Culture of Araqar
The island nation of Araqar is strange and mysterious to all the other inhabitants of Útgarðar, even other elves. While most see them as prissy elitists living in seclusion and wealth they are, in fact, a varied and diverse group. The main reason they do not leave their island and do not like outsiders is that they have no real need to travel and adventure. Those that do however are known to be just as outgoing and and adventurous as their mainland kin. For the two are the same people after all.
Most of the elves live in small towns dotting the landscape with larger groups clustered in the major cities. They pursue a verity of jobs and professions from lowly but respected farmers to master weapon smiths and wizards. Their communities tend to be small but very tight nit with everyone knowing and having long relations with everyone else. Each village is led by a respected member of the community be it the village blacksmith or a great and terrible archmage.
What tends to confuse outsiders the most is the aging rights and marriage customs of the elves. An elf is not considered an adult until they have raised a family. This tends to be at around the age of one hundred explaining where the myth that elves are children until they turn a hundred comes from. No an elf becomes fully mature at the age of thirty, roughly equivalent to the age of 18 in other races. From here they are expected to live and contribute to the community for the next seventy years and in that time find a partner. From there they are expected to raise a family of one or more children. Only when the first of those children turns thirty does the parent become an adult. Duty to their people done they are free to leave, travel, and adventure.
This is the reason for the Flight of the Rana'vr. They were made up of young elves who had not raised families yet who wanted to see the world. Due to their low birthrate and age of maturation the Council did not want such a large group of youths leaving without at least replacing their number.
The people of the land have a rich culture spanning back many thousand years. Poetry, art, and performance are all valued traditions with even the lowest farmer carving patterns into their home to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Many great plays and songs have been written by the song weavers of the island and performed by troupes of actors and singers. Elves songs are a popular choice of skalds for a reason. With their age elvish artists have centuries to perfect their talents.
Along with their arts and traditions the elves of Araqar have a rich history of combat. Each village has a practice ground for the people to train with blade and bow for no matter how safe their island appears something could always attack and the people would need to defend themselves. This leads to the militias of Araqar having a much higher average skill than most other lands. The warriors and soldiers of the island are very elite but few in number.
Along with their traditions of combat magic is a honored art. Every elf that lives on the island is given a rudimentary training in the skill at the craft. But though it is everywhere on the land the people of the island do not consider magic special. It is just another, but well respected, art. If one were to ask a elvish smith crafting an enchanted blade what magic they are using they would respond that they are just forging a good blade with special techniques.
Most of the elves live in small towns dotting the landscape with larger groups clustered in the major cities. They pursue a verity of jobs and professions from lowly but respected farmers to master weapon smiths and wizards. Their communities tend to be small but very tight nit with everyone knowing and having long relations with everyone else. Each village is led by a respected member of the community be it the village blacksmith or a great and terrible archmage.
What tends to confuse outsiders the most is the aging rights and marriage customs of the elves. An elf is not considered an adult until they have raised a family. This tends to be at around the age of one hundred explaining where the myth that elves are children until they turn a hundred comes from. No an elf becomes fully mature at the age of thirty, roughly equivalent to the age of 18 in other races. From here they are expected to live and contribute to the community for the next seventy years and in that time find a partner. From there they are expected to raise a family of one or more children. Only when the first of those children turns thirty does the parent become an adult. Duty to their people done they are free to leave, travel, and adventure.
This is the reason for the Flight of the Rana'vr. They were made up of young elves who had not raised families yet who wanted to see the world. Due to their low birthrate and age of maturation the Council did not want such a large group of youths leaving without at least replacing their number.
The people of the land have a rich culture spanning back many thousand years. Poetry, art, and performance are all valued traditions with even the lowest farmer carving patterns into their home to make it more aesthetically pleasing. Many great plays and songs have been written by the song weavers of the island and performed by troupes of actors and singers. Elves songs are a popular choice of skalds for a reason. With their age elvish artists have centuries to perfect their talents.
Along with their arts and traditions the elves of Araqar have a rich history of combat. Each village has a practice ground for the people to train with blade and bow for no matter how safe their island appears something could always attack and the people would need to defend themselves. This leads to the militias of Araqar having a much higher average skill than most other lands. The warriors and soldiers of the island are very elite but few in number.
Along with their traditions of combat magic is a honored art. Every elf that lives on the island is given a rudimentary training in the skill at the craft. But though it is everywhere on the land the people of the island do not consider magic special. It is just another, but well respected, art. If one were to ask a elvish smith crafting an enchanted blade what magic they are using they would respond that they are just forging a good blade with special techniques.
Special Customs
- Hospitality is sacred. When one comes to their door an elf with take them in, feed, and clothe them.
- Cooking is a time honored tradition with many light and complex dishes being cooked in the kitchens of Araqar.
- Wine is the most common drink in Araqar with it being made from the native berries and spices.
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