Desert Elves
Desert Elves are an ethnicity of elves residing deep within the desert of Drang in the Southern region of Crestfall. Due to their proficiency in archery, swordsmanship and mounted combat, the elusive desert elves have been highly sought throughout the history of the Pre-Vancian and Modern Eras due to their usefulness as paid mercenaries.
Culture
Major language groups and dialects
The desert elves of Drang have retained the traditional elvish language of their forebears, albeit with a uniquely cultivated dialect and accent which, to the untrained ear of an outsider, could sound like a different language entirely.
While interactions with other races are rare, most desert elf communities possess at least one member fluent in Common, in the event that communication becomes a necessity.
Culture and cultural heritage
Much like the wood elves of Lubec, the desert elves are descended from a faction of elves that defected from elven society, objecting to the ongoing subjugation of the non-elven races during and the onset of the Millennium War.
While the objectors that would later become the wood elves fled to the forests of Lubec and the Lavender Wilds, the future desert elves set their sights on the region of Drang, rapidly adapting to their new environment over the course of a scant few thousand years.
Much like the humans already native to Drang, the desert elves adopted a nomadic lifestyle, although the elves' ability to conjure water using magic meant they did not share the humans' dependency on the Jormund River for water and other sustenance. Instead, the reclusive elves spread out to the desert's dunes and oases, domesticating the carnivorous Axe Beak as mount animals and adopting a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.
Like the elves of other cultures, the desert elves were aware of the fact that their long lifespans increased the risk of overpopulation, and sought to offset their longevity by only bearing a handful of offspring with each successive generation; in the present day, it is estimated that there are less than 300 full-blooded desert elves on the entire continent.
Common Customs, traditions and rituals
While descended from objectors to the Millennium War, the desert elves are far from pacifistic: in the Modern Era, the desert elves have earned a reputation for being highly-skilled combatants, trained in close-quarters swordplay as well as mounted combat, archery, and even the practice of druidic magic. This, combined with their knowledge and mastery of the desert, make the desert elves incredibly prized guides, bodyguards and mercenaries.
However, assuming a would-be employer is able to successfully find these nomadic elves and offer them work, the war-weary elves remain highly selective of what jobs they are willing to take, and will refuse any assignment which they believe to be for an unworthy or dishonorable cause. While a group of elven mercenaries may be persuaded to protect a village against gnoll bandits or safely escort a diplomat across the desert sands, they are unlikely to agree to any job that would result in harm befalling innocent or otherwise unassuming individuals.
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