High elves

The high elves, as they are called by nearly everybody except for wood elves (who either refuse to acknowledge their existence or refer to them as "forsaken elves"), are a subrace of elves who abandoned their nomadic lifestyle for permanent settlements and used such extensive Elven rune magic that they have altered themselves permanently.

Description
High elves superficially resemble typical elves, but have much lighter skin, hair, and eyes. Most tattoo rune-carving sigils on their bodies using blue or green inks, which can serve many purposes ranging from simple utility functions, combat spells, or simple aesthetics.

Personality
High elves are widely viewed as exceedingly arrogant, even compared to their parent race of elves. Most believe rune magic to be superior to any form of low magic and claim that it is their birthright to use it in excess. They often see themselves as above other races for this same reason, except for higher fey.

Society
High elven society is very different from that of wood elves. Where the ancestors of the high elves lived nomadic lifestyles in their forest homes, high elves live in permanent towns and cities, which tend to place a very high priority on aesthetic appeal. These settlements are crafted from their environments using rune-carving, which the wood elves (and many others) view as an abuse of the ancient craft. Indeed, high elves make very extensive use of rune-carving in their day-to-day lives, from large tasks down to the extremely mundane; for example, authentic high elven cookware is prized among many for the runes carved into its surface.

The largest concentration of high elves is still found in the White Wood. The most powerful nation of high elves is Salestri, a confederacy of high elven cities located in the wood.

History
The high elves diverged from wood elves many years ago. The elves that would eventually give rise to the race were part of the largest culture of elves in the White Wood, who left over a dispute regarding the proper use of rune-carving. The faction that became the high elves believed that rune-carving suffered under the many rituals and regulations the elves placed on it, and should instead be used freely with abandon in order to further their own society.