I'm aware that people might have an idea of what elves might be, but this is basically a variation on an idea I had a few years ago, squeezed in to fit the setting.
As dwarves are creatures of the earth, elves are creatures of the sea. They are tall and move gracefully, despite appearing somewhat frail, they are often reasonably strong, being always raised to a life on the waves. Elves are immediately noticable from humans, their ears are long and pointed, their facial features are drawn back and cheekbones raised. Their eyes are large with the iris and pupil often being the only visible area. Thier bodies are narrow, some would describe them as gaunt. Their physical shape is also obviously not human. It is frequently difficult to tell what gender an elf is.
Socially, Elves are nomadic. The basic social unit is a crew complement of a ship. They will arrive at port, perform neccesary repair work on their ship, take on necessary supplies and leave just as quickly. It is supposed but not proven that elves do not suffer from the afflictions of normal humans at sea, in particular scurvy, and that they can drink salt water.
Elves' greatest contribution to humanity is their ability to navigate and assist with trade. Elves instinctively know where they are at sea, which allows them a distinct advantage over humans, who still have to discover longitude. They make handsome profits from these abilities, which allows them to make up for raw materials they need to maintain a constant ship building industry. Elves also indulge heavily in piracy when there is little work to be had, something the Spanish Hapsburgs are starting to chaff at.
Elves maintain small land bases far from civilized areas, the Scottish Orkney Islands, some lesser known Greek islands and the west coast of Ireland all harbour Elf havens where they construct ships. Elves are known to be secretive, after all, they apparently forget to tell everyone about their bases in south America until Columbus sailed into them. Their excuse? "You never asked"
