Forest Elf

The reclusive elves of the forests and jungles, on a quest to reawaken the slumbering spirits of the forest

Base Racial Traits

Ability Score Modifiers: (+2 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence, and –2 Constitution) Forest Elves are nimble, both in body and mind, but their form is frail.
Size: Forest Elves are Medium creatures and thus receive no bonuses or penalties due to their size.
Type: Forest Elves are Humanoids with the elf subtype.
Speed: Forest Elves have a base speed of 30 feet.
Vision: Forest Elves can see twice as far as humans in conditions of dim light.
Languages: Forest Elves begin play speaking Elven ONLY. Forest Elves with high Intelligence scores can choose from the following: Common, Old Druidic, Wulfe, High Human/High Common, Aklo, High Orc, Dwarven, and Sylvan. See the Linguistics skill page and Languages Unique to Ea for more information about these languages.
Elven Immunities: Forest Elves are immune to magic sleep effects and gain a +2 racial saving throw bonus against enchantment spells and effects.
Forest Elven Magic: Forest Elves, when casting spells that grant bonuses to AC or saves, gain an additional amount equal to 1 + an additional 1 per 4HD they possess, up to a maximum of doubling the normal bonus the spell would provide.
Student of Byblos: Forest Elves, thanks to the texts recovered from the fallen Skycity of Byblos, have gained a grant stockpile of knowledge to teach themselves with - they gain all knowledge skills as class skills and gain a racial +2 to all of them. Additionally, they gain one non-rare cantrip of their choice that they can cast at-will using their HD as their CL.
Well-Stocked: Forest Elves begin play with a Masterwork Dagger(or any other non-exotic one-handed weapon of their choosing) made out of NEMEAN Metal, and may purchase items made of NEMEAN Metal as well as the material itself while in The Elvenwood or their home Conclave. This dagger, imbued with magical properties, often serves as the "key" to allow Forest Elves access through the complex wards of their home Conclaves and also allow them to know North at all times as if it were a compass.
Terrain Adapted: Forest Elves, though they have undergone a diaspora in recent years, remain unparalleled masters of adapting to their terrain - they gain any one terrain as a Favored Terrain(As per the Ranger Class ability), progressing the bonuses from this terrain as a Ranger of their HD.
Living Seedbed: Having altered their own bodies with knowledge gained from the crashed Skycity of Byblos, Forest Elves have empowered themselves to alter and restore the natural world around themselves - they may, at-will, produce and create seeds of any plant, tree, or other vegetation that they have previously held and studied samples of. They may even, by maintaining physical contact, modify the genetic makeup of the seeds they make or other existing plant, trees, or other vegetation to help them adapt to various new climates, circumstances, stimuli, threats, and so on.
Barrier-Breaker: Forest Elves, thanks to years of intense training clearing out the ruined Skycity of Byblos, have adapted to those harsh conditions - Forest Elves can reach through Walls of Force, Transparent Barriers, Force Fields, and even Prismatic Walls and Spheres as if they weren't there; this allows them to make melee attacks against creatures as if these obstructions were not present. However, this does not allow them to move THROUGH such obstacles. Additionally, by working in concert with their magical NEMEAN weapon provided by the Well-Stocked feat, Forest Elves can slowly damage and tear such obstructions apart - potentially allowing them to move through them for a short time or disabling them altogether.
All the World Mourns: After the death of the Erlking who once ruled them for eons, Forest Elves have found the natural world stirring restlessly, as if sensing the death of a beloved friend - and having been chosen by Nature as the envoys of their now dead king, Forest Elves can, by concentrating, detect the presences of High Elves that have fallen into the Earthslumber, slumbering or inactive Treants, or any other plants or animals that were once sentient/intelligent(Or who are in semi-permanent hibernation of some kind) within 120ft. By making physical contact with such creatures, Forest Elves can slowy restore some semblance of awareness, life, or even potentially fully wake them up - depending on the size, power, and nature of the creature in question and the length of its slumber. Multiple Forest Elves working in concert increase efficacy of this ability exponentially. This ability does not work on the Erlking or the tree created as a result of his entering of the Earthslumber.
Weapon Familiarity: Forest Elves are proficient with longbows (including composite longbows), longswords, rapiers, and shortbows (including composite shortbows), and treat any weapon with the word “elven” in its name as a martial weapon. Additionally, Forest Elves can use DEX instead of STR for the damage of Composite Bows and weapons with "Elven" in the name.

Basic Information

Anatomy

Forest Elves are similar to many humanoids, with two arms and two legs attached to a central torso with a head located atop the center...their muscle mass and bone density, however, is objectively less and weaker than those of other average humanoids such as Humans or Desert Elves, meaning that while their may be much quicker and smarter than others, their bodies are quite intrinsically frail and weak, and prone to easily damaging if struck.

Biological Traits

Forest Elven hair can vary in color, but generally tends to land on the lighter side of the spectrum such as White, Grey, Silver, and so on. Likewise, their skin and facial features can vary between individuals, and while their skin is naturally inclined towards paler tones, the level of paleness can vary as well from a light but noticeable whiteness to almost bone white while their facial features are generally smooth and eastern in appearance, with long and elegant features cut with graceful curves that set them apart from their Desert Elven kin.

Genetics and Reproduction

Forest Elves, like most all Elves, are incredibly asexual beings and while they are capable of feeling pleasure and the emotions that are normally associated with reproduction and sex in other races like humans, they almost never have sex and reproduce for the mere act of doing so. They have almost no sex drive and care little about such things, and generally only reproduce when they feel the need to continue their species, not for any simple act of pleasure or emotion.
Adding onto their low sex drives, Forest Elves, like most all elves, simply do not conceive in the same way as other races do - for a Forest Elf to come down with child, they have to make a conscious decision to do so and ingest a special natural and herbal remedial concoction designed to stimulate their bodies to allow for reliable conception. So when the times demand it or when they feel the need, Elves gather together with their chosen mates and decide to have children, but otherwise they are mostly incapable of having children otherwise...however, this also explains the origins of Half-Elves, as many Elves often fancy relationships with humans but rarely stop to consider the consequences of an unplanned spontaneous pregnancy without the influence of their herbal concoctions...without them, a full elf cannot be born and a half-elf is the result.
When Elven Females come down with children, they carry the children inside of them for between a year to a year and a half, after which the child is born shortly thereafter.

Growth Rate & Stages

Forest Elves are slow grow to maturation once born and on average, reach full adulthood by the age of 100(Though they are considered juveniles around age 30). Once they hit adulthood, Forest Elves generally reach middle age around age 500, become old around age 750, and reach venerable around the ancient age of 1,000, at which point they die not long after.

Ecology and Habitats

Forest Elves are creatures born within the dense greenery of the forest, and as such Forests, Jungles, and other dense natural areas are the optimal environment for them to live within. Unlike many other species, Forest Elves live absolutely in tune with their environment and work alongside it, making their homes within the trunks and atop the boughs of massive trees and working and living alongside the natural world they living within.

Dietary Needs and Habits

Forest Elves are almost exclusively vegetarians due to their innate connections to nature and the forest, though they are not opposed to meat and similar foods that come from animals, they see the consumption levels of other races as wasteful and unnatural. Thus, unless provided with the opportunity to hunt and take their own meals to ensure nothing goes to waste, Forest Elves are generally vegetarians.

Biological Cycle

As they age, Forest Elves find their skin growing more and more wrinkly, their hair beginning to turn white, and their bodies becoming weaker and weaker as they grow older. Notably, their memory never fades or falters even up until their final moments, though their bodies grow increasingly infirm as the years go on.

Additional Information

Social Structure

Forest Elven society is one where royalty rules supreme, but unlike many other societies ruled by Kings and Queens, the Forest Elven society is held up by a tripartite system, where the three core aspects of Forest Elven Society - The Warrior, The Scholar, and the Priest - act as three 'pillars' that serve the ruler faithfully and work to uphold and carry out their orders and duties. It is within each of these three pillars that Forest Elves live and thrive, each serving and working their respective duties to further the goals of their ruler. Each of these pillars is generally led by a single figure, who in turn represent all beneath them and hold the right to hold council with the ruler.
Forest Elves believe that this tri-bodied system allows for a more robust lifestyle and existence, which allows for durability even if one pillar should fail and flexibility to give each member of the tribe or society an equally fair chance to ascend the ranks of their station...as well as providing a vast array of differing opinions and information for the central ruling figure to make the decisions that shape the tribe.

Facial characteristics

Forest Elves have long, elegant features as well as an overall near-supernatural, hauntingly ephemeral beauty to their facial features and overall physique, and are considered the epitome of Elegance and Grace. Their features are never sharp or jagged, and are instead smooth and possessing of rounded, aesthetically pleasing contours.

Geographic Origin and Distribution

Forest Elves can be found mainly within the deepest forests of Ea, primarily The Elvenwood, though small enclaves of them have broken off from their homeland and formed less reclusive homes in other forests across the world.

Average Intelligence

Forest Elves are naturally a great deal more intelligent and quick-witted than other humanoids, and are naturally quite smart and gifted.

Perception and Sensory Capabilities

Thanks to their Elven Heritage, Forest Elves can see twice as far as normal in conditions of low-light and are said to possess all around sharper senses than baseline Humans.

Civilization and Culture

Naming Traditions

Woodland Elves have graceful, elegant names full of 's', 'l', and other soft syllables, their names a gentle whisper on the breeze muttered between the lips. Just like the great oaken trees, green ferns, and beautiful bluegrass of their forest home, their names are carefully crafted masterpieces that are a pleasure to hear and speak.
Male: Thessrendil, Yggdross, Drollis, Caesillix, Zillis, etc...
Female: Dressellia, Seliandra, Yellisal, Thalia, Hylossa, etc...

Beauty Ideals

Forest Elves see beauty in harmony, and in being at peace with one's surroundings and with the world around them. Elegant, smooth curves are preferred to jagged or rocky features, and intellect and quickness of wit is prized as great beauty over strength of body or glibness of tongue, as Forest Elves love quick and witty conversational partners who can go toe to toe with them discussing many interesting and complicated topics over a brutish warlord with unmatched strength or agility.

Gender Ideals

Though is often little distinction possible between Forest Elven males and females due to a tendency of the race to lean towards an almost effeminate beauty, Forest Elves nonetheless have distinct standards for the two genders, though they are unique compared to other races. Rather than conforming their race to two simple ideals which all are made to conform to, Forest Elves have two ideals but instead simply assign them depending on which one a given Elf most conforms to. In this way, they are perhaps more 'Societal Ideals' than true 'Gender Ideals'...and one can find females conforming to the ideal male image, and vice versa.
Those who display a talent for 'Proactive Action', 'Physical Prowess', and 'Boldness' are generally seen as more Masculine. This includes warriors, guards, adventurers, and all who are unafraid to roam far afield and get their hands dirty to get a job done, or see their community protected.
Those who display a talent for 'Protectiveness', 'Studiousness', and 'Insight' are generally seen as more Feminine. This includes scholars, priests, nobles, mages, alchemists, and all who focus more on mental pursuits, prefer the indoors and relaxation to outdoors and battle, or who have a tendency to protect one's homefront first and foremost.

Courtship Ideals

Forest Elves are creatures that are naturally quite slow to court others, and considering their long lifespans it is hard for them to get with humans and other short lived races, who they see as flighty and inattentive things that often fail to commit to something for life. They prefer to enjoy time with their prospective partner at long, length intervals, and enjoy intricate and intelligent conversation moreso than any physical pleasure such as sex or meals.

Relationship Ideals

The ideal Forest Elven relationship is one that lasts until the death of one of the partners, though they have no qualms about having multiple partners. To the Forest Elves, what matters is the dedication and unbreakable love for each other, and they fully believe that any given creature can have as many partners as they can truly dedicate themselves to and keep happy throughout the decades. To break off one's partnership before such a tragedy is seen as a shame and a disgrace, and is one of the main reasons why they tend to look down on Humans and other shorter-lived races.

Common Dress Code

Forest Elves prefer to dress in long, flowing robes of natural, earthen colors that accentuate their natural beauty and their elegant curves. Even their armor is elegant, fanciful, gilded, and beautiful due to the Forest Elven belief that even protective gear should be aesthetically pleasing to one's eye in addition to its natural durability and function.

Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals

Often, Forest Elves are sent off on a decade long journey through their forest home once they come of age, journeying by their lonesome and growing mature within the crucible of nature. It is here, on this journey, where Forest Elves believe a child is taught the truths of nature and of cycles, and how all life living together in harmony is the ideal way to exist. Here, Forest Elven children learn the ways of nature and the truths of how barbaric and wasteful outside races so often are.

Common Taboos

Most Taboo for a Forest Elf is admitting an outsider through the magical protections of the Plantfort and letting them into their forest home...to do so is seen as a betrayal of their entire species, and is punished severely. Only with a most dire reason is such a transgression overlooked.

History

Long ago, as Gail-Idhren and his High Elves faded into memory and slowly drifted out of the Material Plane and into realms unknown, the children they left behind in the sprawling heartlands founded by Gail-Idhren himself after his mythical flight from the damned Black City of El'Adri would soon grow into the Desert Elves and the Forest Elves. As these infant lesser Elves grew to maturity the two races initially met each other with traditional Elven grace and wisdom, and for a time all was peaceful, if not a small bit tense between the two sibling races...though they were born from different wombs and came to maturity in vastly different climates and even looked and acted quite differently, it was easy for the two races to recognize each other as fellow children of their ancestors and get along despite their differences.
Thus, in the days of yore, Desert and Forest Elves alike lived together within the confines of The Elvenwood, the primeval, ancient wood sprouted from the very ground by their ancestors themselves where each tree is, if legends are to be believed, a long-dead high elf who did not survive the flight of yore from their doomed home city of El'Adri. As the centuries passed into Eons and the two races continued to live in harmony within the confines of the Elvenwood, the Desert Elves, who had long since lived both within The Elvenwood and alongside the inhabitants of the southern deserts of Ea, began to grow distant from their Forest-Dwelling cousins as the two races began to diverge more and more from one another. Despising their Forest-Dwelling Kin as flighty, indecisive weaklings who would sit on their hands until the world came to an end while the Forest Elves in kind came to despise their more arid-dwelling Kin as Militaristic, Brutal Warlords who all but abandoned the traditional Elven notions of decency and grace, the two child races of Gail-Idhren and the High Elves soon began to deeply despise one another with a burning resentment borne from eons of shared living within the confines of the same locale.
This rivalry, for a time, contented itself to remain in the form of small bickering and occasional bouts of inter-Elven conflict...but it was not until the Age of High Humanity that some glimmer of hope shone through for these two sibling races. Uniting out of desperation to fight off the advance of the Scalequeen and her infinite hordes of High Lamia, Elves of all cultures and kinds stood together, united, fighting viciously for the survival of their very species...and while they were initially incredibly successful at defending their ancestral forest homeland, the Elven Alliance was doomed to fall after High Humans all but abandoned the surface world to its fate. Crushed beneath the coils of the High Lamia, Elves of all kinds were shackled and turned into meager snacks and meals for their new overlords...and for centuries and even nearly a millennia, Elves lived as slaves and meals for their new brutal Queens who crushed and devoured them according to their sick and twisted whims.
Though they soon broke free of the yoke of the High Lamia as the races of the world united against them, it was not until the Aftermath of the Fall of High Humanity that the two races would once again fall to bickering and mutual hatred. In the aftermath of the Age which saw the world decimated many times over, the Forest Elves collectively decided to retreat from the affairs of the mortal world and live in isolation and seclusion within the confines of The Elvenwood, far removed from the affairs of the mortal world. The Desert Elves despised this decision and saw it as nothing more than weakness, and as taking the easy way out and refusing to help solve the problems the world now faced as it descended into barbarism...while conversely the Forest Elves saw the burning desire of the Desert Elves to assist the world with its problems to be naught but one of the causes for the world's problems in the Age of High Humanity...to them, Elves should never have meddled in the affairs of the outside world, and doing so was what invariably led to their enslavement.
Finally, as the two sibling races grew to hate each other once more, their mutual hatred grew so great that neither could stomach the presence of the other...and finally, Desert Elves and Forest Elves had a schism, separating for good and going their separate ways...the Forest Elves stayed within the Elvenwood as hermits and recluses, and the Desert Elves finally settled fully in their ancestral desert home as the God Gregaia took pity on the now homeless Desert Elves and gifted them The World Tree, a titanic divine tree that would serve as the Desert Elven Home for Generations. It would not be until the events of The Sundering many millennia later that the Desert Elves would lose this home as well, and be cast out into the desert as a nearly extinct and dying people.
While their more hardy and barbaric kin have become so few in number as to be thought to be extinct and the outside world continues on in chaos, the Forest Elves yet remain stubbornly reclusive and hidden deep within the Elvenwood out of both a promise made at the beginning of the Age of Penitence which saw their king swear the Forest Elves to 1000 years of solitude in response to the brutal murder of their beloved Queen at the hands of outsiders and a dislike for the politics and scheming of the outside world...scars from the Scalewars and the High Lamia, undoubtedly.

Historical Figures

First and foremost, as with all Elves, Forest Elves even now spin stories and tales of their mythical ancestor and patriarch of their people, Gail-Idhren. He who was said to have led their ancestors out from the eternally-damned Black City of El'Adri on a monumental journey from the boundaries of reality to the Material Plane and eventually to the fertile world of Ea, the Forest Elves admire him, the shining star of Elvenkind, as the pinnacle of their species who single-handedly founded the first Elven kingdom on Ea and gave a place to his impoverished people...which they remain in to this very day. They revere him and his vast intellect, keen wisdom, and sharp eye, and in days of yore it was commonplace for Forest Elven smiths to emblazon the iconic Silver Spear and Winged Helm of Gail-Idhren upon the arms and armor they would forge, as a symbol of the Shining Star's Protection.

Interspecies Relations and Assumptions

Forest Elves have been a people secluded for untold centuries, and as a result have fallen out of contact with nearly all races beside a key few that dwell alongside them in their forest home...such as the ferocious Wulven. Otherwise, Forest Elves have grown to view other non-Elven races(And the Desert Elves) as barbaric and unwanted savages, and are often quite snooty or haughty when interacting with them. They believe other races are not quite 'equal' to them, and see themselves as naturally more desirable beings who can control themselves and their rampaging emotions. As such, they are often not well-liked by outsiders.

Alternate Racial Trait List:
NO LONGER ACCURATE TO THE BASE STATBLOCK. UNDERGOING REWORK.
Forest Elf Alternate Racial Traits

Racial Feat List:
NO LONGER ACCURATE TO THE BASE STATBLOCK. UNDERGOING REWORK.
Forest Elf Racial Feats

Genetic Ancestor(s)

• High Elf

Lifespan

1000 Years

Conservation Status

Forest Elves are plentiful and numerous, though many believe them to be myth and fabrication due to their seclusion.

Average Height

1.4 - 1.9 Meters

Average Weight

50 - 90kg

Average Physique

Forest Elven bodies are lithe and quick, and while their muscle mass and bodily constitution may be lacking in regards to other races, their thinness and quickness of body more than makes up for it. They are often slender beings, with thin bodies built for nimbleness and agility.

Body Tint, Colouring and Marking

Forest Elves are often somewhat pale-skinned, but those that spend time outdoors can develop a healthy tan on their skin while others can sometimes, rarely, be born with black or charcoal skin.

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