The Children of the Harsh Mother
"The Mother has claimed the city and surrounding forest as her domain; Her presence drives other large predators away and if Her line is ever broken, great evil will return to the city.
Overview
The Children of the Harsh Mother are a fierce elven tribe residing in the south-eastern corner of The Shielded Lands, and derive their name from their totem, a massive female thunder lizard which they refer to as "The Mother". Their main settlement is on the northern edge of her territory, which encompasses the abandoned and overgrown ruins of the only serpentfolk city in the Shielded Lands.
History
The Children of the Harsh Mother aren't the oldest elven clan by any means, having been founded when scouts from other clans witnessed the The Mother hunting and spread word of this spectacular individual. Individuals who felt drawn to her soon came, and those who stayed formed the Children of the Harsh Mother and established their main settlement well above her reach in a stand of massive trees close to the northern edge of her territory.
The most troubling time in their history was when the serpentfolk built and occupied their city directly in the center of The Mother's Territory. The elves claim that shortly after the serpentfolk came, The Mother showed up underneath their main settlement "Salvation from Her teeth in the branches of the ancients", roared up towards them, then turned back south and moved off into the trees. That was the last time that she was seen until the cataclysm, when she reappeared and began stalking the borders of the city, occasionally roaring in challenge. After the lizardfolk massacred their masters and left, she spent days wandering the streets of the empty city as if daring any remaining serpentfolk to come meet her face to face.
Today, the closest thing she has to a challenge are the orcish tribes which occasionally get daring and push into her territory, and she is the undisputed master of all she claims. The elves leave regular tributes for her at the edge of the city, and she will usually show up nearly as soon as the tribute-bearers disappear back into cover, as if she was waiting patiently for them to leave. The Elves believe that if The Mother ever leaves again, it will be a sign of great problems in their lands.
Appearance
Most elves who dwell in forests have colorations tending towards light browns and greens, but the Children of the Harsh Mother have some distinct variations to their appearance. Their general skin tone is light greenish-tan, with a narrow band of slightly darker coloration running up their spines and down the backs of their arms and front of their legs. The darker areas are narrow and quickly become irregular and lose most of their green tint, transitioning into a lighter tan.
Culture
The Children of the Harsh Mother differ from the other elven tribes of the People of the First Forest in that their totem is an individual thunder lizard rather than a species or herd. Their relationship with their totem is one of admiration and observation from a distance, but they feel no less connected to it. The Children's territory runs all the way to the edges of the south-eastern hills which contain the highest concentration of orcs in the Shielded Lands, and the elves defend their territory from orcish incursion with the same ferocity as The Mother puts into driving off other large predators.
Inspired by their Totem, The Children strive to be aggressive and self-assured in their interactions with outsiders, and always act as if they hold a position of power. Their tendency to speak their minds and be extremely straightforward has helped their relations with the dwarves, as have their fierce tactics against the orcs, and The Children maintain very good relations with the dwarves.
The Mother
The thunder lizard known to the elves as "The Mother" is a truly massive member of the species known by the elves as "Bereghir" or "Savage Lords", by the dwarves as "Thunderjaws", and by dweeby human scholars as "Tyranosaurus Rex" or "King of the Tyrant Lizards". Her territory is centered around the ruins of the serpentfolk city in the south-east of the Shielded Lands and is around eighty miles across, running north to the edge of a broad river, east and south to the hills, and west to the edge of the marshland.
The Mother is the latest in her lineage to rule this territory, a line going unbroken back for thousands of years, according to the elves. Other than a brief period when the serpentfolk were active in the area, the rule of The Mother has been uncontested for the entire time, none able to challenge her in any meaningful way. The elves believe that if the chain of her lineage is ever truly broken, it will be a portent of great disaster to come.
The Dark City
In the center of The Mother's territory sits the ruins of the overgrown and abandoned serpentfolk city known to the elves as "I dúr othrond", or "the dark city". The elves refuse the enter the city, believing it to be an evil place, cursed by the serpentfolk and sure to bring misfortune on any who enter it. The Mother makes her home in the center of the city, and the elves believe that she is too powerful to be affected by the serpentfolk's curses.
Settlements
The Children of the Harsh Mother maintain a number of small settlements and watchposts all around their territory to watch for orcish incursions, always well hidden and high in the branches of the largest stands of trees they can locate.
Salvation from Her teeth in the branches of the ancients
The first and largest settlement of The Children, Salvation is built high in the boughs of a truly ancient stand of trees, the smallest of their trunks over a dozen feet in diameter. The lower levels are mostly camouflaged watchposts designed to allow them to keep their eyes on a large swath of the forest underneath and around the settlements. Above that are warehouses and craftsman's workshops, and the residential areas are in the upper levels, along with their public buildings.
Notable NPCs
Aleratha Carwenys
Aleratha Carwenys is the current leader, or Speaker, of the Children of the Harsh Mother. In addition to her administrative duties, she is also their spiritual leader, bearing responsibility for ritually killing the animals to be used in their monthly tribute to The Mother and preparing the offerings. An extremely straightforward woman, she respects people who are up front about what they want from her and the tribe and who are self-assured about their own ability. She has no respect for people who she perceives as weak or who she thinks are trying to deceive her.
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