This entry is part 12 in the series Orcs & Elves

I’ve got so much campaign prep to get done that if I don’t do it here, I’ll never get it done in time…

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Chapters 24 to 26 were partially unfinished when I started this series, which means they are presented in first-draft form and not the fully polished form of the early chapters.

That means a change in style for the latter third or so of this post, because my objective here is to tell the story to a usable standard (as explained in Game Prep and the +N to Game Longevity) and not to spend a lot of time rewriting to cast paragraphs in the mode of speech of a particular contributing “speaker”. Think of it this way: Broad Notes to Detailed Notes to Outline to First Draft to Final Draft – the goal from the last sections of Chapter 21 onwards is First Draft standard, and not a polished Final Draft.

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Chapter 24

The Second Great Dwarfwar: Armistice

The Dwarven King and his retinue exited the tunnel to find the mouth ringed three-deep with Elves with bows drawn, and more on the limbs of trees on all sides. A tense standoff resulted until Kazeth was brought forward. He described the events in the Dwarven King’s court, but the Elvish Council was wary; all they knew for certain is that their Prince went down the tunnel in the company of a Dwarf and failed to return. Since the Dwarven King was also suspicious, the two parties were soon glaring at each other, a hairsbreadth from renewing the violence. The people who were most convinced that the Dwarves had been manipulated by the Drow were Kazeth and Therialas the tracker. While Kazeth had not been so certain initially, he had developed considerable respect for Prince Elbareth during their travels together, and the betrayal by the Drow Ambassador had been the clincher. The pair stepped forward to act as peacemakers, and quickly agreed to the offer of armistice. After dispatching runners to advise the Elves within the Dwarven tunnels to stand down but not withdraw. King Veldergrist, having anticipated this result, had left instructions with his commanders to stand down but maintain defensive lines if the Elves ceased their attack.

They then opened discussions of the possible terms of a more substantial peace treaty, starting by proposing and accepting that both sides had suffered equally in the war. The Dwarven King interrupted to dispute this. The Elven King’s son was killed while under his protection and that weighs heavily on his honor. He cannot accept the agreement on this point unless the stain on his good name is considered a separate debt, not covered by the statement of equal losses. The Elvish Council, who placed no special value on the life of a Prince (as compared to any other Elf) were quick to accept an advantage in the negotiations. This put Therialas in an awkward position, because it gave the Elves an undeserved advantage in the peace negotiations, but he could expose the ploy without disgracing his people in the eyes of the Dwarves and jeopardizing the entire peace negotiation, and without revealing the secret of the Elven nobility – a secret that could easily trigger wars with several other races, especially humans, who could be almost as prickly as Dwarves when they perceive insult.

After protesting (privately) to the council, Therialas threatened to walk off away from the negotiations completely. This was an empty threat, and the Council knew it; the aged tracker would never permit a single elf to be killed in a resumption of hostilities for which he alone would be responsible. Nevertheless, they were concerned that he might reveal the secret in order to equalize the negotiating position, and agreed to permit him some latitude in setting the peace terms – subject to their approval, of course.

Therialas started by repatriating the Dwarven Prince to his people, describing him as brave and resourceful fighter of whom his father should be proud. Of course, it did not hurt negotiations that he was able to confirm that he had been well-treated. For the next several hours, the Elves described their theory of Drow manipulation, and pressing the Dwarven King for greater details concerning the promises and agreements; but the Dwarven King was reluctant to provide such details. The Drow were allies of the Dwarven Nation who – so far as the Dwarves had been able to tell – had treated fairly and honestly with their people. Until it could be proven that the Drow had betrayed the intent of that alliance, King Veldergrist would not give the Surface Elves any advantage over their subterranean Kin. But the certainty of the Elves had grown with each retelling of the theory, and they were consequently strongly motivated to offer concessions.

They started by recapitulating the terms of the agreement with the Drow, point-by-point, accompanied by their interpretation. As they did so, on each point, they made an offer. They promised to trade food to the Dwarves at the same price the Drow were offering. They offered to supply timber to the Dwarves at terms that even the Dwarves considered generous; so much so that King Veldergrist was minded to accuse the Elvish Council of attempting to bribe them out of bloody-mindedness and hatred for the Drow. Since timber rights was the initial cause of the conflict, the Elves were able to convince the King that an agreement on the issue was in the Elves own best interest.

King Veldergrist responded by acknowledging the offer, and in a gesture of good will, and as a mark of thanks for the good treatment of his son, he handed over one of the Black Gems and a small sample of the metal, Mithral, that the Drow had been trading to the Dwarves. Because these commodities were central to the doubts raised by Prince Elbareth, he offered them to the Elves to study while he retired to consider their offer.

After contemplating the offer overnight, King Veldergrist determined that if supplemented by an apology from each side, he would accept the proposed Peace Treaty, but even while the two negotiators were arguing over the details, a band of Dwarves erupted from the tunnel which led to the heart of the Elven Lands. The elves reacted with alarm at this fresh incursion, and once again the fragile peace came under threat. Under the same flag of parley that he had carried into the Elven forest the previous day, King Veldergrist left his protective shield of Dwarven Warriors behind and approached the confrontation, where he spoke in hushed tones to the Dwarves who had emerged from the tunnel. When the conference concluded he raised the standard of peace high, so that all could see it, then dramatically swept it to one side, signaling an end to the peace. The warriors with him all drew their weapons, as did the Elves in the gathering. In a loud voice, the King demanded, “Therialas of Elvarheim, I require an explanation. You have deceived us with your false Armistice and pretence of laying down your arms, even while releasing into our tunnels monstrosities and abominations to slaughter our wives and young, continuing the war by proxy and subterfuge.”

“I know not who is attacking your women and children, Dwarf-King, but it is not us. I give you my word.”

“Trust between us is broken, Elf. Your word is worthless until that is restored.”

“How do you propose we do that, King of Beards?”

“I do not know, tree-lover, but a way must be found before the sun sets, or the peace between us will end – for all time.”

Chapter 25

The Final Betrayal

The Elvish council had withdrawn to consider how best to satisfy the fractious and irritated King of the Dwarves. “If it is not us, it must be the Drow – unless it is a Dwarven fiction. We have seen no evidence of these monstrosities.”

“We are on the verge of total victory and they know it. They would be insane to resume the conflict under the current circumstances.”

“Perhaps they are insane. They are Dwarves.”

“That may make them different, but not insane. Let us assume that this is the handiwork of our Kindred. In order for that to be the case, they would have to know what the Huyundaltha planned. How might that be that possible?”

“Easily. They know us, and might be able to predict our solution. The Queen Of Spiders may have scried our preparations. And it is always possible that we have a spy in our midst. Any of these would have yielded the intelligence.”

“So, assuming that this is the work of the Drow, what is her objective?”

“The Dwarves were about to subjugate themselves to her rule without realizing it. The accords threaten that. At the very least she disrupts the peace. At best, she increases the pressure on the Dwarves to accede to her proposals. Further, by attacking the helpless and placing the burden of responsibility for the attack apon us, she may enrage the Dwarves to the point of seeking revenge at any price. Finally, I am sure that some Dwarves will doubt us no matter what, so she divides an enemy.”

“There are ample strategic reasons for this attack, then. Next, we must ask ourselves how she has achieved this?”

“That answer would seem simple as well. She could have learned of the intent of Deruan almost as soon as it was formed, so this stroke could have been in preparation for as long as the Huyundaltha were committed to the course. Moreover, we are considerate to those creatures we manipulate with our Spellcraft; Lolth is far more ruthless. Her programme could have started later and still overtaken ours.”

“Then there remains only one question. How do we convince the King of the Dwarves of all this?”

“There is but one way,” replied Therialas. “Lolth has but one failing, her ego. It drives her to always take anything she undertakes that one step too far. She would not have been content merely to counterfeight our creatures, she would have been driven to “improve” on them, producing – as the Dwarven reports state – monstrosities and abominations – if she could.”

“That is the flaw in all these arguements. Our creatures were as perfectly suited to their task as we could make them; indeed the Huyundaltha waited until that was the case. We had not the skill and spellweaving ability to enhance them further. How then can we explain her ability to exceed those limits without acknowledging the unthinkable, that she is our superior in our own chosen craft?”

“I can answer that,” came a new voice. “I have been examining the black gem provided by the Dwarves, the gems which so fascinated Lolth that she traded more than generously to obtain them, and one example of which enabled her Drow to penetrate our spellwoven defenses. How it and its like came to be, I cannot say, nor how they came to be located where the Dwarves found them; but they contain a symmetrical arrangement of all six forms of natural energy. These resonate with the energies of the subject of a Spellweaving, loosening the hold of the natural form, and making the subject more receptive to spellweaving. With enough of these gems, used in concert by enough spellweavers operating in harmony, Lolth would have been capable of twisting and reshaping the world to her liking. She could have obliterated us as an afterthought.”

“With such ability, it becomes clear that we never figured into her immediate objective. This entire war was directed at the subjugation of the Dwarves, and we were never more than unwitting pawns in her scheme.”

“So,” concluded Therialas, “Lolth had both the capacity and predisposition to produce abominations far more extreme those we would ever create. That is her mistake, and it leaves us a slim opening through which to thread the needle of peace. I know now how to convince the King, if anyone or anything can do so. Will the council grant me the authority to continue to speak for our people in these negotiations without interference, regardless of how unlikely my tactics may appear?”

One after the other, the members of the council nodded.

A short time later, the Council and their appointed negotiator returned to address the King of the Dwarves. “Your majesty, you demanded that we provide an explanation. I must tell you that at this time we cannot.”

“Then your honor and the peace accords are forfeit. We will grind you into the dust, if it take a thousand years, no matter the cost. To arms!”

Hastily, and with his hands held open before him, Therialas added, “What we can offer are suspicions and surmise without proofs, and I say that because you, your majesty, hold the proof. We cannot give you your answer because you already have it!”

“If this is some obscure jest, tree-lover, I am not laughing. What is this explanation, and what is the proof that you claim is already in my possession?”

“It is no joke, you Majesty, but were I to give you the surmised explanation we have devised, it would compromise the proof. To prove beyond doubt our innocence and restore the bond of peace between us, you must first study the proof with your own eyes, and only then may we offer an explanation for what you will apprehend. You have with you descriptions of the horrors which even now assault your civilian population? Do not tell me of the details, but please ensure that those details you have in your possession are fresh in your mind.”

“I will never forget them, for they conjure images most loathsome and evil. Speak quickly, Elf, for all our lives hang apon the thread of my patience, and it wears thin.”

“I must point out that you have not shared this knowledge with us, save only in the most general terms – ‘monstrosities and abominations’ was the phrase you used. I will take you now to the glades where our creatures await their role in any renewed conflict. You may compare them with the descriptions you hold and assure yourself that it is quite impossible for the two to be related.” A sudden buzz of consternation erupted from the Council as Therialas’ intent became clear.

“Don’t go, Your Majesty, it is a trap!” cried one of the Warriors who had brought word of the massacre.

“You may bring your entire retinue, including these uninvited additions, for protection. Your son and heir and the strike force he commanded was our prisoner; you arrived under flag of truce and with but a token bodyguard, into the heart of our power. Had we wished to entrap you, it would have been done easily and long before these additional forces arrived. Were we as bereft of honor as you now suspect, there would have been nothing to prevent it.”

“I do not need an army. Your point is well made. Very well, I will see these creatures.” Turning to his compatriots, he instructed, “Assemble my honor guard. Take no action save to defend yourself until I return, or until the sun sets, at which time it will be clear that I cannot return. My son shall be your commander and King should that transpire.”

A short time later, the Dwarven King, still surrounded by the muted whispers of protest from the Elven Council, was inspecting some of the creatures the Huyundaltha had bred: a gopher standing as tall as a Dwarf; A worm to whose flesh weapons and iron of any kind clung as though glued in place, at once disarming and forming a protective barrier from attack; a termite as large as a hand; a tiger with great green eyes, adapted for to hunt in the dark. “Elven Spellweaving,” explained Therialas, “may enhance an existing quality or capacity of a creature, may make it more obedient or docile, even more aware and awake to the consciousness of nature, but it remains true to its nature. We cannot force a creature to become something against that nature. Compare these with the descriptions you have received, and you will observe that the two cannot be related.”

“You speak truly, Elf. These creatures may be dangerous, unusual, even noteworthy, but they are still minor variations on the theme of what they were. They cannot be compared to the perversions of nature that assault my people. And now, I’ll trouble you for that explanation you promised.”

It was the work of only a few minutes to recite the logic of the Elven Council as the pair walked side by side back to the central glade where the Dwarven tunnel exited into the Elven Realm, followed by the Elvish council and Dwarvish Honor Guard. “Perhaps Lolth believes that the Battle continues, because without the reports of the Ambassador to your Court, her sources of intelligence are reduced; or perhaps she knew of the peace conference, and sought to pressure you while disrupting it. Perhaps she planned to use her creations in the first manner but turned them to the second; it matters not, the outcome is the same,” said Therialas. “What matters most is that you have seen this proof with your own eyes, and that it not only confirms our speculations apon the origins of this attack, but also verifies beyond doubt the allegations we had already made. This war is the result of misunderstandings and short tempers, fueled and manipulated and ultimately triggered by the manipulations of a liar and a deceiver.”

“Indeed, Elf. We must have scared the witch more than we thought when we sought justice over the Prince Of Lies affair – but hold, what is this?” All were surprised to see a fresh contingent of Dwarves erupting from the mouth of the tunnel.

More Dwarves? If this keeps up, Lolth may yet win your Kingdom, Veldergrist, because all your nation will be here!”

“Fear not, tree-lover – when I depart, I will have the tunnel collapsed and sealed throughout its length. If I choose to depart, you understand,” replied the King with a twinkle in his eye.

“Your Majesty, that jest was almost Elven,” laughed the negotiator.

One of the newcomers, spying the King, saluted in Dwarven fashion and announced loudly, “Your majesty, I have urgent news. One of the monstrosities erupted from a tunnel near to the front lines and assaulted our forces there. They were close to being overrun when the Elves took up arms. For a moment, we thought they were intending to take advantage of our distraction, but instead they joined with us and together we were able to rout the creature. They then aided in the treatment and care of the wounded. The commander of the battle force instructed us to send this news to you at once, as it bears strongly apon the character of the negotiations you currently undertake. He adds that several of the elves were heard to utter the words ‘unnatural’ and ‘perversion’ in description of the monstrous creature; he is convinced that they knew nothing about it until its attack.”

With this final confirmation, King Veldergrist was convinced, and returned to the negotiation of peace terms. Since most of these had been agreed before the disruption, the negotiations went swiftly. Within an hour, a treaty of peace had been drawn up, which included the terms of trade proposed by the Elves. The Elven King then came forward and placed his flowing signature apon the document, where it was soon joined by the more angular runes and personal flourish of King Veldergrist. So concluded the second Great War between Elves and Dwarves. As his entourage, led by the Prince, returned to the tunnels, the King stopped, and turned, and announced: “Know you this: I swear apon all the Honor of the Dwarven People that we shall, henceforth, kill any Drow who may violate our tunnels, apon sight. To avoid unpleasant accidents, it would be well for your people to avoid them also unless invited to enter. Twice now, the Spider-queen has made fools of my people, and while our lives may be shorter than yours, we have very long memories. Very long memories, and this humiliation will not soon be forgotten. Be warned, and remember the warning well.”

Then Deruan, leader of the Huyundaltha, architect of the Elven strategy during the war, who had only just returned from the tunnels and who was still struggling to absorb the full meaning of events, stepped forward and said, “It is not enough. Too much Elven blood has been spilled, and too much Dwarven blood. We have been used as much as your people, yet you would strip us of the opportunity to seek Justice. I demand more!”

With a wary eye, King Veldergrist turned to face the Elf. “I will hear your proposal, Tree-lover,” he replied.

Chapter 26

The Second Great Dwarfwar: Aftermath: The Isolation Of The Drow

Deruan’s proposals were quite simple. Elven archers, under the leadership of the Huyundaltha, who were now accustomed to fighting beneath the surface world, would be led down the Dwarven Tunnels to join in the protection of the Dwarvish civilians. At the same time, he and the Dwarven War-leader would plan a suitable act of retaliation against the Drow, a series of combined maneuvers that would drive the monsters back from the Dwarven domain. This would also ensure sufficient force was on hand should Lolth, in fit of pique, attempt a more traditional invasion while the Dwarves were relatively vulnerable. After all, most of the Dwarven defenders had been brought into forward positions relative to the accessways to the Surface, leaving only a token guard force standing between the Dwarves and the Drow.

King Veldergrist was forced to acknowledge that if the subjugation of the Dwarves had indeed been Lolth’s primary objective, she would not waste the opportunity.

Deruan stated that it was only right and just for the Dwarves to defend their realm against such an invasion, but with the losses they had endured, they did not have the numbers to both protect their civilian population from the Drow Monstrosities and defend themselves against a Drow invasion. Only if the Dwarves permitted the Elves to guard their flanks and protect the civilian population could enough warriors be spared. The elves would drive the monstrosities back down the tunnels dug by the Drow to direct the attacks of the monstrosities and hold them there while Dwarvish miners sealed the passages, entombing the Drow with their own creations. Elvish spellweavers could then reinforce these passages using some of the Black Gems so that not even Lolth could break through them. Only when the safety of the Dwarven population was assured could the Elves withdraw, able to state with clear conscience that they had done their best to undo the harm they had been manipulated into causing.

This came close to repeating past offences against Dwarven sensibilities – once again, an Elf was telling them how to defend themselves, and how to conduct a joint operation, and on what terms the two nations would cooperate; but the Elves had, as has been explained, learned something from past mistakes. The Dwarven specialist immediately added, “Unless your War-Leader has some better idea. He would know the tunnels connecting your realm to that of the Drow far better than we, and likewise the disposition of your remaining forces, King Veldergrist.”

Suitably mollified by this acknowledgement of superiority (of a sort), the King agreed that they should proceed as suggested by the leader of the Huyundaltha as an interim measure until more concrete plans were agreed between the two military leaders.

As it transpired, this agreement was reached barely in time, and if it were not for more units of the Huyundaltha taking it apon themselves to defend Dwarves against incursions by Lolth’s abominations without orders to do so, the Dwarven nation would have been quickly overrun, as a four pronged simultaneous assault began. Monstrosities attacked the Dwarven armies on two sides, pinning them down, while more attacked the sheltering civilian population from above and below, creating panic that ensured that no defenders not engaged by those initial forces could make their way to the relatively unprotected rear through which an army of 1,000 Drow flooded in sudden and unprovoked attack.

But Lolth had not fully reckoned the martial nature of Dwarven society into her plans; from the time he can first walk, young Dwarves train with hammers and other weapons, regardless of age or gender. The “Civilians” might be less proficient than the military specialists of the official army, but they could, and did, fight to the last breath. In this way, they held out until Elvish relief could reach the Soldiers at the former front, who were then able to make their way through the outraged civilians to the new battle-lines, where an anarchic stalemate quickly developed.

At first, the battles were far more anarchic than the elegant strategy proposed by Deruan, and Elves and Dwarves were often engaged in joint moments of desperate action. Over the next few days, the Drow attempted assault after assault, but each time there were more Elven and Dwarven defenders on hand to repel the invaders, and the battle against a mutual foe did much to erase any lingering animosity between the two new allies. It was symbolic of the campaign that both Deruan and the Dwarvish War-leader perished fighting alongside each other in the most heated of those joint battles. Slowly, as the allied force gained control of the bottlenecks which connected the Drow realm to that of the Dwarves, the battle structure became less improvised as the two forces learned anew how to work together to best effect. It became routine; time after time, a Dwarvish strike force would rush forward in a charge under cover of Elven bow-fire to savage the enemy ranks and drive deep into the heart of their lines, which would collapse inwards to surround the Dwarves. At a prearranged distance, the Dwarves would abruptly halt and form a skirmish line out to each side, dividing the Drow attackers, and would then hold firm in defensive position, with the archers breaking up any organized counterattack, while a trailing element of Huyundaltha swept through those Drow who had been isolated mowing the enemy down like sheaves of wheat with their hypnotic swirling dance and flashing twin blades. When they reached the Dwarvish lines, having annihilated the Drow that stood between them, the archers would advance and take up fresh positions, ready to do it all once again.

After four days of intense battle, the Drow – who had suffered terrible losses – withdrew, and a fresh wave of abominations spewed forth from hidden side tunnels, even more deadly and perverse than those which the Dwarves had previously seen. These creatures were savage and free of all restraint, attacking anything and everything in their path. Under this fresh assault, the Allies were forced to retreat, but they did so in an orderly fashion; but so dangerous were the creatures that the Drow attackers dared not advance. Instead, both sides walled off the passages occupied by the abominations, establishing a monstrously-guarded “no man’s land” between the Dwarves and the Drow.

When at last, the Dwarven tunnels were reported free of attackers, the Elves began to withdraw, leaving behind them what supplies they could spare and taking only the minimum needed to reach the surface safely. Even as they withdrew, the first shipments of trade goods from the Elves arrived, for which the Elves accepted in payment whatever the Dwarves had on hand and did not need. So it was that the Elves came into possession of a substantial quantity of the fragile metal, Mithral.

Lolth described the entire engagement to her people as a great victory, of course. They had succeeded in walling the Dwarves off from their subterranean homes, securing them from possible Dwarvish incursion. She announced that new and secret tunnels could now be dug to the surface without the danger of attracting Dwarvish attention. She decreed that the Drow would now leave the Surface World unmolested until the memory of the Drow people was long-faded and they could strike without warning, having spied out all the vulnerabilities of their enemies. Until that day, she directed her people, they should turn their attention to mastering the ways of stealth, subterfuge, and disguise, and to the taming of the wild creations she had made in her people’s name, the Dryders and Phase Spiders.

Lolth herself was privately far less satisfied with the outcome than she pretended. For the second time, her chosen people had come off second-best in a confrontation with outsiders. While her peoples’ continued adoration was a given, since the entire structure of the society she had imposed on them was designed to detect, contain, and punish those who did not display absolute faith in her, she was all too aware that her continued power, existence, and continued unification relied completely apon that faith. When she had been a mere alliance of spider-totems, she had drawn her power from nature itself, but when she broke away from nature’s dictates, she had also cut herself off from that source of power, replacing it with the adoration of her subjects. If her people were ever to fall, or to lose their faith, she would be undone; before she could again risk them in direct confrontation, she would need to find a way of protecting her own existance, by recruiting other subjects to worship her.

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The Ongoing Elvish Glossary

  • Alkaith: Curved 14-inch dagger favored as a weapon and general cutting tool by Elvish Spellcasters and some High Elves.
  • Arnost: Simple Speech (Modern “Common”, a human tongue)
  • Arrunquessor: Plains Elves
  • Ayer: Nuthanori word meaning “Squat”. Mont Ayer is the name of one of the two peaks that define the traditional elvish lands.
  • Calquissir: High Elves
  • Corellan: The First
  • Drow: “Those Who Dwell Apart” (in Nuthanorl). Added to Ogre by the Drow with the meaning of “Smart”.
  • Ellessarune: The “Shining City” of the Tarquessir, home of the Elvish King and capital of the Elven Lands to this day.
  • Eltrhinast: “Guiding Spirit”
  • Elvarheim: “Blessed Leafy Home”: The Elven Forest, homeland of the Tarquessir and the centre of Elven Power in modern times
  • Gilandthor: “The Gathering”, the formal title of the Elvish Council.
  • Hithainduil: High Elven Language
  • Huyundaltha: “Masters Of The Ondaltha” (literal), “Bladedancers” (colloquial). Formerly Noletinechor, now Guardians Of Elvish Society.
  • Ondaltha: A two-weapon combat style based apon Elvish Dance, practiced exclusively by Huyundaltha.
  • Illvayssor: “The Other”, a mythical race
  • Isallithin: “The Sundered”, a name applied to Aquatic Elves
  • King: A human title interpreted by Elves as “speaker to others” and defined as such within their language.
  • Magi: A corruption of the Zamiel word “Machus”, which means “of the wise.”
  • Mithryl: the Elvish name of an extremely fragile metal given in trade by the Dwarves to the Elves. The word is imported from Dwarven, who in turn obtained it from the Zamiel Tongue name of the metal, “Mithral”. “Mithryl” means “Moonsilver” in Elven. The word also enjoys popular usage as a metaphor for a treasure found which appeared initially worthless.
  • Mithral: the Drow name for Mithryl. A literal translation from Zamiel is “Shadowsilver”.
  • Mont: Nuthanori word meaning “High Place”. Used human-style in the naming of Mountains.
  • Noletinechor: “Lore Shields”, an elvish historical vocation
  • Nuthanorl: Low Elven Language, Common Elven
  • Sarner: A human abbreviation of the Hithainduil word “Saranariuthenal” which means, literally, “Swift and Wide”. The River Sarner runs through the central valley of Elvarheim.
  • Tarquessir: Forest Elves
  • Thuyon: Nuthanori word meaning “Tall Spires”. Mont Thuyon is the name of the taller of the two peaks that define the traditional elvish lands; Modern Elvarheim lies between the foothills of Mont Thuyon and the River Sarner.
  • Verdonne: “Quickbranch”, an artificial race created by Elves to be “The Guardians Of The Forest”.
  • Zamiel: Drow Language

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Next time: The forging of Mithryl, more on the consequences of the Second Great War, and how they reshaped Elven Society forever – and that’s just chapters 27 and 28! (and yes, those chapters were expected to be part of this post – Chapter 25 went into overtime, it was originally planned to be part of Chapter 24).

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Orcs & Elves Series:
  1. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 1
  2. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 2
  3. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 3
  4. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 4
  5. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Introduction to the Orcs and Elves series part 5
  6. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 1-4
  7. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 5-10
  8. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 11-14
  9. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 15-17
  10. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 18-20
  11. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 21-23
  12. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 24-26
  13. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 27-28
  14. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 29-31
  15. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 32-36
  16. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 37-40
  17. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 41-43
  18. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 44-46
  19. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 47-51
  20. Inventing and Reinventing Races in DnD: An Orcish Mythology
  21. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 52-54
  22. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 55-58
  23. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 59-62
  24. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 63-65
  25. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 66-68
  26. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 69-70
  27. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 71-73
  28. Who Is “The Hidden Dragon”? – Behind the curtain of the Orcs and Elves Series
  29. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapter 74
  30. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 75-77
  31. On The Origins Of Orcs, Chapters 78-85