Faethhil

Inhabiting both the Northern Falcon Woods, and the Thüringen Forest, tales of fey like creatures inhabit the woods there. Deep in the forest lie bands of elves, seemingly apprehensive of many, most common folk mistake them for wood elves. This is only partly true, as the Elves of Faethhil are a people all onto their own. They tend to keep to themselves, however in great times of strife and peril, curiously the Faethhill elves come to the aid of those mortal races around them. This has led most to view them positively, if a little off putting and mysterious. Though in truth, what elves aren't mysterious? Their history is entirely unknown, and likely it will stay that way, all that is known is if simply not bothered, they are not a threat to anyone. However those stupid enough to incur their wrath find themselves assailed by blades from unseen angels, and killed before they can even catch a glimpse of them.

Culture

Major language groups and dialects

Typically the elves of Faethhil have the dialect of their elven cousins of Iadith, however they seem to share a lot of slangs and other saying common to their wood elf kin.

Culture and cultural heritage

A detailed outlook on their culture is difficult to come by, as the Faethhil are suspicious of outsiders coming into their territory. However what is known is their culture is a mix of Old Iadith and Wood Elven culture. Some mistake them for wood elves, but their are many differences. For one, they do not subscribe to the same ideal of the wood elves "World Harvest", instead believing in simply protecting the forest area they inhabit. Due to this their link to the forests magic is weaker, but they still believe it is their duty to protect their homes. They regard the Wood Elves (Athelan) as heavy handed fanatics and the High Elves (Eladrin) as blood hungry hypocrites. They also are known to love speaking in poetry and beautiful and strange sounding poetry to foreigners, which wows many common folk of the other nations.
They seem to also favor meditation and divination much throughout their time in their city of Ylsari. They believe that this helps them commune with not just the forest but also the world as a whole, and all the living creatures on it. Harmony and balance in life are things to strive for, where they believe that the spirits of the world are to be respected and cared for.
Their religious views are of the entire elven pantheon, however they also believe in spirits living in all things. They believe these spirits to be gifts from the gods, and as such they are to be respected wherever they treed. They see civilization as merely the spirits of organized society occupying their spot in the world. However to tear down all of the forest without pause is breaking said natural balance, and so most nations have learned to simply roll back woodcutting in these forests in fear of angering these elves, as while they could be taken care of the cost would simply be too much for too little gain.

Common Dress code

Their dress code is a mix of iadith and Wood Elven dress, with some wearing clothing with leaves and other forest like designs, but many more also wear more standard elven designed clothing and armor. They do not have access to much of the incredibly rare elven metal known as Starstone, only enough for weapons. As such they barter alot for steel from other nations, making it a rather lucrative trade to barter with the Faethhilian Elves.

Funerary and Memorial customs

Funerals are unique, as the spirits of their dead are trapped in special gems, where they are placed into a great vault of these stones. This is where they can in times of woe, beseech the spirits of ancestors to guide them and help them. They can also put these stones in great tree spirits, to act as loyal guardians of their city. They typically wear these stones so that upon death their souls go into the stones.