Wood Elves
Wood Elves are Elves who live in harmony with the forest and the magical beings within. Although lightly armoured, they are able to move quickly and strike at foes from far away, while relying on the trees themselves to slow their enemies. Over the centuries, Wood Elves have been betrayed by outsiders and even their own kin who have cut away at the edges of the forest. Now, they look on both outsiders and new ideas with suspicion, unwilling to bend in their traditions, even as their forests continue to shrink and the world threatens to leave them behind.
The ancestors of the Wood Elves migrated to the Heartwoods to find a new home, as human tribes had begun to encroach on their ancestral lands. Here, they met the Treelords, powerful beings who dwelt in the Heartwoods, and the two forged a pact. The Elves would protect and nurture the forest, never harming it without need, and in exchange, the Treelords would protect and provide for them. When Humans arrived at the edge of the forest, they cleared land for farming and cut trees for fuel. Together, the Elves and Treelords drove the humans back, though the humans held onto the land which they had cleared. While many Elves viewed the humans and their ways with distrust, others learned from their foe, taking metal weapons and tools from them, and they even began trading with them. They called themselves High Elves, as they built stone towers and carved out Kingdoms in the Heartwoods, claiming the forest lands for themselves. The remaining Wood Elves and their allied Treelords fought back against their former kin. The Wood Elves won a costly victory, exiling the High Elves, and leaving their old towers to fall to ruin. The Wood Elves renewed their pacts and clung closely to their traditions, distrusting any who strayed from them. So it was that the Wood Elves remained in isolation for centuries, maintaining their old ways of life until the Havoc Gods arrived. The followers of the Havoc Gods raided the forests, taking lumber for their weapons of war, and burning what they did not need. The Wood Elves fought desperately to drive them back, but it was soon clear that their enemies were too many. So, when the High Elves offered an alliance, the Wood Elves reluctantly accepted it. This alliance quickly grew, and the Wood Elves conceded large parts of their forest to give their allies lumber for weapons, ships, and fortifications. Yet when victory came, the Wood Elves had little to show for it, as their former allies claimed the land where the woods had once been, and some even sought to encroach further. Now, the Wood Elves fiercely guard what remains, but the forest continues to shrink with each passing year. Even some Treelords believe that their days are numbered as the forest continues to shrink. How will you uphold the ancient pacts of your people?