Neltu reclined back into his chair with a tired smile; it had been an exhausting, hell it had been an exhausting week. With the human attacks increasing in severity as of late it was decided that requesting assistance from the orcs was necessary. They had always been a solitary race and the elves never had much contact with them, but that was more due to them living in those accursed mountains. The orcs homelands were undesirable to most; the forests small and ill-suited for elves and the land was equally useless for humans. Even then it’s not like a large colonisation effort would be possible. The rulers of those mountains are said to be equal to small armies all on their own. The orcs were the only race hardy enough to live in their shadows, which of course that meant when they eventually did get a chance to grow outside those mountains they flourished.

Still don’t know how they managed to get past those star storms.

The old elf thought back to the days of his youth, back when the land he currently called home was closed off from the world. Back then this place was completely surrounded by savage magical storms, star-storms they were called, and had been for many lifetimes.

Neltu still remembered when he once saw them once in his youth; for most it was a sight they wouldn’t forget for their whole lives. They were beautiful things, made up of countless clouds which glittered like they were made of innumerable stars, each flash of lightning was akin to a celestial river flowing to the earth. They seemed so calm from afar; although they were called storms the wind remained still and if normal thunder was compared to the roar of a beast then here it was like music.

Of course although they seemed peaceful and benevolent in truth they were anything but. It is said they were created many thousands of years ago by powerful beings from the heavens as a method of keeping the lesser mortals out of their lands. No one knows if this is true or not; if these beings ever existed they haven’t been seen for thousands of years, but if true the storms were very good at their job. Were.

Apparently the storms had been growing weaker over time. At first this was negligible, even from the viewpoint of the long lived elves it was a slow process, but over the years the effect was definitely noticeable. The clouds grew smaller and the rivers of lightning thinner. At this point they were still incredibly dangerous for all who entered the storms; whether an ant is crushed beneath a child’s foot or a soldier’s boot makes no difference to it, but they were still growing weaker.

Then around five hundred years ago short gaps had started to appear in the storms as the clouds grew smaller. The gaps would only persist for a few hours at most before they collapsed and didn’t seem to reach the whole way through the storm which seemed to stretch miles upon miles, but they were still there, and grew larger as time went on.

 Then, only a couple of decades ago, the storms seemed to reach a tipping point. The gaps were almost large enough that the journey through would be feasible but suddenly the disappearance of the storms accelerated, the clouds grew smaller at a speed which seemed visible to the naked eye. In only a short two days the storms finally collapsed.

Thanks to the sudden disappearance this empty land, creatively called the Starlands by the humans and their wonderful naming sense, finally opened up to the various mortal races. Vast numbers of human bandits and other criminals swarmed the plains, alongside small numbers of villagers trying to escape from the heavy taxes of their old homes. But imagine the surprise when these first explorers discovered a flourishing nation of orcs.

To think that they had been here for so long with no one realising, but those humans weren’t very pleased!

Neltu smiled as he remembered when he himself heard the news. Apparently several hundred years ago a small clan of orcs on the verge of extermination decided to try their luck with one of the small gaps in the storm. They weren’t the only people who had tried this of course; many foolhardy humans as well as likely countless orcs in similar situations had tried. Even a few elves had attempted the journey. But it seemed all these attempts failed, showing just how destructive the star-storms really were.  

Amazingly enough though this small clan had actually succeeded, and as a reward for their efforts had a few hundred years head start to colonise the Starlands. Only a single lifetime for an elf but the orcs managed to build an entire city, and more. Well, after winning a gamble like the star storms they deserve it; the feat was so unbelievable many think that they are lying, that perhaps they had always been trapped there, or they somehow found a way to control the storms to their will. Neltu personally believed that they made it through with a combination of luck, hardiness and sheer determination.

Well if anyone was going to do it, it would be the orcs. Crazy bastards.

Chuckling to himself, Neltu thought back to his own journey to this land, and of the reason he left his old home. He and his family, like all elves, had lived in their ancestral home of Shezu Shelar. The entire nation was one huge forest, and the trees which made it reached far closer to the sky than the ones in this land (excluding Vrasus of course). Everything was full of life and magic, from the smallest insect to the largest trees. The elves themselves were included in this; they were imbued with greater vitality than the other intelligent races of the land, which granted them their extreme longevity.

To say that Shezu Shelar was a paradise in comparison to the surrounding lands may not be entirely incorrect. Not only was the land beautiful beyond compare, and mixture of vibrant greens crossed with glittering lakes, with only lines of sunlight piercing through the canopy giving a calm and tranquil mood, but it was also abundantly full of food and the water was safe to drink. Even the cities maintained this beautiful and abundant nature as they were really just thousands of heavily modified trees serving as infrastructure. In terms of sustenance the elves could live of these trees themselves without a need for vast fields of farmland, shelter didn’t even need to be mentioned with their abilities. They had even long ago created a complex system of aqueducts by manipulating the branches of the trees into useful forms. Perhaps if it weren’t for the multitude of poisonous plants and dangerous predators it truly would be worthy of the name of paradise.

Of course the elves had long since learned which things were safe to eat and which it would be wise to avoid, it was incredibly rare to hear of someone being poisoned to death. Similarly the predators either avoided the elves or could be avoided themselves, and so most of the forest was relatively easy to live in. All except one place, which just so happened to border on Neltu’s old home. Kaelshiv.

Damned spiders still give me the shivers to this day.

To say that Kaelshiv had a predator problem would be like saying the Starlands used to have mild weather. Kaelshiv were home to a scourge which threatened all those around them; those who bordered on the land suffered constant attacks and had to be constantly on guard lest they be overrun. In recent years the attacks had gotten even worse, to the point where if they didn’t leave then extermination was a real possibility. Neltu and his people had to migrate, and coincidently the storms had just recently disappeared.

Of course leaving their homeland of Shezu Shelar and becoming the first elven settlers in recorded memory to leave the great forest met heavy resistance at first, but in the end as the dead piled up the resistance became quitter until the decision was almost unanimous. So Neltu, his family, and some other close families who made up their old community collectively migrated east into the Starlands.

Most of the journey was actually them leaving Shezu Shelar, the forest was an entire nation after all, but by far the hardest part was when they left the shelter of the elevated trees. Just as they exited they came across where the star-storms used to be. The storms had taken their toll on the land, it was barren with only the toughest of plants present, food was scarce and shelter scarcer. If Neltu’s people weren’t hardened up by their home being so close to Kaelshiv it’s likely they wouldn’t have survived their journey.

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But survive they did. The barrens went on for dozens of kilometres but eventually they ended, and soon the migrating elves were met with the strong trees on the outskirts of Vrasus’ domain. Neltu remembered how many were so happy the proposed settling there and then, but they continued on deeper into the forest, in no small part because Neltu himself felt the strong earthen energies in the soil and was curious where they would lead. Of course now their journey was far more leisurely than before.

It had taken them months to exit their homeland and then traverse the barrens, but almost the same amount of time was taken journeying through their new home looking for somewhere to settle and the source of the energies, despite the distance being a fraction of the distance. But of course eventually they did find something amazing at the centre of the forest.

When they came across that immense tree Neltu took it as a sign of good fortune; after all a land where such life could be found must be prosperous. He thought this place would grant them the best resources and perhaps other benefits would come to show themselves in time. But he never guessed what he now knew about their colossal neighbour.

Who would have thought it would turn out to be a Spirit Tree?

Indeed, an intelligent tree was not an entirely new concept for Neltu, but Vrasus was certainly special. Neltu had heard of the Spirit Trees back in his homeland, but their existence was widely known amongst elves and he knew little more than common knowledge despite his age and profession.

Spirit Trees are a special type tree with varying levels of intelligence. Not much is known about their origin but what is known is they are not a species. Some believe they are what happens when a tree absorbs enough magical energies, other think they are the physical manifestation of powerful Spirits. Some of the more devoted believe they have a more divine origin, trees blessed by Shezu or her children.

The capabilities of Spirit Trees are also somewhat vague. Most are able to manipulate the surroundings or communicate basic thoughts and emotions, some larger ones are said to be able to whisper directly into one’s mind through just a touch. But those capable of communicating on the level of what Vrasus did could be counted on one hand and are highly venerated, usually with small shrine-towns built around them.

Luckily Spirit Trees are generally benevolent beings; there were quite a few who were mischievous and liked to play tricks and pranks on passer-by’s, usually harmless. Usually. But truly malicious Spirit Trees were an intense rarity, and were normally put down when discovered due to their negative effects on the forest.

What Spirit Trees are really universally considered is more akin to reserved. Or perhaps withdrawn would be a better word. Not that they dislike elves living near them; Spirit Trees are considered good omens and even mischievous ones usually have a small village nearby, but they seldom talk about anything more than voicing if the forest is in pain or similar such matters. A good example of this behaviour is their own origins; if they do know anything about it then they aren’t talking. Most are lucky to hear a few sentences from the more talkative ones before they shut themselves off from conversation.

Is this why Elder Vrasus didn’t speak when we first arrived? It doesn’t feel like it though, and although he seemed reserved he also didn’t fit quite what I’ve heard about Spirit Trees before. I wish I had learned more about them in my studies, surely there’s more known than just this common knowledge? But there’s nothing in my books.

The old elf let out a sigh but in fact, regardless of what the reason for Vrasus’ silence was, Neltu wasn’t too worried. He didn’t know much about the subject but what he did know put him at ease; Spirit Trees and other similar entities were forthright beings. If it was of a dark nature and sought your destruction it would be very deliberate about it, in fact this was what Neltu feared at first. When he heard of roots coming alive and attacking the human from Sera, he feared the tree was some immense treant which had just awoken, or Shezu forbid a Spirit Tree of a dark nature, perhaps twisted by the earthen energies; he didn’t know how they would affect Spirit Tree’s after all.

Luckily this was not the case; it turned out this was a benevolent act from what seemed to be a kind being. Neltu hadn’t quite lowered his guard yet, but was still immensely excited at the prospects of living next to such a powerful Spirit Tree. Typically anywhere with even the weakest of Spirit Trees flourished.

Convincing the others may be difficult though.

Not everyone had taken the news as well as he did. This was understandable as even though the Spirit Trees of Shezu Shelar were venerated to some extent amongst his people, the vast majority of those who made the journey with him had never seen one before, even he himself had seen only a few in his youth, so when such a powerful one was found in a strange land it is not surprising they found it suspicious. This was especially so considering their past life; under constant attack it’s not surprising they grew cautious. He and his disciples faced some strong opposition from many directions, especially his first daughter and her husband who led the rangers. They even proposed moving away from Vrasus. This train of thought reminded him of his second daughter, at which point his face fell.

Oh Faela, how could that have happened to you.

His mind was brought back to the events of a few days ago. In order to contact the orcs and request assistance it was decided a small group would travel to their capital, the city of Vlindrogor. Although the journey would be long, they would still be able to return before human attacks really became an issue. What’s more, they weren’t really worried about negotiations; although the elves and orcs had no pre-existing good will, they both have their strong points. There is much to offer the orcs in return for protection, none of which would hugely be missed. Ideally a long lasting relationship could be created, perhaps even leading to trade. In the end his second daughter Faela, who was being trained to take up his place as chief druid, was chosen to lead the mission. Because of the peaceful nature of the mission even Sera, Faela’s daughter, was to be taken along. Alas who could have known they would become victim to by far the largest attack since they first migrated.

Why then!? Why would they pick up so much just as she left!? They barely even made it down the road dammit!

A forlorn expression appeared on Neltu’s face as he thought of the situation, his eyes growing wet. Faela, his step-son Velsi, his other disciples present, everyone was killed except for the now orphaned Sera. Of course he was and still is incredibly thankful his grand-daughter was saved by Vrasus, but the death of a child is no small thing. It is only due to the responsibilities of a leader that he could fight through the grief.

He once again laid back into his chair letting out a long sigh. Vrasus may be benign but that doesn’t solve the problem with the humans, and he didn’t really know who else he could trust with the mission to Vlindrogor. In fact after the recent attack he suspected he couldn’t even spare the escorts required. When he thought of all the problems they already face and then of the bickering that had just taken place over how to deal with Vrasus Neltu felt completely resigned.

Do they not think we have enough to deal with already!?

Neltu exhaled for what seemed like the thousandth time that day. He was tired but unable to sleep. After a minute he looked over at his window, staring out towards the colossal tree in the distance, a towering monolith against the sky. As the elf gazed at that scene his expression calmed ever so slightly.

Perhaps tomorrow will have better news.