At a Glance

• Home: A confection-decorated woodland settlement in the mountains
• Crafts: Forging, beard decoration, moss painting, and elaborate snow angels
• Challenge: The Riddle of Ages
• Leader: The Elven Elder
• Notable artist: Cobbler
• Secret word: Louisa

Elves Who Look Like Dwarves

The mountain elves are short, sturdy, and magnificently bearded—an appearance that causes Roddy Squires to mistake them for dwarves. They quickly explain that Beandom legends have crossed the descriptions of the two peoples.

Their beards often contain brightly colored woven strands. The oldest elder wears an enormous white braid, while younger elves may arrange their hair in less restrained forms.

Village Life and Crafts

The elves work at mountain forges, ski, build record-setting snow angels, feast around campfires, and decorate cottages with cookies, pies, and other confections. Their hospitality is sincere, though travelers who nibble the architecture may receive less of it.

The Riddle of Ages

The Elven Elder guards the first portion of the Great Secret through a ceremonial sequence of riddles. The performance includes singing, synchronized tumbling, dramatic weather, and an acrobatic pyramid crowned by the elder.

Roddy solves questions involving pickled peppers and woodchucks through literal reasoning. The elves reward him with the word Louisa, a clue whose significance becomes clear only after the other keepers reveal their parts.

Cobbler and Moss Painting

Cobbler is a portly elf and master moss painter. He divides his beard into numerous strands, dyes each tip a different color, and uses them as living paintbrushes. His preferred subjects include dragons attacking villages, images effective enough to discourage visitors.

Wrong answers to the Riddle of Ages can result in transformation into trees, providing the elves with additional canvases. This is one reason their forest contains so many remarkably expressive trunks.

Chronicler’s note: Never confuse a mountain elf with a dwarf. The elf will correct you; the dwarf will hand you to the champion.

Related Entries