Defenders of the Forest - Liber Fanatica

Chapter VII: The Forest of
Athel Loren
9. Vaul’s Anvil
Navigation: Routine (+10)
Forest Disposition: Neutral (0)
Magic: Lore of Fire (+2), Lore of Metal (+1)
Kindreds: Eternal, Spellsinger, Warrior
An ancient volcanic caldera in Loren’s highlands is the holy
temple of Vaul, the Elven God of Smiths. Over the centuries,
the crater’s rim has eroded to a low ridge and its interior is
blanketed in greenery. Between the shrubs flow smouldering
lava streams which generate a permanent haze over Vaul’s Anvil.
Every leaf is dusted with volcanic ash and small brushfires run
their course daily. Vaul’s forge in Athel Loren may not burn as
hot as its Ulthuan and Naggaroth counterparts, but a ring of
magical waystones encircles the crater to protect Loren’s wildlife
nevertheless.
Vaul’s Anvil is where Asrai blacksmiths and metal-shaping
Spellweavers craft magical weapons for the heroes of Athel
Loren. By channelling the gold aethyric wind of Chamon, Elven
smith-priests can forge steel at lower temperatures than Dwarf
Runesmiths. In addition to magical artifacts, the smithies at
Vaul’s Anvil produce common items like swords and arrowheads
for all of Athel Loren’s kinbands. By centralising the realm’s metalcrafting
around existing natural resources, individual kinbands
are spared from felling trees to fuel local forges.
Wood Elves who come to the Mirror Pools on errand from Ariel’s
Spellweavers are granted access to the Shadow Walk without
question. Elves wishing to use the Mirror Pools independently
must pass a Trial of Ithorien that begins with interrogation by
unseen inquisitors. Applicants must then navigate the mists
of grey magic (Ulgu) which obscure the pools (Perception or
Magical Sense) without succumbing to despair (Will Power).
Applicants who fail the Trial of Ithorien are deemed too weak
for the Shadow Walk, and are escorted away. Non-Elves are
never permitted to enter the Mirror Pools unless accompanied
by a Spellweaver, and with Ariel’s consent.
Most Wood Elf wars are defensive campaigns fought near Athel
Loren, making the Mirror Pools vital to Elven military strategies.
Although Loren contains countless smaller portals to the
Shadow Walk, the Mirror Pools are large enough to accommodate
army-sized groups of Elven warriors. Asrai strike forces
utilising the pools are capable of ambushing enemy armies on
the march toward Loren, capturing their baggage trains, and
returning before dawn. Because Ithorien’s pools exit to hundreds
of different lakes and rivers across the world, Spellweaver guides
or Moonstones are required for navigation.
Fay envoys to Bretonnia often emerge from lakes in the forests
of Arden or Châlons before continuing overland to their
destinations. The Mirror Pools also connect to the Crystal Mere,
Waterfall Palace of the Naiad Court, and Tears of Isha.
Ma s t e r Sm i t h Da i t h
Athel Loren’s master smith is a hot-tempered elder named
Daith. Of all the Asrai, only Daith is truly feared by Loren’s
spirits, for his vocation attunes him to the fiery magic of Aqshy
and his wrath alone is capable of starting wildfires. In 1703
IC, Lady Findol refused to pay Daith for the allegedly flawed
Spirit Sword she had commissioned and fire consumed acres of
woodland near Vaul’s Anvil in consequence. The entire forest
rose against the Halls of Findol to help douse Daith’s anger, and
no Elf has denied him payment since.
In 1601 IC, High Elf ambassadors delivered a magical lance to
Vaul’s Anvil, claiming the master smith of Ulthuan had crafted
it specifically to help their woodland kin defeat the Corruptor.
Daith was much younger then, so the Asur gift was seen as an
insult to his own proficiency. The ambassadors were dispatched
from Vaul’s Anvil without a guide. By the time the High Elves
found the Oak of Ages, Daith had already complained to Ariel
of their “imperialistic arrogance”. Possibly acting on Daith’s
counsel, Ariel rejected the ambassadors’ proposal for diplomatic
relations with Ulthuan and sent them away. The magical lance
was discovered 800 years later by Duke Tancred II during his
campaign against the Lichemaster.
Daith is now a wise elder and often regrets his treatment of the
Asur ambassadors. He worries that Cyanathair might one day
destroy Athel Loren as a result of his youthful hubris.
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