Free time is taken seriously by the elves, as living hundreds of years tends to yield a lot of it. Music, literature, art, sports, games, performance, and crafting skills used for less practical endeavors abound in all four Kindoms (though some certainly encourage pursuit of the arts more than others). Performance and competition are important aspects of elven culture, both as a daily form of entertainment and to bring communities and Kindoms together in times of celebration or difficulty.
Music and Literature
The elves hold music in high esteem, though not as high as the crafting of the instruments that create it. The elves take pride in a vast variety of sophisticated and elegant instruments, all made of carefully engineered metals. Violins, lyres, flutes, whistles, and drums comprise the largest portion of elven instruments, but the list of regional and specialty instruments is extensive. The elves rarely play in groups larger than a handful of musicians, though larger ensembles may come together for special events and festivals. Versed song is often used to tell stories of the past and to praise Riu. Each Kindom has its own brand of music with its own preferences for instruments and tone. The Morcani, for example, emphasize instrumental music with resonant tones that fill acoustical rooms and caves, while the Fieri consider the voice the greatest instrument, best accompanied by percussion and light flute in the open air.
As demonstrated by the sizable Archives in every Great City, literature holds a vital place in elven history and life. The majority of elven writing is of a practical nature, detailing subjects such as metalwork, stonework, growing crops, ship-building, engineering, geology, and history. Fiction writing is rare, reserved for short tales and parables meant to instruct young elves. Books on philosophy, too, are few and far between. Through vierstone, the elves are deeply in tune with their spiritual nature and do not find great meaning in recording their personal thoughts for others to read. Poetry, however is more popular, and skilled poets are admired for both spoken and sung verse.
A’vaeri and Combat Sports
The Great War led to the development of the A’vaeri: a flowing and beautiful martial art style focusing on hand/foot combat, spears, staves, and spiritual connection through physical strength, meditation, and balance. A’vaeri was a fighting style that infiltrated every Kindom, but took unique forms in each. The Turi derived their style from the flame spirits, striking fast with deadly blows and force. The Morcani derived their style from the water spirits, emphasizing discipline, smooth movements, and well-timed attacks. The Fieri derived their style from the terra spirits, maintaining firm balance and steady, powerful blows with the hands. The Remsgri derived their style from the ether spirits, using agility, high strikes, and avoidance to exploit their opponents’ weaknesses.
During the war, the elves developed combat training exercises to improve their fighting abilities, which included A’vaeri, as well as target-based training and grappling combat. Target competitions consisted of archery, knife-throwing, and javelin-throwing. Grappling combat was a form of fighting involving throws, take-downs, and wrestling that derived from fighting animals possessed by corrupted spirits in the war.
The Great War was long and draining, and the elves developed their trainings in the form of games to provide goals, motivation, and an enjoyable spin on a task meant to combat a horrifying threat. After the Great War, both the games and A’vaeri had become so entrenched in elven culture that they remained in some form in every Kindom. Even elves born after the war often take up the A’vaeri as a spiritual discipline and physical exercise.
The A’vaeri as a spiritual and physical discipline consists of a series of poses meant to center the mind, improve balance, and bring focus. The elves often utilize its mental exercises to aid in activities unrelated to A’vaeri, such as crafting, hunting, sailing, or performing. To practice the combative forms of A’vaeri, elves may spar one another or go through a sequence of pre-determined moves either in open space or against a dummy. A’vaeri sparring matches are considered a demonstration of art form and skill more than as a fight to win or lose. An opponent who loses but shows more creativity and artistry in his form may gain greater appreciation from a crowd.
Sira
Sira is a performance-based sport consisting of physical feats of difficult, entertaining, and often risky activities such as acrobatics, aerial artistry, juggling, and hand balancing. Sira combines physical gymnastics with complex music, art, dance, and storytelling. Most larger elven cities have a venue suitable for Sira performance, and every Great City employs a resident population of Sira performers. Sira troupes also travel all over Faeran performing and teaching. The art is old in elven tradition. Its prevalence decreased drastically during the Great War, but afterward took on greater importance as a form of self expression and beauty. A’vaeri-inspired art forms such as staff spinning, archery, and sparring-based dance became incorporated into many Sira disciplines and performances following the war.
Caesir
Caesir is a versatile and widely popular sport utilizing fast reflexes and flexibility to match the elves’ strength. It is played with a steel ball and a slender steel stick with a flattened head (steel on steel is even bouncier than rubber). A caesir court is comprised of a circular area with waist-high walls on the sides and two taller panels on two sides. Within the arena are hoops and targets. The two opponents move through the arena around the targets passing the ball back and forth. Players can only hit the ball once before their opponent does. The ball may bounce off any number of obstacles or go straight to an opponent. A missed hit, a double hit, or hitting the ball out of bounds gives the other player a point. Extra points can be earned from passing the ball through hoops or off targets. The game can also be played in pairs, or even with two balls. Due to the elves’ intrinsic understanding of physics and the makeup of steel, the game is as much a game of intellect as of physical dexterity. The Morcani in particular consider the game a challenge of engineering and mental acuity.
Spyre
Spyre is a game of strategy played with cards and colored polished stones. Certain hands of cards enable certain moves, and players must use what they are dealt by chance to outmaneuver their opponents across of set of crossing lines (usually a board, but can be drawn on paper as well). Different colored stones can only move certain ways. The purpose of the game is to get all of your stones across the board while blocking opponents with hands of cards.
