Race Name: The High Elves--not to be confused with the generic elves (who, by this point, are presumably the wood elves)

Race Description: The single most arrogant species to have ever walked the world. Their origins are a mystery--at some point, they split off from the rest of elven-kind, only to come back in force in pursuit of some lost artefacts, lead by the same leader as before, as well as who the High folk themselves claim to be the single greatest man to ever live and the creator of all the magical regalia they prize to this day.

For the most part, they were completely uninterested in disturbing any population they passed through, unless it stood between them and their treasures, where a simple choice was faced: return the treasure, or perish. Most, wisely given the force assembled, gave whatever had come into their possession back. A few others refused, and went to brief war over it.

The Snow Elves, however, arrogantly looking down on others of their kind, went one step too far: not only refusing to return the artefacts they had acquired, they humiliated the messengers and put priceless treasures into their own horrific machines. The retribution still stands as the single greatest massacre in history: entire cities razed to the ground, the populations wiped out entirely, and even the land itself reshaped and rendered barren. The Snow Elves survived--just, but they weren't ever going 'home' again.

The onslaught was brought to a halt when their leader was slain, having chosen to fight all the Snow Elves' war machinery himself. True to his reputation, the damage he inflicted was far greater than that received... but it still broke the High Elves apart for the first time. Though they followed their oaths to recover the artefacts to the bitter end, the vast horde splintered and warred amongst itself, dragging all those they passed by into the conflict, for centuries before splitting apart entirely.

Much like they have in ages past, the high elves are a predominantly nomadic people, maintaining their image through exclusively taming aerial beasts--it was even said that their fallen legion was able to make dragons bend knee and serve him. Those who care to learn a craft other than the bow and combat magic universally excel, from smithing to necromancy, but often go off the deep end in the pursuit of some goal or another. Whilst many great mages and inventors have been high elves, at least as many, if not more, have been homicidal nutcases needing an outright military response.

Physically, though, they barely differ from their common cousins. The differences developed appear to entirely be a genius that walks a thin line between genius and madness, constantly.

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Anyone that tries to play one of these guys is mad. XD