Glade Elves

The Glade Elf peoples are the Elves that which dwell in the dense forests around Rathnir and Eldham. While maintaining near identical culture and traditions, they do not not belong to a single nation often residing in different tribes around the landmass. In common tongue, they are referred to as Glade Elves or Wood Elves, but can also be called Getria, Treow Feorh, or Wudu Feorh. The names allude to the tribal nature they display, in comparison to their other Elven cousins. The Glade Elves condemn the more civilised and high culture of other peoples across Rathnir, and prefer to live their lives in a way that highly embraces the forest, nature, and harmony. Glade Elves originated from peoples that rejected the modern society in which other races across Rathnir choose to live, and instead turned to the unforgiving wilderness to live amongst nature. Due to being a hunter gatherer society, they tend to be more stealthy, and agile, Glade Elves have adjusted to living in dense forests, also being skilled in traversing the maze of green using climbing, jumping, and also archery; they also tend to be quick-witted, and silver-tongued. Other races often look down upon the Glade Elves, seeing them as primitive - while most choose to live this lifestyle, they often pursue scholarly fields and trading because of the high value items the forest provides. Glade Elves are also skilled in the art of magic, a necessary trait in order to create a thriving civilisation in forest. It is said Glade Elves usually live to around 300 years old, but often use the magic to expand their lives - extracting life force from the nature around them, it is not uncommon for one to live forever. Due to their relaxed nature, Glade Elves 'reproduce' frequently in contrast to other races across Rathnir - they usually hold reproducing 'rituals' often accompanied with crimson or red wine. Glade Elves have skin colours ranging from light brown, to pale brown, and even to pale green, they are tall and slender creatures and also ridiculously athletic because of their lifestyle. Glade Elves also have some of the traditional Elven appearances such as pointy ears however on rare occasions are able to grow horns and antlers. Glade Elves have a fairly wide range of hair colours that can range from black, to white, they can also have ginger, blonde, or brown hair. Other notable features of Glade Elves are their long arms and big feet.

Religion
The Glade Elves follow 'The Green', agreed upon laws from the Everglade which forces Glade Elves to protect the forest. Some laws include to not waste any kill, and to protect the plant matter from unnecessary harm, (unnecessary being for no reason).

In turn the forest provides things like fertile lands in all but snowy regions and/or seasons, houses, and protection. Glade Elves possess the ability to communicate within nature in the forest, from a single blade of grass, to the tallest tree, to the toughest jaguar - they can even possess simple-minded creatures if skilled in magic abilities, the creatures can only be confined to the forest however.

Due to The Green they are mostly carnivorous and even cannibalistic, though 'no waste' does not strictly mean to consume, it can also mean to be used as fertilizer, decorative purposes, or other things. While not specifically stated in The Green, Glade Elves tend to only use carpentry and smithing when ever absolutely necessary (only in times of war).

Culture
The Glade Elves' knowledge of the forest has made them exceptionally skilled in guerilla warfare, some even believe the trees grab you with their roots and swallow you whole - this makes their forests extremely difficult to traverse if intentions are not made clear. Though Glade Elves tend to be pacifist, visitors are often captured or met with an arrow drawn to their head, however, if a person of any race requests to learn about or join their tribe, they are usually welcomed but not with open arms. To become a Glade Elf, you must undergo an intense integration trial, teaching you the language, how to live off the land, traverse the land, hunt, butcher, and eat a humanoid creature - you are then sent to the wild, naked, with nothing, you must survive for 14-days, with no one to help you. If you succeed, you are met with the 'Ritual of Rebirth' where you are painted with blood in patterns, the women sing, and you are put in a deep sleep under the Mother Tree for around 3-days - this is where you take the form of a Glade Elf.

While condemning the burden of modern life, Glade Elves do not isolate themselves from it - trade is immensely important to the Glade Elves because of the importation of wooden items; some men say "the most important asset to a city is a nearby Glade Elf Kingdom!" as The Forest provides the Glade Elves with the most fertile lands in Rathnir, often able to feed Elves and animals for 4 winters per harvest with crops such as rice, beetroot, berries, cocoa, and wheat - also with the abundance of furs able to keep and entire Kingdom warm.

Glade Elves regard themselves as the best wine-makers with their 100% natural process of producing it, Glade Elves highly value free-market and support artisans - tribes also offer communal living and feeding, as well as many ceremonies celebrating their culture and/or tradition.

When disagreements occur internally or with other tribes, the conflict is usually solved diplomatically, however on the rare occurrence that it isn't, the Glade Elves play games to decide. Glade Elves' aversion of war is directly the result of their fear for going outside the forest, however there have been wars of tribes fighting for territory over the same forest.

Homosexuality is treated normally is most tribes, while the women are normally farmers while the men are hunter/gatherers, it is not uncommon for the two to intertwine. Both men and women are also treated equally in government, and old women are usually seen as the mother of the tribe - giving wise advice to the younger Elves.

An alternative Glade Elves use instead of metal and wood is bone, they often decorate their clothing with bones and teeth, they also craft things like spears, arrowheads, tools, and many other items with bone, through the process of mixing crushed bone with resin then sharpening on a stone, Glade Elves have mastered the art of smithing without the use of wood or fire. Resin is also used as an alternative to wood in terms of fuel, it can also be used as a glue, and they even use it to season their meat to give it a wooden, yet tangy like flavour. Glade Elven meals are usually 55% meat, 35% carbs such as rice or bread, and 10% vegetables - their process of cooking is often 'barbeque-like' flavouring their meat with things added to the fire instead of directly seasoning the meat. Dinner is eaten with their hands and it is usually a communal event where few chefs are cooking for the whole tribe. The rotten or diseased animals are used to create poisons for their arrows.