Grey Elf

Grey Elves, or Praxiimer as they call themselves, are a mysterious subrace of elves known for their keen intellect and nearly impenetrable culture. Aloof even by elven standards, little is known to outsiders about Grey Elven culture, outside of the fact that they treat any non-Praxiimer with condescension at best, and outright hostility at worst.

Physical Description
Grey elves are even taller and grander in stature than high elves, with long torsos and thin, graceful limbs. Their skin has a grey pallor to it, and ranges in color from a light ashen hue to a dusky blue-grey. Grey Elven hair ranges from platinum and silver to blue-black and deep red, with eyes of amber or violet being the most common.

Grey Elven fashion tends towards ostentatious formal wear, accenting the slight Praxiimer build with elaborate headdresses, huge shoulder pads or pauldrons, and wide, heavily adorned robes. Formal affairs have a predilection for ornate masks cast from precious metals or carved from fine woods, ivory, and bone.

Society
Grey elves live in a highly structured society of politics and decorum, all of which revolves around their religion and Great Houses, which are more akin to massive guilds than human noble houses.

Each Great House has its area of specialization, but all are self-sufficient, and all grey elf cities, with the exception of the holy city of Trisciarii Fel, are controlled by one of the Houses. The politics of each House can be vicious, but inter-House politics can sometimes escalate to open warfare.

Though the cultures of each House can be very different, they all share the Praxiimer value of intellect and careful study. However, the way they express that value can differ widely between Houses, with House Trayvin valuing shrewd mercantile skills while House Razmii honoring brilliant tacticians.

Another almost universal trait of grey elven society is its near-xenophobic racial pride. The most despicable member of a rival house is still better than the best non-Praxiimer to most grey elves, though House Trayvin has become notorious for welcoming non-Praxiimer applicants, and non-elves do appear in small numbers in most of the Great Houses. However, those few non-Praxiimer have a much harder time achieving recognition and promotion in their Houses than their grey elf associates.

Relations
While Praxiimer society makes them difficult to approach, many other races appreciate the grey elves' astounding intellect.

High elves get the best treatment from Praxiimer, as they view their elven cousins as just slightly inferior to themselves, and as such, do not heap as much contempt upon them. The high elves in turn acknowledge them as fellow elves, and though their rigid society and intricate House politics are distasteful to the typically chaotic high elves, they treat the Praxiimer with the respect they give all elves.

Humans hold the Praxiimer affinity for arcane magic in high regard, and many human wizards are more than willing to endure the grey elves' racist derision for the opportunity to study at their knee. However, outside of grey elven lands, humans don't tend to appreciate their condescending attitudes, and many Praxiimer find themselves quickly overstaying their welcome.

Most other races, however, draw few distinctions between the Praxiimer and their more common high elven cousins, much to the chagrin of the grey elves. In fact, many negative attitudes towards elven aloofness come from a bad encounter with a grey elf.

Alignment and Religion
Praxiimer society is very structured, and thus leads to many grey elves being of Lawful alignment. Morally speaking, grey elves can be of any alignment, though the Machiavellian politics of the Great Houses tends to move those of Lawful Neutral and Lawful Evil alignment to positions of power more often than their Good aligned associates.

Rather than worshiping gods, the Praxiimer venerate an undying court called the Praxis Triumvirate, or Studied Council. This council of immortal beings of near-godlike power reside in the holy city of Trisciarii Fel, and they command a dedicated faction that rivals the largest of the Great Houses in numbers, and their members are allowed in all grey elf settlements, regardless of House control.

All members of the Triumvirate were once mortal Praxiimer who grew to immense spiritual power and became the first of the undying grey elves. Other undying Praxiimer now exist, those that achieved enough mental and spiritual prowess to stave off death nearly permanently, and most reside within Trisciarii Fel, where they are venerated as saints.

Grey elf worshipers of other gods do exist. However, even Praxiimer clerics of other gods reserve at least some veneration for the Triumvirate, as they represent the greatest aspirations a grey elf can strive for.