The elves of the Zeiphyrian
Forest. Numerically the Quaelhoirhim are the largest of the
Santharian
elven tribes. They are also the most
friendly and gregarious of the tribes, with their settlements generally being
open to visitors of all races. Their knowledge of current and past affairs
makes them naturally wise, as such they often see themselves as the most
important of the wood elves, and that
arrogance often annoys many of the other elven
tribes. However, they are closely related to the
Ylfferhim, who were originally part of this tribe, before the
Quallian was cleaved from the main
forest by flooding. The Quaelhoirhim also enjoy good relations with their
Tethinrhim neighbours and with the
Aellenrhim, with whom they share much of their
outlook on life.
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Image description:
Cárimuá Eaás, famous
founder of the
centralised government of the Quaelhoirhim
and creator of the High Elven Circle.
Picture drawn by
Eratinalinfalah. |
Appearance.
If one is lucky enough to see an elf
abroad, for contrary to popular myth, scare few people in this modern age ever
get to meet one, then without a doubt, that elf
would likely be of Quaelhoirhim origins. For of all the
elven tribes, the Quaelhoirhim are the
least shy of men, and the most open to other races. However, their natural
tendency to get involved in affairs of other tribes and races, often lead them
to become involved in conflicts more often than other
elves.
As a result the Quaelhoirhim are sometimes refered to as the "classic
elves", for when
humans speak or come to depict
elves, they often show
elves of the Zeiphyr, for few
humans know of the considerable difference
between this tribe and say the Aellenrhim, with
their sharp features and small frames.
The Quaelhoirhim are thus elves of typical
human imagination: With sharply pointed
ears and high cheekbones, they are considered very attractive to
human eyes. They are slender and tall in
appearance, approx. 2 peds, the same height as a tall
human male, though they are as a tribe
slightly shorter and more well built than their
Ylfferhim cousins. The Quaelhoirhim are also generally longer lived than
their Ylfferhim kin, reaching the grand age of ca.
500 to 600. Male elves have an androgynous
beauty, with graceful fragile features and little beard growth, which makes
them difficult to discern from females. Both sexes usually have big, expressive
eyes, usually ranging from deep shades of blue and purple through to deep
green. What marks the Quaelhoirhim apart from the
Ylfferhim is their colouring. The Quaelhoirhim are typically of golden or
olive skin, and exhibit a magnificent range of marvelous hair colourings from
jet black, through brown and bright red (perhaps due to some
Tethinrhim influence) to Gold, though no lighter,
and a variety of strangely glimmering, undefineable colours in between.
Hair is worn uncut and open, though while at work or in battle,
elves commonly remove their hair from their
face using ties made of string or flax. Female
elves of the Quaelhoirhim often cultivate flowers to wear in the hair,
which is often worn loose or with small braids.
Like all elves there is always light on the
face of an Quaelhoirhim elf, light that
he/she seems to draw, from the beauty of the surrounding nature itself, which
is thus reflected in the elven features.
Coat of Arms/Sign.
The vast population of the tribe has had several different coats of arms, and
there have been many different coats of arms over the years. However, the
official banner of the Quaelhoirhim since the outbreak of the First Sarvonian
War (806 b.S.) is a rather abstract affair depicting a gleaming sword engraved
with the eye of Avá on a red field
flanked by two frost dragons. The
shield is based on the events prior to SW I when Maengolth's blood (symbolised
by the red field) that the elves had hidden
to prevent men angering
the Gods and
dragons, while the sword shows that the
Quaelhoirhim were willing to fight to prevent the Age of Blood.
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Picture description:
The location of the Zeiphyrian Forest, home of the
Quaelhoirhim Elves. Map by
Artimidor Federkiel. |
Territory.
The Quaelhoirhim elves dwell in the
Zeiphyrian Forest, but also on the forest's southern coast. Isolated members of
the tribe live on the Elvenground.
People.
The Quaelhoirhim are an incredibly diverse bunch of
elves, the jacks of all trades, having
learnt all sorts of skills from other elves
and races. They are great traders and craftsmen, producing some of the most
beautiful items of elven craft in
Santharia. Each village, town and city has its own speciality, while the
capital is a thriving metropolis where these skills can be traded. Settlements
deeper in the forest often home rangers and wood crafters.
Like the Ylfferhim, the Quaelhoirhim have a natural
ability for magic and like the Ylfferhim they use
this to protect the larger towns and cities. However, unlike the
Ylfferhim, they do not keep people out but simply
create another level, no less real, but not the real city, into which other
races are admitted, allowing the Quaelhoirhim to satisfy their
elven need to some secrecy. They have a
rich oral and musical tradition.
The Quaelhoirhim are not a warlike tribe, but they have been hardened by their
involvement in many conflicts over the centuries. The Quaelhoirhim are the
politicians of the elven world, loving to
debate and argue. As a result they have been involved in some conflicts that
perhaps did not concern them and led them to be a little domineering at
meetings of the High Elven
Circle. Each settlement has its own defences and all members of the tribe
are trained in long range weapons, such as the bow and arrows and slings. A
main armed force is kept in Elving consisting of two contingents of archers and
a mounted core.
The elves are the only tribe to have a
standing navy, though that navy also doubles as a fishing fleet, depending on
which boats are in use. The Quaelhoirhim navy are based at Elving.
Housing.
Housing, like everything about the Quaelhoirhim tribe is very varied. In Elving
and the other main city, Saloh, buildings are grand and made of stone and clay
and surrounded by huge city walls and very much like any
human city, though cleaner and kinder to
the land they are built on.
Other towns contain small wooden huts. Some members of the tribe live in wooden
built houses. Near the coast the natural caves are converted into energy
efficient homes. Those that back on to the cliffs also make strategic forts and
look out points. In the depth of the forest villages are very much like those
found in the Quallian, a network of
wooden dwellings on various levels, linked by wooden walkways and plating of
the tree branches, in the trees and invisible if you don't know where to look.
The Quaelhoirhim are the only elves to
dwell outside the forest, on the Elverground, isolated family enclosures can be
found, which the elves farm.
Clothing.
Fashion is very varied. The Quaelhoirhim elves
have a taste for bright colours, though they are normally based on natural
shades and exotic fabrics that they recieve through trade. Common fabrics are
cottons, organza and silk which they recieve from northern visitors. Style is a
matter of personal taste, though loose flowing clothes in lighter colours are
generally more practical in the heat of the forest, though
elves living in the trees find closer
fitting clothes more practical.
The Quaelhoirhim are also well known for enammel broaches and jewellery. They
gather sand from the shore and mix it with colourings that they trade for. It
is common for such a broach to be given to young
elves on their 30th birthdays.
Diet.
What is consumed again depends on the circumstances in which the individual
elves are based. In Elving fish is the main
foundation of diet, though Elving also recieves many foodstuffs from other
settlements and tribes. On the Elverground meat and vegetables are consumed and
the excess sent to the larger settlements. Deeper in the forests, many
elves are gatherers, surviving on roots,
seeds, fruits and nuts to be found in the forest.
Weapons.
[...]
Occupations.
Occupations are incredibly diverse, but seem to be governed by the location of
the indvidual. In deep forest locations, elves
are rangers, wood crafters or archers. On the Elverground, the
elves are farmers, and provide food to
nearby human settlements as well as to
Elving. Within the twin cities, occupations are diverse. In the temple area one
will find clerics, who devote their lives to serving
the Gods, mages who maintain the
multilayers of the cities, traders, craftsmen, fishermen, politicians, bakers,
ect. There is no trade that cannot be found somewhere.
Government.
The Quaelhoirhim have an exceptionally complicated governmental style in
comparison to most elves. This is partly
due to the fact that the tribe is so numerically large, while activities
undertaken are so diverse, and partly because they have observed that some
human methods of administration have
exceptional organisational benefits.
Generally on day to day issues, Quaelhoirhim settlements are self-governing,
most being small enough to do this in a community fashion. The two cities come
under the duress of a City Chamber, consisting of temple elders, mages,
military experts and the oldest members of the tribe. These meetings are headed
by the Ránn or Rónn of the tribe.
Overall decisions that affect the whole tribe are taken by a Ránn, or rarely a
Róonn. They are responsible for overseeing the welfare and interactions of all
parts of the tribe, trade routes, as well as ensuring good relations with other
races and tribes. Their power depends on prestige and the respect of their
people rather than on family connections, as the settlements of the
Quaelhoirhim are rather independent of mind and will not tolerate poor
leadership. The best leaders of this tribe are those who are strategically and
politically minded while being in touch with all the various settlements that
make up the tribe - a big requirement for anyone individual in a tribe so large
and diverse. As a result a Quaelhoirhim Ránn or Rónn may well employ many
talented individuals from many different backgrounds as advisors. There may be
as many as 60 advisors at any one time so the Ránn or Rónn's children, when old
enough, are often required to take charge of these advisors and compile all the
information from the advisors into conside proposals for the Ránn or Rónn to
deal with. But ultimately decisions lie with the Ránn or Rónn.
When many tribes have only a single level and more equal way of governing
policy, this may seem excessive, but it has provided the Quaelhoirhim with
several advantages since the system was adopted midway through SW I. Until this
point the settlements, while recognizing a certain shared origin and a need to
cooperate, were seperate war entities. In the first part of the war the
Quaelhoirhim suffered several heavy defeats, culminating in the annihilation of
the Zeiphyr in 806 b.S. Elf for
elf the tribe were more than a match for
the invading humans, but part of the cause
of these defeats was that they lacked the military organisation and - perhaps
even more important - the administrative and logistic machinery underpinning
the organisation which made human troops
impressive. As a result in 811 b.S. the first Ránn was elected.
At first similar problems remained with logistics. War leaders employed to
organize village defences tried to centralize and make armies more mobile, but
found they could only keep warriors in the field, far from home, for at most a
few weeks. After that they would be either starving, or bored, or worried about
their crops, or families, and would simply go home. However, gradually, a
human-like centralized army and navy
evolved, which alleviated this problem.
Production/Trade.
The Quaelhoirhim are known for their craftmanship, beautiful emammeled
jewellry, beautiful and highly decorated armour and swords. They also produce
strong functional wares. The superficial level of Elving is a trade centre for
that area. Wares from all over Santharia
pass through here. If something is required, merchants in Elving will probably
be able to get hold of it.
Natural Resources.
Sand from the coastline at the southern edge of the forest can be used for
glass and building. Some amount of gold can be found in the western edges of
the forest.
Holidays, Festivals
and Observances.
The Quaelhoirhim believe in the High Gods (Avá/Coór)
and the Gods, the Aviaría. There is
an understanding in the tribe that each
God is as important as the next, and that imbalance leads to disaster. But
the Quealhoihim can't help but hold three of
the Gods above the rest of
the Aviaría. In the West, the tribe, like their
Ylfferhim cousins hold the Seyella,
Goddess of destiny and time, in the highest reverance.
Nehtor is also held by the whole tribe
in special reverance. Like him, the Quaelhoirhim believe they feel the greatest
joy, the greatest sorrow and that they have the greatest responsibility for the
welfare of Caelereth. In the forest
settlements however, Arvins is also held in high reverence.
There are no specific Quaelhoirhim festivals. The temples are always open for
elven meditation. Though "temple" is a very
rough term, the Quaelhoirhim do not really have temples in the
human sense of the word, convinced that
Gods do not exist inside buildings.
Instead their religious sites are places of divine reverance. An enormous ring
of standing stones North West of Saloh is the temple to
Urtengor,
Nethor is worshipped in a great Tree
Cathedral outside of Elving. Every sunrise and sunset is an important time for
the Quaelhoirhim. Walk through the forest at night and the air is alive with
the incredible beautiful song, as tales of
the Gods and of times past are
carried on the wind.
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Information provided by
Wren
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