Stages of Life (EoA)

== Stages of Life ==
Athasian elves do not live as long as the elves of other campaign settings. In fact, on average both half-giants and dwarves live longer than the desert runners. Death is a very real part of life on Athas, and only the strongest, craftiest and luckiest elves live to see old age, let alone to die a peaceful, natural death. They have no sense of sweeping periods of time, or of the broader range of val- ues that go with such longevity, for elves naturally live only to around the age of 140 years.
Unlike elves of other worlds, Athasian elves do not mysteriously disappear after a certain stage in their lives. There is no hidden elven homeland that calls to them, no otherworldly realm waiting to welcome them with eter- nal rewards. To the elves of Athas, there is only the now. They live in the moment, perhaps to an even greater degree than humans and halflings.
They do share a few traits with their non-Athasian counterparts. Aging is not as radical a transition to elves as it is to other races. There is little outward difference between an adult elf and an old elf. Only when they reach venerable age (100 years old and beyond) do elves begin to display obvious signs of wear. Even these signs are slight and mild when compared to a venerable human; in elves, their hair begins to dull and turn gray,
their shoulders stoop slightly, and their reflexes start to slow. But they do not suffer the crippling diseases of old age, such as senility, that plague humans.
Like other races, elves go through a variety of stages of life. From childhood to adolescence, adulthood through middle age, and to old age and beyond, the elves of Athas dance and steal their way from birth to often- violent death. The Athasian Elves Stages of Life Table on page 17 lists the passages described in the following text and provides details on adjusting elf characters as they progress through life, for even elven abilities rise and fall as each now passes. These changes vary slightly from the table in the DARK SUN   Rules Book in order to repre- sent the differences between elves and the other races of Athas.
== Childhood ==
Elf children develop at much the same rate as do human children, except that they begin to crawl and stand much earlier in their development. They learn to run when humans are learning to walk, and by the age of two they can run with the tribe when speed is not a necessity. Adult elves carry their children in back harnesses or on their shoulders when the tribe must make an overland run.
Prior to learning to run, elf children do not have names as such. They are called by descriptive terms or nonsense names, such as Little One or Flop Ears. An elf child receives her first true name based upon the first interesting thing she does after learning to run.
By the time an elf is four years old, he or she has grown to nearly 3 feet. Most of this height is in an elfs legs, which are long, lean and strong. Now the elf child can run alongside the adults and begin to learn the skills needed to perform as a member of the tribe.
As elves never completely lose their childish ways (its a part of their makeup), elf children are encouraged to play. Much of their play has educational benefits, for elven amusements include races, games whose objective is to steal items from other tribe members, and mock combat with practice bows and swords. Through these activities the children learn the basics of warfare, desert survival, haggling, thievery, raiding, and many of the social customs of their tribes. Other types of play have no other purpose than to entertain and create joy. These include many elven dances and silly games of luck and nonsense.
Childhood is not all fun and games, however. Elves, like the desert that spawns them, are hard parents. They provide no comfort to their young, no soft shoulders to cry upon. Elf children must learn that although they are part of a tribe, they are also on their own. They must learn to be brave and to stand on their own, no matter what anguish or heartache assails them. They must learn to be elves.
As young elves gain more strength and height, they begin to take on jobs to help the tribe. From around the age of 10, elf children are expected to assist with simple chores as a precursor to the apprenticeships to come.
== Adolescence ==
Between the ages of 13 and 17; elves undergo radical changes as they mature. By the time adolescence ends, both male and female elves have reached their full height and have learned enough to take on adult roles and responsibilities in the tribal community.
Adolescence is a time of structured learning, wherein
adult elves instruct young ones in the business of the tribe. There are no roles specific to the sexes (with the exception of childbirth), and males and females learn the same things. For the first year or two, young elves learn as much as they can in as many subjects as possible. Besides formal training in wilderness lore and survival, archery, swordplay, and tribal customs, they also receive instruction in trade practices, hunting, tending herds, raiding, and other profitable ventures.
When an elf reaches the age of 15 or so (or when a chief or other tribal leader feels the elf is ready), he or she is apprenticed to an adult. Whatever area the elf has shown particular talent in becomes the focus of this learning period. If, for example, an elf demonstrates a knack for magic, he or she becomes a pupil of the tribes mage. Others are apprenticed to hunt masters, scouts, herders, trade leaders, war chiefs, clerics, or some other experienced adultall for the purpose of learning spe- cific skills and honing natural abilities.
Even this period of growth is not all work and study. Elves must also learn to enjoy and appreciate the now, and new entertainments are introduced to help accom- plish this. Many of these entertainments involve interac- tion with the opposite sex, and more and more often adolescents are allowed to participate in adult dances and festivities.
As elves approach their eighteenth year of life, they begin to prepare for the tribal ceremonies that will usher them into adulthood. Some may be granted the full rights and responsibilities of adulthood as early as their six- teenth year, while others must wait until the age of 20 or beyond to engage in the tests and initiations of the tribe.
== Adulthood ==
Simply because an elf is born to a tribe doesnt mean he or she automatically gains full membership tights. While there are specific privileges afforded those of a particular tribes blood, for an elf to reach adulthood he or she must pass the tribes rites of initiation. Elves are considered ready to face these grueling tests when they reach their full height and have demonstrated not only bravery and mastery of a particular job, but when the tribes leaders determine the time is right.
Elf children receive names based on the first interest- ing thing they do when initially learning to run. These names may change when they reach adulthood, for often the rites of passage suggest new, more appropriate desig- nations. Long-standing traditions determine what form a particular rite of passage will take, as well as the signs given to a tribes element singers (clerics) during periods of reflection. While dangerous, few rites are deadly, and most adolescents ascend into adulthood with little trou- ble. However, young elves who suffer from maladies or extremely weak constitutions may not survive the tests placed before them.
Some may see this as cruel, but the lifestyle of the desert runners leaves no room for those who cannot hold their own. Run, or be left behind, proclaims an elven adage. That is the truth and the reality of life on Athas.
Adult elves are in the prime of their lives. They feel invincible and full of energy, ready to live every now to the fullest and face anything the wastes can throw in their way. They proudly take their place in the tribe. Never in their lives have elves been more free, and everything they do affirms the strength and independence of their spirits.
While most elves remain with their tribes, a few decide to take up a life of wandering. Those who become adventurers by choice must fulfill the curiosity and long- ings that sing in their souls. Those who do so because of circumstance are often a sadder lot, for something has forcibly ripped them away from their tribes. They could have been captured as slaves, or cast from their tribes for some unspeakable transgression. Some are the lone sur- vivors of a desert war, others the remaining members of tribes that fell to the deadly nature of Athass untamed wastes.
Elf adventurers who leave their tribes voluntarily or because they were forced to by nontribal agents may stay away for years on end, but eventually the songs of elven blood call them home. When they return, their tribes typically welcome them with open arms and wild celebra- tions.
Those who are cast out of their tribes or who have no tribe to return to feel a similar call, but they have no way to answer its summons. These elves must find a way to stay focused on the now or yearnings for dead yesterdays and impossible tomorrows may drive them mad.
== (insert table pg 17) ==
== Middle Age ==
At the age of 50, Athasian elves enter middle age. Now they begin to slow, though few non-elves can perceive any change. Disease and injuries become more prevalent, but not to the extent that middle-aged humans must endure. These elves know their own capabilities, when to push forward and when to retreat. They have gained some wisdom, and they constantly seek new challenges and diversions to make the now more enticing.
Athasian elves who survive to middle age typically choose to become the leaders of their tribe. They turn to teaching, seeking to pass on what they have learned to the next generation of elves. Some continue to adventure, especially those who have no other choice, but most return to their tribes in order to participate in the daily dance of survival.
== Old Age ==
Around the age of 67 or so, an elf begins to show visible signs of age. This is the beginning of an elfs twilight years, when old age sets in and the end becomes a tangi- ble possibility. Not the end that every elf faces every daythe possibility of violent death that marks each now under Athass crimson sunbut an end that comes from weariness and fatigue, that creeps up like a thief in the night to steal away the now and all nows to come. Old elves must make a concentrated effort to run and stay in the lead, for to rest for even a moment is to invite the end to catch up and overtake the runner.
These elves do not look old to members of other races. Although they no longer appear as vital young runners, by no stretch of the imagination do they look like they are on their last legs. To other elves, however, looking upon elves who have reached old age is to look into the very depths of night. It saddens them to see the once-proud racers slow, to know that their limbs have lost vitality and
speed, that their aim is no longer true and sure. But the younger elves also rejoice at the knowledge these elders have gained, for they seek their wisdom when faced with problems or indecision.
== Venerable Age ==
The dark years for an Athasian elf begin around his or her hundredth birthday. Age has finally begun to take a significant toll on the elf, and the years can now be seen in both body and bearing. Hair that was once shiny and full full of color has dulled and turned to gray. Wrinkles spread across weathered features, and pain starts to intrude upon limbs that once knew only vitality. Though a venerable elf is in much better physical condition than the average human of comparable age, he or she is far from the excellent form of youth.
Sometime between the start of old age and the onset of venerable age, an elf finds that he can no longer keep up with his tribe. Many simply fall behind and die, losing the will to live. Some, however, refuse to lose the now with- out a fight. These ancient elves become hermits, living as best they can in the bleak wilderness. A few even find a place among other non-elf tribes, for the knowledge and skills they bring to a struggling settlement can mean the difference between survival and death. Of course, such non-elf communities must overcome their natural aver- sion and distrust of the desert runners to even contem- plate such an arrangement.
If an elf can survive all the hazards of life on Athas into her venerable age, then she can expect death by nat- ural causes to finally catch up with her sometime before her one hundred-fortieth birthday. When a venerable elf passes from the world in such fashion, it is said that all the tribes across the deserts mourn. At such a rare and poignant time, the songs of grief can be heard echoing across the dunes like the cries of the world itself, carried on the hot, boiling winds.