Elven

## Culture

Elven are not a single race, but a cluster of co-operating races living across multiple forests over the globe. Their actual name is almost completely unpronounceable in the tongues of other humanoids, therefore they're most commonly referred to as simply Elves or Elven.

* Elves are the most common type of Elven race. They're a shorter humanoid race.
* Dryads are elvish-human or elvish-drow halflings, or the descending tribes of such halflings. There are also Dark Elves or Dark Drows, also known as "Bastard Dryads", halflings between humans and drows, but they are unfertile and thus no tribes exist. Usually Dark Elves join Elven tribes by running away from their homeland.
* Fairies
* Pixies
* Treants
* Ents
* Elementals

One common theme amongst all Elven tribes is their political structure; nonexistant. In other words, Elven tribes live a nomadic lifestyle within the forests of the Realms, without any permanent leader. Elves and both Dryads have six genders that is said to be predetermined by the god of nature, Yara, same goes for their role within the community. Not all combinations of genders and professions are allowed or embraced by some tribes, as both aspects are controlled by highly complex religious and traditional dogmas.

* Male
* Female
* Two Spirited
* Neutral / Void Spirit / Ascended
* And two more genders that are far too complex for other cultures to be understood and often labelled into the Neutral category

Elven working in different professions are also consciously labelled as their own distinct class within society. Once again, Elven know no concept of social hierarchy, nor receive payment for their servitude. Refusing to serve one's community only results in punishment in a few communities, but is often considered unappealing by others and lazy members of the community are left without sexual partners. Humanoid scholars often argue that for Elves sexual selection and the spiritual elevation coming from servitude serves as currency.

* Warriors - usually wielding bows and spears. Elves also have cavalry.
* Pastors - responsible for forestry, housekeeping and also act as messengers between communities.
* Teachers - magicians responsible for teaching and raising the new generations, also equipped with the task of explaining the complex socio-ecological structure of the Elven to foreigners. For this reason Teachers are often mistaken as the leading or decision making class.
* Protectors - All three previously mentioned classes can chose to become protectors after several years of servitude. Protectors are a special warrior class that are never involved in wars, but act as a "home-defence" force that is used to overthrow, expel and exterminate occasional dictators who'd attempt to take over the forest anarchy.

## Trivia

* Since Elves are the only civilization living in true anarchy, they are by far the most hated amongst all other races. Every once in a blue moon, Elven make contact with the outer world and during these historical meetings, they would always try to convince the foreign leaders to drop their ways and convert their people to their philosophy of nature, compassion and anarchy - which is often mocked as "Elvism". This also drives the negative reputation of Elves across the Realms.