Wood Elves

one of the elven 'Heretical cultures'. they were missed by the precursors because the jungle foliage was too thick. they were first banished to the jungles of Terra due to their worship of Yfree, god of the wild and the hunt. however, now they survive in the jungles to this day, hunting great beasts and powerful humanoid warriors.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Mila, Miko, Niala, Ayana,

Masculine names

Talion, Carnan, Gaelar, Arkhan.

Family names

The family name is generally the name of the clan, which is most often the fighting style of the clan.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Elven Common

Culture and cultural heritage

the wood elves are proud hunters, eagerly moving through the jungles to hunt and fight dangerous prey for the sake of honor, and glory among them.

Shared customary codes and values

they have abandoned the firearms favored by the first elven armies in favor of weapons that were seen as more 'honorable' for their hunts. bows, spears, daggers and the like.

Average technological level

they regressed quite a bit from their elven ancestors, but they do have and use crossbows, forms of tree manipulation magic, elaborate net traps, and have a sort of currency in the form of animal hides or bones.

Common Dress code

just cover the genitals. it gets very hot and humid in the jungles during the summer, so people going around shirtless is perfectly fine even with the females.

Birth & Baptismal Rites

little is done for the newborns of the wood elves. they are simply born into the world and the parents take care of them until they come of age.

Coming of Age Rites

when a child reaches around 16, they are placed in an arena with a captured beast. they are armed with a spear and/or bow and they must bring down the beast. if the beast is brought down, the now adult wood elf takes a trophy (usually a skull) from the beast. they are then given a tattoo of the beast on the small of their backs.

Funerary and Memorial customs

when someone dies, they are burned on a pyre, along with whoever killed them (if it was a fellow wood elf and the killing was unjustified the wood elf who killed them is burned alive) or the beast who killed them.

Common Taboos

same as anywhere else, but killing the young, elderly, sick and wounded is extremely hated. failing a beast hunt is seen as dishonorable, but they can redeem themselves if they bring down the original beast.

Ideals

Beauty Ideals

a slim frame is loved among wood elves, as it's believed that being slimmer would allow for a better hunting partner

Gender Ideals

Females mostly stay in the treetop city the wood elves have created to protect and train the young ones. men go out and hunt beasts, though women can join in on the hunts whenever they wish.

Courtship Ideals

a beast hunt is the equivilant to a date with them. they leave the city, go out into the jungle and bring down a great beast together.

Relationship Ideals

the wood elves choose lovers like they choose hunting partners. in fact, wood elven weddings involve a beast being hunted, and the couple of honor holding up the skull as they kiss under it. then one of them (usually the male) would make something for the other (usually the female) from the creatures bones. the most popular are rings, circlets and necklaces.

Encompassed species

• Elves