A Sil Nueda guarding Imryll's borders.
The Sil Nueda, or Wood Elves as other non-elven races call them, are the fair folk of the forests, referring to themselves as Night's Children (literal translation from Asilnue). They have a very long life span, closing in to seven centuries, and are known for their traditions, honor, striking beauty, and legendary patience. That is, until someone depletes it.
Wood Elves can probably be found wherever there is a forested land, spread out in clans across the known world. Their civilization revolves around spirituality and war, not so much on arcane magic which they consider a meddling to natural afairs, and the craftsmanship that results from the understanding of the world itself. They are being introduced to the art of war from a very young age, as part of their tradition of being one with nature.
Appearance[]
Wood Elves range from 5 to 6 feet tall, and they weigh up to 150 pounds, giving them a slender, feline look in their shilouettes and the way they move. No Wood Elves were ever known to be fat, leading people to believe that their metabolism works better than that of other races, although gluttonous Wood Elves are known to die faster.
Their eyes are always light in color; blue, green, ember, and gray are all common colors. They are deep, quick to dart and notice, never dull or tired. The most unique characteristic of their eyes is their attunement to darkness; the more dark an environment is, the greater the pupil dilates, reaching a point in total darkness where the pupil completely covers up and surpasses the iris, turning their eyes pitch black, like dark mirrors.
Their skin is never too fair or too dark, maintaining an earthly tone, ranging from a pale tanned pigmentation to a slightly darker one. Freckles are not common at all, most of them having a sleek and smooth skin.
Their hair is always black, auburm or red; never a Wood Elf was seen that bore blonde hair, unless dyed. They are unable to grow any facial hair. Most Wood Elves keep their hair long and decorated, but not elegantly so. Animalistic looks are not uncommon amongst spiritual leaders, but for the most part Wood Elven hair is unkempt. Certain warriors or scouts though, male or female, tend to shave parts of their head or all of it for a more feral and war-like look. Hair decoration is also common, with carefully placed wood and bone embroideries, or simple dreadlocks and braids.
Green, brown, black and gray are all common colors found on Wood Elven clothing. Subtlety is a major concept in their society, both socially and otherwise, and these colors work best in not drawing the eye.
Personality[]
A Sil Nueda huntress during the Sleepless Hunt.
A famous human scholar once wrote that "all good things are wild and free", referring to the pursuit of truth; that is certainly a way of life for the Wood Elves. Uninfluenced and unyielding, a Wood Elf can give you a smile as easily as it can give you a spear wound. They always feel like they are on top of things and in control, never having to explain themselves, while at the same time they can be silent and patient, as if waiting for situations to mature before they act.
Watching a Wood Elf live its life, is much like watching nature itself in action. A Wood Elf can situationally be angry, loving, vengeful, or merciful, but outside these situations, it acts as if it's a part of a greater thing, much like any part of nature, with a determination and ritualistic precision that non-elves even find boring.
As a result of their naturalism and their life-spans, Wood Elves are very slow to forget enemies or friends. Where other races are caught up by event or daily routine, Wood Elves can wait all that out without losing focus, or forgetting good deeds and slights.
Finally, Wood Elves have no need of currency, and were never known to use any kind of coinage. On the noteworthy, rare occassions that a Wood Elf finds itself outside its forest realm, it can make use of coins, though they appear somewhat awkward with them for the concept of "purchase" is foreign and strange to them.
Society[]
Examples of Sil Nueda craftsmanship.
Wood Elves live at ease with nature, using what naturally occurs in the world to shelter or defend themselves. They are not nomadic, preferring to claim large territories in the deepest woodlands.
Some Wood Elves choose to do without houses, furnishings, even any possessions they can't carry, using great branches or caves for home and storage. Most of them prefer to dwell in small villages of permanent homes of natural stone and carefully crafted wood, so concealed among the wilderness that a human could walk right through the village's center and not even notice it.
Wood Elves adhere to a tradition of leadership by their oldest and most experienced druids, although some villages from a council of elders instead, selected from the wisest and most experienced of all the families to guide the clan and see to everyday affairs. The druidic circles and hierarchy serves to unite the clans into one realm if necessary, but mostly the clans do not meddle with each other unless need arises. The druids do not presume to tell the elders what to do, but the elders give great weight to anything a druid chooses to say to them.
Wood Elves excel in hunting. They spend much of their time stalking their chosen territory on the search for food and invaders. During their downtime, they still prefer to strawl the woods, or linger by lakes and grass beds, deeply connecting with each aspect of the land. All kind of animals have a deep connection with Wood Elves, feeling them as kin spirits. Wood Elves dont keep pets and never restrain animals; its more like they happen to coexist in the same territories. Wood Elves share a special love with felines of all kinds, and also understand the sentience of owls, which often help Wood Elves as scouts when they choose to do so. Druids and Beastmasters take this bond to a whole new level, seeming completely magical, awe-inspiring, and strange to folk outside their numbers.
Although Wood Elves are reluctant to allow strangers into their realms, the elders begin to see that if the world changes, the Wood Elves must to, in order to survive. They will just do it their own way, in their own time.
Arts[]
A Sil Nueda singing during the night.
Wood Elves have a great talent for singing and even the voices of the elder are clear and beautiful, though their songs
always sound sad to an outsider. All their lyrics and poems are in an ancient form of Asil which is not used in everyday life, something that all younglings must learn from an early age, for these poems and songs carry their history from generation to generation. Wood Elves are not known to write books, and all their poems are verbal sagas.
Their construction is practical and minimal, necessary for their communitites to blend with the environment, and their craftsmanship is equally minimal though extremelly resilient and precise. Most of their work is riddled with curves instead of straight, strong lines, be it music, weapons or a home wall.
Wood Elves do not create paintings, not even tribal wall murals, but they believe that the body is a canvas. Having no taboos on nudity considering it something natural, body painting and tattoo is an ancient and powerful tradition among them, ranging from decorational body painting in celebrations, war, or fertile days, to tattoos that mark one's history forever, much like the wind scars and shapes the rocks. Wood Elves never pierce their bodies with earrings or jewelry, taking it as a desecration of their mortalilty.
Language[]
Wood Elves speak their own language, related to the elven Asil. Their accent is quite sharp and fast, and their voice tone is always low, regardless of excitement or lack of. Their dialect of Asil is called Asilnue. Rarely do Wood Elves show any interest in learning the languages of other races, with the exception the the common Tradespeak, used across the realm.