Wildlands

Springmeadow Wildflower

Not all tribes of Wilder Elves are alike. In these pages I will attempt to tell about the life and history of my people, the Wilder Elves of the Wildlands.

Quite far to the south and west of where I live now, my people still roam the Wildlands. This is not random wandering. There are special places visited by each band of elves—places for storage, for growth, for water, for spiritual fulfillment, and for fun! I don’t know how many groups of Wilder elves roam these lands, but I do know that everyone gathers together once in a cycle (five human years) for a Great Gathering. This is for news, gossip, trade, marriages and games. Sometimes it’s about war, but that’s pretty rare, since the Wildlands aren’t of much value for an invader.

Physical Description

The Elves of the Wildlands are small, dark folk. Skins, hair, eyes, and clothing are many shades of brown—from coffee, ash, nut and rich chocolate to carmel gold. The variations are endless and beautiful in the simplicity and grace of the earth. Like most elves, age does not show quickly, so very few of the old elves are at all gray. Facial features tend to be round and full, hair comes in many textures and lengths, braids being common. Most folk dress in skins (both furred and tanned) or woven grass fibers. Feathers and wood beads compose most decoration. Warriors will occasionally don paint on face and body.

Terrain

The lands consist of plains, savannah type areas, scrub forest, small hills and low rocky mountains. There are several giant lakes farther to the north and east, and beyond that are the Iron Mountains.

Weather

The weather varies from place to place in the Wildlands. The area by the giant lakes is subject to intense winter weather, as are the open plains. Elves don’t stay there in that season. In the summer, sometimes great wind storms arise, dark and ominous, spinning great clouds of dust and tearing up all in its path. Little “whirlies,” cousins to the great storms, also arise but they are harmless, playful whirls of air that children romp in.

Fires in the grasslands can be very dangerous, especially in times of drought.

Valuables

Being nomadic, Wilder elves don’t carry much with them. The hard skin tents are probably the largest items to be transported. The rare holy items are kept in the secret holy places underground, and these items are made of copper, wood, bone, leather, and semi-precious stones. Copper and iron are the only metals known to these elves, partly because metals are not found in the Wildlands, partly because by the time a trader would enter the Wildlands, he either can’t find the folk, or these elves don’t have anything worth trading! Once, long ago, invaders attempted to enslave a band of Wilder Elves. They were never heard from again.

Magic

As a general rule, Wilder elves have no innate magic, other than that some have the ability to consciously enter the dreamworld; a place somewhat like another plane of reality, where all minds drift in sleep. It is also referred to as the land of the dead.

It can be a source of spiritual fulfillment, or of soul-tearing danger. Although some ancient elves have had the experience of entering the dreamworld in the physical state, that is considered unclean and invasive, as is purposely entering another soul’s dream.

Wildfolk are creatures of faerie that are exceptionally rare. An elf can live one hundred years without seeing even one.

Although Wilder Elves have no innate magic, that doesn’t mean they cannot perceive magic, or make use of it. For example, SpringMeadow wears a feather talisman in her hair that was infused with (meaning left in places or times when sacred energies were present, like during a certain phase of the moon, etc.) the natural energies of flying creatures and it supports flight in the dreamworld, thus, flying dreams!

Leadership

There is no such thing as royalty among the Wilder Elves. Leaders are chosen by strength and skill. Currently, there are two groups of leaders. The practical group consists of folk who know the winds and weather, who can lead to the most prosperous hunting grounds, find the shelters, or calculate how long it will take to go from one place to another. The other group are spiritual leaders. Fewer in number, they are the sky watchers, the dream-keepers, the soul-touchers, and storytellers.

Wilder elves have no specific gods, but believe in a natural life essence that permeates all things.

Diet

We hunt rabbit, pheasant, deer, gazelle, boar, and fish when available. There are special places where grains grow naturally, and these are harvested and stored in the same holy underground chambers in which the relics are kept. Similarly, roots, fruits and nuts in season are also stored for the winter months. Breads are the most common, and most enjoyed, food items.

Natural Enemies

Tales of trolls still circulate around the campfires of the Wilder Elves. Although a troll has not been seen in many cycles, the elves still remember the violent encounters.

The predators in the Wildlands are few, and tend to avoid the elves. There haven’t been many encounters with Wild Cats, and less deaths attributed to them. Grass snakes are non-poisonous, but tunnel snakes are deadly, so caves are avoided. Den-spiders are poisonous also, but the antidote is readily available in the form of salted, boiled elf milk. Yes, elf milk!

The predators that exist in the dreamworld are only spoken of among the dreamkeepers, and those who traverse the dreamworld in the conscious form. There is little or no danger to the ordinary, natural sleeper.

Customs

Deeply spiritual, Wilder Elves love music, no matter how un-harmonic it may sound to other folk! There is also the custom of adding names to celebrate events as life progresses. Wilder elves live very long, and don’t usually count the years as turns of the seasons but as cycles traveled—from the winter sites to the summer. An old elf is one who has twenty names or more. The name the individual uses every day is up to him/her. When a woman discovers she is pregnant, she’ll name the developing child. At the time it is born, another name can be given - typically referring to the season the child was born, but often cutesy baby names are given, like Peanut, Pumpkin, and Bunny. Sometimes, when the child begins to walk and talk, another can be given, although that’s not necessary. When a child reaches adolescence, the time has come to choose his/her own name. Warrior training begins at this age for every child, and upon completion of training, they receive their first spear and “grass blade,” a simple knife. All Wilder elves can protect themselves.

Life is slowly paced, compared to many other elfin bands. An adult woman with grown children of her own can still be considered youthful.