Medieval & Fantasy Minecraft Roleplaying

Greetings Explorer, Navigate into the Lobby!

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Be sure to "Get Whitelisted" to join the community on server!

Forest Elf Lore - Questions Answered

K9

Triangles are my favourite shape
Crafter
Retired Staff
K9_Diarmuid
K9_Diarmuid
Crafter
And I just saw the new profile picture for Ced.

Glorious.

-K9
 

Ced

Mountain Bum
Merchant
Retired Staff
MossyMorel
MossyMorel
Merchant
Marriage ceremonies, procedures and the like?
The celebration of the union of two lovers varies depending on the links that a settlement has with the world outside the woods. While most Forest Elves view attraction as a positive thing and a cause for celebration, there are differences between the larger Groves such as Tauredal and the smaller settlements.

Smaller Settlements-
Attraction
(a generalisation): Deep in the woods, away from the influence of Man and other races, life in the small Elven villages is simple but tough . The value of a person is not measured by the clothes they wear or the items they own but by their contribution to others around them. Teamwork is essential for survival and as such, selflessness has developed slowly into an admired trait. This does not mean an Elf would choose his partner by measuring the likelihood that she'd keep him alive, it means he would choose a partner that would treat him kindly, generously and good-heartedly by nature.

Bonding: When two Forest Elves consent to being bound, they climb to the canopy of the Eldnarí around them, and source two lengths of vine. When they return they announce publicly their plans to join. The ceremony for the joining of two besotted Forest Elves in these communities is colloquially called 'cynnedröd' (modern scholars theorise that the Common-tongue word 'kindred' derives from the Elven original; the meanings are near-identical). Unlike many Human marriages, a cynnedröd (or cynne, for short) is a very open and public affair. The entire community is welcome to attend the short seated ceremony, which is almost always carried out by a friend of the couple who knows them both very well. There is no scripted declaration of love or pre-arranged gifts, it is not seen as a formal event and it is usually held in whatever place the couple feel most comfortable in. The first cord is held by whichever Elf proposed the cynne to the other, and they wrap it around their entwined hands in Theodra's name, symbolising that the 'hunt' is now over. The second cord is then tied around the hands in a prayer to Shalherana, and this symbolises the growth of the relationship between the two.
While this commitment is not taken lightly, deeply unhappy couples are in no way targeted for splitting apart, as it is often the kindest and most logical thing to do.

Larger Groves-
Attraction
(a generalisation): In a smaller world, where 'danger' means more than just beasts and forest fires, physical hardiness and especially mental proficiency is favoured over naive kindness in a large Elven society.
Kindness is still a heavily sought after attribute, but it shares priorities with more complex aspects; wit, humour, strength, intelligence, even physical attractiveness (though that isn't exactly rare, in Elves), and many others, as befitting a more complex society.
In the smaller settlements the community works as a team because the harsh environment demands it. In the well established, relatively high-tech Groves, independence is encouraged and therefore outliers occur.

Bonding: After a courtship that varies in length, two Forest Elves might decide they want to become exclusive and more cemented in their union. There is often a traditional proposal, where the male or female offers a show of love for the other, and asks for a mhyrisé, which for the sake of convenience I shall say is the Elven equivalent of a marriage. From then on out the couple are 'rooted', and preparations for the ceremony begin.
It is rarely a lavish event, but attention is paid to aesthetics, and there is usually an area where all mhyriséa take place (a secluded clearing, or perhaps a building designed for it).
Family and friends gather to witness the standing couple as a priest (traditionally of Shalherana or Theodra) blesses them in the deity's name and makes clear to them the commitment they are about to take. The couple consent to this and swear their three vows: love, loyalty, and life. A single cord of soft thread is laced loosely around their held hands.
There is usually a public social gathering after the ceremony, where family and friends and strangers may offer congratulations and gifts to the (hopefully) happy couple.

Some Elves prefer the old way, some Elves the new. Some mix-and-match to suit their specific needs, and some hate the idea of ever being bonded to anyone! The cynnedröd and the mhyrisé are the Elven equivalent of a Human marriage when it comes to social convention.

If you want, I can post an example ceremonies :D
 
Last edited:

skuller

Lord of Altera
I had a question about their architecture. I know that may seem odd as they live in trees so don't build per say. But what about the interior? I just got a place in Tauredal and I don't know what to do inside it. :)
 

Ced

Mountain Bum
Merchant
Retired Staff
MossyMorel
MossyMorel
Merchant
I had a question about their architecture. I know that may seem odd as they live in trees so don't build per say. But what about the interior? I just got a place in Tauredal and I don't know what to do inside it. :)
Ooh, this is an easy one! There's not much difference between the civilised Elves (us) and the tribal Elves (oocly in the forests~).

Really, any exterior extensions they make on the tree are made of roughly hewn lumber, cleverly placed and set so that the limbs and planks support each other. Obviously they use nails and bindings etc if they need to.

Inside, it's a nice balance of necessity and aesthetics. The important things come first; warmth, stability, then comfort, like beds. Washbasins, kitchens, eating places are fairly regular. The larger Groves have prettier, and larger homes. Here's two attachments~

2013-11-03_17.21.02.png 2013-11-03_17.21.34.png
As you can see- Spacious and airy. Open plan; there are rarely walls and rooms. This is Cali Engem's room above the Lusty Lass in Tauredal.

Oh, and in case this wasn't already obvious, Forest Elves make their homes inside the giant trees that they live around, which are called the Eldnarí.

Edit- Skuller, I asked you to pick a tree that you'd like to live in, but I have to ask you to wait until you start altering it, okay? :3
 
Last edited:

Ced

Mountain Bum
Merchant
Retired Staff
MossyMorel
MossyMorel
Merchant
Ooh, this is an easy one! There's not much difference between the civilised Elves (us) and the tribal Elves (oocly in the forests~).

Really, any exterior extensions they make on the tree are made of roughly hewn lumber, cleverly placed and set so that the limbs and planks support each other. Obviously they use nails and bindings etc if they need to.

Inside, it's a nice balance of necessity and aesthetics. The important things come first; warmth, stability, then comfort, like beds. Washbasins, kitchens, eating places are fairly regular. The larger Groves have prettier, and larger homes. Here's two attachments~

View attachment 37100 View attachment 37101
As you can see- Spacious and airy. Open plan; there are rarely walls and rooms. This is Cali Engem's room above the Lusty Lass in Tauredal.

Oh, and in case this wasn't already obvious, Forest Elves make their homes inside the giant trees that they live around, which are called the Eldnarí.

Edit- Skuller, I asked you to pick a tree that you'd like to live in, but I have to ask you to wait until you start altering it, okay? :3
Hrmn, thinking about this, and it requires an important note-

Tauredal was grown and built by a half-blood. Rilas Duskholme is not a traditional Forest Elf. Therefore, the style and architecture is a sort of weird hybrid between Forest and Human :p
 

Ced

Mountain Bum
Merchant
Retired Staff
MossyMorel
MossyMorel
Merchant
Would it determine how important/pure blooded an elf is, by the length of their ear?
Nope! Elven ears are just like human ears in the sense that they all differ in minor aspects. Some people believe that Silver Elven ears are longer and pointier than Forest Elf varieties, but the difference (if there is one) is tiny. And Forest Elves would never judge someone for the shape of their ears, that's superficial and silly :p Silver Elves might do, as they're far more vain than Forest Elves, but it's certainly not a cemented race-wide thing.

Pure bloodedness is an interesting topic, though. Some Forest Elves pride themselves on having entirely elven heritage and shun those who have human or even Silver Elf blood in them. It's difficult writing lore on them as the actual setting behind it doesn't make sense, but this is a good opportunity to explain how blood works with Elves and other races.

If you have a Silver Elf mother, and a Forest Elf father (or vice versa), you receive all of the traits from one of them. There are no mixed-appearance Elves; they either look and act entirely Forestian, or entirely Silverian.
Likewise if you have a human father and an elven mother (or vice versa), it is the same; you pick a race and you possess all of the traits from that. There are no hybrid-looking in-between appearances or behaviours. You're either silver, forest, or human :p

As far as I know Dwarves can't breed with Elves. I don't know why, because humans can just fine. I also don't know whether I have the liberties to classify the compatibility between Forest Elves and Moor Elves. Best ask Naelwyn for that stuff, if you're interested.
 
Last edited:

Fronslin

Based on what?
Retired Staff
Fronslin
Fronslin
Good
Friend of mine just wants to know what they look like, I remember reading about it before but I can't find it at all
 

IceandFire

The Alchemist
Staff member
Admin
Good
Pronouns
He/Him
icefire120
icefire120
Good
Interesting, perhaps I can gather some info and write something up for the Silver Elfs. I'd like to see more information on it as well.
 
Top