My personal Top Five favorite Elder Races:
5. Black elves. The Dark Plant People are fungi – they are concerned about the recycling of death into life. Everyone ignores them, or assumes they are mushroom elves. But actually they are tenders of a kingdom as vast as any forest.
4. Dwarfs. Unaging crafters trying to repair a broken cosmos, according to an instruction manual from a Dead God. Have pity on the dwarves, for their existence is tragic. Greg might have hated the dwarves but I love them.
3. Aldryami. The Plant People, Children of the Forests, followers of High King Elf, the aldryami are all we love and fear about the forests. Although they superficially resemble us, they are alien. Their woods and groves are what matter to them, PERIOD.
2. Dragonewts. The most alien of the Elder Races, they experience true immortality – as whenever they die, they are reborn with their memories intact. They seek to transcend this mundane world, but must do it individually and at great effort. Fortunately they have all of time to do it (unless the cosmos is destroyed by Chaos – better stop that).
and the winner,
1. The Trolls. Big crude humanoids that eat people, love the darkness and live in squalor are nonetheless one of the most sympathetic and interesting alien species in fantasy literature.
Honorable mentions:
The Beast Folk of Dragon Pass. What happens if Dr. Moreau’s subjects gain their freedom and their vengeance?