Glade Elves

## Summary

The Glade Elves - also known as the Waldire or Fey Folk are a race of Elves who dwell in the dense forests around Rathnir and Eldham. They are descendants of the Celestial Elves who ventured into the magical forest of the Everglade during the Elven Migrations 11,000 years ago. The Glade Elves see themselves as one with the forests and now consider the Everglade their ancestral homeland. The Everglade is also where their deity Halen (Healer in Waldire tongue) resides on her throne. The Glade Elves describe the Everglade as a place with an incomparable magical aura, simply residing in the Everglade frees the Glade Elves from all evil temptation while also being eternally satisfied simply being in the presence of Halen - this also includes not succumbing to hunger, dehydration, exhaustion or other mortal pains. The Everglade is a massive Kingdom where everyone lives amongst nature and feels no need to harm it - the dense forest housing its citizens surround Halen’s seat in the Everglade which is a massive oak tree with lime-green symbols on it. This oak tree also has a large network of roots which burrow under the ground and expand across the planet, through this network sprouts the Mother-Trees where the Glade Elves set up tribes around - they can also teleport between the different Mother-Trees and the Everglade by traversing through these roots.. The Glade Elves are typically an isolationist people but some settlements have made contact with the outside world such as Elmwood, and Wiccan’s Castle. The different Mother-Tree tribes have differences in culture due to different interests, climate, crops, etc. The protection of all plant life is consistent throughout all Glade Elf tribes and so they all live in harmony with nature. The Glade Elves see living close to nature as the purest form of life and will openly insult other races that would rather live in stone cities over the top of nature.

Due to the unforgiving wilderness the Glade Elves have adapted traits that are unique from their Celestial Elven cousins. Traversing the forest takes an immense amount of agility, athleticism, stealth, and strength - yet it is part of the Glade Elven way of life. Their bodies have adapted to these new requirements by becoming more muscular, shorter, and wider, the Glade Elves make use of traveling through the canopies making way for a more three-dimensional walkway system. Though they possess a more primitive nature, the Glade Elves pursue scholarly fields such as magic, or trading - Glade Elves value these things immensely, being quick-witted, or silver-tongued when bartering prices, and with the commoner being adept at spell-casting.

The Glade Elves can live infinitely, so the tribes are not heavily populated which has them adopt a more rural form of living. A death in the tribe is seen as a large set-back to the whole tribe and such a heavy heartbreak that even the tribal leader often attends funerals for the common citizen. Though the reproduction rate is low, the Glade Elves have centuries to master their craft and even pursue other fields. With their ageless life comes a traditional way of living, which makes it difficult to enact any political changes to their tribes as the Glade Elves want to preserve their traditions and culture.

## Appearance

The Glade Elves are humanoid creatures that are descendants of the Celestial Elves, while generational mutations have occurred much has remained the same. For example the Glade Elves have kept the traditional pointy ears, soft-silky skin, young appearance, and are naturally graceful in their movements. Some changes to the Glade Elves are their height - with the average being 5’0” - 5’8”, they are also not slender like the Celestial Elves as a result of the athleticism required for living in the forest, they also have big and course hands, and feet, with longer arms which helps with their climbing abilities, on rare occasions they can grow antlers or horns. Their skin pigment varies with common ones being light-brown, pale-gold, white, black, or olive. Some rare pigments are pale green, or lavender. Their hair colour also varies with common ones being brown, blonde, ginger, black, and red, with some uncommon ones being purple, moss-green, and white.

## Culture

### Work

Glade Elves can function societally while being nocturnal as they are gifted with enhanced eyesight which works in unison with their hunting abilities. The women work jobs like weaving, embroidery, farming, animal-keeping, jewelry-making, preparing food, and nurturing children. The men assume the roles of protectors, providers, and warriors of society, and so would spend their days in military training, hunter-gathering, market-tending, smithing, tanning, crafting, fletching, transporting spring water, and farming. Other jobs include tree singing so they can construct buildings and infrastructure without harming trees.

### Music

Glade Elf music is almost exclusively throat singing, and using the flute made from horn or bone. The music is described as graceful, peaceful, soft, and light. It gives the feeling of being drifted off into the air or laying on a bed of moss as the birds chirp and the creek flows.

### Cuisine

As they are quite limited in terms of ingredients, Glade Elf cuisine is mostly animal-based products which includes human and humanoid meat. One commandment has them not waste their kills, and so the Glade Elves use cuts of meat that are not eaten by other cultures such as heart, liver, brain. Being cannibalistic, the Glade Elves also eat the bodies of their enemies though it sounds primitive, the Glade Elves highly value cooking and do not eat humanoids as they are, but prepare them like they do any other animal. The Glade Elves also eat in a barbeque-like fashion - eating is very communal with a couple chefs providing for many Elves, the Elves also enjoy slow cooked, smoked, braised, fried, and raw meat. The Glade Elves also use products such as honey, eggs,  heavy cream, tallow, and tree sap

Some recipes include:

* Elf Ear Chips.
* Stuffed Brain.
* Beef noodles with bone broth.

### Architecture

Often the Glade Elves live in trees to encourage high density, and communal areas, however also live in mushroom cottages, moss tents, and stone houses. They can also use magic to enlarge plants to live in them such as the Elmwood University of Artisanal Crafts where a large red mushroom was repurposed as a library and brewery.

### Craftsmanship

Carpentry is non-existent in Glade Elven society, rather they ask trees to provide them with materials, and smithing is done in extremely controlled environments like caves. Their weapons and tools are crafted from carved bone hardened and treated with tree sap. Bows are a specialty in Glad Elf society - in Elmwood, Elves are given an elk horn longbow at age 14 and are expected to keep it as long as they live. The value of other items is dependent on other Glade Elf tribes, in Elmwood a woolen cloak is also gifted at age 10, to use as a makeshift shelter or blanket in emergency situations, to intentionally damage it is seen as vile, and if it becomes common knowledge they will not be sold another one.

### Traditions

Holidays are dependent on the company providing the Elf the job, but every 7th day all Elves must dedicate that day to Halen, this is also time for the Elves to relax or spend time with family.

Most Glade Elves are expected to train daily with a longbow from a young age, bows are seen as an ancestral ornament - to be passed down from child to child.

Every year, the Glade Elves celebrate the day Halen chose to come down from Godhood and become an Elf, this day is spent with family, gifting each other presents, and a feast.

One can become a Glade Elf through an intense ritual, first and most importantly you must pledge your life to Halen, and submit to her. A Glade Elf is then assigned to you to teach you the language, culture, as well as life in the forest. You are taught to hunt, kill, move, and live like a Glade Elf. Once the mentor deems you ready, you are placed in a dense part of the forest, far from civilisation completely naked where you must survive and fend for yourself for 14 days. If you survive you are taken to the Mother-Tree where you are placed in holy water, and fall into a deep sleep, once the priest takes you out, you are then put to sleep at the Mother-Tree for three days where the tree uses magic to change your form into a Glade Elf. While this does not take away the life, or memories of your previous life, you are considered born again and you are free to live amongst the Glade Elves.

Glade Elves believe their body is sacred as they are a part of nature and is blessed by Halen, and so to consummate with another is seen as a ritual of love and a marriage, and should be treated as such. A Glade Elf must find “the one” before getting married and having children. Marriages are held at the Mother-Tree with the whole tribe attending, it is important in Glade Elf society. After both pledge their love for each other the wedding ends with a kiss. To consummate outside the boundaries of a marriage between a man and a woman is sinful, and to marry a non-elf is seen as heinous.

### Religion

Halen set laws upon the world where if they are broken, they cannot enter the Everglade, unfortunately due to the evil nature of the world, it is near-impossible for one to follow all the laws Halen has set. There is still hope however, as Halen entered this realm and took the form of an Elf, she preached and she taught before sacrificing herself and taking all the punishment people of this realm would receive if they did break one of her laws.

1. If the Everglade were to be threatened, the Glade Elves must unite to destroy this threat.
2. Worship none but Halen.
3. Protect your home forest.
4. Do not harm plant life.
5. Do not swear upon Halen’s name.
6. Honour your family.
7. Do not murder.
8. Do not take a taken individual.
9. Do not steal.
10. All kills must be used in full.