Wood Elves

A subgroup, or "tribe", of Elves who currently make up the majority of the Ehranian Empire, though their activity in the government of such is relatively small. Wood Elves are responsible for maintaining the health of plants throughout the region, including both forests and farmlands. Their collective productivity is such that they easily provide adequate sustenance for other tribes, and are able to export significant amounts of food to neighboring countries.
Elven farming techniques do not resemble the methods of other Lineages. Rather than regimented and planned fields of singular types of crop, their farms are complex and interwoven clusters of different plants growing in tandem, which can be difficult to distinguish from wilderness. To visitors, they seem to forage without effort, somehow producing huge yields consistently.

Transformation: Dryad

Those who achieve ultimate oneness with the trees are marked with reverence and authority, known to outsiders as Dryads. Their appearance takes on tree-like characteristics, such as green streaks in the hair or bark-like patches of skin. They have an unparalleled ability to treat the health of plants, and have one tree in particular with which they share their strength.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

I'Ruandal, Illindir, Uruor, Rasshan, Aland

Masculine names

Orran, Oroc, Corun, Arenta, Ientil

Unisex names

Roda, Ouren, Roran, Randa, Irdan

Family names

Erithuen, Allowen, Noltoraca, Ereyente, Asashem, Areyentenem, Urundem, Shirinem, Molorenar, Olorumnel

Culture

Shared customary codes and values

Though all Elves revere nature and plants in particular, Wood Elves take this to the utmost degree. It is sometimes said, perhaps in jest, that they are the "Elves of Elves", that their obsession with flora makes other Elves look like another Lineage by comparison. In particular, for them it is anathema to kill a plant under any circumstances, or to harm it unless doing so to its beneficial in the long term, such as removal of rotting limbs. They plant trees or other plants on special occasions, and keep meticulous care of them, considering it a bad omen if any harm befalls them.

Average technological level

Their mastery of botany is unequaled by any other Lineage, for which they use a combination of practical and magical methods to guide the development of plant species toward the properties they find useful.

Art & Architecture

They live in communal housing structures known as glades, or "laoran" (literally "hall-trees"), which are made by guiding the growth of many trees, using coppicing and other methods, some magical, such that the limbs and branches of the trees weave together to create a watertight covering. The result is like a vast wicker dome with regular tree trunks serving as columns.
These glade villages hold several families, who live together in the open space with no division of personal space. The central areas are used for communal activities of either cultural or productive purpose, with the most central tree designated as the "father tree", serving as the location for important occasions: festivals, weddings, funerals, and events involving the dryad or other highest-ordered member of the community.
Outer areas are for more individual use, particularly sleeping areas and storage. Cooking is done in a designated area outside the glade, which is fireproofed to the greatest ability and always watched in case of outbreak. In areas of relative insecurity, such as near borders, the whole structure is guarded by sentinels posted in the tops of the same trees from which the glades are made.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

When a child is born, their parents plant a tree of a species reflecting their hopes for the child's upbringing. Its health is considered to be tied to the child's success, and it will be hung with various decorations reflecting the child's achievements and interests. These will be moved to the child's personal tree when they reach adulthood.

Coming of Age Rites

When a Wood Elf reaches the majority age of 40, they undergo a ritual that signifies their independence and their membership in their community. This is a public event, consisting mainly of speeches given by the individual, their parents, their local chief or other leader, and any other persons of importance who wish to be involved. The ritual ends by having the subject plant a specific tree somewhere within their home village's territory. The type depends on their choice of vocation and other personal traits. If they grow to become a Dryad, this will become their core tree and become the center of their life and power. The tree shares their name and is hung with tassels bearing its name and any of the Elf's major accomplishments in life; these are left after death as a memorial.

Funerary and Memorial customs

As a person's life is tied to their name-tree, and so is their death. If the tree dies first, it is considered a moral failure on their part and they may be rebuked or even shunned by the community; on the contrary, if the person dies first, the tree is regarded as a shrine and remnant of their personality, but is not tended or cared for.
In either case, the tree or its husk is used as a burial site for its associated Elf. After a communal burial ceremony, the tree is magically preserved, as are any decorations it bears, so that it will maintain its status indefinitely.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

In particular among Elves, the Wood Elves refuse to wear artificial materials, and indeed prefer their textiles to be as unrefined as possible, sometimes composing them out of actual leaves, accented with living flowers that may be magically enticed to survive. However, the thread they make from natural fibers is as fine as any, and combined with their limitless knowledge of dyes means their clothing is unmatched in quality and detail, though considered rustic among more metropolitan Elven populations.

Nicknames (least to most pejorative): Forest Elves, Field Elves, Farm Elves, field-walkers, flower-folders, food-makers, grass-whisperers Height: 1.5-2m (5'-6'2")
Skin colors: Light to medium brown with olive sheen
Hair colors: Any shade of brown, with streaks of blond or green
Eye colors: Green or brown
Lifespan (Average/Maximum): 810/1450