Gael’Dar: The Wild Elves

  Both cultures of Elves– the Mor’Leth and the Gael’Dar (Wild Elves)–are descended from a group of True Faerie who were exiled from the Otherworld in ancient times so long gone the details have been forgotten for generations.  The Gael’dar are a people who understand both the beauty and the danger of the world in which they live, and the delicate balance of all things. There are always two sides to every, story, person and place, and to only acknowledge a singular aspect of something is to place yourself in peril. 

     The forest of Seridane is beauty, yet danger as well. To only see the beauty in the sunlight and to ignore the darkness lurking in the shadows invites folly and death. The Gael’dar take this cautious approach to everything. They tend to have a cunning and tactical mindset. Their superb attention to detail and extreme caution in examining and analyzing situations and the world around them from all angles makes the Gael’dar some of the finest and most dangerous scouts and lethal stealth fighters in all of Aerys. 

5 Things to Remember About Gael’Dar

  • On The Hunt
    • 35 years ago, a great ritual was performed which altered the Gael’Dar forever. Their bond to the Elvenar deity called Seridane slowly affects the Gael’Dar spirit and mindset. As a Wild Elf ages, they become more and more predatory and focused on the aspects of the hunt. Relationships and deals are thought of in terms of predator and prey. The world is viewed in terms of ambush, camouflage, and who is a worthy hunting partner vs who is a worthy hunt. 
  • The Lone Wolf Dies, But the Pack Survives
    • The Gael’dar tend to be pack fighters/hunters, knowing there is strength in numbers. Gael’dar are ruthless and calculating, and seek to exploit their enemies weaknesses, while utilizing their own skills and strengths against their enemies with deadly efficiency. Gael’dar tend to work in teams or units, even if those units are small, for those who chose to take the lone wolf approach in the Nightmare wood typically do not survive long.
  • Eyes Lie
    • You cannot betray your enemies. The savagery of their homeland has made the Gael’Dar pragmatic above all else—the ends justify the means, but ONLY when dealing with a foe. Once someone or something has been declared an enemy, anything is acceptable to remove the threat to family, clan and the Crystal Throne.(DBAD still applies)
  • Deep Roots and Long Memories
    • From ancient times, the wild elves have passed down their history and culture by word of mouth and through stories, tales and epic sagas as well as music and song. Storytelling and music are not only entertainment—they are how the Gael’Dar educate their children and remind adults of their place in elven society and the history of their people. Often, stories of heroism as well as betrayal are turned into poems or song; these songs and tales get passed from community to village to tribe and quickly everyone is aware of the event that spawned the song, for good or ill.
  • Respect Your Elders
    • The Nightmare wood is dangerous and deadly and those who have lived and survived, particularly to old age are to be respected for their wisdom and knowledge, and their training in skill and survival is highly valued among the Gael’dar

[GAME RULES LINK HERE]

Reproduction/Children

CLARIFICATION- Cross species fertility is not possible in Brittanis. Each species can only reproduce with their own species. Interracial couples can and do exist but those couples can not produce biological offspring with each other. The parts fit, but children are not possible. 

  • Before the coming of the new god Seridane, elven reproduction was at the conscious control of both partners, and each had to consciously desire a child to be born before conception would occur. Now, their ties to the god of the Nightmare Wood mean that the couple must together, in a small ritual overseen by clergy of the Wild One, petition Seridane to release a Gael’Dar soul from the Otherwood in order for conception to be possible. To date, Seridane has not denied any of these requests. 

Gael’Dar Archetypal Heroic Virtues

(NOTE: These are not required for a player to take; these are simply the most common virtues among the Gael’Dar culture)

  • JUSTICE is a common virtue for Gael’Dar because your life depends on trusting your hunting companion, community is built on trust on all levels.
  • DIGNITY is a common virtue for Gael’Dar because the history of survival in the Nightmare Wood proves that both false modesty and hubris are both swift roads to a monster’s belly.  Genuinely understanding your strengths and weaknesses is essential to survival.
  • DEFENSE is a common virtue for Gael’Dar because the ingrained habit of constant vigilance is of value no matter where the Gael’Dar find themselves in the world. 

Costume and Kit

NOTE: There are no body type, height/weight, hair color or or skin color descriptions for any of the ancestries in Brittanis. Costuming and kit are the way to demonstrate and roleplay your Ancestry. This is intentional. Play what you want to play.

  • Ancestry Band: Gael’dar must wear a ancestry band of green fabric. These must be worn on the left forearm and may not be less than 3 inches wide.
  • ELVES MUST WEAR PROSTHETIC EAR TIPS. Latex, silicone, and metal ear covers are all acceptable. Simply gluing one’s actual ear tips to a point is not. 
  • Kit
    • Styles: Pragmatic and artful. Clothing is always well-fitted to the wearer to prevent snags and binding in the wild, with straps, buckles, and tie-downs commonplace in order to secure gear. 
      • See the Gael’Dar Pinterest Boards HERE for inspiration!
      • Boots almost always come to the calf or higher to protect the legs while hiking. Exposed skin on the torso, legs, or arms is a sign of either confidence or arrogance depending on the age and skill of the wearer.
      • Leather is the primary material for the elven people; it is abundant, versatile and offers protection against the elements. Fur is common for the same reasons. 
      • Though less durable, silk, linen, and velvet can be used by those Gael’dar with access to trade from other nations.
  • Weapons/Shields: Weapons that can also be used as hunting or woods-craft implements are primary among them: long, thin-headed spears, axes with curved asymmetric blades and archery are the most common by far. 
  • Swords tend to be short with forward-curving blades that widen towards the tip. Large weapons are very uncommon.
  • Armor: Leather is far and away the most common armor making material. In addition, the master armorers of the Gael’Dar have discerned certain alchemical and masterwork techniques that harden wood and other plant fiber into protective garments as good or better than their outland counterparts.
    • As elves most generally tend to rely on speed and/or stealth, metal armor is not something typically seen or worn among the Gael’dar outside of ceremonial use. 

Personality

The constant struggle against the forest that guards Seridane’s borders has created a people for whom death and danger are constant, intimate companions. The Gael’Dar are pragmatic, resourceful, predatory/fierce, and cautious. Gael’dar tend to be reserved and are slow to trust those they do not know. However, they are NOT deliberately provocative or rude without cause. Being cautious does not mean being ill-mannered and most all elves will maintain an air of pride, dignity and often aloofness unless provoked otherwise. Provoking a Gael’dar to anger/a fight is not something to be done lightly. Elves respect those who respect them, and are capable of holding grudges for a very long time against those who do not. 

Both Gael’Dar and Mor’leth speak Elven, which is the last vestige of the language their ancestors who were exiled from Faerie spoke. Each have their own accents, but it is the same as listening to the Irish and the Scottish speaking school-Standard English.

Neither culture has “claim” to the Elven language.

Life Span

Elves are the longest lived of the playable ancestries in Brittanis. Typical average life span for an elf is 200 yrs old. Their children mature at the same rate as humans, but they enjoy a much longer adulthood before age begins to affect them. Elven adulthood begins at the end of puberty. An elf would be considered old at 150, and none typically live past 200 years. The longest known lived Gael’dar was Queen Alitheria who is said to have lived well past 400 yrs old- how this was possible is still yet unknown. 

Naming convention:

[Given Name], Nerionadh en [Sworn/Allegiance House name], Darion/Dariel en[Mother’s House], na [Sworn House of Father]

  • Dar- Child of
  • Darion – Son of
  • Dariel – Daughter of
  • Nerionadh – Sworn to/Protected by
  • En Thaur – for orphans or those who don’t know their family, roughly translates to “of the forest”
  • Ex- Issarion, Neríonadh Seridane, Daríon ën Valenar, nä Duinvalsa. 

If a Gael’dar has not yet chosen a Sworn House allegiance of their own they fall under the allegiance/protection of their Father’s sworn house and their name would be written as-

  • Ex- Issarion, Daríon ën Valenar, Neríonädh Duínvalsa. 

If a Gael’dar’s mother and father are BOTH of the same House then the House name is only used once and would be written as: 

  • Ex: Löthäríel, Daríel ën nä Neríonadh Cyrazea. 

(Note: It is recommended to try and keep elven first names between 2-4 syllables. Your elven name should and needs to be pronounceable) 

Religion

  • Seridane (the Elvenar pantheon)
    • Formerly The Ancestors. 

The formation of a new Gael’dar Deity/Elvanar pantheon caused a religious schism among the Gael’dar. Those who refused to accept the new deity in place of the Ancestors broke away from Seridane and formed the new Gael’dar lands of Avelorn. 

Hospitality

Gael’Dar assume hospitality lasts until the next dawn. Beyond that, a host is free to extend an offer of continued hospitality or expel any unwanted guests. 

Hospitality among the Gael’Dar is a simple matter- it’s designed to determine if the newcomer is fit to be a hunting partner, or deserves to be prey instead. Everything about Gael’Dar hospitality focuses around that concept. Gael’Dar are cautious and reserved, so their Hospitality centers around a sense of survival, and sizing up unknown entities. The Gael’dar know the wisdom of diplomacy, and the tact of not provoking an unknown “foe” or situation unwarranted and without cause. They take measure of the unknown and unfamiliar before deciding whether or not to strike, or to become friends/allies. 

Like all cultures, the Gael’Dar use hospitality as a means of collective self-preservation. Knowing that you have at least shelter awaiting you at the nearest settlement, regardless of whether they end up as friends or enemies, facilitates travel and trade in a monster-haunted landscape.

Within Seridane there are special areas set aside known as Hospitality Gardens that are used for entertaining guests and enacting hospitality. These Gardens were under the protection of the Gael’dar Ancestors and now fall under the protection of the new deity.

Society 

Since the Gael’Dar were bonded to the Elvenar deity named Seridane, their culture has changed dramatically. For the first time, there is a significant Gael’Dar presence outside of the Nightmare wood (see Avelorn). Due to the religious/political wars and clashes coming out of the Red Death era, new political tendencies and structures have emerged. 

Gael’Dar, regardless of geography, build their culture and civilizations from the bottom up. Family units are the primary building block of society, numbering no more than 7 adults and their children. When a family unit reaches more than 7 adults, one or more adults will break off to form a new family unit, and so on. This is often the case when young members of a household reach adulthood and move out to form their own units. 

It’s important to note that marriages and such are not necessary to be part of a household, only verbal acknowledged status from the head of that household. If two elves can’t agree on who’s the head of a household, they usually split to form two separate units. 

Above the household level, groups of households band together into groups called “Hunts”, which also comprise of units no larger than 7. Thus, a Hunt may consist of up to 7 households bonded together by purpose and often oaths of friendship. Like the households, if a Hunt cannot agree on who the Huntmaster is to be, dissenters will break off to form their own Hunt, and so on. 

Above the Hunt level, Seridane and Avelorn diverge. 

In Seridane, above the Hunt exist the Sects, which consist of many Hunts gathered together under one of the Council of Nine Leaves. These Councilors are elected leaders of the Kingdom of the Crystal Throne, chosen from among the Hunts gathered under that Sect’s banner. 

As time progresses, these sects begin to contest one another and wield political power towards their goals. Each is named after a tree of the Nightmare Wood, and takes their spiritual cues from that type of tree. 

  • Ash: sacrifice, magical ability, and higher awareness. Many Wyrdcasters come from Ash Sect. 
  • Aspen: Ancestry and heritage, community and family. Many of the best Speakers come from Aspen sect. 
  • Beech: Tolerance, patience, and careful words. Many diplomats and priests of Seridane come from Beech Sect. 
  • Cedar: Healing, Cleansing, and Protection. Many Hearthmages and Scholars are of Cedar.
  • Dragonwood: Power, determination, and eternal life. Many Scholars and mighty Champions come from Dragonwood sect. 
  • Elder: New life, Renewal and the fairy realm. Elder is the home of many Faerie Pact warlocks, tied to the Seelie Fae. 
  • Hawthorn: Guardianship, strength, and defense. Many of the best Champions come from Hawthorn sect. 
  • Oak: Perseverance, stability, and planning. Many of the best Makers come from Oak sect. 
  • Yew: The cycle of Death and Rebirth, change, and eternity. Many Shamans come from Yew sect. 

In Avelorn, the political structure is more fluid. The Admiral rules that faction overall, but takes counsel from the various ship captains under his command, who in turn oversee their crews and those crew’s families. In this way, the Captains serve as Huntmasters, and their crew officers serve as household leaders.