The short, muscular wood elves live in tune with nature rather than dominion over it, defending their chosen wild places against all intruders - with lethal force, if necessary.
Appearance[]
Wood elves are short and wiry, with well-tanned skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. Their hands and fingers are slender but strong, and their toes are relatively long and flexible. Wood elves often wear clothing dyed in earthy greens and browns, but only occasionally wear shoes. Thus, the soles of their feet are often tough and leathery, allowing them to walk barefoot outdoors.
History[]
Elves have long had a close connection to nature. From their inception at the end of the Age of Scales, elves have always seen themselves as the protectors of nature and magic. However, it was not until the Age of Dawn that the elves started to encounter the first real threat to their beloved forests--the orcs and the dwarves, whose migration to the surface brought war and destruction to the realm of the elves.
Lands[]
Culture[]
Wood elves believe that nature is an equal partner, neither something to surrender to nor something that must be dominated. They follow this philosophy in all things, shaping their society for have the minimum impact on their natural surroundings whilst gathering only what they need to thrive.
Art[]
Wood elves usually use wood and natural pigments in their art, crafting cunning sculptures out of deadfall and using druidic magic to shape living trees into beautiful, abstract forms without harming them. Their paintings and tapestries often depict important events and people in elven history, but they never produce images to the fey who are their neighbors, believing that to do so is a shoddy attempt to capture the spirits of the wild in mundane forms.
Clothing[]
The clothing of the wood elves is generally basic and functional, dyed in earthy colors like greens and browns to help them better blend in with their forest surroundings. Men and women alike generally wear close-fitting tunics made of linen or wool, and leggings made of linen, wool, or leather. In the wintertime they will wear clothing made of various furs, and only in the cold months will they wear shoes, generally fur moccasins or boots to keep their feet warm. Occasionally hunters or druids will wear the horns, fur, antlers, or other accessories from a particularly revered animal in order to invoke their spirit, but these trophies are considered sacred, rather than a bragging point.
Cuisine[]
Wood elves are generally hunter-gatherers, living off the land to the best of their skill and ability without resorting to clear-cutting to make room for fields of crops and grazing land for livestock. Unlike their high elf cousins, wood elves frequently eat meat, mainly fish or venison, alongside fruits and vegetables that they gather from the forest, and honeybread. Occasionally the elves also produce a type of hard biscuit called waybread, which they use as travel rations for long journeys due to its endurance-boosting properties, but this is usually not used in the course of a regular meal.
Magic[]
While wood elves are just as magically-inclined as high elves, they believe magic should be used in harmony with nature, rather than in defiance of it. In particular, fire spells are to be used cautiously in the forests, lest a blaze be set that destroys their homes. Using magic to willfully destroy or pervert nature is a sure way to bring down the wrath of the wood elves.
The most common spellcasters amongst the wood elves are witches and druids.
Philosophy[]
Wood elves believe that magic and nature are different sides of creation. To use magic to destroy is an offense against creation, but they recognize that it is occasionally necessary for the greater good. The untamed wilderness is the womb from which they were all born, and in turn they protect and defend it against those who would exploit it for their own greed.
Religion[]
Wood elves are highly spiritual people, believing that all living things have a soul which is sacred to the goddess Vanyel. Therefore, every animal hunted, every fish caught, and every tree cut is believed to be by the grace of Vanyel, and therefore accompanied by a prayer of thanks to Her. Additionally, each meal begins with a prayer of thanks to Vanyel and the plants and animals She gave to feed Her people. Religious ceremonies are held on the night of the full moon to celebrate the bounty of nature, during which the village's druids commune with the spirits of the forest to ask favors and determine the needs of the forest,
Science[]
Wood elves appear to live a simple lifestyle, as they believe that over-reliance on technology separates one from nature. However, their knowledge of the local plants and animals is unparallelled, making them expert herblorists and trackers.