Sylfae

Society

The forest elves maintain a natural equilibrium with nature, usually preferring a peaceful life in the deep woods as opposed to urban living. Their living accommodations are the bare minimum, despite this they greatly enjoy their lifestyle. Forest elves have learned how to co-exist with the forest in such a way that they can live among the great beasts and animals with no consequences, while outsiders are quickly slain by the very same beasts. The largest known population of forest elves can be found in the Arcadian Wilderness, one of the last frontiers of the Exodius Continent and the only remaining portion of the once continent spanning ancient forest. There are very few forest elves, if any at all, that have emerged from the forest in search of a life elsewhere. The elves are very zealous in defending their ancient home, killing anyone the beasts fail to slay who venture into their territory. While they are uniformly hostile to outsiders, they are actually a very peaceful people internally. Their animosity is mainly the result of the Exodian Era in which the vast majority of the ancient forest was cut down to fuel human ambitions. The elves have a special relationship with Celestia, who is considered the caretaker of the ancient forest and the guardian of the forest elves. Centaurs are considered to be blessed by Celestia and are therefore tolerated within forest elf territory unless they harm the forest. Fairies were created by Celestia herself, and are always welcomed within the ancient forest. Travelling fairies are how the elves have procured information on the current state of affairs outside their forest.

Politics

When politics are mentioned, the forest elves are the last race to come to mind. There have been no successful negotiations with them on a national level, however there are stories of individuals being granted safe passage through their territory. Many nations have tried to come to an agreement with them in the hopes that they would gain access through the ancient forest to other nations, but in all cases the elves would not accept any terms. The forest elves have no use for manufactured commodities, and instead prefer their primitive lifestyle. They also refuse to negotiate with human nations all together, only elven, fairy and centaur emissaries have successfully made contact with the forest elves. The elves do not have any form of centralized government, and consist of many tribes. Even among these tribes, there is no clear leadership figure and instead the elves follow a set of traditions and punish their kin if they deviate. This has made formal agreements all but impossible to make with them, in recent times most nations do not give any thought to the possibility of opening negotiations with the forest elves.

Culture

The forest elves lead simple lives free of economic struggle or excessive hardship, and are perfectly happy within their natural paradise. Their homes are made of simple branches from trees, and their food almost completely consists of fruits and vegetables. They are sworn to protect the forest and the creatures within, and therefore do not kill any beasts or animals. If an animal dies by other means, they are buried near a tree or left for predators as a sign of respect to nature. Their clothing is a primitively woven cloth derived from the bark of certain trees and is very minimalistic, as they have built up considerable immunity to the harsh conditions of the outdoor forest environment. Their society is driven by a set of ancient traditions which govern their priorities and what their tasks on a daily basis are. The elders of this culture are the closest thing to an authority figure, however their only significant function above others is ensuring that their people follow the ancient traditions.

Almost every forest elf has an animal companion which accompanies them throughout life, it is part of an ancient tradition where their bond to their animal companion signifies their bond to the forest itself. The elves have developed ways of communicating with their animal companions directly, enabling conversation between them. When an animal companion dies, the elf will select a new companion from the animal's offspring or from the forest itself if their animal companion had no offspring. In many cases the children of the forest elves will inherit an animal companion from the offspring of their parent's animal companions. Some elves take on more then one companion, and this is often attributed to having a greater connection to the forest.

Fairies have a special place in forest elf society, and are viewed as emissaries of Celestia herself. There have been many cases of fairy and forest elf pairings, and the resulting child is highly respected by the elves. These children often take on special roles and use magic to mend parts of the forest that have been damaged. Dryads are also very special, the elves will often heed their every word as they speak for the forest itself.

Magic

The forest elves consider magic to be an evil and corrupt practice that threatens the safety of their forest. This can be attributed to the Exodian Era, where humans used magic to clear much of the ancient forest. There is however, a specific kind of magic which the elves view as a completely separate practice. This magic involves healing living organisms and strengthening them. The elves use this kind of magic to repair damaged sections of forest, and to heal injured beasts and animals.