Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

5. Meadow Glades
Navigation: Easy (+20)
Forest Disposition: Neutral (0)
Magic: Normal
Kindreds: Glade Rider, Scout
Chapter VII: The Forest of
Athel Loren
1,600 years ago, the elves of Equos were temporarily forced
from their homes. Ariel upheld her commitment to the sylvan
pact by destroying Castle Fulk and allowing the Elves to resettle
their glades. Today the expert horsemen of Equos vigilantly
scour the Meadow Glades for unwanted trespassers.
Loren’s south-western expanse gives way to scrubland approaching
the Irrana Mountains. Despite being contained within
the Sentinels, the Meadow Glades’ trees grow only in isolated
copses. Elven scholars postulate that the Old Ones were forced
to depart the world whilst Loren was still being seeded, so the
Meadow Glades were left unfinished. Before the Great Sylvan
Council, Wood Elves lived primarily in the Meadow Glades and
on the Wild Heath.
Today, the Meadow Glades are a popular riding range for
Elven horsemen and charioteers. The region is also a frequent
battleground for Elven conflicts against greenskin and human
invaders. In 1670 IC, an Imperial army led by Count Ulrich
von Schloss tried to attack Quenelles by circumnavigating Loren
through the Irrana Mountains. The Count’s army found itself
ambushed in the Meadow Glades instead. Goblin warlords
prefer to engage Elves in the Meadow Glades because its open
terrain allows their armies to assemble in large numbers.
Iron Orcs and Southern Men: Tileans migrating northward are
usually deposited from Irrana Mountain passes into the Meadow
Glades. Until recently, Elves had allowed occasional migrants
to camp temporarily in the Glades, but lately these camps have
been used as bases by Tilean tomb robbers. Any interference
with Wild Heath burial mounds is denounced as vandalism by
the Elves. Adventurers travelling through the Meadow Glades
might be called upon to mediate a clash between Elves and
Tileans, or gain the Elves’ trust by apprehending a notorious
Tilean tomb robber.
Cyanathair the Corruptor: Cyanathair’s Beastmen are currently
the Meadow Glades’ greatest threat. After being repelled by the
elves of Coeth-Mara, Cyanathair ordered his minions to find
a weaker point of entry into the forest. Hungry warherds now
launch forays into the Meadow Glades from their tainted domain
located directly southeast. Elven scout riders have engaged
these Beastmen in running battles, attempting to bait them
away from Athel Loren. Consequently, misdirected warherds
have wandered into the Wild Heaths and even beyond to the
Carcasonnian fiefdom of Lord Prithard.
6. Halls of Equos
Navigation: Average (0)
Forest Disposition: Congenial (+10)
Magic: Normal
Kindreds: Eternal, Glade Rider, Scout, Spellsinger, Warrior,
Waywatcher
The Halls of Equos were amongst the first Asrai settlements established
within Loren’s borders after the Sylvan Council. When
Baron Fulk attempted to expand his realm into Loren nearly
65
Equos is relatively easy for outsiders to find at the edge of Loren.
To compensate for its strategic disadvantage, the scattered collective
of communities lacks a central palace or council building.
Visitors wishing to contact a Highborn of Equos must announce
their presence at one of the outposts and patiently await
a response. Word travels quickly in the Halls of Equos, borne by
swift Elven riders who can navigate the forest with ease. Nobles
of Equos are proud warriors who often ride amongst their kinfolk
wearing common garb, and their halls are unostentatious.
Cyanathair the Corruptor, Iron Orcs and Southern Men:
Opinions on how to resolve the Meadow Glades situation are
currently divided. Half of Equos’ nobles would like to recruit
Bretonnian aid against the Beastmen, whilst the other half
worries that human knights would be compelled to cleanse the
Wildwood after Cyanathair was defeated. Messengers for Duke
Huebald might achieve a compromise: if Huebald stops Tileans
from disturbing dark magic in the Meadow Glades, the elves
will keep Beastmen out of Carcasonne. Parties who inquire
about a solution to the Iron Orcs are directed to Vaul’s Anvil, if
accompanied by Sir Valaire.
Lost Heir of Duke Tancred II: Duke Tancred’s lost heir, Einhard,
was seen nine years ago by a Waywatcher of Equos. The
knight appeared to have earned the Naiads’ favour whilst travelling
up the Brienne. Local elves can identify Tancred’s magical
lance as a strange elven weapon, perhaps crafted by master smith
Daith himself.
7. Oak of Ages
Navigation: Easy (+20)
Forest Disposition: Congenial (+10)
Magic: All Lores except Dark Lores (+2)
Kindreds: Eternal, Glamourweave, Waywatcher, Wind Rider
History
The nerve center of Loren’s sentience is an oak tree of such
unearthly proportions that its uppermost branches disappear
amidst the clouds. The Oak of Ages is visible as a distant “beanstalk”
from most treetops within Loren, and can even be spotted
from the Wild Heaths in clear weather. Elves and interlopers
alike have used the oak as a landmark for navigating Loren. According
to elven scholars, the Oak of Ages was the very first tree
in the Old World, planted by the Old Ones as an umbilical cord
for aethyric magic.
During the Winter of Woe in -1125 IC, an Orcish horde assaulted
Athel Loren with such intensity that the beleaguered
elves were pressed back to the Oak of Ages. At that time, the
Sylvan Pact was newly formed and most of Loren’s spirits slept.