At first glance, the Fire Crest Elves may seem like just a bunch of over-sized and over-muscled savages living in the woods, but you would be mistaken. The Fire Crest Elves live in this way to honor and serve the purpose of their existence and to maintain the balance dictated by the Fire Eternal. When the Fire Eternal spoke the Fire Crest Elves into existence, he gave them one true purpose to live by and fulfill for all of their lives. The Fire Eternal loves all of his creations and was saddened by their loss of life even when these deaths were necessary for continued life on Adia. To ensure that any lives taken were taken in need and with dignity, the Fire Crest Elves were tasked to protect, care for, and respect the animals they tame, eat, wear, or use as tools in their everyday lives, and teach those that would honor nature to do the same.
Most may think of this as a simple task, but to the Fire Eternal this was very important, as animals are what keep the habitats of Adia clean, healthy, and beautiful. It is because of this promise and close bond with nature that the Fire Crest Elves often appear to be "savage" or "barbaric" to those within the Society.
The Fire Crest Elves fulfill their purpose daily as they hunt, fish, craft, care for the animals around them, and prepare their meals knowing that the Fire Eternal smiles upon them. They’ve followed their creed and purpose to such an extent that the highest honor for a young Fire Crest Elf is being chosen to become a Beast Master with a lifelong bond to their companion animal.
Fire Crest Elves are masters at navigation, angling, hunting, and the creation of hard leather armor and weapons such as strong bows and keen blades, and will often find themselves comparing techniques and boasting playfully of the quality of their projects to one another. The best-crafted equipment is often bestowed upon the Beast Masters as a mark of rank and respect while the absolute best of the best equipment is gifted to the Elven Chieftain. As such, many young Beast Masters and warriors of note are gifted equipment from the Chieftain as a mark of recognition and respect.
Though the Fire Crest Elves are a hardworking and strong people, they enjoy music, chanting, and singing throughout the day’s work. More often than not, travelers will hear the sounds of water drumming coming from the twin lakes of Shamradaer, as the women catch fish and the men beat down upon hot Ashsteel metal forming beautiful blades and shaping nature-themed jewelry for their loved ones.
Unfortunately, this simple and steadfast way of natural living is looked down upon by those of the Society and written off as lesser. If not for the Fire Crest Elves’ finely crafted weapons and control of the trade routes and docks on the Rhuk Varn River, it is unlikely that they would grant the Fire Crest Elves more than a sliver of the mere shadow of respect they give them now.
Honor and Fire
As a Fire Crest Elf, you hold true to your roots of both your tribe and family clan name. You were brought up in a culture that expects and respects hard work, and expected you respect both your kin and creatures of Adia alike. You’ve been raised knowing that the Fire Eternal is the creator of Adia and the deity that you worship. You know that as the fire gives, it may also take away, and because of this, you pay your respects to the Fire Eternal during hunts, through your craftsmanship, and your daily work.
As an Elf, you pride yourself in the work you’ve done and your efforts in the name of the Fire Eternal, but as the Fire Eternal can burn hot, you have learned the art of combat and reach for it easily to settle disagreements. As a Fire Crest Elf, the only things that are on your mind are work, combat, the creatures in your care, your kin, food, and ale. In some rare situations, if you’re a magic wielder, you focus on learning ways to better your craft for both your tribe and clan.
You have the Legends of the Chieftains committed to memory as you were raised on the stories of their great strength, honor, and fearlessness in the face of danger as well as tales of great wisdom, kindness, and respect as they lead the tribe and clan to stability and peace. These Chieftains were great Warriors and Beast Masters that unflinchingly rode their Hydras into the very mouth of hell cast by the Abyss during the Abyssal War. Tales of their loyalty and bonds of the Kinsworn were reinforced by tales of raids against the Society in the War of Tusk and Feather to aid their brother and sister Tuskaar in the Faction War.
“We howl to the moons of Adia like our Dire Wolves to strike fear in the hearts of our enemy. We screech toward the Core when we fly overhead on our Hydra. The enemy fears nothing more than the Tongues of War piercing their safety and comfort. They know we come for them.” - Gothmar Andeoshen
During the Faction War, your people lived and died by a pledge made to the Fire Eternal, and to the Kinsworn:
In times of war, whether my eyes shine full of light or darkness fills them, the eternal flame will guide the strike of my hammer, make sharp my blade, and ignite my attacks, performing life, then death, in a final trade. A crest of eternal fire sits upon our crowns, showing that we are the chosen warriors of Fire and Flame, as the enemy drowns in our rivers, and their lives are now put to shame. We are Kinsworn. We are Fire Crest Elves. We serve the Fire and the Flame.
The Tuskaar are the closest ally to the Fire Crest Elves though the Cenzai also will lay down their life for an Elf. The Fire Crest Elves take pride in their promise to do the same for their Kinsworn brothers and sisters. The Fire Crest Elves do not view the other Kinsworn races as any different from themselves as their own families.
You, as an Elf, are aware of your allies and how much they mean to your culture and your heritage. You live and die by the fight, even if that means you sacrifice yourself for the good of your allies. For the good of the Kinsworn.
Tall and Strong
Precise and brutal to the point of barbarism in battle, Fire Crest Elves are skilled Warriors, Beast Masters, hide tanners, carpenters, and skilled workers of leather, metal, and wood. Elves stand between seven to nine feet tall, and because of their sheer size, tower over some of the more "noble" races such as the Orcs and Coursers. Their hands are large enough and their strength mighty enough, they could rip any large hardy farm animal in two. Fire Crest Elves are courageous and will take any battle before them head-on.
Fire Crest Elves have a skin tone that ranges between dark purple and pale grey. There is a legend that every 100 years, a white-skinned Fire Crest Elf is born that has been taught by the Chieftains of Old who will lead the tribe and claim the role of Chieftain. As it stands today, the Chieftain Dathmar Andeoshen is white-skinned and leads the Fire Crest Elves.
Both male and female Fire Crest Elves wear any hairstyle of choice. The popular style lately for women has been the common hair style that consists of shaving the hair on one side to display a tattoo symbolizing the Fire Eternal and their Fire Crest tribe, and wearing their hair long on the other side of their head.
Men have typically chosen to wear the top of their hair long and shave all sides of their head, exposing their Fire Crest Tattoo honoring the Fire Eternal. Both sexes may pull their hair into a braid, ponytail, or let it fall freely about their shoulders. For Fire Crest men, their true point of vanity lies in their beards which they take great pains to maintain and groom regularly with oils. Their beards can be found decorated with Ashsteel clasps or ornaments and sometimes trophies they’ve taken in combat -- such as the hilt of an enemy’s blade, a fang, or a forged adornment.
Piercings of the ears, nose, lips, and eyebrows are also a custom of honor and coming of age amongst the Fire Crest Elves and both males and females wear them. A piercing on a Fire Crest Elf represents something meaningful, such as their first hunt, their first forged or crafted weapon, or their first battle. In some cases, if a Fire Crest Elf is to train in the ways of Shamanism, they will pierce their lips, as if a snake had bit them, to honor the death of the Spike Tailed Adder they slew to complete their trials. Those of the Society have learned not to trifle with a Fire Crest Elf bearing many piercings.
Quick to Trust and Quick to Judge
Fire Crest Elves are quick to trust most races. However, if they are betrayed, they are quick to judge and sever ties immediately with the betrayer up to and including treating all of their betrayer’s race with suspicion. In severe cases, betrayed Fire Crest Elves may band together to act in the name of battle and war. The same can be said for those that also betray those they claim as kin, such as the Cenzai and the Tuskaar.
“You say you mean well, Courser, but your kind have proven themselves to lie easily. I could spare myself the trouble and skin you. Your pelt would be make for a warm blanket during a cold winter.”
“You are allied with the Tuskaar? Show me proof and this cart is yours.”
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