The Old Wilds
Among the Fairest Kind
There is a marked difference to even the fool’s eye between soft youngling woods and the old growth of a true forest. To some, this marks the end of civilization and safety. To those who live and thrive within? It marks the beginning of a safe and sensible life. Over centuries and the span of empires, careful hands have shaped what has come to be called the Old Wilds, as surely as the capital of Galastaire. And just as surely, those who reside within have been shaped in kind through life, service, and the bounties at hand.
Elvenkind hosts a diverse extended family in a different sort of wealth, without the brutality of axes or the cruelty of the fence and pen - at least, their critics would claim, not for any four-legged beasts. Not all within the Old Wilds is harmonious. Elven fosterage is not optional and ‘childish’ behavior can be punished by lethal ostracism. Where the Kind lead, Kin must follow. But there’s no consensus on a path.
Many upon high hope to expand not only their vision, but the borders of the Old Wilds into Galasteri territory. Others call to abandon fosterage entirely, leaving the young kin to fend for themselves in an environment sculpted along elvish ideals. A few rare, keen minds seek to develop new, controversial Ways among the Kind that challenge the culture’s foundations. Conflicts are settled by proxy, as elders loom and lean upon the smallest arguments for their greater implications. There is much to fear, but the one fear that unites the peoples of the Old Wilds is the one great fear - the recklessness of outsiders.
Themes. Ego and submission, depth and transformation, tradition and creation
Geography
The Wilds exist on three general tiers, with overlap at key points of transition. The canopy is thick and interwoven to create countless walkways, sturdy branch clearings, and ‘bower lakes’ where the leaves are thick but where a foot will sink as surely as if you’d stepped into the water. The canopy rises for well over a hundred feet in places, peaking with spiraling platforms of careful cultivation for solar visitations.
Beneath these nimble feet lays a land of twilight, the scent of rich earth, and winding trails to anywhere and nowhere. Narrow spears of light catch upon cool ponds of clear tranquility, while predators rule from the shadows. Endless histories are written in softly-glowing glyphs on the bark of trees as thick as palaces, lessons that can only be learned upon the flesh. Life is not easy there, but it isn’t meant to be.
Lower still lay the hillside valleys and cavern complexes, the undercities and mines of the Karabagh that provide silver, steel, mithral, and gems for careful hands and hungry outsiders. Under the watchful eye of the daev, the greatest number of Kin reside in a near approximation to outsider cities, but live in quiet devotion and well-rewarded labor cultivating luminescent lichens, air-fed root gardens, and silk farms.
Where tiers meet, distinct cultures and ecosystems clash. Be wary of high peaks, waterfalls, and ravines. Here, the elderkind hold their duels and debates to settle disputes. Here, sphinxes of sculpted nature are left to patrol these sacred places and challenge those who wish to cross into another point of view. Larger villages and towns surround some of these points, with high walls of thorn, vine, and stone.
Travel
One does not idly wander in the Old Wilds. From patrols of warden-kith to the magical beasts and mighty monstrosities that make their homes among the trees, survival outside of the safe clearings and glimmer ponds is a risky proposition at the best of times. The Kind and their Kin use elaborate systems of trail markers - etched runes, certain scents, and directions hidden in folktales - to chart safe paths along and between the Wilds’ tiers. One could walk thirty feet from a heedless traveler and only hear their death from a position of near-complete safety, and this is by design - both to warn outsiders and as a reminder to those who reside within of just who provides them safe passage.
The canopies are safest, for those who know how to sight out the footholds. The ground is home to larger, deadlier threats on average, but at least comes with stable footing (until it doesn’t, to one’s doom). Where one steps is the least of one’s worries should they find themselves in the Karabagh. Those with a local guide always roll 3d6 for Wayfinding, without the need for ability checks. Those without always face the chance of a mishap if any dice land on a 1 (canopy), a 1 or 2 (ground), or 1-3 (Karabagh).
Receiving safe passage from the communities of the Old Wilds can be difficult, as there is no social place for ‘favored outsiders’. You must effectively join the community to receive more than wary trade and perhaps guidance out of their lands and towards the outer fringes of the Wilds. Expect to perform Seekings to prove one’s capabilities in their ‘kith’ before the eyes of the Elderkind to earn any real aid.
Peoples
To live in the Old Wilds is to make a pact with the Old Wilds and its masters - honor them and they will honor you. This is the foundation of the meta-culture known as Elvenkind and they strive to impress these beliefs by hook or by crook upon all who would share a home with them. One lives by the Ways of the Kind or one is left to one’s own devices - usually to be eaten by something. Few live long without their support, and most who do quit the Wilds entirely and share their tales of resentment for all to hear.
Those who accept the fosterage of the elvish Kind are considered their Kin, both as a social status and in the familial sense, and are brought into a mostly-flat caste system known as the Kiths. They are given land to care for, given seeds for proper gardens and arbors, and advised on animals to breed and bond with for wool, milk, silk, or transport. Hunting is rare and highly ritualized, a form of careful population management of both predator and prey-beasts to maintain the safety of communities and the fangs of the surrounding wilds that defend them. In return for these benefits, their numbers are closely monitored through social pressure and easy access to herbal or magical birth control. The Kind may request that the Kin trade with outsiders in their stead, may exchange youths between communities for up to five years of tutelage within a kith, and may request military aid against all common threats. All Kin and Kind are one, or so the saying goes, but the wisdom of the Kind is not as flawless as they aim to be.
Visitors are often awed by simple homes carved into alcoves of living wood. While unadorned, the beauty of the grain is a form of living art. Elderkind teach students from glyphs written onto tree-trunk hollows the size of castles, stern and gently patient in turns or by temperament. Film sheets of resin color the lights from above into every hue of the distant sky above for those who’d revel in the gleam. Humans, goblinoids, and a constant minority of half-elves form most of the Kin, living alongside the high, wood, and daev elves who guide them and pursue their kiths to even greater heights. It can be a fine life.
Those unused to eternal aunts and uncles may chafe under such a life. Many grow to hate or even fear it.
Places and Faces
Fort Glorious. The first thing that travelers from the west are likely to see of the Old Wilds is a smoking wound. Fort Glorious is under siege. It has been under siege since and even during its construction. It stands heavily fortified by layered palisades and constantly under heavy guard with scouts surveying a vast ‘burn zone’ - ash-fed, fallow earth for at least a mile in all directions. By sheer tenacity, the Galasteri holdouts within resist the Wilds and the Kind alike. Here, Kovraza claims waylady status, if only nominally loyal to the Empire that ‘abandoned’ her and hers. From here, she aims to forge a new, sharper Empire out of the survivors of Savrias’ loyal guard, dissidents from the Wilds, and any who believe her promises.
Mithrallir. The daev, though few in number compared to their fellow Kind or the bountiful Kin, hold great power. That power stems from Mithrallir, their great city built in the chambers of an active mithril mine. The city is home to the Mithrallim - equal parts knighthood, coven of spies, and assassin’s guild - who ensure that the Wilds remain unspoiled at any cost. To the daev, fosterage has no borders. They’ve taken dominion over a vast expanse of the harsh Underdark for ‘its own good’ and this hard-fought peace has colored how they see all other rivals and enemies. Slavery and desperation is all foes deserve.
The Grove. The closest thing to a capital for Elvenkind is this dome of interwoven, naked trees at the top of a stony plateau in the Old Wilds’ heart. Here, paths from below and beside meet the high, open sky. Celestial patterns can be traced along the gaps in the branches, and below them, the fate of all is discussed. Few elves consider it more sacred than anywhere else in any spiritual sense - it is merely a meeting place where travelers, Kin, Kind, and foreign kings might find an audience if they seek one.
The Throne of Nature. No one sits upon the Throne of Nature like a monarch. In times of gravest need, one of elven blood is escorted to the Throne. From, the Old Wilds are set to singular motion - every beast, every plant, every monstrosity that lurks in its deepest shadows. Afterwards? The Wilds turn on the one who’d claim to master it. It has always devoured its wielder, without fail - a noble sacrifice.
Waylady Kovraza Gloriannen Lohrian. Second-born, first by blood, rightful ruler of Galastaire and blooded Kin of the Kind (or so she still claims, despite vigorous disagreement), Kovraza has been disowned by the Empress as a maddened half-elven bastard of questionable parentage and a traitor. To the Kind, she is a defiant child, corrupted by the Galasteri into everything they’ve feared of outsiders. To her? Both are the real traitors, both to their proper leaders and to the people they’ve sworn to protect. She followed her once-beloved father Savrias to war and led the scorched remains of his army to her holdfast at Fort Glorious when it all went to hell. Now she rules from her ashen fortress over ashen, empty earth, ignoring any doubts to her claim and daring the Kind to oust her. Soon, they must or they never will.
The Gardener. Many cultivate life in the Wilds, but there is only one Gardener. The matriarch of the daev is responsible for the health of the eldest roots and all who live beneath or above them. It is she who decides the limits of Kin and even Kind populations. She alone may speak a word with death to follow. She is honored and respected for her quiet, even jovial wisdom, but is feared for her necessary cruelty.
The Sun Woman. There are many sun-women, but there is only one Sun Woman. All who take up the veil surrender their name to the task of that shroud - to guide all who seek guidance, without favor or bias. Granted free passage through the Old Wilds and many places beyond them, the Sun Woman provides advice, divination, and a kind ear to those in need. That these whispers reach other sun-women or even the Mithrallim? Is considered irrelevant to those who trust the Kind and hypocritical to others.
Living Among Kin and KindMany wonder what life is like in the Old Wilds, from the dietary restrictions to the social order, but there’s no one way that one lives in any region or culture. However, there are some commonalities to consider. A Variety of Veganisms. While most among Elvenkind do not eat meat as a staple of their diet, there are a number of ritual and cultural exceptions. Wood elves and those from areas reliant upon hunting might eat as much or more meat than Galasteri raised around its cattle culture, but there are strict provisions and requirements on how that food is acquired, prepared, presented, and honored in death. Others among the Kin and Kind might find eating meat at all to be vulgar or even bestial. Such arguments are constant, if kept to background noise, but outsiders are seen with a unifying concern. One With Nature. What exactly does it mean to live alongside nature? While some do, most among Elvenkind don’t reside in grass-covered dugouts or treehouses woven out of petrified branches. The use of magic and civic planning allows for larger, more complex longhouses, platform villages, and larger towns formed as ‘island chains’ of such structures. Resources are gathered from flora and fauna that ‘shed’ whole furs, silks, branches, entire logs, and other items ‘necessary’ for advanced crafts. In the subterranean city of Mithrallir, these technologies allow for a large population to leave a minimal impact, and similar use of things like corrosive slug oils or allied elementals make mining a clean, sustainable art. The Elderkind. Galasteri and many others like to imagine grand, cackling councils of ancient elves doling out demands to their Kin, but there’s no such structure to the Kind. Those deemed relevant to any given social issue (be it within a village, between conflicting parties, or all who can be called) go to a common place, hold a meeting, and likely some form of refreshment and entertainment is included. It is a catered visitation of aunts, uncles, and grandparents more than any sort of Galasteri legislature. Living as Kin. The Kin far outnumber the Kind, so largely enforce the social order amongst each other. A sixteen year-old human warrior being considered a woman with opinions in high regards while a magical student of twenty-seven is still a social child is baffling to outsiders, but the idea that some elderly people are leaders, but pay someone else to manage their affairs baffles the Kin in turn. |
Regional Practices
Life in the Old Wilds is simple, straightforward, and aims to be minimally strenuous. Labor and leisure are well-balanced, and the common health and welfare of the people is given a familial regard. In fact, distinctions between blood family, one’s local community, and Elvenkind as a whole is culturally blurry. A friend and neighbor is no less a sibling than one born of a common womb, and possibly more so should that blood sibling move to another community during their formative years. Life is present, immediate, and centered around the many circles of kith. There are many kiths, but a few stand out among the rest.
Wardens represent hunters, soldiers, forest rangers, and scouts. Anyone whose work requires bloodshed, including many healers, fall within the ward-kith. The lore-kith comprises all studious souls, though what qualifies as ‘study’ varies according to its sage elders. While exceptions are numerous, high elves tend towards arcane studies or artifice. Wood elves and their pupils favor nature, song, and story magic. The daev prefer the divine, ever seeking an authority to serve. The last of the ‘great three’ are the hand-kith, those who craft goods of high enough quality to last an elven lifetime. From raw materials to finished masterworks, those of the hand-kith must not only create, but do so cleanly, with respect to their environment and their communities. This duty translates into significant political power.
Childhood. Adulthood is not a function of age or bodily maturity to the Kind, for a variety of reasons. Only competence in one’s kith allows for passage into the Elderkind. Lore-kith are considered children until able to cast spells of the 3rd ‘circle’ or higher. Among the trades, one is a child until their works are bought and put on proud display by an elder, who is in turn judged by the crafts they keep. Wardens are considered children until they’ve both shed and given blood in service to others. Most kin accept this, but not without frustration. Not everyone has a century or two to become ‘good enough’ to have a say.
Harmony. A simple concept with complex interpretations, harmony is spoken of in the Wilds with reverence, among even the most rebellious and pragmatic souls. Respect one’s place among the whole. Take only as one needs. Cultivate the barren. Recognize the wise. Leave as much as you take. These five precepts form the soul of Elvenkind. To the high elves? It’s a Mystery to unravel. To the wood elves? It is a Struggle to accept. To the daev? It is the only kind of Justice that exists, justifying all that follows. These views form the Ways at the center of Elvenkind's existence.
Seeds and Seeking. Final products are a story ended. Instead, one will receive seeds, pups, plans, or guidance towards one’s goals. Every journey is its own rite of passage, often the sole reason many elves venture out of the Wilds, often for lifetimes at a time. Once the Seeking is complete, the gift takes its final form and one hopes the lessons are apparent. Tattoos, piercings, and ritual scarification are all common markers of success or even failure in a major Seeking. Both ends change the seeker, after all.
Places and Faces
Living Among Kin and Kind
Regional Practices
On Elven Kindness
Elvenkind, and especially the daev, are seen by many as totalitarian or cruel to their own people. High elves maintain a meritocracy that favors them among people of blood that will never live long enough to be their elders. Wood elves ostracize those who cannot comply with their often-difficult lifestyles. The daev cannot afford to be kind, as the threats they face below have hardened them.
This is all true, but not the whole of the truth. For every vain elf abusing the benefits of years and station, two or three others would gladly ostracize the abuser. Forever every cruel daev slaver, there are a dozen daev furious at the mistreatment of those who should have sworn to serve by choice alone, on strictly limited terms. Wood elves never abandon the disabled nor those who offer contrition for failures or sins. But is a majority of virtue enough if their ways of life can harm so many?
No. Such strict conformity comes at a great expense, one many can’t afford to pay. This remains true in the capital of Galastaire, the high seas, the deep Wilds, or anywhere else. Perhaps the Ways can work for everyone, but that ideal society will require the open-eyed efforts of every participant.
Remove these ads. Join the Worldbuilders Guild
Comments