Mofae : Forest Elves

When one reads about the history of the Mofae, you feel truly sorry for them. Seldom has a species been forced to move so many times.

— High Sage Syronikir

Thousands of years ago the ancient Elven population migrated from central Farlis to various regions. The Forest Elves, or Mofae in , are the descendants of the Elves that settled in the forests of central Farlis. As the name suggest, they live primarly in forests with the Izim Woods being their ancestral grounds.
Although they managed to hold on to part of this area for several centuries they eventually lost it to the Avaronian Empire which forced them to move to the Baidan Jungle. Some remained deep within the Izim Woods but their numbers diminshed once the Avaronians started to enslave them.

Biology

Physiology

Just like all Elves the Mofae have longer ears with pointed ends. In general the Mofae have darker skin tones. However the Mofae still living in the Izim Woods tend to have a bit paler skin but still darker when compared to the Avars. The Avar tend to have more elongated faces if compared to the other Elves.
Something that sets the Mofae apart from the other Elves are their blade like extensions on the arms. These retractable blades allow the Mofae to easily climb trees. They often use these for ambushes where they fall from the sky on their unsuspecting enemy.
On average a Mofae Elf lives up to 500 years which is a shorter lifespan than the Avar Elves.

Climate

All Mofae live in forests and the vast majority never leaves the area where they were born in. Small enclaves can be found throughout Farlis but most of the Mofae live in Mofineron or Igenim where there is plenty of rainforest.

Reproduction

If compared to the Avar Elves the Mofae tend to have more children. The average family has about 6 children but some of them are expected to not make it into adulthood given the often dangerous environment that the Mofae live in. Most Mofae start a family when they become 120 years old.

Additional Information

Wood Elf by Kefkejaco with Heroforge

Scientific Name

mofae (Mofae)

Geographic Location

Baidan Jungle, Central Farlis, North Avak'am

Language

Mofis

Favoured Climates

Tropical, temperate

Average Height

1.7m

Lifespan

On average 500 years

Society

Yamaderis misplaced this image by Kefkjaco with heroforge

Relgion

Unlike the Avar, the Mofae have never abandonned their original pantheon. Even today they are followers of the Eregr pantheon although their practices are a bit different from the Avar. Their main gods are related to nature whereas the Avar tend to favor the gods that focus on magic.
Animal sacrifices are also something that is only found among the Mofae Elves when they follow the Erergr pantheon. The blood of these sacrifices is then used to bless forest or the sparse fields. This is typically done once a year but the dates differ depending on the Mofae community. In almost all iterations of the ritual music is an important part often accompanied by low chanting.

Culture

Nature

The Mofae have a large focus on nature and this also can be seen in the type of magic that they use. Even though they don't have access to as many types of Falls as the Avar, the Mofae do have a large supply of leaf and sea crystals.
They make heavy use of these magical materials, especially to hasten plant growth. Agriculture within Mofae societies looks a bit different because of it. In contrast to most societies the fields are much smaller and the forests around them are respected. Thanks to the magic that they use they can get good crop yields even though they don't have a large agricultural sector. The sea crystals are used to create a steady supply of water which aids the growth even more.
The most advanced casters among the Mofae can use the magic from the leaf crystals to control the forest. This has proven very effective to ward of invaders as the Mofae are able to use animals to deter the enemies. Some are even able to control the roots of trees and order them to attack.

Gender

Because of the large amount of Leaf Crystals the Mofae also have a more fluid approach to gender. Since the magic from these can be used to heal or change physical form , it is quite common for Mofae Elves to change gender. Positions of power are therefore not gender based and the next leader of a clan is just as likely to be a woman or man. Also in the armies of the Mofae the division is quite equal.

by Kefkejaco with artbreeder

Architecture

In their citities plants and trees remain an important part and even if a building is made out of stone it made to look natural with few straight lines or corners. Trees, bushes and flowers are commonplace in Mofae settlements whith the garden in front of a building often being the most prestigious part. A beautiful and well maintained garden is a sign of a powerful or well of Mofae.
In some settlements there are no real stone buildings. In these kind of communities it can be that almost all building are centered around large trees. In this case the settlement is a collection of various tree houses with the largest one belonging to the clan leader or priest.

Reclusive

Given their history the Mofae tend to be reclusive, preferring small communities in the woods that mainly live from the hunt. The larger communities, however, have fields filled with berries and vegetables but only a minimal number of trees are cut to make room for them.

History

by kefkejaco with Inkarnate

by kefkejaco with Inkarnate

Origin

Due to a still unknown event the original Elves living in central Farlis were forced to move. In the end this would result in several different species of Elves as they spread in all directions and even underground in the case of the Dark Elves. The ancestors of the Mofae are believed to have travelled east and eventually settled in the Izim Woods region.

Selefer and Avaronian

The Mofae Elves were frequently attacked and would eventually be forced to move out from their ancestral homelands. First the Selefer managed to force them to give up many areas of Central Farlis. Once the Selefer were defeated the Avaronians took the areas and the Mofae Elves were forced to move further south to the current Aelerium area.
Eventually the Western Elven Wars from 1390 BF made them even lose that area and the majority of the Mofae moved to the Baidan Jungle. When several centuries later the Human slave population in the Avaronian Empire declined the Dwarves and the Mofae Elves were the next victims. Those that were still living in the Izim Woods went into hiding.

After Empire

After the Empire fell the Mofae had a bit more breathing room and many new clans were found in the various forests of Farlis. The majority, however, remained in the Baidan Jungle area. Eventually the Mofae Elves expanded a bit further and conquered the current Igenim island and even ventured to the northern rainforest of Avak'am.

Niorath

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This map shows the world of Niorath and its various biomes and nations. The north and south pole areas are still rather unexplored because they are frequently covered in ice. Various species live there but they have not played any major role in the history of the planet. The other continents are much more populated and have seen their fair share of changing occupants.

Some areas of the world are quite different from the normal natural biomes. These are chaos areas, region affected by the dangerous Chaos Tempests who can corrupt the land beyond recognition. Many of these are the result of forbidden magic going very wrong and have often meant the end of the empires that performed the related rituals.