The Elves

The elves were the dominant race of the Eastern Continent, ruling over the gnomes, giants, and humans. They mostly left their subjects to their own devices, only interfering if they did something to bother them. The elves were mostly concerned with their own race, and liked to live with nature. They didn't build any grand cities or make a unified kingdom, they preferred to leave the world mostly natural with a few elven cities. There was an elven city in the region known today as The Roselands, an elven city in the area known as The Winterlands, and Stormwind was also an elven city.

The Elves had a great alliance with the dwarves, both being very strong friends until the end of the Great Eastern War. While the dwarves surrendered to the humans and bent the knee to their new human overlords, the elves chose to exile themselves from the continent rather than live under their rule. Ever since then, the elves have been very isolationist, and their bond with the dwarves has slowly decayed over time.

The elves could control nature with magic,  harnessing a primal magic unlike what the humans had. A lot of the elves powers came from channeling magic through nature, or some innate ability rather than through study like the humans. The elves magic was strong, but not in the way that could manipulate reality. They could summon storms or produce flames, but not cause someone to fly or turn them invisible. The elves had a far easier time harnessing magic than the humans did since it came innately to them. They could grow stronger just by using their magic repeatedly. The humans had to learn the fundamentals of magic in order to manipulate it, since it did not come innately to them. Because of these differences, humans had a far greater understanding of magic, allowing them to have greater potential than the elves, but to actually reach the heights of magic was a far more difficult task for them.

The elves control over nature made them formidable opponents, allowing them to be the dominant race of the continent. They saw themselves as the guardian of the natural world, responsible with maintaining and balancing it, and most importantly, protecting it from harm. The elves had a lifespan of around 1000 years, giving them a unique perspective on life that other races, especially humans, couldn't comprehend. They often came off as eccentric and alien to them, driving a wedge between cultures. Amongst the elves, there were three distinct types.

After the Great Eastern War, the elven population was significantly reduced, and most fled to Stormwind. The few that stayed behind to live amongst the new human kingdom often were ostracized from the humans, and treated as lower beings. The elves that fled to Stormwind still hold a bitter grudge against the humans, and the elven king forbade any marriage between humans and elves.

High Elves

The high elves inhabited the region known today as the Roselands, and were experts at controlling magic. They were able to summon heavy rain to water their crops, or blast a forest with fire if they needed a controlled burn. The high elves were the largest percentage of the elves, with most living around the Roselands region. The high elves were also expert fighters, adept at using all kinds of weapons and armor.

Moon Elves

The moon elves were the most alien of the elves, with pale blue or even white skin, and eye colors that spanned from red, to purple, to yellow, to white. They inhabited the region known today as The Winterlands. The moon elves were adept at smithing and architecture, creating beautiful weapons and castles. They were the least magically inclined of the elves, and were not known for being great warriors.

Wood Elves
The wood elves inhabited Stormwind, but also parts of the Wildwood. They were the most focused on preserving the natural world, and were adept trackers, hunters, and archers. They were able to use magic effectively, but used it mostly to better track their foes.