The Elves of Camdene

 

Lifespan: 120-150 years
Racials: Elf ears, and some form of pointed teeth or fangs.

The Elves of the country of Camdene are a pragmatic sort. All Camdene define themselves by the experiences and actions they have taken in their life, and nothing more.

“I am who I am and what I have done. To be anything else is simple fantasy in a harsh reality.”
-Ways of the Woodlanders, By Arenel Treespeaker

 

Society:
Camdene Elves are not willing to talk at length about their homeland or their practices, but over the years a sort of picture has been painted by various travellers and historians looking to understand them. They live in very loose tribes, each one heeding the words and wisdom of the eldest Elves there. People in the community are expected to aid in any way in which they are capable, until they can no longer. Those unwilling to assist in the struggles of daily life are left to their own devices. Each craft is equally respected, as they are all necessary to continue the lives of those around them. Because of the daily danger the Camdene face, and their belief of providing until you are not physically able to, your age is the primary indicator of your status within the tribe. The older a Camdene elf is, the more likely that elves younger than them will listen. As they have experienced much and lived through it, so their words clearly hold wisdom.

Culture:
They eschew much in the ways of creative or intellectual pursuits that do not benefit their ability to survive and hunt. Because of this, they possess very few written records, preferring to keep their history via oral tradition or through narrative decorations on things like vases, clothing, or structures. Their artistic crafts are pragmatic at best, and specifically designed for function at worst. Everything must have some form of function used to aid in the survival of the community. This includes their clothing, which is typically coloured to better blend in with the world around them. Styles are very typically lacking in aesthetic appeal to favour a more useful function. They also typically favour cloth and leather armours, as they are easier to make for them and are also typically lighter than conventional metal armours.

Family:
Relationships and by extension any idea of marriage are treated very casually. Relationships are entered out of mutual happiness, and are only kept so long as both people feel it benefits them both. Because of that, marriages typically do not happen, as they are seen as unnecessary oaths binding people who are likely to change. When marriages do happen, they are presided over in a short ceremony involving the exchanging of tools by the eldest elf in the village.

The raising of children is seen as a group effort. The Camdene believe they must be imparted with everyone’s wisdom so they may continue to survive and aid in the survival of the tribe. They consider an elf a child until they accomplish a good degree of competency in their craft. For hunters, it is their first significant kill. For gatherers, it might be the harnessing of a particularly rare and difficult resource, for crafters it might be the creation of a difficult set of instructions or item. Once this happens, the elf is considered an adult.

Religion:
If the Camdene elves choose to worship a god, one would think that they would choose Synne, their creator. But those who would look into the deities that the Camdene revere would find it equally spread between Synne, and Verona. There are a rare few who worship Vumella, Terona, and Aria, but those are few and far in between. Penoriel, Soldas, and Mythnera worship is almost unheard of.