Forest Elves
A deer-like humanoid elven race
Nym Faldura, played by Grace Clark, as a Forest Elf
Once warriors who were granted incredible power.
Forest Elves were once blessed by nature’s guardians with the gifts of the Deer of Mighty Horns. When their power was returned, the humans remained transformed as elves with deer-like traits. These traits have adapted them well to life in the forests. They were a very naturalistic people, and became guardians of the Mykerian forest.
With the passing of time, some lost their naturalistic ways as they moved to distant cities and became integrated with the larger world. Some Clans remained steadfast to the old ways, though, and continue to serve as protectors of the wild. You can now find them in all areas of the continent.
They have an acute sense of hearing and smell, which lends to their lives spent in nature. Their clans are varied in culture and spread across the wider world of Miscuri. There is no central government within the Mykerian Elven culture, and Forest Elves are subject to local rulership, but most share in the ideology that “nature is precious above all.”
Key Features
Pointed Ears, Sometimes Horns
Elves have classically pointed, triangular ears, which are a fusion between human and animal. Males differ from females by the horns on their heads.
Deer-Spotted Bodies
Elves come in a range of complexions, but their hallmark is having skin that fades into a soft doe-brown with white spots. This coloring is most common on the face.
Character Archetypes
Elves can be as varied as standard humans. While they do not have specific recommended archetypes, a list of potential options for characters can be found here.
Anatomy and Lifestyle
Physiology
Forest Elves are built in much the same way as humans, with only a few notable differences. They can range in height, weight, skin tone, eye color, all like a standard human. The major differences are in their skin markings, ears, and in some cases, even antlers.
Forest Elves have skin patterning similar to that of fawns and chital. The skin in certain areas is a soft brown, with whitish spots. Their spot patterns and locations can vary slightly, but are typically found on their faces, shoulders, arms, hips, and legs. On the face, these markings follow contour lines or highlight zones, and sometimes even cross over the nose.
Forest Elves have pointed ears that extend slightly beyond that of a standard human. They are ridged and similar to human ears, functioning the same in how they channel sound. Their extended length allows them to have better adapted hearing, and they are more sensitive to picking up distant sounds as a result.
Forest Elven males, like deer, sport antlers. These are vascularized, and shed in the winter season. These horns are not as impressive as deer, but typically grow between six and ten inches in length at the longest point. These antlers are typically sprouted at the edge of the hairline, along the upper forehead. The antlers are hollow and allow for blood vessel cooling in the hotter summer months.
Damage to the antlers can cause bleeding due to their vascularized nature. They are shed after the first winter frost comes, and regrow quickly from their buds in the spring when food becomes more available. With fewer resources, the antlers stay smaller, and in times of plenty, they can grow to be quite impressive.
Nonbinary Forest Elves have smaller antlers, which are typically only a few inches in size. They are vascularized and follow the same shed and growth cycle of male antlers. Nonbinary Forest Elves are some variant of intersex, and may be able to reproduce with others.
Males- Antlers that can vary in size, though are typically lighter brown or cream in color. Antlers shed in the winter and regrow in the spring. Skin has regions of a soft doe-brown, with spots of white. Typically this coloring is seen on the face, shoulders, arms, and legs.
Females- Skin also has regions of a soft doe-brown, with spots of white. Typically this coloring is seen on the face, shoulders, arms, and legs.
Other Genders- Smaller antlers that more closely resemble horns. Skin has regions of a soft doe-brown, with spots of white. Typically this coloring is seen on the face, shoulders, arms, and legs.
Diet
Diet is comparable and identical to humans. They are omnivores who can eat whatever they need in their area to survive.
Specialized Traits
Forest Elves have obvious specialized traits in their antlers, which serve as weapons and shows of resource abundance. Beyond that, though, their ears are attuned sharper than a standard human, as are their senses of smell. They are a popular choice in the Rangers Guild for their ability to detect and track through the woods.
Birth And Young
Genetics of the Elves work on top of their human characteristics. Their children can be any skin tone, eye color, or hair color. They are identical to standard humans in terms of gestation, birth, and nursing. Young follow standard human aging and milestones.
The only discernible differences are that babies are born with their deer spot patterns and their pointed ears. Antlers on males and non-binaries develop around puberty.
Standard humans and Elves can have children together. These half-Elven children tend to have some subtle Elven traits, but are neither standard human nor Elf. The genetics of Elves work as dominant and recessive. A half-Elf can manifest any mixture of traits, but children of a half-Elf and a full Elf may be either full Elf or half-Elf. Two standard human parents could have a half-Elf child if their genetics both contained recessive Elf genes.
Different subraces of Elves can also have children together, which results in a subtle mixing of traits. These Elven crosses are rare, and typically result in consistent physical Elf-trait appearances. Forest and Frost Elves create an Elf with antlers and greyer skin patches. Mire Elven crosses are the most rare of all, given the seclusion of Mire Elves. Forest and Mire Elves create an Elf with a mix of white spots and dark iridescent scales, as well as unique antlers. Frost and Mire Elves would create an Elf with dark greyish patches and subtle iridescent dark scales, but this cross has not yet existed given the seclusion of both subraces.
Age
Elves age at a slightly slower rate than a standard human. After puberty, an Elf no longer follows standard human ageing and milestones. Young adulthood lasts until about 35 years, middle age occurs at about 75 years, and an elderly Elf would live to be about 150 years. The oldest recorded Elf lived to be 162, but this is the equivalent of a standard human living into their 100s.
Lore & Magic
Mykeria Before The Elves
Now enshrouded in the myths of Cinderfade, the ancestors of the Forest Elves were human. In their hubris, they destroyed a sacred tree at the heart of Mykeria, the Godtree Sylvanos. They were punished with a blaze that destroyed the entire forest, and caused an ashfall that brought on a dark winter. The humans divided into two groups, Ashwroughts and Oakbornes, and attempted to defeat the other to secure their ideal future for Mykeria. Only the Fae was able to stop them, and together, human and Fae brought life back to the Godtree and the forest itself.
They Were Once Humans
Long ago, a war raged against perhaps the most dangerous villain ever to be known. Resulting in the Darkening, this war was unlike any seen before–or since. Three human armies battled three different fronts, but were unsuccessful. They requested the help from the three Fae Courts, and were granted mystical powers to aid them in the final battle. The Forest Elves transformed into Deer of Mighty Horns, with indestructible antlers ending in weapon-sharp points.
The Battle Came To An End
When the war ended, the Fae Court’s magic returned to the Fae. However, the humans had spent enough time in their mystical animal forms, that certain traits remained permanently. The Forest Elves became like deer, with antlers and fawn-spots, and maintained their keen sense of hearing and smell. Beyond that, though, they were entirely human again, and were able to return mostly to their normal lives.
A Vow Of Thanks
Some Forest Elves wanted to thank the Fae of Forests for their gift, and vowed to defend the ancient and sacred Mykerian Forest in the absence of the Fae Court. These Elves became protectors of the woodland, seeking to bring peace and protection to the creatures within.
Time Changes All Men
As time passed, the remaining Fae-descended races who dwelt in the woodlands began to become a nuisance for the Mykerian Forest Elves. They seemed to grow from protectors of all, to protectors of nature–and chose to instead war against the trickery of the pixies and sprites. To this day, the Mykerian families have a personal distrust and dislike of the Fae Folk who are not of the ancient, long-forgotten Courts.
Travels Abroad
As time passed, those not defending the Mykerian Forest spread themselves across the land. Today, Forest Elves, as they are called, can be found all across most regions of the continent. Only the frozen north, which is difficult to access, has not developed a population of Forest Elves. Elves are as common now as standard humans, and you would struggle not to find one anywhere you travel.
Culture
Mykerian Elves
The Forest Elves of Mykeria are a very traditional people, living in harmony with the woods and choosing to protect and guard nature. They take only what is needed, give thanks for nature’s gifts, and typically find less interest in or even shun technology in favor of simpler ways. While the original two families have since split into many, there are two capital cities in Mykeria born from them. The Elves do not recognize themselves as a country, but the other kingdoms do, and people are not allowed to enter Mykeria without the Elves’ permission.
Nonverbal Cues
In Mykerian Forest Elven culture, brushing a thumb or two fingers against the forehead and flicking it at a person is the worst gesture that can be made. It means, “may antlers gore you,” and is not taken lightly. When threatened, Mykerian Forest Elves also bow down their heads and take up a wider, sturdier stance, as if readying to attack with their antlers.
Cinderfade
A holiday celebrated by the Mykerian Elves, and often by Elves around the continent too, Cinderfade brings folks together for song, dance, games, and food. It celebrates the tale of the burning of Mykeria and the saving of the Godtree Sylvanos, when the Elves and Fae united to revive their home. It occurs yearly in the winter.
Naming Conventions
Those specifically from Mykeria have a common tradition of choosing short one-to-two syllable names comprising of three letters. This hearkens back to their Mykerian dialect of chittering to communicate among the tribe. Elves outside of Mykeria may follow those Mykerian naming conventions, but are more likely to follow their own local cultures. This means they can be named like any standard human, but frequently have three-letter nicknames that harken back to tradition.