Elf

One of the most common humanoid races in fantasy literature, the elves are present in the Slayers world as well.

=Characteristics= In terms of physical appearance, the elves in Slayers are very much like the elves common to European folklore. They are humanoid, but tend to be smaller than the average human, and have the traditional pointy ears.

In the Slayers universe, elves have much longer lives than humans, and age much more slowly. It takes much longer for an elf to grow up into an adult than it does for humans. For example, Lark (see below) is a young elfin boy who appears to be in his preteens by human standards, but is actually 26 years old. This has led to some confusion among Slayers fans (see Melliroon).

In general elves are more intelligent and have more special abilities than humans.

The elves are considered to be the allies of the shinzoku and their relationship with the ryūzoku seems to be especially good, considering the reclusive nature of dragons. Similarly to them, however, elves can rarely be seen in human lands, though this might not have always been so; according to Lina Inverse, humans have persecuted the elves at one point in the past. Due to their long lifespans, many probably still have vivid memories of that conflict, and thus choose to keep their distance.

=Legacies=

Mipross Island
A very long time before Slayers begins, Mipross Island was inhabited by elves. However, when the elves were in the middle of a festival, they were slaughtered by the mazoku Joyrock. A young Rowdy Gabriev, whose close friend Mellyroon had been killed in the attack, tried to stop him, but failed. The spirits of the dead elves turned into fairy souls, and the island drifted away from the mainland Many years later, Rowdy (now an old man) lured Lina Inverse to Mipross in order to defeat Joyrock. By this time, however, Joyrock was too powerful. Rowdy used the Gates of Time to send Lina back to before Joyrock killed the elves. There, Lina was able to help the young Rowdy to destroy Joyrock, thus saving the elves.

What happened to the elves of Mipross island after the new timeline was created is not revealed.

Rune Ghast
Rune Ghast was a giant golem-like weapon the elves created during the Kōma War. Made out of an unknown alloy that contains orihalcon (as mentioned by Galef), Rune Ghast was impervious to all magical attacks. However, the weapon proved extremely dangerous, so the elves sealed it in the earth. They granted the task of guarding Rune Ghast to the headman of the village of Biaz, though they did not tell him exactly what it was that had been buried there. As a precaution, in case the headman or his descendants decided to dig up Rune Ghast, the elves also gave the headman a bracelet. Unbeknownst to the headman of Biaz, Rune Ghast was programmed to attack whoever wore the bracelet (which could not be taken off once it was put on).

The elves told the villagers that if they tried to dig up Rune Ghast, doom and destruction would come to their village. The villagers assumed this was a prophecy, and obeyed. In reality, it had actually been a warning.

Centuries later, the organization Zein uncovered Rune Ghast and activated it in the hopes that they could use it to conquer the world. Instead, Rune Ghast went out of control and wreaked havoc and destruction on the nearby towns and villages. Eventually, Rune Ghast was destroyed by Lina Inverse.

=List of Elf Characters=

Lark and Rynnea
Lark is an elfin boy who shows up in Slayers Royal - apparently, he's trying to get the pendant of Lezariam back, because it can be used to resurrect Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu, generally considered a 'bad' thing. He has a sister named Rynnea who's been abducted, as well.

Rynnea is Lark's younger sister. She gets abducted by Mossman before the opening of the game.

Appearance: Slayers Royal and Slayers Royal 2 (Lark only)

Mellyroon
Mellyroon is an elf girl and the childhood sweetheart of Rowdy Gabriev, who lived on Mipross Island. In an alternate timeline, the mazoku Joyrock killed her along with the rest of her people. However, that timeline was fixed when Lina Inverse went back in time to help Rowdy stop Joyrock and destroy him, thus saving Mellyroon and the other elves of Mipross Island.

Mellyroon's relationship with Rowdy has led many Slayers' fans to believe that she is Gourry Gabriev's grandmother. This was refuted by Hajime Kanzaka, who said that since elves age much more slowly than humans, Mellyroon would still have been a child when Rowdy was a full grown man, making it impossible for her to be Gourry's grandmother.

Appearance: Slayers: The Motion Picture

Memphis Linesword
Memphis is the apprentice of Milgazia, and lives with him and the other golden dragons on Dragon's Peak, in the Kataart Mountains. She is wearing Zenaffa Armor, which can create a blade capable of cutting a mazoku from the astral side.

She is described as a cold, pragmatic woman who puts business first ahead of all else.

Appearance: Novel 13, 14 and 15

=See also= Elves on Wikipedia