Describe elves here.
And here.
And here again.
The elves of Krynn are beloved of the gods of Good. As a people they live in harmony with nature, gently shaping it to match their vision of perfection. Due to their long lives, elves seem to possess endless patience. They are often seen as dreamers rather than doers, lacking ambition, uninvolved, distant and ethereal. The elves' passionate reverence for life and their love of beauty often make human ambitions appear empty and hollow by contrast.
Dark Elves
When an elf embraces evil, worships the gods of Darkness, or is considered a threat to his or her people, elven society moves swiftly to punish the guilty. The elven respect for life does not permit them to execute theses individuals. Instead, those elves deemed dangerous are cast out and named dark elves.
To be named a dark elf is to be without a country and a people. Forbidden to interact with all other elves, regardless of nationality, a dark elf is forced to roam the world in exile, always dreaming of the homeland that will never be seen again.
Only through forgiveness can a dark elf be welcomed once again into the realms of the elven people, but redemption can often prove to be a difficult and dangerous trial. Most who strive for redemption do not survive, though in rare occasions it is the very act of self-sacrifice that redeems the dark elf. Each of the elven nations has its own methods for dealing with dark elves.
Kagonesti elves accused of violation taboos must undergo a sacred trial. Those who fail the trail find that their tattoos are twisted and blackened, forever branding their crimes upon their flesh. They can seek redemption through a second trail- a trial of combat- during which the dark elf must defeat a great evil solely for the purpose of defending the good. Very few Kagonesti dark elves survive the second trial.
The Qualinesti bring the accused before a council of his peers, where the elf may present a case. If the council unanimously votes the elf guilty, then he undergoes the Eclipse of the Sun rite where his crimes are presented before the deities and the elf is given a chance to repent. If he does not sincerely and honestly repent, then he is declared a dark elf. His name is stricken from the hearts of the Qualinesti and no elf is permitted to speak his name.
The Ceremony of Darkness is the Silvanesti method for trying the guilty. The elf is taken into a chamber with mirrored walls and asked to step within an unbroken circle formed by a platinum chain. The elf sees his crimes portrayed on the mirror as the chain tightens around him, binding him securely. As the elf is escorted out of Silvanesti, the dark elf's name is stricken from the birth records and placed on a list of outcast in the Temple of E'li.