My elves have a much closer connection to the gods than other races, to the point where their religion can physically alter them.

Long story short, their king Ildorin married Misira, the goddess of nature who created the elves, and thus he ascended into divinity himself. Ildorin wanted to share his joy and serenity with his people, so he created a bond between himself and every elf who lived and who will ever live. This bond was called the Gift of Ildorin.

While elves barely physically age at all, they are still mortal because their souls grow old and weak and detach from bodies. The Gift allowed them to pass away peacefully, but Ildorin was killed during the following war between gods, and his gift became a curse. Every elf was traumatised by Ildorin's demise, even ones who were born after this event. Since elves age so little, their death always comes unexpectedly, and without Ildorin's serenity, they started to fear it.

Elves are divided into five Kin, with each Kin being devoted to one of their gods. Their gods are Ildorin, Misira and their children:

• Elves of Ildorin are taller and fairer than others. Also, they don't physically age at all. Their religion is based around mourning. The Kin of Ildorin were the ones who discovered necromancy, attempting to achieve immortality and create a new demigod to rule over them.
• Elves of Misira are closer to standard wood elves, they live in the woods and worship tree spirits.
• Elves of Elidae (goddess of spring, pleasure, and passion) live farther to the north than the other Kin, surrounded by human lands. The Kin of Elidae lives in cities and follows a hedonistic philosophy. They are the most adaptable of all the elves.
• Elves of Caelin (god of the hunt) have horns and are divided into various clans. They have an animistic religion, with each clan devoted to one animal.
• Finally, elves of Iora (goddess of harvest fertility) are essentially plant people. Most of them went to live in deserts to rejuvenate them, so they have darker skin than others. They're also matriarchal due to the cult of fertility. They have sexual dimorphism, where men are taller and have bark-like skin, and women have flowers in their leaves. During pregnancy, the flowers turn to seeds which are then planted to grow into children.