Physical Appearance & Characteristics

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Basics

The wolfrider elves of River Twine Holt follow the same general model of the wolfriders in EQ canon. They have pale (Caucasian) skin, with some variation possible (some members of the tribe are able to "tan", if they spend enough time in the sun), and a full range of hair and eye colors.

The Influence of Wolfblood

The current tribe contains elves from the 4th, 5th, and 6th generation descended from the pureblooded High Ones. This means that there is still some variation in the "amount of wolfblood" to be found amongst the individuals -- but in practice, all the elves have some amount of wolfblood, and except in the case of rare throwbacks (like Quick Fang), there is comparatively little variation between those of stronger wolfblood and those of stronger elfblood (in contrast to earlier generations).

(The "First" generation in our tribe's reckoning is actually the second generation to have wolfblood in it. The literal first generation consisted of Halfwolf and other children of shape-changed High Ones. The tribe counts its "First" generation from that of Wolfsister, Halfwolf's daughter. It is not always precisely known what percentage of wolf vs. pure elf blood the individuals of Wolfsister's generation had, since their entire parentage is not always known. For example, Wolfsister's mother might have been a pureblooded elf, or might have been another half-breed like Halfwolf.)

Amongst the tribe's 1st and 2nd generations, physical expression of wolfblooded ancestry might be expressed in a variety of ways -- some members of those generations had more wolfy characteristics than others, and their physical features were not always a precise indicator of how strong their wolf or elfblood was. By the 3rd generation, elfbood tended to dominate the tribe's physical characteristics, with no more furry, feral-looking individuals (similar to Halfwolf or Wolfsister) turning up. Even today's throwbacks will not be as feral-looking as the 1st or 2nd generation individuals.

Average Heights by Generation

The wolfriders' average heights have become smaller with each succeeding generation. The following is a list of average heights for each generation; actual heights of individuals may be +/- 3" on either side of the average.

High Ones: av. 6'0"
1st gen: av. 5'10"
2nd gen: av. 5'6"
3rd gen: av. 5'2"
4th gen: av. 4'9"
5th gen: av. 4'4"
6th gen: av. 4'0"
7th gen: av. 4'0"

Weight, Strength

Most elves have slender, elongated builds; but the influence of the wolfblood has resulted in some elves with more robust builds and musculature. Generally speaking, though, elves weigh less for their size than comparable humans. (Think of Olbar the Mountain Tall referring to Cutter and Skywise as "bird-bones".) Their light weight does not equal frailty or weakness, however. Elf bones may be very light, but they are also unnaturally strong. Elves are physically stronger than a human observer might guess from their size and build.

Head-hair & Eye Colors

Hair colors found amongst the wolfriders include: black; various shades of brown; various shades of red; various shades of blond; silver-grey; and white. Earlier generations had examples of brindled, wolf-like head-hair; that is unknown in the current generations but may show up again via throwback. Eye-colors include brown, blue, green, and hazel, as well as colors not found in humans, such as blue-violet, violet, and amber. Inheritance of hair and eye color is not completely random, but rather tends to run in family lines. But, hair and eye colors may skip generations and turn up in offspring further down the line.

Facefur (When, What Patterns, etc.)

Although the current generations are generally elfy-looking, the males of all generations since Wolfsister's have developed face-fur (unlike pureblooded elves, who do not). Generally, this happens around age 500, +/- 25 years or so. Facefur is the same color as head-hair, and tends to manifest in a number of patterns, including: full beard; mustache but no beard; fringe beard but no mustache; goatee with or without moustache; and muttonchops (long sideburns) with or without mustache. The style of facefur that an individual develops may be inherited from ancestors in either the paternal or maternal line. Once facefur begins to come in, it takes only about a year for it to achieve full growth. It tends to grow to a certain length and then self-maintain that length without the male elf needing to keep after it by trimming or shaving. Males with facefur might decorate what they have with beads (if it is long enough), but they don't tend to manipulate its pattern.

Body Hair (or Lack Thereof)

Body hair (chest, arm-pit, etc.) is not found amongst the elves; this is due to the influence of their elfblood. Some members of the 1st and 2nd generation (such as Wolfsister) did have body hair of the same color as their head-hair; this was a "strong wolfblood" characteristic, and would now only be found amongst throwbacks.

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