The Elves of the Almatrar Forest, is one of the smaller tribes numerically and they dwell at the very heart of Santharia geographically. The Ahrhim are odd by any standard - unlike any other elven tribe in outlook and aptitudes, yet their culture appears to be a mish mash of influences from neighbouring tribes. Perhaps the only truely enduring generalisation would be to say that they are a tribe full of contradiction and that's the way they like it!

Picture description: Axiastra the initially disputed First Ránn of the patriarchal Ahrhim tribe. Image drawn by Wren and Faugar.

Appearance. The unusual apperance of the Ahrhrim is perhaps paritally a testement to the fact that their nearest neighbours are the dark elven tribe, the Eophyrhim of the Paelelon forest to the North, one very much like their own in terms of climate and flora. The two forests of these elven tribes are only seperated through the Heath of Cjur. Whether the similarities in appearance to the Eophyrhim are due to a certain amount of interbreeding at some point in the far distant past, or down to similar natural selective pressures, is hotly debated, but the similarities are striking if not total.

Like the Eophyrhim, the Ahrhrim are usually around two peds in height, and unusually slender and angular, they appear at first that they are exccedingly fragile - but this masks an incredible physical strength, greater than that of any human of compatible size, though an Ahrhim elf would certainly lose if faced with an Eophyrhim of similar size and weight.

Also, like the Eophyrhim, the Ahrhim have exceedingly pale, smooth skin as the dense, high canopy keeps much of the sunlight from the forest floor and undercanopy where the elves tend to congregate. Unlike the the Eophyrhim, however, there is a high occurance of albanism - the complete lack of colour to the hair and skin, producing a 'ghost' white complexion and white hair accompanied by pink eyes. Total Albanism effects perhaps a quarter of the total Ahrhrim population.

Unlike human albansim, where one is either affected or not, the Ahrhim elves also exhibit a milder, intermediate form of the condition whereby a limited quantity of pigment is produced in the skin and the hair (usually resulting in a fair complexion and light blonde colouring) but pigment is still not found in the iris of the eye, so the indvidual still demonstrates 'Red Eye'. As a result, pink eyes are not uncommon in the Almatrar, even among those who would not be classically termed albino. This lack of pigmentation to the eyes is exceedingly common among these elves, affecting maybe 1 in 2 live births.

Indviduals who are not affected by albinism or 'Red Eye' display the true influence of the tribes that surround them. Hair colour commonly contains a reddish pigment. A sort of 'brass' or copper colour seems to be the general base, but it ranges from a deep rust brown (common in the Paelelon and the Zeiphyr) through the reds and golds of the Auturian Woods. Eyes are typically light shades that require little pigmentation - such as blue greens and grey. But, as I mentioned earlier pink eyes are overwhelmingly the dominant colour in the tribe.

Such colourings do lead to trouble however, unlike their neighbours the Eophyrhim, the Ahrhim do wander abroad, and in summer sun outside the forest can be fierce. There is a well known correlation between Ahrhim elves who wonder far from their forest and dying at a very premature age. Hence they have won the title of 'Night Folk' as they tend to wonder out of shade at dusk or night, as the daylight is not kind to their skin.

Hair is worn short among men, and exceedingly long among females. In fact a female may never cut her hair in her entire lifespan - typically some 600 or 700 years. The Ahrhim appear to have thick hair, but this is due to the number of the hairs. Each individual strand is in fact very fine and there is a tendency, especially among those with albinism or red eye for the hair to be rather brittle. As a result, it is rare for hair to grow much longer than knee length. After this point the sheer weight is liable to cause the individual hairs to split and break. Cutting however, seems to be favoured should hair threaten to reach the ankles. It seems that allowing hair to reach the shin is thought to be untidy.

Generally hair must be worn open, but females of a certain age are allowed to tie up their hair - often in complicated and intricate up-dos - for practicalities sake. These traditions may be caused by imitation of humans (the forest is exceptionally close to the human settlements of Hog and Yorik), or by the tendency towards patriarchal society (which in itself may well be a human concept the Ahrhim have borrowed). The relation between hair-length, the intricacy of the hair style and age mean it is also pretty easy to discern between a young and an older Ahrhim. Once you encounter an Ahrhim female with extremely intricate hair-do then it is someone that you should show some respect.

The most famous portrait of an Ahrhim elf that clearly shows these typical features is the portrait of their first, and to all extensive purposes (discussed later) only áann, Axiastras. Thought to have been produced around 160 b.S. by an unknown (and judging by the pigments used, human) artist, Axiastras shows the typical pink eyes and long uncut brass coloured hair. Interesting to note is that the Ylfferhim bard Elothis made the observation in his journal that Axiastras' pallid complexion "was often marked by a distinct yellowness that I would normally attribute to a failure in the digestive system". Indeed, such digestive problems are common among the tribe, that are not threatening in any way, but produce prolonged periods of jaundice in affected individuals.

Coat of Arms/Sign. The Ahrhim believe in the strength of the soil and the sanctuary of the forests and their own indestructible association with it. As a result green and brown are the Ahrhim's tribal colours, and this is reflected on their coat of arms as well.

The coat of arms is composed by an oval brown field, rimmed with copper. Across it, diagonally, climbs a singular sprig of the false heart vine (cár'réóll eferí), its deep green leaves sprawl gracefully across the metal which is usually enammelled onto the metal using sand and pigments obtained from trade with the Sanhorrhim and Quaelhoirhim and the red rim inlaid with polished red stone that humans call arhnite, as it matches the red eyes so commonly associated with the tribe, which can be found in an around both the Almatrar and the Paeleon. Tendrils climb artistically around the shield in a pattern that is never the same on any two shields. The yellow flowers are also portrayed in copper. The number of flowers and their position is also highly variable and seems to be the signature mark of the elf that crafted it, each elven smith in the tribe seemingly having their own mark.

The brown of the field represents the strength of the earth and of the trees. While in Elving I, like many others who have written on the subject, was informed that the false heart vine is chosen because the tribe considers it to represent the balance of all elements except the earth. It is associated by legend to the Fire Gods, and the human name carries this association. And yet, where it grows on the edge of the Almatrar it falls from the canopy like a waterfall. And it also require the wind to carry the seeds.

This however commonly held belief is false! When I did finally meet these people on my way to the Thaelon, many leaf fall past; I found that their reasoning was far simpler than the myth that the Quaelhoirhim peddle. Like my own tribe, the Ylfferhim and many other tribes, the Ahrhim use the plant to guard their forest borders, being poisonous and bearing thorned stems and barbed seeds that are projected like missiles at the slightest vibration. This plant is, in essence one of the strongest preservers of their forest sanctuary, and the perfect emblem of their thankfulness for their home and their safety within it.

Picture description: The location of the Almatrar Forest, home of the Ahrhim Elves. Map by Artimidor Federkiel.

Territory. Like many of the Santharian tribes the Ahrhim elves refuse to live outside of their forest confines - 'the open', as they refer to it, is a lovely place to visit - but they wouldn't want to live there. Besides, in the special case of the Ahrhim to live in the open would be seriously deprimental to their health!

Their forest, as mentioned earlier, is the Almatrar, in the province of Sanguia - some two or three days ride North East of New-Santhala and about half a day from the Paelelon.

People. The first thing to mention about the Ahrhim is that they are not fussy about the hours they keep. I think I am going to find this very difficult to explain! In this I mean that they do not have a set amount of time that constitutes their waking hours. They don't really divide the world into the 24 hours that would constitute one day to anyone else. They are aware that this is the unit of time elsewhere, they just choose not to use it. In the gloom of the forest floor, there is little need to divide between day and night, and the Ahrhim don't. Again, they are, of course, aware of the concept of "day" as opposed to "night", and see the sun rising and setting, but this has little meaning to the Ahrhim when they are in their forest. An Ahrhim elf will simply be awake until they are tired and then they will sleep until they wake or are woken. There are not "opening hours" that you will find in Elving or New-Santhala. If an elf is awake he is around. If he is asleep, then he is not. The Ahrhim do not all sleep at the same time. The amount of sleep and when it is taken also varies wildly not just from elf to elf, but also for one elf over a lifetime. As such the Almatrar is always alive with tribal life, and there are always elves awake, no matter what time you visit.

It has been suggested that this odd system of waking was developed as a defence, so that there was always a pair of eyes watching, a way to protect themselves when the drow first moved in next door, or some have even suggested that this odd tendency developed after the creation of Alvang as a base by Saban Blackcloak, although this seems a little late. Early documentation by other elves and humans note the tribe as being nocturnal. Outside forest bounds, it is true that the Ahrhim keep strict nocturnal hours - after all the sun can do terrible things to unpigmented skin. Reports of nocturnal behaviour in the forest at night probably only refer to the fact that the elves happen to be awake at all times, even in the middle of the night. There are several Ahrhim elves who live in Elving and Salóh and here they keep Quaelhoirhim hours of daylight, being careful, however, to stick to the shade on bright days.

While most elven tribes hold a certain - if not preference, then - reverance for the Wind Gods - the element from which they believe themselves to have been created, the Ahrhim shun this concept. Not that they do not accept conventional mythology as laid out in the Cárpa'dosía, they do and accept it as gosple truth; it is just that in their eyes wood elves are as different from light elves as they are from humans, halflings of dwarves! The Ahrhim believe that the moment they tied themselves to the soil and the forest, took physical form and gave up their immortality, then they left behind that closeness to the Wind Gods.

As mentioned before the core of Ahrhim belief is the strength of the soil and the sanctuary of the forests and their own indestructable association with it. As a result, the tribe members find themselves drawn towards the Earth Gods - to Arvins, representative of the careful balance of their forest habitat, to Querpur as they have chosen finite life and to Urtengor for forging the soil that gives their forest life. While all elves understand and appriciate the Earth Gods, such an allegiance to them is unprecedented among any other wood elven tribe in Sarvonia. To the Ahrhim, the other Gods seem almost surplus to requirement. In the Earth Gods they find the Creation, the balance of life and the renewal respecitvely... - so what need is there for any other God?

One practical consequence of this is that status in society is often expressed by how close to the ground you live, a trait shared by the Eophyrhim. However, in course of fact, this difference in philosophy may simply be regarded as a matter of theological debate for there are few other excessive differences in Ahrhim lifestyle or religious practices and those of the neighbouring tribes - when one considers how different the Quaelhoirhim are from the Tethinrhim, for example. But there is no doubt about it, the tribe is certainly rather odd.

Possibly the oddest thing is that the tribe is obsessively patriarchal, unlike most tribes where females tend to hold the most important positions. This is unique to the Ahrhim and academics argue over the cause of this patriarchal society. The majority favour the influence of human society - the forest is close to two large human settlements and dozens of smaller ones enclose the forest. Human society is patriarchal, but not to the extreme that the Ahrhim take it. Other academics argue that this theory doesn't hold water because this patriarchal behaviour seems not to have existed prior to the year 900 b.S. A scrap of parchment in the Quaelhoirhim Tomes, thought to date from the very opening of the Age of Awakening reads: "And all the Great Ladies of the Almatrar made their long way to Elving..."

Sadly little more remains of one the oldest fragments within the Tomes. It does not explain who the Great Ladies are - but many leading minds on the subject maintain they must be the tribe's leaders or at least advisors to the Leader. However, as any other tribe will confirm, by the formation of the Elven Circle by Cárimuá, the idea of a female leader of any kind seemed quite unpallatable to the tribe.

The other suggestion is that the patriarchal nature of the tribe might have developed by the occurance of a peculiar fluke of biology. Somehow, there seems to be an oddly high probability among Ahrhim women to bear a son rather than a daughter. In fact, the royal line is disproportiantly male, which has occasionally led to the Ahrhim males looking to suitable mates in other tribes. It is speculated that this may explain the myriad of influences one might note in they're apperance and culture, in the earliest times, it may perhaps have been common practice to find a mate from the surrounding tribes. However, this outbreeding has been, throughout recorded time, frowned upon. To marry from outside the tribe is to risk being made a social outcast, perhaps because it increases the probablity of a child (and to the Ahrhim the first child and heir is the most important thing) being female.

Axiastras herself is the most famous example of this, her mother was Aellenrhim. To hide the fact that his first born was female, or so the story goes, it is said that he swapped her for a human child. Quite how one passes a human child (who grows somewhat more rapidly than an Ahrhim child) as an elf, I personally am not sure, but there is evidence that such 'changlings' did occur. Human tales of 'changlings' and the havoc they create may be exaggerated out of all proportion over the years, both in occurance and truth, but they are commonplace among the Serphelorians, a tribe of humans who had more than their fair share of elven tribes in their territory. However, this human changling, if in reality he ever existed, never lived to inherit the throne. Some scholars hold that the 'changling' was in fact a young cousin of Axiastras, given to the parents to hide the first born daughter and save Auenviere, the Aellenrhim elf, the disgrace that would have been associated. The first born was said to be a sickly child, seldom seen in public. He died at an early age, so the lore tells, although if the child really was human it is likely that the poor man had simply lived his human years, doubtless isolated and alone. It was his younger brother who took up the Ahrhim throne. Axiastras, however, certainly grew up outside the forest with human foster parents, of whom there are many stories, but few facts. She knew she was an Aellenrhim, with her distinctive 'red eye' colouring how could she not! Her arrival in close knit tribe caused a storm and as close to a civil war as there has ever been in an elven tribe. All it took was some maths to work out exactly who her parents were. Most of the tribe held that these were her ways, but some championed her rights as the first born, regardless of sex! In the end her brother stepped down to save their tribe bloodshed, thats how close the tribe came to imploding. The Ahrhim were closer to actual war over one elfling raised as a human, than the Quaelhoirhim, with all their splitting and rejoining have ever been.

There has never, effectivly, been another Ránn since Axiastras. Some saw, and rather cruely in my own opinion, for she made a very impressive figurehead for the tribe, her imprisonment by the Móh'rónn as judgment against her. Besides, her son Serveran, was raised first by the Maeverhim and then taken in by the Quaelhoirhim as the Ac'rónn, their prince in waiting - effectively breaking their royal line. This left a hole where the succession should be. Axiastras' brother, having stepped down as an elfling refused to take the throne in her absence, and his children did likewise. In the end Axiastras' first cousin Un'jeín (lit. "Dawn") took the throne. But she only ruled for four days, as it soon became clear, or so said the tribe elders (who had always been rather anti-Axiastras in the first place) that she did not have her predecessors tactical ability, nor her simple force of temper and aggression. And so Un'jeín was replaced, in turn with her first cousin, unrelated to Axiastras, Efér Tómór (lit. "Fire's Storm") became Rónn and males have ruled since.

From such a story it is obvious that social structure is much stricter than at many other elven tribes and is obviously more closely related to the hierarchical world of the Tethinrhim than the freer and slightly more chaotic social set up of the Quaelhoirhim, Aellenrhim or Ylfferhim.

The hierarchy of the Ahrhim can be summarized as follows:

• The Royal Line
  At the top of the tree is the Royal Line.

• Gardners, farmers and those who tend to the soil
  Below the royal line are, and this will seem very odd I am sure, though consequential as well: gardners, farmers and those who tend to the soil. The Ahrhim are keen cultivators of rare plants and most new breed of existing plant come from hybrids bred by the Ahrhim. To care for the soil is considered perhaps the most important task in the world of Caelereth by this tribe. To create a new life, a new species to dwell in it, puts you in the tribe's highest esteem. Roses are thought to have first been bred and cultivated, at great personal risk, by the Ahrhim - turning the venomous wild rose into and Axiastras, who refused all her life to carry the tribe's shield, instead carried a blue shield with the Almatrar rose - a black red flower, that was created by crossing wild roses with rowans and carefully selecting for the redder colour, and the lack of poison.

• Military personal, priests and magic users
  Finally there come military personal, priests and magic users (though those who practice Xeuá and earth magics may be elevated), then merchants and traders, sages and below them comes pretty much everyone else including bards (who do not have the same high status that they have in say Ylfferhim eyes).

The Arhrim accent is noted for its guturalness, with many sounds coming from deep in the throat. Some of these peculiarities are shared with the Eophyrim, others are totally their own. But it gives the Styrásh a more abrupt, angular, sometimes more threatening sound. Perhaps this explains the derivation of the word the 'Ahehari' and the Quaelhoirhim and Tethinrhim fondness for using it in context of the Ahrhim, which is roughly 'heathen', or 'uncultured'. Where an aspirate 'ch' is required the sound comes from deep down the throat - tounge starting behind the teeth from where it rapidly raised, the sound ending in a roll so that the aspirate 'ch' becomes more a 'chrrrr' sound. A double 'L' rather than being a 'ull' sound as it is in standard Styrásh becomes 'cll'. Oddly the feminine endings suffer more from this hardening than male ones: '-ách' sounds rather more like '-rrack', again produced from the very depth of the throat, '-erá' becomes '-araa', '-iár' is pronounced '-irer' by the Ahrhim. Also of note is the tendency of the Ahrhim not to ommit the doubled vowel, so that compound or the decliniation of words are spoken exactly as written. For example the ablativ plural of carpá, meaning "beginning", would result in carpáa and is transformed to carpá in standard Styrásh. The Ahrhim seem to be more comfortable with the more correct and more difficult pronounciation of the double vowel. This again breaks the flow of the Styrásh giving the Ahrhim accent a more angular sound.

The Ahrhim are known for their straight talking. The Ahrhim dialect has essential done away with certain unnecessary niceties. For example the word for "please" is seldom used in converation. It is simply assumed in a request. Neither do they have seperate turns of phrases to say "hello" that imply either respect or familiarity. Such divisions are unnecessary. Respect is implied far more effectively by actions than by words. They aren't noted for their diplomacy. Ahrhim say exactly what they think and are noted for being brutally honest. By many tribes this is taken for rudeness and perhaps it is in part responsible for the on/off relationships they hold with most tribes, especially the Eophyrhim. They have a peculiar love-hate relationship with the drow tribe. The Ahrhim seem to have a clearer understanding - and tolerance for - the Eophyrhim ways than most of the other tribes in Santharia. At times they are the closest of allies - it was the Ahrhim who insisted on the drow's prescence at the High Elven Alliance when it was formed by Cárimuá prior to SW I. But they can also be the most competitive of foes. Prior to the third Sarvonian War, relations seemed to have been stable and almost exclusively warm. Since that time relations have been cooler, and far more on/off, and seems to rest soley on what the leaders of Eophyrhim make of the new monarch! If the Ahrhim monarch is worthy of the respect of the leaders and shows them the respect they deserve, then that friendship is firmer than any alliance in Santharia and endures for the lifetime of that monarch. If the monarch is disrespecful in any way then the realtionship is quite definitely on ice until such a time as the leaders seek to review the decision!

The Ahrhim are also notably the creators - or so it is said - of soap! Many tribes now have similar materials for cleanliness, but it is thought that humans aquired the idea for soap from the Ahrhim, who along with the Goltherrhim, living in the shadow of the Argor and Hèckra volcanoes respectively are known to make a thick, jelly-like cleaning fluid by mixing ashes and oil. It smells rather unplesant, of sulphur, predominantly - but its ash content helps to smooth the skin and the sulphur rids the body of any would be parasites and has the added advantage of repeling biting insects. Likely it would also repell other elves if it weren't for the inclusion of rose petals by the Ahrhim in the mix, which made the whole concept more palatable to humans, who use essentially the same recipe to make soap bars.

Housing. The grandest buildings of the Ahrhim are built on the ground, usually using a wooden or wicker frame work and then doused with mud, which can then be sealed and painted in bright colours, the same pigments that are used to dye their clothing. More rarely, and only for those of the highest rank, rock is used, unpainted, as the rock in these parts are generally red, due to high contents of copper, ahrhite and ferros materials, who also vein the rocks with shades of blue and green, ensure that the dark forest floor is colourful, but the shades are not strong enough to ever be guady. These buildings also normally incorperate and use the tree trunks around them, as props and pillars to support grand ceilings, trunks and branches are hollow or have nooks which are built in to provide storage space.

Other buildings are found only in the lower reaches of the canopy and are much like those found in the Auturian Woods, Zeiphyr and Quallian, being tree houses constructed of whatever their location has to offer - hollow logs, mud-lined wicker structures, finely worked logs - linked by bridges constructed of carefully trained interlocking tree branches, a worn log, or rope bridges slung casually from tree to tree. Ladders can be seen around the forest, though main staircases are usually worked into the trunks of the largest trees, and most elves in this forest are strong and agile enough to clamber up a tree quite without any help from such things - thankyou very much! 

Clothing. In this respect the Ahrhim are most like their drow neighbours, the Eophyrhim. They are known for their brown cloaks with fur lining - as though they needed anything to make them appear distinctive. It is thought that it was the Arhrhim's insistance on these brown cloaks, even in battle, that gave rise to each tribe wearing one cloak colour, when uniting as one nation under a common cause. To the best of my knowledge this has only happened three times. It was begun at the Oath of the Young, where instead of carrying war banners out to meet the humans, each tribal representative that accompanied the young Ránn wore a cloak of a certain colour to honour their tribe and to show their tribe would honour the agreement as she was taken to meet her human counterpart. The second time was under Anthioullsn during his battle with the Móch'rónn and stealing of Serveran, a symbol of defiance of the whole elven nation, and thirdly at the coronation of Santhros, again a sign of elven unity where elven war banners were not appropriate. But I digress...

Most accessoires like buttons, buckles, hair implements and so forth are made of red metals like bronze and copper, sometimes even gold, which is brought by Quaelhoirhim merchants. Raw silks (not the fine type that you see among in New-Santhala or Elving) are common and warm, as silkworms are abundant at certain times of year in the forest. Cotton, flax and furs are the next most common materials for dresses, as they are either found in the forest or can be traded for with humans or the Quaelhoirhim traders. Wools can be obtained from the Eophyrhim when relations are good. Undergarments tend to be trousers suits for both sexes, better for clambering around in, made of hardwaring materials such as leather or wool both of which the Ahrhim must trade for.

Diet. Food is generally based on roots and berries that grow in the forest, though it is supplemented with meat hunted in their own forest or by food that they trade for. The Ahrhim have a taste for fish that was once supplied by the Goltherrhim and is now supplied by local humans. The Quaelhoirhim also supply vegtables that would never grow in the forest in return for worked metals and metal ores.

Weapons. Weapons are usually those that can be classically fashioned from metal. The southern region of the forest is rich in metal ores, especially copper and ferrous metals. Any weapon you can think of, the Ahrhim smiths make. They are a quick study and have a love of the new, they have seen a few orc blades in their time and make copies and adapted them, loving their ingenuity and simple effectiveness for the kill - after all the Ahrhim are a no nonsense tribe and orc blades are all kill and no show. However, orc blades don't trade well. Knives, daggers, shortswords, longswords and armours do. Hence these are most commonly fashioned for export. In the forest, bows and spears are the most popular weapons, as hunting is the only primary cause for using a weapon. Traditionally hunting among Ahrhim is a pack activity performed by forming a circle, making a noise to scare the animal down and then closing in quickly and noislessly, prey is generally small - so there is no need for anything fancier.

Occupations. Like most tribes the Ahrhrim run a full gauntlet of professions that make a tribe function. Firstly it must be pointed out that an elf may have more than one function within the tribe. Apart from where the profession requires many years of training or apprenticeship - such as smith, mage, soldier or plant breeder - an elf is usually simply employed in whatever task is required. One day an elf my be building or repairing residences, the next hunting for the tribe, the next he might be trading with a merchant or running an errand to a human town.

The only thing of note is that the Ahrhim are more divided down lines of sex than any other tribe. There are tasks that females may not perform - dealing with individuals from other races and tribes is one odd example. Females may not be employed in physical labour, the army (though since Axiastras, the rule has relaxed a little to those with obvious tactical ability) or in the smithies. However, they may oddly enough take up high rank jobs such as tending plants and breeding them and many of the tribe's best mages are female. Similarly, it is not acceptable for a male to be in sole responsibility for a child, though this is seldom a disability to a female as child care is an incredibly communal thing - as one would expect with a tribe that is essentially one extremely extendened, large family. Females are responsible for cooking and this will probably seem odd - all food procurement except where it involves trade - and this includes hunting! Hunters are exclusively female. Bards and singers may be of either sex, but female Ahrhim are generally expected not to leave forest bounds and are viewed with suspicion if they do - and labelled headstrong and unruly, though the punishment is not much greater than that!

Government. I feel that perhaps I have covered much of this before. But if you missed it - here goes! The Ahrhim are patriarchal and hierarchal. They have a strictly organised, hereditary monarchy as is found among the Tethinrhim and the Sanhoirrhim. However, the heir is always male, and in days gone by great efforts were made to conceal a first born that was not male. In modern times, a female firstborn is simply passed over in line to the throne as is the case in most human monarchies.

The tribe is not overly numerous, and quite closely interrelated in most cases, so the term monarchy might not be quite correct. The Rónn gives the orders, has power over the tribe's warriors and makes the decisions that affect the whole tribe, but the term "monarch" implies regality - and there is little regal about a Rónn. Usually he is cousin four times removed to even the lowest of the elves, so while he wields respect and power most of the time, there are few of the perks associated with human kingship.

Production/Trade. Raw silk is produced by the tribe, but they also have an abundance of silkworms and an ability for breeding them! Unspun silk and silkworms which in the hands of humans or the Quaelhoirhim can be turned in to silk of the highest grade also fetch a high price that provide the elves with food stuffs and materials that their forest do no provide.

Natural Resources. Despite their lowness of rank - those who gather metal ore from the forest edge and the smiths, who work it, they are the very center of trade through the forest. Ore itself is a valuble comodity that gets the tribe much of what it needs from outside, but the Ahrhim Smiths are perhaps the best elven smiths in Santharia, especially in bronze, copper and gold, but they will fashion anything if you bring them the ore simply for the challenge of it. Ahrhim items are plain and functional if made for home use, but are beautiful, intricate and finely fashioned for export. The elves often make enchanted items to order - either enchanted within their own forest or for export to Salóh to be charmed there.

Holidays, Festivals and Observances. Like the Quaelhoirhim - the Dawn and Dusk Song are the main tribute to the Gods. Clerics for the God of that particular month lead the first song and then are joined by the rest of the tribe for the second and third. The first day of Leaf Fall is the day of Avá and the Creation of the world is recounted by all the clerics and singers in a number of indvidual and interlocking solos.

The only feast day that the Ahrhim observe, they share with, and probably took from, is one of the Eophyrhim. The Arvins Festival is held, like at the Eophyrhim, in the autumn, every 25 years, but this is about all it shares with its parent festival. It involves the hiding of weapons for elves that are about to come of age that have been fashioned especially for them. They must 'hunt' the weapon and pick only the one fashioned for them or their weapon is forefit on the mercy of the rightful owner. Obviously only a selected generation gets to undergo this festival and this generation usually becomes the next clerics. A feast is then held after the Dusk song. The celebration is as much a festival of Urtengor as it is of Arvins and so perhaps it is incorrectly named.

History. No information yet.