Wyld Elves
- "You'll never find finer archers and spell-chanters than those elves out in the old woods... if you can find them. If you mean to search them out, come with gifts, and keep your hands well away from your weapons — lest you meet theirs from the shadows."
—Gunnar Whitemane, Thane of Altenspire
Writer Credit
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Codex
Name: Wyld Elf (pl. Wyld Elves)
Sexes: Male, Female, and various Intersex combinations are all common.
Height: Elves usually range from 5'0" to 7'0".
Weight: Similar to humans of comparable size.
Skin: Skin color varies greatly among wyld elves due to the nature of their marks of the wyld. A couple with pale and dark skin could have a child whose skin is a tanned cocoa, but could also sire a baby with sky blue skin.
Hair: Similar to skin, hair color can vary greatly as well. The most common un-marked colors are platinum, blonde, and blue.
Eyes: Eye coloration and shape is similar to humans, but a wild elf could feasibly be found with eyes resembling common animals. Cats, goats, and snakes are common finds in the Frost Marches.
Ears: Wyld elves have thicker ears than the average human, with pointed tips that peak at a few inches in length. Their mark of the wyld can leave them with more animalistic ears, such as a rabbit or fox's.
Lifespan: 90 to 120 years
Maturity: 18 years.
Description
Wyld elves are one of the many [ Silly Mode: flavors|else: varieties] of elf common in Savarra. While superficially similar in appearance to humans, each wyld elf is affected by an ancient magic known as the mark of the wyld. This enchantment manifests itself in each of them being born with a different aspect of nature as a part of their very being. In most cases, these "wild marks" appear as a body part showing animalistic features, but more raw or elemental features such as leaf-green skin or hair that occasionally sparks with static electricity are certainly possible.
Sexual dimorphism is nigh nonexistent, with wyld elves of all sexes capable of lithe femininity and graceful strength. The average in the rougher regions of the Frost Marches tends toward hardiness, but this is by no means a world-wide standard.
Wyld elves have three primary sex groups: male, female, and intersex. The most common intersex elf is feminine in feature, with small breasts, no vagina, and a small penis as well — other combinations of sexual features appear more rarely, but there is almost no arrangement unheard of except for a completely sexless elf. Elves with breasts tend towards smaller chests, and those with penises tend to be smaller and daintier than humans — though the mark of the wyld can cause elves to sport milk-laden minotaur-sized breasts or mammoth equine erections with equal ease.
Reproduction
Wyld elf reproduction is similar to that of humans, and the two races can interbreed with little difficulty. In addition to its more visible effects, the mark of the wyld renders the elves capable of breeding true with the majority of Savarra's humanoid races.
Pregnancy lasts for 9 months naturally, with common elven magics both possibly expediting the process and rendering birth a harmless affair. Fertility rituals are common if a member of an elf troupe is left unimpregnated for extended periods of time. Such rituals are often for show, with no magical assurances or boosting of fertility. While such things are possible, not all wyld elves are in such a hurry to breed, perfectly content with enjoying the lead-up for as long as possible.
The manifestation of a child's wild mark is inconsistent, but will always appear before or during puberty. Delay in manifestation almost exclusively occurs with marks that would be dangerous during childbirth, such as antlers or horns, or in marks that affect more intimate areas of the body.
History
Wyld elves are one of the few mortal races able to claim a connection to the fey, descended from ain intermixing of primordial elves with spirits of the earth long, long ago. It is said that these ancient elves held the gift of eternal life in their hearts; that they strung the first bows of the world, and were among the first to master the art of sorcery. Gradually, they mingled with humans on the borders of their enchanted forests in the age of heroes, giving up their immortality in the process.
Some say that the mythic Faerie Queene herself was one of these elves, who raised up the first Emperor of Belhar to his throne; others say that flint spears and arrowheads rained from the forests when Man and Elf first met, ending in tenuous peace after so much blood had been shed that the gods themselves wept, flooding away those who would not lay down their arms.
Legends aside: as far as recorded history is concerned, wyld elves have been around about as long as Man has, and they worked hand in hand together to set the first stones of the great Belharan Empire many centuries ago. Their history is the history of the empire, including its many triumphs and recent failures.
While humans primarily lived in cities and villages on the plains, wyld elves traditionally made their homes amidst the trees of Belhara's heavily forested interior, preferring to maintain their deep and intimate connection with the natural world. Still, they have always been seen as equal citizens, and it is hardly uncommon to see elves walking the streets of a modern city, or to find a human among their enclaves.
Indeed, through the latter half of Belharan history, most emperors were of elven blood, following an unbroken line of descent from an early imperial arch-sorcerer who was made emperor after his lifelong friend and companion perished childless on the throne. His line was on occasion briefly toppled or forced into exile, but doggedly returned to the throne within a generation every time, shaping Belharan culture and politics for nearly five centuries before the Godswar.
Society & Culture
Wyld elves can be found world-wide today, most commonly in Savarra's more heavily forested regions. That isn't to say they are wholly nature dwelling, as many wyld elves live in the larger cities of their homelands, but some troupes prefer to live solely off the food and materials provided by the forests.
Rather than celebrate a birthday, wyld elf families celebrate the day of a child's wild mark manifestation, with gifts and treats related to the nature of their transformation. Some wyld elves choose to further transform themselves in line with their mark, appearing even more like their distant ancestors or other races through the use of magic and alchemy.
Group child rearing is common in wyld elf troupes. If a tribe is particularly large it can even be common for parents to not see their children for a number of days, passing them between neighbors and friends. Wyld elves who move to larger towns from such tribes sometimes open child-care services for their human neighbors.
Codex Acquisition
Codex entry is unlocked at the start of the game.
Other Information
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