Wood Elves: No Magic for Me, Thank You

They don't do magic.

None. Nada. Zilch.

Okay, some wood elves (just "elves" from now on) can magically heal people, but they don't really consider it magic. More like, helping nature along.

Other than that, they do not partake in sorcery of any kind*. They believe the world is balanced as-is: life, death, the laws of nature, etc., all working as one. Magic would bend that balance, and though they will not inhibit others from doing magic, and do not fear or misunderstand magic, they will not practice it themselves.

But that doesn't mean they just sit around all day and do nothing!

Elves are avid wind and string instrument players. It's rare to find an elf without a set of pan pipes, a flute, an ocarina, a lute, a harp, or some other musical item on their person. Unwelcome guests in Elvish forests are often met with eerie and disturbing sounds and notes from all directions, the sources of which are completely hidden.

Elves live about 90 to 120 years.

Elves keep pets like no other race could bare to. Nearly every elf has at least one pet, most have two or more. Typical pets include dogs, cats, birds, moles, snakes, etc. A significant minority of elves are socially content with just these animal companions, and choose never to get married or raise a family.

Fruits, vegetables, and nuts are the staples of an Elvish diet, although they also hunt small game (duck, squirrel, etc.) to make desserts on special occasions. Larger animals are viewed as too majestic and few to hunt or consume in good conscience. They don't farm, only gather.

Elves don't mine or smith metals. If an elf owns something metal, they either found it, or traded for it with human who live nearby. Elvish armor is all leather and bone, and elvish weapons are all wood (i.e. bows and arrows, javelins, clubs, slings, etc.) and are of very high quality.

Elves are mainly nocturnal, hunting and working and playing during the night, while the protectors among them patrol the wood for dangers. During the day, when most threats such as orcs, jaguars, the undead and so on are dormant, the elves eat, rest, and sleep (a mere hour a day is all they need).

Elves typically inhabit small nests of leaves at the base of trees or up among the branches. They eschew personal effects or property that cannot be carried at all times.

Elves loathe violence when it can be avoided, but they will also fight bitterly, and to the death, when acting in self-defense, defense of their home/family/friends, or when the enemy is unnatural and has already been provoked. If elves can sneak around violence, or avoid future bloodshed, they will. Elves never go on conquests or campaigns, for land or glory. Any request to get an Elvish army to march beyond its forest's borders (assuming the forest still stands and is inhabitable) would be flat-out refused.

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*Elves that DO explore sorcery are universally corrupted by it. They quickly lose their minds and become evil, seeking only to unhinge the balance of the world just to find out what happens. The elves have a name for these poor souls, and in the common tongue it translates roughly to "lost ones."