Elves

Elves function in Nevandaar much the same way they do in the sourcebooks of 5e. Their attitudes and personalities are identical, seen as aloof by other races, intrinsically magic and whimsical, graceful to a fault - the chances that Elves have undergone are solely rooted in their history.

'Fey' Ancestry
Elves are fey in the loosest sense. They do not hail from, nor do their ancestors hail from the Feywild. Instead, during the Age of Elves, where most of the lands were discovered and explored by the Elven populace, the Feywild was an oftentimes favourite of Elven explorers.

Most Elves have ancestors who have influenced, or have been influenced by the Feywild in eons long since past. As such their 'ancestry' to the Feywild is more of a tolerance that the Elven race built up, over generations of Feywild expeditions.

Most true fey, such as Dryads, will greet Elves as long-lost cousins in place of greeting them as a fellow Fey. They are seen as all from the Prime Material as fey creatures, but the Feywild inhabitants beg to differ.

Devastated by the War:
Elves were the dominant race in Nevandaar when the War of Attrition broke out. They as a result, affected the tides of war the most, but they were also affected the most. Before the War of Attrition, there was but a single race of Elves: High-Elves, or sometimes referred to as 'pure' elves by some. Below lists how the remaining Elven subraces were established by the war - in chronological order:

Eladrin:
When the War of Attrition broke out, a large amount of the Elven populace attempted to escape into the Feywild; understandably not wanting to be in the midst of a war between gods. The Gnomish kingdom in the Feywild accepted all that they could, promising asylum to Elves who wanted to escape the war. A large number of Elves made it through before the Gnomes - with great regret - closed off the portals to the Material Plane.

The Eladrin are Elves who, through the War of Attrition, stayed in the Feywild. They are the only true 'Fey' elves, however aside from their origin, their mannerisms and aesthetics are the same as in Faerun.

Wood Elves:
When the Feywild portals were closed, those Elves that were stranded in the Material Plane waited desperately for the portals to re-open. Thinking it was just a matter of time before the Gnomes let in more refugees. They never did re-open.

The Portals were all located in dense forests, far-spanning woodlands and thick jungles. Elves set up small camps around the portals, initially thinking that it would only last for a few weeks before they were let through. However, those days turned to weeks, to months, to years, to decades. The Wood Elves were born of a necessity to survive in the woodlands that surrounded the Feywild portals.

Many of the Wood Elves died during the Cinderfall Incident. Where the entire continent of Sultis was set ablaze by a raiding army of High-Elves mid way through the War.

Sea Elves:
Some Elves upon being told of the upcoming war, did not opt to hide in the Feywild, nor the woods. Instead they constructed great ships that would carry a prestigious amount of Elves across the vast oceans. The plan was to find an isolated, unpopulated island and simply hunker down there until the war passed.

During their crossing, the ships were beset upon all sides by thrashing maelstroms, and powerful storms. The Elves collectively begged Maelrawn, god of the sea and storms, to spare them. Offering their lives, the lives of their children, their children's children etc. Maelrawn offered a deal to the Elven navy. Jump from their ships into the thrashing ocean, prove their faith to Maelrawn, and they would live.

Many did - and those that placed their faith in Maelrawn that day were gifted the boon of the sea. Able to live both on land, and within the briny depths. Those that didn't jump from the ships, and instead sank into the ocean still trying desperately to leave the storm, drowned.

Over the course of the War of Attrition, these Elves became known as Sea Elves. They oftentimes populate coastal regions alongside Triton.

Drow:
Whilst many Elves ran from the war, many Welcomed it. The 'Pure'-Elves became the main-force of the army of the Old Gods. Elves being proud, cultured, and seen as stuck up, of course rallied to the side of old, in old v new.

One of the largest armies the world had ever seen was composed of naught but Pure-Elves under the Old Gods command. The Goldleaf Armada. It was composed of maybe 10% of the entire elvish population before the War, enough to take a continent.

The Goldleaf Armada was sent to Sultis halfway through the War Of Attrition. Its strategic value was absolute, and there were already small skirmishes on its coastline between the two sides. (During this time, the Wood Elves tried to escape this conflict deep within the forests).

The Goldleaf Armada discovered the Wood Elves hiding in Sultis once they had taken the coast. They offered the wood elves a choice, join their side in the war or perish. The Wood Elves simply hid in the woods, eluding their aggressors until the ‘Cinderfall Incident.’

It was never a case of good verses evil in the War Of Attrition, just old verses new. But this tipped the scales very heavily. The Goldleaf armada set the entire continent ablaze. Millions were killed, a near genocidal level of murder. Around 80% of the Wood Elf population was wiped out in one flame-wreathed strike.

This angered the Old God of vengeance to no end. Who forsook her fellow deities and changed sides to the New Gods. She cursed the Goldleaf armada, forcing the very ash of their dead kin to stick to their skin for all eternity. She then cursed them to never be able to view a bright light again, as recompense for bathing the continent of Sultis in flame.

The Goldleaf armada, thus became Drow.