Desert Elf

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Erimos Araith

Culture and cultural heritage

Most art is designed to be portable: jewellery, carved saddles, or rugs to decorate a tent. Jewellery is most commonly made out of silver or of braided leather.

Shared customary codes and values

The most important unit in desert elf society is the tribe, a group of elves who travel together.

Common Etiquette rules

It is considered impolite for a guest to ask for water or food even if one is hungry and thirsty, as the hosting tribe may not have enough to spare. The corollary of this is that a tribe is expected to offer water to any guest, messenger, or passing traveller, and offer food if they are staying long enough.

Common Dress code

Desert elves wear long, flowing robes, usually in dark colours, which cover their whole body in layers to protect them from the harsh desert sun and wind. The traditional dye colour is indigo. Both sexes cover their heads with turbans or scarves and often cover their faces as well in public.

Common Myths and Legends

The desert elves have passed down legends saying that their ancestors once lived in the trees.

Ideals

Courtship Ideals

Living in the close confines of a tent encampment, with nowhere to go to escape one's family or tribe, means that certain social rules must be in place to prevent embarrassment or irreconcilable grievances. One of these rules is that, while young men and women are free to have liaisons with as many lovers as they choose, these must take place under cover of darkness and everyone must be back in their own tent by dawn.
A couple who wish for a deeper, more serious relationship will commonly woo each other by writing each other poetry.

Major organizations

Desert Elves don't have an overarching political organisation, but rather collect themselves in roving tribes.

Encompassed species

• Elf