On Tribal Ways

Group Names:
The elves have no specific tribal name to identify themselves with... they have no need of one, since up until recently they have never encountered another tribe to distinguish themselves from. However, if asked, they would probably refer to themselves as "Wave-dwellers". Their home is the Coral Palace, and the tribe is spoken of as "the colony", especially by the elders.

Leadership:
    The leader of the colony is called the Crown. However, the title itself is, and addressed as "Lord". The leadership is assumed to be passed on by blood, as it was passed from Ilvolen to his son, Vohl. However, this is a rather loose rule, as there have only been three rulers in the past, and the first one was not related to either of the others. If Lord Vohl died, Sahti would take his place as Crown. After she died, it would progress to Mavaera, and on down the line. Since Mavaera has no children, if she too died it is uncertain who would be pressed to take control of the colony. The Crown has ultimate authority over the members of the tribe, however he rarely exercises it, allowing the elves to mostly do their own thing. In unusual circumstances and/or times of crisis it is not uncommon for an assembly to be called, wherein the entire tribe can talk about the matter at hand before the Crown decides what to do. While each elf is entitled to their own opinion, to disobey their Lord or go against his decisions is not tolerated unless it's for a VERY good reason.

Skills:
    Many elves know how to hunt, though few are warriors, simply because a warrior's skills have not been needed since the elves have dwelt underwater. To hunt a shark is considered the ultimate hunt, and to kill one is a great acheivement. With very few exceptions, everyone knows how to swim. The colony has a higher level of technology than most tribes, though not as high as that of the Sun Villagers or Gliders. There are many art and craft-making skills, such as jewelry-making and carving, pottery and weaving, as well as the skills of music and dance. The music of the elves has a light, flowing, melodious sound, like the sea itself, as the wind instruments and the harp are favorite instruments. Cooking has also started to become an art, and dishes are not always as simple as just a piece of meat. Cave-diving, cliff-diving, and wave-racing are popular activities, and ones at which the elves have fun trying to out-do each other.

Food:
    The elves will eat just about any sea plant or animal that is edible, provided there is a good enough supply of it. Some foods include shark, octo, clams, seaweed, fish, fish eggs, gull eggs, shrimp, crab, and so on. Formal meals and feasts are prepared by a few elves for the entire colony. A feast is held each day in the late evening and early nighttime for the elves of the colony to gather together and chat, tell stories, enjoy music and sometimes dance, and sample the latest creations of the tribe's food preparers. When the sun goes down and it starts to get dark, the elves all know to head for the palace. Other than that, if someone gets hungry, they can go hunt something for themselves, or raid the kitchen.
    Food can be served raw, boiled, fermented, or--rarely--cooked. Some foods need special skill in handling or they can be dangerous. Seaweed that has been allowed to go bad can cause "seaweed poisoning", resulting in a burning sensation in the mouth and throat, nausea, throwing up, and diarrhea, while puffer-fish badly cut can cause heart problems and even death. There have been epidemics in the past, such as the one that caused Ahrekia's death, where the whole colony has been affected by bad food. When this is the case the healer often cannot help everyone. If the food eaten is too poisonous, elves can die. Because of this an elf must have many years of experience before he or she is allowed to try their hand at certain dishes.

Clothes:
    Clothing made for use in the water is often skimpy and/or form-fitting for low water resistance, and usually made of oiled leather or woven sea-grass fibers. Deep sea-goers dress in similar fashion, but usually cover most of the body in thick leathers to protect them from the cold waters. Outfits meant to be worn indoors can be made of silk or fishskin, a soft, thin form of leather with scales still attached, as well. Long dresses or pants and flowing shirts are worn by some elves indoors instead of the usual bathing-suit type garb. Many of these outfits could not be worn in the water, either because the wearer would get tangled up in them or because it would ruin the fabric. Sea elves are creative folk and like to decorate their clothes with colored straps, shells, cut-out shapes, beads or pearls, embroidery, or fringe. Fur and feathers are rarely used because of the difficulty in transporting them from the surface without ruining them. Preferred colors range widely. A variety of rocks and plants are available for dyes, and since they don't have to worry about being seen by humans, the elves don't necessarily try to blend in with their surroundings.

Jewelry:
    Jewelry is commonly made of organic materials native to the sea, such as bone, coral, pearls, or shell. It can be shaped by magic, or carved and pieced by skilled non-magical artisans. Stone is a material not often used because of its weight, or wood because it rots with constant exposure to water. Metal jewelry is also unusual, since there is no steady source of metal in the colony. Most of the pieces in existance were passed down from the High Ones to their children, then to their children, and so on. These are very finely crafted and beautiful, but delicate. Once in a while pieces are found washed up on the beaches from shipwrecks or from places unknown; they are often strange and exotic to elfin tastes, and are sometimes too big to be worn unaltered. Some also come from elves who have wandered onto land and encountered societies that craft metal. Gems are very rare, but not unknown. They are usually unearthed by rock-shapers for a specific use, but can come from other sources as well.

Weaponry:
    Weapons also are made of materials naturally found in the ocean, such as coral, rock, or bone. Metal weapons are extremely rare, but a few are seen inside the colony that have been formed from metal found in the underwater rock or acquired from outside sources. Metals, whether they are used in jewelry or weapons, are always pure; the elves do not know how to make alloys. (So... no native steel, bright-metal, etc.) Since the elves hunt primarily underwater, they don't use slashing weapons, like long swords, or long-distance weapons like bows and arrows. Common weapons are the trident, harpoons, spears, nets, and knives or daggers. Poison derived from fish can be used for an extra bite, but watch out! Poison that can spread through the water can harm those elves with gills, even if it normally would have to enter the body through a wound to be dangerous. Weapons are usually plain rather than decorated, but carving, shaping, and dyeing is occasionally seen.

Festivals and Traditions:
    The main celebration the elves have is called the Turning. This is sort of like New Year's Day, only it celebrates the new millenium instead of the new year. If a child is born during this time, he or she is considered very special, and called a Child of the Turning. It is, of course, always cause for celebration when a couple Recognizes or when a child is born to the tribe. It is also cause for celebration when a child comes of age, at about age 20. This is the time when an elf becomes fully responsible for him or herself, and is no longer considered a child but an adult instead. From this time on the elf can be flesh-shaped, can travel to the surface alone, can have their own chambers, and can go on long trips away from the palace. Death rites are similar to those of the original WaveDancers--the tribe gathers at the ordained place, and one who was closest to the dead will make a small cut in the elf's chest to let the blood flow. After the final good-byes, the body is released for the sharks to eat. The tribe disperses before the sharks arrive, but a smaller group of elves may gather at the chambers of the bereaved to share their sorrow, if it would be welcomed.

Love & Sex:
    Relationships among elves are very unstructured and undefined. Elves may be with one or more partners of any age (beyond childhood) or gender, for love or for pleasure, committed or casually. There is no societal pressure to be "in a relationship" at all times, or to be with a certain type of person, either gender- or personality-wise. Though every individual has their preferences, there is very much a free attitude towards it, and most elves don't even think about it.

Reproduction:
    Since elves can live a long time, they don't have many children.The only way an elf can normally become pregnant is through Recognition, an irresistable force that draws two elves together. Recognition is unpredictable--some elves Recognize at a young age, others go hundreds or thousands of years without it happening. Whether this is good or bad depends on the individual. The majority of elves will only have a child once in their lives. For one couple to Recognize twice is rare, and to Recognize more than that, or to have twins, is almost unheard of. Normally only one or two children are born to the colony in a year, though it varies. In the past there have been periods of stagnation where no one died or was born for a long time, and also baby booms, when several children were born within a few years of each other, usually right after many deaths. Children born of Recognition are always special, with the best qualities of both their parents.

Time:
    Time is measured in days, "moons": cycles of the larger moon (about a month), "eights-of-days": cycles of the smaller moon (about a week), and years, also called "turns". "Turns of the tide" is also used, and describes the length of time between high and low tides as seen from the islands nearby. The elves have no terms for such small units of time as hours or minutes... they do not pay enough attention to time to need such things. Sometimes the expression "tides" is used to describe time, but it is an expression and has no meaning as a specific length of time.

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