Hartkin Elves

We deny our nature and call it mercy. But never forget, we were made to hunt.

  There was a time, long ago, when we ran through the wilds unchained. The hunt was in our blood and we had only the laws of predator and prey to govern us. That time is not wholly gone, only buried beneath stone, habit, and courtesy. We do not speak of it often, because to name a thing is to invite it nearer.
  The humans think us civilized because we live as they do. We build where they build, dress as they dress, laugh at their tables and bury our dead in their earth. They take comfort in our assimilation, but it is conscious control, not domestication.
  We are patient with them.
  What they do not understand is that we have not abandoned the hunt, nor our instincts. Rather, we have learned to master them, knowing when to hunt and when to refrain.
  The Predator made us to endure. We learned that strength could be sheathed. That hunger could wait. That restraint, practiced long enough, could feel like mercy.
  Yet even now, we hear the Rut sing in our blood, building in our bones every season. We know which of us must withdraw, which must bind themselves to another, which must hunt until the shaking passes.
  When we are kind, it is because we choose to be. We have found things to love. We protect them, even from ourselves, so we cage our instincts when we must and hone them for when they are needed.
 

Wild Kind

  The Hartkin are the most widespread and socially integrated elven people of Ior. To most mortals, they are the elves: tall, antlered figures who walk openly among humans, trade in their markets, guard their borders, and raise families in cities of stone and timber alike.
  Yet to mistake familiarity for gentleness is an error. The Hartkin are not tamed but they have chosen, through generations, to restrain their instincts.
  Created by Shirtheri, the Predator, the Hartkin carry within them a lineage shaped by tooth, hunger, and pursuit. Civilization has not erased this inheritance; it has merely taught them when to harness it and when to suppress it.
 

Physical Traits

  Hartkin elves are tall and long-limbed, with wide-set, watchful eyes and subtly sharpened canines. Their most defining feature is their antlers, which vary widely in shape and size. They tend to resemble those of deer, elk, or caribou, branching and growing with age. However, they do not shed their antlers as those creatures do.
  There has been much debate as to why elves of all lineages developed horns and antlers like herding prey animals despite being the once apex predators of Ior. General consensus suggests they began as a method of camouflage, to blend in and hide more effectively from prey. But as time has moved on, and the different branches of elves have drifted away from one another, they have taken on a more cultural use.
  Antlers are not purely decorative. They are living extensions of the Hartkin body, richly innervated and sensitive, and their condition is often read as a reflection of health, discipline, and fortune.
 

Psychology & Disposition

  Hartkin are predators who have learned to live among prey. Even outside the Rut, they retain heightened awareness of movement, scent, and subtle shifts in emotion in others. This often manifests unintentionally as intimidation. A Hartkin may stare too long, stand too still, or smile at inopportune moments.
  Among their own kind, these behaviors are unremarkable. Among humans, they are unsettling.
  Hartkin culture prizes control above all else. A Hartkin who cannot govern themselves is considered far more dangerous, and shameful, than one who choses to embrace violence.
 

Diet & Relationship to Food

  Hartkin are primarily carnivorous, even when living in agricultural societies.
  Common Foods
 

Roasted or seared game (venison, boar, goat, aurochs)

 

Blood-rich cuts prepared rare or raw

 

Organ meats, particularly liver and heart

 

Bone broths and marrow stews

 

Smoked meats carried for travel

  Plant foods are eaten sparingly, and when they do, Hartkin prefer bitter herbs, roots, or fungi.
  Sharing meat is deeply symbolic. To offer a portion of one’s kill is a gesture of trust, kinship, or courtship.
 

Clothing & Fashion

  Hartkin fashion emphasizes mobility, durability, and ritual expression. Most often, they will simply adhere to the fashions of the area in which they live though they tend to favor neutral colors and breathable materials.
  Clothing is typically layered and modular, allowing quick adaptation between hunt, travel, and social interaction.
  Their antlers are often adorned in various ways, depending on social situations. Hartkin will often weave ribbons and flowers in their antlers during celebrations and drape them with veils or coat them in ash while in mourning. There are even some Hartkin who choose to add permanent, polished caps of gold or silver to the tines of their antlers.
 

Traditions & Rites

  Hartkin children are raised with early emphasis on physical coordination, scent recognition, emotional regulation and responsibility for one's actions. Their games mimic pursuit, stealth, and mock hunts rather than human games of abstraction or chance. As Hartkin children come of age, they participate in their first true hunt. They are often accompanied by family who will help guide the child, but when the prey is in their sites, the adults will fall back. If the child succeeds in taking down their prey, they are considered young adults and a feast is held in their honor. If they fail, they must wait another year to try again.
  Hartkin courtship is direct and ritualized, often including the sharing of meat, controlled sparring, and shared hunts. Bonded pairs will often hunt together during the Rut to prevent any uncontrolled aggression.
 

Death & Mourning

  Hartkin funerary rites often resemble the traditions of the area in which they live, making their burials almost identical to their human counterparts. However, there are some traditions that make their rituals unique. The body of the deceased is often cleansed by the family, then anointed with ash and resin. The antlers are removed, often carved into memorials. The family and loved ones will often share a final meal in silence, with a plate of organ meat set for the dead.