Silvani

The gifts of the silvani are found in the wilds as one would expect of a people who are called the children of the green. These elves undergo a ceremony known as Rooting at various times during their long lives beginning when they have weathered each of the seasons in the land. This ceremony varies in its details throughout the Urth, but it binds the silvani to the local living spirits of the land. The Rooting makes the land home to the child of the green and the creatures therein recognize the silvani as one of their own. Silvani that spend too long outside of their lands feel the call to return grow with each passing season until they choose to Uproot, where the silvani gives up their bond. Some do this for a brief time so that they may perform a Rooting in new lands, some are more permanent. Similar lands will often assuage the pull of the Rooting as their spirits help to calm the longing of the silvani, but even the most familiar land cannot completely satiate the spirit of a Rooted silvani. The loss of their Rooting is traumatic for a silvani, even if it is voluntary. Prolonged Uprooting can cause silvani to give into melancholy, despair or worse.   The Rooting is the central part of silvani society and the welfare of the lands that silvani use to Root are vigorously protected. There are tales of silvani communities dying off due to the corruption of their Roots. It is for this reason that silvani keep many gardens, groves, and farms in their communities. Animal companions are plentiful in these communities as are structures that are more grown than made. Silvani homes are meticulously prepared using only what is found in the area and can take years or decades to shape. Communities normally have what they call a Greenhearth, a plant or grove that acts as a center of the community. Care of a greenhearth is a source of pride and honor among the children of the green. The larger the community the larger the plant or grove. Homes often possess a smaller and more personal version of these greenhearths. In fact, when new members join the community, it is tradition for the community to give the new members their first greenhearth. As one may expect, births are a cause of celebration for the silvani. When silvani seeks to grow their family, a bundle of seeds wrapped in leaves are added to the greenhearth. If the plant takes and none of the existing greenhearth falls ill or dies, then it is seen as a sign that the land is healthy, and that the family or community will grow. This planting is known as the Welcoming and it is done before any Rooting ceremonies.   When silvani call upon their Timeless Skill, they often experience glimpses of other times and silvani who were once tied to the same land where they are currently Rooted.