Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.
Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arravis" data-source="post: 1173444" data-attributes="member: 327">Well, here are my DM notes on the Wild Elves of the Forgotten Realms in my campaign... Hope this helps.Grugach/Wild Elves:Terms:Grugach:    Wild Elves, Green elves, Frana: Trusted personMalza: Untrustworthy personYerd: Con-man, city-slicker, bratHeradiss: An extremely spicy mixture of Avla root and Jorten seed, a popular seasoning. K'satriya: Spirit warriors, a warrior who has undergone a special initiation and trial to become a 'holy warrior'.Malratai: "Great gatherings", where the tribe choses new leaders, settles disputes, organizes plans, etc. Parvai: Community shamans Rolvok: Leaders Sagunyash: An annihilation of the spirit/soul. Shentha: A community. Can be a village, settlement, etc. Can be really small or really big.Sunyaasi    Holy man who has renounced his title, name, and community to protect the forest and pursue enlightenment.Roleplaying Suggestions:The very rare wild elves are rarely seen by others, because they live in the heart of thick forests and they have incredible skill at keeping hidden. All grugach regard the outside world with distrust if not outright hostility. Even when forced by some circumstance out of their primeval forests, grugach do not like being among other races. They are very slow in coming to trust anyone, even adventuring companions who have saved their lives more than once. They regard the so-called civilization of the outer world with undisguised contempt. Though they consider platinum a beautiful metal well suited to use in jewelry, they regard it as ornament and not wealth. They would certainly not risk their lives for the sake of it, as humans seem so ready to do for the sake of precious metals. While they have no high opinion of other intelligent races, grugach are very fond of woodland animals, and would generally rather spend time in silent communion with a wild beast than in empty conversation with a more "civilized" creature. Quotes:“Life beyond the green is hostile and harsh. Only under the shade of the Life trees, in harmony with nature, is life of any value. Only those who understand that are true elf-friends.”“We are the essence of the elves, undiluted.”Appearance:Their skin tends to be dark brown, and their hair ranges from black to light browns, lightening to silvery white with age. They dress in simple clothing of animal skins and basic plant weaves.Tent towns and villages:Elves often also choose to make as little impact on the land as possible and choose to live in tents. Elf encampments are built with both defense and admiration of nature in mind. Occasionally, the elves will engage in shifting the earth about to provide added protection. Low, mottled-green tents are pitched in a circle, with the openings toward the central fires. These tents are meticulously made to be camouflaged (+2 to hide check). It is possible to walk within a 100 yards or so of an elven encampment and completely fail to see it.Tattoos:The Grugach embrace and excel in the tactile finesse of tattoos. Popular primarily among the Sy’Tel’Quessir (and Grugach) but certainly not shunned by other elves or N’Tel’Quess, tattoos are the most precise work done among the elves in terms of detail and fine-work. Depending on the design or the intent of the tattoo, elves can depict anything in a tattoo, the only limit being the size of the person gaining the tattoo. Some elves have clan marks, arcane symbols, or camouflage tattooed on their bodies, while the most amazing work involves small magics that allow tattoos of animals to appear to move and breathe on the person’s body. Cuisine:The most popular spice in the High Forest is Heradiss, an extremely spicy mixture of Avla root and Jorten seed. Though the Grugach love spicy food, even they use this potent combination sparingly. Some of the less-civilized humans along the edge of the forest consider it a test of manhood to eat certain dishes prepared with Heradiss, and often make treks into elven encampments to such ends. Some never return, though the elves say it is merely because they get lost on the way home. An unknown traveling minstrel was once quoted as saying, "If that's the test of manhood, I'll just be a woman!"Meals among the elves often depend upon seasons, but the general standard is meat and berries for the firstmeal, fruits, legumes, and various vegetables for secondmeal, and neighbors' leftovers for thirdmeal. Thirdmeal is often the most celebrated, for the Grugach enjoy cooking copious amounts of food during the first two meals so they can share their thirdmeal with others. On the rare occasions that other races interact with the elves, this is when the Grugach are able to sample cuisines from other races. When visitors arrive, they are often gently advised to cook something for dinner.Art and Culture:Art among the Grugach is comprised mainly of theater, music, and dance, though there are samplings of carvings, and other art forms. The emphasis seems to be on temporal art rather than static art - that is, art which is performed over a period of time, not made to be viewed at a later time. Scholars have always argued about the importance of time in the eyes of all elves, not just those of Grugach, though no consensus has ever been reached. For the Grugach, temporal art gives the audience and the performer a time to prepare for particularly awe-inspiring moments in a performance. For example, Noj-Kev'aal, a longstanding favorite flute-song, takes almost ten hours to reach a rhythm shift that signifies the end of the song. That last section is long awaited, and thus is enjoyed more and performed better because of the wait, or so the elves claim. As with many other things, the Wild Elves believe that anything gained too easily is often not worth it.Grugach performances have been described as "long-winded" by visitors. "oj Shalja" is an epic tale which depicts the rise and fall of an entire family of heroes. The last act is the most momentous, involving a great battle with the orcs and a tragic victory with the death of Maqaat oj Shalja, last member of the family. The entire play takes almost a week to perform, with each day signaling the birth of the next hero and each night signaling the death of the previous one. Again, the aspect of time is all-important in the art form. "oj Shalja" is considered to be one of the most important pieces of cultural heritage, and is thus passed down by the performers through the ages.Superstitions:Grugach believe that woodland animals carry messages from the gods. Unusual animals, such as albinos, always portend important events.Warriors and hunters often belong to secret inter-tribal societiesEthics:Help your fellow tribe members first, other grugarch second, and everyone else last, if at all.Never kill unless it is necessary, and never hesitate when it is necessary to kill.Treat your fellow tribal members as you wish to be treated.Never trust outsiders, except possibly for druids.If any of the above rules are broken, it can result in exile, but never excution of a grugach.Death and the Grugach:There are two types of graves for Grugach warriors, depending on the elf’s deeds. Warriors of great renown are buried deep in the forest, with magical acorns (enchanted by a druid of Rillifane) placed on their chests. Within one year such an acorn grows into a small sapling, marking the grave of the warrior and at the same time masking it from defilers. Less notable warriors, but warriors nonetheless, are placed inside trees by druids of Rillifane. Using a long forgotten version of the spell tree, the druids merge the remains of the warrior with a non-oak tree. Only druids of Rillifane are merged with oak trees. All Grugach elves put to rest in the vale are naked, leaving the world in the same way they were born. No Grugach grave has ever been found by thieves.Places of Interest:The Saalikaim Arch: Ages ago the great Ar’Tel’Quessir and Grugach artists crafted this archway in Grugach territory. The arch stands alone in a clearing, firmly rooted in the dirt, some say magically. Up close, one discovers the true beauty of the structure, as it is so intricately carved with pictures and designs that even today the elves are still discovering new aspects of it. Carved from wood, the arch has stood for ages, without warping from the elements. The Grugach flatly deny any rumors that they ever enchanted the arch to withstand the elements, and the Ar’Tel’Quessir hold it as one of their masterpieces. It is said that sometimes shamans and holy men can discern the true nature of a person or a thing in the dancing shadows it creates when the wind blows the trees around it, causing an interesting lightshow to paint the arch. Today it is known as an area of quiet meditation.Drala Kashnaav, "Songstringtree Grove": The Grugach discovered a strange grouping of trees long ago whose vines are curiously strong and oddly musical. Harnessing some of the vines to make bowstrings, it was found that bows created with such "songstrings" were much more powerful than their normal counterparts. The strings themselves resonate slightly when pulled, and emit a short and random arrangement of notes when released. A small group of Ar’Tel’Quessir crafters has been working to make a musical instrument using such strings, but the strings seem to provide their own music despite whatever form they are shaped or attached to. There are five such trees deep within Grugach territory, and vigilant archers and Druid magics constantly guard the grove. The trees are an odd dull-gold color, with the vines and leaves being slightly rusty-orange. Shamen who have studied the grove agree that the power of Rillifane runs strong in the area, though they think the grove may serve some other purpose than what it is used for.</blockquote>

Verification