Half-elf

Half-eladrin are generally considered to be the progeny of unions between humans and eladrin, though technically all half-breeds with eladrin ancestry are half-eladrin. Most half-eladrin are descended from moon elves and face the same prejudices and cultural alienation that half-elves do.

Physical characteristics
Half-eladrin appear in many ways similar to half-elves, and like the latter race, are commonly mistaken for one side of their ancestry by the other half, with eladrin seeing them as humans and humans seeing them as eladrin. In fact, while half-eladrin or half-elves is the common term used by humans, eladrin more commonly refer to half-eladrin as “half-humans.” Height wise, half-eladrin stand somewhere between their parents and they usually weigh in about the same. Half-eladrin are typically fairer and smoother-skinned than their human counterparts and most half-eladrin possess green eyes. However, most other physical features, such as hair color or skin tone, are determined by an individual’s human half. Typically, half-moon elves exhibit a pale, bluish tint around the ears and chin, while half-sun elves have a color more reminiscent of bronze, with hair of gold.

Most half-eladrin are the children of humans and eladrin. A few, however, are themselves the children of other half-breeds. Half-eladrin who are the children of noble eladrin, however, are generally devas rather than true half-eladrin, taking after the celestial aspect of their eladrin parent rather than the fey one. As Drow are descended of transformed dark elves, half-drow are also technically a half-eladrin variant.

Half-eladrin live roughly 180 years and achieve full maturity around the time they turn twenty.

Abilities
Like their eladrin parents, half-eladrin are typically immune to the effects of the enchantment school of magic. Likewise, half-eladrin also inherit the ability to see keenly in low-light conditions, with little or no ill effect and have enhanced senses of sight and hearing compared to their human brethren.

Psychology
Like eladrin, half-eladrin are curious and inventive creatures, though this is coupled with the powerful ambition of their human parents. Half-eladrin also share a love of the natural world and art with their fey parents.

Half-eladrin, like their fey parents, are free-spirited and chaotic, with a distaste for overbearing rules and regulations. However, like humans, half-eladrin lean neither towards good nor evil, and while they value creativity and liberty like the Tel-quessir, half-eladrin lack the virtuous bent that moderates these tendencies in eladrin. As a result, half-eladrin can prove unreliable and unpredictable allies at times.

Culture
Half-eladrin have no true culture to call their own, like most half-breeds, though many can be found throughout Toril. Most half-eladrin exhibit the cultural characteristics of whichever side of their ancestry they were raised amongst, though in either place they are outsiders, if often welcome ones. Many half-eladrin are inexplicably drawn to the life of an adventurer, possessed by a sense of wanderlust and alienation that drives them into unusual careers.

Magic and religion
Half-eladrin often partake in both the magical traditions of humans and eladrin, for which they are equally suited. Half-eladrin have no true magical traditions of their own, however although many from Aglarond take on specialization in the schools of evocation and transmutation, much as the nation’s founder the Simbul did.

Many half-eladrin worship the Seldarine in much the same way as do their eladrin parents, but others favor human deities such as Sune, whose gifts they may see as responsible for their birth. Other human deities that half-eladrin often feel drawn to include Chauntea, Selûne, or Valkur. Prior to the goddess’ death, many half-eladrin dwelling in Aglarond also took up the worship of Eilistraee, in spite of her affiliation with the drow, a practice common in particular amongst half-eladrin bards.

Relations with other races
Half-eladrin typically get along well with eladrin and humans who are understanding of their heritage. Half-eladrin also enjoy the company of dwarves, gnomes, and halflings. Half-eladrin benefit in these relations from the fact they have the grace of an eladrin but without the arrogance and the enthusiasm of a human without the latter race’s common coarseness. Half-eladrin are less than entirely trusting, however, of half-orcs, with whom they share a human heritage but whose orcish ancestry is historically opposed to the fey heritage of a half-eladrin.

Half-eladrin, life half-elves, often make excellent intermediaries between their two parent races, though often both sides suspect the half-eladrin of favoring one or the other. Where humans and eladrin are not on good terms, half-eladrin often find themselves caught in the middle. In particular, humans can come to view both half-eladrin and their parents with a degree of envy and fear, mistreating half-eladrin in places where contact between the two races are rare, an attitude which half-eladrin often react to by leaving civilization to take on a solitary existence in the wild. By contrast, in places such as Silverymoon, where racial relations are more amiable, a half-eladrin is rarely seen as an enemy or outsider.

History
As long as humans and eladrin have interacted, there have been cases of half-eladrin being born between the two races. In spite of this, the race typically remains rare enough that, except in rare circumstances, half-eladrin have not congregated together in large enough numbers to form true communities. Historically, half-eladrin have flourished when eladrin societies, such as the ancient empire of Cormanthyr, begin to decline, as they lose their territorial integrity and come into contact with human settlers. In more benign cases, half-eladrin are common where humans and eladrin have learned to live in harmony rather than in opposition, such as the nations of Luruar or Aglarond.