Abundance Forest

The Abundance Forest is a forest located in the Thoracic Region of Siarvald. Its name refers to the fact that this particular forest has unusually high amounts of both flora and fauna; many animals live there, and some species of plants or trees only exist in this particular forest. Some fruits and trees tend to grow especially large in this forest as well.

The Abundance Forest and the Elves

A variety of sun elves and high elves dwelve within the Abundance Forest, and constitute the majority of its "population". The ancient deals struck between Vah'dis and the inhabitants of the forest state that the elves can mostly do what they want with the Abundance Forest, and that control of the wood trade from this forest would be left up to them.   Of course, this means that the elves have enjoyed an incredible amount of freedom within their forest, though they have mostly kept to themselves. They take care of the flora and fauna within, and hold the monsters there at bay. Because of the deals struck with Vah'dis, they do not pay taxes to the Kingdom, but have other trade agreements with it, which are favorable for both sides; the Kingdom gets the wood that it requires so much of, and elves get access to commodities not often found in a forest (like steel or iron).  

Civilization

While sun elves and high elves can be found throughout the Abundance Forest, their culture and civilization is effectively the same, and they consider themselves to be one big community. While some opt to strive for perfection (see "Culture" below) alone, most have actually gathered in a village named Foirfe (foh-EER-feh), which is Elvish for "Perfection". In this document, "Elves of Foirfe" is effectively interchangeable with "Elves of the Abundance Forest".  

Culture

The culture of the elves of Foirfe is a bit particular, especially considering the rigid mindset of most people in Siarvald. The elves have been allowed to flourish and be free, which has caused their culture to evolve and change in unusual ways.   Notably, the elves of the Abundance Forest value strength above all. This does not mean just physical strength, but overall strength; body, soul, and mind. They strive towards perfection, but by their definition, the end goal of that pursuit is reaching the "perfect self". This search is best summarized by the translation of an old saying of theirs: "These four things you must pursue: a Body of strong Earth; a Mind of flowing Water; a Soul of passionate Fire; a Life of free Air".   Because the elves live in a community and understand that not everybody is "built" in the same way, it is widely considered that nobody can actually incarnate the "perfect self". This is especially true because the "perfect self" can actually be interpreted differently depending on the person - and all such interpretations are considered valid by the elves. This does not mean that they have stopped striving and working towards that ideal, however. They also value the unity of the community, but not above their own, personal freedom. It is often a delicate balance to strike for them.   While they are fairly understanding of everyone's individual search for the "perfect self", if there's one thing the elves of Foirfe hate, it's laziness. One can always expect to see them working busily or playing one of their self-improvement games (see "Games And Competitions" below). Some even seek to maximize their already-low trancing time by drawing up complex interpretations of them or putting them into esoteric paintings.   Furthermore, most understand that the pursuit of the "perfect self" is pointless if one were to cheat, using tools or factors that do not stem from their own efforts and training. Therefore, the use of performance-enhancing drugs, magic, or magic items is widely frowned upon and, if one were to be caught using such things more than once, can be grounds for exile from their community.  

Games And Competitions

The search for the "perfect self" is best represented by the various games that the elves of Foirfe partake in. "Games" is the term used in this document, but it is also a misrepresentation of the truth. The elves take these "games" very seriously, as they allow them to compare themselves to their fellows, estimate their own weaknesses, and learn how to solve them to strive for even greater perfection. They are games, competitions, training, and self-care all at the same time.   As one could guess, the games of the elves of the Abundance Forest focus on improving, or proving, one's strength. In this document, the games are divided in three categories: "Body" for physical contests, "Mind" for intellectual contests, and "Soul" for philosophical contests. At any one time, be it early morning or midnight, visitors can expect to see one (or more) game of each category currently taking place in Foirfe.     Body:

• Wrestling
• Sparring
• Body-building
• Strongman contest
• Jousting
• Martial arts
• Dexterity games such as complex "ball mazes"

Mind:

• Chess
• Mathematical challenges
• Memory games and quizzes, often involving knowledge dating back hundreds of years
• Magic competitions

Soul:

• Painting
• Sculpting
• Singing and Dancing
• Philosophical debates
• Poetry contests
• Trance interpretation
  • When trancing, elves are known to receive strange visions, often believed to be of past lives. This particular can very much only be played by elves, and focuses on the creative interpretation of said visions.

Religion

The elves of the Abundance Forest, for the most part, do not pay worship to the Siarvaldan pantheon. Instead, they worship beings they call Spirits, and who supposedly dwell amongst them, watching over the elves as they work, play, and compete. These Spirits are said to be what gives the Abundance Forest its, well, abundance of flora and fauna.