This section of the House of Serenity Site is intended to provide information regarding the sylvan race of beings in Gemstone IV.
Sylvankind spring from the same roots as the elves, but they chose a different path. As the elves moved from their forests to build the Seven Cities, some stayed behind. These are the Sylphs.
The Sylvankind care little for the world outside their forests. For them, the forests are the world. They retain a closeness to the land which approaches unity. A keen-eyed traveler can always tell when he approaches a forest of the Sylvankind, for the plants and trees appear both more lush and more dangerous. Few enter such a forest without the permission of its masters, and fewer still escape.
Within these forests, the Sylvankind have built great hanging tree-cities. Some of their dwellings have hundreds of rooms, as they have grown over thousands of years. The race is ruled by a council of Hierophants, each of whom serves for his or her entire adult life. There is little for them to rule on, however, as the Sylvankind are generally of like mind.
Few Sylvankind leave their forest homes. There is simply little to interest most sylphs "out there". Of course, there are some who feel the call to travel, whether out of curiosity, ambition, or an understanding that events outside the forests can threaten what lies within.
