Windith (Common Elves)

The Windith are the most common elves found in the world. Their origins are unknown and lay claim to many places around the globe. While they are generally known as Windith by the High Elves, they have individual names for their homes as well as nicknames given by other races. They share a commonality of pale yellowish skin, around six feet tall and an average strength and speed (in comparrisson to humans and other such races).

Etymology
The word Windith originates from ancient Nysthandian tongue. It litteraly translates into "Common Walker". There are many types, all referred to as Windith or their respective Elven history. This is not the case for the Nysthandians or the Undrithai as they are distinctively different.

History
It is unknown where these elves originate. They dont vary much other than aesthetics depending on the region they call home. They have formed communities that share a comonality which leads other races to give them nicknames. The most common are the nature driven Wood Elves, followed by the Water Elves (also nicknamed "Ship-rats") but there are many different types depending on the location they live in. see also: list of Windith Races

Habitat and population
Eartly Windith settlements where located on proximity to fresh water and, depending on the lifestyle, other natural resources. They where mostly hunter gatherers rather than farmers though the process was not lost on them. Eventually they began to farm like humans did to grow their food and livestock. Unlike the Nysthandia or the Humans, they did not use technology to alter their landscape, instead they worked around or with it to ensure mutual growth. They will often sacrifice comfort (with the exeption of the Nystha Windith or Civilized Evles) in order to maintain a balance with nature. While they primarily live in groups, there have been many instances where one will splinter off to form their own habitat. The anatomy of the Windith allows them to adapt easily to world wide climates and their extremeties.

Technology has also aided the Windith greatly, allowing them to grow and adapt better than they would on their own. They inhabit so much of the world because of technology and, while not the creators, became excellent sailors. This skill allowed them to migrate as fast as humans could.

Windith habitation is almost limitless as their bodies easily adapt (sometimes within minutes) of their environment. Thus all lands are inhabital however the Far south ice patches are not deemed worthy as there is not much life there.

Since the First age of Man began the Windith population has steadily climbed from 1.4 Billion world wide to 4.8 billion (estimate) world wide by 1642 TAM (Third Age of Man). They inhabit mostly the Eastern continent with 28% of the population being full blooded Windith. In First Age of Nythandia (First age of Elves) it was thought that only about 100,000 Windith existed and lived solely in the northern plains and forests of the Western Continent. Since then they have mostly moved into urban centers over the millenia. In the First Age of Zorbans, they where nearly wiped out in the final wars and began rebuilding by 1 FAM (First age of Man). Although they live in urban centers with other races, including humans, they are not always so hospitible to other races due to their continued effort to live in harmony with nature.

The largest and oldest Windith city is that of the Nystha Windith. It is named Avalona after the Nysthandian High King.

Anatomy
The Windith vary substantially as they are similar to humans. although body size is largely determined by genes, it is also significantly influenced by environmental factors such as diet, location, and exercise. The average height of an adult male is 1.8m (6 ft) and the average height of an adult female is 1.5m (5 ft). Although this varies significantly from place to place and depending on ethnic origin. Most males weigh on average about 76-83 kg (168-183 lbs) while females weigh on average 48-64 kg (110-140 lbs). They are like most other intellegent races in that they vary depending where you find them.

The windith are naturally hairless with the exception of the head. This is due to their skin secreting a non-addressable mucuss that coats the body to protect it from climate changes. This mucus is undiscenerable to the touch of any race so it was unknown for many mellenia to have existed.

The hue of their skin and hair is determined by the presence of melanins. Their hair varies in colors depending on climate and location. It is usually found to be a brighter color to warn off natural predators. This color diminishes as years go on.

Physiology
Like all the Elveynous races, they have two legs, two arms, one head and no dissernable tail. They have the basic organs needed to live, similar to other elven and human races. Their faces are comprise of two eyes, one nose, one mouth and two ears. Their ears are long and able to turn slightly to pinpoint sounds making them good hunters. Their eyes also are more sensitive to light allowing them to see better in the dark but not as good as say, humans, in the light.

Life Cycle
Most Windith are born as young, it takes two decades for them to grow into adolesence, one decade more to become a full adult. After that most Windith will live for anywhere from one hundred to two hundred depending where they live, their diet, their work habit, and excersize regime. Contrary to the life of the other main races, the ones living in the cities, live less then that ones living in the wild.

Ethnicity
(see main article: List of Windith Races)

The ethnicity of the Windith is dependant on where they live.

Diet
Like humans, Windith are commonly omnivores. However, they also are able to eat things that other races cannot such as the volup plant (it's used as an herb that is poisonous to almost all other non-elven races) and the conn berry (also poison to other races). They typically eat twice a day and use a high vegetable diet to keep up strength. This however does vary amongst the different people's, depending on location and availability of food.

Sleep
Due to heightened survival, sleep times don't meet a set standard, it's dependent on location and what subculture they belong too. The most common ones only need a short sleep period taking only a quarter of a day. The more natural lifestyled ones will sleep within their home groves and/trees.

Conciousness and Thought
Windith are one of many races who are concious to some degree. They are self aware and are able to pass "The mirror Test" (tests a creatures ability to recognize its looking at a reflection of itself). They are as complex as most other settling races and live closely with most of nature. They are able to problem solve and make decisive and indecisive thoughts as well. Because they have the complex minds, as other races do as well, they are able to speak many different languages and learn other cultures and practices. This makes them an adaptive race, able to conciously connect with much around them. They also contain within them an ability to communicate with smarter animals such as Trydons, Dragons, and Kanga, allowing them to do more with them.

Motivation and Emotion
Almost all Windith are motivated by circumstance. They also contain a large veriety of emotions (basic and advanced). Windith Emotions are also passed along to other non-sentient life forms and "intellegent" plantlife. They are capable of great things with motivation to overide most other senses, this is most common within Humans as well. Determination falls within Motivation and allows Windith to preform great things.

Sexuality and love
Depending on the culture of the particular tribe or location, Most Windith will mate with one person at a time for life. They can produce anywhere from one to twenty offspring but most females die if they produce too many children. They are also one of the few races that can cross-race, meaning they can breed with non-Windith races. This is selective as tests where compiled by the Nysthanians to find out which ones could. The most common mix is Windith-Human hybrids called Aswind. Many Windith also simply consumate the breeding rituals for pleasure, one of the few races that do this.

Gender roles
Most Windith do not have specific roles for Males and Females except where other races and culture intervenes. Most city Windith usually produce either gender as superior to the other, creating rifts in society. This is common in large cities. Nature bound Windith do not specify which is in control. Most males and females will hunt side by side and work together to nurture and grow the offspring.

Society, government, and politics
Windith live within either simple or complex governments and societies. All Windith have the ability to control such common matters while living within cities or in society but not many put high importance within them.

Trade and economics
As Windith travelled, they learned the skills required to trade with other creatures and races. They have formed cities and tribes and contain complex and simple economies. The simple ones are barters and traders while the complex offers barter of goods with currency and banking systems. Complex Windith Economies mostly form around ones that live with humans and/or large quantities of mixed races.

War
All Windith are capable of war. It can happen on large scales, small scales, and even micro instances (i.e. the war of two houses). War between Windith specifically is as common as with other races as radical change in lifestyles of Windith who cultivated other lands, commonly puts them at a distance from their heritage (i.e. Windith from the badlands commonly fight Windith in the Savanna, despite being of the same origin).

Material culture and technology
Most Windith take pride over nature over material items. But city bound Windith take great pride over their material items that they hand-crafted. This can also lead to fights and arguments over styles.

As intelligent races, the Windith have a deep understanding of technology, in the stand of creating new items to better their own lives. Though not as advanced as the Nysthanian, they are not parasitic as the Humans are.

Language
This is solely dependant on where the Windith live. There are four major forms of Windith languages (Gophre´, Chloe, Common, Esden) with hundreds of dialects. This is due to the widespread life of the Windith, though most speak Common or Ellyssian.

Spirituality and religon
The largest and most common religon is The Imperius Dumerius. The second largest is Nos Angarism and equally the Order of Una. In the Second Age of Man, many Windith also began practicing Jaiism. Many other natural philosophies exist but depend on the location of the tribe or group, this also leads to Paganism.