the elves and began to worship a god known as the 'Dark Lord', whose identity is unclear. The followers of the Dark Lord were affiliated with the Elven clan of Iowerth who were able to seize control of Prifddinas and thus begin a brutal civil war. This has followed on into the present.

Language
According to a Postbag from the Hedge, "the elvish language, on the other hand, is far more complex, for their tongues are as agile as their minds, and twice as bewildering. The nearest approximations I can make are as follows:

Lletya = LLE-to-ah (the 'LL' indicates a slight rolling of the sound at the base of the tongue, as if you were to attempt to clear your throat quietly and politely) Isafdar = ISS-aff-dar (in which the 'I' is pronounced like the 'i' in 'thin', and the 'r' is rolled quaintly)."

This is very similar to the Welsh language and shares various words with the Welsh language including Seren, meaning star and Prifddinas, meaning capital city.

Recent events

 * Recently, some of the elves are beginning to become less-trustworthy. Many seek to break into the Temple of Light, or resurrect "The Dark Lord". The identity of the Dark Lord is unknown, but most people speculate that it is either Zamorak or Zaros.


 * On the 13th of Raktuber, in the Year 138, a group of Elves raided the Mobilising Armies Command centre. Initially out for loot, Lord Marshal Brogan managed to negotiate with them and the rogue Elves eventually agreed to work as mercenaries in the minigame.

Notable elves

 * Baxtorian - King of the Elven Empire in Kandarin during the Fourth Age
 * Glarial - Baxtorian's wife who was lost during the Fourth Age
 * Islwyn - Sells crystal bow or shield and also is the grandson of Glarial
 * Lord Iorwerth - Leader of the Iorwerth clan
 * Head Mourner - Chief of the Mourners in West Ardougne
 * Arianwyn - Current leader of the rebel elves
 * Gwir- Elven scribe in the Lletya library who helps note down the player's accomplishments in the Plague quest series
 * Oluien - Representative of Seren at the Gielinor Games
 * Daiglolas - Safety keeper of the Flash Powder Factory

Champions' Challenge
Elves are one of the 'races' who have champions of champions in the Champions' Challenge Distraction and Diversion. It is not currently possible to fight the elf champion. Many players expect a future update will allow this champion to be fought, like a 2009 update allowed Glophren, the gnome champion, to be fought.

Thieving
Some elves in Lletya can be pickpocketed at 85 Thieving, giving 353.3 experience per successful attempt, with chances double loot available at 95 Thieving and 85 Agility. Elves are one source of high-level Farming seeds. These are not recommended as a training method due to the high failure rate. If thieving from elves, it is suggested to use Goreu due to his proximity to the bank where rapid healing is possible.

Pickpocketing these 70 times is a possible Daily challenge.


 * }

Quests

 * Plague City
 * Biohazard
 * Underground Pass
 * Regicide
 * Roving Elves
 * Mourning's Ends Part I
 * Mourning's Ends Part II
 * Within the Light
 * Meeting History - minor appearance of an elf named Haluned appearing outside the barrier and teleporting away
 * Waterfall Quest

Trivia

 * Most of the words in the Elvish language are derived from the Welsh language. For example, Seren is Welsh for "star", Mawrth is Welsh for "March" and "Tuesday", Prifddinas is Welsh for "capital city", and Iorwerth, Islwyn and Eluned are names in the Welsh language.
 * Elves live to be extremely old. As Mawrth mentioned, an elf in their 30s is a mere child. And the elves flourished under Baxtorian, an elven king during the fourth age, for over 6000 years.
 * Oluien, Endwyr and the courier (for the 2010 Easter event) are the only elves available for free players.
 * When talking to an Elf, it may say "Stay back, human. You don't know what you're dealing with," which is an exact quote from the first Artemis Fowl book. The quote in question is said by Holly Short (who is also an elf) to Artemis Fowl when they meet for the first time.
 * Elves like to drink honeyed tea made with a few of their own secret ingredients to make it special..
 * The RuneScape-based Funorb game Armies of Gielinor shows that the elves played a large role in the God Wars.

Elven Elves