Elven marriages are very similar to handfastings and have very little difference. They honor the twelve gods and often the celebration of an elven marriage lasts days. When elves marry, it is very different from human marriage and there is a bond struck. The breaking of a bond through one dying or deciding to part ways can be severe. The heartbreak that comes from it is devastating to the point of some choosing to go to the golden or turn bitter and cold to future love. This is why marriage and bonding is taken seriously.

 

Elves are naturally immortal and do not age the way that humans do. They rarely get sick and are immune to most if not all illnesses. You will never see an elf with a common cold or flu unless it is magic induced. But elves can get wounds, be decapitated, or die in numerous ways. But should none of these happen, some choose to simply go into what is called "The golden." It is a place created by the twelve gods for those who wish to leave the mortal coil. Nothing further is known about the golden as it is a one way portal and such secrets are not meant for the living to know.

 

To go into The Golden - The ritual will begin with a last feast of the leaving elf's preference. The kingdom will enjoy all things that bring joy to that elf or those elves leaving for the golden. It is a celebration of life. When the celebration comes to a conclusion, then They will mount steeds and travel the kingdom one last time singing songs of old. When they arrive at the portal, they will be blessed and say their last goodbyes. When that has been done, they will walk through the portal, and into the golden.