All elves traced their origin to the great tree, Yggdrasil. Every year, when the conditions aligned, a ritual was held at its heart. The guardians of the tree presided over it, summoning forth new life from Yggdrasil's living core. From the roots to the crown, all of elven society understood this as their divine cycle, life given directly by the tree itself.
Children born this way were called true elves. They were the vast majority, their births celebrated, their futures blessed. Once a newborn was shaped from the bark and given breath, they would be assigned to a family. But the truth was simpler, if not more sacred: all elves were siblings, all sharing one origin.
By nature, such a system should have rendered evolution impossible. Yet, inexplicably, elves still possessed the capacity to reproduce like other mortal races. Their bodies were complete, their blood fertile. But to the elves, this was not a gift. It was a test.
