Dalish Clan

The Dalish are nomadic elves that seek to recover, inherit and preserve the knowledge and sacred treasures of the kingdom of their scattered ancestors. The Dalish travel around the more remote reaches of the Feywilds in aravels, special wagons with large triangular sails and rudder-like devices on the back. In addition to being pulled by mist deer, aravels use magic to move through the forests quickly and easily. For food, the Dalish rely mostly on hunting and foraging. They also make use of mist deer milk and related dairy products such as butter and cheese. Wild nuts, fruits berries, mushrooms, and insects are staples of their cuisine.


Roles among each clan are stringent and clearly defined. A keeper serves as a leader and spiritual guide, and working in tandem with them is a hahren (“Elder”), who reiterates the Elven lore and tends to the children. Other important positions are being the designated warleader, hearthmistress and crafter. There is also a designated Mist Deer Keeper. Elves can also be a Hunter or a Healer. Each position has an apprenticeship stage, an example being how an elf must kill and present a beast of the forest all by themselves to become a fully-fledged hunter. The Dalish version of marriage is referred to as 'bonding'.


The Keepers are the Dalish mages, though each clan will seldom or never have more than two fully trained mages. These mages are the Keeper and the Keeper's apprentice. The apprentice is referred to as the First (First meaning the next in line of succession). Though there is only one First in a clan at any time, there can be many candidates for the apprenticeship, such as the Keeper's Second.


The Dalish clans themselves can also be quite different from each other. Some clans will get along fairly well with their neighbors, and might even camp outside of settlements for long periods of time. Other clans are more infamous, living by banditry and hiding like guerrillas in the mountain passes.


Both the Dalish and city elves have an oral tradition in which much of their knowledge and tradition is passed along, but never actually written down. Hahrens instruct through the use of lore and storytelling. However, there are some books to preserve history, few and precious. Children are highly valued among the clans.
Dalish clans rarely encounter each other in order to protect themselves; their diaspora is as much of a blessing as is a curse. Only once every decade or so do the Dalish clans all meet together, and their keepers, the elders and leaders of the Dalish who are responsible in keeping elven lore and magic alive, will meet together and exchange knowledge in a meeting called the Arlathvhen. During such a time, the clans will recall and record any lore they have relearned since the past meeting, along with reiterating what lore they know already to keep their traditions as accurate and alive as possible. During such time, the clans will exchange relics dating from the two elven nations for safekeeping. The Dalish believe that all the relics they've preserved from their ancestors belong to all the Dalish; such trades are seen as much of an act of sharing as it is a matter of trade, and the same is true even for talented elves.


Many Dalish live by goddess of the hunt Andruil's code known as the Vir Tanadhal, meaning "Way of Three Trees" or "the Ways of the Hunter." It is made of three parts, taught by Andruil herself, which are:

Vir Assan ("Way of the Arrow") - fly straight and do not waver. "Be swift and silent," Andruil taught. "Strike true; do not waver. And let not your prey suffer." Vir Bor'Assan ("Way of the Bow") - bend but never break. "As the sapling bends, so must you. In yielding, find resilience; in pliancy, find strength."

Vir Adahlen ("Way of the Forest" or "Way of the Wood") - together we are stronger than the one. "Receive the gifts of the hunt with mindfulness. Respect the sacrifice of my children. Know that your passing shall nourish them in turn."

The three parts of the philosophy are often strung together as a sort of mantra, which the Dalish will often end with the phrase, "We are the last of the elvhenan, and never again shall we submit." A rite of passage for hunters is to bring back the pelt of a creature the hunter has killed.
Seldom spoken of, however, is a fourth way: the Vir Banal'ras, the "Way of Shadow." Dalish hunters assume it when a debt of blood must be repaid. Such hunters dedicate themselves to vengeance and nothing else. Thus were born the legends of Dalish assassins.
When dealing with one another, Dalish elves may invoke Vir Sulevanin, a bargain by which an elf will complete a given task for another in return for something, such as a valuable clan item. Though the recipient of this bargain may dissent, they cannot reject an offer of Vir Sulevanin. Similarly, the elf offering the bargain must apparently agree to the task set to them whether it is desirable or not.