ARIEL and ORIONIn the first council it was decided that no kindred should ruleover any other. This could only lead to ambition and jealousy and ultimatly kinstrife.
This was no ordinary council with wise men sitting in debate. The ways of the wood had already taken hold over over the Elven folk bringing forth strange and wild aspekts of the Elven psyche. Kurnous and Isha were invoked. Chosen youths from each kindred performed ritual danses. The elders exspressed ther views in mysterious dramas and the Mages revealed new wonders which they had found wihtin the wood. even Treemen and Dryards were present and there were already Wood Elves skilled enough to merge minds with these creatures as well as many kinds of beasts and birds.
While all was going on two of the Elves wandered off from the council glade - Orion, a handsome youth, and Ariel, the most beautiful of the Elf maidens. Making their way through the grove of massive and ancient oaks they came upon a tree of truly enormous size, a tree that had been growing since the beginning of the world. its roots had craced the rock and its branches created a shadow world beaneath them penetrated by narrow shafts of sunlight.
They walked araund the great girth of the trunk feelimg the gnarled bark with their Elven fingers. It took an age to walk only half way araund. suddenky they came to a crack in the trunk like a narrow door into the tree itself. Their curiosity led them to step inside the tree.
It was some time before Orion and Ariel were Missed. When they did not appear their kin began seaching for them around the grove, but found no trace. They became anxious that some wild beast or worse, some foe or monster had taken them. Scouts took up their bows and searched a wider arc, on the lookout for invaders in the forest. Mages took up their diviningwandsand tried to follow their trail. It was all to no avail.
Days passed and Orion and Ariel were not found. The searcers could not even find the slightest trace of them. They found the awesome Oak of Ages, and rendered due and proper revernce to it as a sacred tree. They saw the great cleft in its gnarled trunk, but the crack through witch Orion and Ariel had entered was now mysteriously closed.
THE WINTER OF WOE
The council dispersed. All the kindreds returned to their home glades. There was much sorrow for Ariel and Orion. They had still not been found with the onset of winter and given up as lost forever. The winter was unusally harsh that year, and inthe depths of midwinter, as the sun hang low on the pale horizon, the Orcs came.
Driven out of the mountains by hunger they decended into the forest. Their raucous and uncouth cries echoed through the bare trees. They hunted the wild beasts and burned the trees in great bonfires. Every day the Elf scouts kept watch as the Orcs penetrated deeper into the forest of Loren,and skrimishes broke out between Orc bands and Scouts. Many orcs were shot with arrows by unseen hands. Nevreless the Orcs remained undeterred. All the magic of the mages seemed impotent to ward them off. Steadly they approached the scared groves and the home glades of the kindereds. It was decided to fight the Orcs in pitched battle. All the warriors were musterd. The wood Elves attaced but the Orcs could not be defeated. Many brave Elves were slain and still the horde continued deeper into their realm. Some kindereds abandoned their home glades and hid in caves; others vowed to die were they had lived, should the Orcs come.
The winter of foe dragged on. Frost made the ground as hard as iron. Howling wind drove snow across the heatlands and trough trees. The forest was tranformed into an endless vista of withe and grey. Wolves prowled the forest. Food was scarce. The Orc horde was encamped dangerously close to the Council Glade. Elf mages struggled night and day to draw them away with encantments and false trails.
By night, the Orc campfires could bee seen flickering in a clearing araund a vast old blasted oak. A place witch was regarded as strange and eerie even by the Elves themselves.
One bright dawn, Scouts began to notice the first signs of spring. They also noticed strange disurbances among the birds and wispering in the branches. Asmages began considering these portents a mighty horn was heard suonding out of the dephts of the forest. The Orcs heard it too. They froze awestruck and rooted to the spot as they roasted squirrels and weasels over the embers of their campfires.
Then came the baying of hounds and flocks of birds rose in great dark masses from their roots. The errie sound of a great stag, belloving a challange was heard and then the sound of a hudge beast crashing trough the dead barcken. The Scouts saw him first. A mighty hunter, Kurnous, his wery self! He bounded between the trees with the speed and agility of an Antelope. From his head sprouted a vast span of antlers. Araund his face hung masses of ivy and moss. His flesh was green like the spring leaves, his eyes glowed amber like a feral beast. He was twise the hight of an Elf and carried an enourus spear in his hand.
Kurnous crashed through the underground into the Orcs camp slaying as hi went. He bellowed and charged the Worlord Grotfang, impaling him with his spear and tossing him over his head with his antlers. The rest of the Orcs shrank back in abject terror. The black ravens were already swooping down on the doomed Orc horde. The Orcs stumbled over each other in their haste to get away, but now they found no easy way through the froest. Treemen and Dryads barred their way, awaked by the horn of Kurnous and his bellowing challange.
Kurous chased after his fleeing prey wielding his mighty spear. Behind Kurnous came a wave of Elves, rallied and ruching yo join the wild hunt. Their arrows slew Orcs in a witering hail. Wardansers leapt forward as if in the ritual danse of Kurnos, slaing the klumsy Orcs not quick enough to get out of the way.
As the sun rose abowe the trees, the weak amber rays lit a scene of slaughter. A glade strew with slain Orcs and black ravens and crows. Buzzards circled owerhead and wolves came for their share. None of the Orcs escaped the forest. Their white bones were destned to become entangled in the gnarled roots of yhe Glade of Woe.
