Elves were a race blessed with many favors. Even Snow Elves, a remote elven subrace, could live to 750, while those with great power had no trouble living past 900.
Elven bodies did not age. Though they could die of old age, they never grew physically feeble. After an elf turned 600, other signs began to reveal their advancing years: a change in hair color, an inability to rest through meditation, an ever-growing yearning to return to Arvandor, or a noticeable change in their eyes. But unlike humans, they suffered no loss of energy, weakening limbs, or failing organs. Even on their deathbeds, elves looked no older than humans in their thirties and remained full of vigor.
Many long-lived races grew weary of their lengthy lives, but the children created by Corellon, the elven god-king, never felt that way. To them, every encounter with the natural world was a fresh experience. They could delight in every sunrise, listen to birdsong as though hearing it for the first time, and feel the morning dew fall at their feet.
For elves, there was always new knowledge to learn, a new woodland trail to explore, and a new friend worth spending a few years with. When friends parted to embark on a journey or undertake years of work, their reunion inevitably involved a period of readjustment as they rebuilt their friendship.
Elves hardly knew the meaning of boredom-they considered experiencing life as essential as eating.
"What you love is your life."
-A famous saying by a merchant of the Elven Empire, later assassinated by a Drow assassin.
With their long lifespans, love of life, and abundant energy, elves always had ample time to learn every skill life had to offer. Until the age of fifteen, they grew at the same rate as humans.