The Inar were a race of humanoid beings who existed in the time of the Befores. They were the first sentient beings, who are better known as elves. These beings were initially one peoples, but they splintered into different groups as they expanded to explore new territories: Elinar, Luinar, Maeinar, Reninar, Torinar, and Veninar. Inar were typically taller and thinner in stature than their human counterparts, with elongated, tapered ears. They also did not have the ability to grow facial hair, but their skin color was just as varied as humans, depending on the climate.
Creation
According to the ancient religion of Grellism, the elves were created by Grellis when he filled the world with creatures. This ultimately led to the creation of the humans, dwarfs, and merfolk by the gods Orend, Drend, and Helirend, because they were jealous of the elves.
Nations of Inar
Elinar
The Elinar were the original Inar. The name literally means "elder ones", and it is also why the Inar are called elves. This group remained in the region called Elnath, which eventually became the kingdom of Enenthal.
Luinar
The Luinar were the people of the luith, or moon. They primarily settled in desert areas of what became southern Erith, and they were known to prefer working and merrymaking at night, which is why they associated themselves with the moon. They were also of darker complexion with silver hair, which further solidified their personal association with the moon. Some of them were Moontreaders, capable of accessing the Moon Lay.
Maeinar
The Maeinar were the people of the maeth, or sun. These were elves of the plains, and were a nomadic peoples.
Reninar
The Reninar were the people of the ren, or wood. These were wood elves who settled in the Denachren, or Goldenwood, region of what eventually became Lorithi.
Torinar
The Torinar were the people of the tor, or mountains. These were highland elves who settled primarily in the area surrounding the Finrothir Mountains of what eventually became northern Enenthal.
Veninar
The Veninar were the people of the ven, or sea. They were known by the other races as the Vinthish elves. A seafaring people, and being the most traveled of all the elves, enjoyed the best relations with the other races. This is the reason High Vinthish became the speech of kings.
Extinction
They were unwittingly killed off in the Great Purge, a campaign to rid the world of magic, because magic was part of their biology. It was in their blood. While some elves openly practiced the magical arts, and were targeted specifically in the campaign, it wasn't known at the time that the Purge would affect the entire race of elves. The Cauthrians and the merfolk were also destroyed in the same manner.
Geography
Most elves resided in Greater Galwyndor, distributed between the kingdoms of Enenthal, Erith, and Lorithi, but some elves crossed the sea and settled in Lesser Galwyndor in the land of Aeryloth, where they cohabited peacefully with humans.
Before the Purge
In the time of the Befores there also lived other races. At the time of the Great Purge, there were 8 in total. The Vurg, as far as was known at the time, did not yet exist.