Elven Origins: Wood Elves

This page is a copy of the original lore which can be found hereand should be rewritten to be a summary of the lore.

HISTORY OF THE AME

“Once the Elves were all united under one Elf. Malin. I am one of the few to remember him, you know. People speak of him now in a reverence that was well earned. Of course, When he disappeared, we were left helpless. Our brothers the Mali’ker went with their Velulaei, and the High Elves with their Larihei, and we were forgotten. We, the only ones who dared to stay with what our father had taught us.”

- Archdruid Garthon ,

Chapter 1 - Iblee's War

The history of the mali’ame (commonly known as wood elves) begins in a baptism of blood and fire. Iblees, the fallen aengul waged his war on the four brothers and their mortal children. Among the four brothers was Malin, and his children were known as the elves.

Iblees swept across the realm in a torrent of hellfire, tainting lands wherever his army chose to conquer. Malin and his children had become isolated on the lands which would become known as Axios, the land which would later become his kingdom. However, at the time it was a desolate battlefield and a realm beholden to the evil whim of Iblees himself.

Malin, however, had a secret weapon.

Taynei’Hiylu (The green spirit) was a dragonling created by Dragur, the master of dragons. She was little more than a babe when she was found by Malin. The forefather of the elves took her in and nurtured her, and Taynei’Hiylu quickly grew to see the eldest of the four brothers as her father and mentor. Taynei would learn to assume the form of a mortal and mingle among the other of Malin’s children, knowing that if became public knowledge she was a dragaar, many would try to corrupt her. In her adolescence, Malin had sent her to be tutored by the druids, a new order at the time. During her time with the drui, Taynei learn the true names of the wild. She learned the Aspects, the aenguls of nature, and adopted their worship. Her purpose became clear: to teach the druidic wisdom of the Aspects to Malin’s children.

However, this purpose would not come to pass, as Taynei’Hiylu was called upon for a more dire purpose. It was when Malin’s children became cornered by Iblees forces on the land that would become Axios, that Malin himself called upon her to unleash her powers as a dragaar to drive back the unholy army.

Taynei’Hiylu became the turning point of the war. Her time with the druids had taught her to use the wilds to her command. Droves of the fiercest beasts charged into Iblee’s demon army, the oldest and wisest of elder trees bent at her command, their roots emerging and suffocating the vile invaders. Taynei shone like a beacon on the battlefield, inspiring Malin’s children with strength as they finally drove the last of Iblee’s presence off of Axios.

Malin could finally rejoin his three brothers as they and all their children formed a united front to overpower and seal away Iblees. However, before they could do this, the archdaemon had a plan to subdue Taynei, who had thwarted his invasion so thoroughly.

The blight that had been spread during her time in battle had taken its toll on the mind of Taynei. The dragon who was sister of the druids and the elves had begun to lose her mind, succumb to the corruption which she had been exposed to, yet fought so hard to eradicate. To further complicate matters, iblees had sent one of his strongest drakaar to finish the elven dragon for good- Azdromoth.

Azdromoth was known as the god eater, and for good reason. The corrupted dragon hounded Taynei and pursued her across the world. Taynei’s resolve crumbled and she fled, terrified of being corrupted and turned into a tool of evil. The Aspects took pity upon their druidic servant. The aenguls of the wild called upon the earth to swallow Taynei deep into the ground, putting her beyond the reach of Iblees and forcing her into a deep sleep.

For centuries after, many believed that was the last they would see of the druidic dragon of the elves. Despite the sealing of the Green Spirit, Malin and his three brothers continued to push, and finally were able to seal away iblees, although at a great cost:

“Malin, I curse you with sterility, you and your kin shall forever lack the children they need. May your forest halls forever be silent, and your hearts heavy with sadness.”

The elves had not undergone drastic physical change like the dwarves or the orcs had, but Iblees’ final curse had hit them hard. In the years after the war, many a mother lamented, even took their own life due to having to look into the eyes of their stillborn child. Sorrow ran rampant among the newly long-lived, but infertile elves.However, Malin, forefather of the elves, pushed on. The war had cost him an extrodinary pupil, a dragaar he had considered his daughter. It had cost him the lives of many of his people. But he would bring his kin into a golden age. The elves- now a long-lived yet infertile people, were his to lead.

In this newfound era of peace, on the lands which would become Axios, he would build his kingdom.

Chapter 2 - Malin’s Kingdom: The First Malinor

"Malin, may your forests be a sanctuary of peace and your children long-lived.”

The isles of Axios, the lands which had one been a fierce battleground against iblees, became Malin’s kingdom. He had chosen this land to become the home of his kin after the children of his brother Krug became too warlike to coexist with, and Urguan’s spawn too greedy to live among.

Malin set to build his kingdom. He wished for his realm to be one where the elves lived in harmony with nature. Malin was close to the Aspects, the aenguls of the wild, and even convened with them from time to time. He wished to pass on the values the Aspects taught him to his children. Thus, his kingdom took shape. He gave the Kingdom no name, yet his children christened it Malinor. Marvelous cities which would have been alien to the eyes of men and dwarves, great halls hidden deep in the thickest forests, homes which weaved their ways seamlessly into the trees, built perfectly to co-exist with the wild, not replacing it, but becoming a part of it. The greatest settlement of Malinor was on the isle of Malin itself, an island named by the forefathers’ children as well. The city built upon this center isle of Axios was more magnificent than any other, though its name has been lost to time. It was there Malin’s throne lay, in the trunk of the eldest elder tree. It was there he ruled his people from.

All elves were one during this time. They were fair of skin, but usually dark of hair. Their height was middling, though some could be shorter or taller than the rest. Malin himself was fair-haired, his eyes ever-changing, those closest to him claimed their colour changed depending on his mood. Regardless, the forefather himself was special, but the elves as a whole were more or less homogenous, all the same lithe, sharp-eared beings of long life who dwelled in their halls and homes are so flawlessly woven into nature.

The druids also played a significant role in Malin’s realm. The order was older now and had learned much since the great war with iblees. They held great respect for Malin, as the elven forefather was known to receive visions and convene from the Aspects from time to time. While Malin himself was not drui, he too held the Aspects’ wisdom. The druids were welcomed in Malin’s kingdom with open arms as mentors and teachers, ensuring the elves knew how to live in harmony with nature.

Malinor prospered for centuries, enduring wars with the other races, and going through various other hardships. Despite its troubles, the Kingdom lived on, under the guidance of the immortal forefather of the elves. However, when Malin disappeared into obscurity, never to return, the signs of crumbling began to show.This period would last for quite a while, Malin’s original kingdom before the elven sub-race schism. Any currently existing event plans revolving around Malin and his first kingdom can happen during this area, before the schisms.

Chapter 3 - The Great Elven Schisms

Malin had been the plaster holding the elven race together. Without the guidance of their forefather, the denizens of Malinor quickly began to drift apart.The Mali’aheral were the first to truly split. In the beginning, of course, they were simply elves like any other, with no physical distinctions. Following their prophet Larihei, they discovered the golden pools and bathed their bodies, purifying themselves. They grew taller, their hair lightened to that of gold and silver, and their ears became longer.

The Mali’aheral- blessed ones as they called themselves- saw no need to abide by the values which Malin had taught. Larihei preached isolation, science, logic, and wisdom as the key pillars by which life should be led. The maehr’sae hiylun’ehya. Instead of building with wood, weaving their cities seamlessly into the trees as the elves had done while Malin lived, the mali’aheral built towering stone spires and grand towers that shined of silver. They built these atop old settlements of Malinor, tearing down old forest halls and tree-top homes for their marble manors. They cared not for the old ways and now sought to improve themselves through science and logic.

In truth, the mali’aheral excelled rapidly and the cities they built over the old forest settlements of Malinor were magnificent. However, they did not cooperate and coexist with nature, they conquered it and melded it to their design. The old elves looked on, appalled as their newly mutated cousins stripped lands bare of the wild to erect their shining cities of cold marble. The Mali’ker were the next great schism. They were born from the mistake of one- Veluluai. Veluluai was an elf like any other, however, the spirit of curiosity ran deep in her heart. Veluluai had been commissioned to uncover any information of immortals and gods she could, by Malin himself, and set herself to the task with a passion.

Crazed Princess Veluluai

Veluluai had heard whispers of older gods, older even than the Aspects or the shamanistic spirits she can come to admire. She ventured off to find them despite warnings not to. Much like curiosity killed the cat, it created the ker. Upon being found, the old god, whose name was "Poison", cursed Veluluai and all her followers with insanity. Having lost control of their minds, they attacked and destroyed a nearby elven city. Horrified, Malin had the newly formed band of Mali’ker exiled, both by the old elves and the newly formed cities of the Mali’aheral. The Mali’ker would form a pact with the moon spirit Luara which abated their insanity but turned their skin ashen grey. They would battle against their own sanity that the old god "Poison's" curse had put into flux for centuries to come. And with that, the elven race was split in three. The Mali’aheral, who had spread far. Their silver towers, marble spires and arcane guild halls had been built over many of the old forest cities that had been constructed when Malin walked the wilds. The Mali’ker, who had retreated into caves and deep valleys, dangerous and unstable as they fought the moon spirit’s curse.

Only a handful of the old elves remained elves who had not bathed in golden pools or been cursed by the moon, elves whose culture had rapidly dwindled away. In their eyes, they were the last true elves, followers of Malin. The cursed ashen-skinned mali’ker were beyond aid in their eyes, doomed to fertility. The mali’aheral no longer held the respect and reverence of nature Malin had taught all his children to have. They did not care for the Aspects, or even Malin himself. So, seeing nothing left for them in a crumbling and fragmented Kingdom of Malinor, full of elves mutated and lost to their old ways, these last old elves- the Forgotten Folk, made their exodus into forests so deep no descendent had ever stepped foot in them.

Chapter 4 - Exodus of the Forgotten Folk

It was Irrin Sirame who led the exodus of the elves which would become the mali’ame. She was known as the Elfess of Grass, born a weak, frail child. She had been a warden of the forests, and at one point a Princess of Malinor, a direct underling of Malin himself when he had walked among his people. Irrin Sirame worshipped the Aspects, she worshipped them devoutly in a time when most elves merely respected and revered them. She held herself to Malin and the Aspect’s teachings fiercely, and none were more furious than her when the mali’aheral and mali’ker abandoned the old ways.

'Mother of all wood elf tribes, Irrin Sirame'

The last ‘original’ elves made a grand exodus from the cities of Malinor under Irrin’s leadership. There had never been many cities, and what had been there had now been turned into silver spires by the mali’aheral. The high elves thrived, but the old elves did not. They scattered to the four corners of the world. Many of them settled into the deep forests of south-eastern Tahn in Axios. Some settled in the jungles of the isle of Asul. Some even sailed away to lands beyond the Abyss.

Irrin didn’t wish to form another nation, only to foster the wild spirit of the elves. She let the exodus elves spread across the land. These old elves, now scattered, formed into many different tribes. They became known as Seeds, as those who belonged to them believed they were the kernel that would lead to the returning of all elves. However, the schism of the mali’ker and mali’aheral was too great to heal, and the Seeds would never truly bring either subrace back into the fold.

Over time, the old elves of the seed began to transform as well. It is said that the Aspects themselves saw these disparate tribes exile themselves so deep into their wildest forests, yet live with great respect and reverence to their domain. They made the elves of the seeds shorter, stockier to better prowl through the thickets. They turned their skin brown so they may better blend with the trees. The transformation was slow, and gradual. Many Seeds didn't even notice they were changing, but change definitively happened. These newly transformed elves noticed themselves growing more and more at home with nature, and although the Aspects never showed themselves in person, they came to worship the Aenguls of Nature in a way Malin and the original elves never had.

Many druids had made the exodus along with Irrin and her elves. These druids were elves too, deciding to depart from the order to serve as priests, prophets and guides among the newly formed seeds, in what was certain to be a time that would greatly test both their style of life, and their faith.Thus, the wood elves were born. Yet in the early days of the mali’ame race, as the culture of the Seeds was slowly developing, the Aspects had one final gift.

Chapter 5 - Taynei Unearthed

After centuries of being buried away, the great druidic dragon was finally re-awoken by the Aspects. Taynei’Hiylu had been ordained to be a protector and guide of elf-kind since her creation, and with the taint of iblees long gone, she was safe to return.

Taynei first travelled to the cities of the mali’aheral, imploring that they once more see the Aspect’s way. To return to Malin’s teachings. The mali’aheral spurned her, for they were thriving in their silver spires, making great advancements of voidal magic and alchemy. She next travelled to the caves and dens of the Mali’ker, but try as she might, the cursed elves were in too much of a battle against their own minds to return to the old way.

Taynei saw no way to mend the schism that had divided elf-kind so thoroughly. Looking upon the rest of Axios, she saw the mali’ame in their deep forests, worshipping the Aspects, their various Seeds now well established. She resolved that if she could not mend the schism, she could at least be a guide to those who followed the same Aenguls as she.

Taynei was a druid. The Transcendent Druid. That alone made her a figure of great respect among the various scattered mali’ame Seeds, as druids had been living among them since the Seeds formation as priests and mentors. On top of that, she had been close to Malin, the forefather. The wood elves had heard stories of her, passed down since the great war with Iblees. She was quickly hailed as the grand prophet of the mali’ame.

Taynei led two major reforms among the wood elven people.

First, she formed the order of Nealu’ir (Ones who teach). There had already been various druids travelling among the Seeds of course, but the Green Spirit formed them into an organized entity which could teach and guide all Seeds equally. She grew magnificent groves in the center of each forest where the Seeds roamed, and instructed all druids among the seeds to make their homes there. The druids were now accessible to all Seeds, who would travel miles and days to reach their groves to seek advice, healing, or spiritual guidance.

Second, she held the first Omentahu. The Omentahu was a grand meeting of all the Seeds, held at the center of the isle of Malin once every ten years. All the Seeds were expected to attend the Omentahu, which Taynei’Hiylu would preside over. At these meetings, knowledge would be shared and exchanged among seeds, and druidic sermons to the Aspects would be held. Any disputes or wars that had brewed between Seeds would be settled at an Omentahu by Taynei herself. For a race so scattered and often isolated in thick forests across the entire continent of Axios, the Omentahu was essential to keeping ‘ame culture alive.

Under Taynei’hiylu and the Nealu’ir druids she fostered, the wood elven Seeds lived peacefully. Scattered, yet united by the same guides. However, troubled times brewed ahead.

Chapter 6 - Era of the Seeds

After Taynei’s reforms was when the era of the seeds truly began. It quickly became a custom among seed cheiftains to ink their skin in various patterns and colours to mark themselves as the leader of a Seed. Soon, this practice evolved so all wood elves tattooed themselves, with the design and colour of the tattoo being dependent on the Seed they belonged to. This practice became known as ilmyumier.

While all the seeds were bound together by Taynei, the Nealu’ir, and their faith, in truth they diverged quite a bit. This was due to the fact that outside of the Omentahu, there wasn’t much consistent contact between Seeds. Some seeds became excellent hunters, renowned for their spearmen and archers. Some Seeds considered themselves elves of the sea, living along the coasts and conquering violent waves and sharks. But among all the seeds, the most respected were the ones who cultivated Ame’lie.

An Ame’lie was, in essence, a tree farm, but it really was much more than that. Living in deep forests, the Seeds had little room for conventional farming, so they turned to planting and selectively breeding trees. Wood elves during this time could do wondrous things with tree-breeding, producing trees whose trunks were soft and malleable enough to turn into clothing, or hard enough to produce into weaponry. Trees which bloomed fruit like figs, apples and lemons at exorbitant rates were also grown, feeding the elves with a king’s variety of sweet bounty. Ame’lie were grown seamlessly into the forest, and were strictly regulated by the Nealu’ir to ensure they did not grow too large and intrude too much on the natural forest.

The seeds for the most part lived by their own rules, with Taynei and the druids being the only real form of central leadership. Many Seeds were formed during this area by aspiring cheiftains, Seeds who have long since died away, and Seeds whose bloodlines stretch into the common era.

Irrin Sirame, leader of the exodus and the founder of Seed culture roamed from Seed to Seed, belonging to none of them. She was considered a wise-woman and a mentor,The mother of all tribes.Welcomed wherever she went.

• Beloun - A seed focused on the art of the hunt. The Beloun tattooed their faces with jagged, black patterns which were meant to resemble spears. They were usually black of hair and blue-eyed. The Beloun became renowned for their hunting prowess, becoming so successful that the Nealu’ir at one point had to force their Chieftain to migrate his Seed north, as they were dangerously close to hunting the local wild boar into extinction.

• Chirr - Another hunting seed. However, the Chirr were savage. They considered themselves the finest warriors of all elf-kind, and their ilmyumier was a blood-red streak painted down the eyes. They would kill and scalp any Mali’aheral or Mali’ker who were foolish enough to enter their thick forest territory. The Chirr would occasionally raid other Seeds for food, valuables and slaves. They fought a few skirmishes with the Beloun. Taynei and the Nealu’ir personally intervened to put a stop to this. The Chirr usually had red hair and blue eyes.

• Caerme’onn - Caerme’onn was a Seed born from a union of an older Seed whose name is lost to time, and a tribe of elves from far away Aeldin. The Aeldinic elves landed and assimilated, lending their language to the Seed’s new name. Caerme’onn was a well-rounded Seed comprised of hunters and Ame’lie tree farmers. Their first chieftain claimed to have the blood of Irrin Sirame, the leader of the great exodus. But, his claim was largely ignored. The Caerme’onn usually had dark crimson hair and emerald eyes. Their ilmyumier were jagged crimson lines resembling the horns of a stag.

• Tahorran - A seed best known for their hawk-like yellow eyes which lend them their name, the Tahorran are a smaller, enigmatic tribe who were rarely seen. They were generally taller than most wood elves, which led them to believe they were the last ‘old elves’, though in truth they were no closer than any other mali’ame. The Tahorran were known to perform huge ceremonies of offering and sacrifice to the Aspects. Some Seeds claimed the Tahorran practiced the sacrifice of living elves, but this was never proven.

• Nor’ehya - A seafaring seed. The Nor’ehya lived in the southeast of the isle of Tahn, by the ocean. With the wood from their Ame’lie, they crafted boats able to cut through the water at the speed of the wind. They hunted great beasts of the waters, sharks, whales and great squid. They were hazel-haired and deep blue-eyed. Their ilmyumier tattoos were dark blue and resembled the waves of the waters.

• Aureon - The most isolated of seeds, the Aureon were highly Xenophobic. They kept solely to themselves, refusing to interact with even other Seeds (except for at Omentahu), let alone mali’aheral or mali’ker. The Aureon were among the best Ame’lie farmers. It was said that they could grow wood harder than steel, and the fruits from their trees were so sweet that anyone you gave them to would fall in love with you. Their tribal tattoos reflected this, bearing the dark green branching patterns of a tree.

Despite some squabbles and the occasional skirmish, the Seeds lived in relative peace due to the leadership of Taynei’Hiylu. The green spirit and druidic dragon kept the diverse, Aspect worshipping elves in check. But this would not last.

Chapter 7 - Garthon’s Great War of Unity

“Greetings, my children.” began Garthon in a soothing voice. “I trust you are enjoying the feast?” The Seed members all nodded. The Archdruid smiled. “It is good to see such a flourishing Seed in this era of distrust and war. It was not always this way, you know. Once the Elves were all united under one Elf. Malin. I am one of the few to remember him, you know. People speak of him now in a reverence that was well earned.” Caeldir raised an eyebrow. He wondered what the Archdruid was getting at.

“Of course,” continued the Archdruid, “When he disappeared, we were left helpless. Our brothers the Mali’ker went with their Velulaei, and the High Elves with their Larihei, and we were forgotten. We, the only ones who dared to stay with what our father had taught us.” Garthon looked around the fire, into each Wood Elf’s eyes.

“But we are fractured. Elvenkind is fractured. The time for a new King of the Elves is come.” Caeldir’s eyebrows shot up. Was the Archdruid mad? Who would dare crown themselves King in Malin’s stead? The Druid sighed, rubbing his temple. “However,” he said with a note of deep regret, “Like a snake shedding its skin, this new age must arise from the decay which covered it. Sacrifices… Must be made.”

~ Archdruid Garthalon ,addresses the Chirr Seed. Except From “War of the Tyrants”

---

Garthon was an Archdruid. He was part of an elite core, an elder druid who had been appointed by the Green Dragon herself to be the spearhead of the Nealu’ir. But Garthon’s mind was not like that of a normal druid. While he kept up appearances and played the part of the nature protecting, balance upholding Archdrui he was, his real thoughts were of power and unity. He was an old elf, and thus remembered the great schisms. He knew better than most that all elves had once been one, and that they had been bound together by their King- Malin.

In his eyes, it was time for a new king. He met Taynei in secret in a forest clearing lost to time. It was there he appealed and pleaded to her to give him the power to conquer all the elves. The mali’ker and mali’aheral have scorned the old way, Malin’s way long enough! He claimed. Taynei would have no part in it. She had long ago accepted that the high and dark elves had chosen their path, whether or not she agreed with it.

Not only did the Green Dragon shoot down Garthon’s plea for power, she had him stripped of his archdruid rank. She attempted to unattune him, but Garthon fought back. Trees, branches, vines and roots whipped against one another as the two druids fought. Garthon could not hope to over-power a dragaar, but he managed to escape before Taynei could subdue him and unattune him from his powers.

In dismay that someone with as much power as an Archdruid was going to try to wage a war, Taynei immediately called an emergency Omentahu. She pleaded for all the Seeds gathered to swear their loyalty to her, to not fall for Garthon, whatever methods he would use to win their loyalty. For Garthon would bring nothing but death and destruction upon all elves.

During this, Garthon himself had been busy. He had been searching in the deepest forests, searching for something ancient and dangerous. After months of searching, and avoiding the druids Taynei had sent to kill him, he found it. A word altar.

A word altar was an ancient piece of magic which allowed one to enslave nature to one’s command. Their usage, along with the ancient elven tongue which was tied to them, had been banned by Malin himself while all elves were one sub-race, and his kingdom lived. Garthon was one of the few who still remembered they existed, and knew where to find them. The powers of the word altar far exceeded the power of any druid, as druids had to work with nature. Garthon now controlled it.

With the power of the altar at his disposal, all the wilds were Garthon’s to command. He went to several Seeds, blackmailing them to join his army. Join, and I overflow your Ame’lie with fruit, bring all the game to your forests for your hunts. Refuse, and I make your trees wither and your animals die. Some seeds joined Garthon because they felt they had no choice. Some joined because they genuinely shared Garthon’s goal- they wished to conquer the mali’ker and mali’aheral and make the elves whole.

Yet, many resisted. Many Seeds bore arms with Taynei’Hiylu, and prepared to defend their homes and their freedom against this draoi usurper who sought to claim a title which only Malin could ever bare.

The war raged for a decade and ravaged the forests which the Seeds had grown to love so much. Brother turned on brother and father on son as Seeds were torn apart from the inside, forced to pick a side. Garthon, the great uniter and wielder of an ancient power, or a tyrant seeking nothing but destruction, forcing nature to his will?

The final battle happened on the eve of the Era of the Seeds, on the center of the isle of Malin. Two armies of wood elves faced each other across a forested battlefield. Beloun, Chirr and other Seeds stood with Garthon. Nor’ehya, Aureon, Tahorran and Caerme’onn stood with Taynei’Hiylu. The fought, and wood elven blood was spilt for days. The trees were enslaved to Garthons command, who used them to swallow up the Taynei’s warriors. Taynei entered the fray in her full dragaar form, fighting against Garthon’s hold on the wild, channeling the power of the Aspects.

The tide of the battle turned. The warriors fighting for Taynei began routing those fighting for Garthon. Garthon retreated into the deep woods. By then the battle was over. Taynei appeared before her warriors and ordered them to spare all survivors of the enemy. No more elven blood would be spilt.

Then, she pursued Garthon into the woods.

She found him in a clearing, licking his wounds. Garthon saw her, and muttered bindings in the ancient tongue, ready to call nature to his whim once more to make a final stand. But, Taynei did not prepare to fight back. She morphed herself back to her elven form and spread her arms out.

“I will not kill you. Enough elven blood has been spilt. Please, surrender yourself and you will be treated fairly by your brothers and sisters. We must always find a peaceful way.”

Garthon’s heart had become cold as ice, devoid of love. Taynei’s words of forgiveness meant nothing of him. In mere seconds, the earth opened up and began to swallow the druidic dragon, much like it had when the Aspects first sealed her away so long ago. But now it was not Aenguls locking her away to protect her, it was a vengeful, powerful draoi with an ancient magic that rivaled the power of the Aspects themselves.

Taynei spoke no words as Garthon uttered the binding in the ancient tongue which would seal her away from her people, only looked at him with sorrow and betrayal. Despite his actions, he had been one of her people. One of her children. A child she could not turn from a dark path. Thinking these thoughts of failure, she succumbed to her earthy prison.

Garthon recuperated, and prepared to find his forces and regroup. Some of his warriors still lived, and now with Taynei sealed away, nothing rivaled his power. He could usually assume control of the rebel Seeds. He began to walk…

An arrow pierced through through his back, penetrating his heart. It caught him completely off-guard. The last thing the tyrant usurper Garthon saw before his death was the lithe figure of Irrin Sirame standing before him, bow in hand.

Irrin, paragon of the wood elves, rushed to where Taynei had been swallowed up, collapsing to her knees and breaking down in tears. Taynei had been like a mother to her. She knew the bindings Garthon had put in place with the power of the word altar could not be undone. At least not by her, or any druid. It would require the Aspects themselves to intervene, but the Aenguls seemed to have no interest in freeing the Dragaar.

Perhaps the mali’ame had forsaken themselves in the eyes of the Aspects. Perhaps their war, and Garthon’s usurpation of nature had condemned them. In any case, the Aspects would not bring back Taynei’Hiylu. Perhaps a time would come, when the elves once more learned to live among themselves in peace, and in harmony with nature, that the Aspects would re-awaken the druidic dragon.

The war ended before Garthon could spread his terror to the mali’aheral and mali’ker. Only wood elven blood was spilt.

Chapter 8 - End of an Era: A New Malinor

Taynei’Hiylu was gone.

Irrin Sirame had exiled herself into isolation in grief, for she believed her gods had abandoned her. No Seed could find her. No Seed disrespected her enough to try.

The plaster which held the Wood Elven culture of the Seeds together for a millenia was now rapidly dwindling away.

It was on this backdrop that a final Omentahu was called.

---

The Seed cheiftains and Druids gathered. For the first time, without Taynei’Hiylu presiding over the conference. There was great somberness at the gathering. Seeds from both sides of the war agreed that it was only because the Wood Elves lived so scattered and far apart from one another that Garthon had been able to turn them against themselves, one seed at a time. So, a pact was made.

The Seeds be abolished. No more could the wood elves be divided by tribes. The Wood Elves would perform a great migration away from the lands of Axios, lands whose deep forests had been torn by the war, ravaged by Garthon’s word altar. They would sail far away, to the lands which would become Aegis. There, they would create a city. A city of homes woven into the trees and great forest halls, just like they had been back in Malin’s first Kingdom.

When they reached Aegis, they founded this city. They named it Laurelin, land of the noble. It was capital to a nation, a new nation. It shared the same name as Malin’s Kingdom, but it had no king, only Princes. This Princedom would be Malinor.

With the likes of Taynei and Irrin gone, the wood elves slowly lost their ties to the Aspects, and worship of the wild Aenguls slowly died away. Seed culture also evaporated, obsolete, as all elves lived in the same city. High and Dark elves, now with their own long histories and cultures, would move to Laurelin and assimilate with the wood elves, mixing their bloodlines.

For awhile, it seemed to be the end of the culture for good.

But, nothing truly is gone forever.