Few outsiders dare to venture into the vast and ancient Llanowar forest, where huge old-growth trees tower a thousand feet above the ground. Among those trees live the fierce Llanowar elves, whose appearance of savagery and reputation for xenophobic hostility are enough to keep most other folk away from even the shadow of the forest. In reality, however, the Llanowar are a reclusive people, and careful visitors can enter and leave their domain without ever seeing its inhabitants. When the Llanowar elves are seen, it is because they wish to be seen—and often to an intruder's detriment.
Heroes of Llanowar
The people of Llanowar are elves with a reputation for xenophobia, offering intruders greetings that range from quiet suspicion to swift death. Some elves are concerned primarily with their own self-preservation, and the safety of their families, villages, and elfhames. But there are others who keep their eyes on larger dangers. Some of those elves join the Order of the Steel Leaf, keeping watch on the forest's borders and occasionally venturing beyond those borders to meet threats. Others take to the wider world, pursuing foes that threaten more than just Llanowar—or simply seeking adventure.
Suggested Classes
Consider the following class options for a Llanowar elf character.
Bard or Druid
Since the death of the elf Planeswalker Freyalise, the elves of Llanowar have turned to the worship of Gaea, the goddess of life and nature. Most believe that Freyalise was an avatar or aspect of Gaea in life—and some still pray to her, believing that she continues to take that role in death. But even the faithful of Freyalise are likely to pray directly to Gaea most days. That said, the druids of Llanowar are not just a religious order. They are a professional philosophical class, with different orders filling different social and religious roles among the elves. Some orders consist of poets, bards, and historians who collect and preserve the lore of Llanowar and its peoples for future generations. Others are made up of astronomers, mathematicians, and navigators, who use their esoteric knowledge to predict weather and astronomical events. Most importantly, the druids serve as the judicial system, both investigating complaints and judging the accused.
Fighter or Ranger
From kavu-riding cavalry to branch-walking archers, the elves of Llanowar are accomplished warriors who take easily to either of these classes.
| d8 | Ideal |
|---|---|
| 1 | Riashil Pacifism. To live at peace with nature, we must first learn to live at peace with each other. |
| 2 | Staprion Defiance. Those who cross lines must be put in their place. |
| 3 | Loridalh Interdependence. I am my own master, but I am strongest when I work as part of the web of all life. |
| 4 | Kelfae Flexibility. The search for stability—whether in a swaying treetop or in the turmoil of life—is fruitless. |
| 5 | Jubilar Remembrance. The sacrifice of those who were exterminated in the Phyrexian Invasion must be remembered, and their stories retold. |
| 6 | Basiphem Pride. Because we are strong, it is our responsibility to aid the rest of the forest where we can. |
| 7 | Hedressel Holiness. We must maintain our distance—culturally and physically—from other peoples to maintain our connections to the wood. |
| 8 | Ruadach Openness. We must open ourselves to new cultures, new peoples, and new ideas, or we will rot like a fallen log. |
| d8 | Bond |
|---|---|
| 1 | I could always count on my mother to give me a good bonk on the head if I did something foolish. (Riashil) |
| 2 | I will have my revenge against the Cabal for the harm they have done to my kin. (Staprion) |
| 3 | One of the twelve tallest emergent trees in Llanowar is the dearest place to me in all the world. (Loridalh) |
| 4 | I was bonded to a kavu at birth. (Kelfae) |
| 5 | I survived the Phyrexian Invasion over three hundred years ago, and I will never forget the faces of those who died. (Jubilar) |
| 6 | My family carries the shame of failing to protect Llanowar from the Phyrexian Invasion, and I will stop at nothing to undo that shame. (Basiphem) |
| 7 | I spent a year in Hedressel, and I would give my life to defend that holy place. (Hedressel) |
| 8 | I left my family rather than endure the grief of losing them. (Ruadach) |
Llanowar Adventures
The most well-known cultural feature of the Llanowar elves is a reclusiveness that borders on xenophobia. This distrust has varied in its degree and harshness throughout history—and it can vary more widely among the different societies of Llanowar. Some elves conduct cautious trade at carefully patrolled border sites, while others harshly punish any transgression of their unwritten laws.
Llanowar Quests
Many Llanowar elves dislike leaving the protective eaves of the forest. So when danger arises outside the boundaries of the wood, elfhame leaders might send the more restless young elves of their community to face the danger—or they might ask (or call in) a favor from outside adventurers.
| d6 | Quest |
|---|---|
| 1 | Find the source of orc raids in the Ironcrown Mountains. |
| 2 | Retrieve something caught in the web of an enormous spider. |
| 3 | Carry a message to a Benalish city—about diplomacy, trade, matters of the heart, or anything else. |
| 4 | Track down an interloper who managed to escape punishment for crimes against the forest (perhaps even trespassing in Hedressel). |
| 5 | Dispose of a newly uncovered piece of Phyrexian wreckage. |
| 6 | Plant a seed from Llanowar in the Whispering Woods or another distant forest. |
Llanowar Sites
The Llanowar forest teems with life—and with magic. Special locations within the forest are abundant, offering many possibilities for adventure.
| d10 | Adventure Site |
|---|---|
| 1 | Inside a giant tree that has strangely begun to rot from the inside |
| 2 | At the top of an emergent tree, where magical flowers grow |
| 3 | Nestled among the roots of one of the oldest and largest trees in the forest |
| 4 | A temple hollowed out from a huge branch of a still-living tree |
| 5 | A statue of the elf hero Eladamri, situated in the middle of a placid forest clearing |
| 6 | A network of rope bridges connecting canopy trees |
| 7 | A sinister-looking tower made from a dead tree |
| 8 | An enormous patch of mushrooms that gets larger every day |
| 9 | An overgrown Phyrexian war machine |
| 10 | An anthill, termite nest, or wasp nest that's larger than a grand temple |
Llanowar Villains
The anger and violence of the xenophobic Llanowar elves is usually reactive—reserved for those who trespass in their forest. But the distance from reactive to active villainy is often a small step.
| d8 | Villain |
|---|---|
| 1 | A zealous druid wants to drive the humans and half-elves out of Ruadach. |
| 2 | A pragmatist thinks the old druidic traditions are holding the elves back from greatness, and seeks to destroy Hedressel or Molimo (or both). |
| 3 | A knight of the Steel Leaf tries to stir up war with Benalia, in order to have an excuse to slaughter the humans. |
| 4 | A druid uses ancient necromancy to poison a stream supplying water to a Benalish town. |
| 5 | A Staprion warrior believes the pacifist Riashil are traitors to the elves, and tries to goad them into fighting. |
| 6 | An elf has bred a giant kavu intended to topple trees and destroy elfhames. |
| 7 | A necromancer wants to use the spirits of the elven dead that are said to guard Hedressel to destroy the elves entirely. |
| 8 | A leader of the Order of the Steel Leaf is in league with the Cabal, and tries to undermine the Staprion offensive against that order. |
Kavu
Kavu are reptilian creatures that are either very ancient or a relatively recent creation on Dominaria. Either awakening from a millennia-long hibernation or springing fully formed into being, they emerged from the ground to defend against the Phyrexian Invasion. The Llanowar elves now breed the kavu to fill a variety of roles, believing that these creatures were the goddess Gaea's means of intervening in Dominaria's defense. The close relationship between elves and kavu is a constant reminder of Gaea's beneficence. Every Kelfae bonds with an arboreal kavu companion, and some Kelfae and Basiphem warriors ride them into battle.