Wild Elves

## Basic Information

### Anatomy

Wild Elves have an appearance similar to that of the Wood Elves from whom they are descended. They are fair skinned with red hair. Their faces are often dotted with freckles from living under the sun. The most outstanding feature, however, are the antlers which protrude from their foreheads. These antlers resemble those of a deer or elk. Their eyes are either blue or green.

### Ecology and Habitats

Wild Elves call the region of Claedwen called Tirwenya home. It is a flat, forested area, distinguished from other parts of Gledmaer by its flat terrain and patchier vegetation.

## Additional Information

### Geographic Origin and Distribution

Wild Elves live almost exclusively in the region of Claedwen called Tirwenya.

### Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Like other elven races, Wild Elves have heightened senses compared to human races. They also have the ability to empathize with plants and animals.

## Civilization and Culture

### Naming Traditions

**Male:** Caern, Freadan, Glear **Female:** Tirwe, Gladwyn, Cernona

### Beauty Ideals

Wild Elven beauty ideals are similar to Wood Elven beauty ideals, favoring athletic, slim builds. Muscular builds are more favored in men, as are larger antlers, as it signifies they are more mystically in tune to nature.

### Gender Ideals

In Wild Elven society, which is nomadic, males generally go out on hunts while women stay and watch over camp. However, there are exceptions to this rule somewhat regularly, and is more a means of practicality than a tradition. The leader of each clan may be a man or a woman, and is chosen based on who is selected by the spirits.

### Courtship Ideals

Wild Elves value freedom, and so courtship is very free. Many Wild Elves consult druids and nature spirits to find a partner suitable not only for them, but also for the tribe and nature. Arranged marriages do not occur in Wild Elven society.

### Relationship Ideals

The ideal Wild Elven relationship is one which pleases the spirits and in which both partners are happy and in love. Wild Elves don't care what kind of relationship one practices, for as long as it doesn't go against nature and the wishes of the spirits, there is no problem to be had. Incest is considered an affront to nature and as such is not allowed, and is punished by exile.

### Major Language Groups and Dialects

Cruachil (Wild Elven), Taleval (Wood Elven), common

### Common Etiquette Rules

Wild Elves are highly communal, and are quite kind, generous, and friendly with each other. Within Wild Elf society, the only real taboos are the disrespect and abuse of nature. For this reason, they are often distrustful of outsiders, not due to racism or xenophobia, but because they see their cities of stone encroaching on and destroying the natural world as an affront to nature. However, those who show proper reverence toward nature are often able to earn the trust and respect of the Wild Elves, and be treated as kin.

### Common Dress Code

Wild Elves don't have very advanced means of creating clothing, and so they generally wear furs or simple clothes, generally either in shades of brown or green.

### Culture and Cultural Heritage

The Wild Elves share a common heritage with the Wood Elves, but the Wild Elves have held on to the more archaic and ancient beliefs of the Wood Elves, and their culture has changed little through time. To many they seem primitive, and that is entirely by design. The Wild Elves choose to live a primitive life because they feel that it is more true to nature. They do not use metal, instead using bone, rock, and ironwood in place of metal. They often use bows with flint or bone-tipped arrows, and spears or wooden clubs with shields. They don't build permanent structures, instead opting for small tents and shelters of sticks, bone, and animal hides. They are a music and art loving people, playing wooden flutes and animal hide drums, and carving small figurines out of bone. While distrustful of outsiders, they are generally not violent, with a few exceptions of clans which actively attack and raid towns and villages near their territory to reclaim them for nature.

### Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

The Wild Elves share burial customs with the Wood Elves, in which the deceased is buried and a sapling is planted on top of the corpse. However, as a nomadic people, they do not have graveyards.

### Common Taboos

The desecration of the land is considered utmost taboo to the Wild Elves, who revere the sanctity of the land above all else. To desecrate the land, to take what is not needed, is considered cruel and unjust by the Wild Elves.

### Common Myths and Legends

The Wild Elves worship both the gods of the Wood Elves and the nature spirits which call Tirwenya home. They have a very deep connection to the land, and protect their home at any cost because of its religious importance. Their relationships with nature spirits are often personal, and they learn much from them both through druidic means and through personal communication.

### Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

The Wild Elves are largely xenophobic and distrusting of other peoples, as they see them as people who care nothing for the sanctity of nature and take from it without giving anything in return. Inversely, many other peoples see Wild Elves as savages and tribal raiders.

Genetic Ancestor(s)
* Wood Elves

Origin/Ancestry
Elven
Lifespan
90 years
Average Height
5'-5'7
Body Tint, Colouring and Marking
Fair skin

## Magic Culture

There is absolutely no magical academia in Wild Elf society and so wizards are completely nonexistant. Druids are, of course, exceedingly common among the Wild Elves, as are magically-adept rangers and totem barbarians. There are also a few among them who swear oaths to the defense of nature, becoming paladins. Others are born with innate magical power, and sometimes learn to harness the elements as sorcerers. Clerics are uncommon among the Wild Elves, because while they do believe in the Wood Elven gods, their relationship to them is more distant. On the occasion that a Wild Elf is seduced by the power of the darker spirits of the forest and becomes a warlock, they are exiled from their society and wander through the forest alone.