Half-elves

Half-elves are those elves with significant human bloodlines or humans with significant elven blood. Sometimes they are exactly 50-50 mixes, but that's much rarer.

Unlike the more common races which have distinct phenotypic subgroups, half-elves are a continuum and exhibit significant variation between members of the race. Half-elves with high elf backgrounds tend to be taller than humans with blonde or gem-colored hair. Half-elves with wood elf backgrounds tend to be shorter than humans (but not by much) with darker hair and skin. Half-elves in general have less physical sexual dimorphism than humans. Females tend to have slightly more pointed ears, but that's about it. Half-elves grow more facial hair than elves, but less than humans or dwarves. Physically, half-elves are found with the looks of either of their parent races.

Human-dominant Half-elf society (Earth-kin)

Although there is little physical polymorphism within the half-elf race, there a significant divide in social attitudes. Those half-elves who take after human-kind rigidly adhere to the meritocratic ideals of human society. In essence, they try to be more human than the humans. This group tends to marry humans wherever possible. They are accepted generally by humans, but rejected strongly by pure elves of both types and are called "mutaverta" (mud-bloods).

Wood-elf dominant Half-elf society (Travellers)

Those half-elves that take after the wood elves are wanderers and travelling merchants and traders. The closest earthly parallel are the Romani (gypsy) people, although the half-elves will settle for short periods of time (until too many people move in). These are the half-elves that most frequently marry other half-elves.Their social standing has improved tremendously in the Council Lands in recent years.

Byssian Half-elves

Almost all half-elves in Byssia (and there are a lot of them) are wood-elf dominant. They are just as settled as any other Byssian, however, and are culturally indistinguishable from the human or elven populations (depending on who they live among.

High-elf dominant Half-elf society (Sharp-ears)

The smallest group are those that take after the high elves. They prize arcane ability and try to marry into elf families. The high-elves look at them as second-class citizens but cherry-pick the best to be adopted into the families. Humans detest them as wannabes and accuse them of putting on airs. They are very rare outside the capital.

Fang-kin

The half-elves of the Jungle of Fangs (a large minority of the population) are descended from high elves. Many of them consider this to be a social status marker.