The Elven Persona
As with all races, there is considerable flexibility in creating the personality of an elf. There are, however, certain
traits which are common to all elves, and are primary to elven nature - and thus, should be kept in mind when
filling out your character. They are: the tribe (or social group, no matter how small), wandering, thievery, distrust,
pride, and the riding (or lack thereof!) of mounts. There is no considerable difference between the traits of city
elves and desert elves.
Do All Elves Need to Belong to a Tribe?
No; almost all elves that dwell in the desert belong to a tribe, for there is a dependency upon trusted ones for
survival. In the city, however, elves may lose their parents (and thus their heritage) much more easily, and will
then be left without a tribe. These elves without a tribe lead shiftless lives, never committing themselves greatly to
any cause but those that may benefit themselves.
If you have decided to design your own tribe from scratch, there are a number of things you will need to include.
You should have most of the detail completed before you start playing your character; and in general, the more
detail you have, the better. While a daunting task, you should seek to describe your tribe in sufficient detail such
that it becomes a living, breathing entity - something you can clearly picture in your head, and something which
your character belongs to; not just a few slang words that they use.
Of course, how much effort you put into this is
up to you. At the very least, your tribe will need a name, and some history. Where did you come from? Northlands
or southlands? Most elven tribes are nomadic - but within a given range of land. What is this range for your tribe?
Or do they roam across the whole world? Or have they settled down in one spot? Some tribes, especially those
predominant in the cities, have given up their nomadic roots. When did this happen? Why? Elves are inherently
nomadic (see below), so there should be a good reason for it. Additionally, a nomadic culture has certain
characteristics, while a non-nomadic culture has others. How many generations ago your tribe gave up its
wanderings will dictate how much of its nomadic characteristics it has lost. How does this affect your tribe?
Now
you might want to add more detail. Elven tribes, especially highly nomadic ones, evolve their own dialects of
allundean. What are some slang words that characterize your dialect? What crafts is your tribe known for? What
drinks does your tribe like? What are your tribe's colors? Who are its enemies? Who are its allies? Why? Create
some rituals for your tribe - mating rituals, death rituals, birth rituals, marriage rituals, murder rituals, hunting
rituals. Anything that fleshes out your tribe is good.
What Does Being a Tribal Elf Mean?
Once you have established your elf's tribe, you have to understand what that means. Yes, a tribe gives a
certain history, and a certain culture to your elf. But it does more than that.
Elves, all elves, are deathly
loyal to their tribe, if they should belong to one. You can almost attribute a sort of 'hive mind' to elves, in
that most of them consider the welfare of their tribe above their own personal welfare. An elf would tell
you that they would give up their own life without hesitation to protect or serve their tribe. Not all of them
have that much willpower, but all of them wish they did, and certainly all of them will claim they do.
Elves
also naturally trust their tribemates. They know that every elf in their tribe feels the same loyalty they do
- so they have a strong ingrained trust and even reliance upon all of their kin. To act in a harmful way
against a tribemate is an unthinkable act in an elven tribe. But a caveat - some tribal cultures are harsh,
what is "harmful" to you or me may not be considered serious harm to them; and also, if one elf is seen to
be acting in a way that harms the tribe as a whole, to be harmful to that individual (to protect the tribe) is
absolutely warranted. As a general rule, a harmful act against a tribemate would be one that betrays them
to an outsider - this would be the ultimate crime of an elven nation. Sometimes harmful acts occur entirely
within the structure of the tribe which are important for the strength of the tribe as a whole - these are not
truly harmful, to an elf.
Finally, all elven tribes have an "us and them" philosophy of the world. As elf
sees their tribemates as being essential to their self-image - they are part of a tribe more than they are an
individual. Similarly, elves see anyone not of their tribe as being a complete outsider. This extends even to
other elves and other elven tribes. While the history or philosophy of your tribe may indicate a certain
respect for certain outsider groups - particularly other tribes... this is the exception and not the rule. There
is no reason why an elf would feel any closer to an elf from another tribe than they would to a human or
dwarf. Indeed, elven tribes war among each other as much, or more, than they war with other races.
What Does Not Being a Tribal Elf Mean?
While elves who are born and raised within the culture their tribe provides them, those who are born
without a tribe (or lose their tribe, for whatever reasons) adopt a new mentality. Tribal elves have a strong
sense of their family, meaning that as an individual they usually feel themselves as an extension or a
working gear in the system that is their tribe. Elves who are without tribes have a strong sense of self, and
generally their own presence will replace that of the tribe. Tribal elves have a strong distrust for outsiders,
tribeless elves have a strong distrust for generally everyone. While tribal elves have an "us and them"
philosophy, tribeless elves have a "me and them" philosophy.
Why Are Elves Often Nomadic?
Elves are nomadic people by nature. It is ingrained in both their culture and their personality. Elves do not
like to stay in one place for too long. Some try to explain this by saying they stay out of trouble that way,
or because most are hunters and gatherers, or because they love to run... but elves are simply nomadic by
nature. Clearly, this is a trait that is more prevalent in some tribes than in others. And equally certainly, the
idea of a city elf seems to be a contradiction in terms. But it isn't.
The elven population in cities is in a state
of constant flux, as various tribes move in and out, die off, go into hiding, move into other parts of the
city, or otherwise simply move. Very few tribes have actually settled absolutely into a given place, and
those that have will feel a need to extend their influence as far as possible. For tribes in the wilderness, this
will likely mean a semi-nomadic lifestyle, where there is a permanent encampment, but significant numbers
of their tribe will wander over a large area of land, laying claim to it. (obviously a situation which leads to
territorial disputes) For city-dwelling tribes, this redirection of nomadic instincts can be more subtle -
domination of the other elven tribes nearby, great wealth, presence in every city; the nature of this will vary
from tribe to tribe, but will universally add to the problems they cause for the rest of the occupants of the
city.
Why Do Elves Steal?
In elven culture, a gifted thief is given the same respect as a gifted artisan would be given in a human
culture. In this sense, robbery is considered a precious skill among elves - it is something to be cultivated,
something to hope your children possess, something which you yourself strive after, and the reason you
look up to those more gifted than you. A clever pickpocket is indeed a fine example of an elven thief - but
there is so much more to the art.
Con-artists of any sort are thieves. Muggers are thieves, albeit less subtle
ones. Even traders are thieves - indeed, many elves consider trading to be just a sophisticated form of
theft. This makes many elves become merchants, but they tend to be the least scrupulous merchants
around. An elven merchant will try to get much more for their wares than they think they deserve, because
this is the basis of the theft. But of course, a clever customer might bargain his way into paying less than
what the wares are worth, in which case the elf would think that they had been stolen from - a great
source of angst for an elf! This makes elven merchants go to no ends to make sure that the customer never
gets what he or she paid for.
The elf does not consider the theft to be the breaking of a law (although they do
understand human laws, on an intellectual level); theft is not desirable because it is a form of rebellion for
an elf, not because it makes them superior, and not because it increases their wealth (although the latter two
may sometimes be true). Theft is desirable simply because it is. If an elf sees something that belongs to
someone else, and provides moderate challenge for them, they want to take it - simply for the sake of
taking it. They may even discard it later. They may never tell a soul about it (although because of the
respect it garners, they would tell tribemates or those in their tribeless social circle). They simply take it for
the sake of the act itself.
Now, one way that theft is not like art for elves is that all elves love it. This
might help you understand how elven society perceives theft. Imagine the great respect given for a prodigy
of sculpting in human cultures. Think of the great pieces of art that you are familiar with, and how the
name of the artist that crafted them has survived the centuries. Now imagine if everyone was a sculptor.
Everyone in the whole world wanted to be a sculptor. Everyone loved sculpture. Everyone was jealous of
the better sculptors, and got self-worth because of worse sculptors, and sculpture is how you defined your
society. Now try to imagine how much esteem would be given to a great sculptor. That is how it is with
theft among elves. But theft is more than simply stealing a pouch of coins off of a passing noble's belt. To
an elf, theft is: "Taking anything that would not be given if the possessor knew all of the facts." So you
can see that elven thievery can include as many situations as your imagination can conjure - even spies and
assassins can be thieves.
A final note on thievery must be made: an elf would never steal from a tribemate! As mentioned above, an
elf identifies entirely with their tribe, it would make no sense at all for them to steal from it. Theft from a
tribemate would be considered an immense crime among elves.
Who Do Elves Trust?
All elves have an inborn distrust of anyone and everyone outside of their tribe or social circle. An elf gifted
with the presence of a tribe would have an "us" versus "them" mentality. An elf who is born without a
tribe would, because they has no-one else to identify with, have an overwhelming "me" versus "them"
mentality. The "them" to elves is outsiders, everyone who is not part of the tribe, the individual, or the
trusted social circle. As much as elves have an enhanced sense of cohesion for their own tribe, they have a
decreased sense of it for outsiders! The word paranoia is perhaps not too strong to define how elves see
outsiders.
Even if outsiders are seen to belong to other groups that squabble among each other, an elf will
never think of it along those lines. While understanding the difference between a Reynolte and an Oash
intellectually, an elf will always see them as simply part of the amorphous chaos which is "outsiders."
Because of this, outsiders can never be initially be trusted. Just as an elf desires to steal from outsiders, so
do they fear that every outsider is just waiting for the chance to take everything from them. In every
interaction, an elf will be wary of that possible moment when everyone turns on them. An outsider's
actions can never be innocent - elves will be constantly searching an outsider for attempts to manipulate the
elf or their social circle. For an outsider to earn the trust of an elf is extremely difficult.
A common practice among elves is that of "testing." Because an elf fears that the outsider is just looking
for an opportunity to harm them, the only way to prove otherwise is to present that opportunity.
Obviously, such testing will start small. The elf will create tiny controlled situations where the outsider is
given the chance to steal from or harm the elf or their social circle in a way that would not be too dangerous
or serious. If the outsider passes this test (by not taking the opportunity, of course!) then the elf will test
them again, only the situation will be slightly more dangerous or serious. This cycle of testing can
continue, sometimes for years, and the final tests are often life-threatening for both the elf and the
outsider. In the end, it is possible to gain the trust of an elf, by passing these complex tests; but because
of the paranoid nature of elves, it is difficult. Most elves will not jump at the opportunity to test every
outsider they meet. Obviously, even the first test can result in some harm and shame for the elf - which is
not desirable. Generally, elves will only begin this testing if they have a good reason or need to trust the
outsider. Testing outsiders for elves who are members of a tribe is not commonplace, but for city elves
without a tribe this testing can occur quite often. Both cultures embrace the testing mentality, but tribeless
city elves -- who are quite often without worthy companions of their own -- will find that the testing of
outsiders needs to take place more often. Without some form of companionship (whether it be someone to
keep their eyes and ears out for the elf, or the shopkeeper on the corner store who sells the elf food) life for
a tribeless city elf is difficult. When it does occur, the nature of these tests can vary extraordinarily, and
should depend very much on the personality and background of your elf and their tribe.
How Does All This Affect The Elven Personality?
From all that has been said, it should be clear that elves are a proud people. But this pride is not
something that simply springs from their distrust of outsiders of their sense of tribal community. All elves
have a solid genetic disposition to be extremely proud, it is something that cannot be ignored. The nature
of this pride, and how it manifests itself in the actions of your character, are what you should determine
when you are creating their personality - and they can show a lot of variability. But you have to be aware
that all elves are very proud, and that it has to have some impact on how they act.
As a general rule, the
pride of elves makes them very sensitive to the amount of respect given them by both their tribemates and
outsiders. In the case of outsiders, this will make elves very observant of how they are treated, and give
them very long memories. Elves will remember even the smallest insult, and it will affect them for
perhaps the rest of their lives. The theme of revenge often plays a large role in the lives of elves, because
they are so sensitive, and so proud - many elves see revenge as the only way to regain the lost pride caused
by an insult. The extent of the insult will determine the extent of the revenge, but most elves decide to
inflict more damage with the revenge that was done by the insult: thus making them the "winners of the
pride race." Because of the long memory elves have for such things, thoughts of revenge can continue for
years and years before the opportunity prevents itself. Similarly, if someone treats an elf with respect and
even gifts, this will be playing to their strong sense of pride, and will likely make them more favorable
towards you. Of course, because of the paranoid nature of elves, this is not always the case.
This pride also plays a role in a tribal elf's relationship with their tribemates. Because the pride makes elves
overly sensitive to both insults and compliments, social pressure tends to be a large factor in the politics of
a tribe. While insults and compliments can lead to revenge, paranoia, and perceived flattery when they
come from outsiders; from tribemates they indicate a sense of social standing - the emotions created by the
insults cannot be turned towards revenge, so they instead become turned inward to portray identity within
the tribe. When more tribemates respect an individual, that individual becomes more important, and the
respect (or lack thereof) that that individual exhibits becomes more influential - and vice versa. The extent
of this, and how it interacts with political structure, can vary from tribe to tribe
Why do Elves Never Ride Mounts?
The mixture of pride, nomadic tendencies, and the natural ability to run makes all elves ridicule the riding
of mounts. To rely upon another beast to carry one around is considered an extreme sign of weakness
among elves (even more than the inability to steal!). Even at the point of exhaustion, and when it comes to
life and death situations, an elf would never admit to riding a mount. Now, this isn't a biological certainty -
but rather a social standard that has been very deeply ingrained in all elves. So it is conceivable that if
riding a mount would save an elf's life, that he would do it. But this act would be the most shameful thing
that could be committed. Never again could such an elf have the respect of their tribemates. Even in the
rare case of old age and in sickness, elves would refuse to ride about on a mount.
It is sometimes said that
most elves forgive the riding of mounts by other races, but this isn't entirely true. While they realize that it
is customary for some other races to ride mounts, they still perceive it as a sign of weakness. It usually
doesn't change much, however, as the pride and tribal nature of elves makes them think of others as weak
to begin with. This aversion to beasts of burden does not extend to pack animals. Most elves have always,
and always will rely upon all manner of beasts to carry things around. Similarly, there is no aversion to
using beasts as a source of food, as work animals, or in just about any other function other than riding.
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