d&d
youdon'tknow
metagame : it is alive
characters
LIGHTSIDE
slizzle sizz - fancy female pixie.
grip gringle - gnomish traveler
chick-a-lick-a-latti - grip's wife
frop fringle -
arkee desparkee - grip's son
conan the librarian - half-orc barbarian
thelonius - half-elven monk
bbII - human musician and scientist, from different planet entirely
won-ton - thelonuis's temple leader.
haselman - science professor
shackleton - physicist
merk shrue - merk grew up in the small halfling community of peckrin (which sits just south of the _________ range). he is a curious traveler galavanting in hopes of finding adventure in every nook and cranny of the world. if you are the hotdog -if one were the hypothetical/perverbial bratwurst, merk would be the sweet tangy relish. druid. his lineage in mixed and unknown. 19 in human. he enjoys sharing a fine port at twilight with his mount, sven, in their communal bowl.
sven - merk's faithful black newfoundland and best friend. still a young dog. he enjoys his daily meat, served promptly at sunrise. sven once alerted the citizens of peckrin to the presense of arson-intending goblin folk (who had somehow snuck by the town's patrols). even during slumber, sven always wears a subtle smile on his furry visage.
frank - human trader from ___________, mostly deals in livestock. after selling a horse to theolonius, his cousin _________ took frank found out that was killed by theolonius.
brandosh - a trader from ____________. left his life as a trader to join slizzle siz and her companions on a journey to the south. he was enchanted by her magics and natural charm and stayed with the group for more than a week. brandosh was killed without mercy when a small group of owlbears ambushed the party in a ravine along their travel route. frank was his cousin.
brother marvin/father henry - harold ramu stunsen grew up half a continent away from his current residence, _______________. there he serves as the town's healer and spiritual leader. he is modest in his duties and tries to lead by example rather than preaching his religion. henry was also persuaded by slizzle siz to assist in healing the party and to travel with them as a guide to the city of gulgrelm.
crisp pringle - gnomish friend of grip gringle's. lives with an extended family in the gnomish community in gulgrelm. crisp owns the knobby knee, an inn which serves mostly gnomes, dwarves, and the like who happen to be passing through. crisp has been married to ____________ (human) for the last twenty years. he still finds time for adventures and side-treks™, many of which lead him out to sea or nearby island chains. crisp co-lead a vast expedition into the caves of the brass dragon cluthu-call, in which a group of gnomes and dwarves partially looted his hoarde while he was away.
_______________ - crisp's wife. she runs the knobby knee.
timmy tinsel - fancy gnome who is always dressed in blue. works as the house servant for the knobby knee.
sandyback - wild-elven twin
skinsleeves - wild-elven twin
mamatelga -
stillwheet - female druid. snow white and protector of the dwuoffe sbenn.
dwuoffe sbenn - (seven dwarves) fierce mercenaries from the dwarven city of ruumsgard.
shoulder boulder -
liesel boulder -
hassleman is in
2003
shackelton is in d&d world
bryce's remains have been moved
orcs have been slain by grip gringle
brandosh raked by owlbear
conan eats owlbear eggs
troll rakes conan and thelonius
children climb walls
gnome crisp pringle is sought
slizzle sizz is interested in dragons
grip gringle's friend lives in freeman morgan [gull grelm]
grip is way more grip
many dwarves killed by orcs
gull grelm smokes
sounds of industry
ocean vessels in the water
the sea smells salty
light side at medium pace
DARKSIDE
sirhan sirhan - drow assassin and member of shorlun's guild. involved in the murder of a governor of gulgrelm. eventually caught and sentenced to execution. he was freed in the chaos of the event and left on a boat bound for blue haven.
gnoll - half-gnoll rogue. paranoid, angry, and unpredictable. after his involvement in the execution of esoterum pio, gnoll: was caught, confessed (after torture), turned in all those involved, and was killed by an angry mob of goblins during an attempted public execution.
skelpi quantica-C - yuan-ti princess. she has a soft, but slippery skin of whitish-pink, with hints of scales. formerly a liaison between the royal family of gulgrelm and the yuan-ti settlement below the city. fled the settlement after being named in the assassination of a city governor. currently resides in her yuan-ti homeland, the island of _____________.
lazarus viccor - former captain in the gulgrem city guard. larger stature, with black hair and handlebar mustache.
sleemo - offensive-looking goblin who earns his living as a small time criminal. spends most of his time at _____________, an opium-den and brothel. sleemo never knew his father and his goblin mother was a drug-addicted prositute who was killed by off-duty city guards. sleemo killed all three men the very next day (even though sleemo was barely a teenager) and spent the next few months hiding out in the ruins west of gulgrelm. there he learned to survive on minimal provisions and encountered more than a few strange creatures, thieves, and killers. sleemo recently assisted in the murder of a city governor, was captured, evaded public execution, and is now fleeing the city on a sloop filled with other traitors and rogues.
shorlun - half-fienish leader of a drow assassins guild. quite POWERFUL! lazarus's master.
skip - skelpi's brother
skewer - skelpi's brother
scarf - skelpi's brother
scarple funnel snarlis quantica-C - skelpi's father and ruler of the yuan-ti in the region.
essoterum pio - local governor of gulgrelm. presided over the lehoff district (outside the palace walls on the eastern side.) was assassinated by sirhan sirhan with help from gnoll and sleemo. the killing was setup by his political rival, the yuan ti skelpi quantica-C and also by his son falvion.
falvion pio - killed by miss jasmine in the aftermath of his father's assassination.
king kalees - lich in control of the royal elven family klevnuss. took control after the murder of his older brother. kalees has spent the last decade of his rule slowly plunging gulgrelm into complete destruction and utter chaos. undead control.
mister thistle - vampire
miss jasmine - vampire
DRAGONS
volvo-turquisium - juvenile silver dragon. has rivalry with cluthu-call. he spends most of his time in human form (he appears usually as a handsome half-elf with flowing silver locks).
cluthu-call - adult copper dragon
______________ - black dragon that inhabits an island near the yuan-ti regional homeland.
the third fall of
gulgrelm (freeman morgan)
(rough outline)
sleemo sucessfully evaded city guards, but a week after the murder he was picked up (along with sirhan sirhan) after gnoll confessed to the crime. he was to be executed publically in a large ceremony (with many others to be killed as well), but an attack by lazarus and his men, shorlun, and a large mob of angry goblins put a stop to that. sleemo fled with lazarus, nicoletta tweeza, sirhan, and a few others to safety. he is currently on a sloop destined for the port city of blue haven.
king's plot
assassination of esoterum
capture of gnoll, sleemo, and sirhan sirhan
conspirator (skelpi) flees the city
guard in the yuan-ti city searching
public executions
goblin uprising/lazarus's betrayal/shorlon's appearance
sealing of the palace
continued rioting and looting of the city
undead army coming ashore
EIGHTY YEARS LATER
astor - half-elven wizard
brady timberhitch - elf(?)
yavi nailo - female elven druid(?). young.
rygar - human barbarian
eatthem - wandering soul. practicer of many trades. human.
kimball silvertree - elven ex-cleric.
the starling dodd boys - gnomish brothers. world-traveling traders.
fri-lun - elf(?)
mahn -
skizar - dwarf
harl -
loruun losch - lord
waheed - head of a powerful elven merchant family in s'liem. traveled with the starling dodd boys in hopes of gathering dragon scales and perhaps even a dragon egg.
levy - half-orc blacksmith. hot karl.
the red fist - group of five mercenaries that were killed during the theft of three dragon eggs on the island of __________.
area of their world description
ASTRONOMY
Resting under the clear night sky on a warm summer evening, residents of the town of Sandyhome, or S'liem in the elven tongue, can clearly see the myriad stars and the two terrestrial satellites. The luminescent pale blue moon dominates much of the night sky, while the tiny image of a mottled yellow moon arcs slowly behind. The abundance of celestial lights inspires the imagination of countless stargazers, with constellations named for any number of things in any number of languages. Here, in the fairly isolated community of mostly elves, humans, and their mixed offspring, the blue and yellow moons are called Belondir or Elos'phar, Lorinda or Taionae, in Common and Elvish respectively. Belondir has an orbital cycle just shy of thirty-two days, while distant Lorinda takes nearly sixty-seven days to complete her journey. Generally, daily and seasonal differences are imperceptible from Earth.
GEOGRAPHY
Situated at about 35 degrees north latitude, Sandyhome in located in a subtropical forest. Inland almost a hundred miles from the Couleed Sea to the south, Sandyhome sits on a large hill next to the Fleet River-its muddy waters sliding languidly by from it source far to the north. Descending to the south, the land gets to be a soggy and vegetated mire, forming a wide steaming marsh around the river, as it fans out into a large estuarine delta. To the north, the forest tapers off into a savanna before opening up into a wide grassy expanse. Westward, the land gets hillier as the elevation increases slowly into mountainous terrain. Crossing the river to the east, the forest continues to dominate the landscape.
The climate is warm and often humid, reaching the nineties in the summer, and rarely falling below forty in January. Snow is a rarity, and frost is uncommon - rain and summer thunderstorms, however, are not. The western mountains divide the winds as the seasons change. During the spring and summer, the western and southwestern winds are kept south by the range, and mix with the moist ocean air. This creates a great deal of rain and humid weather. As winter draws near, the northwestern current takes over, blowing cool dry air from the mountainous rim. The many trees, however, slow the surface winds greatly, reducing the strength of the gusts. This pattern furnishes Sandyhome with around fifty inches of rain each year, mostly in the late spring, summer, and early autumn. All this rain does not always create a dismal atmosphere, though. The sunshine is strong and direct, giving open glades and fields and lively brightness, and offer plenty of energy for growing plants. The high humidity can make the atmosphere stifling when the winds are calm, and rolling fog or mists on chilling mornings.
The land around Sandyhome is forested in every direction, with large, ancient hardwoods rising into the sky. Often, the canopy of leaves prevents much of the light from reaching the forest floor, constricting the amount of foliage present. Several of the trees are greater above all the rest, with massive roots descending deep into the earth and the wide trunk towering hundreds of feet above the ground. Most of these venerable trees form the heart of Sandyhome, while others are scattered about the forest. As the forest grows southward, it becomes more jungle-like, with softer, tropical woods growing alongside the deciduous timber. Usually, the deciduous trees near Sandyhome need not go dormant during the mild winters.
RESOURCES
The people of Sandyhome have rich resources at their disposal. The greatest supply comes in the trees themselves, of course, offering plentiful timber, nuts, tar, resin, and paper pulp. A variety of berries, orchard fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms grow naturally as well. Another source of wealth comes from a variety of plant an animal dyes which are harvested near Sandyhome. Cochineal red, indigo blue, resinous browns, leafy greens, root-extracted yellows, and tar blacks are harvested from several different sources. The swampy lands also are a source of peat, amber, and gems such as sapphires, emeralds, or topaz. Nearby ponds, marshes, and the Fleet River are all full fish and wildlife. Fishermen venturing further south will find a wide variety of river life in the swamps and estuaries. This also attracts a variance of waterfowl. Geese, ducks, and swans migrate and nest all around Sandyhome, while game hens and colourful birds reside in the forests. Meanwhile, the near-tropical biome offers an interesting mix of temperate and tropical animals. Deer, wild boars, bear, small primates, sloths, and great cats, among others, live within in forests. They share their home with snakes, lizards, insects, and alligators. Smaller animals such as hedgehogs, skunks, rodents, aardvarks, and other burrowing animals live among the rest. The occasional tropical beast will venture upriver as well, making tigers, hippopotamus, and great apes possible, if somewhat of a rarity.
Agriculture mixes with the natural terrain to offer plenty of crops that grow well in this climate. Hilltops or cleared forests offer growing rooms for grains such as corn and barley, while vegetables, soybeans, and fruits flourish too; the wet lowlands are perfect for raising brown rice. Industrial crops such as cotton, numerous tobaccos, and some olives also develop well. Apiarists harvest honey, some humans keep hog-farms, and a few elves take excellent care of silkworms.
SOCIAL
There are about four thousand residents of Sandyhome, with around 2.500 elves, 1000 humans, and 500 of half-elves and other races. These people live mostly in harmony, but rather divided. The elves are the upper echelon of the social hierarchy, and their homes represent this physically. The vast majority of the elves live in the trees, with their homes built between branches, around the trunk, and sometimes being part of the trees. Only the largest of the trees can support this, and in turn, those trees hold a special place of reverence. The humans, almost exclusively, live on the ground in buildings that are often ramshackle. The richer humans have homes made of wood and stone, while the rest live in hovels of wood and earth. Half-elves fall somewhere in between, as do the smattering of other races.
The elves of S'liem are an old race, and have resided in the area for thousands of years. During this time, they have learned to live well in their environment. Resting in fine homes high above the forest floor, the elves work and live in an effort to maintain the community's well being. Honour, respect, and social expectation play a large role in elven life, and are an important factor in the fluid caste system that governs the social strata. In this complex system, individuals and families jockey for political power and social dominance, but it is tempered by a focus on community. Each family traditionally will practice one or more particular trades, be it baking, farming, gem-cutting, tobacconism, or the like. One trade is not considered more important than another is, as long as that family fulfills its social obligation to the community. Still, the older and more respected families traditionally perform the skilled or lucrative tasks. Other factors in this caste system are military service, access to political power, strength in trade, skill in one's profession, ability to curry favour from other families, marriage, and any history of disgrace (and elves have a long memory). Some members of the society are respected above others: the royal family on top, with priests, military leaders, sages, and the like given deference.
Another important aspect of elven culture is the inclusion of slavery. From the beginning of Sandyhome, the elves have kept some sort of slaves. Traditionally, the masters, or High Elves, had Wild Elf slaves (see history). Slaves are considered property, but it is uncouth to treat your slave badly. Slaves are expected to perform servile tasks, such as wash, food preparation, and cleaning. Furthermore, slaves are invaluable to High Elf farmers, who have them do the menial activities such as weeding or fertilizing. The slaves are often considered a member of the family, of sorts, similar to a respected butler or valued servant. In return, the slaves are expected to perform their tasks with honour, and as time has progressed, this system has become institutionalised. Slavery is also a method of punishment for the High Elves. Should an elf commit a transgression against another, he or she might be forced into slavery for a proscribed number of years. Activities such as defamation, fraud, dishonour, or social desecration might lead one to slavery. Sometimes this is forced upon the offender by the legal system; a member of a guild or family might be asked to enter into slavery for some internal wrongdoing; or some elves voluntarily become a slave of the one they have aggrieved, as a way to save face. Voluntary punishment is much less abasing than if it is forced upon you. However, any time as a slave irreparably harms the social standing of the individual and his family.
The Wild Elves are considered a servile race, though some have been able to 'buy' their freedom through exceptional service. Only the royal family can impart this, and it is rare indeed. Some Wild Elves rebel against this treatment and abandon Sandyhome (there are very little, if any, physical obstacles to prevent escape). These elves live in the forest and often raid trade caravans, but the High Elves look upon them with disgust rather than hatred.
Meanwhile, the humans have no particular society. As refugees and travelers, their community is a miscellany of cultural equations. Furthermore, most humans spend a great deal of time in mere survival mode, and don't have time or resources to create a nuanced culture. Still, most of the humans respect the elves that have let them live on their land, and aren't too bothered by the social and economic differences between them. In return, the elves have more of a tolerance to than any obligation to the humans. Human society is more focused on self and immediate family, but do to the large refugee contingent, some sense of communal assistance is present. However, social stratification among the humans is based substantially on wealth, and the exercise of power. The humans don't really understand the honour that the elves are so concerned about, but they do attempt to live in a way that will not offend their hosts. Likewise, the elves don't fully trust the humans, who lack their sense of duty, but do feel that someday the humans may learn how to behave 'properly'.
RELIGION
The elven people as a whole recognize the existence of six gods and goddesses. The deities themselves represent the mythological and cultural growth of the elven community. As society has progressed, new deities have been born and old ones died. Uhl and Aliera are the two ancient gods, creators of the elven people (at least in their current form). They both represent basic, visceral needs-food, weather, nature, and hunting/war-that are still present in their modern form. Kibr'al, Faylorna, and Nyrond came later, with stories of how they came to be differing greatly. It is generally recognised that Nyrond was slain by Uhl as punishment for his wicked behaviour. Still, there are those that worship the slain god in secret, believing that he is not truly dead, and they vow revenge.
Vien-luna has recently been born as a goddess, with priests of both Uhl and Aliera agree her genesis was the combined work of all the gods. In celebration of her arrival, the elves of S'liem have declared a month-long jubilee each April for the next ten years. Religious worship plays an important role in elven society, and in turn, priests are highly respected members of the community. Elves do not necessarily focus all their spiritual fervor towards one deity, but rather recognise the pantheon as representing the whole of numinous belief. There are several small temples devoted to particular gods, but religious practices vary substantially between both deities and families. Uhl LG M Earth, Fire, Agriculture, Hunting Aliera CG F Air, Water, Weather, Nature Kibr'al N M The Afterlife, Time, Knowledge Faylorna NG F Family, Prosperity, Trade Nyrond CE M Jealousy, Destruction, Deceit Vien-luna LG F Beauty, The Arts, Hope, Music
ECONOMIC
The nearby Fleet River gives Sandyhome easy access to trade routes, allowing it to exchange its plentiful resources for what it lacks. All things considered, the town is quite self-sufficient and its main import requirements are stone and metal products. The elves trade mainly with human merchants who sail down the Fleet River from far to the north. Sandyhome maintains a small river port, as the town proper is some 3 miles uphill, and sends its exports down on wagons to be traded at the docks. The elves mainly export wooden products to be shipped to the south for export elsewhere. Building timber, furniture, paper, tar, resin, and other wood products are the main exports. Sandyhome also makes substantial profit off giant beams and masts for shipbuilding, finished musical instruments, gems, paper, inks, silk, and numerous fine tobaccos. In return, the residents of Sandyhome purchase building stone, bricks, pottery, metal tools, weapons, and armour.
Most of these transactions are with cash of a variety of different foreign currencies, as Sandyhome does not mint its own coin. Items of almost any type can be found in Sandyhome. Considering standard of living that the elves enjoy, a variety of fine imports are brought in for sale; the fine craftsmanship of the elves also offers a great deal of products for purchase. Items of magical or alchemical composition are also available, but usually one must know the right people, and have the proper commodity to exchange for it. Meanwhile, the human markets offer many types of inexpensive or low-quality products, often used or refurbished.
Large mercantile purchases are often made on credit, but there is no formal banking system in place. There are a handful of moneylenders who will invest their wealth, these individuals being almost exclusively half-elven. They often use collateral, racketeering, or magic to ensure their loans are paid back, almost always at a high interest rate. These usurers are not considered too noble by the elves. Elven families will often pool their wealth for large expenditures or business expansion, but this is almost always done within the confines of the family structure, where the mutual investment will procure mutual gain (both financially and socially). Much of human trade occurs in barter or with copper and silver coin. A decent amount of fraud is common as well. On the contrary, high elves carry a small amount of gold or platinum coin, and hold their wealth in either objects of fine craftsmanship or in cut gems. Jewels are a frequent method of financial consolidation, and any good elven businessperson will have a skilled appraiser in the family or as a trusted friend.
Converting gems, jewelry, coin, or valuable objects into a more liquid currency is usually done through the family or at the government office. At the royal ministry, one can be assured a fair appraisal price on your gems and a safe confine with which to trade. However, the government does levy a 10% duty upon all items traded, in order to keep the ministry in operation. Elves (and humans) can also use this office to have contracts drawn up, property appraised, ownership validated, and the like. It is the main royal agency for economic matters, and while not necessarily efficient, it is professional and serves as a solid basis for civilised financial stability.
Finally, the government expects each elven family to pay bi-annual taxes depending on their familial wealth. The amount varies each time the sum is levied, depending on the costs of the past biennium and projected future expenses, but usually hovers around five percent. Cheating on this levy is an abominable thought. In addition, many religious, artistic, or cultural organisations will request faithful members to donate or tithe in an effort to keep them solvent. Much of these transactions are done through the family structure, as one clan may support its own artist or shrine. Meanwhile, taxing the humans is considered a pointless and difficult task. In the past, there have been a few short-lived tolls and fees aimed at extracting revenue from those living below, as the elven policing of the humans does present a distinct cost.
POLITICAL
The political power of Sandyhome rests, not surprisingly, among the elves. Furthermore, politics is influenced heavily by the interplay of elven families and houses. In its most basic sense, Sandyhome is governed by a monarch and his or her immediate family, with the royal line continuing in a hereditary fashion. The ruler serves mainly as an organising and uniting force in elven society, as well as the executor of military, juridical, or economic operations. The monarch traditionally serves as a model for elven action: living a virtuous and noble life, working to further the community, and upholding religious and filial piety. In doing this, the monarch also must administer the governmental operations of the town. The sovereign selects magistrates to resolve disputes between the elves, and is the final adjudicator of such quarrels. Furthermore, the ruler maintains the small royal bureaucracy and military. The potentate also serves as the ambassador to foreign governments or mercantile interests. The monarch is served and lobbied by advisors from important social interests, such as the churches, military, merchants, and of course the different elven families. The ruler serves as the final judge for nation-wide decisions, and this includes what to do with the human population in Sandyhome. The king or queen is not expected to be active in every aspect of elven life, nor should they rule with too much firmness. Elven families and houses jockey for political favour, in an effort to get lucrative bureaucratic posts, military or magisterial appointments, or accommodation in settling trade disputes. This all falls under the desire for social dominance as well.
Meanwhile, the humans have little or no voice in the elven government that rules them by default. However, informal channels of discussion communicate the needs of the humans to the monarch and the ministers. Those elves that have sympathy for the plight of those below will often lobby on their behalf. Similarly, there is no formal assembly or congress to communicate public demand to the ruler. However, as the king or queen holds court, they listen to the requests and complaints of those who are given audience. The monarch is expected to act for the welfare of the nation in a noble and just way, and this has historically been the case. Laws in Sandyhome are set up largely with the community in mind. Individuals are expected and legally required to put the group ahead of their family's and own needs. Legal disputes inside the family are often handled internally, or else brought before the royal magistrates. In doing so, the magistrates have little formal legal code to go on, and rely on their own judgement to adjudicate the matter. Matters of physical violence, though rare, usually result in a tribunal of magistrates who hear the case.
For all cases, punishment is doled out in several forms, usually in financial restitution or official censure for minor transgressions, and terms of slavery or even exile for the more heinous crimes. The party at fault will often initiate this castigation in order to save face. Voluntarily paying remuneration, making a public apology, or entering in to slavery of the wronged party is considered less aberrant than being ordered to do so. The guilty party's family usually orchestrates this willing penalty, in order to keep the social disgrace of one family member from marring the family name too badly.
The humans have no strict legal code either, but usually attempt to handle their own issues without elven interference. Elven magistrates will arbitrate human arguments, though it usually results in fairly strict penalties, in an effort to make an example to the rest of the humans. Human crime often goes unreported, or is resolved with strong-arm tactics. Should the elves get involved, the human wrongdoer usually ends up serving a tour of hard labour. Humans committing crimes against elves or against elven property is considering particularly nefarious; it is not ignored, and is treated in a swift and austere manner.
(a few words on dueling)
Dueling is an important aspect of the elven society currently present at Sandyhome. This activity is utilized in order to settle matters of insult, argument, and accusation. Duels can bring about new rivalries, great changes in social status, and fatalities or injury. The outcome of a duel can truly settle a matter that a court might usually decide. [common practices] Challenges can range from things as trivial as a misheard word to more serious matters like accusations of murder. Challenges are almost always issued in front of witnesses, so as to make the charges public. Almost always seconds are chosen, as well as a judge. The judge draws a circle, usually with a knife or dagger, never with his/her primary weapon. The seconds are responsible for assistance of their first. Sometimes seconds fight, but that is cleared in the terms before the duel begins. Once the circle is drawn (on average about 8 feet across), the judge gathers the terms and conditions of the duel from first the challenger and then the challenged. After they are agreed, the fight begins. Common terms of a duel have to do with the length of the duel (first strike, first blood, death, etc.), the level of the seconds' involvement, and any other minor issues. When these are settled, the judge states the terms and conditions aloud, along with the names of those dueling, the date, whether a healer is present, and whether a healer should be called. Dueling is a fairly common practice among the elves of sandyhome, and half-elves and some humans also make use of this method of solving conflict. It is viewed as honorable, and males and females are treated as equals in this manner. If terms and conditions are violated, harsh penalties can and will be brought down.
CULTURAL
As the rest of Sandyhome, the culture is basically divided between elven and human. For the most part, the elves live a refined life of luxury. They spend a lot of time actively pursuing their trades, but also make sure they have time for leisure. In their spare time, elves take full advantage of the outdoors. They will often roam the forest, hiking, camping, hunting, or the like, either alone or in small groups. Often, small banks of elves will leave Sandyhome for weeks at a time to venture into the wild and leave their worries at home. Furthermore, the elves enjoy athletic and physical competitions. Running, swimming, and other sports are popular, played both for fun and to win. Other activities include treeclimbing, spear-throwing, or the like, usually revolving around actual behaviours turned into physical contests.
Elven art also focuses on the active side, as music and dance are some of the post popular pastimes. Elves focus more on participation and action than passive enjoyment. Most other art usually has a visceral or physical appeal, with sculpture and pottery being more notable than painting or drawing.
Other recreation might also be horticulture, smoking fine tobaccos, cooking (and eating), and complex betting games. Elven science focuses on the natural world, with biology, chemistry, and physics delving more into the physical than the theoretical. Astronomy, medicine, geology, civil engineering, and agricultural science are some of the main foci of elven knowledge. Of the social sciences and humanities, history, policy, theology, mercantile economics, rhetoric, and literature are the emphasis; but even then are secondary to science or craft-work. So too, education plays a large role in elven society. Most elves are expected to be educated in the ways of the world, instructed from a young age to know the basics of astronomy, business, ecology, and politics. Most elves are taught by independent tutors alone or in small groups, and are expected to study on their own as well. This study often includes the basics of magic. The vast majority of elves have some knowledge of wizardry, though few are skilled dwemeorcraftors. Some elves show a better aptitude for divine magic, who are then mentored by druids or priests.
The human residents of Sandyhome are also interested in physical recreation. However, since most humans spend much of their time finding food or shelter, their pastimes are far less varied or refined. Humans enjoy hunting, hiking, and swimming, just as the elves do, but their sports are often less nuanced and more violent: wrestling, brawling, and the like. Furthermore, human art and science is rare, as there is little leisure time or disposable income to do so. Human craft is functional and simple and so are the other pastimes: drinking, smoking, chewing tobacco, and gambling. Education is rare, and almost always focused on apprenticeship in a trade or knowledge of the outdoors. Magically, only a rare few humans are given the opportunity to study wizardry, and most human-originated magic is sorcery or divine in nature.
MILITARY
Sandyhome does not have much need for a large standing military. The surrounding lands are fairly docile, and there are no other nation-states in close contact. However, the elves do maintain a small, able army for defence and peacekeeping. Consisting of around one hundred regulars, the army is a highly trained and well-organised force. The elven monarch officially leads the force, but the daily command is delegated to the Marshall-General, selected by the sovereign as an advisor and military leader. Below him is a set of lieutenants who each direct a squad of about ten soldiers. Supplementing this force are individual scouts, who patrol the outlying country and provide intelligence.
Should the need arise, a militia can be called up for reinforcements. Civilian militias practice on a regular but infrequent basis, marshaled by retired veteran soldiers. Most elven residents of Sandyhome are fairly skilled in weapon use, which makes for a surprisingly proficient militia. A civilian muster would result in some four hundred reserves, while a dire emergency could raise over a thousand.
Both men and women serve in the military, and it is considered to be a high honour to do so. Service is generally ten to twenty years long, after which soldiers retire to civilian life or are promoted to lieutenant. Selection of new soldiers is made by the Marshall-General, who is often lobbied by powerful families or fellow soldiers-due to the demand, half-elves are rarely chosen. Elves with some skill in arcane magic are the most sought after, which makes for a lethally effective combination of magic and steel.
The most common elven weapons are the bows, swords, spears, and maces. The duties of the military were expanded beyond mere defence with the arrival of the humans. Now, squads of soldiers police the forest floor, on the lookout for trouble and crime. Very rarely are such measures of control required in the trees. The soldiers do have broad police powers, and often dispense justice for simple offenses on the spot. Such enforcement is very seldom questioned by commanders, but is usually just and even-tempered. The humans are not permitted to organise an official police force, and they usually attempt to avoid interaction with the guards at all costs.
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