Zerranthus leapt from tree branch to tree branch tracking his quarry but the dark stalker was adept at staying just out of bowshot, and the sun was going down soon. Although elves see in starlight just as well as they do during the day tonight was a new moon with clouds and that meant his quarry would have the advantage.
Cursing that he would need to find a place to hold up till sun up, Zerranthus found a large hollowed out spot in a great darkwood tree where he could get some rest and continue after his prey in the morning. After quietly eating some mixed nuts and berries, his sister had packed for him, the elven warrior laid several soft pine branches in his hollow and began to settle in to meditate and rest. Four hours is all he needed of reverie before he could begin the trail again, more time than Zerranthus wanted to spare for someone so vile, but it could not be helped.
Barely cognizant of the rhythmic drops of rain that fell on the trees branches, his rest was interrupted by the sounds of hoof falls on twigs below. His pointed ears twitched instinctively as hearing the rattle of horse bridles, some language akin to bastardized dwarven mixed with common, being whispered by the travelers. Then his nose was filled with the wet stink of them.
‘HUMANS’, his nose wrinkled at their odor of sweat, furs, and horse, so strong he could have shot them in the dark.
Apparently the Ulfen thought the tree a good place to make camp as well for all their horses where tied below. Just over fifty, mostly males but a few female, warriors began to break off and make low fires in groups of five or ten.
Zerranthus leaned forward making out their leader, a tall man at almost seven stones high, with long immaculately braided salt and pepper colored hair and beard, dressed in the furs of a winter wolf and worn but sturdy looking plate mail covered his broad muscular frame. Although most of the north men where large easily over six stones high or higher, this one was immense and carried himself with great grace despite his size.
‘Most likely the war party leader’, the elf mused. Only one other seemed to even come close to his size a fair-haired youth who followed he great warrior like a wolf pup. But even a pup has fangs and what the Ulfen youth lacked in experience he made up in size and impressive physique most likely the strongest man among them next to the leader.
Their presence vexed the elven warrior. ‘What where they doing here? Surely they where not so foolish to think they would attack the elves in their forest home?’ Plunder and prey would be easier to find further south.
Of course the Ulfen also enjoyed challenges in battle, exotic prisoners, like elves had been taken by his people hundreds of years ago.’ Zerranthus heart turned cold at the thought of these humans encroaching on his homelands for slaves, the thought of some blond barbarian youth taking his sister as a prize boiled his elven blood.
“Filthy humans” he mouthed silently between his teeth. There would be no rest for Zerranthus tonight he must make Crying Leaf before the dawn tomorrow, to warn them of the humans. His hunt of the dark stalker must wait in spite of how close he had come to finding him this time.
Vognar laid his wet pack by the fire in hopes it would dry out before he laid to rest with the others in a circle. Sentries where set up around the war party but none noted the elven warrior slipping past them with ease.
Above the tree hollow Zerranthus used, the dark stalker laid motionless mere branches away from his surface elven counterpart. His ebony skin, pointed ears and red eyes saw the exchange of contempt Zerranthus had toward the humans. How the dark elf wanted to kill the elf warrior, being so close to his surface enemy made him tremble with anger, it would have been simple, but his orders where specific 'do not engage our surface brethren yet'. However the trap of mistrust was set and what he had accomplished what he was told to. Soon the humans and surface elves would go to war.
Vognar laying beneath the great tree thought of the elves and what they might look like, then a shadow moving above caught his eye. The young warrior sat up peering intently at the tree branches above, for a moment thinking he saw elf demons in the trees shadows above. Shaking his head, the dark apparition disappeared, apparently a trick of light and shadow, he laid down dreaming of gold and glory.
The following morning the invading humans came to a set of ruins near the ancient elven city, many of the younger warriors wondered if they had arrived at Celwynvian. Ingimundr their leader corrected that this was once a watch post but they were close to the city, perhaps another day. A sudden stillness came over the air and animals, that alerted Ingimundr to danger. The trees where silent the war leader noted, reaching for his axe and shield, about to warn his men, a voice clearly accented, but well spoken, broke the silence as and arrow landed a hairs breathe from Ingimundr.
Vognar reached for his weapon but was held in place by Ingimundr shaking his head. “You are intruders here, HUMAN, go back to your ships and leave now or you will feed the trees and birds with your carcasses. You are surrounded.” A clearly elven female voice spoke from the cover of trees ahead of him, in the common tongue.
“I go where I please, perhaps you are just one or few and we are many. I might accidently burn your forest you will have no place to hide anymore, come out so we can talk. Either that or my men and I continue on.” Ingimundr had no intention of talking; Vognar knew this, his hand edging for his own great sword, staring intently at the trees for a glimpse of an elf to charge.
“My name is Ingimundr King of Bilt with whom do I parley wit?” attempting to stall for more time and assess the locations of his enemies.
Seeing the obvious ruse, “You will not find us human besides we smelled you long before we heard you, we could shoot you down blind folded.” The female elf jeered. “My name is Lady Elordria of Crying Leaf and you are not welcome here”.
“Go home NOW, or suffer the…” A series of twangs was heard all around but no arrows flew towards Ingimundr and his men, interrupting the young elf maids’ words. The ringing of swords and elven calls of alarm where cried out all around the Ulfen. Confused and angry at the injury to his pride, Ingimundr yelled for his men to arm themselves and find them.
His men confused attempted to follow their leaders orders, spreading out in every direction to engage the elves, but soon found two groups of elves fighting amongst the boughs and branches above. One very small group fair skinned elves like they had envisioned and the other larger group of sinister looking wraiths with skin dark as night fighting amongst the boughs and branches above them. Unable to reach them in the trees above and unable to keep up with their aerial speed and agility they stood confounded.
Vognar had heard the tales of dark elves and elves warring from his mother, a sky maiden, but could not have imagined the grace and speed of these fierce people until now. Standing dumbfounded the naive Ulfen warrior watched as the dark elves that out numbered the elves four to one still took great losses to their surface cousins who fought with brave desperation.
Ingimundr strode up beside him seeing the macabre spectacle of battle between the two races above, realized the rumors where true about the ancient Mierani forest being a place held by dark elves.
Calling to his men he yelled in Skald, “To the horses and back to the ship. RETREAT!” Turning to Vognar hand on his shoulder, “Come boy we must leave and tell the other Kings of this, or this will be the last thing we see.”
Ingimundr although crude and unruly was no fool, the sight of so many dark elves meant death for him and his men. With no other option the Ulfen raiders saddled and ran for the bay before the dark elves finished their work with their surface cousins. All except Vognar, who stood in awe of the battle above, too long and was soon left alone in woods among the fray of elves, which was quickly dying out.
A particularly beautiful but young elf maid became cornered by a male drow warrior, locked in heated exchange of ringing blades, the she elf deftly dodged the male marauders rapier thrusts, in time to be struck mid section by a small crossbow dart.
Laughing in hateful glee “My poison will do its work my fair haired cousin and you will suffer at my hands tonight I will take pleasure in your screams” the dark evil sneered hatefully.
Elordria was the daughter of a noble house, refusing to show the drow any fear, in spite of poison doing its work and feeling heavier by the moment. However, she could not ignore that her eyes, arms grew heavy and after a few more weak exchanges her weapons fell to the ground, which came rushing up towards her. Her last sight was the dark elf standing over her laughing evilly unbuckling his breeches.
Vognar ran to his mount as soon as she came into view, realizing all too late he had lingered too long, he prepared to leap on his horse and retreat as he was ordered. However when the elf maid was struck, with a poisoned bolt, something snapped deep within him, as the dark elf loomed over the young elf maid to gloat, all he could see is red, changing his direction Vognar rushed the dark elf with his horse.
Yizven turned at the last second at the sound of hooves barring down on him, barely deflecting the large humans immense sword swing, he was clipped by the large animal. Spinning Yizven was knocked head first into a tree and unconscious.
Vognar didn’t actually intend on hitting the drow, just distract him long enough to reach down and heft the elf girl over his saddle. He was surprised how light she was to lift, despite her height. His broad strong arms easily raised her up and Vognar spurred his horse to a gallop, deeper into the forest away from his people and the battle, trailed only by angry dark elven cries and poisoned bolts.
“STOP” a dark robed and hooded drow stood amongst them with a commanding presence, seeing his troops about to give chase to the solitary human. “Leave them, we can hunt them at our leisure they head further into our lands”.
“Gvneresti”, the hooded leader hissed aloud calling the dark stalker, who instantly appeared kneeling before his master.
Pointing after Ingimundr and his men, “Hunt those foul north men down and bring their bodies and equipment to me… use no poison to retrieve them, leave none alive”, a vile sneer crossed the leaders stony onyx face, “it must look like our elven cousins fought valiantly.”
“As you wish my lord”, the dark stalker stated.
“The elf girl and the Ulfen pup” the assassin questioned hopefully?
The drow leader Nolveniss nodded understandingly from deep his dark hood, “Very well, when you are done with your work you may hunt them down as well alone they are yours”.
Smiling triumphantly, the dark stalker nodded for the dark elven warriors to follow him north, after the Ulfen men, disappearing into the dark like silent specters most of the drow warriors departed, leaving their leader and just a two body guards to change the battlefield to look like Ulfen had fought here.
Burning the area Lord Nolveniss called upon all his dark arts of magic and cunning to obscure the terrain, while his best trackers removed signs of the drow having ever been there so they could place the bodies of the Ulfen warriors about stragetically.
'The elves will blame the humans and we will use their distraction to our advantage' he mused. 'Only the elf maid and the human can ruin my plans now'.
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