The first recorded instance of a half-elf dates back to 27 RE, the child of an elf and a Legati merchant who had been traveling in the Khepri Desert. Before this time, no one–human or elf–believed that such a “cross-breed” was possible, but since that time, half-elves have been born in many different racial combinations. Certainly every human race is able to breed successfully with elves, and there have even been cases of dwarven half-elves, although these last are extremely rare.
Because the culture in which they are raised often varies on a case-by-case basis, half-elf children are raised and treated in hugely different ways. Generally, however, certain cultural attitudes prevail. Elves tend to view half-elves as perpetual adolescents, even though they technically reach maturity much faster than elven children, because their life-spans are so short in comparison with elves’ life-spans. This attitude often manifests in behavior that presupposes a half-elf’s child-like status, and many half-elves have accused their pure-blood cousins as being patronizing or condescending. Within human societies, half-elves also face difficulties and generalizations. Because of their “immortal” heritage, half-elves usually count their lives in centuries rather than decades, but with long life comes slower physical maturity; and humans, reacting to the supposed “strangeness” of half-elves, seem to either inadvertently distance the half-elf children or even discriminate against them due to envy or fear. And, regardless of which culture raises them, half-elves are despised by Dark elves, for reasons that only the Dark elves know. No scholar has lived long enough to ask questions on the subject, and there is only one recorded instance of a half-dark elf in Terra: a young half-elf named Aeron Ryankas, who was not born of a dark elf, but rather became one through some kind of ritual.
In 1582 RE, a group of half-elves, tired of the dismissal, and discrimination of others, gathered resources and individuals together with which to start a half-elf colony. Using the patience they had learned from the elves and the market savvy they had observed in humans, these half-elves slowly amassed money and support over a period of twenty years. In 1602 RE, they sailed from Vitcos, Runa, and established the town of Corvale on Ivory Isle.
Corvale is ruled by a Council headed by three popularly-elected mayors. Members of the Council specialize in running different parts of the town, from agricultural to trade relations, with the mayors presiding as judges over any issues brought before them. The town’s sheriff is a dwarven half-elf named Dawn Brightstone. She has trained the militia and the town guard tirelessly over the years, and as a result, Corvale shows a remarkable ability to defend itself against the ravages of the frontier. Due solely to Dawn’s efforts, the town has also established a very basic treaty with the Dark elves that have taken up residence on Ivory Isle–the first time in history that any such thing has been recorded.
Although Corvale welcomes visitors from all races, and half-elves often find their way to the nearby human settlement of Whitewood (and vice-versa), only half-elves are allowed to take up permanent residence in Corvale. It is still a relatively small town, but scholars believe that it could become quite influential if it continues to prosper as it has in recent years.