More wild than their kin in Taure’malda, the elves of Eli’niwar are a reclusive bunch. These elves do not trust outsiders and prefer to keep to themselves. They have a deep reverence for the energies of the world around them, and survive by thriving alongside nature and living off the land. As a result, elves who venture out from Eli’niwar struggle with modernity. The elves of Eli’niwar came to Tridia long ago when their beloved central tree was uprooted and dropped along a mountain range by a dragon. Since the relocation of their home, they have rebuilt their society within its massive hollowed-out trunk. Despite being dead, the tree’s remains maintain ambient energies powerful enough to protect its people from the Tempest. From these energies, every elf in Eli’niwar is blessed with ‘the Gift of the Tree,’ which manifests as either magical or void abilities. Those without these abilities are thought to have been rejected by the tree, and are looked down upon and pitied in this society.
Though they are near in proximity, only a few select merchants from Hearthstone Gully have proved themselves trustworthy enough to trade wares with willing elves, but this is the only contact these two societies have with each other.
Region/Location: The northeastern region of the Titanspine Mountains in the Baleful Peaks, just south of Hearthstone Gully.
Restrictions: Must be an Elf and a casting class or Void Knight.
Distinguishing visual: The elves wear detailed purple and white painted designs on their face to denote friend from foe, and typically wear fur and hides of a dark color over brown and purple clothing of rough make.
Skills: Agriculture, Tracking, Leatherworking.
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The elves of the tree are an ancient people, steeped in their own secular and isolated culture.
History: The tree is known to have been rooted somewhere thousands of years ago. The tails say it dwarfed all trees around it, which makes sense for the size of its current remaining trunk that the people live within. It is believed the tree grew to this size by growing atop the massive corpse of some powerful creature, dormant beneath its roots.
During a cataclysmic event, lost to history of the exact cause, the tree was uprooted from its base and thrown far from its place, landing within the mountain range and settling into its valley over centuries. The people within barely survived, but kept together enough to continue to regrow and repopulate the tree.
Nurture vs Nature: The elves here grow with one of two things innate to their being; they are born with powerful magic coursing through them from a young age, or they naturally repel the magic that lingers in the air and wood that they live within. There is no such thing as an elf of the Tree that cannot either cast magic, or repel it at its source. This is all due to the wood they live within, the tree itself is drenched in magical energy. However, the children are raised to choose their path, not being forced into any particular domain of magic.
Even with these innate sources of power, the elves are trained deeply in speed and dexterous fighting. They are raised with games that are pseudo combative in nature, erring towards the fast and agile and rearing children to be capable of striking fast and first.
The games are all played in a small circle with a 10’ diameter. Two sit inside on their knees, either facing each other or facing away from each other. The games vary, in placement of a pair of matching weapons somewhere in the circle. The focus of every game is simple; strike your opponent first.
Giha’s Gamble- weapons placed with handles facing perpendicular from the challengers, one handle on either side.
Neu’riks Nimble- weapons are placed at the edge of the circle between the challengers, one handle facing each one.
Vithr’as Reach- Each challenger begins holding the other’s weapon. The bout begins by both throwing the weapon, which must land either in their opponent’s catch or within the circle. If the weapon lands outside the circle, that thrower is eliminated.
Leadership: The tree is led with a single figurehead, the sole leader of their tribal-like settlement. With a crown of lightly glowing sprigs, magically radiated twigs from the tree’s boughs. The current leader is Celes’Tia’Num, a woman renowned for her divine prowess and physical might in her youth. An Oathbound by training, she has kept the people under her guiding hand healthy and strong for several centuries.
