The Burning of Neerhemfeth

an artist's conception of this most auspicious occasion

Few would suspect that Neerhemfeth, a sleepy and sparsely populated hamlet in the Fethil, has played such an important role in Elothninian history.

Around the Otellian calendar year 850, right at the start of Queen Lilhelndine's reign, Elothnin was beset by a severe famine. As her subjects starved, Lilhelndine had no choice but to make incursions into the Fethil - at that time, wild and untamed except for some stray red elvish bands populating the region after the Athenorkos' First Displacement. Elothnian leaders of the time argued that the red elves were doing little more than dancing in the grain, and that given their dire situation in the way of food, it was their right to cultivate the lands.

Since there was little in the way of a formal, centralized army, Lilhelndine order bands of small, local militias to explore the Fethil and report back vital information about the red elves' whereabouts and character. Forays were made towards the elves, who met the Imperial militia men with great distrust and apprehension.

By 855, Lilhelndine had grown impatient and demanded that an outpost be established in the Fethil, north of Neerhemehind along the Quentalno river. This outpost - which was chistened Neerhemfeth - was to serve as a base for supplies and communication for further explorations into the Fethil.

Though it was a small, dreary, unassuming place, it became the site of great controversies and (many respected historians, both Elothninian and otherwise, agree) its establishment marked the begining of the Border Wars. While the red elves had tolerated Lilhelndine's curious excursions into the Fethil, the establishment of an actually Imperial town in the Fethil provoked them. Many of the red elvish leaders saw the building of Neerhemfeth as a breach of the informal negotiations they had had with Otellian during the First Displacement period.

Memorandums sent back and forth from the militia men charged with the construction of Neerhemfeth and the Queen indicate that all was going very well, with no signs of trouble from the nearby elves. It came as a great surprise when the red elves fell upon Neerhmefeth, razing it to the ground. Valiyon, a well-known red elvish leader of the area, nailed a statement, written in Athernorkos, to a post in the town square. It took sometime for the Elothninians to translate it, revealing the following message:

Because we are honorable, we are warning you. Your Otellian took our ancient lands, but we conceded as long as you stayed there at let us have the Yellow Sea¹. Though we are numerous, though we could overtake you and reclaim what was once ours through magickal means, we did not out of respected for the agreements made with your forbears. Clearly, because your lives are so short and memories so feeble, you do not remember the boundaries your king agreed to in exchange for peace with us.

These are our lands, humans - they are not yours to take. You have grown arrogant and presumptive, like greedy children. Only the Athenorkos can live in these lands. build your puny hamlet again, and we will burn it again and we will strike down any of your forlorn soldiers you are foolish and selfish enough to send here without mercy. This is your only warning, Lilhelndine.

While this declaration caused quite a stir among those men on the front lines - who had seen the red elves slipping through the waving tall grass silently, regarding them with wary glances - the threats of the red elves were not taken seriously by the queen or her cabinet, and the immediate rebuilding of Neerhemfeth was ordered. Only two days into the reconstruction, Neerhemfeth was once again burned, and this time, most of the soldiers were left dead or captured by the elves and never heard from again.

Lilhelndine ceased construction on the waystation and had the troops retreat and ordered scholars to pore over what few documents still existed from Otellian's time. After some time, the scholars come to the conclusion that no formal agreement had been reached by the Elothninian founder and the red elves. there was a long standing informal understanding, yes, but there appeared to be (on the human side of things, at least) nothing actually preventing Lilhelndine's encroachment. The queen order Neerhemfeth to rebuilt once again, and this time, ordered extra troops sent to protect it.

Over the next 40 years, Neerhemfeth was burned to the ground 6 more times by angered red elves. The Imperial Army (such as it was) made little progress into the Fethil's interior because the elves used a combination of guerilla tactics and their social magicks to seduce and/or kill humans who ventured far enough away from Neerhemfeth.
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¹This is what 'fethil', which is actually an Athenorkos term adopted into the common Tongue, is literally translated as.