Races of Wild

espects during this time, and those close to the deceasedusually sing the elven mourning song, a wordless melodyof such poignant sorrow that outsiders who hear it neverforget its haunting beauty. The following morning, a clericof Sehanine Moonbow or Corellon Larethian performs acelebratory ceremony to mark the deceased’s departure of thisworld for the next. The ritual culminates in the casting of thedust to dust spell (see page 174), which dissipates the corpse tothe winds. This spell ensures that no foul necromancer canviolate the remains, circumvents the need for a tomb, andspeeds the process of reuniting the body of the deceased withthe natural world. After the body is gone, the communityholds poetry readings, art shows, and other cultural eventsin honor of the deceased.Should an elf die in a situation where displaying the bodyto the sky is impractical and no cleric is present to take careof the remains, the body is simply wrapped in clean linenand buried. The grave is marked so that the remains can beretrieved and cared for properly at some later time.No matter how the remains are handled, loved ones createa shrine in memory of the dead elf in the ensuing months.The site is always some natural place—a tree hollow, a smallcavern, or a quiet spot beside a rushing stream. Each memberof the community who wishes to do so creates a piece ofart—a small statue, a jewelry design, a poem, or some otherartistic remembrance—and places it in the shrine. Particularlyfamous elves are often commemorated in murals or otherartwork in the community at large, as well.ELF SOCIETYAND CULTUREElf communities are far less structured than the settlementsof more lawful creatures. Though they tend to be looseaggregates of individuals rather than orderly clan holdings,their residents still share common goals and work togetherwhen needed. Traditions are guidelines, not rules, and newideas that offer better methods of managing group life arealways welcomed.The section that follows details the framework of elfsociety as well as more humble issues that figure into anelf’s daily life.Roleplaying Application: This section deals with theday-to-day aspects of elf society, elements that are consideredcommon knowledge and the basic assumptions that elvesmake about the world. Consider which of these assumptionsyour character accepts, which he does not, and how open hemight be to the alternate ways proposed by other races.NONSPECIALIZED COMMUNITIESUnlike the communities of almost any other humanoidrace, elf communities are for the most part nonspecialized.That is, no one pursues a profession to the exclusion of allothers. There is no butcher, no baker, no weaponsmith, andno armorer. Rather, every citizen finds or makes what heneeds on his own. Every elf learns how to cook a passablemeal, how to make serviceable clothing and weapons, howto gather food from the forest, how to care for wounds, andhow to build a shelter.Should an elf fall ill or be disabled, his friends and familypitch in to provide for his needs until he recovers. He isexpected to repay that debt by performing services to thosein need within the community, but no set requirementsexist. Should he fail to satisfy his debt in the eyes of thecommunity, however, he can expect no aid in future timesof trouble.Elves are expected to acquire the raw materials for theirwork on their own. However, when a particular material is inshort supply, communal stores are gathered. Any elf in thecommunity has free access to these stores and may take whathe needs. Should a community’s supplies be exhausted, thelast individual known to have accessed the stores is taskedwith replenishing them, no matter how far afield he mightneed to go to do so.Because of their nearly complete self-sufficiency, elvesrarely need to buy anything from anyone else. Thus, thereis little need for money in elf society. Most elves have a fewcoins that they have gained through adventuring or by sellingtheir wares to other races, but an elf can get along perfectlywell with no money at all inside his own community. To anelf, there is far more value in beauty than in currency.Despite the fact that anyone can take care of his or her basicneeds within an elf community, a degree of specializationdoes creep in simply because certain elves prefer certainactivities and become better at them than other elves. Forexample, one elf might have a passion for designing andbuilding homes, while another prefers to produce clothing.A natural solution is for the first elf to build a home forthe second (after completing his own), and for the secondelf to provide garments and linens for the first one for theduration of the project. Such barter is common withinalmost any elf community and is looked upon as anelegant solution that allows each individual to pursue hisor her passion. No single elf is ever expected to provide aparticular service for the entire community, however, andno barter arrangement can occur unless both parties agreeto the terms.LEADERSThough elven royalty does exist, leadership is not necessarilypassed down from parent to child, as is often thecase in human lands. The leaders of an elf community areusually chosen by acclamation; they are the people who theresidents go to with disputes or issues that affect the communityat large. Many famous kings and queens attainedtheir positions through effective use of magic or strategyin times of war, but some are chosen for their wisdom inresolving disputes and their ability to take charge whentrouble strikes.Abdications occasionally occur, and rulers often simplyretire when they grow weary of the affairs of state. Occasionally,a ruler so respects the wisdom of a particularCHAPTER 1ELVES15