Can you help please?
I am running a campaign in the gryhawk world and my PCs are about to journey to a wood elven settlement in the south of the Silverwood Forest. I want to try and maintain the setting's "feel" but I have no idea what a wood elven community is like. I have read through "Races of the Wild" but do all elven sub-races live in pretty much the same way? Is a high elven village the same as a sylvan elf village? And who is the god Rillifane? Any information I could get would be great, and the more information I have, the better my campaign will be...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rillifane_Rallathil
i would try to make a wood elf settlement different from a high elf settlement. High elves do shape their surroundings more than wood elves, IMO. A wood elf settlement would not be noticeable to those who don´t know what to look for. Lorien from LotR would be a high elf "settlement" (the term doesn´t seem to fit right), a wood elf settlement would have a more rustic feel to it. Near-invisible tree houses in perfectly healthy , but still natural trees (according to FtA, the wood elves of the silver wood nurture the trees in a special way).
The society is perhaps more a hunter/gatherer culture, with a more tribal organisation than high elves. That doesn´t mean they are primitive and/or naive, they surely know about the world, but choose to remain how and where they are.
Just my 2c.
Stefan
i would try to make a wood elf settlement different from a high elf settlement. High elves do shape their surroundings more than wood elves, IMO. A wood elf settlement would not be noticeable to those who don´t know what to look for. Lorien from LotR would be a high elf "settlement" (the term doesn´t seem to fit right), a wood elf settlement would have a more rustic feel to it. Near-invisible tree houses in perfectly healthy , but still natural trees (according to FtA, the wood elves of the silver wood nurture the trees in a special way).
The society is perhaps more a hunter/gatherer culture, with a more tribal organisation than high elves. That doesn´t mean they are primitive and/or naive, they surely know about the world, but choose to remain how and where they are.Just my 2c.
Stefan
That sounds good. I totally agree on this vision of wood elves.
Ultradan
I like to view wood elves like the Night Elves in World of Warcraft, if you've played that. It's obvious that the elves shape there suroundings into towns and such, but they use the natural materials. They shape their houses out of still-living trees, while high elves build delicate stone and crystal cities within the forest. High elves enjoy the beauty of the forest, but don't necessarily feel a deep abiding connection with it. They gently move the woodlands around to build their cities, but still have the forest.
Wood elves, on the other hand, have "communities" that look just like a carefully tended forest (this is easy for me to imagine, as my family is involved in woodland conservation, so we do carefully tend forests!) with an occasional lodging built into a tall, mighty tree or cave or other natural place; they might even have a house somewhat like other races, but very reclusive and well-hidden, and made of simple but elegant forest materials.
Also, emphasize the presence of distinctly non-human elements of the culture- fey creatures living along side the elves, treants acting as town elders, guardians, etc., and possibly different forms of mounted travel. Humans use horses, which are great in open land, but as far as I know, don't fare as well in the forest. Griffons, giant eagles and owls, and such would still most likely be ralatively exotic mounts- I would opt for big cats (again, as in World of Warcraft). It does make sense- they have the graceful but powerful nature of the elves, and are stealthy, like their elven counterparts, and actually commonly live in forests! Also, it's a very good flavor element to help make sure your player know that this isn't just another town they're walking into.
Finally, I view wood elves to be quite stand-offish. The party may have to negotiate with the guards and such to let them pass, or face a hail of arrows, even if they were given permission to enter the town by another of authority (after all, elves are a chaotic bunch). Elves often disdain other races- a high elf will stand there and talk about how poor the other beings are, but at least you can talk to him. A wood elf, on the other hand, will just go away, vanishing into the background, and not even communicate.
I really look forward to figuring out how to incorporate segments of travel for the party into non-human areas and emphasizing the difference in cultures, either in my current campaign or a future one.
Oh, and one last thing- perhaps the ear length of various elven subraces is different? It could even become a derogitory term between rival elven factions- "Long ears!" "Short ears!"
Just some thoughts
Well, I dont know what dieties you are using and what kind of woods; but I use (dont have my book with me so cant spell this name) ydrissilla from the old unearth; he is the diety in the form of a big tree. I call him the world tree; he allows wood elves to know the ritual to go to his elven realms on certain days; ie longest sunshine; shortest day; changing of seasons; wood elf mystics and others constantly dance and sing around it and there song reverberates in the wood elf realm; ie any wood elf is blessed and enemy cursed; non elves who come to close or watch go intently get caught up in the dance and it is difficult for others to recover them. The wood elf civilization is very hidden; meaning you dont ever see a home; garden or farm as the elfs live very in tune with the forest and they tend to be somewhat nomadic to not drain the resources of one region; the wood/forest needs to be very expansive and the trees near the central god are truely immense; it is always fun to have that area move within the forest so when you enter that region you might exit into a different part of the forest; my wood elves are generally polite but very passionate; they like druids and rangers; but tend to treat many others with distain; ie if you dont sing or dance or craft with wood, have no stealth, use brutish weapons or wear brutish armor; you are going to get the worst side of these elves; as wood elfs are very long lived; they often just smile and wait for the offender to go away intentionally not being helpful as they have the patience of an elder race. Always set off areas in the wood or in certain regions that are to be inviolate of non wood elfs and pc wood elfs must go through a purification ritual to even enter as they are somewhat corrupted by the outsiders. Just do stuff like this and let you pc help develop the area; especially any elf in your group and it will be memorable and fun.
I always think of Wood Elves as the Elves from Shakespeare's a Midsummer Night's Dream - the WHOLE forest is their home. The elves that kidnap Bilbo's companions in the Hobbit would be another good example. So, in my view, they would have no settlements, per se. They might have camps, feasting areas, etc, but no such thing as houses, living at one with the forest.
I picture a Woodelf community very much like Native American
community(i.e. a true sense of communism, not like the old U.S.S.R., or modern China but true communal sharing, with the incorparation of druidic magic). The character classes available to such Elves would be, Barbarian , Ranger, Druid, and Bard(must select perform(dance and chant)moving into War Chanter.
IMO I think that the wood elves would have communities that are at one with the woods. Very secretive and isolated from the world. NOt naive or ignorant of the world but just distrusting of outsiders. Scouts would always be about on the borders of their lands and woods. Alot of the other stuff that the previous people have said is good stuff too.
Later
A.
Everyone's information helped heaps. Thanks guys!!
Hail! Now, I figured that you are already done with this article, but I just wanted to clarify what a Wood Elf means to them, and if I'm correct as well.
High Elves- Modern Day Elves. Very open to most things. Interested in modernizing. (Upgrading technology) These Elves are seen in many classes.
Grey Elves- Aristocratic, arogant, and wise. They believe that it is time to turn from nature, and turn to "science". They are very intelligent, and very wise. Many become Wizards.
Wild Elves- Savage, hateful, jungle-style, Elves. They live on killing, and aren't very wise. Don't believe in owning things, or mechanical technology. Many become Barbarians.
WOOD ELVES- Also known as Sylvan Elves. Practitioners of the old ways, that Elves once lived decades/centuries ago. Believe that other races are tainting Elven ways, (ie. High Elves), and detest Humans, believing that they are the worst race of all. Many become Druids.
Now keep in mind everyone, that these are MY envisionments of what the Elves are. I didn't make them.
My take on Wood vs High elf is a cultural outlook.
High elves see their population in decline and attempt to modernize, by building cities and relying on "magic as export" to draw people (esp. other elves)to the centers of their civ.
Wood elves see their population in decline, and withdraw to their ancestral roots, to end things where they've begun. They have an almost paranoid outlook on outsiders and rely on concealment and aggression to keep outsiders at bay
Ironically Drow see the elven population in decline, and want to kill off the other races genocidal/gulag style.
Aquatic elves don't see a problem with the elven population, after all they're elves and lord it over most of the worlds oceans, so they don't see what the land elves are complaining about. (at least until the game world industrailizes)
Grey/Valley other elven subraces fall into the above camps with a little personal interpetation.