Elves

I carry around a Baseline D&D world in my head.  It is built of all the bibs and bobs of fantasy and D&D lore smooshed together.  The goal I think it to try and make all fit and make sense in a satisfying way.  While much of it is a matter of taste, I have settled on some assumptions that work for me.

Today the topic is Elves.  The below sets a baseline of what my D&D Elves are like.

• Elves, Eladrin in their own tongue, originally hale from another realm ("Across the Sea", a different plane, continent, planet, time) the exact nature of which is a matter of conjecture.
• The Oldest/Original Elves are Ageless and Immortal.
• Very few of them are present any more, many having returned from whence they came or having been slain in age old conflicts.
• Elves born of the earth realm retain youthful looks through most of their lives, which can span centuries
• They have large bright eyes in proportion to their heads.  Their lithe frames also give them the appearance of extra height.
  
• Elvish lifespans do seem to be shortening, some attribute it to a property of living among mortals, others to the taint of human blood (we will get to Half-Elves later)
• Their homelands are remote and claim borders that extend far from their gates, typically in ancient forests they have protected and cultivated for untold ages.  
• They have build strong relations with the sylvan creatures in order to create a safe and secure zone around their homes.  This relationship often causes other folk to confuse aspects of Nymphs, Dryads, Satyrs and other woodsy races with those of the Elves.
  
• These homelands tend to be wondrous "cities", grown in and among the natural beauty.  Ancient Elven magics have delicately coaxed stone and metal from the ground to form towers, bridges, and homes among the trees or other natural features.  (Think Lothlorien from the Lord of the Rings movies).
• This same ancient magic keeps these seemingly fragile dwellings warm, dry, and secure.
• In the same way, they use such magic to procure abundant food and other resources from their lands.
• Near every Elf is of some "royal" blood as they organize themselves into houses for a grand game of court.
• These resources allow them to spend their centuries in idle amusement.  At times seeming aloof and others wanton.
• In short, the Elven mind is different.  What can at times seem like stoicism, debauchery, or malevolence,  or other "unkind" behaviors or emotions are simply the result of being such a long lived race with a different view of the World they currently inhabit.
  
• Elves travel outside of their homelands for a number of reasons,  amusement, novelty, seeking a sense of purpose (at least for the time being).  To humans, an Elven settlement or neighborhood may seem permanent, to the Elves it is viewed as but a summer vacation rental.
• Elves that hunt and farm and otherwise go about their lives in a way similar to other races, are "doing as the mortals do" and fitting in with the neighbors. 
  

All of the above is an attempt to find room for all the depictions of Elf kind throughout the ages and editions. If Elves are fairie adversaries as in Three Hearts and Three lions, separate from the lands of mankind, you have it.  If they are spread out among the lands, you have it.  Are they stoic and almost Vulcan like (as seemed to be the case in the early 80s), there is a reason for that perception.  The great thing with Elves is their long lives allows you to write off any depiction as a "passing fancy".