Wood Elf tribes used to live in all of Hadira's forests on Twilight World. When the humans invaded @Hadira they were forced to fight a long and bloody war against their High Elf brethren and their Human armies for the right to live in their forests. Most Wood Elves are wary of and sometimes openly hostile to High Elves but bear little hostility towards humans as they were seen as mere pawns of their “high” brethren.
Tribes (known):
Ebony - Stalwart and unbending, the Ebony tribe’s defense of their forest against Kingdom logging operations was what sparked the Forest War. They were once the largest tribe in Hadira but they took heavy losses during the fighting and they lost their entire forest through the Treaty of Gadun. Now they live among the other tribes in their forests. Ebony tribe Wood Elves are understandably the most hostile against Humans and High Elves and most stay away from human society.
Alder - Peaceful and symbiotic with nature, the Alder tribe is a tribe in little more than name. Its members live in isolation, striving for complete balance with the forest around them. The only times members of the Alder tribe meet after they become self-sufficient are during the spring equinox ,when they hold an intricate ritual in order to procreate and strengthen their connection with the spirits of the forest, and in times of need like the Forest War.
Rowan - Colorful and deadly, the Rowan tribe are as dangerous as their brightly coloured garb suggests in the animal kingdom. They are masters of surprise and experts at using an array of dangerous poisons. Their reputation is so fearsome neither human nor elf dares to enter their forest.
Sycamore - Hardy and pure, the Sycamore tribe cares for all living beings. Some of the greatest healers Hadira has ever seen come from this tribe. Anyone suffering from malady or duress is welcome in a Sycamore village and they will always be cared for. During the war this practice was taken advantage of by the Kingdom and whole Sycamore villages were slaughtered after its healed soldiers betrayed their locations. Now most Sycamore villages are secretive and refuse humans entry but some still hold to the old ways and welcome anyone seeking aid.
The Masked Host
Wood Elves of all tribes and some High Elves believe in the five masked gods of balance. Each god has two domains which are opposite facets of Wood Elf culture, however they are also connected and need to be balanced. Some might even seem overlapping to outsiders like the domains of the twins Ethor and Ithren but to the Elves they apparently either aren’t or they accept it as a given. Each god is depicted as an Elven figure with a half mask, their face representing one facet and the mask the other. Which facet is represented by each feature depends on the artist and her intentions.
Elves with a particularly strong connection with a single god might
wear masks shaped after their god’s. After death a Wood Elf’s bones
are carved into an item related to their life by artists dedicated to Ithren,
these items are often functional in design and are believed to hold a
portion of the deceased’s soul. Relatives of the deceased continue to
use these items as a tribute to their dead loved one until they break
after which the remains are buried.
Ethor, God of Nature and Fire - Cycle of life, creation and destruction, order and chaos. From the ashes of death grow trees of life.
Ithren, Goddess of Creativity and Death - Innovation and stagnation, life and death. Immortality is found not in life but after.
Finde, Goddess of Wisdom and Perfection - Wisdom is knowing there is no perfection yet still to reach for it.
Ellartas, Goddess of the Arcane and Battle - Preparation and action, decisiveness and deliberation, force and subtlety. Take care when you need to act fast but do not dawdle when you have time.
Celadir, God of Travel and Music - Future and past, away and home. Without discovering new things, you can’t appreciate what you already have.
Half Wood Elves
The rare descendants of wood elves and humans live among their parents’ Wood Elf tribe as they please. Most of human society distrusts them but since the war ended Half Wood Elves have frequently found themselves thrust into diplomatic or mercantile roles between humans and the wood elf clans.