The Elves of the Laurlorn

By Tim Eccles, Alfred Nuez Jr. and Martin

Additional Bac!"round #y $yan %ileman

liver

Bac!"round
With the returning of the WFRP license to Games Workshop, the chance of the much-anticipated WFRP Elf sourcebook making its way to print was reduced to nil. t seemed that the creati!ity of "artin #li!er was destined to remain alone in his computer. $his same fate was shared by some of the work created by $im Eccles for the %aur&lorn El!es during the long gone, anarchical years of his youth. 'ome of the information made its way to the !enerable WFRP (rchi!es as an army list prior to the release of the WF)* Wood Elf army book. $his pro+ect is an attempt to bring elements of the two !iews together with additional material to pro!ide G"s and players of El!en characters with the background necessary to bring this little understood and detailed portion of the Empire to life. t also should be noted here that "artin #li!er,s efforts concentrated on the Wood El!es of the %oren Forest. Portions of his work ha!e been amended for the Wood Elf population in the northwestern corner of the Empire.

&ntroduction
-ompared to their kin in the enchanted %oren Forest of southwest )retonnia, the Wood El!es of the %aur&lorn Forest are little known. $his is surprising gi!en that the %aur&lorn El!es are not .uite as secreti!e as their more numerous kin. n fact, the impression that most outsiders ha!e of the %aur&lorn El!es / who call themsel!es the %aur&lornalim / is from limited interaction from those El!es who decide to make their mark on the larger world. (ny assumptions based upon these chance meetings are likely to promote e!en further misunderstandings between the two races. (fter all, the indi!iduals who lea!e the sanctuary of the %aur&lorn Forest for the dangers of the wider world are hardly representati!e members of their former communities. $heir respecti!e outlook on life, no matter how !aried, is seen by their forested kin as 0not .uite right in the head and heart.1

'istory
The Be"innin" of the %ood Elves
#ne decision, one choice, determined the history of the Wood El!es. When Phoeni2 3ing -aradryel ga!e the order that the fine, proud cities of the #ld World were to be abandoned, he lost the hearts of thousands of settlers. $here were many who had ne!er seen 4lthuan, who had been born and raised in the colonies. Without warning, when the threat to their safety and tran.uillity was at its greatest, these citi5ens were issued an ultimatum6 abandon your homes and flee to 4lthuan, or remain, in peril of your !ery li!es. $he sense of shock, of betrayal, was incredible. Proud princes raged in the streets like madmen, railing against the shame of abandoning their lands. $he ordinary folk wept, filled with dread and grief at the prospect of lea!ing all the knew, taking only what they could carry, .ueuing like cattle to board the boats lea!ing from the harbours they had helped to build. (ll knew the risks of staying, but was life as a refugee, dead to the culture they had helped to build, any worse7 When the last boats sailed, many were left to wander the deserted streets of $ol (lessi, of 'ith Rionnasc,namishathir, of a do5en other once-proud colonies. (s their kin sailed for 4lthuan, many settlers gathered what they could and struck out for the remotest parts of the #ld World. $hey carried all they could, but the greatest weight for each was the sense of betrayal they carried in their hearts. $hey would ha!e no more to do with the Phoeni2 3ing. $hey would ha!e no more to do with 4lthuan. (s they left their comfortable homes for li!es of hardship and suffering, they !owed that they would ne!er, e!er rely on anyone again. #f those few that remained in their cities, none sur!i!ed. 'uch rich pickings were soon pillaged and ransacked by #rcs, demolished by 8warfs or humbled by the !andalism of the 8ark El!es. $hose hundreds who ga!e up all hope and moti!ation, who lost the will to mo!e on and stayed in their homes, also ga!e up their li!es. 9ot one was left ali!e at the ne2t wa2ing of the moon.

The Laurlornalim
4nlike the :igh El!es, Wood El!es attach no great importance to dates and chronologies. $heir history is handed down to them through songs, tales and dances, passed on through an oral tradition which !alues moti!e and conse.uence o!er fact and figure. $here are no Wood El!en historians; the closest they ha!e are the minstrels and storytellers who recount the ancient tales that shaped their culture.

$his !iew is further e2emplified by the fact that few people know how the %aur&lornalim came to the %aur&lorn Forest. 'cholars ac.uainted with the history of the Wood El!es of the %oren assume that the %aur&lorn El!es are the descendants of the %ost 3indred, who left their kindred in search of their much-lo!ed and now e2tinct Wythel $rees. 'ome speculated that the %aur&lornalim are an entirely different tribe of Wood El!es altogether gi!en some of their differences with the %oren El!es. $he earliest mention of the %aur&lornalim come from the oral myths of the $eutognens, as well as the isolated communities of #ld Faith worshippers found near the 'chadensumpf on the "iddenland<9ordland borders. (ncient rock art in this region depicts tall, lithe humanlike figures which are belie!ed to be some of the first depictions of the Wood El!es in the region. $hough warlike, the $eutognen tribe tended to stay away from the haunted woodland realm of the %aur&lornalim. t was not until the 9orsca in!asion of the =th century that the Wood El!es and humans clash o!er the forested lands. 'trife between the two races was intermittent and seldom e2panded beyond raiding and skirmishing. $he real strain came in the >?th century when 9orscan raiders led by :arald the Roarer took ad!antage of the weakened, plague-ra!aged land and in!aded the north-western portion of the Empire. $his in!ading group was more ambitious and determined than the earlier migration. $he pre!ious 9orse immigrants were o!erwhelmed in short-order and their leaders killed. :ungry for more land, :arald led his men into the deeper forests in order to e2pand the boundaries of the land he claimed. For generations, the 9orse battled the Wood El!es to no a!ail. $he %aur&lornalim had no intention of allowing further encroachment on their homeland and fought a defensi!e battle. n time, the martial energies of the 9orse were spent and they retreated in e2haustion from their failed endea!ours. $he outlying settlements of the %aur&lornalim were allowed to return to their natural state as the Wood El!es retreated further into their forest. $he e2panded buffer 5one between Elf and human became the ground upon which waywatchers and glade guardians constantly patrol to frighten off / or kill if necessary / any who !iolate the peace of the %aur&lorn. $he Great War against -haos forced the %aur&lornalim do alter their isolationist tendencies. $he threat of -haos incursion from the 'ea of -laws as well as increasing )eastmen acti!ity from the 8rak Wald Forest was enough to compel the El!es to establish +oint patrols with the humans in order to protect the borders of 9ordland. $his le!el of co-operation was not to last. 8espite "agnus the Pious, reaffirmation of the ancient treaty to which 'igmar agreed, the ambitious )arons of 9ordland co!eted the rich woodlands of the %aur&lorn. Growing distrust of humanity,s moti!es resulted in the %aur&lornalim retreat into the forest. 'till, a few wary tra!ellers continue to !enture into human lands in order to trade.

The Laurlorn
$his magnificent woodland is home to the %aur&lornalim. t is bordered by the Enchanted :ills in the north and stretches to the "isty :ills in the south. West of the great forest lies the Wasteland and to the east the mperial pro!ince of 9ordland. $he )aron of that pro!ince foolishly claims the %aur&lorn is a part of his domain and makes no secret of his intent to con.uer it some day in the near future. n contrast to the neighbouring and gloomy 8rak Wald Forest, the %aur&lorn is bright and li!ely. "any meadows are found within its borders and the deep forest is not as tangled with undergrowth. $he animals and plant life of the forest is e2tremely healthy and many of the !arious species that call the %aur&lorn home are larger than their kind that li!e elsewhere. $he ma+estic lornalim trees are found deep within the %aur&lorn. $he ma+ority of the Wood El!es settlements are situated on the limbs of these trees, well abo!e the forest floor. $he %aur&lorn is belie!ed to be home to mythical creatures / such as faeries, giant owls, unicorns and 5oats / as well as more mundane creatures that one typically finds in the woodlands. $here are also rumours of dryads and treemen li!ing among the %aur&lornalims as friends and allies. -reatures of -haos are not known to reside within the boundaries of the Wood Elf realm, though some may be found along the fringes bordering the human lands. #ther baneful creatures are also kept at bay by the power of the forest as well as the El!es. $he enchantment of the %aur&lorn creates magical illusions as a defence against intruders and can be called upon by ritual by any of the El!en mages and priests. $hese illusions consist of a !ariety of illusionist spells of increasing le!el of mastery with increasing forest depth. 'ome areas of the forest, the holy glades and the like, are also sentient due to the power of the El!en deities here and will acti!ely attack intruders, directly aiding the Wood El!es. t is e!en belie!ed that small animals con!ey constant reports on any in!aders to those indi!idual El!es gifted with the ability to con!erse with them. (s a final defence, the %aur&lornalim ha!e long grown and shaped trees and bushes ha!e grown together to form an impenetrable li!ing wall to protect their more !ulnerable settlements. $hese li!ing fortifications are generally used in con+unction with natural geographical features such as ditches, pits, streams and the like that will be fully utilised.

Laurlornalim (ettlements
"ost Wood El!en settlements are small affairs, comprising of between fifty and a hundred indi!iduals. 4nlike the small, isolated encla!es elsewhere in the deep forests of the Empire, those in the %aur&lorn are thri!ing. $hese follow the patterns established in the smaller

settlements and the (thel-%oren, forming a loose alliance of related kindreds who ha!e agreed to rule by a single shared council. $his means that all settlements follow the same basic pattern6 the Glade. $he term @Glade, is really a misnomer. Few settlements are actually based in a physical glade; instead, most are based around a central clearing, or around a tree which has special significance to the community. $raditionally, each community consisted solely of the members of one kindred. Wood El!es still talk as if this is true today, although the reality is that smaller kindreds may li!e alongside one another. 'tragglers and tra!ellers may also choose to dwell for a while amongst the related families. #pen spaces near the heart of the community are set aside for assembly meetings, gatherings, celebrations, and so on. $hese usually consist of little more than bare earth; people bring blankets if they wish to sit. Places are also set aside for stores to be kept. $hese, like the dwellings, ha!e been created by $reesingers, and are as often underground as they are in the trees. n this manner, stores are kept cool, making them less likely to spoil. Further out are the dwellings of the kindred. $hese are scattered around, with no particular rhyme or reason to their layout. n most settlements, these dwellings ha!e been created in the branches of trees by $reesingers, mages trained in the ways of shaping nature to meet the needs of the community. $hese indi!iduals begin by scaling a suitable tree, sometimes drawing out branches to use as a ladder as they climb, and then bend, shape and unite branches in order to form the structure of the dwelling. #!er a period of days, $reesingers use their nurturing magic to grow and wea!e branches to form the floor, ceiling and walls. For the most part, these dwellings consist of one room where people gather, eat, cook, sing, and so forth, and small rooms or alco!es which are used as sleeping .uarters and to store any personal effects. Guests in!ariably sleep in the common room, as do many Wood El!en children. $he rooms ha!e simple cloth hangings in the place of doors. $o keep out the wind, these will be pinned to the walls; similar arrangements are made for the windows. 9aturally, such houses are ill-suited for fires. n winter, small wood or coal fires are kindled in large metal bowls, and herbs or resins are often added in order to fill the house with pleasant aromas. $hese are placed on top of hea!y, dead wood, in order to protect the li!ing dwelling. $he chances of fires are small as the material of the dwelling is full of sap, thereby rendering the chances of a fire taking hold negligible. $hese fires do little to sta!e off the chill of mid-winter. (s the weather turns colder, furs and woollen clothing are broken out of storage and shared around. When houses become too cold, two or more families may mo!e in together. $his may make places cramped, but is an important way of keeping the houses warm enough for the El!es to sur!i!e in. f the wintry weather becomes particularly se!ere, the underground storerooms will be cleared out Aat this point, the free5ing weather will preser!e stores perfectly wellB, and the old, the young and the ill will be mo!ed down into these. Whilst they !iew the prospect of li!ing underground with re!ulsion, these rooms pro!e considerably easier to heat.

$he El!es, houses need constant tending if they are to remain habitable. $hose abandoned during the winter often need the attentions of a $reesinger come springtime. For the most part, though, these homes are !iewed as temporary structures, and it is common for families to mo!e about from year to year. 'ome families do without homes altogether, spending the summers li!ing an almost nomadic life in the land around the Glade, and sharing a home with others in the winter.

Laurlorn (ociety
%aur&lornalim society is best described as an organised anarchy, in which the rights of the indi!idual are paramount. $heir society is, howe!er, highly structured and many tiered. $o human eyes, it is impossibly comple2, ha!ing e!ol!ed o!er the millennia before human e2istence. -ompared with those of the :igh El!es, howe!er, the structure is !ery primiti!e and uncomplicated. ndi!idual independence is fundamental, and oneCs social standing is based upon intelligence, intuition, skill, prowess, etc. (ge and pre!ious e2perience are not guarantees of respect, though are likely to be allied to esteemed attributes and skills. %aur&lornalim society is based on a strong moral<ethical code that is inherent in all El!es and on a total openness and commitment to the community, possibly due to the impossibility of +ealousy in their non-materialistic culture. n effect, the principle of El!en society in the %aur&lorn is that one must fully understand the meaning of all rules and obligations, in order to then ignore them. (ll action will then be open to the indi!idual, but the conse.uential results will also be realised and the conse.uences accepted. El!en longe!ity and their easy pace of life allows for the e!olution of consensus that such a social system re.uires. 'ince El!es lo!e the discussion more than the outcome, all problems can be sol!ed by interaction. n war, howe!er, these lu2uries are not a!ailable.

)overnment and the *indreds

$hough to a lesser degree than the inhabitants of the %oren Forest, the %aur&lornalim are an insular, suspicious people. $heir tales of the ancient decree of the Phoeni2 3ing -aradryel remind them constantly of the failings of Princes and 3ings who ha!e lost touch with the feelings of their people. $hus, Wood El!en communities ha!e no go!ernments or royalty as their independent spirits rail against the prospect of some faceless indi!idual controlling their li!es. nstead, they operate more along the lines of an e2tended family. n fact, the human translation of the name El!es gi!e their communities is @kindred,. When problems arise which are beyond the ability of an indi!idual to deal with, they are brought before an assembly of the kindred and discussed. 'ometimes, leaders are appointed to focus or

coordinate any actions that may need to be taken. "ore often, indi!iduals undertake responsibility for a part of the task, negotiating further support or ad!ice as needed. $here are e2ceptions to this, most of which re.uires unified action by all members of the %aur&lornalim. When the entire %aur&lorn is threatened by some e2ternal enemy, the need for a coordinated effort is !ital. Representati!es from each 3indred AGladeB assembly are sent forward to represent their community at the -ouncil, presided o!er by :igh Priestesses of sha and %iadriel. $he -ouncil meets at the base of the largest lornalim tree in the heart of the forest.

*indred traditions
$he traditions of each settlement are uni.ue ha!ing been shaped by the area around it. El!es of the Glade of %ornalim are the most knowledgeable of sentient beings of the forest / treemen, dryads, and 5oats / and include the most talented $reesingers of the %aur&lorn in their kindred. $hose of the Whitefoam Falls, who li!e along the Ri!er Eige and its tributaries in the Enchanted :ills, are skilled in all aspects of ri!er lore as well as strong cliff climbers. $hough shaped by necessity, these traditions do change o!er time, unlike the stagnant traditions of the 8warfs. $he El!en temperament being what it is, a number of %aur&lornalim become bored of the traditions they grow up with. When El!es show signs of wanderlust, they are encouraged to strike out on their own to find a settlement better suited to their current state of mind. 'uch a +ourney may in!ol!e them risking the perils of the :uman lands as they search out other settlements. ( small number of El!es may find e!en find they prefer being in the company of humans, ad!enturing and e2ploring, indulging their appetite for new e2periences, sometimes e!en lowering themsel!es to follow a human career. When they finally mature enough Aor come to their sensesB to return to ci!ilisation, such follies are usually left well behind. $hese e2cursions outside their glade ser!e many useful purposes. $hey allow news to be carried, albeit slowly, as well as trade / both material and cultural / between the !arious Wood Elf populations. "ost importantly, these wandering youths often strike up romantic relationships during their e2otic tra!els. Without these, the small communities would ha!e withered long before, blighted by inbreeding.

+hysiolo"y
%ike other El!es, the %aur&lornalim are known by the ignorant as the @fair folk, / they are pale skinned, with elegant features and hair fine as fla2. $hey are also taller that the other races, and of a slender build. "any El!es belie!e themsel!es to be superior to other races in almost e!ery way. $hey are nimbler, faster, smarter and longer-li!ed than humans or halflings, not to mention being better skilled at all important sur!i!al traits such as woodcraft and hunting. $hey are also

less prone to illness and disease, and generally li!e for a span of ??D years, though some are belie!ed to be e!en older. $he only area in which the El!es seem to fall short concerns physical endurance, in which humans ha!e a slight ad!antage. 'ome El!es dismiss this as nothing more than their own more highly de!eloped senses allow them to feel pain and suffering far more acutely than the other, less attuned races. $his same basic El!en point of !iew e2tends to the areas where 8warfs e2cel and El!es do not / such as resilience and stubbornness. $he El!es simply percei!e this as an e2ample of the bestial nature of the 8warfs gi!en that such .ualities are not ones to which any ci!ilised Elf would aspire. (s a result of their racial bias, the El!es feel a certain obligation to help out the less able races. (fter all, it is not their fault that they may lack the physical and intellectual resources that would help them make their way in the world. 'uch are the responsibilities of the elite in the natural order of things.

Birth, Marria"e and ,eath

%ike other Wood El!es, the li!es of the %aur&lornalim are go!erned by the passage of the seasons and the cycle of birth, death and rebirth is integral to their !iew of the world. $hey strongly belie!e that the souls of the dead rest in the spirit world until they ha!e gathered their strength and decided what they want to achie!e in their ne2t life. (t this point, they are reborn to the world. (s in most cultures, births are a cause for great celebration amongst the Wood El!es. Feasts are held, and offerings made. 'ickly children are often attended by Priests of 'arriel, who help lead the infant,s consciousness out from the realm of the dead, and Priests of sha, who also tends to the mother. (lthough Wood El!es do marry, their customs are !ery different from those of humans or e!en the :igh El!es. $hey !iew marriage as a new life, and so sub+ect to the same cycles as any other life. "arriage among the Wood El!es is as simple as the couple publicly declare their lo!e and their intention to li!e as husband and wife. 'uch declarations can take place whene!er and where!er the couple deems appropriate. "arriage ceremonies in the %aur&lorn usually take place during the celebrations held on the first day of 'pring, when the li!ing creature finally shake off the effects of their winter slumber. f members of the kindred !iew a particular marriage as ill-ad!ised then the matter is taken up in assembly. f need be, a close relati!e of one of the couple is chosen to speak with them about the issues raised in the assembly. f matters cannot be resol!ed, the couple can choose either to separate or to lea!e the community together. $here are certain restrictions on who can and who cannot marry, although these are far looser than are found in most societies. 9o Elf is allowed to marry until they ha!e reached physical

maturity Aat around >? for females and >E for malesB. 9o Elf can ha!e more than one spouse at any time; so, any couples who do not renew their !ows are considered to be eligible for marriage once more. 'ingle-se2 marriages are permitted, but those in!ol!ed are usually spoken to by an Elder as a matter of course, as the marriage will be barren. 9eedless to say, the Wood El!es, !iew of marriage as bonds of lo!e and acceptance of serial monogamy cause further bafflement and re!ulsion on the parts of 8warfs, who !iew the clan as an immutable and constant foundation for society. :umans ha!e fairly mi2ed !iews about all this; many consider it inappropriate and degenerate, although the more liberal Aand depra!edB see it as another sign of El!en wisdom and enlightenment. $he care and socialisation of children has become a community responsibility. (s their society e2pects mothers and fathers to work alongside other adults in order to ensure that no-one star!ed to death, the children are left with those unable to work. n+ured or !enerable El!es take on the role tending and teaching the young until the new generation are old enough to assume their societal responsibilities. )ecause of this community upbringing and the loose marital arrangements of Wood El!es, their concept of families is a strange one. ( @family, consists solely of a Wood Elf,s mother, and any brothers or sisters Aincluding those with different fathersB. E!en if the mother remains married to their father, he will still not be considered a member of their family. ( wider concept is that of @kin,. 'trictly speaking, this consists of an Elf,s family, the families of the mother,s sisters, and all the sons and daughters of any of the mother,s husbands. n practice, the con!oluted relationships of the El!es mean that all members of a community are regarded as being of the same @kin,. "atters are further confused by wandering El!es who are taken in by the community. $hese are usually housed with a family, and if the stay lasts for any length of time, are likely to be @adopted, as part of the family, making them a member of the community. $his unusual set-up has strengthened Wood El!en communities considerably. 'ince almost e!eryone is !iewed as a relati!e by marriage of some sort, there is a sense of mutual respect and obligation. People are willing to share and to support each other, and will go out of their way to help others, knowing that they can count on similar assistance when they need it. $he Wood El!es, death practices are also uni.ue. )ecause of their belief in reincarnation, death is not !iewed with .uite the same horror as it is amongst humans. $he passing of a friend or lo!ed one is still a sad e!ent, but the sadness is tempered by the belief that the friends may be reunited in some future life. 'ince the soul will out-last the body, Wood El!es !iew their material frame as being borrowed from nature. Each indi!idual chooses their own method of burial before their time is ended, which ensures that their closest friends and family are aware of their wishes. Wood El!es consider it unlucky for a soul if their body is not disposed of according to their wishes. 'hould an Elf die without a burial preference being known, their family and friends may spend many long hours, usually in the company of a Priest of 'arriel, discussing how the remains should be disposed. n the %aur&lorn, cremation is the usual form of disposal. $he ashes for the deceased

are scattered throughout the Glade by a Priest of 'arriel, who is followed by members of the grie!ing kindred. n addition to the burial, many El!es carry out an addition ritual. "any settlements will ha!e a $ree of Remembrance, onto which a scrap of cloth from the clothing of the deceased is usually tied. 'ome grie!ing El!es come to mourn or sleep beneath these trees. t is said that the most troubled may, at times, be granted a dream or a !ision of the departed soul.

Names
$he con!oluted family li!es of Wood El!es make it hard to trace descent, not that the %aur&lornalim really care about such matters. $here are no nobles, for who such would be important, among their number. %ike those of the %oren, the %aur&lornalim tend to carry two names6 their gi!en name and their use name. When an Elf is born, the parents Aor closest relati!es, if the parents are una!ailableB will gi!e the child a name that it will carry throughout its life. n addition, the Elf can choose a name for itself. $his may be the gi!en name of someone the Elf admires, or a word describing a trait or acti!ity that is important to them. t is not unheard of for married couples each to take the other,s gi!en name as a use name. 4se names change as the Elf grows, altering to reflect their de!eloping personality. $his, of course, adds to the pre!alent human !iew that El!es are a rather flaky bunch.

-ashion
Gi!en their lifestyle, Wood El!es ha!e little or no concept of fashion. $heir clothes are first practical and then comfortable; only after these criteria ha!e been met will appearance be considered. $o this end, Wood El!es often embroider and embellish fa!ourite garments, using stylised designs. $hese designs often incorporate circles, representing the cycle of life, symbols of balance, and images of nature. n the balmy days of summer, El!es are often warm enough to make clothing unnecessary. While some choose to wear things which enhance their appearance, it is not unusual for others to do without. "any a human lad has li!ed to regret wandering into a forest after catching a glimpse of an Elf maid going naked. Fust as designs are used to embellish clothes, so it is common for Wood El!es to sport tattoos or, more commonly, temporary decorations worked in paints and dyes. $hese may be as subtle as using pigments to enhance the appearance of eyes and lips, or as elaborate as turning the entire body into a can!as for some grand work of art. )oth se2es use of the whole range of decorations

a!ailable to them. n fact, it is not considered at all unusual for a man to sport subtle lip and eye make-up, or for a woman to ha!e e2tensi!e tattoos. #n the !ery rare occasions that non-El!es !isit an outlying %aur&lornalim settlement, the El!es will humour the prudish con!entions of their guests, social mores by ensuring that all inhabitants wear clothes in order not to shock their guests.

Elven (enses
Wood El!es take great pleasure in stimulating their senses. %ike other races, El!es en+oy beholding beauty in all its forms6 light playing on the surface of brooks, a beautifully polished gemstone, the smile of a friend, and other such acti!ities. "usic and singing that e2cite the sense of hearing are also en+oyed to the fullest. n addition, Wood El!es find great pleasure with the taste of good food and wine as well as e2periencing the world through touch. $he one sense that the Wood El!es take greater stock than any other race is smell. $he El!en sense of smell is far more acute than those of humans and they take great delight in the delicate fragrances of flowers, the heady smells of summer, musky scents of autumn. $heir study of plants has made them well aware of how each can be used, and how the ground lea!es, crushed petals, burnt seeds, distilled oils, and countless other sources and actions can be used to enhance the scent of a place or person. El!es bath fre.uently, en+oying its sensation as well as the resulting cleanliness, n contrast, humans wash infre.uently, and 8warfs e!en rarer still. 4nless forced to under less than fa!ourable conditions / such as tra!elling across country or spending hours cramped in hot, sweaty coaches / Wood El!es will do what they can to remain upwind when dealing with other races. $he bodily odours of these races offend the Wood El!es, well-de!eloped senses and do little to help different races to co-e2ist peaceably. Flowers are particularly !alued by the %aur&lornalim as ornaments, since they combine scent and appearance. "any El!es grow flowers in their homes, and some wear freshly cut blooms as humans might wear +ewellery. $his is not something to be done casually, howe!er, as picking flowers is !iewed as damaging nature; only the most common of flowers are picked purely to be used for such !anities.

%or! and trade

(ll %aur&lornalim kindreds work for the benefit of their small community. $hey share work, care for the sick and dying, lessen the impact of an indi!iduals, misfortunes, and distribute the fruits of their labour. El!es do not take turns at each acti!ity as the skills and preferences of indi!iduals are recognised, allowing each to specialise. 'ome are adept at hunting, others at

wea!ing, still others at singing. Each indi!idual gi!es what they can to their communities, and takes what they need in return. )etween kindreds, howe!er, traders do barter and e2change goods. $his has allowed some kindreds to specialise, forming what humans would describe as cottage industries. %acking a monetary system, Wood El!es ha!e no precise measures of !alue. ( fur cloak could be e2changed for far more in winter than in summer, for e2ample. Perhaps less easily understood by humans is that the El!es acti!ely seek to buy from traders, e!en though they could get the same item for less from the person who produced it. $raders form a !ital link between communities, and mean that a disaster which strikes one kindred can be alle!iated by the good fortune of another. t is important to these communities that these people are supported. 'imilarly, traders may gi!e away goods if they find a community who is unable to trade, not because this will preser!e their market, but because this re-distribution of goods is what their profession is truly concerned with. Where trade with the outside world occurs, it will be in the form of bartering. -oinage is regarded with scornful amusement, and !iewed as a worthless waste of good metal. $he hoarding tendency of the 8warfs and a number of humans is something that the Wood El!es will simply ne!er be able to understand.

.rime
'ince Wood Elf communities consist of small groups of relati!es, each of whom will readily gi!e whate!er they can to support a struggling neighbour, there is little or no crime to speak of.

%ardancers
9ot all El!es li!e amongst kindreds. $hose who dedicate themsel!es to (damnan-na-)rionha choose to e2clude themsel!es and li!e in distinct communities. $hese are usually marked out by a wooden stockade in order to pre!ent Asometimes fatalB accidents caused by people wandering into a Wardancer settlement without realising it. nside, the culture and con!entions of the Wood El!es is left behind. Fust as El!es !iew the world in a far more !ibrant way than any human could e!er hope to appreciate, so the followers of (damnan e2perience a reality that lies beyond the comprehension of other El!es; the result resembles nothing more than a human asylum. 9ot for nothing is (damnan known as the god of madness. GGGGG -olour $e2t GGGGG

Illitharion approached the stockade warily. There was no gate, no watchman; the boundary was clear enough, and anyone who entered did so at their own risk.

Given the choice, he would gladly have turned around and left without further ado; however, Orc scouts had been seen, and it was imperative that the Wardancers were there when battle was joined.

Warily, he entered, and made his way towards the central clearing, trying desperately to blot out the sights he saw around him. Off to one side, two men were biting, punching, kicking at each other, whilst a third painted a mural in the blood which they spilt. Almost in front of him, a naked figure recited a poem whose words meant nothing. His eyes were closed, and his face bore an expression of near-unholy delight. He passed underneath a couple making love in a tree, a youth glass-eyed and sweating from the visions brought on by the Black Lotus leaves he chewed, and a young girl playing a tune consisting of only two notes on a small bone flute.

Finally, he reached the clearing, where an old man sat, surrounded by childrens toys. Without once looking up from his games, he said simply,

You come to ask Adamnans help in the battle to come, do you not? We will be there. Now, I suggest you leave with all haste, for we have a ritual to perform, and I cannot vouch for your safety once it has begun. GGGGG End -olour $e2t GGGGG n spite of the dangers to health and sanity, many aspiring artists choose to spend time in these settlements, learning from the clerics of (damnan, and coming to see the world in a new and !isionary way. Wood El!es belie!e that madness and genius go hand in hand, a principle illustrated by the two-faced aspect of (damnan-na-)rionha. 4nsurprisingly, the dwellings sung by the $reesingers of these communities are strange habitations indeed. Few manual labourers or hunters e!er choose to li!e amongst these people. $hey are too sane, too firmly in!ol!ed in the mundane world around them. Fortunately for the followers of (damnan, the mi2ture of grudging respect, pity and fear with which the other El!es !iew them means that they ne!er lack for the basic necessities of life. 'uch acts of charity are !iewed

almost superstitiously by many Wood El!es, who treat them as offerings to (damnan so that they and their kin will ne!er be !isited by the peculiar madness that characterises his followers. $he Wardancers form the largest part of these communities. $hese are warriors who aspire to gain some measure of the skill and cunning of (damnan. (lthough there is no set pattern or routine in their li!es, rituals punctuate the day. ( cleric of (damnan may suddenly decide to recite one of the epic poems about their god,s e2ploits. ( group of arguing warriors may suddenly realise their dispute mirrors a particular myth, and switch seamlessly into a re-telling of that story. $he !ariations are endless; what matters is simply that their holy tales become part of their daily life. Each Wardancer is trained to take part in these re-enactments in some form, either by acting, speaking, or some other means of e2pression. $he most respected form of storytelling amongst these people, though, is dance. #ne of (damnan,s many titles is the %ord of the 8ance; his followers all seek to master the highly e2pressi!e and demanding Wardances. $hese ritual dances are so important to their society that they ha!e gi!en them their !ery name. )ecause of their social and ritual importance, all prospecti!e Wardancers must understand and be all to perform the !arious key wardances before anyone will train them in any other skills. E.ually, no-one can become an nitiate of (damnan until they ha!e learnt the dances, and since Wardancers refuse to teach the steps to anyone but each other, this means that all -lerics of (damnan will ha!e been Wardancers first. (lthough their society focuses on (damnan, the other El!en gods ha!e not been forgotten, and most Wardancers will worship the other gods of their pantheon from time to time. #nly -lerics of (damnan lea!e the other gods behind as they follow the path of obsession.

Beastfriends
Whilst :umans and 8warfs domesticate animals, taking them from the wild and training them, the El!es do not. $o an Elf, @taming, a creature is barbarous, a sign of a race,s attempt to master nature, rather than work alongside it. $hey prefer to gain an animal,s willing co-operation. #ut of this rapport with nature was born the uni.uely El!en career of the )eastfriend ACaraidhB. )eastfriends de!elop their natural affinity for a particular animal species to an e2traordinary degree. (n Elf cannot be a )eastfriend to more than one species at a time; their affinity with the species de!elops to resemble something akin to the obsession of the -lerics, rather than the broad, balanced temperament of most El!es. For this reason, they are usually treated with caution by their companions. )eastfriends can sometimes be found li!ing in El!en communities, but for the most part they li!e wild, far away from other El!es and close to the animals they lo!e. When an Elf becomes a )eastfriend, their choice of fa!oured animal should be ob!ious from their temperament. (t this point, they need to find a )eastfriend of the appropriate type, and persuade them to train them. f

a choice of species isn,t clear, then the G" can either choose an animal for the Elf to befriend or refuse to let the indi!idual enter the career, on the grounds that they clearly aren,t demonstrating the kind of temperament that being a )eastfriend re.uires. )eastfriends of animals other than the ones described below do e2ist, but are so rare as to be almost legendary. 'tories tell of the Beith-Caradan A8ragon RidersB, for e2ample, the descendents of 8ragon Princes who remained in the colonies when their kin returned to 4lthuan. $he legends say that these wait, sleeping with their mounts in an enchanted and ageless sleep, but will rise again when the El!en race is faced with destruction. (nother legendary type of )eastfriend is the Caraidh Palurim A0)eastfriend of the Forest $iger1B. $hese El!es are belie!ed to ha!e befriended the large sabre-toothed cats that were once found in the northern forests of the Empire. "any scholars belie!e that these large predators became e2tinct before 'igmar,s time. n the !ery least, there ha!e not been any recent sightings of such a beast. GGGGG'idebarGGGGG

(ide#ar/ Beith0.aradan 12,ra"on!in23

"ost human scholars who study the %aur&lornalim say that the El!en )eith--aradan are only legend. #nce, they say, there were many, and they flew across the great Western #cean between the Elf lands of 4lthuan and the #ld World. 9ow no-one knows where they are, or e!en if they e2ist. (ncient ballads tell of them fighting the orcs and their kin at the dawn of human history, and some chronicles claim that a handful of El!en dragon-riders fought the hordes of -haos two centuries ago, but they ha!e not been seen since. 'ome doubt that they were e!er more than the product of a minstrelCs fancy, but according to El!en legend the last 8ragon "asters sleep deep in the forest, waiting for the time when they are needed to sa!e the world once more. (nd as foretold in the El!en legends, a )eith--aradan will appear from the minstrelsC stories to wreak destruction on the enemies of the %aur&lorn Wood El!es. $he Caidillean-coilltean AC'leeper in the ForestCB is a great fire breathing, magic using forest dragon mounted by an ancient Elf warrior whose origin is a mystery to all but the most knowledgeable of the Elf leaders. GGGGGEnd 'idebarGGGGG

The +riesthood

Wood El!es typically re!ere the gods of their pantheon whene!er they undertake a task that falls into a particular god,s realm. $hus, an Elf on the hunt for game will offer praise to 3urnuous for the bounty of the forest and bless the spirit of the creature whose life will be gi!en to feed her kindred. #nce the deed is accomplished, that same Elf might then chant a song of thanks to sha for the berries she collected on her return trip to the forest. 'hould the Elf then notice the clouds gathering o!erhead, a plea may be offered to $orothal to stay the rain until the huntress< gatherer can return safely to her kindred. n contrast, El!en priests focus sharply on ser!ing their deity. $hose who answer this calling abandon their kindred and their familial ties to +oin with others of the same passion in communities referred to as 0Lothinieal lavintein1 Aimprecisely translated as the 0di!ine kindred1 in #ld WorlderB. $hese priests focus e2clusi!ely on ser!ing their deity, e!en to the point of asking their patron to inter!ene on their behalf with other deities. For e2ample, a concerned Priest of sha might call upon his deity to re.uest that $orothal lessen the torrential rains in order to help a nearby !illage threatened by floodwaters. El!en priests strictly adhere to the strictures of their cult and all their acti!ities are undertaken in the honour of their deity. $o this end, the rituals of the priesthood are !ery elaborate affairs which may lasts for hours. n contrast, the rituals used by normal El!es to change their mindset from a hunter of game Asuch as in the abo!e e2ampleB to a warrior intent on dispatching in!ading goblins are simple, .uick, and highly indi!idualistic.

-an0Eltharin
(s well as shaping their culture, the Wood El!es, unusual attitude to their past influenced their language. $he harsh lifestyle that greeted the first refugees who fled their cities made sur!i!al their most important concern. $his led to a sense of li!ing for the moment, a focus on the practicalities of the present. $his aspect of their origins is reflected in the importance of the present tense in their nati!e tongue, Fan-Eltharin, as well as their dialect of #ld Worlder. n addition, the past tense is seldom used. When it is, the past tense carries with it connotations of mysticism, legend, or arcane significance. $he close relationship of Wood El!es with the natural world has also influenced their use of language. $hey ha!e deri!ed thousands of ad+ecti!es from the world around them, and e2tended their terminology to e2plain and describe the plants, animals and natural phenomenon which :igh El!es had ne!er e2perienced. :owe!er, they ha!e also lost many :igh El!en terms, especially those describing smithing, fealty, and Ato a lesser e2tentB scholarship. 'uch ideas ha!e little or no place in the Wood El!en mentality. Wood El!es ha!e also neglected numbers. $hey retain basic numeracy skills, but ha!e little understanding of mathematics, or of precise measures. nstead they rely on estimates and comparisons, and make e2tensi!e use of metaphors. (sk an Elf how much corn they will need to feed their family, and they will answer, 0enough1. $heir only measure is @the amount needed to feed a family,; bushels or weights seem a bi5arre and unnecessary abstraction. (sk an El!en

scout how many troops there are in the enemy,s camp, and she will reply, 0as many as the stars in the hea!ens1, or 0as many as the lea!es on the tree.1 $he scout may be able to suggest whether or not the enemy can o!erwhelm your defences, but he will not e!en think to try and count them. 'uch a +ob would be time-consuming and pointless. Perhaps most importantly, the Wood El!es, strong oral tradition and flawless memory means that writing is seldom needed. 9o written form of Fan-Eltharin e2ists; Wood El!es with the Read<Write skill will ha!e learnt to read and write $ar-Eltharin, or some other language rele!ant to their profession. t is not true to say, though, that the Wood El!es has no written language6 some careers ha!e their own symbols, which are used to pass information secretly. "ore widespread is the use of generic symbols, each of which is suggesti!e of a meaning. 9ature images, symbols of balance, images of the elements or of war, may all be used to ornament or embellish an item, building, or e!en people. Whilst ha!ing no precise meaning, any Wood Elf who !iews them Aand anyone else who passes an &nt testB will be able to discern the general sense of their message. n most other respects, Fan-Eltharin resembles $ar-Eltharin, and speakers of one language will be understood by the other if the listener passes an &nt test.

The %ood Elves4 attitudes to nature

$he hardship endured by the first settlers of the woods meant that each and e!ery resource had to be used sparingly, nurtured, and respected. (buse was ultimately self-defeating. E!en with such care, some kindreds ha!e died with the drying up of !ital resources. When the Wythel $rees of %oren faded and died, a whole kindred struck out across the Grey "ountains, ne!er to be seen in %oren again; normally, though, the community simply withers slowly, with the young lea!ing, and no newcomers staying. E!entually, only the dying elders remain, nurturing the spark of their tradition until is passes from the world fore!er. $hese harsh necessities ha!e led the Wood El!es to consider themsel!es in an almost symbiotic relationship with nature. $hey tend it, and it pro!ides for them. $he 8warfen !iew that nature is a resource, there to be made use of, is simply anathema to them. n recent decades, a number of important e!ents ha!e threatened a shift in this attitude. $raditionally, El!es hunt and forage, li!ing off what nature pro!ides. :arsh winters make stockpiling essential. 4nfortunately, increasing frosts and raiding acti!ity by #rcs and other foul creatures ha!e drastically reduced what can be gathered and stored. n addition, human encroachments along the borders ha!e put pressures on the bounty of the woodlands. n some of the worst hit communities, kindreds ha!e had to watch as people star!e to death. (s a response to these pressure, some rogue El!es ha!e started farming. #pinions on this contentious acti!ity span the spectrum. "any traditionalists see it as an e2ploitation and ensla!ing of nature, an affront to sha, and an abominable Ahuman-likeB acti!ity that has to be stopped at all costs. $hey ha!e e!en gone so far as to smash farming e.uipment and attack the

farmers. ( number of the older, more e2perienced, and liberal-thinking El!es ha!e condemned these attacks as misguided. $hey argue that, when done properly, farming follows nature, responding to times and seasons, tending and preser!ing rather than e2ploiting and destroying. $hese El!es !iew farming as a positi!e de!elopment when done properly, and those who oppose it are as misguided as the :igh El!es in their struggle to free5e the present. $ension between the two factions continues to mount.

The Laurlorn Elves and the outside 5orld

Relations between %aur&lornalim and the surrounding human realms can only be described as frosty. $he main desire of the forest-dwellers is simply to be left in peace; any intrusion, e!en a friendly one, interferes with that desire. $he El!es will, without e2ception, attempt to guide or frightened interlopers out from their lands without ha!ing to meet with them. 'hould these efforts be ignored, or so much as a hand be lifted against any woodland dweller, the El!es will ha!e no .ualms about killing the trespasser there and then. $he Empire has made se!eral ad!ances towards the El!en communities in the %aur&lorn. -ouriers from the mperial court make the trek to the 9ordlander town of Grafenrich to meet with the representati!e of the -ouncil. (lthough no official links e2ist between the %aur&lornalim settlements and the Empire, El!es ha!e marched into battle alongside their human neighbours when times are desperate. n return, and because the humans ha!e no wish to court trouble, mperial laws ha!e made it a hanging offence to enter an El!en wood without the e2press permission of its inhabitants. n practice, this law is almost ne!er enforced as the )aron of 9ordland does not recognise any treaties unless he has personally signed it. $hat seems unlikely gi!en his ambitious claims to the %aur&lorn. n any e!ent, the Wood El!es make certain that habitual trespassers are ne!er seen again. Wariness along the borders of the %aur&lorn is a trait shared by both El!es and humans. $he El!es watch the barbarous human sa!ages cautiously, sometimes amused, sometimes disgusted by their antics. n contrast, humans try and a!oid watching the El!es for fear that this will bring bad luck upon them. "any peasants on the borders of the %aur&lorn lea!e offerings of milk, cheese, or beer, in the hope that this will win the fa!our of the @Faerie Folk,, and turn their capricious attenti!eness elsewhere. )y the same superstitious token, soured milk, bad har!ests, miscarriages and all sorts of misfortunes are blamed upon the malicious spirits of the woods. Hery rarely, a courteous human who shows enough respect for the woods may be approached by El!es and befriended. "any human !illages ha!e stories of the ill-fated indi!iduals who ha!e fallen for a Faerie lo!er. t has happened that a particularly fetching young lass has caught the eye of an Elf carrying out his business in the lands of men, or that an ad!enturous young lad has come upon an Elf maid bathing in a forest pool, her hair bedecked by flowers, and that the pair ha!e, for a time, gone to li!e together beyond the fields we know. 'uch stories are ine!itably tragedies, and are frowned upon by wiser folk of both races, but this does little to dissuade the arduous couple. (s time passes, the clash of cultures will mean that neither can understand the other, or the barren nature

of the relationship Afor such pairings ne!er produce offspringB will cause bitterness and resentment, or, .uite simply, the human will grow old and frail whilst the Elf does not. #ne way or another, the human will e!entually find it necessary to lea!e their green-world lo!er, and attempt to return to the world of humanity. f relations with the humans are frosty, and those with 8warfs terse, the Wood El!es, attitudes to the :igh El!es are positi!ely hostile. $hey ha!e not forgotten the bitterness of their great betrayal, and ha!e no wish to start trusting 4lthuan now. $he notion that they still fall under the +urisdiction of the Phoeni2 3ing is met with anger and contempt, and the position of the E2archate in "arienburg is !iewed with scorn and derision. Whilst they would not dream of starting any conflict with their cousins, indi!idual Wood El!es will be .uick to anger at percei!ed taunts, snubs and ignorance. Wood El!es of the %aur&lorn ha!e rarely encounter the 8ark El!es, whose acti!ities are generally confined to the coastal regions of the 'ea of -laws, where the humans inhabitants ser!e as both a buffer and warning system Aburning buildings ha!e that effectB. When they do meet, though, bloodshed is ine!itable. $he Wood El!es !iew the 8ruchii as abominations in e2actly the same way that the El!es of 4lthuan do.

The Laurlornalim at %ar

When war threatens, indi!idual El!es willingly gi!e up the right of self-determination for the common good. E!en with such sacrifice, El!es e2pect reasonable treatment and an openness in the decision-making process to the rele!ant people as actions allow. (fter all, the %aur&lornalim are not likely to follow someone seeking to glorify themsel!es at the e2pense of their fellows. War leaders are chosen from those who ha!e pro!ed themsel!es worthy by their actions, skills, intelligence and martial<magical prowess. -onse.uently, these leaders tend to be those who are the respected Cad!isersC in the organised anarchy that is El!en life. $ogether, they form $he $ree -ouncil, known as the %aurelornim. $he nner -ouncil is comprised of the key personnel for emergency decisions, such as the :igh Priests of %iadriel and sha, whilst their ad!isers form the #uter -ouncil. :orses are used a great deal among the %aur&lornalim. $he Wood Elf mounts tend to be smaller, more agile, and more intelligent than their human counterpart. $hose used by the war leaders are generally white in colour, though other shades ranging to a reddish brown are known. $hough stirrups are used in fighting, particularly by the ca!alry units, many El!en riders direct their mounts by will and body language of rider. Rider and horse are as close as the tandem can be without the rider being a )eastfriend.

Laurlorn $eli"ion and Ma"ic

$eli"ion of the Laurlornalim
4nlike any other race, the Wood El!es are as attuned to their gods as they are to nature. n fact, the El!es !iew the whole nature world and di!ine as inseparable aspects of their li!es and identities. $hey ha!e no real concept of 0religious1 and 0secular1, e!en though they are well aware as to what the terms mean to other races, especially humankind. From this perspecti!e, El!es are truly polytheistic in their attitudes. #nly Priests and certain 0religious1 warrior orders are dedicated to one Elf deity abo!e all others. Wood El!es honour their gods through use of ritual in order to achie!e the proper mindset. For e2ample, an Elf preparing to hunt will perform a ritual to 3urnuous to achie!e the proper frame of mind to achie!e their goal. Preparing for war re.uires a different ritual to 3haela "ensha 3haine so that the Elf can assume the mantle of a warrior. Rituals are personalised by the indi!idual Elf and typically there is a different one dedicated to each deity in their pantheon. $he manifestation of the ritual may range from a simple meditation to a comple2 dance to an elaborate series of chants and structured ceremony.

The )ods of the Laurlornalim

$he Wood El!es of the %aur&lorn share many traits, beha!iours, and attitudes with their kin in the %oren Forest. $hey also share the same deities, though there are no priests or obser!ances for the cults of 3haela "ensha 3haine and "orai-:eg. $he reasons for this are unclear, and the %aur&lornalim offer no e2planations. 'ome theologians speculate that the worship of 3haela "ensha 3haine has !anished in part due to the deity,s ob!ious connection to the proscribed human cult of 3hIine. $he %aur&lorn cults share a number of traits. (ll re.uire the El!es to lead a life that many human scholars classify as 0good1 or 0neutral1 Athis labelling is, of course, more indicati!e of the lack of understanding of El!es among such scholarsB. $here are also no constructed places of worship for belie!ers to congregate. El!es do not worship re.uire a place to worship, unlike humans. $here are times, howe!er, that Wood El!es will gather at a location deemed suitable for celebrating the gifts and munificence of the respecti!e deity. 'uch locations may be a spring of cool water, gro!e of large trees, tall hilltop, or a cascading waterfall. 'tone megaliths and circles are !iewed as places of power. %aur&lornalim cults tend to ha!e respect and re!erence for the #ld Faith, which shares many !iews with the Wood Elf religion. $hose scholars who are obli!ious to the differences claim that

the #ld Faith deri!ed many of its beliefs from those of the Wood El!es. $he Wood El!es humour this type of 0.uaintness1 when they are made aware of this !iew. $he Wood Elf cults are also well disposed towards followers of $aal and Rhya. $he %aur&lornalims are indifferent towards the cults of other human deities, although they are !ery wary of the cults of 4lric and 'igmar. $he political aspirations of the leaders of these two cults cause great concerns and threaten the %aur&lorn. $he attitude towards the 8warfen pantheon !aries from contempt to condescending amusement. n contrast, the -haos cults and the deities of #rcs and Goblins are !iewed with utter disdain and hostility. (ll who worship these beings are to be e2terminated.

Adamnan0Na0Brionha
,escri6tion/ (ccording to the Elf 'ongs, (damnan-na-)rionha was born in the mists before the dawn of time and is the personification of the union between the forces of 'ound and "otion. Wardancers hold that he is $he First )eing, whose dance structured the uni!erse. (damnan is also referred to as 0$he First1 and 0$he %ord of the 8ance.1 $he Wardancer diety reflects two seemingly contradictory aspects of life / the +oy of dance and the fury of righteous slaying. :e appears as a mighty elf, whose left hand side is slender and graceful, and whose right hand side shows the massi!e muscles of the mighty warrior. :is face is also split between an e2pression of transcendent bliss and one of eye-popping fury. $he Wardancers belie!e that it is their fusion of war and dance that pro!ides the earthly interpretation of their di!ine patronCs cosmic manifestation. (ym#ol/ (damnan is symboli5ed by a flute held in a clenched fist. 8e!otees of the %ord of the 8ance usually adopt one of the flamboyant Wardancer hairstyles, and in addition must wear the deity,s symbol either as a pendant or a pair of earrings. n the latter case, they wear a tiny flute, often worked in sil!er, on their left ear, while the right is home to a clenched fist, usually worked in gold. n some instances, Wardancers are known to wear colourful masks made of wood symboli5ing an aspect or facial e2pression of (damnan 'oly ,ays/ $here are no specific holy days as such holds little meaning for cultists. E!ents and actions are far more important. 8ancing, rightful slaying, training, and testing and initiation of new Wardancers are all held to be sacred e!ents when performed with the proper spirit and attitudes. For those !ersed in the higher mysteries of (damnan, each action, no matter how tri!ial, forms part of the 8ance of %ife, and e!ery new e2perience is to be sa!oured as of e.ual significance. .ult $e7uirements/ $he cult is open to all El!es. (n Elf must be dedicate themsel!es into the Path of the Wardancer and complete the re.uisite training AcareerB before proceeding to becoming an nitiate of (damnan. $eli"ious rders/ Wardancers are the closest thing to a religious order for this cult.

(trictures/ $he few formal strictures placed upon its members are6 3eep themsel!es fit and supple at all times. 9e!er act in a manner that threatens the good of the El!en race. :owe!er, (damnan is attenti!e to the manner is which a worshipper approaches her task. For instance, entering combat with +oy and righteous anger and fighting with athletic elegance are pleasing to (damnan. n contrast, killing in a mean-spirited, cowardly, or inelegant fashion attracts his displeasure. (s those who choose to embody the %ord of 8ance, Wardancers are e2pected to learn to master their bodies and their emotions so as to be able to release them with e.ually measured passion whether they are engaged in the celebration of (damnan or in the whirling ecstasy of battle in his honour. (6ell 8se/ Priests of (damnan may use the following spells6 >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Resistance, -ause (nimosity, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, 8ispirit, Fleet Foot, Flight, mmunity from Poison, 'lippery Ground, 'teal "ind, Wilt Weapon; JElementalK -loud of 'moke; J llusionistK )ewilder Foe ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, )reak Weapon, -ause Panic, %eg )reaking, "agical "ight, "ental 8uel, "ystic "ist, 'tampede, 'teal "agical Power; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol ARitualBG; JElementalK Resist Fire Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK (rrow n!ulnerability, (rrow 'torm, -ause -owardly Flight, -ause Fear, -ause nstability, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, Enfeeble, "agic )ridge, 'ub!ert Weapon, $ransfer (ura; JElementalK 8ust 'torm Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, )less AEnchantB Weapon, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, Entanglement, Re!erse 'pell, 'tand 'till, 'trength of "ind G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description (!ills/ nitiates and Priests of (damnan may gain one of the following skills at each le!el6 Dance, Musicianship, Sing, Street Fighter, and Wrestling. 'uch the skill chose be one that had been taken with the Wardancer career, then the Elf gains double the skill bonus. $he Elf character must pay for these skills at the normal e2perience point cost. Trials/ ( trial set by (damnan typically in!ol!es dealing with creatures that ha!e shown disrespect towards the El!en race / for e2ample, goblins encroaching into a Wood El!en forest, or :uman woodcutters and charcoal-burners daring to in!ade the deeper forests to cut down the lornalim or other sacred trees. $he style and spirit in which a trial is undertaken is at least as important as the outcome.

Blessin"s/ ( blessing from (damnan usually takes the form of the single use of an appropriate spell, a bonus to one of the skills listed abo!e, or the automatic success of one of the following tests6 Fall, Jump, Leap, or any %( or & tests.

&sha
,escri6tion/ sha is the wife of 3urnuous, mother of %iadriel, "athlann and $orothal. sha represents the fertility and bounty of the earth and is the mother of the El!en race. :uman scholars and 8ruids belie!e sha to be the El!en name for Rhya and, as such, an aspect of the Earth "other. From this standpoint, both mistakenly belie!e that the Wood El!es are followers of the #ld Faith and their pantheon is no really an assortment of unrelated hero cults. $he Wood El!es are unconcerned with humans perception of their deities or worship. $hey know that sha is the mother of the land and of the flora that grows upon it. $o the El!es, the %aur&lorn is sha personified. $he spirits of the trees, plants, hills, rocks, and brooks are infused with her spirit. n fact, the El!es consider $reemen and 8ryads as offspring of sha as do they themsel!es. (ym#ol/ shaCs symbols are the leaf of the lornalim or a great oak, a pinecone, or a white tree co!ered in sil!er lea!es. :er nitiates and Priests wear simple woollen robes with one or more of these symbols sewn into the hems, car!ed into their staffs, or on the straps of their satchels containing healing herbs. 'oly ,ays/ shaCs main festi!e days are the 'pring E.uino2 and the 'ummer 'olstice as they are associated with the awakening of plants from their winter slumber and the fullness of life in the forest. .ult $e7uirements/ (ny Wood Elf may !enerate sha, especially when they are engaged in acti!ities such as har!esting fruit and berries, clearing the forest floor of debris, and planting seedlings. $eli"ious rders/ &sha2s Tree Tem6lars are knights de!oted to sha and regard the whole forest as her temple. -onse.uently, they regard all intrusion as a defilement and regularly make forays into the outer reaches of the forest to discourage any intruders. $hey are elite ca!alry troops and are under the command of $uisich-9o!asmair al sha. (trictures/ nitiates and Priests of sha must abide by the following strictures6 DG Re!erence for the bounty of the earth, the miracle of life. >G Respect and honour for family and kin. ?G 8efend the woodland realm from any who would destroy, defile, and corrupt it. LG (id any kin less fortunate, especially the elderly. EG $ake from the woodland realm what is needed, but do not despoil.

(6ell 8se/ Priests of sha are prohibited from using any offensi!e or harm causing spells. $hey may use only spells which are protecti!e or defensi!e in nature such as the following6 >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Resistance, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, Fleet Foot, Flight, mmunity from Poison, Wilt Weapon; JElementalK -loud of 'moke, -reate 'pring, "agic %ight, Ward of (rrows ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, )reak Weapon, "ystic "ist; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol ARitualBG, Ward HegetationG; JElementalK E2tinguish Fire, :eal Hegetation, "o!e #b+ect, Resist Fire Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK (rrow n!ulnerability, 8ispel "agic, Enfeeble, "agic )ridge, 'ub!ert Weapon, $ransfer (ura; J8i!ineK 'peak with 8ryadG, JElementalK )anish Elemental, )ecome Ethereal Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, J8i!ineK -all 8i!ine -reature ARitualBG, -all 8ryad ARitualBG, 'peak with $reemanG; JElementalK -hange Weather ARitualB, -reate Hegetation, 8ispel Elementals, 'ummon Elemental G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description (!ills/ n addition to skills normally a!ailable to them, Priests of sha may choose one e2tra skill at each le!el, from the following list6 Animal Care, Augury, Cure Disease, eal Wounds, er! Lore, "denti#y Plant, "mmunity to Disease, Manu#acture Drugs Aherbal base onlyB, and Scrying. (s always, skills gained must be paid for with the normal cost of >DD E2perience Points. Trials/ $rials set by sha typically in!ol!e caring for the parts of the forest ra!aged by those who ha!e despoiled its beauty and working to restore areas blighted by pestilence, whether natural Aplague of locustsB or otherwise Amale!olent sorceryB. Blessin"s/ 'kills fa!oured by sha include all curati!e skills Asuch as Cure Disease, eal Wounds, or er! LoreB and some medicinal AManu#acture Drugs with herbal basesB. Fa!oured test are mainly &nt, .l and -el tests made in situations where knowledge of and empathy for the woodlands and its enchanted inhabitants are needed.

*urnuous
,escri6tion/ :uman theologians consider 3urnuous as an aspect of $aal, the god of nature and wild places. n contrast, the El!es consider $aal as nothing more than an artificial human construct created to simplified the comple2ities of nature to make it more comprehensible. 3urnuous is one of the ma+or deities of the El!en pantheon. :e is both the %ord of the forest animals and "aster of the Wild :unt. 3urnuous is also the patron of the El!en )eastfriends and is worshipped by El!en scouts and hunters. (ny who !enture into his realm are e2pected to

show the El!en deity the proper respect. $o do otherwise will incur 3urnuous, displeasure. f one of forest animals are capriciously killed or maimed, then the offender my incur his wrath. 3urunous is normally depicted as an Elf o!er ten feet in height, with the head and tail of a stag. t is belie!ed that 3urnuous can take the shape of any forest creature at will. (ym#ol/ %ike $aal, 3urnuous is represented by a stag,s head with large, branching antlers. nitiates and Priests of 3urnuous dress in the same manner as other El!es. $hey do embroider the symbols of 3urnuous along the hems of their clothing. $hese symbols include the skull of a stag, styli5ed Elf head with antlers, or the head of a unicorn. 'oly ,ays/ 3urnuous has two main holidays6 the middle of the spring when food becomes plentiful and the young of the forest animals are born in to the world and the middle of autumn when all creatures prepare themsel!es for the approaching winter. Priests of 3urnuous do not fi2 the dates of these festi!als to any specific date on a calendar. $he dates are in fact determined from the !arious natural signs as interpreted by the Priesthood. $hus, the dates can change from one year to the ne2t. .ult $e7uirements/ (ny Wood Elf may pay re!erence to 3urnuous, especially when they are engaged in acti!ity within the forested realms. $eli"ious rders/ -araidh 3urnuous - AC)eastfriends of 3urnousCB $his order of priests and initiates of 3arnos are shapechangers, ha!ing been fa!oured by an animal spirit sent by their lord. $hey may take on the form of a horse, wolf, bear, cat or boar. n addition, they ha!e been granted holy magical abilities such as a spell. (trictures/ (ll nitiates and Priests of 3urnuous must abide by the following strictures6 *G 9e!er harm any animal e2cept in self-defence, for food, or for need MG 9e!er allow an animal to be harmed, e2cept in similar circumstances as described abo!e. NG Gi!e thanks to the spirit of the animal taken for food or need as they ha!e gi!en up their li!es for the benefit of Elfkind. =G (lways respect the animals of the wild, whether they are prey or predator. OG 8o e!erything in one,s power to force Goblins, #rcs, )eastmen, 'ka!en, and the other -haos ser!ants out of the forests. (6ell 8se/ Priests of 3urnuous may any Petty "agic, Elemental "agic, and 8ruidic Priest spells, e2cept $ap Earthpower and -reate 'pecial Gro!e. >st %e!el6 J)attleK -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic; J8ruidicK (nimal "astery, -ure Poison, :eal (nimal; JElementalK (ssault of 'tones, )linding Flash; -loud of 'moke, "agic %ight, Ward of (rrows ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK )reak Weapon, 'tampede; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol ARitualBG; J8ruidicK Giant (nimal "astery, 'hapechange, $anglethorn; JElementalK -lap of $hunder, -ontrol %ightning, E2tinguish Fire, "o!e #b+ect, Resist Fire

Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK -ause nstability, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, 'ub!ert Weapon; J8ruidicK (nimate $ree; JElementalK )anish Elemental, )ecome Ethereal, -rumble 'tone, 8raw 8own %ightning, 8ust 'torm Eth %e!el6 J)attleK )less AEnchantB Weapon, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, Entanglement; J8i!ineK 'ummon the Wild :untG; JElementalK -hange Weather ARitualB, 8ispel Elementals, :edge of $horns, 'ummon AEarthB Elemental, 'ummon 'warm G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description (!ills/ nitiates of 3urnuous recei!e the Charm Animal skill instead of Secret LanguageClassical. Priests of 3urnuous may roll once on the Ranger 'kill $able A%-$+, pg >NB at each le!el, re-rolling if necessary until they recei!e a skill which they do not already possess. $his is in addition to the skills listed for each le!el in the %-$+ rulebook, page >*>, and cost the normal >DD e2perience points. Priests of 3urnous may gain the Call Animal skill at each le!el abo!e nitiate, taking a different species each time. (lternati!ely, nitiates and Priests of 3urnuous may choose whene!er they ad!ance a le!el to select the Augury skill at the cost >DD e2perience points. Trials/ $rials set by 3urnuous always in!ol!e the protection of the forest and its animals. $his can in!ol!e dri!ing away those who threaten the inhabitants of the forest whether it is a lone human trapper or a war party of Goblins or )eastmen. n rare circumstances, a trial might ha!e to do with relie!ing the suffering of animals, such as freeing those captured for human sport like pit-fighting or baiting. $he latter kind of trial leads to a certain amount of conflict with humans who en+oy this barbaric and cruel form of entertainment.. Blessin"s/ 'kills fa!oured by 3urnuous are all those that deal with animals6 Animal Care, Animal $raining, Charm Animal, %ide, Spot $raps, and $ric& %iding. #ther skills may be fa!oured depending upon circumstances. Fa!oured test are mainly .l and -el tests made in situations where animals are closely in!ol!ed. #n rare occasions a one-time use of Call Animal skill may be granted. Punishments will generally be the re!erse effect of blessings. 3urnuous may also decide to inflict a character with the Animal Aversion magical disability A%-$+, page >L=B.

Liadriel
,escri6tion/ 8ue to the fact that a ma+ority of the El!es encountered by humanity are minstrels by trade, there is a mistaken belief that %iadriel is the ma+or deity of the Wood El!es. 'till, %iadriel is a !ery important deity, especially to the El!es of the %aur&lorn. $he Patron of "usic, Poetry, 8ancing, and Wine is androgynous, combining traits both male and female, and appears as an Elf of surpassing beauty with a slight smile. %iadriel always carries a lute and a wineskin. (ym#ol/ %iadriel is represented by the following symbols6 lute and wineskin, cup, and !ine lea!es with grapes. nitiates and Priests wear green hooded robes which are richly embroidered

in gold thread. $he embroidery represents a !ariety of symbols including !ine lea!es, musical instruments, fruit, and so on. 'oly ,ays/ :oly days, as humans understand them, ha!e no meaning to the cult of %iadriel. $he deity is worshipped whene!er Wood El!es sing or drink, which is .uite fre.uently. Great feasts and wild celebrations are held on the night of e!ery new moon in honour of %iadriel Athe largest of these take place on :e2enstag and GeheimnistagB. t is debatable whether these constitute anything more than a feast in which %iadriel is honoured as oppose to a holy day. .ult $e7uirements/ $he cult is opened to all adult Wood El!es. $eli"ious rders/ $here are three such dedicated to %iadriel.

$he *ni"hts of the rder of the Jade %ines!in are $emplars of %iadriel who ha!e sworn their lo!e for the deity and de!oted their life to upholding the faith. 9ormally, this is a fairly easy life of feasting and ban.ueting although the knights must undergo rigorous training and ha!e limited independence. $he #rder is deeply in!ol!ed in defending the %aur&lorn and any in!asion of it will be declared a :oly War by their leader, the Grand "aster -wr--alambas 9ar %iadriel, as the forest is sacred to %iadriel and it is an act of defilement to so in!ade it. Fortunately, their holy places and religious glades are hidden deep in the forest and protected by powerful magicks, but the #rder realise that any incursions must certainly be stopped before these are reached. $o this end, the #rder generally prefers to meet their enemies in open battle and remain independent of the main El!en forces, though they do recognise the need for unity and as long as it ser!es their purpose. $he Liadrielinim AC$he %ords of 'ong and WineCB are clerics of %iadriel. $hey are not best suited to war but will ser!e as they may under the direction of their holy leader, Party-%ord "ellas 3ir (lyar u %iadriel. $he %iadrielinim bolster spirits by holding battle feasts and !ictory ban.uets dedicated to %iadriel and will appear on the battlefield as needs re.uire. $he Minstrels of the rder of the )reen Lute are champions ha!e pro!ed their loyalty to %iadriel in many ways and are respected throughout the forest. $his unit only bands together on the raising of their amuletic standard in times of a forest emergency, which is generally declared on the occurrence of any organised assault by their leader, the Great )alladeer, 9alfin-%ambaras ur %iadriel. (trictures/ $he only strictures in the cult of %iadriel are6 (lways oppose the destruction and desecration of the woodland realm #ppose actions that are detrimental to the El!en race. (6ell 8se/ Priests of %iadriel may use the following spells6 >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Resistance, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, 8ispirit, 'teal "ind, Wilt Weapon; J llusionistK (ssume llusionary (ppearance, )ewilder Foe, -amouflage (rea, -amouflage llusion, -loak (cti!ity, Glamour, llusionary Feature, 'imple 8eception

?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, )reak Weapon, -ause Panic, "ental 8uel, "ystic "ist; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbolG; J llusionistK )anish llusion, -onfound Foe, :allucinate, llusionary Woods, %esser Eidolon, $hrow Hoice Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK -ause -owardly Flight, -ause Fear, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, 'ub!ert Weapon, $ransfer (ura; J llusionistK llusionary Enemy, llusion of "ighty (ppearance, 4ni!ersal llusion, Hanish Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, )less AEnchantB Weapon, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic; J8i!ineK PacifyG; J llusionistK -omplete llusion, 8estroy llusions, llusionary (rmy, llusion of 8arkness, $eleport G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description (!ills/ -lerics of %iadriel may gain one of the following skills at each le!el6 Augury, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dance, ypnotise, Musicianship, Scrying, Seduction, Sing, and 'iniculture. $he skills must be bought with e2perience points as usual. Trials/ %iadriel does not normally set trials for his<her followers as such. $here are occasions, howe!er, where %iadriel considered that the petitioning cleric did not perform in a manner that is consistent with his<her principles. n such cases, the cleric may need to undergo a period of time where %iadriel scrutini5es their performance. Blessin"s/ 'kills fa!oured by %iadriel are Augury, Charm, Consume Alcohol, Dance, ypnotise, Musicianship, Scrying, Seduction, Sing, and 'iniculture. $here are no fa!oured tests, although %iadriel may confer a blessing in the form of a temporary increase in -el.

(arriel
,escri6tion/ 'arriel is the God of 8reams as well as the Patron of the healing arts and Protector of the Wandering El!en 'pirits. 'arriel is described by his followers as an especially tall Elf of regal bearing and dark, black hair. t is said that sparklings of light shine upon his ra!en tresses much like the stars twinkling aginst the night sky. (ym#ol/ nitiates and Priests of 'arriel identify themsel!es with the symbol of the white wolf, a sacred spirit beast that is said to help protect the deceased El!en spirits from the foul beasts that stalk the 'pirit Realm. nitiates and Priests wear plain hooded robes of midnight blue with symbols of stars and planets sewn onto the hems. 'oly ,ays/ $here are no specific holy days to 'arriel, though the night is considered his fa!oured time. 'arriel is usually called upon during sickness to assist the ill and at death to assist the departure of the Elf from his corporeal being. .ult $e7uirements/ $he cult is opened to any Wood Elf who would !enture in 'arriel,s mysteries.

$eli"ious rders6 $he (hado5 %eavers Aor The ,ream0Ma!ers of (arrielB are Wood Elf wi5ards who follow the God of 8reams, due to his relationship with illusionism and ha!e formed their own secret Aas secret as El!es can getB society under the tutelage of $he Grand 8ecei!er, 8reamguiler %a.uenyar Ral 'ilmar. ndi!idual members of the society may ser!e the army as wi5ards. (trictures/ (ll followers of 'arriel must be abide by the following strictures6 (lways oppose the ser!ants of the 8ark El!es, especially the minion of their sorcerors. (lways oppose 9ecromancers and any 4ndead whene!er and where!er they encounter them. (lways oppose those who seek to destroy or defile the Wood El!en homeland. 9e!er refuse to attend and care for the ill, especially children. 9e!er refuse to listen to the dreams of others. 9e!er refuse to conduct a funeral ser!ice if re.uested to do so. 9e!er enter or disturb a place of burial which has been properly dedicated to the protection of 'arriel. (6ell 8se/ Priests of 'arriel may use the following spells6 >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Resistance, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, 8ispirit, mmunity from Poison, 'teal "ind, Wilt Weapon; J8i!ineK -ure Poison, Funeral Rite ARitualBGG ; J llusionistK )ewilder Foe, -amouflage (rea, -amouflage llusion, Glamour; J9ecromanticK 8estroy 4ndead ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, )reak Weapon, -ause Panic, "agical "ight, "ental 8uel, "ystic "ist, 'teal "agical Power; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol ARitualBG; n!isibility to 4ndeadGG, $reat llness; J llusionistK )anish llusion, -onfound Foe, llusionary Woods, %esser Eidolon Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK (rrow n!ulnerability, -ause -owardly Flight, -ause Fear, -ause nstability, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, $ransfer (ura; J8i!ineK :eal n+ury, Purification Rite ARitualBGG, Wrath of 'arriel A"PrrBGG; J9ecromanticK (nnihilate 4ndead; J llusionistK 4ni!ersal llusion, Hanish Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, )less AEnchantB Weapon, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, Re!erse 'pell, 'tand 'till, 'trength of "ind; J8i!ineK #pen 'arriel,s A"Prr,sB GatesGG; J llusionistK -omplete llusion, 8estroy llusions, $eleport G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description GG described in A6ocry6ha 9/ .harts of ,ar!ness, pages ?M-?=. (!ills/ nitiates of 'arriel must purchase the Dream "nterpretation skill at normal EP cost in addition to the skills normally a!ailable to nitiates. Priests of 'arriel may purchase one of the following skills for each le!el they,!e achie!ed6 Arcane Language- (ecromantic Magic&, Astrology, Astronomy, Augury, "denti#y )ndead, %esistance to "llusionist Magic Asee belowB, Scrying, and )ndead Lore AA6ocry6ha 9/ .harts of ,ar!ness, page ?*B.

$esistance to &llusion Ma"ic/ $his skill enables the Priest of "Prr to add a Q>DR modifier to all magic tests against llusion "agic only. Trials/ $rials set by 'arriel generally in!ol!e punishing those who disturb burial places and desecrate the dead. n some instances, trials may be of a more benign nature such as going to place where plague has o!ertaken inhabitants of a settlement, e!en a human one, and do what one can to attend to the diseased. Blessin"s/ 'kills fa!oured by 'arriel include Astrology, Astronomy, Augury, Cure Disease, Dream "nterpretation, eal Wounds, "denti#y )ndead, Magic A*areness, %esistance to "llusion Magic&, Scrying, and )ndead Lore. Fa!oured tests include Fear, $error, all Poison, 8isease, and other test which counter special attack forms of any 4ndead creature. 'arriel may also grant a temporary increase to &nt, .l, and %+ attributes. Fre.uently, 'arriel may bless a character by sending a dream to gi!e ad!ice or information.

Torothal
,escri6tion/ $orothal is the Goddess of Rain and Ri!ers and is re!ered almost as much as sha for the health of the woodland realm. $orothal is generally described as a tall El!en woman with long flowing light blue hair who makes her home in the ri!ers of any Wood Elf realm. $hough normally gentle, $orothal,s anger generally manifests itself in the tempests that occasionally batter the land. "any El!es belie!e that $orothal,s anger tends to be directed at the humans who foolishly encroach upon the land. (ym#ol/ $he symbols representing $orothal include water drops, rainbows, and lightning bolts. nitiates and Priests of $orothal wear clothing typical of Wood El!es with the addition of blue trim sewn on the hemlines. "edallions crafted in the shape of one of $orothal,s symbols are discreetly worn. 'oly ,ays/ $orothal does not ha!e any holy days as such, though many honour her whene!er rain comes to the %aur&lorn. 'ome of those obser!ing the descend of life-nourishing water from the sky perform a dance in celebration of the blessed e!ent, particularly after an unusual dry spell. .ult $e7uirements/ (ny Wood Elf may !enerate $orothal where!er water flows whether from the sky or along the !arious ri!ers, streams, and waterfalls. $eli"ious rders/ $he cult has two such #rders6

$he -loc! of Torothal are priests who form an unorganised collection of indi!iduals under the leadership of Forest-%ord Eledhir Eidyn u $orothal. 8ue to their relationship with the goddess, each has the power, in addition to other abilities, to call forth a swarm of $orothalCs belo!ed forest creatures Athe type that li!e in either the water or fly in the airB in order to defend her forested homeland. $he types of swarm that may be called include birds, otters, and frogs.

Torothal2s $ain of ,eath are a band of scout-templars dedicated to the protection of the forest ri!ers that are so belo!ed of their goddess, and are the life blood of the forest. $he leader, 3inthane %orfin (lfheim, is an initiate of $orothal and the unit is a semi-religious one under the auspices of the clerics of $orothal. (trictures/ nitiates and Priests of $orothal abide by the following strictures6 9e!er dam or otherwise impede the course of a ri!er or other waterways. 8o not permit the defilement of ri!ers or other waterways. 8o not allow a fellow being to go thirsty. 8o not abuse the animals of the air and water. 8o not suffer the enemies of Elfkind to harm any li!ing being in the woodland realm. (6ell 8se/ Priests of $orothal may use the following spells6 >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Resistance, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, 8ispirit, Flight, 'lippery Ground, Wind )last; JElementalK )linding Flash; -loud of 'moke, -reate 'pring, "agic %ight, Walk on Water ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, -ause Panic, %ightning )olt, "ystic "ist, 'teal "agical Power; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol ARitualBG; JElementalK -ause Rain, -lap of $hunder, -ontrol %ightning, E2tinguish Fire, cy Ground, "o!e #b+ect, Resist Fire Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK (rrow n!ulnerability, -ause -owardly Flight, -ause Fear, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, Enfeeble, $ransfer (ura; J8i!ineK Raise FogG; JElementalK )anish Elemental, )ecome Ethereal, 8raw 8own %ightning Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, )less AEnchantB Weapon, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, Re!erse 'pell, 'tand 'till; JElementalK -hange Weather ARitualB, 8ispel Elementals, 'ummon A(ir or WaterB Elemental, 'ummon 'warm, 'well Ri!er G see ,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3 below for description (!ills/ -lerics of $orothal may gain one of the following skills at each le!el6 Augury, Boat!uilding, Dro*sing, (avigate +%iver,, -rientation, %iver Lore, %o*, Sailing, Scale Sheer Sur#ace, Scrying, and S*im. $he skills must be bought with e2perience points as usual. Trials/ $rials set by $orothal typically in!ol!e protecting ri!ers, waterfalls and other waterways from those who seek to despoil its beauty and deny its use to other deni5ens of the woodlands and other locales. n some cases, this might also in!ol!e protection of the forest where the Wood El!es li!e. Blessin"s/ 'kills fa!oured by $orothal are Augury, Dro*sing, (avigate +%iver,, -rientation, %iver Lore, %o*, Sailing, Scrying, and S*im. n addition,

GGGGG'idebarGGGGG

(ide#ar/ The .ult of *ern

Wood El!es of the %aur&lorn Forest belie!e that their gods sometime take physical forms to walk and li!e among them. #ccasionally these !isitations may result in the birth of a demi-god who becomes a hero in the folklore of the %aur&lornalim and inspires some to dedicate their li!es to follow her e2ample. #ne of the better known of these semi-di!ine beings is 3ern, son of the Ri!er Goddess $orothal. t is belie!ed that he was the being that sealed the borders of the %aur&lorn Forest from the 8warfs who were .uickly returning to the mountains after sacking the :igh El!en colonial city of 'ith Rionnasc,namishathir at the end of the War of the )eard. #ne of the legends had it that 3ern also erected the megalithic stones that mark the boundaries of the %aur&lorn in order to offer some protection against El!en enemies as well as maintain the mystical enchantment of the forest itself. #ne of the better known groups that re!ere 3ern is the troop known as 'karloc,s (rchers. $he mysterious leader of the band is also called @$he :ooded #ne., "any young and idealistic El!es flock to 'karloc,s banner. (mong their number is Glam, the %aughing Warrior, renowned as the one of the greatest of the El!en wardancers. t is whispered that only 'karloc can control his mercurial temper. (nother member of the band is 3aia 'tormwitch, the scouts, wi5ard and standard bearer. $he standard she carries is a holy relic and contains the ashes of the heart of 3ern. Finally, there is (raflane Warskald, whose great bron5e caryn2 warhorn doomsounder strikes fear into the hearts of the (rchers, enemies. GGGGGEnd 'idebarGGGGG

,ivine (6ells 1+rayers3

$he following are new 8i!ine "agic spells6

,edicate ,ivine (ym#ol 1$itual3

'pell %e!el6 'econd "agic Points6 = Range6 $ouch 8uration6 Permanent ngredients6 'ymbol of the appropriate deity $he ritual is similar to that described for the cult of "Prr 08edicate 'taff1 AA6ocry6ha 9/ .hart of ,ar!ness, page ?M-?NB. %ike those in the human cult, Wood El!en priests and sorcerors

would ha!e a difficult time casting spells which use components that are of an offensi!e nature to a Wood Elf,s sensiti!ities, such as body parts of woodland creatures. )eing higher magical creatures, the Wood El!es ha!e de!eloped a ritual that calls upon the power of their gods to allow for the permanent blessing of an El!en priest,s or sorceror,s holy symbol to act as a focus for their spells. $he ritual in!ol!es a ?nd le!el Priest and her nitiate once the latter has learned the mysteries of his cult and is on the threshold of becoming a Priest. $he mentor would ha!e the nitiate first craft the holy symbol by hand and engra!e it with the words of power that would be uni.ue to that Elf and used to in!oke the magical potential of his inner spirit. $he mentor would be lay the nitiate,s symbol under her own and chant the cult,s litany in order to empower the token. ( sacrifice is then called upon, the nature of which also !aries by cult. $he cult of (damnan might use drops of the nitiate,s blood while sha might call upon the +uice of the rare %hathina berry. $he same ritual is used by Wi5ardly order, the Dreinarthia Corlinalith, AEldritch Watchers- see belowB, and other Wood Elf sorcerors of the %aur&lorn.

%ard :e"etation
'pell %e!el6 'econd "agic Points6 * per >?* -ubic Sards Range6 touch 8uration6 >dL days ngredients6 9one $he cleric is granted the power to protect a large area of !egetation Aand the soil within which they are rootedB from blight and other infestations. n addition, this spell can slow any seepage of contamination from -haos substances such as Warpstone and Warpdust. $he !olume to be warded must be marked off by holy symbols inscribed onto the barks of trees and stems of smaller plants. #nce in!oked, the inscribed symbols disappear from normal !iew and can only be percei!ed by those with the "agical 'ense skill.

$aise -o"
'pell %e!el6 $hird "agic Points6 = Range6 E= yards 8uration6 > hour ngredients6 ( clump of moss mi2ed with a pinch of algae. $his spell is similar to the second le!el )attle spell of "ystic "ist A%-$+, page >*NB though with a greatly increased area of effect with a ?D yards radius.

(6ea! 5ith ,ryad

'pell %e!el6 $hird "agic Points6 * Range6 $ouch 8uration6 > hour ngredients6 ( twig from a tree inhabited by a dryad $his spell allows the caster to be able to con!erse with a 8ryad e!en when the 8ryad is residing within a tree. $he con!ersation can range from simple discussion of creatures passing through the area to a warning of a destructi!e force approaching.

.all ,ivine .reature 1$itual3

'pell %e!el6 Fourth "agic Points6 >? Range6 >DD yards 8uration6 E hours ngredients6 ( sil!er horn $his spell allows a priest to call forth a creature that is deemed sacred to the cult. n the case of sha, such creatures include pegasi, large white stags, and unicorns. $he ritual incantation includes the re.uest that the casting priest wishes to make of whiche!er creature answers the call. #nce the creature appears, the priest has to make their case in order to win the creature,s cooperation. $he priest gains a Q?D modifier to their -el Aalong with any other appropriate modifierB

.all ,ryad 1$itual3

'pell %e!el6 Fourth "agic Points6 >E Range6 >DD yards 8uration6 E hours ngredients6 %eaf from a lornalim tree $his spell allows a priest to call forth a dryad. $he ritual incantation includes the re.uest that the casting priest wishes to make of the dryad answering the call. #nce the creature appears, the priest has to make their case in order to win the creature,s cooperation. $he priest gains a Q?D modifier to their -el Aalong with any other appropriate modifierB

+acify
Prayer Rank6 Fourth "agic Points6 >? Range6 Personal 8uration6 4ntil ne2t sunrise (rea of Effect6 )"P yard radius centred on cleric Resistance6 9one $his spell grants the in!oking priest the ability to calm all creatures within the area of effect who are hostile towards the priest or his companions. $hese once hostile creatures will lay down their weapons and sit as they find contentment in the song or music that must accompany this prayer. "oreo!er, should the in!oking priest pass a -el test Awith the appropriate modifiersB, these creatures may be called upon to pro!ide a ser!ice, such as protecting the priest and his companions or lea!ing them alone. 9aturally, any re.uest that is ob!iously intended to do the pacified creatures harm ATWould you mind looking the other way while slipped this sword through your ribs.TB automatically ends the spellCs effect. f the priest luckily sur!i!es that episode, heCll still ha!e to contend with %iadriel Aafter all, this action would definitely be a gross !iolation of %iadrielCs principlesB. $his spell also pro!ides the priest and his companions with a Q?D modifier to all #ear and a Q>D modifier to all terror tests caused by hostile creatures within the area of effect.

(6ea! 5ith Treeman

'pell %e!el6 Fourth "agic Points6 = Range6 $ouch 8uration6 > hour ngredients6 %eaf from a treeman $his spell allows the caster to be able to con!erse with a $reeman. $he con!ersation can range from simple discussion of creatures passing through the area to a warning of a destructi!e force approaching.

(ummon the %ild 'unt

'pell %e!el6 Fourth "agic Points6 LD Range6 >D yards of Priest 8uration6 4ntil the hunt is completed or dawn breaks ngredients6 ( hunterCs horn

#ne of the strongest a!ailable to Priests, this spell must be used only in the most desperate of situations Ae.g., when a mighty -haos warband of thirty strong led by a -haos :ero is about to descend on a camp of a young noble lady escorted by three armed guardsmenB. $he spell grants the Priest the power to summon the Wild :unt into the world. $he :untsman and his hounds appear facing the direction of their .uarry, but wait for the Priest Cs re.uest before sounding the horn Asignalling that the hunt has begunB. $he :untsman, a large man with stag antlers and clo!en hoo!es for feet, runs with the baying hounds as they pursue their prey. :e is armed with spear, sword, and bow and may use spells as if he were a fourth le!el Priest of 3urnuous. 'hould the .uarry be particularly powerful, the :untsman may tap into the "agic Points of his hounds. $hus, only the strongest of foe ha!e any chance -- remote that it is / to sur!i!e the hunt. :untsman M %( O =* B( ** ( O T O % ?? & =* A M ,e; N* Ld =* &nt =* .l =* %+ =* -el =*

"agic Points6 ED M :ounds of the Wild :unt M %( B( ( T O E* D * * "agic Points6 >D 'hould the Priest summon the Wild :unt for a tri!ial matter Ae.g., killing a band of ten goblin wolfriders because the Priest and his four buddies didnCt want to risk themsel!es in a battleB, the :untsman will appear without his hounds. Facing the offending Priest, the :untsman will announce that the Priest has incurred the wrath of 3urnuous and punishment would be forthcoming. $here is a >DR chance that the punishment will result in the offending Priest becoming the ob+ect of the hunt Ain which case the :untsman will gi!e the cleric a fifteen minute head startB. #therwise, the :untsman will simply !anished and the Priest will ha!e to await 3urnuousC decision. % >> & ** A L ,e; D Ld ED &nt L* .l MD %+ ED -el ?*

Laurlornalim (orcery
9ot all Wood Elf wi5ards in the %aur&lorn are skilled enough to use $ree 'ongs. 'ome who ha!e magical aptitude also possess a harder edge to them that are belie!ed to come from the enchanted forest,s being surround by forces hostile to its e2istence. $hese El!es are the Dreinarthia Corlinalith, AEldritch WatchersB, a sorcerous order whose goal is protection of the %aur&lorn at all costs. $he origins of this #rder are shrouded in mystery. $he %aurelornalim do not talk about it as the #rder is secreti!e e!en to their own folk. 'ome belie!e that they are aligned with the worship of sha, others with 'arriel. 9o matter which deity they are aligned, the Eldritch Watchers wield

great power and are not restricted in their magic as human wi5ards. $he Eldritch Watchers are able to blend )attle, Elemental, and llusionist spells without ha!ing to pursue each type as specialists. Gi!en this ability, this type of wi5ard is restricted to 9on-Player -haracters only. f, for whate!er reason, a G" wants to allow a player to pursue this character, the e2perience points costs e.ual that of any specialist wi5ard career, i.e., e!erything costs twice in E2perience points what it would cost a )attle wi5ard. -areer descriptions are included in the section on Wood Elf careers below. 'pells for Eldritch Watcher characters can only be obtained from the following list6 Petty6 )utterfingers, 8anger 'ense, 8ark 'ight, Find, Gift of $ongues, Glowing %ight, 3nock 8own, "agic (larm, "agic Flame, "arsh %ights, "end, Petty (nimal :ealing, Petty )eastfriend, Protection from Rain, 'harp Eyes, 'leep, 'ounds, 'tealth, Weaken Poison >st %e!el6 J)attleK (ura or Resistance, -ause (nimosity, -ure %ight n+ury, 8etect "agic, 8ispirit, Fleet Foot, Flight, mmunity from Poison, 'lippery Ground, 'teal "ind, Wilt Weapon, Wind )last; JElementalK (ssault of 'tones, )linding Flash; -loud of 'moke, -reate 'pring, "agic %ight, Walk on Water, Ward of (rrows; J llusionistK )ewilder Foe, -amouflage (rea, -amouflage llusion, Glamour ?nd %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of Protection, )reak Weapon, -ause Panic, %eg )reaking, "agical "ight, "ental 8uel, "ystic "ist, 'tampede, 'teal "agical Power; J8i!ineK 8edicate 8i!ine 'ymbol Asee abo!eB; JElementalK -ause Rain, -lap of $hunder, -ontrol %ightning, E2tinguish Fire, :eal Hegetation, cy Ground, "o!e #b+ect, Resist Fire; J llusionistK )anish llusion, -onfound Foe, llusionary Woods, %esser Eidolon Lrd %e!el6 J)attleK (rrow n!ulnerability, (rrow 'torm, -ause -owardly Flight, -ause Fear, -ause nstability, -ause 'tupidity, 8ispel "agic, Enfeeble, "agic )ridge, 'ub!ert Weapon, $ransfer (ura; JElementalK )anish Elemental, )ecome Ethereal, -rumble 'tone, 8raw 8own %ightning, 8ust 'torm; J llusionistK 4ni!ersal llusion, Hanish Eth %e!el6 J)attleK (ura of n!ulnerability, -ure 'e!ere Wound, 8rain "agic, Enchant Weapon, Entanglement, Re!erse 'pell, 'tand 'till, 'trength of "ind; JElementalK -hange Weather ARitualB, -reate Hegetation, 8ispel Elementals, :edge of $horns, 'ummon Elemental, 'ummon 'warm, 'well Ri!er; J llusionistK -omplete llusion, 8estroy llusions, $eleport (nother #rder of Wood Elf wi5ards are the (hado5 %eavers Aor The ,ream0Ma!ers of (arrielB who are an order dedicated to 'arriel Asee abo!eB. $hey specialise in llusionist magic and follow the llusionist career path. %aur&lorn wi5ards who depart their woodland homeland to li!e among the humans are generally from this #rder. n many cases, these El!es keep their abilities secret so as to better spy on the humans, particularly those in the employ of the )aron of 9ordland.

Laurlorn Elf characters

%ood Elven .areers
nstead of rolling on the -areer tables in the rulebook Apg. >=B, characters should use the tables below. n all other respects, howe!er, the procedure for generating characters remains unchanged. 9ote that there are few opportunities for military careers in Wood Elf society; the !ast ma+ority of %oren,s inhabitants follow what are essentially Ranger careers, but are upon to defend their land if needed. "any of these careers are described in the Warhammer rule book. $here is no difference between the :uman and Wood El!en !ersions of these careers, e2cept that El!es will use their own secret signs and languages, which may ha!e little or nothing in common with those of :umans. 'hould a character of one race try and understand a secret sign or language of the other race Afor e2ample, an El!en Far Rider trying to understand a human speaking in the secret language of rangersB, they should take an &nt test. 'uccess indicates that they are able to understand the gist of the message; success by LD points or more means that they understood it perfectly. Failure of more than LD points should ha!e catastrophic implications. )ecause new careers ha!e been added, the career e2its listed in the Warhammer rule book are not necessarily the same for El!es as they are for humans. $he careers gi!en in this chapter all ha!e career entry lists, as well as career e2its. f a career is listed as being a career entry, for e2ample nitiate A3urnousB as a career entry for a )eastfriend, then an Elf following that career can take up the new profession. A n this case, the nitiate could become a )eastfriendB. 'ome careers are not open to Wood El!es. $his is usually because opportunities to follow them simply do not e2ist in El!en society. $hese careers include6 )asic -areers (lchemist,s (pprentice, )awd, )eggar, -oachman, 8ruid, Engineer, E2ciseman, Gra!e Robber, Failer, "arine, "uleskinner, 9oble, Pilot, Pit Fighter, Prospector, Protagonist, Rat -atcher, Roadwarden, Runner, 'cribe, 'eaman, 'er!ant, 'oldier, '.uire, 'tudent, $oll-3eeper, $omb Robber, $roll 'layer, and $unnel Fighter. (d!anced -areers (lchemist, (rtillerist, some types of (rtisan Aincluding printers, shipwrights and stone masonsB, (ssassin, -ounterfeiter, 8ruidic Priest, Free %ance, Giant 'layer, Gunner, :ighwayman, Fudicial -hampion, %awyer, 9a!igator, Racketeer, 'apper, 'cholar, 'ea -aptain, 'la!er, $orturer. n addition, further careers Aincluding the ones in this chapterB may, at the G",s discretion, be una!ailable for Players of El!en characters. f an Elf lea!es their community and li!es amongst

humans, the standard career entries and e2its gi!en in the Warhammer rule book should be used, along with the standard El!en )asic -areer -harts A%-$+, pg. >=B. %A$$& $ BA(&. .A$EE$( ,<== .areer D>->D )odyguard >>-** Glade GuardG %abourer "arine *M-M* M*-=D =>-=* =M-DD "ercenary "ilitiaman 9oble #utlaw Pit Fighter Protagonist 'eaman 'er!ant 'oldier '.uire $roll 'layer $unnel Fighter Watchman

G denotes new career Asee belowB $AN)E$ BA(&. .A$EE$( ,<== .areer D>->D )oatman >>->* )ounty :unter

>M-?D ?>-LD L>-ED E>-*D *>-** *M-M* MM-ND -

-oachman FarmerGG Fisherman Gamekeeper Glade RiderG :erdsman :unter "inerG "uleskinner #utrider Pilot Prospector Rat -atcher Roadwarden Runner $oll-3eeper

N>-=D $rapper =>-OD Wood Elf 'coutG O>-DD Woodsman G denotes new career Asee belowB GG described in ,5arfs/(tone and (teel, page =?

$ )8E BA(&. .A$EE$( ,<== .areer D>-D* (gitator )awd DM-?D ?>-?* )eggar Entertainer Footpad

?M-L* LM-*D *>-MD M>-ND N>-N* NM-=* =M-DD -

Gambler Gra!e Robber Failer "instrel Pedlar Raconteur Rustler 'muggler $hief $omb Robber

A.A,EM&. BA(&. .A$EE$( ,<== .areer (lchemist,s (pprentice D>-D* DM->* >M-LD L>-L* LM-ED E>-E* EM-*D *>-MD (rtisan,s (pprentice 8ruid Engineer E2ciseman Forest GuardianG :erbalist :ypnotist nitiate Pharmacist Physician,s 'tudent 'cribe 'eer 'tudent

M>-ND $ellerG N>-=* $rader =M-DD Wi5ard,s (pprentice G denotes new career Asee belowB

:ariations on 'uman careers

%ike other larger El!en settlements, the %aur&lorn has )ounty :unters. $hese indi!iduals are supported by the community, in return for which they are e2pected to deli!er +ustice to trespassers Ain!ariably non-El!esB, and bring to trial those who ha!e fled rather than face the public shame of a trial. 'imilarly, %aur&lornalim Gamekeepers do not patrol pri!ate property, but seek to defend the land from poachers, thie!es and raiders. For careers of this type, use the ad!ance scheme and skills gi!en in the main rule book, but use common sense when determining how they fit into El!en society.

Basic .areers

-orest )uardian
$he El!es, interdependence with their forest homes puts them in a delicate position6 when disease or disaster strikes an area, whole kindreds are put at risk. For this reason, there will always be El!es in each settlement who tend and care for their habitat. $hey roam the woods around their homes, looking for signs of sickness, and checking for unnatural damage. $heir work often takes them to the scenes of battles, where the forests ha!e been transformed into blood-churned, rust-ridden and charred tra!esties of their once-!erdant glory. Where such e2tensi!e work is needed, Forest Guardians from nearby kindreds will usually be called upon to tra!el to the scene of the battle, and being their own struggle to help the land grow and become fertile once more. Whilst El!es rarely meet the legendary 8ryads and $reemen, such creatures will always recognise Forest Guardians as healers and ser!ants of the forest, and will treat them with respect. Advance (cheme M %( B( ( T % Q> & Q>D A ,e; Q>D Ld &nt Q>D .l %+ -el

(!ills6 8owsing :erb %ore dentify Plant #rientation Plant -are

Tra66in"s6 8owsing Rods 'ickle 'ling )ag .areer Entries6 :erbalist Physician,s 'tudent .areer E;its6 nitiate A shaB Physician 'eer $eller

)lade )uards
t is hardly surprising that a race that places such great importance on defending its borders will ha!e a standing guard dedicated to the tasks. What is surprising about the Wood El!es is the proportion of their populace in!ol!ed in this. (lmost e!ery Wood Elf will ser!e as a Glade Guard at some time in their life, forming a front line against attacks and, when necessary, policing the affairs of the kindred. (s a result, the Wood Elf nation can, when pressed, mobilise almost in its entirety. Whene!er the number of Glade Guards dwindles, members of the community will !olunteer to take a turn, spending a year or so in a state of readiness for conflict, learning the skills and disciplines that ha!e earnt the El!en force such a keen reputation amongst the less ci!ilised nations. t is a serious life, poorly suited to the wildness and impulsi!eness of the Wood El!es; those who undertake ser!ice often become more reflecti!e, more thoughtful as a result, and many life-long friendships are formed through the sense of camaraderie the work brings. (ny established member of the kindred will be welcomed into the Guards. n game terms, this means that the career should always be treated as a career e2it for Wood El!es li!ing in a kindred. Advance (cheme M %( Q>D B( Q>D ( Q> T % QE & Q>D A Q> ,e; Ld Q>D &nt .l %+ -el

(!ills6 8isarm 8odge )low

'trike "ighty )low 'trike to 'tun Tra66in"s6 'lee!ed "ail 'hirt 'word or (2e *DR chance of a 'hield *DR chance of a 'pear .areer Entries6 "ercenary "ilitiaman Watchman Woodsman .areer E;its6 "ercenary -aptain $emplar

)lade $iders
Glade Riders can be found in many of the larger Wood El!en settlements, patrolling the heath, scrub and downs that form the borders of the encla!e. n %oren, the 3indred of E.uos takes on this responsibility, as it gi!es them a perfect e2cuse to tend, breed and care for the herds of El!en steeds descended from the handful that the first refugees managed to spirit away with them to the forests. #n these heaths and moors, between the scattered clumps of trees and bushes, their precious horses can gra5e freely. Advance (cheme M %( Q>D B( Q>D ( T % Q? & Q>D A ,e; Q>D Ld &nt .l Q>D %+ -el

(!ills6 (nimal -are -harm (nimal A:orseB Follow $rail #rientation Ride - :orse $rick Riding *DR chance of 'pecialist Weapon / %ance Tra66in"s6 El!en steed, trappings and harness

%eather Fack 'word or (2e 'hield 'pear .areer Entries6 Farmer Gamekeeper :erdsman #utrider .areer E;its6 Far Rider Wood Elf 'cout

Teller
When a kindred gathers to discuss matters of importance to the community, matters are weighed on their merit, and on the arguments of their protagonists. 'uch discussions may become heated, and on some of the finer points, e2perts may need to be consulted. $ellers are indi!iduals who dedicate their li!es to supporting the kindred,s process of go!ernment. (t kindred meetings, they will recount rele!ant stories, clarify points, and sometimes chair the session. $hey are the nearest the El!es ha!e to lawyers, but could e.ually well be thought of as social historians. #utside of meetings, $ellers can usually be found arbitrating in disputes, acting as an emissary, or simply biding their time before their skills are ne2t needed by telling stories to children or helping forage for food. )ecause of their social role, $ellers are usually well-respected; by the same token, a corrupt or self-centred $eller is !iewed with great contempt and disdain. Advance (cheme M %( B( ( T % Q> & A ,e; Ld Q>D &nt Q>D .l Q>D %+ -el Q>D

(!ills6 -harm Etti.uette :istory %aw AWood El!en onlyB Public 'peaking 'tory $elling Tra66in"s6 El!en steed, trappings and harness %eather Fack

'word or (2e 'hield 'pear .areer Entries6 (gitator Forest Guardian "instrel Ranconteur $rader .areer E;its6 8emagogue nitiate "erchant Wi5ard,s (pprentice

%ood Elf (cout

Guarding any Wood El!en settlement re.uires constant !igilance. n a realm the si5e of (thel %oren, this re.uires a full-time standing force of El!es dedicated to patrolling, watching, and reconnoitring. (dditionally, when une2plained rumours are brought by tra!ellers from other kindreds, the scouts are usually the first dispatched to find out information. n (thel %oren, the scouts form one kindred, whose tradition e2tends unbroken back to the first El!es to enter %oren, e!en before the coming of the refugees. Advance (cheme M %( Q>D B( Q>D ( T % Q> & Q>D A ,e; Q>D Ld &nt .l Q?D %+ -el

(!ills6 -oncealment Rural Follow $rail #rientation 'cale 'heer 'urface 'ecret 'igns - Waywatcher 'ilent "o!e Rural 'pot $rap Tra66in"s6 El!en bow and arrows %eather Ferkin

.areer Entries6 )ounty :unter Glade Rider :unter $rapper .areer E;its6 "ercenary $emplar Wardancer Waywatcher

Advanced .areers
Beastfriends
$he !ariety of animals befriended by these El!es is reflected in the di!ersity between )eastfriends. $he different ad!ances and skills associated with the main types of animals are gi!en below. :owe!er, all )eastfriends ha!e access to the following common core set of skills6 (!ills6 (nimal -are (nimal $raining -all (nimal Anew skill, see belowB -harm (nimalG Follow $railG #rientation 'i2th 'ense G$hese skills are gained automatically when )eastfriends enter the career, but operate with respect to their specific friend species only. $o gain full use of these skills, they can be bought normally using e2perience points. .araidh Bruinn 1Beastfriend of the Bear3 $he kings of the forest are also belo!ed to the El!es and ha!e animal keepers dedicated to honour and protect them. Advance (cheme M %( Q>D B( ( Q? T Q? % Q? & A ,e; Ld &nt .l Q>D %+ -el

(!ills6 'pecialist Weapon - Fist 'treet Fighter 'trike "ighty )low .araidh Much 1Beastfriend of the Boar3 $hese famed El!en animal keepers li!e with their wards, whom they are dedicated to protect, and ha!e formed mental ties with them. $his li!e in a boar family group e2ternal to mainstream El!en communities, but remain integral with them. Advance (cheme M %( Q>D B( ( Q> T Q> % Q? & Q>D A ,e; Ld &nt .l Q>D %+ Q>D -el

(!ills6 Fren5ied (ttack 'treet Fighter 'trike to n+ure .araidh &olair 1Beastfriend of the 'a5!3 Great -law and the eagles of the Western Forest are highly independent and noble creatures, but ha!e good relations with the El!es and will assist them in their struggle for they ha!e no desire to flee their nests. $hese are, in fact, the last remnants of the once great species of forest eagle. Advance (cheme M Q> %( Q>D B( Q>D ( T % Q> & Q?D A ,e; Ld Q>D &nt Q>D .l %+ -el

(!ills6 8odge )low FleeU 'trike to n+ure .araidh Aech 1Beastfriend of the 'orse3 Advance (cheme M Q> %( B( ( Q> T Q? % Q? & A ,e; Ld &nt Q>D .l Q>D %+ -el

(!ills6

(cute :earing FleeU Ride / :orse .araidh .u 1Beastfriend of the 'ound3 $his group of animal keepers roam the forest in a pack and are responsible for keeping the !ermin down to acceptable numbers and also hunt down larger intruders. $he El!es ha!e adopted many of the mannerisms of their companions and howl orders to them as necessary. $he hounds are descended from the hunting !ariety that the :igh El!es brought from 4lthuan o!er fi!e millennia ago. $he :ounds of %aur&lorn are a feral !ersion of that ancient breed. Advance (cheme M Q> %( Q>D B( ( T % Q? & Q>D A ,e; Ld Q>D &nt Q>D .l Q>D %+ -el

(!ills6 (cute :earing Fren5ied (ttack 'treet Fighter .araidh .adhmorr 1Beastfriend of the .at3 ( highly aloof group, these El!es and their companions li!e a nomadic lifestyle tra!elling from settlement to settlement, where they are honourably recei!ed during their fre.uently short stays. Advance (cheme M Q> %( Q>D B( ( Q> T % Q> & Q?D A ,e; Ld &nt Q>D .l %+ Q>D -el

(!ills6 -oncealment Rural 'ilent "o!e Rural 'pecialist Weapon- Fist Tra66in"s6 $here are no particular trappings associated with the )eastfriend career, although many choose to arm and dress themsel!es in styles reminiscent of their friend species. $hus, the -araidh "uch fa!our cur!ing, tusk-like daggers, whilst the -araidh )ruinn and -araidh -adhmorr use clawed knuckle-dusters. .areer Entries6 Gamekeeper :erdsman

nitiate A3urnuousB Woodsman .areer E;its Priest A3urnuousB Waywatcher

Eldritch %atchers
$hese %aurelornalim wi5ards follow the same ad!ance scheme as normal wi5ards A%-$+, page >E?B. $he difference comes in the skills they can learn at each le!el. $he following represents the a!ailable skills and each must be taken, along with all profile ad!ances, before the character can mo!e to the ne2t le!el. (!ills6 >st %e!el6 (rcane %anguage- Elemental "agick (rcane %anguage- llusionist "agick -ast 'pells- )attle > -ast 'pells- Elemental > -ast 'pells- llusion > "agical (wareness "agic 'ense "editation Ride-:orse 'croll %ore ?nd %e!el6 (stronomy (ugury -ast 'pells- )attle ? -ast 'pells- Elemental ? -ast 'pells- llusion ? E!aluate :eal Wounds :erb %ore dentify Plant Rune %ore Lrd %e!el6 (rcane %anguage- (ncient Elf -ast 'pells- )attle L -ast 'pells- Elemental L -ast 'pells- llusion L

-harm (nimal -ure 8isease 8aemon %ore dentify "agical (rtefact dentify 4ndead 'crying Eth %e!el6 (rcane %anguage-8ruidic (rcane %anguage-8warf (rcane %anguage-RunicG -ast 'pells- )attle E -ast 'pells- Elemental E -ast 'pells- llusion E :ypnotise "anufacture Potions "anufacture 'crolls Prepare Poisons Gas described in ,5arfs/ (tone > (teel, page >D>. .areer Entries6 Wi5ard,s (pprentice .areer E;its6 9e2t le!el of Wi5ardry nitiate A'arrielB

-ar $iders
$he finest of the Glade Riders are sometimes called upon to undertake particular tasks, scouting out enemy positions, carrying messages and supplies to remote settlements, or leading their comrades into battle. $heir tra!els often take them deep into the barbarous lands of the Empire or )retonnia, where only guile, cunning and a familiarity with the guttural languages spoken by the humans keep them from being hunted down and murdered as spies. $hese skilled indi!iduals are known as Far Riders. Advance (cheme M %( QLD B( Q>D ( Q? T Q> % QE & Q?D A Q? ,e; Q?D Ld Q?D &nt Q>D .l Q?D %+ Q?D -el Q>D

(!ills6 -oncealment Rural 8isarm

8odge )low 'ecret 'igns - Waywatcher 'hadowing 'ilent "o!e Rural 'ecret %anguage - Ranger 'peak (dditional %anguage - #ld Worlder Agenerally )reton or Reikspiel dialectsB 'pecialist Weapon - %ance 'pecialist Weapon - $wo :anded Tra66in"s6 El!en steed, trappings and harness El!en bow and arrows 'lee!ed "ail 'hirt 'word or (2e 'hield 'pear .areer Entries6 Glade Rider Wood Elf 'cout .areer E;its6 'py Wardancer Waywatcher

%ardancers
(mongst the Wood El!es of the #ld World, the most feared and respected warriors are the Wardancers. $hey li!e for the glory of battle, and dedicate themsel!es to reaching the peak of fighting prowess. $hey are also masters of courtesy and dance, performing their intricate manoeu!res with consummate ease and grace. Wardancers are distinguished by their graceful pride, their lo!e of fighting and their fondness for spectacularly-dyed hair, often stiffened with tree-resin. Wardancers can be found in many of the larger Wood El!en settlements. $hey prefer the company of their own kind, but often li!e a little way apart from the main settlement, practicing their warchants and feats of arms whilst waiting for action. Advance (cheme M Q> %( QED B( ( Q> T Q> % QM & QLD A Q? ,e; Q>D Ld Q>D &nt .l Q?D %+ Q>D -el

(!ills6 (cting (crobatics 8ance 8isarm 8odge )low "arksmanship - thrown weapons only 'ing 'pecialist Weapon - Paired Weapons 'pecialist Weapon - $wo-:anded Weapons 'trike "ighty )low 'trike to n+ure $ransfi2 Anew skill, see belowB Warchant Anew skill, see belowB Wardance Anew skill, see belowB Tra66in"s6 :and Weapon 'hield #ne additional weapon, which may be a :and Weapon, a 'pear, a $wo-:anded 'word or a $wo:anded (2e .areer Entries6 )ounty :unter Far Riders "ercenary -aptain #utlaw Waywatcher Wood Elf 'cout .areer E;its6 nitiate A(damnan-na-)rionhaB "ercenary -aptain #utlaw -hief

%arha5! $iders
( few talented indi!iduals from the area near the Enchanted and "isty :ills manage to de!elop their understanding of the ma+estic giant raptors into something far deeper, far more trusting. 'uch a relationship takes years to build, re.uiring the Elf to nurse and nurture an orphaned or abandoned fledgling until it is grown. #nly the most gifted and dedicated El!es e!er achie!e this degree of empathy with the Warhawks Aor the occasional Giant EagleB. $hose few who manage to befriend these magnificent creatures ha!e been known to fly on their backs. Warhawk Riders patrol the skies abo!e the settlements, spotting potential threats, and scouting out the

rugged terrain that separate parts of the %aur&lorn frim human habitation. (t times when speed is of the essence, they are entrusted with important messages or packages. 'ome riders train their Warhawks to fight in battle; these ha!e gi!en their position its distincti!e name. :owe!er, the death of a Warhawk is a serious matter. Riders come to !iew their hawks as close friends, or e!en as kin. t is not uncommon for Riders to take their own li!es if their hawk is slain in a battle they chose to +oin. Advance (cheme M %( B( ( Q>D Q>D Q? T Q? % Q* & Q?D A Q? ,e; Q>D Ld Q?D &nt Q>D .l Q?D %+ Q>D -el

(!ills6 (nimal -are (nimal $raining -harm (nimal Game :unting #rientation Ride - Warhawk 'pecialist Weapon - %ance Tra66in"s6 El!en bow and arrows 'hield 'lee!ed "ail 'hirt 'pear 'word or (2e Warhawk, trappings and harness .areer Entries6 Gamekeeper :unter $rapper .areer E;its6 9one

%ay5atcher
When each Wood El!en settlement is so small, a surprise attack would be disastrous. Waywatchers are specially selected from amongst the finest of the Wood Elf 'couts, and gi!en the task of watching o!er routes leading to the dwellings. $hrough their knowledge of the terrain, their traps and their stealth, they can often deter forces many times their own number from in!ading the Glades they defend.

Waywatchers ha!e refined stealth to an art unparalleled in the #ld World, dressing in cloaks of green and brown, and working lea!es and foliage into their cloaks and clothing. When so disguised, they can hide in branches or bushes mere inches away from their foes. $his e2pertise allows them to ac.uire the skills Concealment %ural and Silent Move %ural twice. $his doubles the test modifiers associated with Silent Move %ural. When Waywatchers use dyes and paints, and entwine foliage and lea!es into their clothing, the second purchase of Concealment %ural increases hiding test bonuses from Q?DR to QEDR Aor from Q*R to Q>DR if mo!ing cautiouslyB. Advance (cheme M %( B( ( Q?D Q?D Q> T Q> % QL & QLD A Q> ,e; Q?D Ld Q>D &nt Q>D .l QLD %+ Q>D -el

(!ills6 -oncealment Rural Follow $rail :erb %ore "arksmanship #rientation Prepare Poisons Ride - :orse 'ecret 'igns - Waywatcher 'et traps 'ilent "o!e Rural 'pecialist Weapon - net 'pot $raps Tra66in"s6 El!en bow and arrows %eather Fack Rope - ?D yards 'word or (2e -amouflaged cloak and clothes .areer Entries6 )eastfriend "ercenary Wood Elf 'cout .areer E;its6 "ercenary -aptain 'py $emplar Wardancer

Ne5 (!ills
.all Animal
$his skill is known only to El!en )eastfriends. $hey refuse to teach it to any others, out of fear that it might be misused. When a )eastfriend is in a region Ausually a forestB where their befriended species li!es, they may call out in the language of that species in an attempt to gain the attention of allies. $he )eastfriend makes a Ld test, and if the test is successful, the animals will appear within ?d>D minutes, in the following numbers6 .reature )ear )oar :awk :orse :ound Wildcat Num#er > 8L > > 8L 8L

$he animals should be treated as 9P-s, and controlled by the G". )eastfriends usually call animals when they need their help. Whether or not this help is gi!en will depend on the risk in!ol!ed to the animal, the e2tend to which the )eastfriend,s plans fit the animal,s needs, and so on. Re.uests to be lead to food or shelter are almost always granted; calls to battle may well be refused, unless the foes threatened the forest or relati!es of the animal in!ol!ed. )eastfriends who abuse this skill in an attempt to gain e2pendable troops may well find themsel!es shunned by the animals and cursed by 3urnuous.

Transfi;
$his skill is only known by Wardancers, and will not be taught to anyone outside of their number. t allows them to confuse opponents with a rapid succession of feints and flurries. $he Wardancer must make a successful & test to use this skill. :is opponent must make a %+ test - if he fails, the Wardancer gains a Q>D %( bonus against him, and the trans#i.ed !ictim suffers a ->D %( penalty against the Wardancer. ( Wardancer fighting more than one opponent need only make a single & test; each opponent must make a %+ test, and all those who fail are affected as normal. $hese modifiers continue, without the need for further tests, until the trans#i.ed opponent hits the Wardancer Aalthough the hit need not actually cause a woundB. $he Wardancer cannot trans#i. opponents with &nt M or less, or opponents who are immune to psychology Ae.g. 4ndeadB.

%archant
$his skill is only known by Wardancers, and will not be taught to anyone outside of their number. Wardancers may sing a *archant when charging an opponent. $hey must make a successful &nt test to raise a rousing *archant, and the effects are as follows6 A>B $he Wardancer singing the *archant may choose to enter #ren/y; A?B (ll friendly characters gain a Q>D bonus to #ear and terror tests whilst the Wardancer is chanting; ALB (ll hostile characters and creatures suffer a ->D penalty to all #ear and terror tests whilst the Wardancer is chanting. $he *archant lasts until the Wardancer is wounded, or until she spends a round out of combat Ai.e., a round in which she is neither attacked nor tries to land a blowB.

%ardances
El!en Wardancers are e2pected to master a number of feats of e2treme de2terity, unmatched by e!en the most accomplished of acrobats. (s such, the skill cannot be learnt by characters until they ha!e ac.uired both (crobatics and 8ance. Each dance has special significance for the Wardancers, representing a legend from the legends of (damnan-na-)rionha, and forms a part of their ritual storytelling and celebrations. )ecause of the importance of these ceremonies, all Wardancers are e2pected to learn these dances as soon as possible, and the indi!iduals tutoring no!ice Wardancers may well refuse to teach other skills until these ha!e been mastered. Each dance must be bought separately, at >DD EPs each. n addition to their importance in rituals, Wardancers can use these dances in battle, emulating their god,s heroic feats in order to best their foes. ( brief description of the main dances, together with their game effects, is gi!en below. 9ote that only one dance can be performed at a time, although the dance steps being used can be !aried from round to round. 3urnuous, %eap6 3urnuous had grown tired of (damnan-na-)rionha,s trickery, and so when ne2t (damnan-na-)rionha performed his foolish antics 3urnuous pinned him to a tree with his magic spear, and left him their for three days and three nights to contemplate his folly. When he was released, (damnan-na-)rionha admitted that he had learnt his lesson; what 3urnuous failed to realise was that it had not been the lesson he had intended. (s soon as 3urnuous, back was turned, (damnan-na-)rionha stole the spear from its secret hiding place, so that in future he could continue his playful games without fear of retribution. :e had learnt a lesson6 to weaken his foes before he battled with themU :owe!er, 3urnuous was not amused, and loosed his hunt to bring back (damnan-na-)rionha and the spear. (damnan-na-)rionha fled to the top of a tall cliff and shattered the land around him, hoping that this would keep him from 3urnuous, wrath. 3urnuous, fury was so great that he !aulted clear up to where (damnan-na-)rionha was hiding. :e took back the spear, and left (damnan-na-)rionha up there on the cold, barren mountain, without food or drink, cut off from e!erywhere by the great gulfs he himself had opened up, for a whole year as a punishment.

$his is one of the few legends in which (damnan-na-)rionha is bested. t is treasured by the Wardancers, who !iew it as a lesson that sometimes, in spite of your wit and skill, the +oke will be on you. n Wardancer rituals, the indi!idual playing the role of 3urnuous performs the dance. n combat, this dance can be used to let Wardancers leap to a higher !antage point, such as a ledge or e!en a branch, or to !ault o!er the heads of their foe, landing to face their backs. Wardancers using this dance can leap A%-$+, pg. N*B as if their M characteristic was doubled. (lternati!ely, they can leap upwards, +umping up to their M characteristic in yards. 'torm of )lades6 3haela "ensha 3haine was not a god noted for his humour, and once again, (damnan-na-)rionha,s wit led him into trouble. 3haine sought to e2ile (damnan-na-)rionha, to limbo, where his madness and mischief could harm no-one. 9aturally, (damnan wasn,t impressed by this idea, and told 3haine what he thought of it in no uncertain terms. $he other gods, who had grown weary of (damnan, decided that the matter should be decided by a combat, with (damnan,s fate being determined by the outcome. (damnan knew he was no match for 3haine, and so decided to outwit him instead. :e protested bitterly, and insisting that he had no chance of winning against the war god, and said that he ought to be gi!en more than one chance to beat 3haine. 3haine, who knew that he could beat (damnan easily, said he would happily fight him a hundred times, with e!en one !ictory allowing (damnan to remain. (damnan smiled, and agreed to these terms. (s soon as the first fight began, (damnan split himself into a hundred pieces, each of which hurled itself at 3haine in a mad yet brilliant fury of mo!ement. (fter all, no-one had said that he couldn,t ha!e all of his fights at onceU 9ot e!en 3haine could hope to win against the ceaseless slashings of a hundred (damnans, and furiously conceded the battle. When fighting, Wardancers can use these steps to concentrate se!eral people,s attacks on one foe. Haulting, dashing and leaping, they can pass around or e!en through a combat, striking blows against a foe who is surrounded, or backed up against a wall, or similarly out of reach for normal combat. $he 'ilent Ghost6 #ne of (damnan-na-)rionha,s more notorious e2ploits in!ol!ed a drinking binge from which the god took almost a year to reco!er. $o celebrate the success of one of his many schemes, (damnan decided to steal %iadriel,s finest berry wine, a brew so heady that e!en the gods had to drink it in moderation. :owe!er, stealing from the gods is no simple matter, so (damnan decided that first he would learn the skills of stealth from the ghosts who li!ed in 'arriel,s realm. $his he did, and with his new-found ability he managed to carry off two full barrels of %iadriel,s wine. $his dance in!ol!es fast, light steps, and allows Wardancers to wea!e and dodge between and around people and obstacles. $his means that they can mo!e as if they had the skill, Silent Move %ural. $hey can also wea!e through crowds without slowing down, e!en if they are running. t does not pre!ent them from being struck at in combat. $he 'hadows -oil6 #ne of (damnan-na-)rionha,s most tricky problems was when, for a whole month, a geas was placed upon him by sha in a desperate attempt to stop his fooling. $his geas was such that if he so much as touched another of the gods, or e!en anything that belonged to

them, he would be cast out from their number, ne!er to return. When 3haela "ensha 3haine heard of this, he set out at once to find (damnan. :e was still smarting from his defeat in what should ha!e been a single combat, and saw this as a chance to best his foe. (ll he had to do was touch him once, and (damnan would trouble him no more. (damnan did his best to hide and to flee, but 3haine was remarkably persistent, and e!entually caught up with him. 3haine tried to battle him, but (damnan knew that if 3haine,s sword so much as brushed him, he would be cast out. 8esperately, he concentrated on dodging, leaping, side-stepping and e!ading each and e!ery one of 3haine,s blows. 3haine would not gi!e in, howe!er, and kept pressing the attack. $he pair carried on like this for two whole weeks, until the full moon signalled the end of (damnan,s geas. (s soon as he saw this, he nimbly tripped up his foe, and fled off into the night as .uickly as he could, lea!ing the fallen war god to weary to pick himself up from where he had fallen. Wardancers who ha!e mastered the steps of $he 'hadows -oil can choose to use them in combat to e!ade each and e!ery blow their opponent takes. $his gi!es them a Q>D bonus to all dodge and parry tests, and allows them to attempt to dodge up to two blows Awhich must both be from the same opponentB in a round, instead of one. :owe!er, whilst dancing this dance, Wardancers need to be concentrating completely on their opponent,s attacks, which means that they cannot do anything else that round. Wo!en "ist6 $here are many malign entities who would prey on the children of sha. (t the end of the Golden $ime, when -haos was unleashed in all its fury, demons came hunting, seeking to consume or carry off the souls of their !ictims. For the first time, the El!es felt truly cut-off from their gods; prayers went unanswered, as the surges of power that pulsed from the collapsed Warp Gates kept sha from inter!ening in the affairs of El!enkind. #nly (damnan-na-)rionha could fully understand the madness which -haos represented; only (damnan managed to help the El!es in those most troubled of times. (s the hordes split the wa!es and surged towards the 'hifting sles, (damnan managed to manifest himself as a great sea mist which en!eloped the shores. #nce inside, the -haos force was harried and hounded by false !isions, illusory shores, nightmares drawn from the minds of the El!en nation, and anything else that (damnan could find to throw against them. When they finally came to shore and began the slaughter, the El!es they fought were able to take shelter in the writhing mists, ambushing and harrying the in!aders at e!ery turn. Whilst (damnan could not stop the in!asion, the mist did help the El!es to hold back that first attack long for enough for (enarion to reach the shrine of (suryan, and there to make the sacrifice that enabled him to turn the tide of slaughter. $he intricate and sinuous se.uence of +umps, twists and flips which characterise this dance are so mesmerising and bewildering that, in combat, opponents may become transfi2ed by it. (nybody fighting the Wardancer must take a %+ test, or suffer a ->D %( penalty on all blows struck that round. Wo!en "ist will not bewilder opponents fighting the Wardancer,s comrades; they will be concentrating on their own combat. 9ote that this dance has no effect on opponents who are immune to psychology, such as 4ndead. Whirling 8eath6 Part of (damnan-na-)rionha,s role as the god of madness includes the role of Fury. For the :igh and Wood El!es, 3haela "ensha 3haine is the god of war, of directed anger;

part of the tragedy of the 8ark El!es was that they lost the restraint and control which 3haine represented, so that he resembled the berserk fury of (damnan. $he dance of Whirling 8eath is rarely performed, being too dangerous to play a part in any rituals. n combat, it dri!es Wardancers into an almost unstoppable state. $he dancers automatically become sub+ect to #ren/y A%-$+, pg. M=B; no .l test needs to be made. Whilst the dance lasts, they cannot dodge or parry. $he killing fury is so intense that Wardances often dri!e themsel!es into a state of e2haustion in an effort to destroy their opponents. (ny missed %( roll can be re-rolled once, but this inhuman effort has a price6 each time an attack is re-rolled, reduce the Wardancer,s % score by >. Points lost in this way can be regained normally. Wardancers cannot use wounds to re-roll attacks if they are se!erely wounded. f a re-roll reduces the Wardancer,s current wound total to D, they collapse, e2hausted, and will not regain consciousness until they ha!e regained at least > wound point. #nce begun, the dance of Whirling 8eath can only be ended by the slaughter of all of the Wardancer,s foes.

Bein" Elven
$his chapter contains a number of ideas that should allow players to de!elop their El!en characters into a truly distincti!e, interesting opportunity for role-playing. t is, of course, perfectly possible to play El!es as humans with pointed ears; doing this may well feel more comfortable, and may be more satisfying, for newcomers to role playing, or to people who are more interested in the stories that their characters are part of rather than the character itself. :owe!er, for those for whom role playing is a chance to see the world through different eyes, the ideas presented below gi!e some fla!our of what it might mean to be an Elf. 9aturally, there will be people who don,t agree with these suggestions, and feel that they ha!e better ideas of how El!es should be in Warhammer. $hey should ignore these, and take up their alternati!es / the point of this is, after all, to ha!e fun rather than to be dogmatic.

The triad
:umans tend to think in opposites. :ot, cold; rich, poor; ali!e, dead. t seems natural to humans to split the world in this way. $heir world is a world of pairings. 8warfs and :alflings, it seems, do much the same. El!es are different, though. Perhaps this is because they de!eloped in isolation from the other races, who mingled with each other throughout their histories. #r maybe they inherited this mode of thinking from the #ld #nes who taught them in the Golden (ge. Whate!er the reason, El!es tend to think in threes.

)ut how does that work7 $he principle is similar to the human idea of opposites; howe!er, whereas humans think of things and their opposites, El!es think of things, their opposites and their absence. $hus they might draw up lists such as hot, cold, numb; rich, poor, unworldly; ali!e, dead, 4ndead. 'o how is the third term in each list picked7 $his is where things get slightly complicated. $he three terms together / the principle, the contrary principle, and their negation / are together described as a concept. $he essence being described can only be identified once all three terms are known. (lternati!ely, if you the concept that is being discussed, it is normally possible to work out some or all of the terms. :owe!er, picking the right terms from all those that might be used is what makes the El!en language so hard for humans to learn. $his forms the basis for much of their poetry, and is also the basis for much of their humour, including their e.ui!alent to the human idea of the pun. $he other complication is that many of the terms that get used in the triads could also be considered as concepts in their own right / but at this point, things become altogether too messy, and far too complicated for this simple description. n the e2amples abo!e, then, the concepts might be 0feelings of heat1, 0greed1, and 0being1. For the human concept of fear, one triad might be calm, panic and obli!iousness. (nother might be bra!ery, cowardice and ignorance. $he subtle difference here is that the first triad captures the sense of what it means to #eel fear; the second describes how fear might be responded to. Within play, this idea of the triad can be used in a number of ways. 'killed players might be able to think on their feet, talking in these ways and perhaps e!en pausing to e2plain themsel!es to the humans Aand so onB as they do so, hoping to introduce these strange races to the full and entirely sensible way of thinking of the El!en race. %ess demandingly, strategies could be built around the idea of threes. nstead of a scouting force and a main force, El!es would naturally think of scouts, the main force and a base camp. nstead of sneaking past the guard or attacking him, the Elf would suggest sneaking, attacking, or doing nothing. nstead of wondering whether to interrogate or kill the prisoner, the Elf would wonder about interrogating, silencing AkillingB or ignoring the prisoner, or perhaps e!en keeping, killing or releasing them.

The art of im6recision

8warfs are famed for their engineering, for their steady, measured precision. El!es aren,t. $here is a good reason for this6 El!es don,t naturally think in .uantities. Whilst they are numerate, the idea of counting things, measuring things up, di!iding and .uantifying +ust doesn,t seem right to them. (s a result, only small numbers get used on a regular basis. El!es like numbers up to three; they often use four and fi!e in their daily li!es. )ut anything much abo!e se!en, and they prefer to resort to analogy instead. 'end a scout out to spy on enemies, and ask how many men hold the gate to the keep, and they might say, 0more than we can handle1, or they might say, 0as many as the stars of hea!en1 / but

they won,t say, 0thirty, gi!e or take a few1. $hey won,t sit there and count; they,ll take a peek, +udge, or see what image the sight suggests to them, and lea!e it at that. t,s small wonder, then, that El!es ha!e ne!er really become an industrial race. $he idea of massproducing things is almost inconcei!able to them. f you don,t know who,ll hold the sword, how can you balance it properly7 f you don,t know who you,re making armour for, how can you get its proportions correct7 :ow can you craft +ewellery without knowing the eye colour, the skin tone, the length, cut and shade of hair of the person who will wear it7 #f course, not all El!en goods are made with a specific person in mind / but many are. "ost of the rest are +ust made for the lo!e of it, and set aside until a person who is well suited to the .uirks and characteristics of that particular thing comes along. (nother implication of this is that El!en goods aren,t of a consistent .uality. Whereas 8warfs know how to produce a sound result e!ery time, and are proud to be consistently good, this won,t satisfy the El!en temperament. $hey,d rather be fairly good most of the time, with occasional flashes of brilliance. (fter all, you don,t have to use the shoddier pieces. $he upshot of this is that El!en workmanship is of high .uality, but is scarce. Each piece is distincti!e; as a result, they all take a lot longer to make, and so they,re more !aluable, too. (nd when things go right, they,re e2emplary / but e.ually, a certain amount of work is e2pected to fail. Sou can,t create a masterpiece e!ery time, e!en if you do know who you,re making it for.

$emem#erin"
El!es are blighted with a tragic characteristic. $hey remember things. $hey remember them altogether too well, in fact, often ha!ing difficulty keeping their memories in order. Why this is so is a mystery, +ust like the reason for their thinking in threes. Perhaps it was a habit !alued by the #ld #nes, and was thus something they @encouraged, in some way or other. Regardless of the cause, the implication is that El!es, memories work differently to those of other races. $hey simply soak up all that they e2perience, like a sponge / hoarding sights, sounds, tastes as they encounter them. When they are young, this causes them great difficulty. Forgetting things is a skill that they ha!e to struggle to learn, and there are always a few who do not manage to do so in time. $hey suffer terrible psychological damage as a result, their sense of identity getting warped or battered by the o!erwhelming deluge of remembrances e!oked by each and e!ery new sensation. :owe!er, such psychological disorders are not actually as common as the scholars of some other races belie!e. $he humans, for e2ample, think that most El!es are slightly mad, but this is partly +ust because they don,t really understand how El!es think, and partly because those few who do de!elop psychological damage also tend to be the ones keenest to lea!e El!en lands and wonder amongst other races. $hey,re simply more likely to come into contact with such atypical indi!iduals, rather than with the well-balanced folk who li!e out their li!es .uietly amongst their own kind.

Players of El!en characters need to think .uite carefully how all of this will affect their actions in the game. For a start, they need to decide whether or not their character ended up scarred by an inability to master their memories at an early age. f they were, then the rules for generating >8M disorders for El!en characters suggested in A6ocry6ha No5 Ap. **B could be adopted; otherwise, this could be ignored.

Attitudes to5ards other races

'ince it,s unlikely, howe!er, that many games of WFRP will only in!ol!e Wood El!es, it is worth thinking about how they !iew other races.

'umans
Wood El!es are, of course, all too familiar with men. Relationships tend to be cordial, if formal; the Wood El!es know how swiftly humans, moods change, and how a pact of eternal friendship one decade can be forgotten in the need for timber for a new fleet the ne2t. For the most part, they restrict their dealings to the nobility / not out of snobbery, but simply because this tends to offer the swiftest way of securing their long-term pri!acy and security. $hey are also familiar with those humans who li!e rural li!es, and many Wood El!es ha!e spent some small amount of time tra!elling amongst such settlements, e!en if only to pass from one of their own realms to another. :owe!er, they shun the cities as Wood El!es cannot fully understand how humans can build and inhabit the dense, s.ualid cities where the allure of nature does not e2ist. GGGGG'idebarGGGGG

(ide#ar/ The Noleldar

9ot all members of the human race feel threatened by the %aur&lornalim. "any humans ha!e taken to the forest as their home and been well treated and aided by the El!es. n fact, many of them ha!e fled from the harshness of the #ld World and are glad to ha!e found peace, that they could not find among their own race, with the El!es. $hey are thus more than ready to offer their aid in defending the forest. $he El!es ha!e been pleased at the attitude of these people towards !enerating the forest and were happy to allow them to settle on the peripheries of the %aur&lorn, where they also pro!ide a useful buffer. $he foresters ha!e made many friends and taken up many of the El!esC customs and e!en a worship of their gods in some cases. $he El!es call them (oleldar, literally non-Elf, but implying Thalf-ElfT. $he largest of these communities / called Phyrdalhof after its founder by the inhabitants / is situated near :argendorf Way +ust north of the Enchanted :ills.

GGGGGEnd 'idebarGGGGG

,5arfs
$he Wood El!es, dislike of the 8warfs is far more acti!e than that of the other El!enkind, since the others rarely come into direct contact with 8warfs. $he Wood El!es still run in to 8warfs from time to time, and the encounters are rarely ci!il. "any 8warf li!ing in nearby human settlements still use timber rather than coal to fuel their furnaces; and their gold entices human loggers to pay little heed to important El!en principles of forest maintenance. $he El!es, for their part, steer clear of 8warfs / after all, there is little to interest them underground, much less the 8warfs themsel!es / but do occasionally stumble upon an encla!e within human lands. n both cases, cool e2changes usually see the weaker party lea!e without a struggle, but it is not unheard of for things to come to blows. $here are stories of bands of ad!enturers where El!es and 8warfs ha!e tra!elled together; these tales are not widely belie!ed, howe!er. 'hould such a thing come to pass, it would be unlikely that either race would welcome back the errant indi!idual who sullied themsel!es through prolonged e2posure to the strange ways of their age-old ri!als.

'alflin"s
:alflings ha!e become a source of great fascination to the Wood El!es. $he Wood El!es see in them a kind of kindred spirit / they li!e li!es in harmony with the natural world, they !alue peace and pride themsel!es on their generous natures, they approach life with humour and good cheer, and they e2cel in their chosen arts Ae!en if these are, almost without e2ception, culinaryB. Where their lands border each other, it has become common for members of both races to spend time !isiting the others, learning and sharing their cultural heritages. GGGGG'idebarGGGGG

(ide#ar/ The ,urmast 'alflin"s

( small group of :alflings ha!e burrowed a home in and around a large oak tree on the outskirts of the %aur&lorn Forest, +ust west of the 9ordlander town of #ldenlit5. $he original settlers were fleeing persecution in one of the mperial ci!il wars, and found the place sheltered and safe. $hey are primarily a hunter-gatherer community and originally had little contact with the El!es. 8espite early misgi!ings, the :alflings pro!ed harmless and friendly neighbours. GGGGGEnd 'idebarGGGGG

rcs and "o#lins

$he enmity between El!es and goblinoids is entrenched. $rue, 8warfs raid forests and grub about in the dirt, but they do so in the pursuit of ci!ilisation, and their works re!eal centuries of craft and labour. #n the other hand, Goblins and their kin know only greed and wanton destruction. $hey are a blight that must be managed / much like a plague of locusts. E!en if it were not for the per!erse, dark pleasure that these beasts take in their acts of desecration, it would be +ustification enough to destroy them purely on the grounds of protecting the natural en!ironment. What particularly concerns the El!es is goblinoids, propensity to breed. %ea!e two alone in a room for a month, it would seem, and you might well end up with a whole clan on your hands. %ike any infection, or any infestation, it is necessary to make sure that e!ery last trace has been thoroughly cleared away to pre!ent the problem from coming back. El!es know it is their duty to eradicate any and all goblinoids that they find / and they know that they can show no .uarter, for if they did, the lands would be o!er-run by these teeming, swarming horrors. 'carred warlord, cowering mother or mewling infant, it matters not / an Elf will not hesitate to destroy them all, with no need for a +ustification beyond the simple management of an otherwise irrepressible pest.

"res
Wood El!es are uneasy in the presence of #gres, simply because their way of life and that of #gres are completely opposed. Where El!es seek to nurture and create, #gres seek to consume. El!es are inspired by their senses, and guided by their wits; #gres are dri!en by hunger, and guided by their appetites. $he is another reason for this unease, El!es instincti!ely recognise the touch of -haos in these creatures; they see how humanity has been lost through the touch of corruption, and this thought makes them shi!er. For this is the noblest that humans would be should -haos take their race / and whilst it is far, far better than that they should become )eastmen, say, the thought of a continent populated by such brutes turns the stomachs of the normally tolerant El!es.