[Shantis]

Sharing the concept of a group / community of characters. Tendency neutral, tending to offer an alternative means of roleplay, mainly because to play like druid or ranger requires a more anti-social stance with other normal groups in the current server setting... And to have a more isolated behavior of the other characters. The concept of nomadic tribe helps to decrease this, and also filling a gap.

Sharing the concept here

Spoiler

People of the Woods

The concept of "wood people" is started during the empire campaign against the barbarians, several tribes were decimated by Dukarrus or became slaves of Roschetti. Due to this, a great number of barbarians dispersed, spreading throughout the world during the campaign of the empire over the years, ending 10 years back after the campaing against barbarian Warlord "Lord Xurrios". As the destrution of various different tribes caused a large number of orphans, without many adults to guide them, druids and rangers from several different tribes came together to protect these orphans and survivors.

Initially called the wood people (The people of the woods), they are essentially groups of travelling nomads, led by druids, priests of Jannath or veteran rangers, who travel between various differents forests of the world, trying to survive, protecting nature and entering into balance. Unlike ordinary tribes, wood people have strong roots in knowledge and druid lifestyle, protecting and caring for wildlife, other races (whether humans, elves or even monsters like bugbears, orc or others) whenever they have related problems with nature, and when the request comes in peace. They have a vision that all races should mature, to enter into mutual peace, living in harmony with each other and with nature.

They have a posture of watchers and guardians of nature, avoiding to engage in politics between races, mainly in times of war. They have a fear and a certain repulsion for the empire, for their policy of slavery with other races and what they done with the barbarian tribes in the past, and against the elven people, for supporting the empire in this respect.  They are disgusted to hear humans and elves daily calling on heroes using magical proclamation to invade and decimate other races in their territories, raiding and invading, while the wood people look at the untouched human cities or elf towns several times.

They consider Sullivan as close as the races have managed to get in terms of coexistence, with different species living in the same region tolerating each other, even if they do not deem appropriate the alliance of monster tribes like gnolls, orcs and other raiding and decimation the human and elvens. Without choosing sides, wood people follow in peace between different forests taking care of the nature, treating people, animals and protecting the balance, without choosing sides between conflicts of different races.

The command structure of each nomad camp is simple: The leader is called "Father" or "mother" among the members of the group, representing the moral posture and guiding the members of his nomad group to act peacefully in the regions they visit. Generally this type of command is made between druids and priests of Jannath. then comes in they structure the hunter and scout (ranger), the champion of the nomadic tribe (fighter or barbarian), witch or shaman (Druid, sorcerer or cleric of Jannanh) And the storyteller (bard), who carries orally stories of the nomad tribe and they members. It is normal to see a member of the group taking on two or three different roles, while the nomadic tribe is structuring itself and increasing they numbers. (Multiclass / roleplay).

Because they are survivors of other tribes, wood peope is very flexible in they structure, accepting other races as half-orcs, half-elven, forming slaves like gnomes, dwarfs or hins... And even "monsters" if they fully adopt a peaceful stance and understanding among any other race, and accept to protect the nature. Tolerance and respect among species, striking the balance is something that people seek. But they are formed, in their vast majority, in human groups.

Spiritually speaking, members of the tribe are encouraged to discover their personal animal spirit, which represents the individual ideals, values and instincts of each member. Rangers and Druids have their animal spirit incarnated in a real animal after a quest for self-knowledge. Sorcerers (in the figure of shamans or witches) have as familiar their extension of knowledge, using these creatures as their eyes and ears.

Gradually, by embracing the self-knowledge of the animal spirit, the primordial instinct is awakened in the member of the tribe. Their emotions and instincts become more intense on full moon nights, and at certain times they are able to transform into animals from which they incorporate this spirit, representing nature through it in various ways. In terms of class, Druids and shifters are considered almost pseudo-lycanthropes by other groups because of this. Sorcerers using self polymorf as well. The other classes of character, although they incorporate the animal spirit and have traces of this animal in their behavior because the primordial / primitive instinct, do not become any other creature.

Default relations with other races and groups:

Humans: The wood people tolerates them, but does not trust those who live within the empire, due to past wars. They are extremely fearful and avoid arcane guild by being publicly known (in rumor or reality) for hunting druids to extract their secrets and for hating them. And he does not like to relate to noble houses, why Roschetti sells others as slaves, and why they were harassed by Dukarrus for some time after the war.

They respect and help other tribes of barbarians to defend protect and get hunting and fishing promising. They help farmers, fishermen and hunters gain access to better natural resources, blessing priests of Jannath or purifying and healing natural problems, such as druids to find the balance of the nature.

Elvens: They respect the harmony of the elves with nature, but consider them weak, by supporting human slavery, and for a long time moving campaigns against other races (Read: Cele and her frequent campaing against other races for a long time icly in a daily base...). They also do not consider elves to be reliable, since they have a long life, can not adapt their posture for survival and live with nature as easily as humans and other races. Because they have an arrogant and snobbish attitude towards other races, this does not help to gain confidence

Dwarves: They are a race of former slaves within the empire, and consider them very aggressive when removing wood and metal from the nature.

Gnomes and hins: most former or still are slave of the empire. Although they want to free them, the wood people can not interfere with the politics of each race. They publicly express their displeasure about it. They maintain respect for communities of these two races, helping them deal with problems of nature if they are required.

Race of monsters: Many monstrous races have a tribal structure or tribal family structure between them. Just as wood people are peaceful with humans and other civilized races, they maintain their neutrality with other races in the same way. They do not interfere in their frictions with other tribes and races, and maintains a peaceful stance, assisting any race and any tribal, civilized or wildlife creature with nature's problems. Usually this translates into some small degree of respect, where either party can seek the other to deal with specific problems, as solutions to problems with regard to diseases, natural disasters or situations where wood people can help in the balance and restoration of nature.

[Violet De Camp]

I like the concept a lot, personally. And the explanation certainly helps give some context to the proclamations...

I would argue a few points on how the elves should be seen, though I may be biased as I am a member of the faction, so feel deee to take what I say with a grain of sat.

1) with a race that has lasted so long, and without the assistance/rule of the empire and after overthrowing the original creators, couldn’t elves be argued as the “most adaptable” ?
2) I wouldn’t say elves support human slavery, for such a thing is against elven customs and principles. We merely allow it to exist and not confront it. It could be argued that is a similar approach to how the “people of the woods” don’t involve themselves in it.
3) I would also argue that a lot of the “snobbishness” is the elves died with the sun elves leaving faerun. Modern elves, while they like to keep to themselves for the most part, don’t really have an inherent hatred to other races (other than orcs and maybe tieflings).

Again, I could be wrong, but that’s just my opinion on it, the post was very well thought out and organized!

[Calabask]

and maybe tieflings).

Racist. <.<

[Shantis]

I like the concept a lot, personally. And the explanation certainly helps give some context to the proclamations...

I would argue a few points on how the elves should be seen, though I may be biased as I am a member of the faction, so feel deee to take what I say with a grain of sat.

1) with a race that has lasted so long, and without the assistance/rule of the empire and after overthrowing the original creators, couldn’t elves be argued as the “most adaptable” ?
2) I wouldn’t say elves support human slavery, for such a thing is against elven customs and principles. We merely allow it to exist and not confront it. It could be argued that is a similar approach to how the “people of the woods” don’t involve themselves in it.
3) I would also argue that a lot of the “snobbishness” is the elves died with the sun elves leaving faerun. Modern elves, while they like to keep to themselves for the most part, don’t really have an inherent hatred to other races (other than orcs and maybe tieflings).

Again, I could be wrong, but that’s just my opinion on it, the post was very well thought out and organized!

1 - Longevity, living inside of a bubble isolating itself from other communities is not a representation of survival or most adaptable. It is about a style of life as elitism, xenophoby and the way the elvens live distant of other races in they own distant piece of land, and you need an airship to visit them...

I am not speaking in terms of different elf sub-races and they story. I am presenting here a possible point of view of a tribal group, not of the whole human race about elves, but rather the impressions, points of view, and even misunderstandings that occurred during the development of the group as a community icly.

2 - In terms, the elves were not directly against the empire in an official position, but considered allies or have a truce between them in some level, but not take an official, directly stance against the slavery. More, the elvenkind, as race, take several advantages over humans in the empire

Several times, elves go to human cities to ask for help to hunt other species for the protection of elves and humans. And the elves place warnings, bans and restrictions on human individuals or noble houses officially as member of elven council. But so far, I have not seen Vastiir yet, the empire or noble houses putting itself directly against several elves as group or against its council and community. Roleplay impression after a lot of icly events to build this point of view.

So if an elven character goes to the magical proclamer in a human city, calling all adventurers humans, dwarfs, gnomes, hins, half-orcs, half-elven in a human city to hunt other creatures, icly, I'll consider it a kind of holy crusade against other species, using humans as cannon fodder, not to put the life of the elvenkind in risk. I would very much like the dms to take this consistent point of view in my case.

I have never seen a magical proclamation from Nulla'n asking for help to protect the elven people in their own lands. So in this part, it is easier to think that someone from elven people is on human lands using humans to kill the enemies of the elves, than the empire going to nulla'n to ask the elves to help protect themself. In terms of roleplay and social and political standpoint of some people, elves use humans as cannon folder.

3 - The impression humans have about elves. Not particularly about an official position of the elves all time or all place. Different races have different opinions about other species. Point of view as roleplayer.

Elven need not be loved and idolatred, being represented as the bastions of universal goodwill all the time over all races icly. Other races may see them as cruel and dangerous as humans.

[Violet De Camp]

"So if an elven character goes to the magical proclamer ... to hunt other creatures, icly, I'll consider it a kind of holy crusade against other species, using humans as cannon fodder, not to put the life of the elvenkind in risk. I would very much like the dms to take this consistent point of view in my case."

I think there's a good point to be made there, sure. Depends on your world perspective. I'm sure the Wood People would definitely see that as the case, they hear the proclamations, feel the earth cry out, etc.

However... I don't think that should be the "universal" opinion of Tel-Quessir. Heck, the Tel-Quessir put forth troops to aid humans, and have time and again offered to send them to help the humans. Granted, none of those offers have been accepted, but at the Isle of Sauros, Tel-Quessir soldiers were present, and some (Both PCs and NPCs) accompanied the group in the vanguard. So I don't know if it would be fair to say that we merely hide behind them, especially when they were "invited" to join, as opposed to being coerced. Those that gave aid have even publicly been thanked for their assistance, so it's not as if Tel-Quessir "stole the glory" either.

Furthermore, you could argue that history is written by the victors. Because our campaigns have thus far been a success, and many innocents have been saved as a result. I'm sure there are many commoners who are thankful for the raids being sent out against those that prey upon them as they work the fields or travel the roads, as are those who have lost loved ones to such creatures and wish to see vengeance and/or judgement enacted upon them.

To have it viewed as a crusade may be appropriate, sure, I think that's entirely legitimate. However, that shouldn't necessarily mean it is viewed in a negative light.