Randle's Folly

artist's conception of the horrid experience endured by a survivor of Randle's Folly

In 1032 OC, the Imperial Army was in a very difficult spot: for 60-odd years, the rebels had had the upper hand by forcing the Imperial soldiers to hover close to the Erkenheld-Fethil border where they would be mercilessly picked off by the rebels guerrilla tactics. Army leaders were also feeling the impatience of the Queen and her royal advisors, who wanted to end the Border Wars as quickly as possible.

It was this mix of urgency and desperations, perhaps, that lead General Victor Alamacious Randle to undertake what had the potential to be a brilliant campaign that had the potential to change the course of the war. After capturing an elf in an attack on his encampment, Randle had some of his spies use various mean to gain valuable information from it - specifically , a hand-drawn map to the rebels' base of operations.

Randle ordered his entire battalion to enter the forest from various points meant to triangulate the rebels' camp. His plan was to rush in and take the camp with no prisoners and use it as a waystation for further exploration of the forest.

But the brilliant plan quickly turned into a terrible failure. The map hand been drawn as if well-beaten paths existed, which should have made storming the camp in such a quick and coordinated fashion easy to do, but no Imperial soldiers found anything but dense undergrowth and nearly impenetrable vegetation. The rebels presumably used the soldiers' disortented state and isolation from one another to their advantage - though no bodies were found after the failed attempt, few men stumbled out of the forest of the next few days. And few of those men were sane enough to speak coherently.

What happened to the men who survived Randle's Folly is not clear, and dependent on the trustworthiness of terrified and now paranoid soldiers. Randle's Folly marks a major defeat for Elothnin, both in terms of the material loss of soldiers and a huge drop in morale.

See Also:
Eldernoth Furbolg

The Great Green Wall

The Great Green Wall is a colloquial term given to the Erkenheld-Fethil border by Elothnin's soldiers. A few years after the quiet that followed the Years of Red Grain, the red elves emerged from the eastern edge of the Erkenheld Forest to fight with the Imperial Army once again. After a few battles two things became clear: that the red elves had allied themselves with other strange forests creatures, like gnomes and centaurs, and that the Erkenheld was completely impenetrable.

In the last 80 years, this term has been used to describe the situation the Imperial Army faces - it has to skirt the edge of the forest in order to fight with the rebels, but can never pursue the rebels when they retreat back into it.

See Also:
Randle's Folly

The Service and Loyalty Act of 953

In the 950s OC, during the peak of the Red Grain period, the Imperial Army had an unprecedented and undeniable upper hand in the Border Wars. The tactic employed by the queen following the victory at Alamodour, however, required a large number of Imperial troops to overwhelm and cut off rebel bases.

As more successes followed, it became clear that army needed to attack and contain compounds in multiple areas simultaneously - it also became clear that the Empire needed substantially more troops in order to achieve this. In a desperate move, with little input from her cabinet of advisors, Queen Lilhelndine wrote the Service and Loyalty Act of 953, which ordered that able-bodied Elothninian man was required by law to serve a term in the Imperial Army, and that punishment for refusal was death.

Very little else was explained in the document¹ - Lilhelnndine did not specify what, in particular, qualified one as 'able-bodied' or how long 'a term' was. thus, the actual implementation of the draft was left in the hands of the army itself. Informally, the rules of conscription developed over the next 50 years: any of-age man who could walk reasonably well, see out of at least one eye and use at least one arm could be drafted. There need not be a clear or regular system which conscription occurred in, instead garrisons coulc (and should) draft from the locals whenever they needed bodies. And a term tended to be the length of whatever campaign a battalion happened to be partaking in.

Due to the lack of oversight or standardizaation, the border provinces of the Fethil and Perejin were affected much more severely by the Service and Loyalty Act than the other areas of Elothnin. Generally, this is thought to be a matter of convenience, though rabble-rousers claim that it is yet nother demonstration of the classism pervsavie throughout the empire.
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¹The only other peices of information included were that spies should wear purple when not actively engaged in acquiring new information and that mush should be served for breakfast because, as she put it, "and army travels on its stomach."

Alamadour

the commemorative monument erected at the battle site by the Fethilian sculptress, Lendnisa Worthis

Alamadour was a large and well-known red elvish farming compound situated near Neerhemfeth. Perhaps the nearness of such incursions caused these particular elves (including the famed elvish leader Valiyon) to be among the fiercest fighters among the rebels.

Alamadour was destroyed in the dead of night by a surprise attack by the Imperial Army. The battle itself has become the stuff of highly unsubstantitated legend - it is claimed (sometimes by older Athenorkos elves who claimed to be survivors) that the Imperial soldiers mercilessly killed all evles they found out in the open, regardless of sex or age, and barricaded the rest in their homes to be burned alive.

The destruction of Alamadour marked the beginning of the Years of Red Grain - a period of great loss for the red elves and major victories for Queen Lilhelndine and her army. It is remembered both as a tetament to the awesome military power of Elothnin and as a symbol of the great injustices suffered by the rebels. Since around 1000 OC, when the Rebel Forces emerged from the Erkenheld Forest after the red elvish retreat at the end of the Red Grain Period, the Rebels have shouted "Remember the Alamdour!" as they run into battle with the Imperial Army.

The Years of Red Grain

one of the few Fethilian compounds that survived the Years of Red Grain

The Years of Red Grain is a term given by the Athenorkos rebels to the period between the fall of Alamadour in 937 OC and the formation of the Rebel Army roughly around 970 OC. While technically a discrete war in and of itself, the Years of Red Grain are typically thought of as a period of the Border Wars. This period is marked by a dramatic shift in the tactics of warfare, which decisively favored the Imperial Army.

For twenty years after the Burning of Neerhemfeth, the Imperial Army attempted to stave off the red elves, but took hard losses and had no definitive victories. Eventually, the troops were recalled and the queen sent out Prabil Worthis to establish diplomatic ties to the Athenorkos elves. The elves and many Elothninians (including, legend has it, Prabil Worthis himself) assumed that the change in strategy signalled the tacit defeat of the Imperial Forces. In actuality, Lilhelndine used this as an opportunity to strengthen her military forces and have her best and brightest devise a plan to counter the elves' guerrilla tactics.

Roughly a decade after the death of Worthis, Lilhelndine began a brutal but effective military campaign. Instead of trying to establish bases of operation, as they did previously, the now quite large and well-supplied Imperial Army laid siege to the elves' agricultural compounds, typically taking all their food and viciously slaughtering any of the elves they found there before warnings could be sent to neighboring compounds. If the army suspected that elves at the compound had left to make guerrilla attacks or scout out Imperial whereabouts, a contingent was left behind to kill the returning elves without mercy.

In the next 30 years, elvish compound after elvish compound fell to the Imperial soldiers. Military records from the period indicate that 114 compounds were destroyed, and it is estimated that several thousand elves were killed in the process. Elvish scholars, however, claim that these figures are unrealistically low. The end of the Red Grain period came around the early 970s, as the sightings of red elves dwindled dramatically while they fled into the Erkenheld Forest and up into the Klevarcht Mountains.

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.

Reni

Reni works as a prostitute at The Blushing Loaf, those she often helps out with the bar when it is understaffed. It comes as no surprise to newcomers of the Blushing Loaf that Reni, a fine-looking lass with a lean willowy and vibrant red hair, is a red elf (whores of her kind are highly sought after in Susselfen because of a number of unfounded assumptions about their sexual abilities). She was born and raised in Elftown, but finds the more integrated Susselfen easier to live in as a magickal person.

In general, Reni tends to lack the easygoing nature and patience that red elves tend to have, and does not suffer fools gladly - even going so far as to refuse services if a patron looks at her the wrong way. In spite of this, she has taken quite a shine to Nelhoepher and Lem, finding their antics and irrepressible enthusiasm charming.

See Also:
Arna Clinders

Graz Mayhew

Mayhew, just having finished eating some delicious fruit

Graz Mayhew is a fixture of the seedier side of Susselfen society, and has been for quite some time. Mayhew primarily earns his way by running regular card games and as a part-time bookie for the undrground, illicit Fethil sheep fights that are so popular in the city. Mayhew is respected for the high professional level of his activities and feared because of his reputation for breaking the fingers of those who owe him money - an act which occurs frequently enough that some Susselfenners refer to broken fingers of any kind as having been "Mayhewed".

It is rumored that Mayhew, as a teen and young adult, was a brilliant card shark, though no one has seen him actually play a game in ten years. Mayhew is native to Susselfen, and most likely developed these card skills in order to survive as a young orphan on the streets. His formative years seem to have left him with a deep distrust of his fellow man and a tendency to keep from revealing how clever and crafty he is unless it is absolutely necessary.

Graz Mayhew recently met the acquiantance of Bertronius Worthis at Dunkler's Tavern, an especially seedy pub where he regularly hosts a card game. Although suspicious of the lad at first, Mayhew quickly saw Bertronius' unwavering interest in Larthon Ractor as an opportunity to hunt down and "Mayhew" yet another soldier who owed him money.

The Blushing Loaf

some of the more ardent patrons attempt to entice the staff to open shop early

The Blushing Loaf is a well-respected brothel right in the heart of Susselfen. It is housed in a lavishly decorated three-story building, where the first floor serves as a bar, the second of the romps supplied by the clientele, and the third serves as an office and living quarters for Madame Ondine Weatherby.

Since the matron herself is of half-elvish/half-human descent, it's staff boasts both human and red elvish women, and its bar sells both ale and pipeherb. Thus, the clientele tends to be primarily working-class Susselfenners of the human variety with some red elvish wyafarers and minstrels mixed in.

Noting the diverse clientele and staff (and the buxom wenches and free-flowing ale), Nelhoepher and Lem have become regulars of the first floor, hoping for either some attention from the barmaids, or some information about the rebels from the elvish patrons.

See Also:
Arna Clinders
Reni

Dunkler's Tavern

Dunkler's Tavern has the distinction of being one of the most unsavory, grimy, and all-around shady establishments in Susselfen - a city that certainly has its fair share of disreputable pubs.

This particular tavern - a small, unassuming building whose clapboard sides have been weathered to a dark gray and from whose eaves a large sign in the shape of a stein hangs - is located just off an alleyway. Those who patronize it, then, generally are regulars who know where to find it or are individuals who are in search of some dark, dingy place where they can drink, gamble, and engage in other such activities with some measure of anonymity.

One such regular is Graz Mayhew, a sly and sinewy man who strikes up and uneasy and unexpected alliance with Bertronius Worthis when he reveals that Larthon Ractor sometimes frequented the tavern and owes him money.