Elves, Wode¶
Children of the Sylvan Celestials and masters of the elf-haunted wilds for which they are named, wode elves see all forests as their domain by birthright. They know and enjoy their reputation among humans for snatching children who wander too far into the woods. In their eyes, humans should fear the trees.
Wode elves' natural ability to mask their presence, called glamor, complements their guerrilla fighting style, letting them strike quickly from cover and then meld back into the underbrush. These traits also make those few wode elves who dwell in cities naturally adept at urban warfare.
Heart of the Wode¶
The primary value of wode elf culture is respect and reverence for their home, the wode in which they live. They speak of the wode as though it is alive and conscious, dangerous and delightful. Wode elves are receptive to strangers who respect the land upon which they trespass. However, those who seek to harm the wilds ruin their only chance of treating peacefully with the wode's beating heart.
Wodeworking¶
Wode elves practice a secret technique to use the trees of the wode to craft materials as strong as metal, and to create magical plant creatures that serve them, including the wodenelgs, their trusted mounts. To breathe life into these creations, the wode elves lift their voices in song. The more intricate the song, the more durable and autonomous the creation becomes. A wodenelg's rider is typically also its singer, creating a connection between the two that lasts a lifetime.
Legends tell of ancient beings, older than the forests themselves, sung to life by an entire wode elf civilization joined in sixteen-part harmony. These beings outlived their creators, and if they truly exist, they now roam the world as unknown and unknowable guardians who answer to nothing but their final set of instructions.
Sylvan Surveillance¶
The wode elves' natural connection to the wode allows them to stay aware of the forest's goings-on while inside it. This isn't a telepathic connection, but rather a great understanding of every corner of the wode and a hypersensitivity to changes within it. The stench of a badly set campfire, the sudden squawk of a raven, the forced march of a hungry ant colony: all of this information comes together to form a wode elf's understanding of their surroundings.
A wode elf develops this sense for their home over time, meaning that a wode elf who lives in an urban environment has just as much understanding of the streets, alleys, and structures of their neighborhood as their cousin in the forest does of the deer paths, streams, and trees.
Blightless Ambition¶
Not all wode elves are happy to negotiate with peaceful interlopers in their realms. Some groups view even the very presence of such intruders as a direct threat to their way of life. One group of hunters known as the Blightless searches the forest for trespassing mortals, seeking to eliminate their potential threat by any means possible. Overzealous and aggressive, the Blightless also focus on expanding their home's boundaries, attacking civilizations close to the forest's edge. Because Blightless attacks constitute the majority of mortal interaction with the wode elves, they set the tone for mortal perception of an otherwise peaceful people.
Chirurgeons¶
When wode elves in combat control the terrain, their primary strategy is divide and conquer. Chirurgeons (kai-RUR-jinz) are master strategists who enact their picture-perfect plans in the thick of battle. Enemies will never know how many wode elves they truly face if the crafty chirurgeon can help it.
Warleader¶
The warleader of a wode elf court is usually their finest tactician. One warleader alone can command dozens of squadrons across miles of forest with such precision that they can appear to predict an enemy's movements without ever laying an eye on them. In times of peace, a warleader's role is primarily that of teacher—a mentor who scouts and soldiers regard almost as an additional parent.
The wode elves send their warleaders into battle only if the situation is dire. Characters who encounter one should be flattered, for the presence of a warleader means the wode elves consider the heroes a formidable threat.
Wode Elf Languages¶
Most wode elves speak Caelian and Yllyric.
one of the following features.
Wode Elf Tactics¶
Wode elves are at their most powerful in dense and vertical battlefields and tend to bait attackers into disadvantageous fights with false retreats and hidden reinforcements. Not only does this allow them to make full use of their proficiency in concealment and cover but also lets them utilize their climbing skills to gain height advantages. While they prefer taking fights into the deep woods, the elves settle for urban or mountainous areas if the only other option is a wide-open space.
Wode elves are highly mobile and adept at hindering their enemies. A common tactic is to unleash their panoply of slowing and restraining abilities on melee-oriented opponents while harassing ranged combatants with teleports and surprise attacks from off-angles.
Wode Elf Sample Encounters
- Scout Patrol, 23 EV: Four lookouts, eight scouts, one chirurgeon, one green seer
- Blightless Militia, 32 EV: Eight yeomen, eight runners, one druid, one greenskeeper, one sentry
- Hawkeye Cavalry, 48 EV: Three gweiadur, three wodenelg Reclaimer Force, 74 EV: Sixteen yeomen, sixteen scouts, one guerrilla, one druid, two greenskeepers, one warleader
Wode Elf Chirurgeon
- Wild AxMain actionSignature
- The Wode Protects UsManeuver3 Malice
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Druid
- Entangling VinesMain actionSignature
- The Wode Protects UsManeuver3 Malice
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Green Seer
- The Forest's EmbraceMain actionSignature
- The Natural CycleManeuver3 Malice
- Foreseen PunishmentFree triggered action
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Greenskeeper
- Growing LongswordMain actionSignature
- OvergrowthManeuver3 Malice
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Guerrilla
- Splinter DaggerMain actionSignature
- Do Not Hesitate in the WodeFree triggered action3 Malice
- Into the GreenTrait
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Gweiadur
- Snare BowMain actionSignature
- You Activated My Trap!Maneuver3 Malice
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Lookout
- LongbowMain actionSignature
- There!Trait
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Runner
- SpearMain actionSignature
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Scout
- DaggersMain actionSignature
- Into the GreenTrait
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Sentry
- Tracer LongbowMain actionSignature
- Death BlossomManeuver2 Malice
- Masking GlamorTrait
Wode Elf Warleader
- WodebladeMain actionSignature
- Fairness Is a Human ConceptManeuver5 Malice
- Wode SicknessTriggered action
- End EffectTrait
- Into the GreenTrait
- Masking GlamorTrait
- You Will All Witness my BladeVillain Action 1
- Suppressing VolleyVillain Action 2
- Is It Now or Is It Then?Villain Action 3