And with that, a short while ago I finished my first ever piece of terrain, ever, a Citadel Wood.
And here, with some of my Hobby Minions(tm) in it.
And finally with it some backstory about my growing Wood Elf army.
The Meadows of Heaven
Deep within the forest of Athel Loren lies the shifting
realm of the Meadows of Heaven, a secret place known to few outside the Asrai.
Though it is a prosperous and stable realm, it's leaders hold little sway over
the rest of The Forrest, for the realm has in recent years declared itself
independent of all of the 12 eternal realms of the wood.
Geography
The location of places within Athel Loren hold little
meaning, for the glades and pathways within the great forest frequently shift
and move. This is especially prominent with the Meadows of Heaven, for the
entire territory regularly changes it's position within Athel Loren, appearing
near the Pine Glades one week, and being near the edge of the Wild Heath the
next, and it is as much for this reason as the territory's recent political
estrangement that the Meadows of Heaven is not marked on most maps of Athel
Loren. As a general rule of thumb however, the Meadows of Heaven tends to
follow a rough orbit of the Oak of Ages, and never enters the region of the
Wildwood.
As well as this constant shifting within Athel Loren, the
various provinces within the Meadows of Heaven often shift and move as well.
However, they never stray particularly far from the 'centre' of the territory,
at the heart of which lies an artefact whose origins and purpose are a mystery
even to this day. The object itself is a massive sphere partially surrounded by
a crescent like border, not unlike the blade of a large pendulum, and is
covered by intricate designs. It is known to hold vast magical power, and it's
discovery marked the founding of the Meadows of Heaven, and so its silhouette
forms the royal insignia of the Meadows of Heaven to this day.
If one were to look upon a map of Athel Loren with the
Meadows of Heaven marked upon it, they would notice that the territory itself
is tiny, barely a fraction of the size of even the smaller Eternal Realms.
Despite this, the various areas of the territory hold a diverse array of
specialisations and capacities, almost creating a miniature form of Athel
Loren, and so the Meadows of Heaven are largely self-sufficient, which has
proven fortunate in recent times. Some of the more notable provinces within the
Meadows of Heaven include:
Imaginaerum
The Capital of the Meadows of Heaven, Imaginaerum is the
only province within the territory that never changes location, as it is
centred around the great object at the heart of the area, which itself
dominates the front of the royal hall of the Meadows of Heaven, the seat of
government for the Meadows of Heaven and a grand place that also holds the
great emblems of each of the noble households that a Wishmaster may be from, as
wells as countless treasures. Other features of interest within Imaginaerum
include the royal treasury of the Meadows of Heaven, the largest concentration
of the territory's wealth (though in truth much of the territory's wealth is
highly decentralised and just as much of it is dispersed amongst numerous
secret caches to prevent theft), and the royal armoury of the Meadows of Heaven,
a vast stockpile of arms and armour, including a magnificent collection of
magical items, some common throughout the world, and some which are barely
heard of outside it's confines.
The Glade of Poppies
The Glade of Poppies is the largest centre of learning and
knowledge within the Meadows of Heaven. It was devastated during Cyanathair's
first assault on Athel Loren, but has since largely recovered, though the
prized poppies that give the area it's name have yet to reach their original
height. This area is also the primary site of manufacture for much of the
weapons and armour and the magical items used by the Meadows of Heaven. Of
interesting note is that many of these magical items still use older designs no
longer in use by much of the rest of Athel Loren, and so many of them are
subtly different. A Bow of Loren made within the Meadows of Heaven, for
example, will not deliver as many shots as one made from elsewhere in Athel
Loren, but instead will be more accurate, and can be used in combination with
enchanted arrows. The enchanted arrows themselves use designs less well-suited
for large-scale production, and so are limited in use only to individuals of
significant status, but include varieties not used by other territories of
Athel Loren.
The Celestial Heath and the Fey Glades
The Fey Glades are the centre of magical knowledge and lore
within the Meadows of Heaven, and are strange and wondrous places filled with
fantastical occurrences and creatures of magic, and it is said that at night
the glades glow with faerie light. This area is centred around the Celestial
Heath, a grassy hill upon which grows a single tree, the Celestial Tree, from
which the twisting skeins of fate can be seen amongst the stars and the passage
of the moons with uncanny clarity, and so the Celestial Heath is the primary
place of scrying and fortune-reading amongst the Meadows of Heaven, and home to
it's greatest seers and prophetesses. Magic study and lore within the Meadows
of Heaven is tightly controlled, with many lores of magic being illegal within
the territory, and so study around these outlawed lores mainly centres around
ways to dispell them. The Meadows of Heaven never took part in the study of
Dark Magic that many of the other realms of Athel Loren conducted during the
Season of Lunacy, and while this shielded the territory from the Dark Magic's
corrupting effects, it also means that to this day mages from the Meadows of
Heaven are unable to make use of Dark Magic. At the same time, the lore of High
Magic has almost completely been forgotten amongst the Asrai of the Meadows of
Heaven, but the territory is also one of the last remaining places that retains
knowledge of the fabled Lore of Athel Loren, a strange fey strain of magic said
to come from the very power of the forest itself.
The Dead Gardens
The Dead Gardens are the main burial ground in the Meadows
of Heaven, and are the final resting place for many of it's greatest heroes, as
well as every Wishmaster that has ruled over the territory. At the heart of
this area is a large artefact much like the one within Imaginaerum, but
partially shattered and half-buried in the ground. Unlike the rest of Athel
Loren, the spirits of fallen Asrai in the Meadows of Heaven never form into
Tree-kin, and indeed rarely linger within the world at all, with those few who
do remaining largely confined to the Meadows of Heaven. Though this makes the
area a darkened and haunted place, even more so than the rest of Athel Loren,
it also means that Asrai who journey there can sometimes communicate with these
spirits of the dead, though this is not a common occurrence. The area is
thought to hold powerful magic, and has in recent times become a target of a
number of corrupt individuals.
The three rivers
There are three rivers that run through the Meadows of
heaven. It is believed that they run mostly underground from the mountains near
the forest, for while they sometimes appear in other parts of Athel Loren, they
are only consistently found within the Meadows of Heaven. One of them, the
River of Riches, is filled with an abundance of metals, gold and precious
stones that line its bed, and is the primary source of mineral wealth within
the Meadows of Heaven. Another, the Ghost River, is a stream of immensely
potent magical energy that flows all around the world, and is a dangerous and
terrible force. A contingent of Waywatchers from the Meadows of Heaven has
taken up guarding this river as their mission and duty. The final river, the
Iskalia or the Singing Maiden, is largely an ordinary river and provides the
Meadows of Heaven with a source of fresh water as well as the occasional fish.
The Glade of Twilight
A small and secretive glade within the Meadows of Heaven,
those who reside here are extremely isolationist, even by the standards of the
Meadows of Heaven (which is itself one of the more isolationist-leaning parts
of Athel Loren). The Asrai who dwell within the Glade of Twilight are
predominantly a Warrior Kindred, and hone their skills in combat to an
incredible degree, and also practice limited amounts of divination and scrying,
though not to the same extent as those of the Celestial Heath. Exactly why the
Asrai of this area are so secretive, and what they mean by 'mastering the
darkness', remains a mystery even to the rest of the Meadows of Heaven...
The Invisible Fortress
The Invisible Fortress surrounds the boarder of the Meadows
of Heaven, and is the territory's primary line of defence against attack from
enemies. It is a dense network and gauntlet of sentry posts, war-camps,
strongpoints, bastions and walls formed from intertwining trees, deepwood
alters that drive nearby trees into a killing frenzy, traps and other such
defences that extends for some length into the Meadows of Heaven itself, and is
notorious for its strength against even the fiercest assaults. Indeed, in the
entire history of the Wood Elves, the Invisible Fortress has only been breached
once, during Cyanathair's first onslaught at the start of the Secret War.
The Elvenpath
The Elvenpath is a long and winding trail through Athel
Loren and forms the main point of passage into the Meadows of Heaven, and
indeed with the Invisible Fortress in place its only point of entry without
magical assistance. Though it's exact locations change, it stretches throughout
all of Athel Loren, and always ends at the Meadows of Heaven, regardless of the
territory's current position. Because of this the Elvenpath forms the main link
between the Meadows of Heaven and the rest of the forest, though in times of
war it's entry point to the Meadows of Heaven will often be blocked with
tree-sung woods.
As well as these there are numerous small halls, shrines,
streams, springs, glades and other such places scattered throughout the Meadows
of Heaven. Despite its name, the territory is largely dense woodland, with only
a few small meadows being present, most of which are used as stable glades.
The same mystical force that binds the various parts of the
Meadows of Heaven together also acts as an equalising force in regards to the
magic that permeates the rest of Athel Loren, such that the Meadows of Heaven
will always follow the time of day and seasonal passage of the outside world,
regardless of where in Athel Loren the territory currently presides. It will remain
daylight in the Meadows of Heaven for the entirety of the day in the rest of
the world (or rather the entirety of the day percieved through Athel Loren)
even if the territory is currently within the bounds of Modryn. Likewise, if
the world is in the clutches of Summer and the Wild Hunt rides across the lands
surrounding Athel Loren, the Meadows of Heaven will also be in Summer even when
in Atylwyth. This effect also extends to the area immediately
surrounding the Meadows of Heaven, and so Asrai from other realms in Athel
Loren can sometimes experience this difference themselves, to varying opinions
and reactions.
Society
The Meadows of Heaven was originally founded by a large
portion of social misfits and independent-minded souls, and so Asrai from the
territory have a tradition and reputation of being both very individualistic
and extremely stubborn. They are also occasionally known to be highly
emotional, leading to them becoming extremely passionate about subjects dear to
them as well as quick to anger or offend. The Meadows of Heaven is one of the
few territories of Athel Loren that still retains the older system of kindreds,
and examples of every kindred from the past of Athel Loren can be found within
it's dominion.
The ruler of the Meadows of Heaven is known as the
Wishmaster, a regional title, and this individual will carry both the royal
crown of the Meadows of Heaven and the King's Longsword. Unlike many other
places in the world, the royal crown of the Meadows of Heaven, a slender thing
made from silver and bronze, holds little value, and the primary symbol of
office is the King's Longsword, a large two-handed sword forged by Daith
himself on commission many seasons before the Meadows of Heaven politically
distanced themselves from the other Eternal Realms. Though there is usually
only a single Wishmaster, their partner, if there is indeed one, is known to be
able to command great sway with them, and the couple of Moenaeron and Lyraelle
famously shared the title of Wishmaster throughout their reign.
The Wishmaster will also appoint a royal court, which will
include a number of mages from the Fey Glades and the Celestial Heath (Aneaeth
Ollissin has traditionally been one of these, though there are instances of her
not being part of the royal court), a royal standard bearer to carry the
Wishmaster's personal standard, a number of other nobles, and a King's
Executioner. The King's Executioner is a title unique to the Meadows of Heaven,
and acts as the Wishmaster's avatar in personal combat should the Wishmaster
decide not to partake in a challenge, as well as dispatching enemies the
Wishmaster harbours particular wrath towards. Because of this the King's
Executioner will always fill in the role as champion of the Meadows of Heaven
during disputes between realms, instead of the Eternal Guard usually appointed
this task. While such an unorthodox action is not universally accepted by the
other realms of Athel Loren, they are often forced to resign to it, as the
response is usually a second challenge to address the matter, of which the
King's Executioner is again appointed as representative and whom often proves
the victor in both matches.
Strangely, despite their famously independent mindset, the
Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven still use the older leadership titles of Noble
and Highborn rather than the names of Glade Lord and Glade Captain used by the
rest of Athel Loren. Magic practitioners are however still known as
Spellsingers and Spellweavers.
Asrai from the Meadows of Heaven use a slightly different
dialect than those from the rest of Athel Loren. While it is largely the same
as the more common form of Asrai language, and similar enough that Elves from
the Meadows of Heaven and the rest of Athel Loren can usually understand each
other, a number of words have slightly different meanings in the Meadows of
Heaven, and the Asrai from the territory have a number of unique quirks,
colloquialisms and idioms in their speech.
There is also a strong tradition of storytelling in the
Meadows of Heaven, and nearly everyone who dwells there will have a favourite
tale to tell or hear. Because of this the Meadows of Heaven are one of the few
places besides the nymiad court to retain written histories and records, though
in this instance these tend to focus mainly on the Meadows of Heaven rather
than the greater part of Athel Loren. Likewise, skalds from the Meadows of
Heaven also tend to be very accurate when retelling histories of the Wood
Elves, though there are still a fair number who will twist the truth to their
own ends and so the ceremonial dances of Loec are still the only way to
guarantee an accurate historical retelling.
The Meadows of Heaven have traditionally been isolationist
even by the standards of the Asrai, almost never interfering in the affairs of
other lands unless it was of paramount importance to Athel Loren's safety,
though it's armies have frequently mounted sorties into foreign lands to
conduct various secret missions. The territory also nonetheless holds strong
ties with a large number of the Great Eagles that ally themselves with the
Elves, as well as many of the forest's other creatures, though the number of
forest spirits within the Meadows of Heaven has historically been much lower
than the rest of Athel Loren. It is also then strange to note that the Asrai of
the Meadows of Heaven will on occasion accept individuals from other areas into
their domain and treat them with genuine hospitality, though they are rarely
allowed to return. Perhaps most notable of these individuals are the Bretonnian
Damsel Sharon D'adele and the human girl Alicia Liddenell. Needless to say,
this is always treated with a large amount of suspicion by the rest of the
Asrai in Athel Loren.
Unlike the rest of Athel Loren, the Asrai of the Meadows of
Heaven do not worship the entire Elven pantheon, having long ago concluded that
most of the Elven gods had abandoned them. Only Isha and Kurnous are still
worshipped, and even then the exact practices are often different from the rest
of Athel Loren. For example, the Talon of Kurnous is not practised by the Asrai
of the Meadows of Heaven, who instead prefer to honour the great hunter by unleashing
a first strike of a hundredscore arrows, considering the enemy army itself to
be prey more than any individual in it. Many of the Asrai in the rest of Athel
Loren consider this to be heresy, but many others grudgingly condone it,
provided that such teachings do not leave the bounds of the Meadows of Heaven.
History
The Meadows of Heaven gains it's name from two factors. The
relatively constant distance between it's various areas allowed early Elven
colonists to gain a point of reference when first navigating Athel Loren, and
the historically low numbers of forest spirits in the territory made it
something of a sanctuary for Elven colonists menaced by Dryads in the early
days of settlement, making it something of a heaven for those early settlers.
While largely following the same conventions of time keeping
and historical reference as the rest of Athel Loren, the Meadows of Heaven does
hold different names for four great seasons. The Season of Withering is known
in the Meadows of Heaven as the Season of Fire, the Season of Retribution and
the Season of Redemption are collectively known as the Season of Lunacy, and
the Season of Doom is known as the Season of Tears.
The Season of Fire
"HELL TO THE HEAVENS!!"
-warcry of the Beastmen assailing the Meadows of Heaven
during Cyanathair's first attack (translated from Dark Tongue)
Though Cyanathair's first assault on Athel Loren, at the
very start of the Secret War, affected all of Athel Loren, it remains
particularly strong in the Meadows of Heaven, for it is the one time the
territory has truly felt threatened. Initially it was thought that the
Invisible Fortress, first created during the Winter of Woe some time earlier,
would be sufficient to hold back any incursions on the Meadows of Heaven, as the
Invisible Fortress was at the time believed to be invincible. Nonetheless the
Meadows of Heaven sent several armies to aid in the greater defence of Athel
Loren, where they fought with distinction.
This security was brought crashing down when The Corrupter
turned it's baleful gaze upon the Meadows of Heaven however. The creature sent
titanic hordes to bring the territory to it's knees, and while they were at
first deterred by the Invisible Fortress, Cyanathair's innate madness and
chaotic nature spoke to the trees and spirits of the Invisible Fortress, as it
did to many other parts of Athel Loren, and caused large sections of the
defence line to rebel against the Elves, allowing the Beastmen to circumvent
the Invisible Fortress and gain direct access to the Meadows of Heaven. Those
detachments fighting in other parts of Athel Loren were forced to be recalled,
and for the rest of that terrible conflict the entirety of the Meadows of
Heaven was consumed by total war. Glade Guard and Eternal Guard cut down
thousands of Gors and Ungors in brutal ambushes and raids, Scouts fought
running skirmishes with Ungor Raiders, Waywatchers fought a lethal shadow war
hunting down Beasts of important status and the terrible monsters unleashed on
the Meadows of Heaven while Warhawk Riders and Eagles fought a deadly battle
for aerial superiority with flocks of Harpies and winged monstrosities. The
Elves of the Glade of Twilight slaughtered through entire warherds unsupported,
Spites assailed the enemy with every trick and power they had, the Arboreal
Legion smashed it's way through rank after rank of vile creature, and the few
Treemen of the Meadows of Heaven fought an unyielding defence of the most
sacred glades and trees in the Meadows of Heaven, while the mages of the Fey
Glades and the Celestial Heath unleashed the cataclysmic power of The Silent
Force, one of the great and terrible spells known only within the Meadows of
Heaven, the use of which is forbidden save for the direst emergencies. The
Glade of Poppies was left devastated in some of the bloodiest fighting of the
entire conflict, and such was the ferocity of the warfare that many of the
Glade Guard kindreds in the Meadows of Heaven were wiped out, such as The Light
of Dawn and Spellbound Night. To this day their halls remain empty, left
preserved as a memorial to their sacrifice. Countless heroes of the Meadows of
Heaven were forged in this conflict, and hundreds of tales abound recounting
their deeds. In the end the Beastmen horde was broken in an enormous battle that
left the Wishmaster of those days slain along with his Eagle companion and
mount, and the leader of the Beastmen dead at his blade. Two individuals of
note that fought in this battle included a lesser Beastmen Chieftain named
Belphegor, who would go on to escape the war, and a young Elf noble by the name
of Maxamaron.
The Season of Lunacy
Unlike the rest of Athel Loren, the Asrai of the Meadows of
Heaven consider the Season of Retribution and the Season of Redemption to be a
single season, which they call the Season of Lunacy, as it is at this time that
they consider the rest of the forest to have gone mad. For much of this period
and those before it since the aftermath of the Season of Fire, the Meadows of
Heaven were largely quiet, focusing mainly on rebuilding their territory. As a
result they did not take part in the campaign in Naggaroth, nor did they share
in the knowledge of Dark Magic that came back from it, which the Asrai of the
Meadows of Heaven would later go on to claim was a wise decision indeed.
Because of this the territory was unaffected by the chaos that the rest of
Athel Loren was thrown into during this time, and largely looked upon it from
without with a mixture of sorrow, confusion and bemusement. It was also during
this time that Maxamaron rose to become Wishmaster, and was afflicted by the
Winterheart.
During this time the Bretonnian Damsel Sharon D'adele made
her journey into Athel Loren, and was rescued by Elves from the Meadows of
Heaven and brought there, where she was kept for some time out of fear she may
be killed in the madness overtaking the rest of Athel Loren. During her time
there she was tutored by the Spellsingers and Spellweavers of the Fey Glades
and the Celestial Heath, and came to be on good terms with Tir'j'aelle
Taerynen, the Winter Storm. A second 'visitor' into the Meadows of Heaven
during this time was a young dark-haired girl named Alicia Liddenell, believed
to originally be from somewhere within the human Empire, who twice fell through
the Worldroots and landed in Athel Loren close to the Meadows of heaven, where
she was brought to and kept. On her second stay she was allowed to settle there
permanently, and was awarded a small knife of magical metal after becoming
welcomed by the Spites of the Meadows of Heaven. To this day her blue and white
dress has become well known in the Meadows of Heaven, and within the territory
she is considered something of a mascot or pet.
It was in this time that the great exodus of the Spites
began. The overt use of Dark Magic within the bounds of Athel Loren came to
terrify many of the Spites that had long since resided within the forest, and
many of them fled to what refuge they could find. One such place was the
Meadows of Heaven, as the non-use of Dark Magic there had made the territory
something of a sanctuary for the nature spirits. And so it was that hundreds of
Spites migrated into the Meadows of Heaven, their fear of the growing use of
Dark Magic greater than their unease around the Wishmaster. Even now the
Meadows of Heaven remains even more infested with Spites than other areas of
Athel Loren, and the Spites have formed close ties with the territory, such
that Asrai heroes may still make use of them even when many other Elves in
Athel Loren cannot.
Throughout this long season the Asrai of the Meadows of
Heaven began to grow disillusioned with greater Wood Elf society. Seeing the
havoc wrought by the introduction of Dark Magic, and how the other Elves acted
with it, as well as Ariel's absence afterwards, began to make the Elves in the
Meadows of Heaven think their kin had lost their way. Evidence found in this
time that the other Asrai of Athel Loren had allowed Beastmen to lurk the
forest, and the untimely demise of Adanhu and Gruarth only brought further
disdain, and so it was decided that the Meadows of Heaven would separate from
the Eternal Realms of Athel Loren. As the season came to a close, the leaders
of the Meadows of Heaven left their places in the councils of Athel Loren,
renounced the leadership of Ariel and Orion, and declared themselves
independent of the 12 Realms of Athel Loren.
The Season of Tears
The present times have been a mixed blessing for the Meadows
of Heaven. The territory is now the most prosperous it has been since the start
of the Secret War, but it must now contend with enemies from within as well as
from without.
The other Asrai of Athel Loren have a wide range of opinions
regarding the Meadows of Heaven and their split. Some consider them dangerous
renegades or treacherous deviants, and would love nothing more than to invade
the territory and bring it to heel. Others do not necessarily agree with their
ways or methods, but do not have any ill intent towards them so long as they
continue to aid the forest. Others still share their sentiments and provide
them with aid or even flock to their banners. The Eternal Realms are likewise
divided in thought. Talsyn is the most unaccepting of the Meadows of Heaven and
its independence, with Araloth being the most prominent voice of those who
consider those in the Meadows of Heaven to be traitors. Arranoc is likewise staunchly opposed to the Meadows of Heaven, as they both
divert guests away from their fate as sacrifices and bring winter into the
otherwise never-ending summer. Both these sentiments are mutual, with the
Meadows of Heaven considering Talsyn to be something of a centre for the
corruption they perceive in Athel Loren (and the Wishmaster considering Araloth
to be unfit to lead), and Arranoc to be duplicitous and dishonourable
to outsiders. On the other hand, Modryn and Anmyr are
both largely supportive of the Meadows of Heaven, for bringing a rare glimpse
of daylight and great amounts of aid in trying to heal the land respectively,
and the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven feel quite close to those of Anmyr, with both groups feeling a common bond in their suffering at the
hands of Cyanathair. Torgovann and Argwylon both largely
consider the Meadows of Heaven to be backwards and rustic fools, while those in
the Meadows of Heaven consider both realms to be playing with fire, meddling
with dangerous forces best left undisturbed. These sentiments are not universal
however, and Asrai of every opinion regarding the Meadows of Heaven can be
found in any of the Eternal Realms, albeit in varying amounts. Even the forest
spirits are divided, with some considering the Meadows of Heaven to be an
aberration, while others believe it to be a seed of renewal and the salvation
of the forest. Orion himself would be happy to make war upon the territory, as
he and the current Wishmaster have never been in agreement on most things,
however Ariel is, for now at least, content to allow the Meadows of Heaven to
continue on their way, understanding that those who dwell there still serve the
forest in their own way.
Tensions remain high, but for now an uneasy peace remains
between the Meadows of Heaven and the other realms of Athel Loren, and so the
Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven have turned their attentions outward. While no
longer officially following the mandates of the King and Queen in the wood, the
leaders of the Meadows of Heaven agree with the need for greater action against
Chaos in the wider world, and so armies from the Meadows of Heaven frequently
travel abroad to hunt down the children of Chaos, though their deeds generally
go unrecognised and unrecorded by others, even more so than other Wood Elves.
Belphegor, survivor of the Beastmen assault on the Meadows of Heaven during the
Season of Fire, has risen to become a powerful warlord, and is currently
amassing forces for another attack on the Meadows of Heaven in the name of the
Master of Skulls. Another evil now covets the territory however, in the form of
the countess Justine Favole, who has tasted the power that resides in the Dead
Gardens and craves to command it's entirety, and so her followers and minions
now assail the Meadows of Heaven in ever-increasing numbers and ferocity. The
Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven have also come into conflict with the servants
of the accursed Chaos God Slaanesh, though their intentions still remain a
mystery.
The Glory of Days Long Past
The methods of battle and war used by the Meadows of Heaven
are best described as old but effective. Their armies are frequently
well-trained and equipped, though the equipment itself is often different to
that now used by the rest of Athel Loren. Glade Guard, for example, continue to
use the Glade Guard Longbow, which has been largely phased out of the rest of
Athel Loren in favour of the Asrai Longbow. The older Glade Guard Longbow has less
power at longer ranges than it's newer cousin, but much greater power at short
ranges, and Glade Guard from the Meadows of Heaven train heavily in Asrai
Archery techniques to effortlessly fire on the move, allowing them to quickly
get into shorter ranges to make full use of this power. Other units tend to use
the lighter Scout Bow, a design almost exclusive to the Meadows of Heaven that
is less powerful than either the Asrai Longbow or the Glade Guard Longbow, but
is considerably lighter than either and thus better suited for easily and
quietly moving through dense woodland, or as a sidearm for high ranking nobles.
It is also cheap and easy to produce, allowing any Elf from the Meadows of
Heaven to own one. Eternal Guard, likewise, still practice extensively in
Eternal Guard Fighting Styles, allowing them to rain down much more blows than
their compatriots in the other realms of Athel Loren, while the Wardancer
Weapons used by the Wardancers of the Meadows of Heaven hit much harder than
those used by other Wardancers. Warhawks from the Meadows of Heaven tend to
have less brute strength than those from other areas, but are much more nimble,
allowing them and their riders to conduct quick hit-and-run attacks to disrupt
enemy forces. The few forest spirits greater than Spites that reside in the
Meadows of Heaven are far more brutal than in other parts of Athel Loren, with
Dryads from the territory eschewing close-packed formations in favour of
viscous attacks in combat, while the Tree-kin of the Arboreal Legion are known
to strike with far more force than Tree-kin formed from the departed spirits of
fallen Elves. All Elves from the Meadows of Heaven still train extensively in
firing while moving, though this comes at the expense of developing the
lightening-quick reaction speeds other Elves are known for. While the magical
support of the Meadows of Heaven is more limited in it's application, the
territory boasts a far greater array of magical items than the other realms of
Athel Loren, which when combined with the affinity Spites have for Elves in the
territory, ensures that leaders of the Meadows of Heaven can be equipped to
deal with an extremely wide array of threats.
Where the Asrai of the Meadows of Heaven go, the glory of
days long past travels with them.
(Please ignore the colour of some parts. They're things or places mentioned in the new Wood Elf army book that I've forgotten the official name for, and I'm currently unable to access my copy of the new book to check, so I made them blue for easy reference when I go back over it after checking in the new book).
And to finish everything off here's a picture of the road still to go. The rest of the year is going to be very busy...
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