Half-Elf

Born from two worlds but welcome in neither, half­ elves struggle to find their place in a hostile land. Humans and elves rarely share trust or affection , but they travel many of the same roads on Athas, and sometimes romance follows. However, the children of unions between elves and humans are rarely happy.

Half-elves typically face intolerance and prejudices throughout their lives. A tribe of elves might go so far as to cast out a female elf who bears a half-elf child, letting the desert dispense with the object of their shame. Humans care less about elven ancestry, but most assume that half-elves are every bit as clever and dishonest as their elven forebears.

Because they must contend with hostility from both sides, half-elves are a people without a home­land, forced to endure on society's fringes. Some half-elves live as loners in the desert, surviving as herders, hunters, or employees of more tolerant mer­ chant houses. Other half-elves adjust by developing confident, assertive personalities, transforming them­ selves into people who win friends and engender trust. Ironically, they are treated better by unrelated races than by their own kin. Dwarves, halflings, thri­-kreen, and others have no particular reason to dislike half-elves and judge them on their merits and charac­ter, not their ancestry.

As one might assume of a race of loners, half­ elves hold self-reliance as their highest virtue, never expecting or asking for help no matter what their situation. Self-taught and naturally adept at learning, half-elves dabble in a variety of areas, mastering the skills they need to survive on their own. Some half­ elves are bitter and sullen, but most seek to make the best of their circumstances. More than anything, half-elves take pride in defeating expectations.