Elves

The elves of Thelos are unlike the elves most players will be used to.  They are primitive by choice, xenophobic by necessity, and distrustful of arcane magic.  They are also beautiful, intelligent, attuned to the land around them, and ferocious in that land’s defense.  They adapt well to any environment, and have settled in small communities all over the world.  There are no high elves, gray elves, or even drow on Thelos; only the wild, tribal elves described below.  Ancient myths allude to another race of elves that, generations ago, corrupted themselves by magic and turned into the Tarquil, but you won’t find the Tarquil admitting that.

## **Physical Appearance**

Elves are just slightly shorter than the average human males, with little difference between male and female height.  Hair and eyes run a wide range of colors, but those whose hair would stand out in their environment will use plants to color it.  Their slightly pointed ears and almond-shaped eyes are the few features that distinguish them from slender humans.  Beads and feathers are common in braided hair, and intricate tattoos are the norm.

They tend to dress in natural materials, using plant and animal parts, and some wood if it’s available.  Their clothing, weapons, and tools reflect the climate they live in, and always have a purpose.  There is no frivolous waste, or concern for fashion among the elves, and they tend to wear the same clothing when they work or in their day-to-day duties.

## **Society**

Elven culture is very nature oriented, coexisting with the plants and animals of the land. Their weapons consist of mostly bows, knives, spears, and some swords.  Axes are never used because the elves believe it is rude to show such weapons near the plant life they revere.  Metal weapons are traded for, since the elves do not have the means or the desire to forge metal. Due to their closeness to the land and its inhabitants elves tend to name their children after animals and animal aspects, or nature spirits.

Elven clans are structured in a loose hierarchy of elders and hunters, with shamans having sort of an autonomous position in the clan.  The elders form a council that makes decisions for the rest of the clan, while the hunters have a say in all things military and protective.  Shamans (clerics) are responsible for the spiritual and physical health of the clan, while keepers (druids) are charged with taking care of the land around the Clanhome and guiding the clan in remaining true to their devotion to the land.

The wardens (rangers) roam the land around the Clanhome, acting as protectors and providers of food.  When game is taken, the warden always thanks the spirit of the animal for its sacrifice.  The wardens are trained for first contact with strangers in their land, a tactic that first involves observation from hiding, to determine the possible intentions of the interloper.  If it is determined that the stranger is hostile, the wardens waste no time in running them off, and if that fails they end the threat with cold efficiency.  If the stranger is found to be friendly, or just lost, the wardens act as the first ambassadors of the Clan, doing whatever the situation demands.

Keepers (druids) usually reside just outside the main Clanhome, communing with the land and answering the call of the elders when needed.  One of the major tasks of the keepers take on is keeping the Clan true to their devotion to the land.  The elves shun waste and cutting down of living trees, and even the burning of deadwood is considered sacrilegious.  The elves have developed a method of making tightly packed grass logs that burn nearly as long and hot as wood.

Elven crafting and artistry usually involves the use of animal by-products such as furs, feathers, bone, teeth, antlers, and more.  The most precious of these are the elven warbow and the clan’s friendship tokens.  Both are closely guarded secrets, and rarely given to people outside the Clan.  The friendship token is usually a necklace consisting of bones, feathers, and stones crafted in a long memorized pattern that is used for nothing else.  Anyone wearing one of these is accepted into the Clanhome without question.

The elven warbow is the only exception to their rule of not taking wood from the forest.  The making of these weapons is one of the most strictly kept secrets of the Clan, and one of the most religious experiences of any elven warrior.  Each bow is crafted by the potential wielder, through a very personal and spiritual process.  The elf spends many hours communing with the spirits of the Wood, asking their blessing in taking what is needed to provide protection for the People.  The warbows are crafted using a layering process with wood and bone, sinew and a glue-like substance.  These bows are very rarely given out to close friends of the Clan, and always accompany a friendship token.  Anyone caught with an elven warbow and no friendship token is dealt with quickly and fatally.

Outside the Clanhome elves are very reclusive, and rarely reveal themselves to others.  Their demeanor is sometimes mistaken for shyness or rudeness, but it is developed after years of self-preservation. When traveling individually they usually identify themselves by their clan name, such as Shah’vin as if it is their own name.  When in a group they usually have an agreed-upon leader who speaks for the group, but the leader still identifies himself by the name of his Clan.  Their real names are usually only shared with close friends and trusted allies. They will also wear masks and face coverings to hide their identity. Wardens always craft their own hunter's mask and carry it with them in the event they must interact with a stranger at the border.

## **Relationships**

On a personal level for elves love and sex are two completely different aspects of life.  While they do go hand-in-hand many times, there does not have to be one with the other.  The majority of elves are also indiscriminate in who they love, or have a physical relationship with.  Same sex relationships are common, especially among wardens, who move around quite often, and where companionship is rare, and cherished. It is such a normal aspect of their lives there is not even a word for it in the elven tongue.  Above all of these is held the ultimate expression of commitment and love, a lifebond.  When two elves decide they are ready, they may choose to form a lifebond, agreeing to be with each other exclusively in this world and the next. They exchange soulstones, small crystals imbued with a piece of the giver's soul. A tiny light shows within the stone until the passing of a mate. The one left behind will keep the darkened stone until they too pass beyond the veil where the stone will reignite and guide them to their lost love. These bonds are permanent and divorce is unknown among the elven clans.  This bond also lasts beyond death.  The elves believe that one waits for the other in the afterlife, and so the one left behind may take other lovers but they will not take another lifemate.  This belief is so strong that it is not uncommon for the one left behind to quickly follow their lifemate into the afterlife.

Outsiders have trouble with these concepts, either seeing the open sexuality of elves as unsavory, or their casualness in sex without love as somehow wrong.  Their lifebonding practice is also seen as something strange, and oftentimes restrictive.  There is a practical reason for the process though.  The elves believe they must have as little impact on the land as possible, and this includes the population of the Clanhome.  A small clan is not only less of an impact on the land, but it helps insure the Clanhome remains secret and safe.  The Shamans brew up a potion that keeps unbonded females from having children, so children of single parents are very rare.  Since elves tend to have less children that other races, and the elves only have them when they are bonded, the Clans remain small.

With the rest of the world elves are a suspicious people.  They do travel outside their lands, and trade with other peoples, but they choose their contact wisely, and don’t show themselves openly if they can avoid it.  They fight against anyone that wastes the land’s resources whether they be rampaging monsters or clear-cutting humans.

## **Alignment and Religion**

The elven pantheon reflects their cultural ideals as much as their spiritual ones.  While not every elf prays regularly, the shamans and keepers do, and the elven deities are cherished as protectors of the People as much as the wardens are.  While elves revere all of their deities, they do tend to choose one patron who represents the spirit of their station in the clan.  There are sometimes light-hearted rivalries between various faiths, and it’s uncommon to see the followers of one deity praying to another.

Elves are an independent people but their traditions are important to them.  They have a hierarchy in order to preserve and protect their culture and People, but when there is no cause for the elders to make decisions, individuals are left to their own devices.  Individual decisions are left up to the individual, except when such decisions would have consequences on the entire clan.  Because of this they tend to be chaotic in their dealings with society.  On the moral axis of alignment elves tend to be good, sometimes neutral in their dealings with others.

## **Magic**

Elves have always viewed magic as destructive, taboo, and often evil. Over generations they have come to realize that outsiders may use magic for good, but it is always unnatural to them. No elf would be inclined to seek out magic other than that of the Keepers and Shamans, and other magic granted by the Gods. Few elves know why magic is so rare among their people, and it has cemented their belief that elves were never meant to channel that power.

In ages past any elven babies born with the blue eyes of a magic-blood, were left in the wild to perish. It is a dark part of elven history that is all but forgotten, but because magical powers are often hereditary, the practice effectively bred out the ability to use magic. In very rare cases an elf will be born with blue eyes but they are usually the rare case of a blue-eyed person without any magical blood in them. There still exists, however, an ingrained distrust of that particular trait so blue eyed elves often live as outsiders or choose to become wardens to live on their own.

## **Adventurers**

Elves who do choose to leave their clanhomes are driven by unique circumstances.  The rare exiles for crimes against the People, quests to find information for the elders, or the even rarer emissary to a foreign government.  There are a multitude of reasons an elf might choose a life on the road, but it’s never an easy choice.

Elves abhor magic, and it is nearly impossible as they are so rarely born with magical blood.  Spontaneous arcane casters are also rare, but not entirely unheard of as elven bloodlines can become tainted with that of dragons or outsiders.  Elves are more likely to be fighters, rangers, barbarians, druids and clerics than wizards, sorcerers or rogues.

## **Elven Names**

There is no gender theme when it comes to elven names.  Names tend to take on an animal and/or nature them like:  Snowdove, Foxfire, Spottedhawk, Grayfalcon, and Shiningdoe.

**Elf Racial Traits:**Except as noted below, elves on Thelos have the same racial traits as those in the core rules.

* +2 Dexterity, +2 Wisdom, -2 Intelligence:  Elves are quick and attuned to the land and their surroundings.  They study the world around them and learn from it, but have avoided academic studies so long they lack the mental aptitude of more civilized races.

* Elves retain their resistance to magic effects, but do not have bonuses to caster level checks or spellcraft checks.