Started playing in 2006, never knew about "just X chars can be elves because of, well, just humans!". I remember Oligarch being an Orc thing before I arrived, but at that time we had people with names like Sir Circle or General Boom Boom. Not knowing the rule, I started with Erik being an elf, but whatever, it's more for pure RPG than any other reason. Like the player of Garas said, it works well when people want to do some propaganda against Sirion. I don't see people roleplaying elves anymore, with Erik being the last one I can remember; I made his legitimate children "half-elves", just regular humans, but keeping some folk tradition. Now, with my new family, I made the RP like: "Erik left with his true elvish sons and daughters, leving behing his thousand human bastards". This way, already knowing the rule, I adjusted the speech... however, they still claim that Erik was an elf. After all, in BM world, what is an elf? Someone with pointed ears and androgenic traits or just someone who was born in Slimbar?
Just saying, Erik always named himself as the Silver Dragon of Sirion, Elune's Favorite, Aienheint incarnated, etc. There is a difference between what you say you are and what you really are. That being said, Sirion's enemies will continue to call Sirion an Elvish realm because it is politically useful: "They're stealing our jobs! Kill all the damn elves and make East Continent great again... for humans!"