The oldest of the elven tribes, the Rime Elves, also known as the firnya fey'e in their native language, are direct remnants of the old high elven civilization of the north. After their capital, Ometheon, was destroyed by Pardona and her Night Elves, the survivors fled into the wilds, where they split up into several tribes. These tribes eventually developed into the modern Rime Elves, but it would be wrong to consider them one unified people, or even a group sharing the same customs. Not counting their shared origins, the tribes often have highly different customs, from the Lightbringer tribe in the Brazen Sword, who are keepers of ancient knowledge, to the Wavedancer tribe near Amber Bay, who has a special affinity to the icy waters and the creatures that live within them.
Rime Elves are solitary and quiet. They have a reputation of being cold and aloof towards strangers, but the few humans they have accepted as guests in their tribe describe them as generous and kind towards each other and their tribes are very close-knit communities. Not aggressive by nature, they are nonetheless more than willing to fight hostile intruders with swift brutality. More often than not, they simply avoid contact and it is said that a Rime Elf tribe cannot be found unless they want to. They live in palaces made of living ice and the cold does not affect them at all. Usually, they are fair-skinned and fair-haired, but the different tribes have different characteristic appearances as well, so there is no such thing as the typical Rime Elf. They often live near ruins of the ancient high elven culture, or close to the border of the regions where the Night Elves or other northern threats roam.