Quote:
Originally Posted by kirbwarrior
certain places just had vastly easier access to food and other necessities.
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Exactly so. While they were certainly more the exception than the rule, in our world's real history some so-called complex hunter/gatherer societies existed, for instance along the North-Western coast of North America. And exactly for the reason you mention: abundant food available without agricultural cultivation. They developed societal stratification (GURPS: Status), which is often considered typical of agricultural civilizations, and had villages of up to 2,000 inhabitants - which is probably what an "Elven city" in a forest might have.
Now, naturally these indigenous peoples had no qualms about hunting and fishing, and that was a sizable part of their non-agricultural-based diet. I don't know about Elves, maybe some of them are vegans; but if they have bows, then I think they do hunt.