Elves of the Gnarley Forest

Protectors of the Enchanted Wood
Four kindreds keep the long watch in the Gnarley: Sherendyl, Meldarin, Fealefel, and Enlanefel. Bound to the Seldarine and to living oaths sworn in wood, they steward ley-marked forest, share patrol calendars with trusted allies, and negotiate—warily—with human polities on the fringes. Two centuries ago Celene tasked elven settlers to hold this wood and guide its balance; that charge still frames clan identity today.

Elven Settlement

The Fey Queen's Charge

The Gnarley is a vast belt of dense woodland and wooded hills, tied by old trails to Verbobonc, Dyvers, the Welkwood, and the Wild Coast. Ancient quarters hold palpable magic; treants and faerie folk ward the deepest groves. Most elven communities are arboreal villages shaped from living trees, seldom visible to non-elves; notable exceptions incorporate stone where terrain demands.

Almost 200 years ago, the Fey Queen of Celene tasked a group of elves to settle in the Gnarley Forest and defend it from human exploitation while promoting the elven way of life. They followed ley lines of power to an area suffused with magic, shaping their homes from living trees and creating a sanctuary that denies all but those of elven blood. These Elves of Greyhawk abide by the "Code of the People," an oath of communal fellowship that blends socialistic principles with nobility. The practice of finding a thiramin, or soulmate, from outside one’s clan further fosters unity among the four clans.

Signature seats (by clan):

• Clan Meldarin — Alaeduri (Harmonious Dells): twin dells and a confluence of small streams; the Temple of Ehlenestra, Leaflord tree-temples, and the Besh’norin (Oath Oak) anchor civic life. Distances from Alaeduril are fixed in clan lore: ~16 miles WSW of Shelleton, ~30 miles west of the Fern Groves, ~20 miles north of Namburil; the watercourse continues past the Wailing Halls, the plain west of Narwell, and Castle Mastryne before sinking under the Welk verge.
• Clan Sherendyl — Düalarn, the Hidden Fortress: a lakeside ring-village on Lake Nuralin with extensive tunnel galleries, granaries, and armories concealed in the surrounding hills; the settlement can shelter the entire clan in crisis.
• Clan Fealefel — Durvanai (Twilight Trees): canopy city among colossal deklo trees, veiled by faerie wards; seat of the Council of Wizards and guardian of unstable ley crossings.
• Clan Enlanefel — Oakvein: a 240-foot living fortress at the Welkwood verge; stronghold of the Loremasters and a center for memory-lore and sacred relics.
• Foundation: Tasked by the queen Yolande, Her Fey Majesty of Celene to defend the forest and promote the elven way of life.
• Settlement Location: The elves followed ley lines of power to an area suffused with magic.

Society, Law & Custom

Elven villages blend mixed-clan households with arboreal craft; homes are grown, not built. The “Code of the People” prizes communal stewardship, oath-keeping, and the thiramin custom (choosing soulmates outside one’s own clan) to bind kindreds. Markets of peace run by priesthoods enforce daylight trade, no slaver coin, and clean hunting.

Governance. Forest-wide policy is shaped by council moots among clan leaders; day-to-day law remains with each clan’s traditions (magocratic, loremaster-led, or confederational). In Meldarin lands, oaths sworn at the Besh’norin carry binding force; in Sherendyl, readiness law and tunnel-shelter protocols are paramount; Fealefel regulates planar research; Enlanefel sets ritual precedence.

Faith of the Seldarine

The Gnarley’s piety centers on The Seldarine — The Elven Pantheon, notably Corellon, Sehanine, Rillifane, Ehlonna/Ehlenestra, and (in Fealefel) Labelas. Rites blend stewardship with civic peace: hunt-limits and coppice plans (Rillifane), sanctuary and market law (Ehlenestra), moonlit oaths and passages (Sehanine), and artistic service to community (Corellon).

External Relationships

• Celene, Faerie Kingdom of. Enduring cultural loyalty; Sherendyl advocates formal realignment, Meldarin favors local compacts, Fealefel liaises through High Mages, Enlanefel sends counsel more than troops.
• Verbobonc, Viscounty (City & Viscounty). Wary pragmatism; shared patrol deconfliction and bonded markets; elven demands center on strict cutting and hunting limits and policing of bandit/cult traffic near Nulb.
• Dyvers, Free Lands of. Trade is useful; logging ambitions are not. Sherendyl keeps a hard watch on the western forest road and Dyversian factors.
• The Gnarley Rangers & Old Faith. Close professional cooperation—shared calendars, oaths of sanctuary, and joint responses to raids, poachers, and cults. Rangers remain human-majority but include many half-elves and maintain neutral bridges among factions.
• The Wild Coast & Nulb. Persistent sources of slaver coin and cult logistics; Meldarin and Fealefel coordinate cordons and ward-stones along vulnerable approaches.
• Mounted Borderers, Verbobonc: Professional allies with different priorities—Borderers guard borders and roads; elves guard canopy and oaths. Cooperation is common, friction is periodic, results are effective.
• How They Work Together
• Patrol Deconfliction: Regular crossings on inner trails; courtesy protocols keep steel sheathed and reports exchanged.
• Joint Ops: Elves scout/fix; Borderers strike/pursue—used against bandits, slavers, raiders, and forest defilers.
• Intel Flow: Elves share only need-to-know (surge signs, poacher routes, cult spoor). Borderers feed sightings from Twilight Falls and Humming’s End.

Current Pressures (576–579 CY)

• Temple of Elemental Evil activity & bandit resurgence stress southern patrols and markets. Meldarin pushes oath-bound compacts with human settlements to curb road predation.
• Dyvers timber appetites drive political friction on the northwestern fringe; Sherendyl argues for firmer enforcement and reserves.
• Planar and necromantic scars (Fealefel ley anomalies; the Runeoak taint near Alaeduril) require rotating cordons and ritual maintenance.

Gnarley Ranger Knight by 3orcs

Play Aids for DMs

Travel Facts from Alaeduril (Meldarin): Shelleton ~16 miles ENE/WSW; Fern Groves ~30 miles east; Namburil ~20 miles south; same stream then passes the Wailing Halls, plain west of Narwell, and Castle Mastryne before sinking in the Welk. Use these mileposts to stage patrols, ambushes, and bonded caravan escorts.

Common Laws in Elven Markets: daylight trade only; no open flame; slaver coin barred; cutting writs matched to replanting quotas; sanctuary (usually three nights) under priestly oversight.

Allied Calls & Signals: moon-bells and bird-cant codes used across Rangers and elves; shared by treaty during joint operations.

Politics and Motivation

Vigilance Amid Encroaching Threats

Governance among the Gnarley elves revolves around the Council of Clans and the noble families. The Council resolves disputes, organizes defenses, and ensures loyalty to Celene, while the nobles oversee regional matters. Their motivations focus on protecting the Gnarley from defilers, preserving elven traditions, and maintaining alignment with Celene. Despite differences among the clans, they remain united in defending their sacred groves.

• Council of Clans: Highest governing body that resolves disputes and organizes defenses.
• Clan Nobility: Noble families wield significant influence over regional matters.

Motivations

• Forest Protection: Protect the Gnarley from defilers and maintain natural balance.
• Tradition Preservation: Uphold elven traditions and the Code of the People.
• Celene Loyalty: Ensure that the Gnarley remains aligned with Celene’s interests.

Conclusion

The Elves of the Gnarley Forest remain vigilant protectors of their enchanted home. United by the Code of the People and their unwavering loyalty to Celene, they guard the forest against defilers and maintain the delicate balance between magic, nature, and tradition. Despite human encroachment, the four clans continue to thrive, weaving their stories into the ever-changing tapestry of the Gnarley.

Code of the People

Elves fall what is called the Code of the People and it's a very much an oath of communal fellowship (in legal practice and in song!). They are somewhere on the border of political communism and socialism with one exception. I would point to the Federation in Star Trek for being a close example. The big exception comes in from their nobility by birth society. So while they are very social oriented, they also are not equal on a clan level. Individual wealth and ownership are rare as most of it resides under the familial clan unit, which is often guided by a scion of the house to varying degrees. Judgement is handled by the Coronal or high ranking noble depending on the case. Most Elves tend to be more rehab minded when it comes to such things, but death is possible. Fines are possible, but most punishments tend to be social in nature, like being stripped of social rank (which borderlines on being a currency of its own), exiled from that city, banishment from all elven realms, and so forth.