Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter I: Playing Wood
Elf Characters
Ch a p t e r I: Pl a y i n g Wo o d El f Ch a r a c t e r s
“The deepest parts of the forest belong to the spirits, lad. Ma and Pa, Sigmar bless their
souls, would say they were once children, but they became lost between the trees and
turned wild by Taal himself. No one knows for sure, but I warn you now, do not go
beyond the stone marker by the old oak tree, that area of the forest belongs to them and
none that entered have ever returned.”
Joseph Hockbehn, Charcoal-Burner
While the woodlands of the Old World provide necessities such
as timber, game and medicinal herbs, few are willing to stray
far from the forest’s edge. It’s said that beasts and other warped
perversions dwell within shadowy dales and even deadlier monstrosities
prowl the hearts of the ancient woods. Tavern-house
whispers also speak of unnaturally beautiful glades, guarded by
fey creatures of capricious spirit. They are creatures that are as
likely to protect, as they are to destroy those who intrude upon
their domain.
The few brave folk who have actually ventured into the deeper
woods and returned, know that these “defenders of the forest”
are in fact a secretive group known as the Wood Elves. The
forest-dwelling Elves share ancestry with the High Elves, but
decided against joining their kin in the abandonment of the Old
World at the conclusion of the War of the Beard. Instead these
Elves retreated into the ancient forests and began a simpler life,
eschewing the trappings of civilisation and decadence.
This simpler life reminded the Elves of the Golden Time, an age
before the coming of Chaos, when their kind lived peacefully
under the Everqueen, the spiritual leader of the High Elves.
These forest dwellers took for themselves the name Asrai, which
means Blessed Ones in their tongue.
Wood Elf PCs come from one of three woodland regions: Athel
Loren, the Laurëlorn Forest or the Hinterglades. Although Athel
Loren contains the largest concentration of Asrai, the majority
of Wood Elves have scattered to far-flung Hinterglades across
the Old World. These Hinterglades include unspoilt regions
of the Reikwald Forest, or secret groves deep within the Great
Forest.
Op t i o n a l Ra c i a l Fe a t u r e s: Wo o d El f
The Elven Racial Features in the core rulebook do not encompass
the full range of Elven cultures and traditions. The following
substitutions can be used, at GMs discretion, to replace the
Racial Features found in the rulebook (WFRP pg. 19) for Wood
Elf PCs.
Skills: Charm Animal, Common Knowledge (Elves), Common
Knowledge (relevant Woodland Realm), Outdoor Survival, Performer
(Dancer/Musician/Singer) or Trade (Bowyer/Fletcher),
Speak Language (Elthárin).
Talents: Aethyric Attunement or Specialist Weapon Group
(Longbow), Coolheaded or Savvy, Excellent Vision, Rover.
Traits: Night Vision
At h e l Lo r e n
Ch i l d r e n o f Ul t h u a n
Elves from the Kingdoms of Ulthuan in the Great Western
Ocean landed in the Old World during the time of Aenarion
and the first Chaos incursion. After the Chaos hordes were
driven into the north, the Elves colonised the Old World and
called it Elthin-Arvan. They met the Dwarfs, and a great alliance
was formed between the races. Tragically, civil war erupted
across Ulthuan and the Dark Elves used sorcery to shatter the
Elven homelands in a time known as The Sundering. The alliance
between Elves and Dwarfs was broken by Dark Elf treachery,
and ensuing hostilities escalated into the War of the Beard.
Ultimately, the Dwarfs won the War of the Beard and forced the
Elven colonists back to Ulthuan, or drove them into hiding in
the Old World’s forests.
Nestled in the shadows of the mountains in the southeast of
Bretonnia, Athel Loren is the spiritual home of the Asrai. It
is here that Orion and Ariel preside as King and Queen of the
Forest. The Elves of this woodland realm are very reclusive.
Loren’s defenders are regarded as the wildest and most fickle of
the Asrai. Everyone who has crossed paths with the Wood Elves
of Athel Loren will warn you not to offend them, as these Elves
view outsiders – even their kin from other woodland settlements
– as lesser beings or misguided fools.
La u r ë l o r n Fo r e s t
The northwest of the Empire is home to the second largest
woodland realm, the Laurëlorn Forest. The Elves residing
in Laurëlorn are seen as the most ‘civilised’ of the Asrai. It is
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