"All Roads Lead to Zenithstrand"
CROW TRIBE WILD ELVES OF ZENITHSTRAND
HISTORY
The wild elves of the Shadow Isles were once considered to be one unified tribe. After the island split, many elves felt lost without Coa and her grove to guide them. Each elf had their own ideas for honouring her memory, so Ricca Alvara the first Corvo, took it upon herself to gather up like minded wild elves, and asked them to pool their resources. This was deemed to be the First Horde. The building of the Horde made them strong, and they managed to survive the following winter with minimal losses. During an unusually harsh snap of cold, Ricca saw Coa in a dream. She dreamed of Coa In her final moments. Coa reached out to Ricca, and handed her a bundle of cloth. Wrapped safely inside, was a crows nest. When Ricca awoke, she found the weather had lightened, and that crows had taken roost nearby. She saw this as a sign, and took the name of Corvo for herself and all those she now deemed under her protection.
TRIBAL TATTOOS
Olagot’Thalan who become Crow at birth are awarded wing tattoos beside both eyes. The Crow are the only Coa tribe who foster other elves from outside of their own. To denote a foster, the Eldest born Crow tattoos a single wing next to either eye of the elf that has been accepted. The markings for wild elves are green. Fosters from other races are not permitted to have green, and are instead tattooed in white.
CULTURE
The Corvo don’t believe in the class system of other elves, believing is to disrupt the family ties that the Crow hold so dear. Instead, they allow other Full born Crow to foster from other tribes. There are benefits and disadvantages to both.
Fosters
Foster are those elves that have been accepted as family by a Murder of Corvo. The Eldest Full born Crow of the Murder has final say as to whether a Foster is permitted or not, and that Full born must tattoo the single wing onto the accepted Foster. Fosters are given a gift after the tattooing from the Murders personal Horde. This gift is to denote full acceptance as a Foster, but comes with a caveat; if the foster wishes to leave the tribe, they must return the gift, or something of greater value to the Murder, and remove their wing under the supervision of a Full born Crow. Fosters have full rights as a member of the murder, but with a few exceptions:
1. Fosters are not permitted to mate with any other Full born Corvo.
2. Offspring of Fosters are not granted Full born or Foster titles upon birth. The child must earn that themselves.
3. Fosters are not permitted any claim to the Horde. Furthermore, they are not given the location of the Horde, and access to the Horde is forbidden. Fosters are however still expected to contribute to the Horde.
The punishments for breaking any of these rules is an exile from the tribe and tribe lands, which includes the stripping of the wing from the criminal, as well as the seizing of all of the criminal's possessions. The punishment for breaking the third rule is the same as the others but the Foster that committed the crime is also put to a single death
Full Born
Full born Corvo are those that have been born into the tribe, or have risen from adopted status through Ascension. Full born are allowed to make one request of the Greater Horde once a year on Coa’s day. Making this request does not guarantee fulfilment, as requests are more likely to be granted to those in need, or those who have contributed most to the Horde throughout the year. Each request is brought forth to a council which is made up of the Voices of three murders. The request is not fulfilled unless all three Voices are one.
Ascension
This is the act of a Foster becoming a Full born. This can only be done by pledging allegiance to the tribe, and taking on both markings, forsaking any previous markings that they had. This act must be witness by the Eldest Full born Crow in the Murder, who must also be the one to add the second tattoo. The Ascension is done as a sacred ceremony, wherein the Foster must return their Foster gift after the second tattoo is placed and receive a gift from the Great Horde of the Crovo. This is seen as an act of leaving the tribe as a Foster, but to be embraced as Full born, with all of the rights that come with it. The Ascended is expected to be a Full born member of the Corvo for the rest of their lives, for better or worse. Under no circumstances are non wild elven Fosters permitted to Ascend.
COA'S DAY
Much like all the Kudzu, the Corvo hold this day as the most sacred time. It is a day of deep respect for Coa, who was the Matron of all the tribes of the Overgrowth, who were once all united under her. This day is a celebration of her memory and the great deed she did by holding the island together and saving the elves of the Shadow Isles. Coa's day takes place each year during the seventh month.
The Corvo believe that they hold the deepest respect for the memory of Coa. They gather together all members of the tribe, including the Fosters. Once gathered, all members of the tribe regale one another with personal victories, tying in embellishments that they believe would make Coa and the rest of the Corvo proud. Once finished, each person gathered offers up something of value from their personal horde that they feel is worthy of joining Coa. Once all gathered have offered, the offerings are burnt in the flames so that they may join with the great saint and savior. Corvo, as well as the other Kudzu, put aside all grudges, and offer outsiders to join them in the ceremony. They are not allowed to tell tales, but are fully expected to give an offering. To not offer something is to be taken as a personal insult to the Corvo.
PERSONALITY / SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
Due to the horde mentality of the Corvo, they tend to come off as materialistic and generally aloof to outsiders. The Corvo believe themselves to be protectors or caregivers, due to the fact that they adopt outsiders, and share their wealth with them. The Crow believe that the strength of their Horde enables them to better fulfill their role as protectors.
Corvo, being Kudzu, don’t take kindly to any of the scavenger tribes, and for the most part, tend to kill those who skulk around their territory. Crows use traps to protect their territory and personal hordes from scavengers, and many Crow claim that the greater Horde is guarded by ritual grade protections. This has caused the Corvo to groom many of their young to be trapsmiths, or use magic in some variation.
The Corvo have a particularly hateful relationship with the Hemlock, because the Hemlock are disrespectful to the Crows traditions. They fail to see the value in the wealth that the Korvo gather, and scoff at the idea of accepting outsiders into their tribe.
In years past, the Corvo have made many attempts to honour Coa with a Great Horde at the heart of her grove. These attempts have been met with aggressive hostility to the point of violence. The Crow have not abandoned this ideal and refuse to give up, for they believe that Coa’s grove should be accessible to all Kudzu. This causes the tribes to clash on every front.
MURDERS
These are considered family units within Crow society. Crow can chose to move around to different murders, and It is not uncommon for Crow to change murders frequently. Every Crow commits to the murder that they are in fully, contributing resources to that specific horde, regardless of how long they intend to stay.
RELIGION
The war between Nitrem and Dominion has coloured the religious opinions of the Corvo, who have witnessed the strife brought about due to following higher powers. As such, reverence isn't something that drives their culture. The Corvo don't stray entirely from worship of the divine though, as Ll’yandra and Dunarthos are common patrons to those who choose a life of reverence. Less common, is the worship of Erasmus, who fits in with the more avid collectors.
MATING
Taking a mate is serious business within the Corvo, as they are a tribe that mate for life. The act of courtship is something to be seen. The males usually put on some sort of display for the intended female. This may include some peacocking, and sometimes saranading, but usually, they offer something of value to the intended from their personal horde. Once the offering has been given, it cannot be taken back. The intended has a month to think things over, and at the end of the month, either returns the gift if interest is not shared, or gives a gift from their horde in return. Once a mate has been chosen, it is common for the mated pair to split off from the Murder to have and to raise any offspring that may come from the union. It is quite common for Corvo to have up to two or three offspring.
ROLEPLAY TIPS
Gather valuable things and defend your murder and horde.
● Defend the forests and Coa.
● Distrust scavengers and Hemlock.
● Make all attempts to grow your horde, and support your murder
CONTRIBUTORS
Wyatt Lefebvre