Post by Ariel Faerie on Oct 29, 2003 0:38:04 GMT -5
Celene has ever been home to the gray elves of the Flanaess. In ancient days, elven princes held sway from the Velverdyva to the Wild Coast; by the time of the Migrations, their rule had diminished to isolated pockets such as Celene. In those dark days, groups of fleeing Suloise pushed through the Lortmils and entered the elven country, but their sojourn was brief. Such was the wantonness and cruelty of the Suel that most were banished by the elves and driven past the Jewel River. Other human tribes, even among the Suloise, were better received by the elves if they cherished the land and its life. The elves of Celene even offered their allegiance to the benign rulers of Keoland for several centuries, rejecting them only when warlike monarchs took the Keoish throne.
The Grand Court assembled at Enstad to determine the best course for the elves, seeking a leader from among their number. Princess Yolande of Bell-meadow, a fey wizard and accomplished warrior, was hailed by the gathered nobles as their brightest hope. Together with the Ulek Provinces, Celene expelled the royal garrisons of Keoland. Princess Yolande organized the defenses of the elven nation, and Prince Consort Triserron proved an able field commander, besting Keoish forces in a number of short engagements. With their victories came full independence for Celene, and the elevation of Yolande to queen of the new realm.
Other perils soon threatened the elven kingdom. The orcs of the Lortmils, no longer restrained by Keoish patrols, attacked their lowland neighbors with increasing ferocity. These invasions were always turned back, but at great cost, and there seemed no end to the hordes that spewed from the mountains each spring. Celene joined in a defensive alliance with the Ulek States and the Kron Hills gnomes, seeking to contain the nonhuman menace by coordinating the efforts of each nation's military. They achieved limited success, but continued to incur losses, the greatest of these being the death of the prince consort of Celene. While returning from a mission to the County of Ulek, the prince consort was waylaid and slain by ores in a narrow pass south of the town of Courwood. His tragic death led the elves of Celene to spearhead the Hateful Wars.
The Hateful Wars were a series of conflicts waged for more than a decade against the ores and goblins in the heart of the Lortmils. Following the Low Road of the Lortmils, the underground passages that linked the major goblinoid lairs, the combined forces discovered every secret stronghold in the chain. Each ore, goblin, and hobgoblin lair was destroyed, together with as many of the hated beings as possible. Forced to the surface, the survivors had nowhere to recover their strength and numbers. After two harsh winters they were driven from the mountains altogether.
The successful prosecution of the Hateful Wars brought Yolande even greater honor: she was invested by the Grand Court with the Mantle of the Blue Moon, giving her the title "Lady Rhalta of All Elvenkind." Since the Wars, Celene has maintained its official policy of noninvolvement, though many elves have volunteered to fight in the Suss Forest or farther afield.