Elven Cultures
Elven culture is deeply rooted in the power of all natural, living things. The specific details of their cultural practice is specific to the species, flora, fauna, and wilderness of their local surroundings. Elves live in a variety of habitats, but most commonly in Wild Villages, Aquatic Settlements, and Elven Cities.
Wild Village
In the Wild Villages, elves build homes from hollowed-out trees and wooden platforms on thousand-year-old branches of the forests. Their druidic traditions and rituals center the preservation of the forest and their natural living world above everything. Thus, all activity, including the manner in which they hunt and gather, is minimalist and only what is required for survival. Hidden among the canopies of the trees, Wild Villages are far off the beaten path for most travelers and many never find them, which is how they like it. While trade is necessary, especially since they do not have large industries or farms apart from small gardens, outsiders may find them stubborn or unwilling to see others’ perspectives. A visitor to a Wild Village might be surprised by wild animals roaming carefree throughout the village, not an elf or animal thinking anything of it.
Aquatic Settlement
Aquatic Settlements are known to be transient, most commonly tied to ships that move from port to port based on the cycle of tides and the weather. These settlements are a collection of varied vessels, traveling in a large group and often strung together when anchored. These vessels span generations of elves, passed down through the years with additions, symbolic carvings of familial history, and timeless relics of elven history. Traditions and practices are rooted in all manner of sea life and rhythms, including the shifting currents, the migration of schools, floats, and shoals of various fish, and the whipping winds on the sails. Often at port to trade, these settlements believe in the power of the community and will source food and supplies for the entire fleet rather than individually. Like their aquatic counterparts, these elves feel stymied when landed. While aquatic elves consume marine creatures to survive, like the Wild Villages, they are careful to only catch what they need and do not condone netting or similar methods of fishing that are wasteful and harmful to sea life.
Elven Cities
Elven Cities, by contrast, boast impressive and lavish infrastructure– large towers with wall-to-wall libraries and ornate study chambers dedicated to their connection to fey, especially conceptual fey (powerful archfey representing seasons or cycles). City elves are scholars of the natural world, with their cultural traditions and practices emphasizing the pursuit of knowledge and unearthing the overarching powers of nature. Still surrounded by nature, city elves express their connection through the civilized means of gardens, cultivated vines and bushes, organic-inspired art, elaborate robes made of the finest natural materials, and rituals involving trees and light. These elves primarily study the seasons and changing weather patterns, varying types of ecosystems, and catalog species of animals and plant life.