Wood Elf
Wood elves are the Elf tribe associated with the Autumn Court, and the last of the true elves to be uplifted. They are reflective and circumspect, with heightened senses and unusually long memories even for elves.
Naming Traditions
Other names
Naming traditions differ between nobility and commoners, with noble names typically being longer and more elaborate. Childhood nicknames that either shorten these given names or use a name from nature (such as that of a flower) are commonly used by wood elves under one hundred. Members of the Aishimë and Aistanë who come from nobility often retain these shortened names as a sign of humility, though the Aikasë frequently return to using their full names.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The dialect of Elvish spoken among the wood elves is perhaps its most complex. In particular, its ways to express social niceties and matters of rank and social status are numerous, as are its words and descriptions for natural phenomena. Wood elves famously have twenty-nine distinct words to describe the shape of a leaf.
Culture and cultural heritage
Wood elf traditions are famous throughout the world for their intense level of detail and intricacy. (The Common idiom "in an elven minute," which loosely means "anywhere from ten minutes to an hour," originated among Human traders in the port of Enchalmida.)
Shared customary codes and values
The key value shared among wood elf societies is the importance of recording memories and honoring traditions of the past.
Common Dress code
Traditional wood elf dress, regardless of gender, consists of long, square-sleeved robes with intricate patterns (kimono). The difference between masculine and feminine presentation is subtle, relying on small details like the shape of one's sandal or the width of one's waist sash (obi).
Art & Architecture
The pinnacle of wood elf architecture is the Wood-Sung House. These are buildings created by a team of specialized and highly skilled druids and nature clerics, over the course of hundreds of years, by slowly manipulating the growth of a tree so that it is unusually large and mostly hollow on the inside, creating natural rooms within its trunk and branches. The largest wood-sung building is the Grand Tree of Arborcítta, a multi-pronged tree containing 20 stories of markets, auditoriums, public forums, and government buildings that took well over 2,000 years to create.
Foods & Cuisine
Wood elven cuisine is known for its wide variety of breads and noodles. Wheat, barley, and orlondë are Scalados's primary staple crops, and few meals do not include either a noodle base or one of the many varieties of seeded, braided, gluten-rich breads commonly baked in wood elven ovens.
Simple wood elven suppers usually consist of a stew of root vegetables, foraged herbs and spices (such as wild leeks, dandelion greens, and parsley), and occasionally meat hunted from a nearby forest, such as quail or squirrel. This is boiled slowly over the hearth and served poured over wide, chewy noodles, with a side of bread and honey.
More elaborate feasts, enjoyed on special occasions or by the wealthy, feature similar ingredients, but presented much more elaborately. A proper high-society meal includes at least four distinct courses, separated by palate cleansers of thin-sliced pickled ginger and hot towels to wipe one's hands and face.
The first course is the selection of breads, traditionally served beside a selection of local honeys and fruit preserves that best match the mood of the occasion. The second course is either a heavily spiced and salted soup or a selection of battered and fried finger foods; an exceptionally high-class meal will feature both as separate courses.
The main course is most often a slow-cooked meat dish, in a sauce that features both locally sourced herbs and imported spices. The flavor profile of these dishes is complex, but well-balanced, with relatively mild heat compared to the signature cuisines of the Aquatic Kingdoms. Alternately, many beloved wood elven dishes are based around crispy fried tofu or hearty mushrooms in place of meat, particularly during the winter months when they are more plentiful, or in regions that worship Danu and therefore frown upon meat consumption.
The final course is typically either a selection of sweet goat's-milk or sheep's-milk cheeses and seasonal fruits, or a pie made from seasonally fresh ingredients. Tyurtortë, a mixture of cheese and jam baked into a flaky pastry crust, is a beloved dish for when no seasonally fresh fruits are available for a true pie. As with the second course, a particularly lavish feast will offer both a cheese course and a pie course.
Regardless of class, teas are a crucial part of wood elven cuisine. Green tea is the most commonly consumed variety. Herbal teas such as ginger, rosehip, and chamomile are commonly drunk both for enjoyment and as a form of medicine. Elven tea-brewing methods and traditions are intensely involved, often requiring several dozen steps in their most formal iterations.
Besides tea, the best-known wood elven beverage is Elvish whiskey.
Funerary and Memorial customs
The body is undressed, washed, and re-dressed by temple workers, if they are available (otherwise, this tradition is performed by family members and any local shaman available). Its robes are wrapped right-over-left, as opposed to the left-over-right orientation reserved for the living.
Ideals
Beauty Ideals
The most important beauty ideal for all genders of wood elf is symmetry. Those with the most symmetrical faces and figures are considered the most beautiful, and tattoos and piercings are almost always mirrored on both sides of the body. Most wood elves have black hair, but a few have light reddish-orange hair, often accompanying unusually pale skin. Some wood elves will add a reddish tint to their hair via dyes or potions to emulate this effect, though the exact shade is difficult to achieve.
Gender Ideals
Wood elves, like all other elves, have recognized and accepted the fluid nature of gender since time immemorial.
Courtship Ideals
Liltakoë is an intensely intricate courtship ritual with multiple steps involving letter-writing, semi-secret messages using the Language of Plants and Flowers, and other elaborate social signaling. To wood elf society, yearning deeply for one's partner and obsessing over interpreting subtle messages are essential to building an intimate and lasting bond.
"Do you know why they call your people wood elves? Because they love to pine."—Faroe Arrowfern, half-elf bard
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