Raven

The Tribe of the Raven is one of The Ten Tribes of Yuir.

The Raven are an odd sort. They almost seem to exhibit a collective intelligence; often, one you've never met will spout words recalling a conversation you'd had with another, even if there were no clear way the two could have shared that knowledge. Their sense of identity, especially among their priests, could be somewhat muddled at times.

This is because of their peculiar habit of regularly communing with the spirits of their ancestors. To most elves, this was a normal religious practice, best done by shamans, and only once in a while. Within the Firefly Tree, it was nigh impossible to sleep a night away without vividly experiencing the memories and dreams of one's ancestors, and in turn sharing one's own experiences with the collective of wisps within the tree. As all Ravens live most of their lives near the ancestral tree, they thus commune with one another's memories quite frequently.

Their structure is unlike the other clans; they have no chieftains, but rather a Parliament of elder Ravens, all priests. They are not priests of any specific god, not even the Raven God, but instead of the concepts their people embody--communion with spirits passed, passing through the veil of life and death--and tend a bit toward the shadowy aspects of divine magic.

Raven priests and priestesses share an ability to manifest protector spirits of their ancestral kin, even well away from their ancestor tree. The spirits usually appear as ethereal ravens, flocking about the manifester, protecting her from harm and harrying her foes with psychic influence.

The way of life among Ravens is also markedly different than other clans. They neither hunt, like the Fang and other traditional tribes, nor till the soil, like their more civilized counterparts. They gather for much of their needs, but also share the peculiar practice, often misunderstood by their counterparts in other tribes and certainly those abroad, of eating carrion.

They do not eat rotten meat, but rather keep watchful eye upon the animal population of their land, taking those who die of natural causes, and eating them right away. They do this because of their firm belief in noninterference with the processes of life and death; they refuse to kill any living creature, save to defend themselves, and some even go further than that.

Due perhaps to the sharing of knowledge with and the constant presence of their ancestors' spirits in their land, the Raven are known to be a highly magical folk. Their powers tend toward the manipulation of light and darkness, used to veil themselves against foes, and to influence over the subtleties of the mind, which they can use to confuse or terrify enemies into abandoning an attack. Such non-violent tactics are usually preferred to direct conflict.

Ravens have no warrior or hunter tradition, and few if any could be said to be "warriors". However, Raven priests have much power, and the ability (and responsibility) to judge the will of nature in matters of life and death. Ravens respect the right of Nature to decide who lives and who dies, but Raven priests are an aspect of Nature, not merely mortals commanding magic, and must interpret and exercise Her will when it is expressed to them.

Thus, Raven priests perform many important functions within their society, from protection of their borders from powerful enemies, such as other tribes or foreign invaders, to the healing of wounds and diseases in those who, in their judgment, are not yet meant to pass into the Night.