# Help me describe a large elven city



## NewJeffCT (Sep 6, 2009)

The players in my D&D campaign will be entering a large above-ground elven city next session.  There are a good 12,000 or so elves there - mostly wood elves, but about 1,000 or so high elves.  A smattering of non-humans, but mostly visiting dignitary types.

The city is on a large freshwater lake at the center of a massive forest.  Even some of the trees are gigantic - of the redwood & sequoia tree types that can be 300 feet tall or taller.  And, since they're tended by elves, they can even grow taller than real redwoods here on Earth.

I'm looking for mainly "flavor text" type descriptions, but also some unique ideas of some sights that can be seen in the city itself.  (Homes 100 feet off the ground in the trees - though, that's been done in DragonLance - that sort of thing)

The city will also be preparing for war, as a huge army of evil humans (led by a powerful Death Knight and some evil clerics) are invading.


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## Theo R Cwithin (Sep 6, 2009)

They could live _in_ the trees to, or at least have passages inside the living trunks leading up into the homes in the branches.

Also, given the longevity of elves, they could have actually guided the growth of the great trees over the aeons.  I'm envisioning coming through the woods to the lake and seeing across the water immense sequoias actually bent into graceful arches, crisscrossed by wooden bridges, with high gleaming windows in the trunks illuminating the rooms within.  Perhaps an immense temple at the center is formed of the trunks of three massive trunks actually twisted together into a great braid, with the branches arching out over the nearest buildings like butresses.  Cypress or mangrove-like trees could stretch out over the water, making a living complex of docks.


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## Set (Sep 6, 2009)

There was a 2nd edition spell that allowed one to shape water into solid shapes.  Given hundreds of years to play around with it, the elves might have created a temple to the gods of nature out of solidified (but still transparent, and even flowing) water rising up out of the surface of the lake.  It would appear to be a structure of glass, from a distance, but closer up, fish could be seen wriggling through some of the lower supports.


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## Ferret (Sep 6, 2009)

Have you seen the video game Baldurs Gate II, they have a good 'map' of an elven city, if you can find it.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 6, 2009)

"My God...Its full of elves!"

Tree cities have been done in Elfquest and the original Star Wars movies...

At the very least, there is an element of familiarity with them that gamers would "get" instantly.  Its even cooler if you grab up pictures of how the elves have shaped the trees...like the circus trees of Gilroy Gardens (aka Bonfante Park):

Gilroy Gardens Family Theme Park -- Home of the Circus Trees!

In addition, like I posted in this thread:



> http://www.enworld.org/forum/plots-places/256063-what-would-society-look-like-3.html
> 
> ...S.M. Stirling's sword & planet novel, _In the Courts of the Crimson Kings_, the Martians are masters of biotechnology, having had no interruptions in their culture in tens of thousands of years, but also having no access to fossil fuels or nuclear materials.
> 
> ...




And as I pointed out, it would work for his elves.  It could work for yours.


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 6, 2009)

the_orc_within said:


> They could live _in_ the trees to, or at least have passages inside the living trunks leading up into the homes in the branches.
> 
> Also, given the longevity of elves, they could have actually guided the growth of the great trees over the aeons.  I'm envisioning coming through the woods to the lake and seeing across the water immense sequoias actually bent into graceful arches, crisscrossed by wooden bridges, with high gleaming windows in the trunks illuminating the rooms within.  Perhaps an immense temple at the center is formed of the trunks of three massive trunks actually twisted together into a great braid, with the branches arching out over the nearest buildings like butresses.  Cypress or mangrove-like trees could stretch out over the water, making a living complex of docks.




Thanks - some great ideas there.


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 6, 2009)

Set said:


> There was a 2nd edition spell that allowed one to shape water into solid shapes.  Given hundreds of years to play around with it, the elves might have created a temple to the gods of nature out of solidified (but still transparent, and even flowing) water rising up out of the surface of the lake.  It would appear to be a structure of glass, from a distance, but closer up, fish could be seen wriggling through some of the lower supports.




good idea - certainly could be an area of interest.  Thanks


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 6, 2009)

Ferret said:


> Have you seen the video game Baldurs Gate II, they have a good 'map' of an elven city, if you can find it.




No, I'm not really a video gamer.  I'll see if I can dig up a friend's map, though.


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## Ferret (Sep 6, 2009)

It's this sort of deal:

[sblock]
	

	
	
		
		

		
			





[/sblock]
[sblock]
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




[/sblock]

How does that look?


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## catastrophic (Sep 6, 2009)

You should also think simple as well as complex and magical. There are simple things the elves could do, especially with enough time, without the use of magic, that could be impressive to your players and give a feeling of a pratical civilisation as well as a magical one.

For instance, IIRC redwoods are actually hollow. It would be relativly simple to press a small arch against the trunk of a redwood, and eventually that arch would lead into the tree as the trunk grew out and over it. 

Another example would be construction that doesn't just rest on tree-tops, but relies on the growth of trees to create or as part of their assembly process.

Imagine if the elves need a watch tower. Well, they could build on in a big tree, or build one on the ground and then haul it into a tree. OR, they could build it in several parts, each one in the branches of a young tree near the ground. Over the centuries, the saplings would grow up and the pieces of the watch-tower would naturally come together, maybe with the help of some guide-ropes tied between them. Of course this would take a while, but it would probably be the best view ever.

Another idea in this vein would be modular buildings. Say there's a hall built along a large branch of a tree. The hall is built of segments, modular pieces made of a roof and two walls. Each one fits into place against the next piece. But how did they all get there?

It started off as only one segment, resting against the tree trunk, but as the branch grew longer and wider, the earlier segments were pushed up and out along the branch, and newer, larger segments were lowered into place, against the trunk of the tree. The result is a tapering structure which has extended along with the branch as it grows.


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 6, 2009)

Ferret said:


> It's this sort of deal:
> 
> [sblock]
> 
> ...




That looks great - thanks for the images!


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## Aramax (Sep 7, 2009)

"As you move closer to the center of the lakeshore,you see hundreds of
elven children sliding down smooth branches on leaves the size of sleds,
flying impossibly high into the air.Screaming and laughing some are caught by huge turtles who then throw them back up into the air.The turtles take notice of you and form a defencive possition,hissing menacingly,until
near by parents calm them."

'Can we kill them?'


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## Andor (Sep 7, 2009)

All good idea about the trees, but don't forget the island and the lake itself.

Buildings under the lake, kept dry through magic could serve as house, store rooms, green houses, aquaculture or even as prisons.

They would probably have delved some chambers into the rock of the island itself for both storage away from the weather and as a place to put those crafts which are not safe to practice in trees like baking and blacksmithing. 

If they are preparing for war, they will be trying to fortify their island. In sticking with the plant theme picture them weaving walls of nasty thorny plants like japanese rose or acacias into a continuous barrier around the island while the druids cast _plant growth_ to grow them into true barriers. They might also be employing some of the various nasty plants in the monster manual. 

There will also be trying to take steps to make it harder for the enemy to get across the lake at them, although the specifics of that depend too much on the particulars of your scenario for me to guess at. But as a general guideline they'll be trying to deny them access to boats and launching points, in that order.


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## Dannyalcatraz (Sep 7, 2009)

You want a rude surprise?

Have the Druids & Wizards among the Elves in that city create a giant Awakened version of the Archerfish to help defend the shoreline of the lake and its tributaries...possibly even the open waters.

Archerfish - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

After all, who said that cooshee had to be the only "elven" animals?


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 8, 2009)

Dannyalcatraz said:


> You want a rude surprise?
> 
> Have the Druids & Wizards among the Elves in that city create a giant Awakened version of the Archerfish to help defend the shoreline of the lake and its tributaries...possibly even the open waters.
> 
> ...




Thanks - the elf city will generally be friendly to the PCs, but that could work as an example of defense.


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## Thanael (Sep 8, 2009)

For interesting source on elven cities see the 2E _Complete Elves Handbook_ Chapter 8: Elven Dwellings (The Grey Elves' City, The High Elves' Tree Town, The Sylvan Elves' Encampment) and/or _Dragon #224_, p19 "Elven Cities and Settlements". (This is the special architecture issue - castle design, elven cities, dwarven tombs) Also 2E's _Elves of Evermeet_ is bound to have some details on elven cities in the Forgotten Realms. Evermeet and its capital Leuthilspar are described on the FR Wiki and could provide a few interesting tidbits.: 
Leuthilspar - The Forgotten Realms Wiki - Books, races, classes, and more
Evermeet - The Forgotten Realms Wiki - Books, races, classes, and more

Another option is to poach from the city of Evereska:
Evereska: An Overview
*Evereska, Land of Elves*

The unpublished Greyhawk sourcebook _Ivid the Undying_  available as a free pdf here has a few elven cities in it. 


Last not least the excellent article "Tal Aska - An Elven City in the Vesve" on canonfire describes a large wood elven city situated near a lake and a huge forest, which lies very near to the humanoid infested lands of Iuz the Evil. There's even a a map included as well. In fact i think this city fits you parameters pretty well...


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## NewJeffCT (Sep 8, 2009)

Thanael said:


> For interesting source on elven cities see the 2E _Complete Elves Handbook_ Chapter 8: Elven Dwellings (The Grey Elves' City, The High Elves' Tree Town, The Sylvan Elves' Encampment) and/or _Dragon #224_, p19 "Elven Cities and Settlements". (This is the special architecture issue - castle design, elven cities, dwarven tombs) Also 2E's _Elves of Evermeet_ is bound to have some details on elven cities in the Forgotten Realms. Evermeet and its capital Leuthilspar are described on the FR Wiki and could provide a few interesting tidbits.:
> Leuthilspar - The Forgotten Realms Wiki - Books, races, classes, and more
> Evermeet - The Forgotten Realms Wiki - Books, races, classes, and more
> 
> ...




Thanks - very good ideas.  I might even have the 2E Complete Elves book somewhere - it's just a matter of finding it, since I've moved twice since 3E came out.  ;=)


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