A Spark in the Wind

Appendix C: The Elves' Way of Life

In the context of poetry on the other hand, most poets tend to write flowing, rhyming statements that tend to have dual meanings or talk about ancient things that exist no longer, or things that exist but cannot be seen.

As of sports, the elves tend to be fond of wrestling, archery, spring races, football, and treasure hunts. The high-elves tend to have annual or decadal sports events where the best players from every province come to compete, as well as wood-elves or outsiders, whilst the wood-elves tend to hold much smaller competitions often amongst tribes.

And finally, we come to dances, although it is difficult to describe, for the wood-elven tribes each have their own versions. The high-elves on the other hand are particularly fond of waltzes (which in themselves are White Elf inventions, but the Red Elves like it anyway) and a special variant of synchronised kick-dancing which goes with drums and bass.

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OF CHILDHOOD AND GENERAL UPBRINGING IN ALLEDORIA

When a she-elf in heat mates with an elf-man and both willingly give a part of their spirit into the act, a child is conceived, whom now the mother must carry for twenty-four months.

Since the folk of Alinor are Red Elves, they do not marry unless they are monarchs, and as such the child belongs to the state. Ever since conception, the mother is put in special protection of the commune, cared for by physicians and elf-maidens throughout these two years.

Upon birth, the newborn is granted a birth name by the mother and showered with gifts from locals and friends. For the first twelve years of this child's life, they'll be raised in a communal house, looked after by all the parents and nurses in the village or city-district.

Schooling begins at the age of twelve (the human equivalent of six), with the enlistment of the youngling at an academy, where they will be taught basic things like language, arithmetic, science, history, etc. by well qualified scholars and nurses. At this point the youngling is gifted a formal first name that is to be used throughout their school life.

At the age of fifty (the human equivalent of twelve), the youngling is allowed to choose a general path to study, and is given five options to choose from: science, commerce, history, literature or military. Anytime during this phase, the youngling can be granted a title.

At any point of life the youngling can switch paths, and there are some courses that are mandatory for everyone: mathematics, general history, military training, social studies, etc.

By the age of two hundred (sixteen in human terms), the young one is declared well educated, though adolescence for them doesn't biologically end until the age of three hundred, and so they are not adults yet. The adolescents can now choose to continue their education under desired mentors, although a great many may prefer to abort to work in farm or factory.

These hundred years are a crucial time for elven youth, when they must learn to live as adults, often under the mentorship of elders. At this phase one gains a title that defines them.

Those in the military may join under centurion mentors to witness battle first-hand, those in factories or farms may be taught to work as a slave under someone else until they are ready to be freed, and so on.

Ultimately, life in the Kingdom of Alinor is hard and often unforgiving, taking the toll of hardy people as they strive to become an essential part of the machine that is this country. No job is unnecessary, and everyone has equal importance in the country. As a heavily industrialised nation, it is their job to excel at all tasks, and so their academies are of that kind: training one to take the world head on and seizing their part in the world.